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Basketball from a fans perspective

What to do…what to do

I have a dilemma again later on today, allow this brief explanation. My Mizzou Tigers face Southeast Missouri State at 3:00 p.m. Central Time, at 3:25. the NFL Chiefs are in Cincinnati to play the Bengals. I had a similar occurrence last week; I watched Mizzou and the Chiefs at nearly the same time. How did I accomplish this feat, it was not that difficult? I watched the Chiefs on my wall mounted television with the sound muted. On my desktop I had the Mizzou-Mississippi Valley State game streaming. This is certainly not the easiest thing in the world to watch two sports events at the same time however I managed to accomplish it.   

He’s been a terror on the court

In yesterday’s account I mentioned Anthony Davis led the Lakers to victory scoring 44 points against the Bucks. What I failed to mention is the on-court effort by AD over the past 8 games, check this out and see if you agree:

44 pts 10 rebs 4 assts 3 blk shots 

27 pts 12 rebs 1 asst 3 blk shots

25 pts 13 rebs 6 assts 4 blk shots

25 pts 15 rebs 4 assts 3 blk shots

37 pts 21 rebs 5 blk shots 5 stls

30 pts 18 rebs 2 assts 1 blk shot

38 pts 16 rebs 4 blk shots

37 pts 18 rebs 2 assts 0 blk shots

As one might say I don’t wish to become too excited at this early point of the season however the numbers by AD are outstanding. Although the scoring, rebounding binge has not led to victory in all the games played there is an upward trend by the team thanks in part to AD. The Lakers are playing inspired basketball and there have been several key contributors besides him, a special shoutout to Russell Westbrook.

I must also include Lonnie Walker IV, Wenyen Gabriel, Austin Reaves, LeBron James plus any Laker who might have contributed to this I might have missed. It’s noteworthy AD has made it known he doesn’t relish playing the center position but agrees if it will help the team. Think on this a minute, if AD had played in the ‘70’s at 6 foot 10 and 253 pounds he would be a full-time center. AD is the same height as former Knicks center Willis Reed; in addition he weighs more than Reed. We could include the Hall of Famer the late Nate Thurmond in the discussion too.

This is interesting

The State of Texas loves to brag about a bunch of stuff. Those living inside and outside the state recognize a unique situation. It’s been mentioned the University of Houston is the number one basketball team in the nation. Right behind them occupying the number two slot is the University of Texas. Without checking the record I cannot remember a time Texas basketball was ranked at this level. As most continue to note football is still king especially in the Southwest and Deep South but basketball has certainly made inroads.

It’s understandable, according to source material Texas is the second most populated state in the nation ranking only behind California. What might this explosive populace bring about, more and more kids in Texas playing roundball over that spherical shaped ball. Without checking the rosters of either school rest assured the rosters of Houston and Texas are populated by more than Texas kids. Even more interesting Chris Beard has accomplished a task thus far Shaka Smart was unable to achieve. I once went on record after the hire saying, “Smart could just recruit in the State of Texas and be a success.” Unfortunately my view turned out to be incorrect although I still remain a fan of Smart now at Marquette.    

“Can he ball?”

I borrowed the headline from one of my young co-workers. In discussing the ability of a player Keenan said “can he ball” to describe his measurement of ability. This account is for American readers only although I have no issues if someone from France or Slovenia reads it. Allow me to state this up front, I’m okay if the nation is no longer dominant in basketball. Simply stated I’m not surrendering my hope but those of us in America must accept reality. As more and more Euro and African players arrive on these shores the scale is almost level with American players maintaining an edge. If we journey back 20 years or so the NBA and colleges had few international players on their rosters. An ever-increasing number of American coaches and clinics overseas has seen an explosion of interest in basketball.

The talent pool is evident in the NBA with just a few examples. From memory I could state Hakeem Olajuwon and Dirk Nowitzki might have been among the first foreign players to taste success at the NBA level. Although Steve Nash was born in South Africa, he grew up in Canada so I’m eliminating him from this discussion. From Greece the Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo NBA Finals MVP and two-time NBA MVP. Serbia is represented by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, “The Joker” is the best passing Big Man in the NBA. Competing for best Big Man in the NBA is Joel Embiid from Cameroon. We cannot move on without mentioning Luka Doncic from Slovenia, number 77 has proven to be quite a talent. We close with Rudy Gobert now a member of the Cavs. The Frenchman is two-time defensive player of the year and a three-time All-Defensive team selection. Who is next, will it be the talented Victor Wembanyama from France delighting NBA fans with his skill?

My how the landscape has changed

If you check the most recent AP Top 25 basketball teams in the mix are several traditional “football” schools. Allow me to clarify the previous statement, Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama and others have always played basketball. For those mentioned and others basketball was the sport played while the majority of folks waited patiently on spring football and then when the sport began in earnest in the fall. That thought process no longer exists, no argument on my part football remains king in these locations.

Despite that fact basketball has moved up several notches in the eyes of the administration, students and alumni. A closer check also finds SEC Auburn and Big XII Baylor included in our count of “football” schools. Basketball has seen an increase in popularity over earlier times, more so than existed in 1940 and 1950 America. If you mention Alabama no longer are the thoughts of Bear Bryant and Alabama football the other sport basketball might be in the conversation as well. The pedigree of Nate Oats is yet to reach the level of Bryant however his and others is growing.