Basketball from a fans perspective

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Bits n Pieces  

If you read Off the dribble on Friday, you might have been given a false impression. You may have thought I was conceding victory to France for Olympic Gold in basketball, far from it. I was just prepared for the possibility of Team USA losing. In 2004 Team USA had to satisfy itself with Bronze that year. I’m unsure of the roster count but I believe France had a minimum of four players with NBA experience there could have been more. It was easy to see last night Team USA with little practice losing to France in an exhibition game. Leads by Team USA was almost always countered by a comeback by the French team. Congratulations are due Team USA as they beat a highly competitive team 87-82. “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up,” despite what might be said early.

We might question the in-game strategy of Penny Hardaway, after all he remains somewhat new to this coaching thing. Former NBA athlete Hardaway certainly has a basketball pedigree but it’s only since 2018 he’s been a college head coach. We might be unsure of the X’s and O’s however we are aware of his recruiting skill, this time he’s managed to do it again. Jalen Duran a Rivals 5-star prospect and number one in the Class of 2022 will enroll in Memphis. Students, alumni and fans will not wait to see him in action, the 6-foot 10-inch 230-pound Duran re-classified and is now a member of the Class of 2021.  Duran attended Montverde Academy in Montverde Florida although home is Philadelphia Pennsylvania.  

Finally, someone with financial sway

I have lamented for years, no NBA basketball in my hometown. Every time someone mentions the possibility of basketball, I become excited and then my joy begins to subside after a time. It occurred again, this time with a person who we can believe has a degree of finance behind him. Number 15 in your program is Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Blair Kerkhoff in the Kansas City Star wrote Mahomes believes there would be interest here for an NBA team.

Remember a few weeks ago it was mentioned Seattle was at the top of the list for NBA expansion. It’s not likely the NBA only adds one team it’s likely two, the belief a tie existed between Las Vegas and Kansas City for the second franchise. Not hearing any talk locally, I wrote my hometown was now in third place in the minds of the NBA Board of Governors. That might still be the case however it would appear Mahomes is interested in the idea of a team locally, this is no indication he must be a majority owner. It points out the fact he MIGHT be willing to be an investor in an NBA franchise, his name recognition could move Kansas City past Las Vegas solidly into second place.

Three speeds

The NCAA operates at three speeds, they are slow, slower and slowest! Offered as evidence is the ongoing penalty regarding Kansas University. We are now near the third year this case has been pending. The NCAA has utilized the independent accountability resolution process (IARP) to resolve penalties, this began in June 2019. The portion most interesting the NCAA admitted this body has yet to settle a case. The incident involving Kansas is fresh in this part of the nation due to Lawrence being so nearby.

More interesting the NCAA chose to make the announcement while the ground beneath the organizations foundation is crumbling. Jay Bilas former Duke basketball player and ESPN analyst said this, “Welcome to the summer of reckoning, and what happens next.” The NCAA is not going away however we are witness to this body having less authority over student-athletes in the future. As for the past we must believe the NCAA was begun earlier to administer and police activities of universities and colleges across the nation. We continue to see the need for management however not in the manner the NCAA has operated in the past.

Stop…please stop

By now you are aware the Detroit Pistons made Cade Cunningham the top pick in the 2021 draft. That’s not all for the young man who grew up in Arlington Texas and played at Oklahoma State, he’s got another connection. Before we detail Cunningham let’s travel back in time with me a moment, at the time the late Kobe Bryant arrived in the NBA in 1996, he didn’t play heavy minutes. In fact, it was his third year with the Lakers we begin to hear the statement. “He’s trying to be like Michael Jordan” or “He’s imitating Michael.”

We heard these and similar statements throughout his NBA career, it didn’t help in that Kobe came into the NBA near the end of MJ’s career. It didn’t occur often however Kobe was matched against Jordan on occasion. Was the comparison fair, of course it wasn’t but that’s what fans do. It’s early but the talk has started again, and we are three months from the start of the 2021-22 NBA season. Cade Cunningham has yet to set foot on an NBA court, yet Cunningham’s name has been linked to Kobe Bryant. People please stop, allow Cunningham to be the best version of himself.

The draft and free agency

No other sport compares to the NBA in its annual draft followed up by free agency. The NBA draft will be covered first, basketball nerds are familiar or at least have heard the name of all the first-round selections. At one time Euro athletes would be a surprise but that rarely occurs except late in the second round of the draft. There is much excitement and anticipation for NBA fans weeks prior to the draft. Can we make a similar statement regarding the NFL or MLB draft?

I would be willing to bet unless you are a devoted football or baseball fan the names in those drafts are likely unfamiliar to them just as they are to most of us. Free agency in other sports is nowhere close to what exists in the NBA. For days we hear the names and entertain the amounts of money the free agent is to receive. The news is solid on the destination of that free agent and so is the pay he is to receive. Often free agent movement in sports other than the NBA appears to be obscure.

Basketball recruiting

Gathering talent for your basketball program can vary like night and day. No two coaching staffs approach recruiting in the same manner. A couple of close by examples, because Kansas basketball has a national footprint Bill Self can recruit anywhere in the nation and often does. On the other hand, 170 miles east of him or in Columbia Missouri Cuonzo Martin’s approach is different when it comes to recruiting. Mizzou’s coach prefers the St. Louis Metro an area he is familiar with and able to recruit successfully. This line is borrowed from longtime Mizzou coach Norm Stewart, ask if he had any McDonald’s All Americans on his team Stewart said, “No but we eat at McDonald’s.” 

That’s the difference between the two programs but it’s not only Mizzou we can look at other schools as an example. We could travel eastward and check out Villanova basketball; Jay Wright has been a consistent winner yet doesn’t often have 5-star recruits. Out west we could make a similar statement about Mark Few at Gonzaga a winner without top-notch talent. A giant stop sign here, this is not stating Villanova and Gonzaga has lesser talent than the Kentucky’s, Duke’s and North Carolina’s. It’s just to point out the recruiting effort differs at these universities over others. There are other schools we could list, bottom line…it’s not necessary to be a Kentucky or Duke to have success at the collegiate level. Good recruiting plus good coaching usually produces a winning basketball program.