Basketball from a fans perspective

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I’m shocked!

Not really but I wanted a headline grabber, and this story is really not that in a sense. It represents a continued policy of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Recently the coach added an assistant to his staff, her name is Candice Dupree former WNBA player. Dupree will take on a role as player development coach with the Spurs. This move certainly shouldn’t be surprising if you are familiar with Pop, he was in the forefront of making change in the NBA consider this fact. 

Over the years there have been 15 female assistant coaches in the past up to the present in the NBA, but Pop was the first coach to open the door. Becky Hammon was hired by Pop in 2014 and she became the first female assistant coach in the NBA. She resigned last season to take over the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA. What did the Aces accomplish once Hammond took over as coach…the Aces only managed to win the WNBA championship? Will there be a female coach in the NBA one day, that’s likely to occur in basketball over the NFL? The NBA should be commended for attempting to equalize job opportunities.

What he said

On the surface the response of guard Marcus Smart might seem callous by many. Asked about the coaching change for the Celtics he said, “Nobody died.” Allow me to finish the quote, “Nobody died. I still love Ime as a person and as a coach. He led us into the Finals. It’s just something unfortunate happened to him.” For some it depends on your perspective, I held a conversation with a co-worker and Celtic fan. I know you are probably shocked there are Celtic fans in the middle of the nation.

I digress however this was my statement to Rory. “The Celtics will be okay there might be a little drop off, they might not return to the Finals. This assistant coach (Mazzulla) is not an unknown voice, Celtic players have heard him. There will be some of the old by the former coach and some of the new Mazzulla will implement. Rory is not quite as optimistic as I am, however, I will stick by my view for now. He claims the injury to Robert Williams will impact the team. He’s also looking at Jaylen Brown whose name was floated around in trade circles all summer. “I think if I was Brown I would be upset.”

It depends

I hit my growth spurt between my 6^th and 7^th grade year of school. I remember it well because my mother had purchased jeans for both my brother and me with the intent of wearing them over summer into the start of the school year. As we approached the start of school mom asked me to try on the jeans, needless to say they were hitting me around my ankles. I thought “Boy I’m on my way to 6 feet tall”, I didn’t grow to the height I hoped. The growth spurt varies among individuals, as an example folks might say “The Bulls Scottie Pippen was a skillful passer for a guy 6 foot 8 in height.” The explanation is simple, in high school he was forced to play the point because he was nowhere near the height he would eventually reach. Pippen was a 6-foot 1 point guard at Hamburg (AR) High School. We could make a similar statement about the Lakers Anthony Davis who is almost 6 foot 11.

At Perspectives Charter High School in Chicago, AD was a 6-foot 3-inch point guard who gained an aptitude for passing the basketball. In the case of Pippen and Davis we have examples of two players who experienced growth spurts. For Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and others there was none of that. These two graduated high school at their NBA height (7 foot 1) and gained additional weight playing in the NBA. I could locate no high school information on 6 foot 10 Chris Webber or 6 foot 11 Kevin Garnett. These two certainly are on the list of best passing Big Men. Once again, I have no high school data on this man, the best current passing Big Man in the NBA is Nikola Jokic. Jokic who stands 6-foot 11 and 284-pounds has assists numbers astronomical for a player his size. Last season he dealt out 7.9 assists to Nugget teammates and two years before it was 8.3.

Is this it?

There appears a belief only Blue Blood programs win the Division I championship every season, that is the perception and not actual fact. Let’s explore the years 2002 through 2022. We can state with certainty Kansas, North Carolina, Duke and Kentucky have registered the bulk of wins during this 20-year period however there are some names you may have forgotten. Check out the ‘other’ champions and the year they won below:  

Maryland – 2002

Florida – 2006 & 2007

UConn – 2004, 2011 & 2014

Villanova – 2016 & 2018

Louisville – 2013

Syracuse – 2003

Virginia – 2019

Baylor – 2021

Can they, or should they?

I saw an interview on NBA TV of Giannis Antetokounmpo recently, perhaps you saw it too. During the interview he expressed how much he appreciated the opportunity to play for the Greek National Team over the summer. Once the interview was complete the host began a discussion with Sam Mitchell former NBA player and coach turned analyst. I’m going to paraphrase the quote, Mitchell indicated Antetokounmpo, and others had been playing all summer, they won’t need much of a training camp. At the same time, we probably will see them in limited action during the exhibition season. Then the real question, at what point does the body begin to break down?

It’s documented the regular season and a deep playoff run an athlete could play well over 100 games. If we toss in another 30 or so playing in Europe during the summer, you see where I’m going don’t you? I certainly would not place myself in front of Antetokounmpo or any other Euro player desiring to play for their nation. There comes a point the body must rest and by this, I mean fully rest. The question becomes can the NBA place restrictions in a player’s contract, or should they? I realize nationalism is more important in this instance than the NBA but there comes a point. The body can break down based on the wear and tear of a rigorous “two seasons” of basketball?

Basketball from a fans perspective

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Bits n Pieces

As NBA training camps open one of the most confusing might be the Celtics. They are a veteran team; they know what to do however the coaching change at the top is the question. When training camp opens assistant now head coach Joe Mazzulla is now the man in charge. The team is accustomed to hearing his voice during practice, shoot around and during a game however he’s now in a different position. Much of this Celtic team competed for an NBA Championship last season so they know how to win. If the Celtics begin the season slowly there is no requirement to panic although I know a number will.  As for guard Marcus Smart and his response that will be covered on Friday. 

LaVar Ball should be pleased now, all three sons are now in the NBA. We are acquainted with oldest brother Lonzo although injured plays for the Bulls. Baby brother LaMelo is a member of the Hornets, he now has a new teammate-brother. LiAngelo’s been signed by the Hornets for an undisclosed amount to a non-guaranteed contract. You might remember he was in the Hornets training camp last season however he failed to earn a roster spot. Do we suppose the time is now for LiAngelo and each of us must apologize to daddy LaVar. LaVar said ages ago all three of his son’s would play in the NBA. He further stated all three would play for the same team, that might be unmanageable.  

The injury bug

In a manner similar to others in Laker Nation I’ve lamented the saga of Anthony Davis. So much talent yet he continues to spend time on the injury list. It might be bad but nowhere close to that of Markelle Fultz. You remember Fultz don’t you, number one draft pick by the Sixers in 2017 from the University of Washington. I just read he fractured his toe, no surgery (which is good) now with the Magic they have given no timetable for his return. No one plays 82 games anymore injury or not but consider these numbers.

In 6 years, Fultz has played a total of 131 games for the Sixers and Magic, he was a starter in 86. In that time, he could have played in at least 492. For the talented but injury prone guard it’s been one injury after another, the closest he came to playing a full season was his first with the Magic. In the 2019-20 season Fultz managed to play in 72 games in 60 of them he was a starter. The following season he played 8 games and last season it was 18. There is no attempt to detail the injuries I’m just going to say so much potential talent but little opportunity to display it.

I’m violating my established rule

You are probably asking yourself “What is the rule?” I have refrained from writing about Mizzou prospects at least till there is a verbal commitment. Even verbal’s are saying “I might attend there on the other hand maybe not.” So now that you have the background allow me to inform you of a recent occurrence. Mizzou had four prospects visit the campus over a recent weekend. Antonio Barrett or T.O. as he prefers is a 6-foot 4 180-pound point guard, 247Sports awards this Class of 2024 prospect 3-stars. For me the most interesting part Barrett is from Edmond Oklahoma, the city is located about a 30 plus minute drive from the University of Oklahoma.

Barrett does have OU on his list of schools nevertheless this is still quite interesting. We can add the name of John Bol a 7-foot 2 190 pound forward, the skinny Bol attends Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita (KS). Bol is awarded 5-stars by 247 Sports and a sophomore at the school. Also visiting Columbia was Jordan Butler a 6-foot 10 220 pound forward, Rivals doesn’t award this Class of 2023 prospect any stars but no matter. Stars are to provide us a projection of an athletes potential, they fail to indicate if that particular athlete can play at the collegiate level. There you have it Mizzou Nation pending prospects for the future of Mizzou basketball and the reminder I violated my own rule in providing you this information in advance of possible commitment.

Best Big Men

I listen to a local podcast; the hosts were discussing the best Big Men. Okay, we know offenses have changed, it’s now an inside out game versus outside end of long-ago basketball. Who are your Top Five Big Men? Mine is a little different because I attempted to look at their college as well as the NBA. Based on that factor my Top Five in order:

Kareem Abdul Jabbar-3 NCAA championships, 6 NBA championships

Bill Russell-2 NCAA championships, 11 NBA championships

Wilt Chamberlain-2 NBA championships

Shaquille O’Neal-4 NBA championships

Hakeem Olajuwon-2 NBA championships

Those who while very good failed to earn a spot on my roster, not in any order:

Moses Malone

David Robinson

Patrick Ewing

Willis Reed

Nate Thurmond

Bob Lanier

You are asking the question, “Where is Tim Duncan” and with good reason. Tim despite his greatness spent the major portion of his NBA career as a power forward. He did this despite being 6 foot 11 and 250 pounds. There are several Big Men omitted from this list, they are certainly valued players however they don’t measure up to my Top Five. What do you think, you agree with my list? Do you think several in the second tier earn a spot on your list? Did you notice the fact all are retired players, with the change in NBA offense there are few players who might qualify.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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He’s got a right to his opinion…but!

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time you are aware of this issue. I’ve had a long-time difficulty with the accuracy of specific story’s reported or written by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. Opinions are one thing accurate reporting is another, allow me to cite the latest example. A few weeks back I read (maybe you did too) a story from Smith regarding the Warriors Jonathan Kuminga. From Smith, “Kuminga lacks commitment and discipline and was shortchanging the Warriors.” Warriors coach Steve Kerr questioned the account even stating he'd contacted Bob Myers general manager wondering where the story originated.

This Kerr quote: “Because it (the report) made no sense. JK’s been great, he’s done everything we’ve asked of him. He’s working hard. I enjoy coaching him. He’s right where he needs to be, and just gotta keep getting better every day.” We’d expect a coach to defend his player no question, it's likely someone provided this information to Smith however that can present a problem. My issue with the Smiths of the world are the “reliable sources” might not always be so dependable. We once used the term for malfunctioning computers, “garbage in-garbage out.” As I’ve stated over and over the ESPN guy’s got a right to his opinion, he doesn’t have the right to make up stuff.

What is wrong with us?

We’ve reached a strange point in time in my view. The last few years has seen us believe no one besides Michael Jordan represented greatness in the game from its founding in 1949. This latest rant is based on a photo of Artis Gilmore blocking a shot and the commentary from fans. Oh, you are unfamiliar with the name? Gilmore is a 7-foot 2 center who began his professional career in the ABA. He would go on to play outstanding basketball for the Bulls and Spurs from 1976 through 1987, look up the numbers if you care.

The point of this latest rant is more than Gilmore, a number of appear to believe “If I didn’t see it, it didn’t exist.” Those who came before Michael Jordan to put it in the jargon of JJ Redick were “plumbers and carpenters.” I am going to attempt once again to ignore those who claim “__________ played in 1957 he couldn’t have been very good.” Rest assured there are several athletes of that generation who could have played in any age. Stop shortchanging athletes because of the era of their play it just doesn’t make sense to me. Keep in mind this is coming from a guy who believes the athletes of today are better conditioned (training, diet etc.) than most of those of the past.

Interesting

I saw another YouTube video featuring Victor Wembanyama which is the basis for this account. The 18-year-old French youngster has been termed by many a generational talent. Countless scouts are stating the 7-foot 5 youngster is the best NBA prospect since 2003 when LeBron James was drafted. It is noteworthy Wembanyama was born the year after LeBron’s NBA debut. Back to this from the video, it points out only two players his height and taller have tasted success in the NBA. The players are, Kristaps Porzingis (7-3) and Yao Ming (7-6). We know Porzingis has suffered injuries which have sidelined him from time to time since his NBA debut.

Porzingis finished this past season playing 51 games for the Mavs and Wizards. As for Yao despite an effective NBA career injuries forced him to retire at a relatively young age 31. We have no idea what Yao might have been if not forced to retire early. In an earlier time 7-foot 4-inch Rik Smits had an outstanding 12-year career all spent with the Pacers. Let’s face it injury or not several of the players 7-foot 3 and taller were not very good or were simply specialists. Despite the promise 7 foot 3 Hasheem Thabeet was not a quality NBA player although he managed to play at UConn. 7-foot 7-inch Manute Bol who played from 1986-1995 was strictly a specialist for a number of NBA teams.

We also could look at 7-foot 3 Arvydas Sabonis, he was the Nikola Jokic of the 1980’s. Unfortunately, once he reached the NBA (1995), he was a shadow of his former self due to injury. Sabonis was prohibited from playing in the U.S. as a member of the Soviet Union's basketball team. As for Wembanyama the future is in front of him, there is no sure-fire method to avoid injury. He must continue to develop his game and play it as best he can. Get this, Wembanyama might actually be taller than 7 foot 3. In a video he is standing next to Purdue center Zach Edney who is reported to be 7 foot 4. Wembanyama is clearly half a head taller than Edney.

They are just being cautious

A 10-year-old probably could tell us Kawhi Leonard is key to the success of the Clippers. Paul George is good; John Wall was good at a point in time but unless Leonard is able to return and impact the game…well. A piece I read recently reinforced the view stated in the first paragraph. Leonard missed all of last season recovering from a torn right ACL tear, the Clippers indicate he’s been cleared to play. Despite the optimistic tone given by management I was surprised to discover Leonard’s yet to play a 5 on 5 game.

Clippers president Lawrence Frank indicates training camp moves will be at the discretion of Leonard, it’s further pointed out his play in exhibition games might be limited as well. Athletes in the NFL and NBA have returned to action from similar injuries in the past but there is a question. The question will Leonard come back on the court as the player we remember? I hope this doesn’t appear a doom and gloom account, but all the money sunk into constructing Intuit Dome won’t be worth squat if Leonard is not playing on the floor in two years.

We don’t know

During the mid to late 1990’s I checked, the Celtics made the playoffs for 7 consecutive seasons. They failed to win it all but were a good team. They still had Larry Bird although he began to show signs of slowing, they had Kevin McHale. Two players who might have led them to great heights never fulfilled the promise and both by death. In 1986 the Celtics made Len Bias the second pick in that year’s draft, an All American at Maryland it was believed the 6-foot 8 210-pound Bias would eventually replace Bird in the Celtic starting lineup. Two days after the draft celebrating with friends in his dorm snorted cocaine, the result Bias suffered a cardiac arrhythmia from the cocaine, attempts to revive him at the hospital and he died. We can only speculate; Bias was reported to have all the tools to gain success in the NBA. How good was the potential, just recently Bird said he would have retired in 1986 if Len Bias had lived.

In 1987 the Celtics with the 22^nd pick chose Reggie Lewis from nearby Northeastern University. Lewis would play a reserve role in his rookie season with only 49 games. The 1988-89 season would be his breakout year Lewis was a starter in 57 of the Celtics season, he would average 18.5 points a game that season. The career of Lewis would continue ascending upward until April 29, 1993, in a playoff game he collapsed on the court and after several minutes rose. That game would turn out to be his last action in an NBA game, in the hospital Lewis was diagnosed with focal cardiomyopathy a disease of the heart muscle.

Lewis was informed this would be career ending so probably like us he sought a second opinion. Another medical team identified his condition as neurocardiogenic syncope. On July 27, 1993, while working out at Brandies University Lewis suffered cardiac arrest, attempts to revive him failed and he died that same day. The second medical group indicated they did not suggest Lewis begin workouts again. We can only speculate on Len Bias, perhaps he might not have been great as an NBA player. Those with the opportunity to see him play claim there was no doubt regarding his ability. As for Lewis it was a different matter, brief as it was, we saw him in action for the Celtics. He too was thought of as a rising NBA star after he was chosen to play in the 1992 NBA All Star Game. The account of two Celtics who could have led them to NBA greatness.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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A brief statement

This might sound shocking coming from a Laker fan, but I was pleased with the news. The Celtics hired Ime Udoka as head basketball coach June 23, 2021, however he was not an unknown name. Most of us remember him from his time as a reserve player for the Spurs, he was a Nets assistant when hired. Part of the success experienced this past season by the Celtics playing for the NBA championship can be partially attributed to Udoka. As for the unpleasant part, Udoka was suspended by the Celtics for “violations of team policy” late last week, as with you the news of his suspension caught me off guard. A day later came the announcement the suspension would last the length of the 2022-23 NBA season. Coaches have been suspended in the past however this is quite different, I cannot think of an occasion when an NBA coach has been suspended (especially by his team) for the length of a season.

Generally, suspensions with this length of time would be handed out by the league. Anytime a coach is placed in this type of trouble generally its more to do with team play over anything else. In this instance the Celtics indicate Udoka violated the policy of the team. This is my view alone; I have read very little on the subject, at the same time I avoided the “Stephen A. Smith's” of the world providing their opinion on the matter. For me there is great difficulty for me delving into issues of relationships. Did he/she or didn’t he/she, as human beings each of us might act out a development in a different manner. I cannot begin to speculate the direction this franchise might take after the suspension is complete. Allow me to say this, from all apparent reports we’ve received thus far Udoka is guilty of the charge leveled at him and will suffer for it. It’s really too bad because I believed the Celtics had found their coach for the present and future of the franchise.

Welcome Back Kotter Dennis

In 1975 the ABC Network premiered a comedy about a former student who returned as a teacher to his old high school. The series Welcome Back Kotter ran four seasons and the ensemble cast of students consisted of a young John Travolta. Dennis Schroeder has been welcomed back to the Lakers by LeBron James which is quite interesting. It seemed when the speedy point guard left two years ago there appeared problems between the two. If you’ve followed the game, you are aware LeBron rarely relinquishes control of the basketball.

It seemed this might have been an issue between the two, notice I said it seemed to be. With LeBron extending a welcome to Schroeder via Twitter if there were issues evidently, they must be resolved now. I have been in a state of “what are they doing” this summer on the “new and improved” Laker roster. It is so very top heavy with guards especially point guards, does Westbrook’s future remain with the Lakers or somewhere else? I’m reading the same thing you are, the possibility of Beverley starting with Westbrook coming off the bench. The addition of Schroeder has likely sealed the fate of Scotty Pippen Jr. despite my desire for him to remain on the roster. I guess most of this will be addressed in the next few weeks with training camp about to start. 

The beginning

The NBA has officially returned, media day was held on Friday by the Hawks and Wizards. Yesterday on Saturday the Bucks, Hawks, Warriors and Wizards opened training camp. On Monday the Bucks and Warriors media day will be held. On Tuesday all other media days will be held and September 27 the remaining training camps open. It’s been an interesting summer for a variety of reasons. Probably at the top of the list Russell Westbrook (for now) remains a member of the Lakers. We finally heard from Ben Simmons of the Nets and Danny Ainge’s “housecleaning” of the Jazz continues. Ainge attempted to trade Donovan Mitchell to every team that probably talked to him.

He was finally able to accomplish this move trading Mitchell to the Cavs for a host of players. The Clippers will see the return of Kawhi Leonard to the lineup. In late news the Celtics open camp with Ime Udoka suspended for the season, assistant Joe Mazzulla takes over. In the category of non-people news construction is moving at a steady pace for the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The new home of the Clippers is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024. Suns owner Robert Sarver was given a 1-year suspension for his conduct and several days later Sarver announced he was placing a for sell sign on the Suns and Mercury franchises. Those are but a few of the story’s that emerged over the summer, more than likely I missed a few. The question remains for you reading this, are you ready for some NBA basketball? I certainly can place myself in the number.    

We miss the mark again…

Maybe the case might be we have our own agenda and wish to push it. Example, Shams Charania wrote “The NBA and NBAPA are expected to agree on lowering draft-age eligibility from 19 to 18 in the new CBA.” The first two letters from fans miss the mark completely. The first writer claims 18-year old’s are not mature enough to play in the NBA, the second writer claims they are changing the rule so Bronny James will be eligible. Let’s take this one letter at a time, once upon a time the NBA allowed high school players to be drafted.

There were some hits (Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady) but there have also been misses. The writer was partially correct every 18-year-old is not mature enough but don’t toss every 18-year-old into the same pot. As for the second letter writer his comment makes the least amount of sense. He's read comments made by LeBron James and his desire to play an NBA game with his son. This writer gives us the belief LeBron’s got enough power to force the players association to change their opposition to a rule in effect since 2006. If the writer is on the “Hate LeBron” bandwagon so, be it but don’t make up stuff to fit your view please.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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It’s now over      

Remember back last season, Kyrie Irving could only play road games for the Nets. Due to covid continuing to rage New York City had an order in place which stated public gatherings required proof of covid vaccination or entry would be denied. I could make the same statement for our northern neighbor Canada they had a rule requiring visitors to be vaccinated. In addition to Kyrie being barred so were The nation had a similar mandate in place, just ask the Kansas City Royals who were forced to leave about a dozen unvaccinated players and coaches at home. Irving and the Royals have no issues now; the City of New York has rescinded its covid vaccination order. On Wednesday of this week, we are informed our northern neighbor Canada intends to follow a similar direction at the end of September. The pandemic appears to no longer be raging although people are still contracting covid but not in the great numbers of 1-2 years ago. 

This was surprising

It appears over much sooner than we might have thought, Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver has begun the process to sell his teams. The firestorm created by the NBA investigation was certainly not going to die soon however there is another piece of this story. All of us are guilty of making dumb statements at times and they can and should be forgiven. In the instance of Sarver, the investigation by the independent counsel discovered a continuing pattern of racist and misogynistic statements made by the owner. The issue I have difficulty understanding Sarver, you are an owner of he an NBA team with a majority of the players black and a WNBA team comprised of women.

The key, no one twisted Sarver’s arm to purchase either franchise. These teams didn’t transform after he became the owner, the names might have changed but certainly not the racial or gender makeup of either team. It really makes me wonder why in the world would he spend his money to own them, is it the opportunity to belong to a small group of people i.e., owner of a professional team. It’s my belief there are a few wealthy people who tend to believe they are impervious to issues such as race or gender. That’s likely a question for smarter people than me to figure out the why. Despite an upcoming change in ownership the real winner is Sarver who purchased the Suns in 2001 paying $401 million. Reports are now circulating the Suns franchise alone will have a price tag of $1.2-$2.5 billion placed on it. Who becomes the winner based on this projected outcome?

There is a change

You were correct in believing Coach K. retiring at Duke was the story in college basketball however there was another. Jay Wright winner of two NCAA championships decided to retire at Villanova, Coach K. we knew ahead of time, Wright we didn’t. We are aware Jon Scheyer took over at Duke but what about Wright’s replacement. The name is Kyle Neptune, and he is only 37-years old despite an extensive record as an assistant and head coach at Fordham. From 2013-2021 Neptune was an assistant under Wright and then left to head the Fordham program.

Once Wright made his intentions know Neptune was hired as his replacement. Unclear is whether Neptune contacted Villanova, or the school reached out to him. Neptune finds himself replacing an icon such as Wright, will he be prepared to undergo the scrutiny this will require. I always believed Wright’s team exceeded expectations. I hope this doesn’t sound offensive to fans of the program, but I never believed Wright was able to attract the top 10% of basketball talent. He was able to recruit the remainder of talent available and managed to get them to play their behinds off. The roster for Villanova is unclear to me however we can guess if there were missing pieces Neptune’s addressed that. Good luck coach in your first season at the helm.

Scoot

His given name is actually Sterling however Scoot is the nickname most know him by, he graduated high school early but decided on a pro career rather than college. The 6-foot 2 inch 195-pound guard headed for the G-League and Team Elite, as a 17-year-old Scoot outpaced many of the “veterans” in the league. This is not high school basketball so there were areas of his game requiring improvement. According to scouting reports Scoots 3-point shooting is the only real downside of his game.

Scoot is a speed merchant up and down the court and with most guards today he’s more a combo than pure point guard. How good is Scoot, of the 14 mock draft sites 11 project him in the top three in all mock draft sites with the exception of one.  In any other draft year, a talent such as Scoot would see him projected as the top pick in that year’s draft. This is not an ordinary draft year; the 2023 NBA draft is the Victor Wembanyama lottery. Teams will be jockeying position to draft Wembanyama however no doubt Scoot is number two. There are questions surrounding the durability of the talented French youngster Wembanyama.

My Mount Rushmore

We are always selecting players for our Mount Rushmore, but this is a little different. This is a Mount Rushmore of college basketball coaches. Although I consider myself a basketball historian my mountaintop contains more recent coaches. For these purposes Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp, Phog Allen University of Kansas and Oklahoma A&M (now State) Hank Iba and a number of others are not included. This trio and others won a ton of basketball games over their tenure however for my purpose 1950 is the starting point, okay here goes.

My roll contains the names of those I believe changed the college game in a variety of ways. Mount Rushmore in South Dakota contains four former presidents, mine will contain the same number of coaches. Who are those to be enshrined by me, they are Dean Smith-North Carolina, John Thompson-Georgetown, Coach K.-Duke, John Wooden-UCLA. You might ask why no John Calipari, Bill Self or Jim Boeheim on my list, nothing wrong with them they just don’t make the cut, this is my list what about yours? Check back with me in 5-6 years my Mount Rushmore of coaches might have changed. It’s likely one could be subtracted, and another added in his place I just don’t know.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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When it rains it pours

The old adage simply states when life events turn negative sometimes additional one’s pile on top of the others. That might be the case for Emoni Bates, the high school phenom once projected to be NBA ready at the end of his senior year of high school. I’ve mentioned at least one scout claimed Bates would be ready if the league rescinded its age limit. In any event Bates decided to re-classify and graduated high school early. After pledging to Michigan State, he decided on Memphis, at Memphis his freshman season was up and down mostly down. An injury while enrolled at the school didn’t help but his play on the court left a great deal to be desired.

After the school year was complete, Bates returned home and decided to enroll at Eastern Michigan. On Sunday evening a routine traffic stop uncovered a concealed weapon, he was arrested and faces two felony charges the concealed weapon and altered ID on the weapon. A lawyer for Bates claims he was driving a borrowed vehicle and the gun was already in the vehicle when he begin driving. As you might anticipate Bates been suspended by the university pending the outcome of charges. Friends this is not the end of the world for the young man, but it seems one thing after another after another continues to impede his path. Most I believe he’s got a measure of control and others not so much. As I told a friend if Bates intends to have any kind of basketball career, he’s got to make wiser decisions going forward.

Did you know?

The Globetrotters actually borrowed the name Harlem, the team was founded in 1926 in Chicago, they never played in Harlem until 1968. We must return to a time when segregation was the norm for America. Abe Saperstein a Jew was founder, owner and early coach of the team. The Trotters would schedule games all over the Midwest when first founded, many of the towns had a predominately white population and Saperstein wanted the residents to be aware they would be seeing an all-black team on the basketball court. The majority of black basketball players coming out of college would play for the Trotters due to segregation of the races that existed at the time.

Prior to World War II there existed a number of black and white teams although segregation was still the norm for the nation. It’s been reported after the NBA began allowing black players a large number continued to be attracted by the Trotters. Back to Saperstein it’s been mentioned previously the NBA was “minor-league” back then compared to the Trotters. NBA teams would often play double-headers inviting the Trotters and hoping the crowd would remain for the NBA game. Later Saperstein would go to war with the NBA based on what he believed was a handshake agreement. The NBA during that period was an east coast and Midwest league, Saperstein believed he was promised a franchise in California.

First it was the Lakers moving to Los Angeles in 1960 and then the Warriors to San Francisco in 1962 the largest markets in the state. So, what did Saperstein do, he formed his own league the American Basketball League, owned the Chicago franchise and was the leagues commissioner. The ABL underfinanced and no television contract would close shop after one and a half seasons. Years later many cynics would emerge regarding Saperstein regarding payments to his players and other issues. Despite the negatives there is no doubt Abe Saperstein played a key role in the growth of basketball and perhaps even black players being infused into the NBA. In 1971 Saperstein was enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game, he died of a heart attack in 1966 at the age of 63.

They attacked me

Several acquaintances expressed shock and disbelief reading my “Did you know” story on Wednesday September 14^th. “I can’t believe you’d write a story about Kansas basketball but fail to cover Mizzou.” I was threatened with expulsion from Mizzou Nation, at least two folks asked for my card. Okay I admit it the truth has been stretched a bit but not totally. I was asked “Why nothing on Mizzou” and the response is simple? I really don’t know at this point, early on with the Dennis Gates hire and recruitment I was excited. The coach hit the ground running, he got a de-commit to re-commit and that athlete is now in Columbia. That would be Aiden Shaw 6-foot 8 small forward and 4-star prospect from the Kansas City Metro.

In addition, Gates and staff managed to secure a number of other prospects including 6-foot 5 shooting guard Isiaih Mosley from Columbia. Mosley should have been at Mizzou all along but that’s another story. We are in the waiting period to see what develops with the coach and his program. There is only so much to write about when Mizzou is yet to play its first game with Gates in place. Truth is this, I don’t believe we can tell anything about the coach or the team until mid-February. By then we can do a sanity check and determine if it’s thumbs up or thumbs down on the season. If this account appears negative far from it, I remain excited but unsure what Mizzou Nation will see on the floor this fall and winter. Despite my hesitancy I remain a loyal part of the program and my hope for desire is a winning program, I’m out.

I like him

NBA Summer League I always look for a particular Laker player. One season it was Lonzo Ball although Kyle Kuzma outplayed Ball in my view. This past summer there were a two or three that stood out for me however that one player wasn’t drafted he signed as a free agent. That free agent Scotty Pippen Jr. was impressive at times during summer league play, he arrives in the NBA after three years at Vanderbilt. Pippen Jr. might be a long shot to earn a roster spot since he’s on a two-way contract. I’d sure like to see him when the Lakers open the season next month, is it that time already?

Pippen Jr.’s got size (6 foot 3) to play the point and a slim 170 pounds, it wouldn’t hurt to add a few more pounds in his case. I ain’t got the eye of a scout but one of the areas I saw requiring improvement is penetration, several games he got in trouble by over penetrating. Although he’s listed as a point guard similar to many of today’s players, he might be nearer to a combo guard. Pippen Jr. has a nice little tear drop similar to Tony Parker. His 3-point shot might be described as a work in progress. Overall Pippen Jr. will likely spend the season with the South Bay Lakers although it would be nice in my view to see him with the parent club.

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Bits n Pieces 

I held a conversation with a friend recently, this member of Mizzou Nation is not pleased with Eli Drinkwitz Mizzou football coach. My friend said, “He (Drinkwitz) is now in year 3,” I agreed with his statement and then thought of new Mizzou basketball coach Dennis Gates. My response “Gates gets a pass in his first season.” Each situation has a separate set of circumstances plus it’s unfair to compare building a football team to basketball or even baseball for that matter. This is not a right-wrong answer, your view is exclusively yours. The only beginning point is just this, what kind of shape is the program or team in with the arrival of the new coach, in this instance it doesn’t matter if it’s a discussion on an NBA team or State University.

Someone has a great deal of disposable income and it sure ain’t me. We have been informed the jersey Michael Jordan wore in the 1998 NBA Finals against the Jazz has been sold by the auction house Sotheby’s. Are you ready for this, an unidentified person paid a record $10.1 million for the jersey. It’s claimed this exceeded the $9.28 million paid for the jersey of soccer star Diego Maradona. What makes this jersey so valuable, a couple of reasons. It’s the last Bulls jersey Jordan would wear as he retired later and this. You might have seen it live or on video, the push off Jordan administered to Byron Russell to take the winning shot in the finals…yes that shot in that jersey!  

I don't know a great deal about number 95. That would be Juan Toscano-Anderson who the Lakers signed in the off-season from the Warriors. He's a 6-foot 6 inch wing and played his college ball at Marquette University. Toscano-Anderson is from Oakland and his jersey number is a salute to 95th Avenue in Oakland where he grew up. He was undrafted in 2015, he spent time in Mexico and Venezuela before signing with the Warriors G-League team. What I remember most about his play, he's a high energy guy off the bench, hopefully he can continue that role for my Lakers. 

It remains unresolved

I guess it ain’t over till it’s over, the narrative of Robert Sarver and his Phoenix Suns team continues to be national and NBA news. There have been additional developments besides LeBron James and Chris Paul voicing their concern with the news. Minority shareholder and chairman Jahm Najafi has made his outrage known by calling for the owner Sarver to resign. Taking this matter one step further PayPal a major sponsor of the Suns claims it will sever its relationship with the Suns if Sarver returns at conclusion of his suspension. On Friday NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio speaking for NBA players called for a lifetime ban be placed on Sarver. The NBA is faced with a dilemma it’s not witnessed since 2014 and former owner Donald Sterling. I briefly covered former Clippers owner Sterling in Friday’s edition.  

I will provide updates as this story continues to unfold. One more bit of information on this subject. At the time reports circulated the NBA intended to remove Sterling as owner of the Clippers several fans wrote the NBA couldn’t do this. Each writer provided a different opinion why the NBA couldn't remove Sterling from ownership. Guess what, every single one of the writers were dead wrong. It’s highly likely there are rules or regulations in place existing for each owner. As fans their opinions are valid but only to a point.  The NBA likely has a Code of Conduct in place, in addition the NBA is unlike a Fortune 500 Company which often has stockholders and a Board of Directors. Donald Sterling did file a suit against the NBA, it lasted 2 ½ years before settlement. Sterling received an undisclosed amount of money from the NBA however he remains on the outside still banned for life.      

What to expect

That might be the case, I don’t know what to expect of my Lakers. Patrick Beverley (who I didn’t want) has been acquired in a trade, Russell Westbrook remains a member of the team. The news indicated Westbrook has placed a For Sale sign in front of his home. Brittle Anthony Davis has been working out all summer we have been informed, the same for LeBron James who continues to defy his age. The draft plus trades and free agency has witnessed the team’s average age being reduced significantly. One might ask do these new Lakers scare anyone especially teams in the Pacific Division?

Since I am a “glass half full rather than half empty” guy I will approach the 2022-23 NBA season full of optimism. The Lakers will be improved barring major injuries to key players. They should earn a playoff berth, is there an NBA championship in their future? If the stars align and a bunch of other stuff occurs the Lakers could become 2023 NBA champions. I will repeat an earlier statement, I’d rather lose with young guys than win with oldsters. It says to me with losing and adjustments a young team can become a better team and that’s always the hope.

A man for all seasons

You’ve read numerous accounts of multi-talented athletes, those players who played more than one sport well. The late Wayman Tisdale was that person, the 6-foot 9 power forward was a three time All American while enrolled at the University of Oklahoma and three time Big 8 (now Big 12) Player of the Year. He was the second pick in the 1985 draft by the Pacers. Tisdale would play for two more teams prior to retiring from the game in 1997. From that point he began his second career, we are familiar with former athletes who move into the business world.

We discovered Tisdale was a jazz musician, in fact he was an incredibly good bass player. He would record 8 outstanding albums prior to early death at the age of 44. Tisdale referred to music as “his first love”, which provides us proof basketball is not always first in the mind of some. In 2008 Tisdale had a portion of his right leg amputated due to bone cancer, he died in May 2009 suffering the effects of a ruptured esophagus due to radiation treatments for cancer. In the fall of the year he was elected to the College Basketball Hall of Fame. This is but a brief look at Wayman Tisdale an outstanding college and NBA player and a great jazz artist.  

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He returns

The Lakers announced Dennis Schroder was re-signed to a one-year contract. This move I consider quite strange if you remember the history. I applauded the Lakers when they traded for Schroder after the 2020-21 NBA season had begun. Although Schroder didn’t arrive from the Thunder that’s what my thoughts were on hearing his acquisition. A fast speedy combo guard who I believed at the time would return the team to the top. The numbers Schroder exhibited that season were not spectacular but steady yet there was a problem. LeBron James dominates the ball; Schroder needed the ball to effectively operate something that existed at his other NBA stops.

I remember the Lakers offered him a contract although the $$ figure escapes me. Several in the media believed Schroder had overpriced his value to the Lakers and that’s exactly what occurred. The Lakers preferred to look elsewhere for help and in the off season traded for Russell Westbrook. Free agent Schroder was not re-signed and in late summer signed with the Celtics. We in Laker Nation have questions as to why the Lakers believed they needed Schroder. This is another move I intend to monitor as the season progresses. Is this the “nail in the coffin” for Russell Westbrook and his time with the Lakers? As this account was being completed, I ran across another bit of information. Schroder indicates he could have signed with the Suns or Raptors but chose instead the Lakers.

We return again

I briefly discussed the changes the Jazz have undergone since the end of the season. I believe I pointed out the “new sheriff” in town Danny Ainge desired his own team. Late 2021 Ainge returned to Utah where he played collegiately to head the Jazz team. Rumors were circulating Jazz coach Quin Snyder would be replaced or fired, turns out there was a resignation after the season. All Star center Rudy Gobert was then traded to the Wolves, after hearing all possible destinations in his future another All Star Donovan Mitchell was also traded. Mitchell was traded to the Cavs. Last week Ainge went on record indicating “he didn’t believe the chemistry of the team” or similar words looked good to him.

I’m revisiting this because from Cleveland Mitchell is disputing the Ainge story. He didn’t blast Ainge but indicated he and other Jazz players were a cohesive bunch. The question becomes who we believe front office man Ainge or traded player Mitchell. My belief is simple, I think Ainge took over a Jazz team he wanted to re-mold in his image. He should be able to do that now, with the exception of two key players this is a new Jazz team. A month or so prior to training camp we are hearing these remaining two mentioned in trade rumors, they might not be in place opening night. Coach Snyder wasn’t his man, apparently neither was Gobert or Mitchell. A gigantic question mark hovers over the Jazz with 34-year-old head coach Will Hardy in place.

For you to decide

I wrote “Once upon a time if you mentioned SEC sports your thoughts travel immediately to football. I stated my belief that view is no longer relevant.” ESPN and others provide us a list of what it considers the ‘Way-too-early Top 25 college basketball teams.’ Naturally, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and others are included however SEC basketball is well represented. They have the Kentucky Wildcats listed in the third slot; Arkansas is ranked 9^th followed by Tennessee at 12. Those are not the only SEC teams however it details for us how competitive this once thought of football conference only has traveled with its basketball over the last several years.

We finished with Auburn at 13 and Alabama ranked 20 in their poll. Some of you reading this might say “That’s only five schools, what does that prove?” My response to them is quite simple, it doesn’t prove anything except the conference is no longer just Kentucky. We could make an argument for the Big XII however with the exception of Baylor is heavily weighted in favor of Kansas. In truth we can state John Calipari at Kentucky has competition within the conference. Except for an occasional bump in the road can we make a similar statement regarding the Big XII? The true test might be the title of that 1983 Elton John hit tune ‘I’m Still Standing.’ In this instance we are discussing the culmination of the NCAA Tournament…who is there at the end of the season.

Speaking of the Lakers

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time you are aware of this fact. I expressed my objection to the HBO production Winning Time, The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty telecast last spring. I read they have begun filming season two of this series but that’s not the story here. The story, many of the Lakers profiled in the HBO series journeyed to Maui Hawaii recently, in the Showtime era that was the location for their training camp.

Even more interesting to me former coach Pat Riley now president of the Heat was there as well. A team photo was taken however I have no permission to include it here, it is available online if you want to see the gathering. Finally, was it all love and happiness back then…of course not we had human beings in the equation. Doesn’t matter what is telecast in season two it will probably be written in this manner, 50% of the actual events as they occurred and 50% for dramatic purposes. I prefer the real thing, the Hulu streaming service production, Legacy The True Story of the LA Lakers.

Big Men

Despite what is believed there remains space for a quality Big Man. Yes, I’m bold enough to make the statement, regardless of small ball quality play at the center position is still desired. Who are some of the best out there, well the best might be Victor Wembanyama. He’s not enrolled in college however no argument the 7-foot 5-inch youngster is the best Big Man for the 2022-23 season. As for the others they are enrolled in college, some have demonstrated their skill earlier, some I believe will become noteworthy in this season. Who are they, the list contains those I believe are most visible:

Zach Edey Purdue 7-foot 5 295 pounds Purdue

Jamarion Sharp 7-foot 5 235 pounds Western Kentucky

Hunter Dickinson 7-foot 1 260 pounds Michigan

Dereck Lively II 7-foot 2 235 pounds Duke

Kel’el Ware 6-foot 11 210 pounds Oregon

JP Estrella 6-foot 11 210 pounds Tennessee

The latter three have yet to play their first collegiate game, they are included based on the talent displayed in high school and projections by coaches. One, two are all three could miss the mark, I will make a note to check their progress March 1. By that date this trio should have acclimated themselves to collegiate play.  

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It's a different world now

If you are a sneaker head you noticed them, we speak of the Lilac Under Armour sneakers worn by Steph Curry in the NBA Finals Game. It wasn’t just Steph; did you happen to notice the vast number of varied colored sneakers worn by NBA players in this game and all season. Today’s players are able to wear whatever color sneaker they desire; they owe a huge debt of gratitude to Michael Jordan. Once upon a time NBA rules deemed teams only had a choice of two-color choices in sneakers, it was either all white or all black.

Up to MJ’s NBA debut it’s believed the Celtics were the only team to sport all black Converse sneakers, the other teams wore white. Along comes Michael Jordan into the NBA who changed the game and the shoe market. In 1985 the first Air Jordan’s were released; the iconic shoe was immediately banned by the NBA for a simple reason. The NBA rule at the time indicated 51% of league basketball shoes had to be white. Eventually the league relented and now we see a rainbow of colors on the court including the Lilac sneakers worn now by Steph.

Another Ted Stepien or Donald Sterling?

The Lakers LeBron James and the Suns Chris Paul both voiced complaints regarding the NBA’s decision. LeBron and Paul were not pleased with the NBA’s punishment regarding Suns owner Robert Sarver. Rather than detail Sarver again we can look back at history, there have been two owners suffering major punishment from the league. Stepien was likely asked to sell the Cavs, but Sterling with the Clippers was forced to sell the franchise. A brief look back, in 1980 Stepien would purchase the Cavs. The owner would soon fall into disfavor for hiring and firing multiple coaches and trading draft picks. It’s written the league passed the “Ted Stepien Rule” which restricted teams in trading draft choices. 

Rather than my spin I’m going to provide you line for line of a Stepien interview in December 1980. “No team should be all white and no team should be all black, either. That’s what bothers me about the NBA: You’ve got a situation here where blacks represent little more than 5 percent of the market, yet most teams are at least 75 percent black and the New York Knicks are 100 percent black.” It wasn’t this comment alone that caused the NBA headaches, the Cavs franchise in two words was a train wreck. For example, in one season alone Stepien fired three head coaches and hired four. Stepien would decide to sell the Cavs to the Gund brothers in 1983, I cannot confirm this be sure he may have been close to being forced out by the NBA. 

As for owner Donald Sterling other than purchasing the Clippers the first significant event might be his move of the Clippers from San Diego to Los Angeles without league permission. That NBA would fine Sterling for the move and he disputed the fine, a settlement was reached between the parties. Sterling did this in 1984, the Clippers would remain cellar dwellers for years despite playing in the larger Los Angeles metro. Fast forward a few years, an ESPN story ranked the Clippers the worst franchise in professional sports however just like Stepien his mouth sealed his fate. A TMZ tape caught Sterling making racist remarks, the NBA began an investigation and determined they were true. In April 2014 Sterling received a lifetime ban and was fined $2.5 million by the NBA. There are probably other instances of NBA owners being fined or suspended by the league besides Sarver the two named have probably been the most egregious.

More than an athlete

There are times we as fans tend to see them as athletes only, sometimes the goals are much higher than simply playing the game. We could say that would be the case for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, he was made the third pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Grizzlies. Later it was the Hawks, Blazers and he concluded his playing career with the Kings. Abdur-Rahim had a successful NBA playing career, but it was the front office which became his destination.

After his playing career concluded with the Kings, he became an assistant coach with the franchise in 2008. He would serve in that role until October of 2010 when he became the team’s assistant general manager. It was onward and upward, in 2013 Abdur-Rahim was named general manager of the Reno G-League franchise. A return to the NBA was next although it was at the executive level, he was named vice-president of basketball operations for the league. In December 2018 it was back to the G-League for Abdur-Rahim this time as president, as you note his desire for excellence was far beyond play on the basketball court. I wouldn’t be surprised if his name might be mentioned one day as Adam Silver’s replacement.

They stole it from me

The headline might be a little strong and at the same time misleading. I don’t own the name and it certainly wasn’t stolen it was just my thought one day. When Kansas City returns to the NBA the team will need a nickname, all are taken except maybe one…Monarchs. I know, the name is associated with Negro Leagues Baseball rather than basketball but allow an explanation. Often, we attempt to name something closely associated with a locale. What is Kansas City known for by its citizens and the general public, well it’s often been called the City of Fountains. The city has a wealth of fountains throughout the three-county area.

That might be appropriate for the Chamber of Commerce but hardly fit for an NBA team…the Kansas City Fountains. How about barbeque, we identify ourselves as the barbeque capital of the nation but that won’t work for a team name either? Charley Parker and his smooth Jazz stylings but that’s the nickname is in use already with the Utah Jazz. The same might be said for the Kansas City Blues…another musical enterprise we might claim but even that presents a problem. We can’t have the same nickname as the St. Louis Blues on the other side of the state. The only problem, the Negro Leagues Museum allowed the baseball team formerly known as the T-Bones use of the name Monarchs. I can only guess the museum must be compensated financially for the name which I certainly couldn’t do. So, I’m stuck with a name for the expansion or relocated team Kansas City will eventually have in place, oh well.

76 Place Arena

We have updated information on the Sixers planned arena to be opened in 2031. The $1.6 billion arena is to be privately financed which certainly is exciting news for the Philadelphia tax base. This follows the lead established by the Chase Center in San Francisco and the Intuit Dome in Inglewood both financed with private equity. This move would allow the Sixers to be the sole tenant of the arena unlike Wells Fargo which the basketball team shares with the NHL Flyers. According to the information provided the new arena will be located in an underused mall area in the Fashion District of Philadelphia.

Apparently, the venture will conflict with Chinatown businesses creating a traffic problem. Merchants representing these businesses have contacted the arena group expressing their concerns. I’ve never visited Philadelphia so we must be led to believe the issues raised by the merchants are valid. It seems even projects with no tax money still run into problems. Some of you might remember there were similar concerns expressed in San Francisco and Inglewood prior to the start of Chase Center and Intuit Dome. Hopefully these concerns can be addressed and rectified by the 76 Place group and those who would be affected by the arena.

 

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I chose to wait

Stories have circulated for several months something was amiss with the Suns organization especially the owner. The NBA announced it would begin an investigation and based on this I chose to wait on their report. On Tuesday the word arrived, Suns and WNBA Mercury owner Robert Sarver would be banned for a year plus fined $10 million. The league announced the suspension and fine was based on “workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies.”  

An independent law firm hired by the NBA found Sarver “had a history of racist, misogynistic and hostile incidents over his nearly two-decade tenure overseeing the franchise.” We know the punishment but the after affects will only be determined by future action. That portion of the story is unknown at this time, will Sarver decide to sell the Suns and Mercury? That could be the next move although that’s just a projection on my part.

This is the hope

It doesn’t matter the sport; I’m always intrigued when a coach says, “We are going to do _______, and _______.” Use your imagination to fill in the blank, that’s my Lakers as this is written. Coach Ham claims his starting backcourt will be Westbrook and Beverley. Your first thought is the same as mine, ‘don’t these guy’s hate one another, surely a trade is in the works for Westbrook.’ That might not be the case, it appears nobody in the NBA wants Westbrook. Let’s rephrase the statement, they want him but in exchange for what they are willing to accept in trade i.e., draft choices.   

Back to this new backcourt, although Beverley is a point guard, he probably will not demand the basketball. When they are on the floor LeBron will command the ball 80% of the time while Westbrook’s number is 15% and Anthony Davis 5%. The only time the ball might be in Beverley’s grasp is when the others are seated on the bench. Those of you reading this keep in mind this is strictly my imagination, I have no further knowledge how coach Ham intends to operate his offense. Can it work, yes it can if Westbrook and Beverley clear the air between two volatile individuals. One thing for sure whether I like it or not the Lakers now have a pit bull equivalent in the backcourt in Patrick Beverley. I want this paring to work for several reasons…the chief one proving Stephen A. Smith wrong.  

Did you know?

Kansas basketball has a rich basketball history, the school is one of the all-time winningest programs in the nation. Despite this fact there are at least two negatives in the history. The school hired Dr. James A. Naismith as head basketball coach after he left Massachusetts. Did you know the man who invented basketball had a losing record? From 1898 to 1907 his Jayhawk team won 55 games while losing 60, his best season was his next to last. In 1905-06 Naismith’s team finished the season 12-7. In fairness to the doctor, he wasn’t hired as a basketball coach it was chapel director and physical-education instructor. At the time the schedule consisted of YMCA competition more than competition against other schools.

Ted Owens took over the Jayhawks in the 1964-65 season, he would leave with 348 wins and 182 losses. His teams were competitive in the former Big 8 Conference however Owens suffered an unusual fate…he was fired. Owens was fired after the 1982-83 season, the Jayhawks finished with a losing record two seasons in a row. Owens becomes the only head basketball coach in the school’s history to be fired. I’m sure some in Jayhawk Nation will consider this an attack on the program far from it. For me it details stability in the coaching ranks and winning coaches. Do you realize in 124 years of basketball there have only been 8 head coaches in the school’s history? We can state there are 7 coaches with winning programs and the 8th guy invented the game, that’s certainly a strong statement.

The Sonics 

If you talk to 100 residents of Seattle today its likely you will receive 100 different reasons why the Sonics franchise is now in Oklahoma City. Howard Schultz is in the middle of this story, yes that same Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO. He purchased the Sonics in 2001 and owned the team until he sold it in 2006. What occurred, It’s claimed Schultz would become upset with the city regarding a new arena however it could have been more to the story. As this is written I have no idea of the dollars expended but consider this fact. Attendance at Sonic games went down steadily from the 2004-05 season when the team won 52 games and finished first in the Pacific Division. The Sonics were a below .500 for three seasons in a row up to the departure for Oklahoma City.

There was a ‘promise’ at the time of purchase the team would remain in Seattle under new owner Clay Bennett but that’s a repeat of an earlier story. Sacramento’s Gregg Luckenbill purchased the Kansas City Kings in 1983 with the ‘promise’ the franchise would remain in Kansas City, the team moved in 1985 to Sacramento. It would appear owner Bennett faced the same obstacles as Schultz however it’s my belief (without offering any proof) he intended to move the team all along. As the NBA plans for a future return to Seattle who is the real bad guy? Is it Howard Schultz, Clay Bennett, the City of Seattle or fans who simply quit attending Sonics games? Perhaps we might conclude all parties share guilt as to why there is no NBA basketball in Seattle as this is written. The question becomes are the residents prepared this time around? It would appear the NBA wants to return to this Pacific Northwest city as soon as practical. 

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So much potential…but for the demons

Reggie Harding is dead now, he died much in the manner of his lifestyle choice. He was shot twice in the head in 1972 ending a life that only scratched the surface of basketball potential. Harding stood 7 feet tall and weighed 250 pounds and most are unaware of the potential some believed was untapped. Harding was the first player to ever play out of high school with no college, his grades wouldn’t have permitted him to enroll anyway. What can we say, drug addiction and enumerable problems with law enforcement. Harding was arrested almost a dozen times and we must include the times he was imprisoned are part of his life story too. As for the potential the legendary Celtic coach Red Auerbach made this statement.

“Say what they want to about all the fine, big fellows coming out of college in 1964, but the Pistons already have a guy who probably will outshine them all.” By this time Harding had three seasons in the defunct Eastern League and had begun play for the Pistons. Routinely he’d sleep through team meetings missed flights but that was mild compared to assault on a police officer. Can you imagine a teammate named him the 5^th best center in the NBA at one time. You begin with Wilt, Russell and others that’s pretty exclusive company. One of the stories while tragic is funny in a manner of speaking. Harding placed a ski mask on and attempted to rob a neighborhood store. The owner took one look at the giant Harding and immediately identified him mask and all. I guess if you stand 7 feet tall and live in the neighborhood it might be difficult to disguise yourself. Reggie Harding’s life was a tragedy, if only he’d gotten help perhaps his entire life could have turned around, we just don’t know.

Are you concerned?

We discover Stephen A. Smith is upset again, this time because the Knicks failed to land Donovan Mitchell from the Jazz. This makes for several questions the first do we really care if Smith’s upset. Let’s pretend we do care and suppose this occurred. The Knicks were able to swing a trade and acquire Mitchell. Based on who the Knicks might have to give up they might be left with a bare cupboard. This is where it gets interesting in my scenario, the Knicks are improved with Mitchell in the lineup but not good enough to earn a playoff berth. Who do we suppose would be at the front of the line claiming the Knicks are doing nothing to improve the team…you guessed it. Just what did the Knicks offer for Mitchell, this is the report.

Obi Topping

Evan Fournier

Mitchell Robinson

2 unprotected first-round draft picks   

In addition to the names above and additional draft choices the Jazz wanted RJ Barrett included in the trade, apparently the Knicks said thanks but no thanks. I’m certainly under no obligation to defend past front office moves of the Knicks but guess what, neither is Smith. I find it quite interesting Smith’s taken on the role of full time Knicks critic, now if he had some skin in the game, I believe we could all understand.

What do I mean by that reference, as far as we can determine he doesn’t spend any of his own money for tickets. It’s a guess on my part his attendance at Knicks games are in his capacity as a media member. If Smith is an owner of MSG stock, we could say ‘as an owner’ he’s got a say in operations however it’s highly unlikely he owns a great deal of stock. Where does this lead us, it points to a guy who is a card-carrying media member who is free to offer his opinion on the Knicks and other stuff? His opinion on the Knicks is no more important than yours or mine, I’m out. 

Play at home

Sports teams most likely prefer to play at home, is there an advantage to playing at home…of course however it might be more rewarding depending on the sport. In this instance our discussion centers on team sports, I can’t speak to soccer or hockey because I follow neither sport closely. As for other sports from the least difficult to the most challenging for the road team in order, baseball, NFL football, college football, the NBA and the most difficult…college basketball. I believe we can safely conclude college basketball is best for the home team most generally.

Don’t misunderstand my statement, visiting teams do win at Allen Fieldhouse (KU), Dean Dome (N. Carolina), Cameron Indoor (Duke), Rupp (UK) and a few others it’s just the fact few wins are registered by the visitor. On the opposite end of the spectrum, it’s been rough at Mizzou Arena the last two seasons, visiting teams probably felt little if any pressure playing the Tigers at home. As for the schools difficult to win fans are right on top of the action and the noise factor has got to rattle average to below average competition. Probably the nearest equivalent to a college atmosphere was Paycom Arena in Oklahoma City. Notice I used the term was, I’m not as sure now as fans of the Thunder have become adjusted to NBA play and are more laid back.

Timmy

The guy who gave himself a nickname Shaquille O’Neal hung ‘Timmy’ on Tim Duncan of the Spurs. I could say Spurs because that was the only NBA team, he played for over a brilliant career. After retirement we’d see him enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. Technically he was a power forward during his 19-year tenure in the NBA. At 6 foot 11- and 250-pounds Duncan is rarely mentioned in any discussion of the best Big Men in the game. That might occur for two reasons, the number one reason…he was a quiet assassin. The second, at the time he arrived in the NBA the Spurs had The Admiral David Robinson at center. Duncan moved into the power forward position only playing center occasionally.

During his NBA career Duncan routinely help his Spurs team win and win big. He was five times NBA champion, three times finals MVP, two regular season MVP’s which represent just a few of the accolades bestowed on the native of Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. I just uncovered this fact, early on it was swimming that drew his attention. It was pointed out Hurricane Hugo destroyed the Islands only Olympic pool and Duncan was forced to swim in the ocean. Sharks are responsible for Duncan to switch from swimming to basketball, it was fear of them that lead him from the water to the basketball court. As for the nickname it was a badge of honor by Shaq rather than a swipe at Duncan’s ability on the court. After retirement Duncan served as assistant coach working for coach Popovich one season, we are unsure at this writing the present pursuit of Tim Duncan.