Basketball from a fans perspective

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I know, we just finished the 2022 NBA Draft, but we always look ahead. This is done to discover that next budding NBA talent that can be added to a team’s roster. In this instance we’ve profiled Victor Wembanyama previously, since then I’ve conducted additional research on the 18-year-old. This is the part I find most interesting, generally mock draft sites disagree on who will be drafted in the top position. In this instance, I was unable to uncover a single dissenting site. I must snicker, I wonder if these 2023 mock sites are copying one another. This I do know; I ended my research with a count of 5 mock sites which listed Wembanyama at the top, there might be possibly more.

Each of the 5 sites project Wembanyama to be the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, I’ve even read some consider him the best draft pick since LeBron James in 2003. That is a daring statement to make regarding an 18-year-old prospect. We are aware Euro basketball is good but it’s not the NBA, how will Wembanyama manage to adjust to bigger, faster and bulkier talent? At 7 foot 3 and 220 pounds he appears to have all the tools. This you might find interesting nbadraftroom.com indicates he is (Kristaps) “Porzingis ++, faster Rik Smits.” He’s Kristaps Porzingis twice as good if that is the indication. Depending on your age the name Smits might not be familiar. Rik Smits had a good NBA career all with the Pacers running from 1988-2000. In addition, I like the defensive presence I’ve seen on several YouTube videos.

Check the videos below and see him in action, all negatives up till now can be corrected with additional coaching and gaining weight, the single area of concern is injury. At this point Wembanyama has suffered a bunch of “knick-knack injuries” as Shaq might describe them. These are injuries which have sidelined the youngster at times, up to this point none of them major. They certainly are of interest if Wembanyama is expected to compete in the rough and tumble world of the NBA. Finally, in closing we read stories about NBA teams “tanking” to place themselves in position to draft youngsters. I hate to hear those types of reports, the NBA has enough issues in the eyes of some without reading these type of accounts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF0oDlhPn2o&t=285s

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCsdgSXal-4&t=10s

A surprise

Career block shot leaders at each position were quite interesting for me (and maybe you too). A website basketballword.com provided that information for us. Hakeem Olajuwon at the center position…that was certainly no surprise at least for me. The small forward and power forward leader was a different matter. Several might be more familiar with the son; in this instance we are discussing the father Larry Nance Sr. He is the career block shot leader at the power forward position; most remember him from the period he played for the Cavs

It was the Suns who drafted him, his NBA career ran from 1981-1994. During his career, the highflyer blocked 2,027 attempted shots. Now for the surprise for me for more than one reason, Julius Erving, Dr. J. is the career leader in block shots for small forwards. The 6-foot 7 Dr. j. blocked 1,117 attempted opposition shots; most are familiar with the latter portion of his career spent with the Sixers. From 1971-1976 he played for the ABA Virginia Squires and New York Nets. As present and future players careers evolve some of these individual records could be eventually eclipsed however, they are through the 2021-22 NBA season.

There is in-fighting…not really

I’m sure there have been “fights” between college football and basketball programs, rarely do they become public. We are aware how gregarious Kentucky’s John Calipari can be at times. A leaking roof at the school’s 15-year-old practice facility had come to his attention, and this was the comment. “This is a basketball school. It’s always been that. Alabama is a football school. So is Georgia. I mean they are. No disrespect to our football team.” Calipari went on starting an apparent basketball-football feud. In less than two hours Mark Stoops football coach tweeted “Basketball school? I thought we competed in the SEC?”

This feud is funny in a sense, Calipari and Stoops in a fight for the hearts and minds of Big Blue Nation. Rest assured this is probably not a real issue between the two coaches. It will be resolved behind closed doors however if I choose sides, I must agree with coach Cal. If you are discussing sports and you say Alabama your thoughts go in the direction of football, I could say the same for Georgia although both schools have basketball programs. The roof is need of repair we get that; at the same time coach Cal is correct. In a discussion of college sports there are a number of schools who are noted as football or basketball inclined, if we mention Kentucky in a conversation the first thought is basketball not football. Sorry coach Stoops that’s the real world.

Winning

Most of the so-called experts have indicated they are not impressed with Laker off season moves. Of course, they claim all this is out the window should the team somehow acquire Kyrie Irving. In discussing the Lakers, I informed a fellow member of Laker Nation “I’d rather lose with youngsters than win with oldsters.” That might appear a concession to a losing team or season far from it, allow for an explanation. The window for winning with a veteran team would tend to be somewhat smaller than one filled with young players in my view.

Now comes the question will LeBron James or other members of the Lakers buy into my observation…hardly. As a veteran team their desire is to win right now. Although a young team might face bumps in the road they are learning, learning how to win. That last statement might sound strange however it is true, young teams must adapt and discover how to win. In closing I like the off-season moves thus far by the Lakers however keep this in mind. Sending a veteran team on the court night after night remains no guarantee of success, we could look at the 2021 Champion Bucks as an example. That Bucks team certainly earned a playoff berth however they failed to repeat as champions.