Basketball from a fan perspective
The First
Pelicans Coach Alvin
Gentry was fired early Saturday morning, he becomes the first coach terminated
at the end of the 2019-20 season. His
dismissal comes at the end of 5 seasons at the helm and the poor performance by
the Pelicans in the NBA re-start may have been the final factor. Rest assured Gentry maybe knew ahead of time
he was skating on thin ice based on his recent past with the team. Hopefully, the Pelicans will make a good hire
in replacing Gentry, they have Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball, and
a host of others who should be able to aid a youthful team. Will the Pelicans hire an assistant or go
with a veteran coach? It is difficult to
say at this point, it should prove interesting whomever is hired for the job.
Cheers and Jeers
The good, the NBA was
able to complete the 2019-20 season…the playoffs begin this upcoming week. There are play-in games however for the most
part the teams have been matched. Who
wins, we have no idea the hope is the games are competitive and worthy of the
time we spend viewing them. The bad,
there really is no bad except those who were opposed to the NBA even attempting
a re-start. I guess we could say finance
is a bad several teams will be underwater at the end of the calendar year. Despite this factor we read many will still
bid for free agents once that becomes the prime focus.
Zion shuts it down
His numbers are amazing,
Zion Williamson stands 6 foot 6 inches and tips the scales at 284 pounds. Imagine this, Zion is bigger than most NFL
players only an offensive or defensive lineman would top him in weight, he is bigger
than most tight ends and linebackers. We
have heard the call since the beginning of the season, “Williamson needs to
lose weight.”
The Pelican forward
indicates he will condition himself in the off season and prepare for his role
in 2020-21. It is probably unfair
however we must look at a player of the past…Charles Barkley. Barkley is the same height of Zion however
Chuck played at 252 pounds, at the time many believed Chuck needed to lose
weight as well. It is far too early to
make an accurate assessment however Chuck managed a successful NBA career and
too our knowledge never lost any weight.
Draft Lottery
Friday August 21 the
cloudy picture of the 2020 draft will become clearer. Questions will likely continue right up to
draft night however the position of the Warriors or Kings will be finalized. A
question remains on the who, who do the Knicks or Cavs draft? The who remains just that at least for now
until the draft however we might receive hints.
What about the 2020 draft, from this fan’s perspective it appears a mix
bag for now? There is certainly talent, but
we have no idea of the depth, in addition one or two maybe more will not fully develop
their talent until their sophomore season or even beyond that. Despite the fact the NBA Draft might appear
to be a gamble its certainly one NBA teams are willing to undergo.
After the same athlete
After the same athlete
It was the 2011-12
season when Mizzou departed the Big 12 for the SEC, border neighbor Kansas
remained a Big 12 member. Despite the
fact the two schools are close road/air mails they rarely are in competition
for the same athlete in football or basketball.
On occasion they can sometimes be seen recruiting the same player as is
the case here. Local athlete Aidan Shaw
is a 6-foot 7 inch small forward and in the Class of 2022. Shaw attends Blue Valley High School in
Stillwell (KS) a suburban city in metro Kansas City (MO). Although Shaw is not playing AAU basketball this summer last season, Shaw played for MOKAN.
Thoughts
“I think there were a lot
of big guys when I played. Guys that weighed more than I did and a few guys that were taller than I was, there were a lot of
seven-footers. Today the guys are much more athletic, and I sometimes think
when you have so much going on for you with your body, how is your head. I
think the center position is suffering. I think they have lousy centers out
there. There are only 2 or 3 that are really good, and the rest couldn’t make
Overbrook high-school.” Wilt Chamberlain
The late Wilt Chamberlain made
this statement in a television interview in 1987, let us check out the NBA
centers around that time frame. The
names will be provided, it is up to you to determine their skill level, the
centers age is not factored into the account.
Several players might be in their last few years others in the middle
and some beginning play in the NBA. Below
are several centers of the era Chamberlain mentioned, if some names are
unfamiliar consult your sources.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Robert Parrish
Moses Malone
Hakeem Olajuwon
David Robinson
Brad Daugherty
Mark Eaton
Bill Laimbeer
Joe Barry Carroll
Artis Gilmore
Walt Bellamy
