Basketball from a fan perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday

Say what? ---As preparation for the NBA Draft I was checking out individual prospects.  Naturally, it was playing coach and general manager for the Lakers, they need a young point guard who can shoot.  A scouting report caused me to laugh out loud, the description of a 6-foot 1-inch guard read; “He’s on the smallish size.”  The great Laker guard Jerry West only stood 6-foot 2-inches tall, most guards of the period were the same size of West and even smaller?  West might have been the forerunner of today’s combo guards, those who could shoot and distribute the basketball. 

West came along a few years behind Hall of Fame point guards Bob Cousy who was 6-foot 1 and Slater Martin stood but 5 foot 10.  Oscar Robertson arrived in the NBA in 1960 and he stood an amazing 6 foot 5 inches, at that his height alone meant he was a tailor made small forward.  Over succeeding years bigger and bigger point guards arrived in the NBA most even taller than Robertson.  Magic Johnson at 6 foot 9 and Penny Hardaway at 6 foot 7 would eventually lead to LeBron James (6-9) and more recently Ben Simmons (6-10), we might dispute if LeBron is really a point guard.  We conclude this account with a reminder, an athlete over 6 feet tall designated as “small.” 

What I believe---It’s true, what I believe and what might occur are two different things.  Management and the players association have gone back and forth on a start date for the 2020-21 NBA season.  This is what I believe will occur, the season will start on or close to December 25.  LeBron and several other veteran players will borrow from the Clippers, they will utilize “Load Management” up to some arbitrary date in January and then begin play.  Let’s take a check, NBA teams missing the playoffs have experienced the longest off season in history. 

The Hawks, Warriors and others haven’t played a meaningful game since March of 2020.  As for the Lakers and Heat their off season began October 6, a December start for them is about two months and days turn around.  Any team earning a playoff berth is naturally concerned about such a short off season.  NOTE: The news moves faster than our published dates, late word Wednesday indicates the players association will likely sign off on a December 22 start.  As additional details are known they will be communicated.   

Sometimes we must believe the hype---As we inch closer to the 2020 NBA Draft, I haven’t made mention of Anthony Edwards except to detail where he might fall in the draft.  The reason is I wasn’t impressed, allow a further explanation.  In action last January versus Mizzou Edwards ended the game scoring 23 points, Mizzou’s lockdown defense held him to 9 for 24 from the floor and 3-12 from the 3-point line.  If Edwards can be held up in this manner by a stingy Mizzou defense how is he going to perform against veteran NBA talent? 

To be fair to Edwards we must return to the past briefly, a co-worker told me about an outstanding basketball player he’d seen play in the NAIA Tournament.  I made sure to see this player based on my friends’ comment, well the game was terrible, didn’t shoot well plus turned the ball over.  In any event he failed to impress me, that player would later be drafted by an NBA team and had a decent career for several years.  In closing perhaps, I saw Edwards in action when he had a migraine or something else was bothering him.  I will wait until Edwards arrives in the NBA before attempting to pass judgement.   

The county---I’m unsure what occurs in your local area but in Jackson County MO (Kansas City) the health department made an announcement which impacts sports programs in the county.  The health agency recommends a cancellation of winter indoor sports wrestling, volleyball, swimming, and cheer along with ice hockey.  Naturally, this measure impacts boys’ and girls’ basketball too.  What is unknown at this point if schools intend to follow the guidelines. 

Memory indicates a similar recommendation was made regarding football however several schools chose to play their schedule anyway.  The statement went on to indicate due to the pandemic there is no effective method to protect student-athletes.  Most high school basketball gyms are packed to the roof line with a raucous cheering student body.  The athletes and game officials might be in a safer position than sitting in the stands during a game.