Basketball from a fan perspective

The return of the traditional Big Man

Kareem Abdul Jabbar has not shot his skyhook in years, we have seen no “shake and bake move” by Hakeem Olajuwon or thunderous dunk by Shaquille O’Neal.  None of the stars of the past are returning to the basketball court, they remain retired.  Exactly what are you saying to us Larry Laker?  I am simply stating small ball and the traditional Big Man can co-exist in the same space and time.  

Now consider this series of thoughts, there remain in the game 7-foot centers.  “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” as the saying goes, NBA teams see the success of the Warriors and you know the balance of that story. You have a high school Big Man with a game resembling that of Kareem, you are telling me a coach is not going to attempt to develop that potential talent.  

My thought process as a coach says, “forget about the 3-point line, don’t even think about it.”  Why is your 7-footer taking a 3-point shot when a dunk, sky hook or bank shot is much closer (and potentially) more accurate and effective.  I know I am not going to win some of you over but that is okay, everything goes in circles.  As an example, men’s pleated slacks were in style in the 1940’s, they fell out of favor and returned in the 1970’s.  Hold on, it might not be next season or five years from now, but we will witness the return of the traditional Big Man at some point in the future.

The Road less traveled

Often in life you reach that fork in the road, “should I take the left route or the right?”  That scenario stood before James “Fly” Williams, do not worry if you are unfamiliar with his name most are these days.  He is 64-years old now in prison a convicted drug dealer and we can only state what might have been.  The lure of street life appealed to Fly while he was a youth however, he managed to graduate from high school and found himself at Austin Peay University in Nashville.  

His numbers as a freshman were outstanding 29.4 points a game, he scored 51 points twice during that season.  He returned for his sophomore year averaging 27.5 points per game, by this time Fly had worn out his welcome with the coaching staff with his inability to run the plays and his flamboyant style.  He wanted the NBA but a glitch in his paperwork left the ABA as his only choice.  

Fly would play for the Spirits of St. Louis, but his numbers were microscopic compared to his college game.  After 1975 his life was in turmoil, he served time in prison in addition he was shot by a police officer and the healing left his basketball career a thing of the past.  In May 2017 Fly was arrested accused of being the kingpin of a drug ring.  James “Fly” Williams a basketball talent that could have succeeded if only the lure of street had not become the greater appeal. 

“Whistling past the graveyard” 

As kids (and maybe adults) the prospect of being in a cemetery especially at night is a dreadful thing to most.  The title of this account reflects that view, it has a simple definition, it states one ignores peril or danger pretending it is not there or will not occur.  The Kansas City Star recently published a critique of Kansas basketball for the 2020-21 season. 

A quick read of the article I might have missed a portion of the story, of course the reference is the forthcoming penalty to be leveled on Jayhawk basketball by the NCAA.  There is I no plan to be a harbinger of bad news, but I wonder why this was not mentioned. The future of Jayhawk basketball cannot be fully detailed without knowing the outcome of this penalty.  Perhaps a re-read of the story, I may have overlooked it.  You know the part that stated the NCAA is going to severely punish the program. 

Bits n Pieces 

In a move like Nike its being reported Under Armour will create a brand for their top athlete Steph Curry.  Curry shoes and apparel now appear on the Under Armour website, they would be spun off like Nike.  Years ago, Nike spun off the Jordan brand, if we check the Nike.com website under the “umbrella” is listed Jordan.com.  We believe a similar look will likely apply to Under Armour and their forthcoming Curry brand.    

There is a report the NBA is exploring family and “close friends” being allowed in the “Bubble”.  Exactly how this works and the definition of friends will be cleared up soon.  Speculation would be as with most, quarantined tested and tested prior to being allowed entry.  For us viewing the games on television not much different with artificial noise in our ears.  As for the players LeBron’s admitted he had to get use to no fans.  The preliminary report indicates a limit of four family/friends being able to attend games in Orlando.