Basketball from a fans perspective

Convince me please

On Saturday a list of point/shooting guards were named associated with the Lakers. All are talented however a couple of players are head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. Best of the best is Dame Lillard who I place at the top. In second place is Russell Westbrook but that is the issue for me. Westbrook is a walking triple-double, but portions of his game are suspect. His shooting has caused a name change instead of Westbrook it’s become West-BRICK as he’s struggled the last two seasons shooting from the floor.

Westbrook’s game has suffered at two levels, at the free-throw line and shooting from the field. He remains supreme driving and dishing the ball to a teammate, it’s the other thing. NBA teams play off him attempting to stifle his sprint toward the basket, they routinely dare him to take a shot 15 feet or more from the basket. So, what does the future hold for the Laker backcourt? Lillard is out of the picture strictly due to money, here’s hoping Westbrook is excluded based on his poor shooting from the field and at the free-throw line. I know I omitted Chris Paul but it's my belief he wants to be paid and the Lakers can't meet his number.  

He speaks 

We thought college was out the window for wunderkind Emoni Bates…not so according to the statement he released.  He now indicates there are 8 possible destinations on his radar, the projections are not in any order just as it’s published. Bates could turn pro with the NBA G-League, Overtime Elite or the NBL (Australia). Although he de-committed from Michigan State the Spartans remain on his list, as for the others they are, Oregon, Memphis, Baylor and Miami. Where do you think Bates is headed, is it an early pro career or college?

R.I.P. Big XII…maybe

The Big XII conference is not dead but it’s in ICU and might soon expire, Texas and Oklahoma headed possibly to the SEC and talk of Kansas and perhaps Iowa State joining the Big 10. Left in the wake of this exit would be Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Kansas State, Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor. West Virginia on Eastern Time might explore a conference in the same time zone. The Texas schools along with Oklahoma State could look at the Mountain West Conference or WAC.

These moves might leave Kansas State and Iowa State out in the cold, but they could find a conference I’m just unsure which one. Once again, the mover and shaker in this possible change remains the same, the University of Texas. The Longhorns are the culprit in Texas A&M and Mizzou leaving the Big XII as mentioned in the Thursday edition. What becomes of the Big XII, they have three possible outcomes? The conference can play with 8 teams, add teams or dissolve as the Southwest Conference did back in 1996. Several might remember the old SWC which contained all the schools listed below, behind the school's name is the conference they now represent. 

Texas-Big 12

Texas Tech-Big 12

Baylor-Big 12

TCU-Big 12

Texas A&M-SEC

Arkansas-SEC

Rice-Conference USA

SMU-American Athletic Conference

In the 1993 movie comedy Freaked the hero of the movie was taken prisoner by henchmen who worked for the mega corporation E.E.S. You are probably wondering what this has to do with university conferences the subject at hand. In the movie E.E.S. stood for ownership of Everything Except Shoes. That is the future, with probably rare exception the power will be concentrated with 2-3 conferences consisting of 16 to 24 teams. Can you just imagine what type of round robin post season tournament must be configured?

Where does he stand?

If we check the Mizzou roster and listen to the coach it says guards and faster paced play this season. That makes for a question, where does Jordan Wilmore fit in this picture? Wilmore is a 7-foot 3-inch 310-pound post player, he played limited minutes as a freshman. Was it Wilmore’s adjustment to Division I basketball or the fact his skills might be limited? We can only check out highlights from high school since Wilmore played so little as a Mizzou freshman. That can be deceptive since he’s matched against players much smaller in stature and weight than him.

Video indicates Wilmore can move up and down the floor easily despite his weight. He is adept defensively although to play in the SEC he must adjust his game. The video available indicates he is skilled offensively, naturally his height makes the dunk most easily for him. Despite that fact Wilmore has a jump hook with range and a bank shot from the wing. Where does this leave Jordan Wilmore as he moves into his sophomore season. Last season senior Jeremiah Tilmon was in front of him on the depth chart as was expected. Although coach Cuonzo appears to be leaning toward an up-tempo offense Wilmore might be able to convince him otherwise. The job is Wilmore’s for the taking however he’s got to prove to the coaching staff he wants it.