Basketball from a fan perspective
Over-hyped?
Is LaMelo Ball the real deal, that is the
question posed by NBA general managers and certainly by fans. Part of the concern is likely based on all
the hype expressed by father LaVar Ball.
The youngest brother has been on a cross nation and world journey to the
NBA draft. It was Chino Hills High
School in California then BC Prienai in Lithuania. From there it was Spire Academy in Ohio and
finally the Hawks (formerly the Illawarra Hawks) in Australia. We read the league and team Ball played in
Lithuania was not the top in that nation.
LaMelo was a “hot dog” in Lithuania and later
at Spire (I am unsure if the timeline should be reversed here). Whatever the case it was his development in
Australia that sold his value to NBA front offices. It appears the youngster has all the tools
but there is a question for many.
Despite his apparent success are we looking at Lonzo Ball II, a talent
but certainly no star quality. Many
(including this writer) believed the glare of Los Angeles and the Lakers would
make for a better player with the Pelicans.
To date Lonzo is still a notch below what we expected. Will his younger brother be an upgrade, we can only hope that is the case?
I missed this
If this appears to be a repeat its a do-over
regarding Michigan State basketball. We
wrote the talent headed to Michigan State might rival the Fab Five of a bygone
era. The account only mentioned four
athletes headed for East Lansing, but it is more. In addition to Emoni Bates the others are:
Pierre Brooks 6-6 small forward, 4-star Class
of 2021
Jaden Akins 6-3-point guard, 4-star Class of
2021
Max Christie 6-5 shooting guard, 5-star Class
of 2021
Enoch Boakye 6-10 center, 4-star Class of
2022
Emoni Bates 6-9 5-star, Class of 2022
Note there is no position listed for Bates
since it appears the youngster can play multiple positions. Bates indicates he might reclassify and
arrive in the fall of 2021 however whatever the case it would appear Michigan
State will be loaded with talent. We
realize expectations can sometimes be unrealized and that might be the case
here, the arrival of a second Fab Five
is an exciting prospect.
They both lost
I had no opportunity to see either game, both
number one seeds lost their initial games.
The Bucks were the first losing to the Magic 122-110, later that night the Lakers were beaten by the Blazers 100-93, tonight loom large for the Lakers.
Pleasantly surprised
It seems every year about the time school
begins I check Mizzou’s roster, I become excited about the outcome for the
upcoming season. This time around I will
temper my view for a variety of reasons.
First, Mizzou lost no player from last season who contributed major
minutes, this indicates Mizzou will return a veteran team to Columbia. With a veteran team plus newcomers Ed Chang,
Drew Buggs and Jordan Wilmore what does the future hold for the Tigers?
The two transfers (Chang, Buggs) will add
depth but what about continuity, in addition what to expect from the 7-foot 3 freshman
center Wilmore? The SEC is virtually in
the same situation as the Tigers there are several good teams, who stands
out? It is likely we are discussing Vanderbilt,
Auburn, Florida, and some teams I might have overlooked. Because I am a glass half full guy rather
than half empty, I am approaching Mizzou’s 2020-21 season cautiously
optimistic.
