Published Monday through Friday 

Lakers win…Lakers win

I didn’t see the game, I don’t have NBA League Pass yet, in addition neither ESPN, TNT nor NBA TV telecast the game. Sure enough the Lakers managed to win their first game of the season, the final score read Lakers 121 Nuggets 110. Reading the box score it appeared the scoring was balanced and most of all they were finally able to shoot from three successfully. They were 13-30 from three for a 43.3% which is much better than in the previous 5 games. For me the most interesting part was Russell Westbrook coming off the bench scoring 18 points along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists and get this, he shot 50% from the floor and 50% from three. 

The hero of the night had to be Westbrook, his +/- for the Lakers was an 18, even LeBron who scored 26 points was -1. Anthony Davis with 23 points and 15 rebounds was +15. Will this new and improved Laker team get it together might be your next question. In addition to improved 3-point shooting Anthony Davis must be in the lineup for 60-70 games. Any lesser numbers and the Lakers could return to their previous form. I was extolling the outstanding game registered by Westbrook. If and that is a gigantic IF Westbrook adapts to play with the second unit as he did Sunday night, they will continue to play successful winning basketball. Finally team defense, despite the losses the Lakers have played reasonably good defense. Notice I didn’t say great defense, they must continue at this level and maybe an even improved defensive effort.

He could play

Warriors guard Jordan Poole could play, there was a requirement for seasoning (G-League) and there were several players in front of him (Kent Bazemore, Damian Lee, Kelly Oubre Jr.) that left before he could prove his worth. That’s what occurred for Poole after his arrival from the University of Michigan, he was drafted in the first round with the 28^th pick in the 2019 round. You see what occurred prior to him becoming the valued player he is now.

How valuable is he, can we say 4-year $140 million extension might provide us proof? It also provides a signal the franchise is looking past Steph Curry and Klay Thompson as foundations. It should be of note Andrew Wiggins (age 27) signed a 4-year $109 million contract in the off season as well. As for Poole I find it interesting how he managed to secure his large contract, it was necessary for him to prove to Warriors management he was the real deal. The Warriors intend to bank on Poole and others to continue the winning tradition established by Curry, Thompson, Green and others.

A lion with no teeth and de-clawed

Were they guilty, in this instance I speak of Bill Self and Kansas basketball? I don’t really know, the governing body of college basketball the NCAA deemed it so. The organization cited five level 1 violations with level 1 being the most serious. That was nearly four years ago and since then we’ve heard practically nothing but crickets from the NCAA. What is most confusing the NCAA appears to play unequal justice; this is our example. Oklahoma State self-reported and the result, the NCAA banned the team from participating in last year’s tournament. They did this despite all OSU guilty parties are no longer connected with the school.

Bill Self and Kansas basketball operating under a four-year investigation was permitted to play. I know ahead of time your thoughts, you are going to say, “Isn’t Oklahoma State a football school?” Kansas basketball is an institution, James Naismith, Wilt and all. No disagreement on my part Kansas basketball is steeped in tradition, at the same time should they be treated differently than OSU? One cannot justify unequal justice. I’m quite sure Kansas fans reading this account written by a Mizzou guy will claim bias on my part. To a degree they might be correct but not completely, my ire is aimed at the NCAA and their shoddy investigative process. We are at a point in time I believe the NCAA should just retire quietly. The NCAA has been dysfunctional in my view for a time, they are no longer furious…they are a lion with no teeth and one de-clawed.

Why do you keep teasing me

I wrote a few weeks ago how many games Zion Williamson has missed over his brief NBA career. Zion returned to the lineup and Sunday proved to me once again he is a budding talent. Against the Clippers Zion scored 21 points along with 12 rebounds and an amazing 7 assists. In 31 minutes he registered only one turnover, his game total was key as his Pelican teammates beat the Clippers 112-91. Standing 6 foot 6 and 284 pounds we continue to hear reports Zion needs to lose weight. Zion’s height plus his weight make it very difficult on his knees and legs with the amount of running and jumping required. I believe he's proven to be the talent we believed he would be at Duke, then earlier at Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina.

I’m not a fan

Who am I discussing, that would be Paul Pierce who spent most of his NBA career a member of the Celtics. I believe my dislike goes back to the wheelchair game, in the 2008 Finals versus my Lakers Pierce goes down in a heap, he appears so injured the training staff brought out a wheelchair to take him back to the locker room. Watching the game I figured he must have sustained a serious injury. The second half of the game he emerges from the locker room apparently ready for action which caused me to scratch my head. The Celtics would go on to win the game and series beating my Lakers.

Years later Pierce claimed he’d suffered a bowel incident and that was the basis for being wheeled from the floor. Fast forward to 2022 the Lakers among several other teams have gotten off to a poor start, along comes Pierce to pour gasoline on a smoldering fire. This is a paraphrase of the Pierce statement, “Lakers are playing like there trying to match LeBron with Victor Wembanyama, oh I forgot they don’t have their draft pick.” Pierce is correct…the Lakers had traded the pick earlier however there is a question for him. In addition to the infamous wheelchair game why’d you get fired from ESPN? Serving as an analyst is “free money”, discussing a sport you excelled in, and they asked you to leave what goes with that?