Words eye view

Basketball from a fan perspective

He was the coach

Did you hear this story about John Chaney who died on Friday?  At Temple, the coach conducted 6:00 a.m. practice rather than the afternoon as most schools.  Chaney said, “With early morning practice I know my players are in bed at 9:00 or 10:00 p.m.”  

An off night?

Did the Pels catch the Bucks on an off night, the question is asked because Brandon Ingram and crew managed to beat them 131-126?  Ingram led the way scoring 28 points however he received plenty of help from Lonzo Ball with 27 plus Eric Bledsoe chipped in with 25.  Zion Williamson finished off the 20+ team scoring with his 21 points scored. 

With such a score one might guess Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t play, that was not the case.  Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks scoring 38 points assisted by Jrue Holiday with 22 points but it wouldn’t be enough.  The game was played in New Orleans but that was no excuse for the play of the Bucks, they have played reasonably well but not at the level many expected in this early NBA season.  Interesting a question was posed in the Saturday edition of Words regarding the Pels and they produce a gem of a win. 

Which Pinson shows up

One of the keys to a Mizzou win besides a good game by Jeremiah Tilmon is Xavier Pinson.  The last time out the speedy diminutive point guard shot 18% from the floor, yes, I wrote 18% in the loss to Auburn.  In the SEC-Big 12 Challenge Mizzou faced TCU from Fort Worth Texas.  The teams battled down to the wire however TCU would take a lead by as much as 10 points and with 3 minutes remaining Mizzou came roaring back. 

Tilmon demonstrated he is an offensive and defensive threat scoring 33 points along with 11 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.  As for Pinson he shot an amazing 52% from the floor, 62% from the 3-point line.  The point guard registered a rare 4-point play sinking the basket and the free throw, he would lead Mizzou in scoring with 36 points as they won in OT 102-98.  Mizzou will now face Kentucky at home on Tuesday, what to expect I have no idea. 

The Warriors made a wise choice

As the countdown moved toward the start of the 2020 Draft questions remained.  Would the Wolves with the top pick choose shooting guard Anthony Edwards of Georgia or center James Wiseman from Memphis? The Wolves made it easy for the Warriors they chose Edwards leaving the Warriors to draft Wiseman.  Before providing additional detail on this story, it should be of note Wiseman’s played more games in the NBA than college.  He played in 3 games before the NCAA suspended him, later he decided he wouldn’t return to school and began planning for an NBA career.  We believed Wiseman could play at the NBA level, but he remained a question mark. 

Consider the fact he’s a 7-foot center and small ball now rules the land.  Early on Steve Kerr placed the rookie in the starting lineup, the team suffered early losses most of which were no fault of Wiseman.  There were certain aspects of the NBA he failed to pick up but was learning.  Finally, the coach decided to replace him in the lineup with Kevon Looney, Wiseman would become the backup.  Despite what might appear a setback his numbers remain good, 12.2 points along with 6 rebounds and .508 shooting from the floor.  The numbers are certainly not extraordinary however they provide evidence the Warriors have a budding star if he continues to develop his game.