Basketball from a fan’s perspective
We are creatures of the now
Michael Jordan defies the norm; human beings are
creatures of the now…i.e. what is in front of us currently. Some of us have little use for the past, we
believe the players of the past were less athletic and fewer teams etc. etc. For a variety of reasons middle age and youthful
teens relate to MJ. MJ appeals to all
generation of fans while others of the past tend to be omitted.
We see LeBron, Steph, and others as “The Best”
of the best, we tend to forget about Russell, Kareem, Wilt, and others. The principal reason is time, the trio mentioned,
and several others left the NBA game more than 20 years ago. We are only familiar with players of the past
through video and grainy film. You can choose
your path I have always declared its far too difficult to compare players of
different generations.
On the recruiting trail
Recently the Mizzou report indicated the
2020-21 season will be unfavorable for Coach Cuonzo Martin if there is no
improvement on the court. In this
pandemic era scouting remains essential and Mizzou appears to be active. Rock M Nation the fan website for
Mizzou reported several significant 2021 prospects have been identified and received
offers.
The writer while detailing profiles finished by
indicating Mizzou should limit itself on the number of incoming freshmen. Freshmen have a difficult enough time making
the leap from high school to D-I basketball, why make the adjustment even more
trying by surrounding them with other freshmen? The previous statement becomes null and void should Mizzou recruit a "Fab Five" team.
One of the All-Time greats
Over the weekend came word former Coach Eddie
Sutton passed at age 84. I heard someone
state, “He was personally responsible for placing Arkansas basketball on the
map” while serving as head coach from 1974-1985. Sutton would later go on to coach Kentucky 1985-89
but returned to coach at his alma mater Oklahoma State in 1990.
Sutton resigned at Oklahoma State in 2006 and
briefly served as interim head coach for San Francisco University during the 2007-08
season. The coach is one of the double
honorees enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. Sutton is one of only four coaches with win
totals over 800 games at the Division I level, he won another 84 at junior college. Eddie Sutton is one of the giants and another legendary basketball coach, R.I.P.
Just in case
The block shot per game total of 8 and 8.8 for
Russell and Chamberlain cannot be authenticated, if you remember in yesterday’s
explanation in Words eye view it was pointed out the NBA did not begin
to track block shots until after Russell and Chamberlain retired. To place the block shots in perspective,
consider these present-day numbers. The
Pacers Myles Turner led the NBA in 2018-19 with 199 total or 2.7 a game, Hassan
Whiteside currently leads the NBA with 187 blocks and a 3.1 game average.
No answer yet
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst the NBA
will present a proposal June 1 regarding the 2019-20 season. Most of this report are mine and not those of
Windhorst. The NBA has completed about
80% of its regular season, teams with no opportunity to earn a playoff berth
should remain in place. Only playoff
bound teams should be allowed to complete the regular season. A proposal put forth has Western Conference teams
playing exclusively in Las Vegas and Eastern Conference teams in Orlando.
At the time the season was halted my Lakers had
19 games remaining, I say they play 8 games and the season is complete for them
and others. The playoffs begin with lower
seeded teams playing a best 3 out of 5 series, the balance would play 4 of 7. There are two issues with any plan on
restarting the season even mine. 1. The prospect of coronavirus striking
participants. 2. The season running smack into the NFL season,
I have long believed NFL and NBA fans are in two different camps. As for starting the 2020-21 season around December 25th sounds ideal to me.
