Basketball from a fan’s perspective

“Don’t let the sum total of your existence be eight to 10 pounds of air”-John Thompson the late Georgetown coach.

It appears he is likely history

About this time last year Makur Maker made national headlines, the 6-foot 11 inch 5-star prospect announced he was headed to Howard University. Maker became the first high profile athlete in 10 years to commit to an HBCU school. The school located in Washington D.C. is one of many Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the nation. As for the 2020-21 Howard season can we say it was a catastrophe?  The first occurrence Maker was injured after playing but two games, then it was covid as the Howard program was shut down all together.  It’s being reported on Friday he is declaring for the NBA draft although it appears he will leave the door open for a possible return to Howard, he’s not hiring an agent.  

Charles Barkley Part I

This is for Charles Barkley and others; it's too bad Chris Paul is unable to play at 100% but consider this fact. LeBron was out for 6 weeks and missed 20 games, AD was absent in 30 games. In both instances they are not 100% recovered yet they are playing. What if this scenario or something similar had occurred, the two Laker stars missed 0 games or a small number the roles might be reversed?

The Lakers could just as easily be the 2nd seed and the Suns resting at 7. Unfortunately, no matter the sport injuries are part of the game, they can certainly impact a team’s performance. It is difficult to measure the impact of a hobbled Chris Paul or a less than healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Athletes of this caliber cannot be simply replaced in the lineup and a team moves forward. Those named and others are the Heart and Soul of their respective teams. If Barkley and others wish to provide me information, it would be nice if they considered the BIG PICTURE.

Another snag develops

Hold on a moment the sale is not yet finalized, i.e., Minnesota Wolves franchise. We are not privy to the bill of sale, but this reported development. We don’t have detail on the total number of present owners however there must be at least one. This minority shareholder is attempting to hold up purchase of the team by Alex Rodriguez and business partner Marc Lore.

The sale of the Wolves franchise was to include a provision the team would remain in Minnesota. According to this shareholder that is not the case, he claims there is no stipulation written specifying the information just provided you. I can only speculate which certainly might cause me to draw an inaccurate conclusion. Are the partners pulling a Greg Lukenbill on Wolves fans, that’s okay if you don’t remember Lukenbill? He purchased the Kansas City Kings, claimed there was no intention to move the franchise. Within two years Lukenbill applied to the NBA for permission to move the team to his home Sacramento.

I give you permission to laugh at me

Laker point guard Dennis Schroeder will re-sign with the Lakers, that’s a bold statement from Larry Laker considering he turned down an earlier offering. It’s difficult to project myself in front of a $$$$ issue but I believe the reasons are evident. Schroeder could sign for less money and still be okay, the Los Angeles/Hollywood endorsement opportunities available could prove quite beneficial for his future.

We’ve read several complaints about aspects of his game but are they valid? If we just look at the numbers his FG percentage and scoring is slightly down from last season. This could be the result of playing starter minutes for the Lakers versus a reserve role with the Thunder. In closing allow me to display my bias, Schroeder is one of those athletes I’ve always admired. First with the Hawks and later with the Thunder he provided proof he could play at the NBA level. His biggest asset to me is his speed, end line to end line in a foot race I would match him against Russell Westbrook, John Wall and anyone out there. In closing this brief account remember the headline, I certainly will.