Basketball from a fans perspective   

Published Monday through Friday

This is interesting 

Of the four California NBA teams the one at the top is most surprising. The LAkers expected to compete for the championship have played up and down in this early season. Minus Kawhi Leonard the Clippers are at .500 basketball as this is written and the same could be said for the Kings. We believed the Warriors would be improved in 2021-22 but they have gotten off to a faster start than most thought possible. The 8-win 1-loss start is interesting on quite a few levels, they have the best record in the NBA. Sharpshooter Klay Thompson is still sidelined and although he is on the court shooting and conditioning, he is yet to appear in a game.

We can make the same comment about second year man James Wiseman who missed a major part of last season with injury. On the court and aiding Steph Curry is shooting guard Jordan Poole. The former Michigan Wolverine has come to the forefront, and we might question…will Thompson have a job? Andrew Wiggins might be the Invisible Man, hardly noticed for the things he does. The return of Iggy, Andre Iguodala has added his presence to this team certainly stabilizing the reserve corps. Draymond Green has been his usual self, the point-power forward and sometime center is 8.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. Naturally, other teammates have been key to the resurgence of the Warriors. We know the ability of Steph Curry, but this Warrior resurgence appears to not be led by the sharpshooter.

What we see

The uncomplimentary column on Monday on the NCAA only pointed out judgements made for basketball. Rest assured those of you who follow the college football game can point to similar issues about that sport. We are not sure if this statement is correct, it would appear judgements are made toward the largest revenue generators (football & basketball). Are track & field athletes, swimmers and others scrutinized in the same manner? We cannot answer that question however surely judgment should cover all collegiate sports activities.

SEC basketball

Upfront confession, I don’t know a great deal about SEC basketball. I knew even lesser in 2011 when Mizzou joined the conference. I believed at the time it was Kentucky and Florida alone, gigantic mistake on my part. The league appeared more interested in football competition over court action, after all with Alabama, Auburn along with LSU and Georgia that was the belief at the time. That has changed, football still reigns supreme however the basketball programs at each of the conference schools has improved considerably.

Kentucky has legitimate competition on the court now for SEC superiority, we cannot point to one date and state when the change occurred. In addition to John Calipari at Kentucky others such as Bruce Pearl, Rick Barnes, Ben Howland and Tom Crean produced winning programs prior to their SEC association. As for the others Buzz Williams, Eric Musselman and Frank Martin have generated contending teams. There are other coaches omitted from this brief account, but it’s hoped you get the idea, the SEC in 2021 and into the future is more than just football.

Who?

Austin Reaves is likely an unknown to most NBA fans, who is he? Reaves played his college basketball at Oklahoma; despite this fact he wasn’t drafted in 2021. It was reported he informed teams to not draft him, his preference was to make the choice his own. The 6-foot 5-inch Reaves signed a free agent contract with the Lakers and then went ahead to show what he could do in Summer League play. Although Reaves had competition for a roster spot his hustle, shooting and defense came shining through. He earned a place on the season opening roll, but would he play? Injuries to one always affects another especially for a rookie and that’s exactly what occurred, two players in front of Reaves went down with injuries.

Reaves is currently playing about 20 minutes a game; he’s shooting 55% from the floor and 40% from 3. What has endeared him to Frank Vogel and staff is his defensive prowess. Is it possible Reaves sees the floor as a starter in the future for the LAkers or another team? He might become Fred VanVleet, undrafted in 2016 the diminutive point guard has been one of the keys to the success registered by the Raptors thus far. If there is a reserve role in his future Reaves could become the next JJ Redick managed a long NBA career as a reserve, in addition he became a much-needed commodity. Does Reaves become JJ Redick or Fred VanVleet we don’t know, this we do know. Reaves can play in whatever role the LAkers or another team might need.