Basketball from a fan’s perspective

“Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing” Warren Buffett

Bits n Pieces 

I have no idea where Emoni Bates is headed and perhaps Bates doesn’t know either.  As a sidebar this observation, I wonder if his father has considered playing him exclusively at shooting guard.  It’s possible Bates could be one of those persons unable to gain weight.  I’m not saying George ‘Iceman’ Gervin however he is the same height of Bates but played at 180 pounds far lesser than Bates (205) at this point. Gervin spent his college and NBA career as a shooting guard although he moved to the 3 on occasion.  As for Bates future I will stick to my present belief, I think college is out of the picture at this point. Destination will be the D-League, Europe or Australia.

The apocalypse is forthcoming, LeBron James returned to the lineup and the Lakers still lost a game.  The lost came against one of the worst teams in the NBA the Sacramento Kings. This is no report on game action I was unable to witness it. This is my belief they will eventually get it together sooner rather than later.  Oh, that apocalypse thing will eventually be here, we just don’t have the day and date it will occur.   

Most of us have no idea where NAIA Shawnee State University is located (Portsmouth Ohio), added to that most have no idea where Portsmouth is in the state.  For those who might be geography challenged it’s a little more than 100 miles south from the capital at Columbus.  Two-time NAIA All American EJ Onu played at Shawnee State but has placed his name in the NBA draft.  His backup plan is exploring a transfer to a Division I program. Onu is a 6-foot 11-inch 245 pound forward with a 7-foot 6-inch wingspan. There is no speculation on my part beyond Onu securing a Division I school for his final year of college. 

The NBA in Europe

David Stern while commissioner promoted the NBA as a world game which has evolved. That statement has been made and affirmed previously in the past; NBA basketball is second only to football (soccer) in uncounted nations of the world.  A youngster in Cameroon is likely imitating the moves of Pascal Siakam rather than NFL running back Derrick Henry.  We could make the same statement in Germany, it’s Luka Doncic over baseball player Mike Trout. 

The point is the Cameroonian youngster has no idea who Derrick Henry is, the same for the young man in Germany.  He is aware of Doncic but likely has never heard of Trout.  In any event the former commissioner would mention the possibility of expansion onto the European continent. Many (including me) believed this was Stern wishing and hoping more than fact, there are several reasons why this proposal was literally dead-on arrival. 

Travel-If it’s 9:22 a.m. in New York is 3:22 p.m. in Paris France...need I go further?  We are unsure if supersonic air travel would ever resolve this issue, NBA players complain of jet lag traveling from city to city in this nation.  The thought of playing in Los Angeles one night flying to Europe a day or two later and playing on the third day.  It boggles the mind with the multiple time zone changes. 

Euro League-What occurs with Euro basketball with an NBA invasion?  Could a Paris or Berlin team successfully share fans, or would an NBA team overshadow an existing team?  We don’t have the answer, we could only speculate at this point. 

For me, an NBA Europe might be a better solution, it would operate like NFL Europe.  There was no American football existing in Europe, so NFL Europe was built from the ground up.  Basketball has existed for several years in Europe but the huge question, would Euro League owners be willing to re-brand themselves as NBA Europe? This proposal would see NBA teams sharing a portion of revenue with Euro League owners. 

Place this name in your memory bank  

Lew Alcindor arrived in the NBA as a 7-foot 2 225-pound post player.  Many believed the 290-pound Wilt Chamberlain would outmuscle the slender Alcindor in the pivot.  That would not be the case as Alcindor used his skyhook and other assorted shots to thwart Chamberlain and other opposing centers of the era. Alcindor would later change his name to Kareem Abdul Jabbar as he embraced the Muslim faith. Abdul Jabbar would become an NBA champion, All Pro which headed him directly into the Naismith and College Hall of Fame.

This is not a story on the former Laker captain it’s about Victor Wembamyama from France, he stands 7-foot 3 but a spindly 209 pounds.  Don’t expect to hear his name until the 2023 NBA draft Wembamyama only 17-years old. He’s got a 7-foot 9-inch wingspan which says, “He should gain weigh over time however that wingspan can remain the same.” He should be able to block or alter plenty of shots with that type of length. Wembamyama began his athletic career playing football (soccer) as a goalkeeper, his mother a former basketball player was his initial trainer in the sport. His game is being evaluated by the NBA, check out the YouTube video link below and make your own evaluation. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLieMs1CYGQ&t=65s