Basketball
from a fan’s perspective
“A broken clock is
correct twice a day”
In his
infinite wisdom Stephen A. Smith has pronounced Tim Dungan the “better” basketball
player over Kobe Bryant. This conversation
was generated by the Naismith Hall of
Fame Class of 2020 announcement. Allow
me to state up front, Stephen A. didn’t impugn Kobe it’s just the manner he
formulated his conclusion. Understand this
every point he raised is valid to the best of my research and memory, there is no
argument on my part.
*Kobe
wanted out from Shaq’s dominance
*Once
the two parted the Lakers slid downward with Kobe demanding a trade
*Laker
GM accommodated Kobe trading for Pau Gasol aiding in two championships
*The
Spurs continued to win all while Duncan played, for the Lakers it was different
Each of
the bullet points Smith raised are valid, my question realizing it remains a
team game is there enough evidence to conclude Duncan was the better
player. For fans of Duncan, I’m not
trashing him, to be honored by selection to the Hall of Fame certainly details
the type of basketball career he experienced.
It should be noted Smith did indicate he believed Kobe would draw more
fans to a game than Duncan.
2020 NBA draft
There
are far too many college players declaring for the draft to compile an accurate
count. The number of Euro players is
much smaller and easier to track. Theo
Maldon might not be the first to declare however to my knowledge he is the
first. Maldon is a 6-foot 5 180-pound point
guard from France announced he’s submitted his paperwork to the NBA office. Maldon is unknown talent with few of us
witness his play, we must depend on mock drafts to have an idea of his potential
talent. One mock sight nbaddraft.net
list Maldon as the number 9 pick while nbadraftroom.com has him at 17.
The NBA is in great
shape
We’d
guess if you cornered an NFL, NHL or baseball fan you’d get the same
story. “Our league is in great shape”
would be the statement and its likely true.
Nowhere is that more evident than the NBA. Oh, sure we hear the complaints about load
management, incompetent game officials and similar statements. One complaint we generally don't hear...incoming talent.
The NBA draft fails to produce Hall of Fame candidates every
season however enough raw talent is added to excite even the casual fan. If we look at the 2019 draft, we again have
two very capable candidates vying for Rookie of the Year in 2020, Ja Morant is
battling Zion Williamson for the honor.
There are other candidates but these two appear to be the crème da la
crème. The 2018 draft saw four at the
top, DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Luka Doncic Trae Young and Jaren Jackson
Jr.
Doncic was chosen 2019 Rookie of the Year although in some
circles several campaigned for Trae Young.
Drafts prior to 2018 provided an infusion of talent to most NBA
rosters. The NBA continues to add
must-see talent to its ranks every season.
Are there weak draft years you ask, of course they exist but this is the
key? Weak drafts are always reinforced
by two to three very good drafts in a row.
I betcha most Kansas
fans don’t know
A fan could be 16 years old or 60 anytime Kansas basketball
is mentioned the same names are always mentioned. You know most of them Wilt Chamberlain, Jo Jo
White, Paul Pierce and more recently
Joel Embiid. Bill Bridges is almost
always overlooked even by Kansas fans perhaps it was the era and maybe the
style of game he played.
Bridges arrived in Lawrence Kansas immediately after Chamberlain had
changed the game. In his time freshman
were not eligible so we can only check Bridges stats through his senior
year.
Bridges scoring was slightly above average, but boy could he
rebound the ball and play tough hard-nose defense. Bridges averaged nearly 14 rebounds a game
which is certainly an outstanding number for a guy who stood but 6
foot 5 inches tall? By the time Bridges
left Kansas he was drafted in the 3rd round by the Chicago Packers
(today’s Wizards). We have no history on
his decision however he would choose to play for the Kansas City Steers of the
American Basketball League.
Connie Hawkins was MVP of this upstart league but records
other than championship teams are lost.
The ABL would dissolve after less than two full seasons, Bridges would
cast his fate with the Hawks in St. Louis and their move to Atlanta. Over the course of his NBA career he’d play
for several others and always remained a ferocious rebounder and defensive
specimen. In 2015 Bridges died at the
age of 76, a name from the past who set the standard for the term, “lunch pail
player.”
