Basketball from a fan perspective

It's my fault

I am going to apologize to Knick fans, it is my fault.  I wrote a glowing piece the other day on the improved Knicks and what do they do?  They become the team we are accustom to seeing, they are on a 3-game losing streak.  So I take the blame Knick fans if you want to yell at me but please don't consider me the SI jinx, please.   

Helicopter parent

Most of you might be familiar with the term helicopter parent, my definition is simple.  A parent who hovers over his children to the point they are unable (or unwilling) to make decisions for themselves.  LaVar Ball is the very definition of a helicopter parent, if we journey back in time the father voiced concerns regarding Luke Walton.  LaVar was upset with the manner then Laker coach Luke Walton managed Lonzo’s minutes on the court.  That’s all water under the bridge at this point since Lonzo is now a member of the Pelicans. 

We posed the question regarding the youngest son LaMelo when it becomes his time to be drafted.  I speculated it would be a matter of time before LaVar would become upset with the coach.  In November, the Hornets drafted LaMelo with the third pick in the 2020 NBA draft.  The youngest brother early on demonstrated he was talented but was he NBA ready?  Recently LaMelo provided LaVar all the ammunition he required in the form of a triple double.  LaMelo became the youngest ever to accomplish the feat, then it occurred. 

A reserve role is not the place for LaMelo according to LaVar, he is complaining now about Hornets coach James Borrongo.  The father claims “My son should be the starter at the point.”  I reported earlier LaMelo’s numbers across the board are good except for his field goal percentage.  I am unable to defend Luke Walton, I questioned his coaching ability, but he was in charge at the time.  It was his decision to coach Lonzo in the manner he believed best, we could make the same statement regarding LaMelo.  “Coach Killer” is the term applied to players that hinder a team, it now can be used on a father.      

Towering point guards

Earlier we mentioned the fact Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham stands 6 foot 8.  He’s listed as a point/shooting guard, whether he plays point in the NBA is yet to be determined.  In the early days of the NBA point guards ranged from 5 foot 10 up to 6 foot 1, when Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier arrived in 1967, he was considered extremely tall standing 6 foot 4 inches.  Later East Lansing Michigan witnessed the arrival of Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson to the basketball world.  When he burst on the national scene at Michigan State, he stood 6 foot 9. 

Magic’s achievement with the Lakers led other NBA teams to try and duplicate the Laker success by drafting tall point guards.  We witnessed 6-foot 7-inch Penny Hardaway drafted by the Magic and combined with Shaq turned the team into winners.  There have been others drafted in succeeding years leading up to 6-foot 10-inch Ben Simmons.  The game has changed where there is no longer a need for a traditional point guard.  If Cade Cunningham is half the player, we believe he might be at the next level the trend of tall point guards will continue. 

It’s been a while 

The Kings left Kansas City so long ago there exists a generation of adults who don’t remember NBA basketball here.  As for the team they were based in Cincinnati, then ownership moved them here in 1972.  Because the baseball Royals were in existence it was decided to change the team’s name, they would become the Kansas City-Omaha Kings.  The Omaha part, Municipal Auditorium available dates would not allow all 82 games to be played in Kansas City.  Several games were “farmed” out northwest of here up I-29 to Omaha Nebraska a 200-mile road trip.  Soon fewer and fewer games were played in Omaha and the 10,500 seat Municipal became available and all games were played in Kansas City. In 1974 the team moved to the newly built 17,500 seat Kemper Arena in the old stockyards area. 

The Kings would eventually be sold to Gregg Luckenbill who promised the team would remain in the city, in 1985 he petitioned the NBA to move the team to his hometown Sacramento.  Team play was pathetic here, in 13 years only four winning seasons were registered.  Several talented players were drafted or acquired in trade, but it was apparent there were front office and coaching issues during much of their time in Kansas City.  Nate ‘Tiny’ Archibald is in the Naismith Hall of Fame, most remember him playing for those championship Celtic teams.  Tiny honed his basketball skill playing for the Royals/Kings, he arrived in Boston as a bonafide All Star.  The center position was manned by the late Sam Lacey, average offensive player but very skillful at passing the basketball. 

Scott Wedman came into the NBA with not much hoopla, by the time he retired he’d become quite an adept NBA player.  The mismanagement of the front office.  There are several who claim if the Kings had not been so tight fisted with money, they might have never left the city.  In 1976 when the ABA-NBA merger occurred only 4 ABA teams were absorbed into the NBA.  The remaining players were placed in a pool and NBA teams had the opportunity to draft them based on their finish.  The Kings had the third pick in the first round, with the opportunity to draft a young Moses Malone they chose Ron Boone a 6-foot 2-inch guard.  The late Moses Malone is in the Naismith Hall of Fame, as for Boone he certainly was a good player, but his career numbers don’t come close to the 6-foot 11-inch Malone.