Basketball from a fans perspective

Choose a sport

We’ve discussed athletes good enough to have their choice of a sport, they were skilled enough to be sound in them all. Here in Kansas City, we have an All-Star caliber quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In high school he played basketball and the 6-foot 3 230-pound Mahomes was good. Look up this guy, like Mahomes Dave Winfield was accomplished enough to play them all. How good was Winfield, he was drafted by MLB, the NBA, ABA in existence at the time and the NFL. Winfield played basketball at the University of Minnesota but never played football although he was drafted by the Vikings. It’s clear he chose the correct path; he’s now enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Another name to mull over is Terrell Owens who spent a career in the NFL as a wide receiver for more than one team, he came into prominence playing basketball at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga first. The late Chuck Connors career was spent in front of the camera as an actor, but it was sports where it began. Connors played basketball briefly for the Celtics, in 1946 the 6 foot 5 Connors broke a backboard causing an hour delay in a game. Back to the NFL a moment, the late Otto Graham was all NFL as a quarterback. Graham played one season for the Rochester Royals of the NBL predecessor of today’s NBA in 1946-47. There are other athletes omitted in this brief account who probably could have chosen another sport. In some instances, there may have been a choice of more than two.

The specialist

We are told Wilt Chamberlain was a proud man, this certainly sounds reasonable based on many of the accounts we’ve read over the years. His chief adversary on the basketball court Bill Russell went on record recently with a new story. Russell claimed Chamberlain would become highly agitated anytime the media mentioned what a great rebounder Dennis Rodman was. No disagreement here, for a guy 6 foot 7- and 228-pounds Rodman made a career in this area. He did have an advantage; the Pistons, Bulls and other teams allowed him this role of the specialist.

These teams didn’t demand Rodman score, they were only interested in him excelling in the area of rebounds. Chamberlain would say to Russell, “I had more rebounds in a quarter than he (Rodman) did in a game.” The statement was true, NBA records indicate the record is held by Chamberlain with 19 rebounds in a single quarter. Chamberlain also holds the single game record with 55 recorded in one game. For those who might consider this a slam at Rodman that is not the case. Rodman with all his off the court antics was quite a basketball player. He excelled at rebounding the ball however the advantage of not being required to score certainly aided Rodman. Sorry Rodman fans it’s my belief Wilt Chamberlain was more the complete basketball player; Chamberlain could do everything Rodman a specific thing.

It was win now…tomorrow is another day

Who are the names, we could begin with Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma and Julius Randle? Those are just a few of the names the Lakers had on their roster at a point. Trading those players and others allowed the Lakers to win the 2019 NBA Championship. Management had a win now mentality which is okay to a degree. It is conceivable they may have never won with the assembly of names mentioned, it would have allowed them to escape the lack of draft picks they have for the immediate future.

Infusing rookies into a lineup is painful depending on that players skill and basketball IQ. This is the future from sources, the team has no picks in the 2022 draft. The problem is compounded by the fact they have little to offer another team in a trade. In 2023 their draft status is complicated, the Pelicans may or may not exercise swap options. We guess that simply states the Pelicans are in control of any movement regarding the first-round pick, the second-round pick belongs to the Wizards. 2024 appears just as complicated, no need of detailing it, so this is the story. Unless something unforeseen occurs, the Lakers will not have their own picks until the 2025 NBA draft. In hindsight was a championship worth gambling away the future?

Talk me down please

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote earlier, “The hire of Dennis Gates didn’t move the needle much.” That certainly might have been the belief held by many with the hire of the Cleveland State coach. Despite the early assessment the coach has certainly moved the needle in the recruiting sector. What remains is for Gates to prove he can coach at the SEC level. We are unsure if this list is complete however below reflects the recruits headed to Columbia Missouri in August:   

Mohamed Diarra 6-foot 10 forward Garden City Community College

Tre Gomillion 6-foot 4 guard Cleveland State

DeAndre Gholston 6-foot 4 guard Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Noah Carter 6-foot 6 forward Northern Iowa

Sean East 6-foot 3-point guard John A. Logan

D’Moi Hodge 6-foot 4 wing Cleveland State

Nick Honor 5-foot 10-point guard Clemson

Cuonzo Martin recruits

Aiden Shaw 6-foot 8 forward Blue Valley HS

Christian Jones 6-foot 4-point guard East St. Louis decommitted April 18

Remaining on the roster are three players coach Cuonzo Martin recruited, with these holdovers plus incoming talent we have a total of 11 roster members. The departure of Amari Davis leaves one scholarship for the upcoming season. A few in Mizzou Nation are not particularly pleased, despite the negative this member of Mizzou Nation feels good. Help talk me down, it’s quite a ways between now and August when school begins. I have no idea if this team will be competitive or not. The assembly of talent can’t help but make me believe the coming days and years will be better for Mizzou basketball and it’s fans. The true test is not the upcoming season but 2023-2024 which will be the true test for coach Gates.