Basketball from a fan’s perspective

I never lose. I either win or I learn-Nelson Mandela

(Some) Kansas fans are unforgiving

I’m unsure what possessed me, I turned on one of the local sports talk radio stations driving to work on Thursday morning. This was rare for Kansas City the NBA is hardly ever a topic of discussion however Andrew Wiggins was. For those who might be unaware Wiggins was a one and done athlete at Kansas. The co-host somewhat trashed the game he played the previous night against the Lakers. He said something about him “disappearing” which didn’t make sense to me. At a point Wiggins alone might have been solely responsible for the Warriors remaining in the game.

Wiggins certainly wasn’t the focus of the Warriors offense with Steph Curry a Warrior. He was the second leading Warriors scorer with 21 points on 10-18 shooting 55%. As for this host comment about disappearing I had to research his statement. Wiggins did indeed have a poor game for Kansas when they faced Stanford. He scored but 4 points on 1-6 shooting, I wonder if this sports guy managed to see what I uncovered. Kansas as a team shot 32.8% from the floor, Tarik Black was the high scorer with 18 points. No other Kansas player was in double figures as they lost 60-57 and were eliminated from the 2014 NCAA tournament. 

Pioneers

Several might remember we mentioned a while back Overtime Elite, this new league announced it intended to sign high school talent and groom them for NBA play. High profile prospects would be guaranteed six-figure contracts and possible additional earnings from their likeness or commercials. They are here, Matt and Ryan Bewley 6-foot 9-inch twin brothers announced on Friday they will sign with OTE. The twins are Class of 2023 prospects so they would be leaving school in weeks if not already. OTE is reported to offer the equivalent of a high school diploma as well.

What occurs from this point is a mystery its early, the twins are the only high school players thus far to announce they are signing with OTE. Currently the brothers have been enrolled at West Oaks Academy in Orlando Florida their hometown. This announcement certainly bears watching over the next few months to see if it produces fruit. In a somewhat related report Scoot Henderson also made news on Friday, Henderson is from Marietta Georgia near to Atlanta. He’s a 6-foot 3-inch point guard and the Rivals number 13 prospect in the Class of 2022. In the case of Henderson, he is headed to the NBA G-League and Team Elite. In this case the 17-year-old has signed a $1 million dollar contract already. The evolution that is amateur basketball continues to evolve over time.

Was it the NBA or Tom Thibodeau?

By now you are aware Hawks coach Nate McMillian was fined a large amount of money. The interim coach made his belief known the NBA wanted the Knicks in the playoffs. McMillian might be correct however the credit is more likely in another direction. I believe its coach Tom Thibodeau the Hawks coach should give credit. We don’t believe the Knicks are championship ready however they are certainly on the way. This is a twofold effort its part Thibodeau and the Knicks roster, after all the players must decide if they want this coach to lead them. History says several coaches have been replaced over the years simply because the team found them lacking in some manner.

Who do you trust

If you are old enough or familiar with television history, you are aware. Years before the late Johnny Carson began his role as host of the Tonight Show there was a quiz program titled Who do you Trust which he also moderated. “Married couples compete to answer questions; the husband decides whether he or his wife will answer.” If this sounds chauvinistic keep in mind this was 1950’s television as we knew it. We are not discussing couples rather its people; we are over saturated with opinions on basketball matters, especially the NBA.

We have present day and former players offering their opinions, we have media members voicing theirs. Finally, we have guys with access to YouTube offering their opinions as well plus guys like me. The question becomes who do you trust to provide you the information? For the YouTube crowd and guys like me check them at the door, you can determine bias early into the video or printed word. I believe I made it known on the front page “About Me”, I’m part of Mizzou and Laker Nation. As for the media your best judgement is made by you, is the person providing what you believe is trustworthy information or simply attempting to secure clicks?