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Basketball from a fans perspective

Did you hear this?

It’s not our responsibility to figure out what is going on with Kawhi Leonard. I heard a report the other day which if true is quite interesting. Its being reporting Leonard has a mind-set that says, “unless I feel 100% healthy, I don’t play.” I believe Clipper Nation and all others don’t want him on the court if he is ill or an appearance might impact his rehab. Returning to action from surgery is a difficult process for any athlete amateur or professional. I’m sure its probably kept quiet but Clipper management must be concerned at this point. Think about this for a moment, how many of us have left our home for work not feeling 100%?

Of course 99% of us don’t play in the NBA but we have jobs and if we have a work ethic, we head for work several times we don’t feel our best. This assembly of Clipper talent was to compete in the Western Conference, yet with this account find themselves one game above .500. Is this continuing absence all-Leonard’s fault, of course not however expectations are greater for him than other members of the roster including Paul George. I’ve said this previously and will repeat it again this team cannot advance in the playoffs without a healthy Kawhi Leonard in the lineup and that’s the problem. We know his history even prior to the latest surgery he plays the load management card to the max. Okay, I’m not going to kid you or anyone else. The travel plus wear and tear on the body there are just a few NBA players in action for all 82 games.

As for Leonard the number of games he plays are on a downward trend, that is the overriding factor for me. How can you be valuable to any team if you are rarely on the court? When discussing this with a friend he provided me a quote from football coach Herm Edwards. ‘In sports you can’t use the word ability without putting “avail” in front of it.’ One of the 6 definitions for avail is “to be of value or profit.” If this appears to be critical of Leonard that is not intended to be the case, you might color this writer confused by his lack of on court play. In the 2016-17 season while a member of the Spurs he played 74 games the most productive in his NBA career. 

‘But we eat there’

I decided to check Rivals.com class rankings for 2023 and was surprised at what I discovered. Currently Mizzou is ranked number 29 in the nation by the scouting site, being ranked that high is really unusual. It always seemed to me and maybe others Mizzou for the most part appeared to recruit second tier players over 5-star recruits and McDonald’s All Americans. It’s not the fact Mizzou made no effort to recruit these players it’s just the fact they chose to attend schools other than Mizzou. 

Speaking of McDonald’s this account has been mentioned in the past. Long-time Mizzou coach Norm Stewart was once asked, ‘Do you have any McDonald’s All Americans on your team?’ The response from the coach went like this, ‘We don’t have any McDonald’s All Americans, but we eat there.’ Again a difficult fact to prove but I believe this might be the highest ranking ever for Mizzou which says great things for coach Gates and staff. I’m sure Mizzou will be active in the spring signing period which begins April 12 and runs until April 30, 2023.

No revisionist history here

I didn't realize it had been 11 years since former commissioner David Stern voided the trade, Chris Paul had been traded to the Lakers December 8, 2011. Some might remember, the Hornets attempted to trade the All-Star point guard. The trade was intricate but its detailed in this summary, the Hornets would receive Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin (Rockets), Luis Scola (Rockets) and Goran Dragic (Rockets). The Rockets would receive Pau Gasol (Lakers). The NBA had taken over operations of the team while seeking an owner,

Based on objections by NBA owners the trade was voided as explained in detail below. Years later in a radio interview Stern offered this explanation, ‘The GM (Dell Demps) was not authorized to make the trade. And acting on behalf of owners, we decided not to make it. I was an owner rep. There was nothing to void. It just never got made’ (Sporting News Dec 7, 2021). Naturally Laker Nation was highly upset with Stern for the move. We have no idea how much Laker history might have changed after all Kobe Bryant was still in his prime. Matching him with Paul, well just use your imagination. As stated early on this is presented as is, no attempt at revisionist history.

KU players in the NBA

A large number of KU players have played in the NBA since it's beginning. The Cavs made Ochai Agbaji the 14 pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft, he’s since been traded to the Jazz. Could he become the next KU All Star or just an average player. Although a large number of former and present-day players have earned paychecks few could be identified as NBA All Stars. Before you in Jayhawk Nation begin to throw rocks at me understand what I’m attempting to point out. To ensure no one was omitted I conducted research regarding the question. We begin our examination with the name Clyde Lovellette (1949-52).

Depending on your age or basketball expertise Lovellette is probably unfamiliar to a number of you although he’s in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Wilt Chamberlain (1956-58) likely remains the best player ever produced by KU, we move from Jo Jo White (1965-69) to Danny Manning (1984-88) and then Paul Pierce (1995-98) we close this out with Joel Embiid (2013-14). Don’t confuse my intent with this undertaking I’m talking about more than simply playing in the NBA, I am talking about NBA All Stars. On the cusp although he’s yet to be an All Star we could add Andrew Wiggins to the list, he played at KU from 2013-14. In our discussion a KU graduate said this regarding the present coaching, “Maybe Bill Self prepares them for his system but not necessarily for the NBA.”