Basketball from a fans perspective

Now we know

We suspected something seriously was wrong, without official word all we could do is speculate.  On Tuesday came the official announcement, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard underwent surgery for a partial torn ACL in his right knee. This goes back to the fourth game against the Jazz, Kawhi was injured. Although injured the Clippers would beat the Jazz and advance with him on the sidelines. As for the balance of the playoffs the Suns were able to beat the Clippers in 6 games despite the best effort by Paul George. Could the Clippers have beaten the Suns with a healthy Kawhi Leonard in the lineup, that question will remain unanswered?

According to the medical staff there is no timetable given for his return to action, hopefully he can return at some point in the 2021-22 season. Earlier I expressed the belief pending free agent Kawhi might be headed to Dallas or South Beach, that’s out of the window now. There are serious doubts either team would be willing to sign Kawhi for large sums of money unsure of his physical future. Bottom line, he likely resigns with the Clippers. Beyond resigning what about the undefined mental aspects ahead for Kawhi? This is all speculation however mid-February is the earliest date we could see a return. He turns 31 at the end of July with a history of injuries, he’s certainly not going to retire but we might see him never return to the form he once exhibited in his first year with the Clippers. 

American Basketball League

We covered this start up pro league begun by the late Abe Saperstein then owner of the Globetrotters. There were additional details we failed to cover for this short-lived league which ran for one full season (1961-1962) and the fall of 1962 through December 31^st when they closed shop. The league was comprised of:

Chicago Majors

Cleveland Pipers

Kansas City Steers

Hawaii Chiefs (later moved to Long Beach)

Los Angeles Jets (disbanded during the season)

San Francisco Saints (later Oakland Oaks)

Tapers (Phil, Washington D.C. & New York)

Pittsburg Rens

The ABL contained several innovations, it had a 3-point basket a 30-second clock and a wider free throw lane over the NBA. The 1961-62 champion would see the Pipers knock off the Steers 3 games to 2 in the finals, the Steers finished the regular season with a 54-25 record. No championship was played in the following season, the league closed shop on December 31^st. With the league shut down the Steers with the best record (22-9) were declared champions. Once the league folded 5 Steers players would end up with NBA jobs, there were others ABL players as well.

The Hawk

Guilt by association managed to defer the dream of Connie Hawkins for several years. His odyssey would take him from the University of Iowa to the Globetrotters and finally the ABL, ABA and NBA. Hawk would make it to the NBA but only after this journey that began in the tough Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Growing up in the 1950’s and ‘60’s young Hawk was spotted playing basketball by Jack Molinas. In his day Molinas had been a good basketball player earning a stint in the NBA, but it was apparent he loved gambling especially placing bets as much as basketball.  Molinas would make himself “available” anytime players needed a loan and Hawk was one of them asking for a loan. The money he borrowed from Molinas would become his early downfall.

Despite the fact Hawk claimed to have paid the loan back he would become entangled in the point shaving scandal that broke in 1960, Molinas was one of the culprits named. Hawk wasn’t the only college player, but he is the foundation for this story. Hawk was expelled from school and denied the opportunity to play in the NBA having been banned. You read the story above of the American Basketball League founded in 1961; Hawk began play for the Pittsburgh Rens but the league lasted less than two years. From there it was the Globetrotters four years and finally the American Basketball Association. The ABA was a startup league too but appeared more financially solvent than the earlier ABL. Hawk would play in the ABA until 1969 which would prove momentous. Two attorneys had taken up his case several years earlier won a judgment in Hawks favor against the NBA.

The Suns won his rights and NBA fans became witness to the soaring exploits of the 6-foot 8-inch Hawk. NBA fans were only able to see his sky-high above the basket play a brief 7 years as knee problems begin to curtail his game. In 1992 Connie Hawkins was enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame providing us proof of his greatness on the basketball court, in 2017 he died at the age of 75 from cancer. Hawk never appeared angry with the NBA for banning him from play those five years after his college class would have graduated. Connie Hawkins, the man who was the inspiration for much of the play we later witnessed in Dr. J. This is a condensed version of the life of Connie Hawkins, it you are curious in additional detail my recommendation is “Foul” by David Wolf which covers his life through 1971.

For the win 

Team USA won Gold in the recent FIBU U19 World Championship game 83-81. Despite the win most exciting for NBA scouts was a name which won’t be announced at the July 29 NBA draft, it will occur next season. If Victor Wembanyama continues to progress at this pace NBA teams will be falling over one another to scout his games with the possibility of drafting him. We profiled Wembanyama earlier this year however his play in the recent FIBA U19 World Games has excited NBA scouts once again. Wembanyama will be 18 years of age by the time the 2022 draft is held, this 7-foot 2 ½ inch prospect from France checks all the boxes.

He’s a slim trim 209 pounds currently but he likely gains weight over the next several years. Think of Kevin Durant at Texas, 6-foot 9 and 215 pounds, remember the stories about Durant’s inability to bench press 185 pounds. In any event back to Wembanyama, he’s got quite an arsenal of weapons, there is a bank shot and alley oop dunks plus shooting range out to the FIBA 3-point line. It’s not all offense for this youngster, his 7-foot 8-inch wingspan provides him the ability to block heaps of oppositions shots. Wembanyama glides easily up and down the court able to maintain with the pace of the game. We don’t know at this point if drafted he is sent to the G-League for additional work or worst of all for NBA fans he decides to remain in France.

This is so interesting (maybe only to me)

At this point it’s difficult to decide Penny Hardaway’s excitement, is he more thrilled about his defending NIT champion Memphis Tigers or the fact he managed to entice Larry Brown to join his staff. We wrote the 80-year-old Brown was joining Hardaway’s staff in Memphis. The only coach to win an NCAA championship and NBA title appears just as excited. It’s interesting in that Hardaway played for Brown at the time he coached the Knicks. Brown just returned from coaching in Italy so the octogenarian is anxious to assist Hardaway in teaching the Memphis bunch how the game should be played. Having played and coached basketball since 1972 it’s quite possible Brown could be instructing the grandsons of former teammates.