Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Injuries, injuries

I am certainly no fan of the Nets however they cannot win with their “offense” sidelined. The Bucks managed to beat them on Sunday afternoon 107-96 to tie the series 2-2. It’s a little misleading the fact this series is now tied if we look closer, James Harden went out with a hamstring injury minutes into Game one. In Sunday’s Game four Kyrie Irving suffered a right ankle sprain midway through the second quarter and never returned. With both Hardin and Irving out due to injury it is difficult to see the Nets winning and advancing in this series.

Why?

The incomparable Stephen A. Smith has declared Donovan Mitchell the best Jazz player in the team’s history. I believe he says stupid tripe like this to upset guys like me. Mitchell is an incredibly talented player however he’s only 24 years of age with 4 NBA seasons under his belt. At first, I thought Smith might have been too young to witness the play of Malone, Stockton or Dantley. Smith is 53 years old, Karl Malone 57, John Stockton 59 and Adrian Dantley 66. 

Granted there are probably portions of the game Mitchell might run circles around the list of former Jazz players but best after but 4 years? Malone is a career 36,000-point scorer, Stockton is the NBA’s third leading assist man with 1,839 total. Dantley scored 23,000 points during his illustrious career, come on Stephen A. you can do better. Sometimes it appears whatever comes up with you comes out. No matter if there is any valid basis for your commentary. 

International prospect

Haowen Guo is draft eligible for 2021, who is Guo perhaps you are asking now? He’s a 6-foot 7-inch 200-pound small forward, and most recently played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He appears ready for the NBA however is the NBA ready for him might be the question? Is Guo likely to get drafted or better yet drafted but remain in China. On the other hand, if he is drafted, he might be unable to earn a roster spot immediately.

If that is the case, we can see him possibly playing in the G-League. This might not be quite as bad as first perceived, example the Celtics and Tacko Fall. 7-foot 6-inch Tacko Fall has spent most of his NBA career with the Celtics thus far. This is all the information we can provide at this point, as additional information is known you will be updated. You read above Guo played for the Shanghai Sharks, if the team sounds familiar it should.  The Sharks were once owned by a guy by the name of Yao Ming, you remember him, don’t you?  

A closer look

What is the issue with Pelican point guard Lonzo Ball? Since the middle of the season, we’ve read reports The Pelicans have been attempting to trade him, and my question is why? He’s still not a good shooter (.414) but his other numbers are certainly proficient. Ball shot nearly 38% from 3 and improved his free throw shooting from the prior year .566 to .781. His rebound and assists were down slightly from the 2019-20 season, but his overall scoring increased from 11.8 to 14.6 points per game.

The 6-foot 6-inch point guard plays good defense maybe better than say Dennis Schroeder. Given a choice between the two this member of Laker Nation would take him over most point guards in the NBA. Oh, that’s right the Lakers drafted Ball but included him in the Anthony Davis trade along with Brandon Ingram. Did the Lakers make a mistake in trading Ball and the others, after all the Lakers won a championship? As for your response to the question I will leave that conclusion up to you.

Kareem vs Shaq…who you got? 

We have power versus finesse, Kareem Abdul Jabbar versus Shaquille O’Neal. The numbers say Kareem stood 7 feet 2 inches and weighed between 225 and 230 pounds in his prime, Shaquille O’Neal 7 foot 1 and 350+ pounds.  Kareem had the Sky Hook a shot that could not be blocked by any opposing player. Shaq played bully ball as he excluded raw power in the post, he had a little bank shot but mostly power moves as he headed toward the basket. Could you blame anyone for moving out of the way of a “freight train” going downhill? A slight pause, there is a mistaken belief Shaq would dominate Kareem on the block.

Many forget despite his slender weight Kareem managed to hold his own against the centers of the day. Kareem could face 7-foot 1 inch 275-pound Wilt Chamberlain on Sunday and Tuesday would see him on the court versus 6-foot 11-inch 244-pound Bill Laimbeer of the Pistons. At the end of the week, it could be the Celtics Robert Parish (7-1 244 pounds) or Bob Lanier Pistons/Bucks center 6 foot 11 and 250 pounds. Kareem would also face an aging Walt Bellamy (6-11 225 pounds) who could also defend in the post. It’s quite possible Kareem faced a great deal more first-rate centers over his NBA career than Shaq. This is one of those arguments that could never be resolved, two dynamic post players from different eras matched against one another.