Basketball from a fan perspective
NBA G-League
Team Ignite
continues to make news, this is the G-League team of select elite
prospects. On Monday, the league
announced another signing as the roster slowly fills out. Added to the roster is Princepal Singh a 6-foot
10-inch prospect from India. Naturally,
scouts are aware of him over most basketball fans, he begins training this
week. With the signing of Singh, he becomes the 6th roster member of
Team Ignite.
Are they making a trade?
The
Warriors have the second pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, are they making a
trade? We continue to read reports the Warriors are
exploring a trade for the pick. Who is available
in trade, practically any team willing to entertain acquiring the pick? Back up a bit, Western Conference teams might
be reluctant to enter the trade market with the Warriors. There are 15 possible Eastern Conference
teams however a number might be excluded due to lack of talent. Who does that leave, well this is strictly conjectural
on my part? The Wizards, Heat, Celtics,
Nets, Pistons and Bucks and some I missed might be candidates.
Glue
Over
the course of time we have witnessed several foundational players. They are
often the “glue” that holds a team together, they are never flashy they can accomplish
the little things often hidden from our view.
Those little things often fail to appear in the box score, but they are not
overlooked by a team’s coaching staff, they see it. A key basket or steal when needed, a
defensive stop we could go on and on but who are these guys? Derek Fisher played for several NBA teams
however his tenure with the Lakers is what most often comes to mind. Fisher was never a great scorer nor defender,
to the best of his ability accomplished those things the team often needed.
Today
that same mentality exists with Fred VanVleet, I mentioned in the barber shop the
other day I witnessed him playing for Wichita State. I never envisioned him as an NBA player and he
almost missed the cut. Never drafted,
free agent VanVleet worked his way into the Raptors lineup and has proven his
worth. We could look at the Celtics and
their point guard Marcus Smart. Smart’s
game is that of a winner, he is willing to do almost anything to aid in a
Celtic win. Do not misunderstand this
account, those profiled, and others are NBA talent. The difference they see the game on another
level beyond most teammates.
Not this year
If you
were anticipating a Hawaii trip this winter better plan on a destination somewhere
else. Before the Chamber of Commerce
sends me, a nasty letter allow a further explanation. Hawaii is still there and a great destination
for a winter vacation, there just might not be any basketball played in the
usual location. The reference is the 37th
annual Maui invitational tournament scheduled for November 23 on the island of
Maui.
Teams
invited to play in the tournament are Alabama, Davidson, Indiana, North
Carolina, Providence, Stanford, Texas, and UNLV. There is a report circulating the tournament
might be played at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Ashville North Carolina. Is this another COVID event either cancelled
or requiring the game to be relocated, we don’t have the answer to the question
but will follow the developments closely over the next few months?
