Basketball from a fans perspective   

Published Monday through Friday

“Larry Bird is not walking through that door!”

Rick Pitino was then coaching the Celtics; the team had undergone a losing streak I believe. Larry Bird and the rest of that vaulted team of the ‘80’s had retired or were near the end of their career. Celtics players must have been moaning for the good old days when Pitino made the statement. I could make the same declaration for Mizzou Nation, “Coach K., John Calipari or Bill Self are not walking through that door.” Many in Mizzou Nation have expressed their displeasure with the hiring of Dennis Gates. One fan website claimed 50 some percent of the fans wanted Cuonzo Martin fired yet 60% were not satisfied with the Gates hire.

Let’s call it as I see it, Mizzou is a school in a Power 5 Conference, Mizzou is not close to being a basketball blue blood program such as Kentucky or North Carolina. The school cannot just toss out the net and pull in coaches from throughout the nation. That’s not to indicate Gates is chopped liver. A headline in the St. Louis Post Dispatch read, “Dennis Gates doesn’t move the needle much.” In fact, a couple of local radio guys claim the K-State fan base is more excited about the hire of Jerome Tang over that of Gates. I’m still unsure what Mizzou Nation expects in a hire, the school is in the SEC yet remains a tough hire for a prospective coach. Coach Gates must be given time to implement his program, don’t toss him overboard ahead of time.

Another nation might be heard

The NBA has long held a presence on the Asian continent. Several Chinese athletes have played at U.S. colleges, and some have advanced to the NBA. Yao Ming might be the name most familiar to us and possibly the best. The first player from Japan played in the NBA way back in 1947, his name Wataru Misaka. He played but one season, but it is interesting he did this the same year as Jackie Robinson in baseball. Similar to China there have been several Japanese players since then. Currently on the Wizards roster is Rui Hachimura who played at Gonzaga prior to his arrival in the NBA. Playing in the NBL in Australia is 7-foot 2 Kai Sotto from the Philippines, he’s got NBA aspirations too.

There have been other college and NBA players from Asian nations but to date none from South Korea. That might change according to Lee Hyun-Jung a 6-foot 7 shooting guard/small forward at Davidson. Don’t expect to see him in the 2022 NBA Draft or Summer League play, he will enter his junior year in the fall. It helped with his mom having played the game, as a suggestion by a scout Hyun-Jung traveled first to Australia to play at the NBA Global Academy in Australia. This proved beneficial as he spoke only Japanese and there, he learned English and improved his game. It was reported both Washington State and Davidson offered scholarships, but he chose Davidson believing it fit his playing style. After a slow start his freshman year as a sophomore his numbers across the board improved significantly. Hyun-Jung’s junior season has seen increased production as he’s on the road to an NBA future…maybe.

Stay in your lane

Although I’ve mentioned my issues with LaVar Ball, he’s provided me words. The words are “Stay in your own lane”, do those things you are responsible for. This provides a lead into our discussion of head coaches. In youth, high school, AAU and college ball the coach is the boss, short of abuse that coach is in charge…his word is the law. As we get closer to the end of the season it appears the Lakers are destined for the play in tournament something LeBron especially has criticized. Recently I wrote of the problems with this Laker team, I believe I pointed a finger at Russell Westbrook and the other at the team. If Westbrook is to be blamed for 50% how much should have been aimed at LeBron?

Do what you do, i.e., play the game LeBron you are not the coach. That’s much of the problem with today’s NBA players as I see it. They want to play the game and coach the team, how much blame belongs to Laker coach Frank Vogel? Certainly, a percentage because it appears he’s allowed LeBron to micromanage this team. Do what you do best (play the game), Vogel should listen but far too much responsibility lies in the hands of the players today. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is near the end of a long and successful NBA career, I’d bet money none of his teams in the past or present tried to overrule him. It’s okay to offer suggestions to the head coach however it’s more important that player stay in his lane.

The best ever

One of those .com websites chose the best basketball player from each state in the nation. In this area their choices were interesting in several instances. The Kansas and Missouri player selected failed to attend Kansas University or the University of Missouri. In the Midwest, the writers chose Alvan Adams for the State of Kansas and Jo Jo White for Missouri. The athlete had to be born in that state, Adams would distinguish himself playing at the University of Oklahoma and later in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns. Although Adams was born in Lawrence Kansas his family moved to Oklahoma where he graduated from Putnam City High School which is in metro Oklahoma City. Across State Line Road in Missouri, it was White from St. Louis, he did almost the same thing choosing to cross the state to play for the Kansas Jayhawks where he too distinguished himself. White would move to the NBA and become an outstanding player for the Celtics.