Basketball from a fan perspective

It should be noted---Perhaps you forgot as I did, the Thunder roster once contained Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and James Hardin.  Was it GM Sam Presti or someone else that wisely drafted the three athletes mentioned?  Westbrook and Durant received most of the minutes on the court while Hardin served as the 6^th man.  The three were teammates until 2012 when Hardin was traded to the Rockets, four years later Durant left in free agency for the Warriors. 

July 2019 saw Westbrook traded as well; he joined former teammate Hardin with the Rockets.  As for Hardin he was traded in 2012 due to his belief he was underpaid and could not reach a satisfactory agreement with the team.  Durant and Westbrook leaving is somewhat murky, perhaps Durant wanted an opportunity to win a championship which was accomplished.  As for Westbrook he likely wore out his welcome in Oklahoma City.   

Publishing dates---The pandemic has changed the basketball landscape in a manner like never in history.  The NBA season in two parts is now complete as we enter late October.  College and high school basketball are scheduled, I repeat scheduled to begin next month.  The NBA and amateur game seasons are aligned more closely than what has and will occur.  By our estimate Words eye view is 85% NBA with the balance of news divided between college, high school, and other accounts.  Based on this change the publishing schedule will be revised.  Beginning November 26 published dates will be Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.   

You don’t know him---But neither do I and there is a clear reason why he’s an unknown.  Iowa State finished last season 12-20 in the Big 12, with no post season tournament the Cyclones season ended abruptly.  Tyrese Haliburton will be a lottery pick November 18, he’s a 6-foot 5-inch 170-pound point guard.  With his team suffering a losing record it’s understandable why most of us (including me) knew little about him.  The numbers indicate Haliburton’s freshman year was below average however he managed to improve his numbers significantly.  Scouts appear to believe Haliburton is ready for the NBA, check him out.   

I missed on this one---If you don’t remember I do, I believed given a choice between Dwight Howard and Joakim Noah I said Noah.  Neither would be the focus of the offense however it was my belief the Lakers might receive more mileage from Noah besides Howard’s time in Los Angeles the last time playing with Kobe Bryant was not good.  Well Howard proved me wrong, in addition we discover he signed the type of contract the Lakers could have cut him at any point.  Fast forward to the NBA Championship and his one-year contract which is now about to expire. 

Howard is one of the pending free agent names on the lips of several teams which is interesting.  If you remember prior to last season Howard was the player nobody wanted.  After leaving the Lakers the first time Howard’s been on an extended tour of the NBA, first it was the Rockets then Hawks and then Hornets and Wizards.  Howard was traded to the Grizzlies who WAIVED him thus allowing the Lakers to sign him.  If the Warriors or some other team signs Howard so be it however his NBA odyssey has been interesting to this point.