Basketball from a fan perspective
Not again
We figured cancelling the 2020 NCAA Tournament
proved costly, how about $375 million worth.
That is the reported financial figure lost from last springs cancelled
series. Coach K. interviewed on ESPN said,
“The NCAA cannot afford to cancel another tournament.” His statement provokes another question, we
hope the ravages of COVID are behind us by March 2021. What if the pandemic is still raging at the
same level it is in August 2020? I have
a solution although it might be cumbersome, follow the NBA lead.
For example, the Top 5 teams from each
conference would be assembled and transported to Florida. The tournament would be conducted in the same
manner…single elimination and you are homeward bound. This is an easy approach and I make no claims
about it working however the blueprint laid out by the NBA appears to
work. Athletes from those gathered in
Orlando would be placed in the same type of bubble as NBA players. Something must be done; I agree with the
coach we cannot have the tournament cancelled two seasons in a row. All this is contingent on colleges having a
successful 2020-21 season with no COVID shutdown.
His
name is out there
Jason Kidd is among the coaching candidates’
names we hear being discussed. Several
might be unaware Kidd is currently serving as an assistant coach with my Lakers. Prior to becoming a Laker assistant, he
coached the Bucks from 2014-2018, before that the Nets from 2013-2014. I remember at the time he was hired as head
coach of the Nets I believed it was too soon.
Kidd a point guard throughout his NBA career was accustomed to moving
players around on the court.
Moving and motivating an entire team is a
different matter altogether. With no
coaching experience he was able to guide the Nets to a 44-38 record however
they lost in the Conference semi-finals.
As for the Bucks his record is mixed however, he played a role in
developing Giannis Antetokounmpo. In
January 2018 after a slow start Bucks management fired him. There might be an argument in some circles
however it is the belief by many Kidd probably deserves another opportunity to
coach in the NBA.
What
do you think?
Power
5 conferences garner countless amounts of television and media coverage. That is not to state the only good basketball
might come from one of those conferences.
We had no NCAA Tournament which is a good barometer on the strength of a
team and conference. With play
concluding early due to COVID let us look at the Top 25 teams at the time play
concluded. Two of the first five,
Gonzaga (2) and Dayton (3) compete in the Western and Atlantic 10 Conference,
respectively.
San
Diego State (6) and Creighton (7) are members of the Mountain West and Big East,
Villanova (10) and Seton Hall (15) are both Big East members too. We conclude with BYU (18) a West Coast member
and Houston (22) American Athletic Conference, Butler (23) Big East. As this look points out regarding last season’s
Top 25, we can state conclusively it is not just a sanctuary for Power 5
schools, there are plenty of mid-majors who compete in the sport of
basketball.
Monarchs
This story is a revisit, we discussed the
Kansas City Monarchs and their history.
Relax if the name is unfamiliar to you, the name is associated with the baseball
team which represented Kansas City in the Negro Leagues from 1920-1965. At the time black players were not permitted
to play in the major leagues, in 1947 Jackie Robinson would become the first
black player in the modern era to play baseball in the majors.
With the rich history connected to the Monarch
name plus the 100-year old Negro Leagues why not allow it to flow again nightly
on SportsCenter. Now that we have that
out of the way how about an NBA team, does not matter if it is an expansion
team or one relocating to Kansas City. As
an example, when the Cincinnati Royals move to Kansas City, they took on a new
name, they became the Kings. I ran this story
past several in the city who greeted it with lukewarm response. Sometimes team names must grow on you, I
thought “Thunder” was a poor choice for team name however that is what Oklahoma
City management apparently agreed on.
If this is a repeat…I am sorry
The throw away Laker game versus the Kings featured
Talen Horton-Tucker in action. The Laker
shooting guard is built like an NFL running back or outside linebacker, he
stands 6 foot 4 and weighs 234 pounds.
Horton-Tucker has traveled an interesting path to the NBA, his play at
Iowa State was rather ordinary 11.8 points a game, 41% from the floor. He was drafted in the second round by the
Magic in 2019 the 46th pick which gives you an idea the thought of
NBA scouts.
Since the trade Horton-Tucker has spent the
greater portion of his professional career in the G-League playing for the South
Bay Lakers. Laker management continues
to speak in glowing terms regarding Horton-Tucker and his potential. If we look beyond the 2020 season will Horton-Tucker
become a valued reserve or one who could possibly move into the starting
lineup? We have no answer regarding
either question however this view is certainly worth entertaining for the
immediate future.
