Basketball
from a fan’s perspective
Get the ball to….
Did you see Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry on Sunday? He seemed irritated; it was pointed out Zion
Williamson did not touch the ball in the last 18 minutes of their match against
the Rockets. Naturally the Pelicans lost
the game 117-109, their poor shooting and the fact no one passed the ball to
Williamson were contributing factors. Pelican
turnovers didn’t help the effort either, they had as many assists (21) as they
did turnovers. The coach is going to
ensure in the future the ball is placed in Zion’s hands as much as
possible.
We still got time
As pleased as I am with the Lakers this season, I’m equally
disappointed with my second favorite NBA team.
That would be the Sixers who currently sit in 6th place in
the Eastern Conference playoff picture. They
still have 32 games remaining on the schedule so what’s the problem? First off there is reported feuding between
Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, then the injury to Embiid which sidelined him for several
games.
If we look at Al Horford’s numbers, they appear satisfactory however
he’s not been the smooth fit we first believed, the play of Tobias Harris has
been satisfactory to date. The missing
element is continuity which is exactly what?
The Sixers will earn a playoff spot in the east, how far they advance is
questionable at this point. They have the talent if they manage to iron out the steadiness issues, stay tuned for further developments.
He’s a mystery (to
me)
Russell Westbrook is 31-years old now, I’ve watched his game
throughout his 12- year NBA career. Talk
me down, why am I one of the few not impressed by his game? We all realize
the media can be troublesome for athletes and in Westbrook’s case can we say in
spades. He never physically attacked any
member to my knowledge, but his surly attitude was almost always on
display. While a member of the Thunder I
said at the time “He’d never be able to equal the triple-double season of Oscar
Robertson.” Not only did he prove me
wrong he accomplished the feat twice more but even that caused me an
issue.
I remember the game as if it was yesterday, 7-foot center
Steven Adams moved out of the way allowing Westbrook to rebound the
basketball. I wondered how many other times
this scenario might have occurred.
Westbrook is a talent, but he’s a scorer not a shooter. My definition, a shooter has an above average field goal percentage, a scorer shoots and shoots until he scores the basket. Now a member of the Rockets he's having the worst shooting season since his rookie campaign. As for the last portion of his game Westbrook is a capable assist talent. While the other two aspects might be called into question, we certainly cannot make that statement regarding an assist.
Mizzou
prospects
This is written in early February and the question is Mizzou
recruiting, where does it stand? Freshman
Mario McKinney’s left the program, so his leaving opens one scholarship for
2020-21. Jordan Wilmore 7-foot 2-inch 245-pound
center moves into the spot vacated by the graduating Reed Nikko. Not a great deal of room to move with the
balance of the roster underclassmen.
5-star prospect Josh Christopher remains on Mizzou’s radar
however his signing is in the “maybe he will maybe he won’t category.” Christopher has a relative on the basketball
staff at Mizzou, this California prospect might find greener pastures closer to
home. The only hope for Mizzou Nation at
this point is all those missed shots, turnovers and poor defense turn into
something spectacular for the Tigers next season.
