A unique athlete
Now and again an
athlete arrives on the scene that is unique.
If you judged them by their records without seeing them in action you
might say WHAT? Wes Unseld was that guy,
after being an All American at Louisville he was made the second pick in 1968
by the Baltimore Bullets. The franchise
would later move to Metro Washington D.C. becoming the Capital Bullets then into the city itself and a name change to the Wizards.
From 1968 to his
retirement in 1981 Unseld stood tall at center, standing 6 foot 7 and 245
pounds he battled the centers of that era.
Unseld used his bulk to snatch down a rebound and toss a court length
pass to a streaking teammate. It was
said at the time and remains true Unseld had the best outlet pass of any past
and modern day player. On Tuesday it was
announced Unseld had died of pnemounia and other illnesses, he turned 74 on
June 2. At the time the NBA selected its 50 Greatest Players Unseld was one of the honorees, R.I.P. Wes Unseld.
He was Robin….
Scottie Pippen is
one of the NBA’s all-time greats, as proof Pippen is enshrined in the Naismith
Hall of Fame. It is more than his
selection in the hall, there are other talents that came to the surface once he
began play for the Bulls. After viewing
Last Dance, it is my contention if not for Michael Jordan Pippen might have
never risen to become the NBA player many believed he could be. Allow for a little revisionist history,
Scottie Pippen on the Sonics who drafted him.
There are occasions
stats just do not come close to describing an athlete’s value. He was not the focus of the Bulls offense but
could score, his lock-down defense made him an invaluable member of those Bulls
Championship teams. Pippen arrived in
Chicago in 1987 from then little-known NAIA Central Arkansas, Jerry Krause
drafted Pippen, but MJ saw the potential.
Pippen would be one of the catalysts in aiding the Bulls to win 6 NBA
Championships. Pippen said, “He pushed me,
but I needed that,” Pippen would become an effective Robin to MJ’s Batman.
Just in case you missed it
On May 9 this appeared in Words eye view,
I thought it noteworthy enough to publish it again for those who might have
missed it. One day it is believed my
hometown Kansas City will have a representative team in the NBA
again. It could be 5 or 10 years from now, no matter the time frame
a name awaits them ahead of their arrival. That is my view, no need
of a naming contest for one already in use or inventing some weird name like
THUNDER. For those who love the name consider thunder occurs
everywhere in the world, it is not unique nor original.
The NBA team representing Kansas City should be
named the Monarchs, this is a historical name long associated
with the city although its baseball related. As for the history, the
Monarchs were a charter member of the National Negro League having been founded
in 1920. The Monarchs played championship caliber basketball for
many seasons. The continued play long after legendary Jackie
Robinson integrated baseball in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rest
assured I hear the complaints and objections ahead of time, many will voice
concerns that name should apply to baseball only.
What about the future?
The future of Mizzou Big Men was reported
recently, it was a look at the season ahead.
What about the 2021-22 season, the cupboard will virtually be empty
since Mizzou must add 5 newcomers? The first
addition has been made adding 6-foot combo guard and 3-star prospect Anton Brookshire
from Springfield (MO) Kickapoo High School.
The cupboard will be virtually empty as Mizzou
must replace 5 roster members in the 2021-22 season. Cuonzo Martin does not recruit traditional
post type athletes that is why adding 7 foot 3 Jordan Wilmore was a surprise to
many who follow the program. Mizzou is
recruiting point guards; combo guards and combo forwards are the key positions requiring
a refill. The next portion provides the
names for you:
Hunter Sallis 5-star combo guard
Malaki Branham
4-star combo guard
Tyrese Hunter,
4-star PG
Jordan
Nesbitt, 4-star WING
Julian Lewis,
3-star WING
Hercy Miller,
3-star CG*
El Ellis, JUCO
PG
*Master P.
rapper, actor, record producer, philanthropist, and father of Hercy
