Basketball from a fans perspective

Wishing n Hoping

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is now part of the ownership group of Sporting Kansas City. Now he is part owner of the soccer team and an owner of the baseball Kansas City Royals. It is clear Mahomes is investing in Kansas City professional sports. It sure would be nice if this former high school basketball player would assemble a group of investors to bid on an NBA team. Former baseball player Alex Rodríguez is now an NBA owner…why not an NFL QB an NBA owner? 

There was a plan

If you are a LeBron hater you can stop at this point, don’t bother reading this account. This is written about him but only a small portion deals with his athletic talent. LeBron arrived in the NBA at age 18, back then high school athletes were eligible for the draft. He is now 36 years old and will have another birthday in December, a report indicates he is the first athlete to earn $1 billion during his career. How did he accomplish this one might ask, there was a plan? This was really two-fold, the first part he was blessed with God given talent which would become the building block to his financial success. While patting him on the back as with anything no one accomplishes feats on their own…they have help.

In this instance he was the driving force for the help. Behind LeBron was Carter, Paul and Mims who provided direction for many of the financial pursuits of the athlete. The names are Maverick Carter, Rich Paul and Randy Mims, of these named Carter played basketball with LeBron at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s but attended Western Michigan and the University of Akron. Carter has served as the business manager for LeBron while Paul has served as his agent. Mims runs a sports marketing enterprise we guess funded by earnings we believe earned by LeBron. The other day after the Bucks won their championship, I mentioned the local sports radio guy.

He was quite critical of LeBron for in his words “moving from team to team”, Giannis was more his type of athlete having made the Bucks better. LeBron continues to draw the ire of sports talk guys like him, he also draws criticism due to the social and political stance he often takes. Rarely do we hear about his philanthropic gifts to the society from this crowd. His I Promise School in Akron founded for at risk kids. This elementary school opened in 2018 but that’s just one example. In closing just, this is but a thumbnail sketch of LeBron James who began his NBA career immediately after high school, he decided early there would be a plan in place for him. Great financial success fails to make one a better person, but it certainly can’t hurt if that person is focused.

How about Kansas basketball?

We are pre-supposing several things here…how about Kansas basketball? Where does Kansas fit in the “earthquake” that’s become the Big XII? It’s our understanding once upon a time there was a movement toward the Big 10. If we are talking basketball that’s a good thing, the football is another matter. Kansas football doesn’t compete currently, in addition that’s been the case since the Mark Mangino days. After his departure in 2009 the program is 24-108 not an exciting record.

In fact, Mangino was the last Kansas coach to produce a winning record, this goes back to 1953. As for the focus of this blog basketball, rest assured the Big 10 or Pac-12 would probably love to have Kansas basketball in the conference. As for Kansas football that might be a slightly different matter. Jayhawk fans take note, unless we return to a Big 8 Conference the dominance by Kansas is over. Bill Self team’s will not run roughshod through the Big 10 or Pac-12 for that matter. Don’t confuse the statement there is no mention of a failure to win they will not dominate either of those conferences as they did with the Big XII.     

Age ain’t nuthin’ but a number 

Awhile back we covered 80-year-old Larry Brown and the fact he is still working. Brown is taking on the role as assistant coach for the University of Memphis this fall. Well Brown is second in line in the age category to Bill Bertka. Bertka will turn 94 next month and he is still working, his job title consultant and special assistant for the Lakers. He played basketball at Kent State finishing in 1951, he would begin the following season as a high school basketball coach. From there Bertka would move to Hancock College and finally to his alma mater Kent State in 1957.

In 1971 Bertka went to work for the Lakers as an assistant coach and the rest is this story is Laker history. There is a coaching overlap so it’s unclear if he was part of Joe Mullaney or Bill Sharman’s staff. He’s served in that capacity for several head coaches over time. He was on the sidelines during the Showtime era but remained through the Phil Jackson hire. The Lakers have changed coaches twice and both times Bertka took over as interim head coach (1994 & 1999). Bertka is presently providing input on talent the Lakers have brought in for workouts. As for Bertka is there an age he or anybody should retire? Perhaps Bertka might believe as others his age, if you can physically and mentally perform a task is there any reason for anyone including Bertka to retire?