Basketball from a fans perspective   

Published Monday through Friday

This bothers me

I like Mizzou Coach Cuonzo Martin; I believe he is a man of integrity. Under his leadership the school has not suffered a hint of scandal, despite the good the bad now has tipped the scale in the wrong direction. Many of us believed the basketball program had finally righted itself, the Tigers with a 6-7 record entering the game upset then number 24 Alabama 92-86 on Saturday. There were plenty of positives that were keys to the victory, the hope this win would provide ballast needed to keep the ship (Mizzou) from sinking. The thrilling victory over Alabama was followed with a disastrous loss to Arkansas. Wednesday night Mizzou stumbled out of the gate as soon at the ball was tipped up at center circle. How bad, Arkansas held a 49-15 half time lead. It was simple, Mizzou missed shot after shot, turned the ball over while Arkansas made every (shot…well practically). 

Arkansas forced turnovers and simply outrebounded Mizzou on the glass, final score Arkansas 87 Mizzou 43. The promise of the Cuonzo Martin hire has turned into a great disappointment for Mizzou Nation. The losses have been plain ugly UMKC, Liberty, Illinois plus Kansas are exhibits. The assurance of NCAA appearances turned into a one and done, as this is written Martin is 10 games above .500. By the time the season ends Martin’s record at Mizzou could be below .500, the time is now. The Athletic Director must begin exploring a replacement for Martin however the chief mission…be prepared to pay. The payout comes in the form of buying out the coaches contract and preparation to pay the incoming coach a large huge salary. Mizzou cannot replace Martin with an assistant coach although there are probably viable candidates available. The school must hire a "name" coach no matter the cost, this method of hiring second tier coaches just hasn't worked. To return to the beginning this bothers me on so many levels however Martin despite his virtues has failed to turn the Mizzou basketball program around.

All Star fan voting…not!

Fan voting is okay in sports until it reaches THAT point, guess what we have arrived. Voting for the NBA All Star Game is not complete however the Warriors Klay Thompson has enough votes to place him in 5^th place among those who play the backcourt. There is no argument from me when healthy he's  proven to be a very talented player however he’s not been on the court in nearly two years. Last night Thompson played his SECOND game of the season, All Star worthy…NOT at this point in time.

Laker updates

The Lakers were seriously impacted by Health and Safety protocol in the same manner as most other NBA teams. During this period, the Lakers managed to sign a number of players to 10-day contracts. As roster members were able to return and become cleared to play the contracts were allowed to lapse one by one except for one of them. Well technically that’s not correct Stanley Johnson’s contract expired too but his case was far different from the others signed during this time. The 6-foot 7 small forward had been expected to play a reserve role but moved into the starting lineup on occasion, Johnson had impressed the coaching staff and even LeBron James.

On Thursday, the Lakers announced they were signing Johnson to a second 10-day contract. The question is Johnson a keeper, can he be expected to play through the end of the season. We don’t know the answer for sure, however Johnson is a Laker at least for the next 10-days? This is not news rather a question, what transpired for Malik Monk at Charlotte? He’s moved into the Lakers starting lineup for now, was it just the opportunity to play as a starter? Was Monk aided playing with LeBron and others? We don’t have the answers, but it appears he will be in the lineup for a while. In closing I’m playing Frank Vogel, when Anthony Davis returns, he is a starter at center with this Laker lineup.

You just don’t know

Location and timing, oh and talent plays a part too. Friends will argue me constantly ratings by scouting sources don’t determine ability …guess what they are sort of correct. Rivals.com awarded Fred VanVleet 3 stars while in high school at Auburn HS in Rockford Illinois. Part of their reservation might have been based on the fact VanVleet only stood 5 foot 10 ½. There were scholarship offers but he was persuaded by his stepfather to focus on three schools one of them being Wichita State. That’s where the story became even further interesting, there is plenty of Wichita State basketball available in the Kansas City metro. We had numerous opportunities to see the diminutive point guard in action over the next four years. VanVleet improved his play each season while enrolled at Wichita State.

What about professional basketball, would it be Europe, Australia or China for him? Surely the NBA was not in the picture or at least that’s what we believed. As expected VanVleet was passed over in the 2016 draft but there was a glimmer of hope. He would sign with the Raptors and play on their Summer League team in 2016. VanVleet would played a reserve role in his first two seasons with the Raptors. Season three would be a breakout as he was a starter in 28 games. The last two seasons have witnessed VanVleet becoming the starting point guard for the Raptors. He was one of the keys in the Raptors 2019 NBA Championship. VanVleet’s game has grown as well as his height, he now stands 6 foot 1. He offers proof we can never underestimate the heart of an individual to be great, Fred VanVleet is just that a champion.