Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Food poisoning and not the flu

Michael Jordan’s longtime trainer claims it was food poisoning and not the flu.  The 1997 NBA Championship game MJ labored all game long.  During time outs the television cameras caught him on the bench towel draped over him with his head leaning downward toward the floor.  His trainer claims it was the effects of a late-night pizza MJ had consumed.  That was the game MJ would score 38 points and give the Bulls the lead and a 3-2 advantage as the teams would return to Chicago.  MJ’s trainer claims “The Flu Game” sounds far better than “The Food Poisoning Game.”

Junior college basketball 

Often there are athletes who attend junior colleges after high school.  Most often they attend a community or junior college to raise their GPA.  Often, it is more than grades holding back an athlete, its skill.   The youngster shows promise but there are “holes” in their game a year or two in junior college can sometimes be beneficial to continued development.  They might wind up a Division I or II program somewhere in the nation with the NBA in their future.  Bob McAdoo former player is in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame.  Prior to displaying his skill at North Carolina and later the NBA it began Vincennes then a junior college. 

McAdoo was enrolled there from 1969-71.  Also, from the junior college ranks Dennis Rodman, Naismith Hall of Famer Rodman begin his basketball journey at Cook County Community College now known as North Central Texas College.  As for the present Wolves guard/forward Jimmy Butler begin his ascension to the NBA from Tyler Junior College in Tyler Texas.  Cavs forward Jae Crowder played at Howard College a two-year community college in Big Spring Texas.  There are others not mentioned but the point is this, it does not matter where your journey begins the key is where it ends.  

G-League Select Team

Bits and pieces of information is gradually being revealed regarding the new team formed in the G-League for the 2020-21 season.  This team will not be affiliated with any NBA team or any existing franchise.  As this is written the Select Team contains four Class of 2020 high school athletes.  Former NBA player and coach Sam Mitchell will serve as head coach for the select team.

We guesstimate at least 7 additional players would be added to the roster.  The announced salaries of these four is over and above the level of other G-League athletes.  A reminder, the intended goal for the G-League is for the next LaMelo Ball or RJ Hampton to develop their game in this country rather than Australia.  In addition, we could foresee the Select Team being featured on NBA TV or ESPN telecasts. 

Jalen Green

Isaiah Todd

Daishen Nix

Kai Sotto 

Best trade ever   

Acquiring Big Game James Worthy proved monumental for the Lakers, he would prove to be one of the keys to the Showtimes Lakers.  How this talented college player came to the Lakers is a story, keep in mind this was the pre-lottery NBA.  The NBA with the worst won-loss record received the first draft pick every season.  “Feb. 15, 1980: The Lakers acquired Butch Lee and a 1982 1^st-round pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers for Don Ford and 1980 1^st round pick which became (Chad Kinch).  Your question might be who is Chad Kinch?


Cleveland wound up with the worst record in basketball, turning that Lakers pick into no. 1 overall.  The Lakers selected North Carolina's James Worthy, three years after drafting Magic Johnson via similar means Big Game James had a Hall-of-Fame 12-year stint with the Lakers.*"  On June 8, the Lakers won the NBA Championship defeating the Sixers, 21 days later the Lakers would draft Worthy which proved monumental.  June 1982 would become historic in the annals of Laker history.  As for Kinch, history indicates although a top draft choice he experienced only one NBA season before his departure from the league.  


*Clutchpoints