Pandemic
ESPN is reporting NBA players and staff will be
tested every other day before heading to Orlando. The article indicated the NBA has partnered
with Quest Diagnostics for the test. The
report did not specify what might occur should a player test positive after the season begins, stay tuned.
A poor choice
Mizzou scheduled a home and home series in
2021-22 and 2022-23 with Liberty University in Lynchburg (VA). It is my opinion Liberty is a poor choice for
scheduling a basketball game. Liberty is
a Division I program however that is not the issue, the concern is the school
not the basketball team. The university
has become a lightning rod of controversy in a few areas.
Understand this we are talking games played two
and three years from now, surely Mizzou could have located an opponent other
than Liberty. They could have scheduled
St. Louis University, Missouri State or SE Missouri State. Rather than bore you with the issues I see with this scheduling check for yourself, Google Liberty University and other information sites.
It is a mystery
Every spring this Laker fan attempts to explore
the pick of my favorite team in the draft.
Generally, I have been able to pair the potential list of Laker picks down
to two or three players but not this year.
There has been plenty of proposals to replace Rajon Rondo which lends
credence to that pick being a point guard.
On the other hand, the Lakers could do as the “old Dallas Cowboys.” They could choose the best athlete available
keep the pick or trade it to fill a need.
At the top of most mock draft sites 1-5 have
been interchanged since the start of last season. The Lakers with the 29th pick have
moved all over the map. As an example,
check the number below. I stopped at five, as you can see none of these mocks
have selected the same player for the Lakers.
By October 15 this could all change, but you can see my confusion as to
who the Lakers might choose. Guess I
will just wait for the draft.
Elijah Hughes 6-6 shooting guard Syracuse nbadraft.net
Paul Reed 6-9 power forward DePaul nbadraftroom.com
Cassius Winston 6-1-point guard Michigan State
nbcsports.com
Devon Dotson 6-2-point guard Kansas
bleacherreport.com
Nico Mannion 6-3-point guard Arizona cbssports.com
Changes in HOF voting
I hate to be an “I told you so” however I
expressed an opinion earlier and it will now be addressed. Several years
back news media identified North Carolina
basketball had a troubled academic
program. The coach was identified as part of the problem and that
would-be Roy Williams, Hall of Fame Roy Williams. I remember questioning
at the time why the HOF allows active coaches in the HOF but demands former
players must wait years to be enshrined. The Naismith Hall of Fame sought
to correct this issue by changing a portion of the eligibility
requirements.
Rick Pitino long-time Louisville coach was
terminated due to improper activities with the basketball program. I
would like to refer to these recent changes instituted by the Naismith Committee
as the “Rick Pitino” rule. Coaches now are now required to have
coached 25 years or more in addition they must reach a minimum age of 60 years. Those
two changes do not go all the way however they certainly address a concern I
once raised. Evidence could be exposed regarding a coach with 30
years and age 65 but it is highly unlikely.
