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Outstanding games by all

Andre Drummond was inserted in the Sixer starting lineup with Joel Embiid covid restricted. The Sixers lost their game against the Knicks but if not for Drummond it might have been worst final score. Drummond scored 14 points and pulled down 25 rebounds. Steph Curry led the way as the Warriors won game 9, he scored 50 points along with 10 assists as his team topped the Hawks. Russell Westbrook registered his first triple double aid the LAkers in an OT win. Westbrook had 17 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds, on the other side the Hornets LaMelo Ball scored 25 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists in a losing effort. Adding in the Laker win was Anthony Davis with 32 points and 12 rebounds, from the LAkers bench Carmelo Anthony would arrive scoring 29 points.

I’m not following through

Recently Shaquille O’Neal went on record claiming “I could handle Wilt Chamberlain” or something close to that. I ask a couple of co-workers, “Should I response in Off the Dribble,” both said “No, he (Shaq) is just trying to get clicks.” Despite their recommendation I’m going to respond anyway, we are overwhelmed with these types of comments, players of this generation claiming they were better than the veterans. Chris Bosh even weighed in on the issue claiming, “I was better than Bill Russell.” What’s the deal with Bosh, O’Neal and others? Shaq has always been one of my personal favorites, the raw power he showed while playing the post was a thing of beauty. In addition, his play was key to the three championships the Lakers won in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

No telling the count of championships this Laker team might have won if he and Kobe Bryant could have managed to place their egos in check, but that’s another story. Wilt Norman Chamberlain arrived in the NBA in 1959 drafted by the Warriors then in Philadelphia. Wilt was 7 foot 1 and weighed 275 pounds versus Shaq at the same height but 325 pounds. Are there doubts of Wilt’s strength, there is no record he ever broke a backboard as others did but he revealed his muscle in a nationally televised game. All the first half of this game Wilt had dunked on the basket, early in the second half it was discovered Wilt managed to break the metal hoop which supports the net. The game was stopped while the arena maintenance crew changed the basket, which is strength. Now could Shaq have played bully ball against Wilt; we have no idea. This I believe the outcome would result in which team won the game.

All American Teams

I’m unsure about you, I can’t remember the last time I read of an All-American College Basketball Team. It seems in this age of One and Done, G-League and Australian play an increasing number of athletes are no longer playing college basketball. Jae Morant of the Grizzlies might be an exception, he returned to Murray State and left after his sophomore year for the NBA. We can make the same statement about the Knicks Obi Toppin, he also returned for his second year before leaving for the NBA. It’s likely there are other NBA players who returned to school but these two are the first that come to mind. Overall fewer and fewer high-profile athletes stay in school for any length of time.

Once All-American teams consisted of seniors and juniors, on occasion a highly touted sophomore or first year player might earn a spot. Recently The Sporting News and 247Sports announced their All-American teams for the 2021-22 season and a strange thing occurred. The team assembled by 247Sports was made up of first year players only. There is danger with this type of set-up, we realize the giant leap needed to move from high school to collegiate level basketball. I certainly have no intent to sit anyone up for failure however let’s be real it just might occur. The names chosen by 247Sports certainly have the high school credentials to succeed but we just don’t know. Have All-American teams gone the way of the dinosaur, no longer a relevant thing or is it just me?

What did I expect?

The LAkers would be 11-0 currently, just kidding folks. What did I really expect, certainly not a 6-win 5 loss record? I believed an adjustment with new teammates would take time, my guess the LAkers would be 8-3 or at least 7-4. LeBron is out of the lineup but the glitch we are witnessing appears to be more serious. Are Vogel’s rotation the problem? Two of the 5 Laker losses have come against the Thunder, I’m not trying to trash the Thunder but their record as this is written is 3 wins and 6 losses.

If not for the LAkers they would have only one win. Not able to see all the games due to my Midwest base it appears the main issue, sustaining leads. With the exception I believe of the Blazer game in losses the LAkers appeared unable to sustain an advantage, in the instance of the Thunder it was large. There is still time to change the culture however at this point excuses won’t do; this is a veteran team which should be able to come together.

NBA records that will never be broken

You might have heard the saying, “Records are made to be broken.” that adage has validity except in exceedingly rare instances. A writer for The Score detailed 5 records that will never be broken. It’s interesting 2 of the 5 unbreakable records were covered previously in Off the Dribble. We wrote of the 100-point scoring game of Wilt Chamberlain which occurred March 2, 1962. The nearest attempt to eclipse the record occurred on January 22, 2006.

Wilt just loved to eat

The legend that is Wilt Chamberlain continues to supply us stories, this one on his eating prowess Teammate Jerry West claimed he saw a meal one evening while the LAkers were in a Kansas City hotel. This from the recollection of West. “I open the door and he’s got a towel tied around his neck, (and) he’s got a pair of basketball shorts on. That’s all he had on, “West explained. “I look around and I said, ‘Oh my God, what is this guy doing?’ There three (giant) racks of ribs, there were six 7 Ups---he drank 7 Up like it was water

There were two one-pound brisket sandwiches…Coleslaw, potato salad, barbecued beans, barbequed chicken. I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Oh my God, what’s going to happen here tonight?” West says Chamberlain went out and grabbed 25 rebounds.* We add to the discussion Pelicans forward Zion Williamson; the injury that sidelined him will heal in time the other part is under debate. Reports continue to circulate Williamson is on the north side of 300 pounds. If Williamson had the height of a Chamberlain or a Shaq probably no issue but at 6 foot 6 that’s a great deal of weight on his frame. He is asking for future knee problems unless he reduces his weight. We don’t know if the weight is muscle or fat, we tend to believe it’s likely fat although we have no method to prove this.

*www.sportscasting.com Nov 8, 2021