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Basketball from a fans perspective

Is this the year

In the Eastern Conference it’s the Celtics and Bucks leading the way. It’s early but one or the other might play for the NBA championship, on the other hand it could be another team. In the Western Conference there are contenders, but my focus is on the Nuggets, is this the year? They have the twice league MVP in Nikola Jokic at center but it’s not only The Joker there is a supporting cast. Mizzou’s Michael Porter Jr. is steady at small forward along with point guard Jamal Murray. Also I must mention power forward Aaron Gordon who is ballin’.

The leader of this crew is Mike Malone, the Nuggets have blossomed with him as head coach the last few years. Depth, injuries and immaturity kept many of the former Nugget teams from advancing deep into the playoffs. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” certainly fits Malones story. He was hired as head coach by the Kings June 13, 2013…December 15, 2014, he was fired by those same Kings after a 11-13 start. I didn’t bother with checking the Kings record but that goes to show you the idiotic moves the Kings of the past made. As for Malone with the Nuggets his teams have either finished first or second in the Pacific Northwest Division. For the last four seasons the Nuggets earned a playoff berth, will 2023 become a breakout season?

This is terrible (or some believe)

Have you noticed a trend, anytime there is change in manner college basketball is administered naysayers come out of the woodworks in droves? They provide us proof by their responses they hate the change and this, “It will ruin college basketball.” How many times have we heard that statement, probably more times than we have fingers and toes. Want a few examples, how about this one? “The dunk should be outlawed; the safety of the athletes is in danger.” We heard those words and other similar as Lew Alcindor dominated the game in the middle 1960’s. How about one and done athletes, “College basketball will be ruined by allowing underclassmen to leave for the NBA.”

The latest might be Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) or the transfer portal. Why should the NCAA and the institutions earn all the money from sports, players should be eligible immediately in transferring. We’ve read and heard complaints about both. It’s my belief it’s the issue of change that upsets many of those who complain. Don’t misunderstand there is no attempt on my part to muzzle anyone. Sometimes many fans sit down and write without having a great deal of forethought. There are several unnamed issues I am highly unlikely to change my mind. There are others I seek the opinion of those with knowledge before coming to a conclusion. Again, don’t confuse my intent by writing this. You are certainly entitled to your opinion but let’s just say sometimes change is difficult to adopt for some. I’m sure in this short piece I’ve missed something, you are likely to uncover it…go for it. 

The NFL

Don’t be fooled by the headline this remains a basketball blog, what’s the basis. Its coaches, the NFL has begun its annual search for head coaches. I turned to a DePaul-Seton Hall basketball game and on the sidelines was head coach Tony Stubblefield and Sheheen Holloway both black coaches. I was familiar with the announcement of the Holloway hire, as for Stubblefield I remain unfamiliar with his background. The point I’m attempting to make Eric Bieniemy Chiefs assistant has begun the interview process that could lead to a head coaching job. For those who might be unfamiliar with Bieniemy he’s black and he’s made the rounds the last few years interviewing yet not hired. Perhaps he doesn’t interview well or maybe there is something else holding him back. In this instance its more than Bieniemy, the NFL unlike the NBA or college basketball has done a poor job in hiring black head coaches.

Without research I have no idea how many “Tony Stubblefield’s” are coaching Division I basketball, the NBA is a different matter. I mention in another account when the Nets removed interim from Jacques Vaughn’s name, he became the number 17 black head coach in the NBA. The sports are far different but how are colleges and the NBA able to find and hire black coaches? Even in basketball all are not going to be successful but no one has any idea until given a chance. The same applies for the NFL, perhaps Bieniemy might be a terrible head coach but consider this fact. He certainly cannot be as bad as some of the white coaches we’ve seen over the years. My hometown Chiefs once employed one of the worst (in my view) opinion there was. Todd Haley as an NFL assistant had more football knowledge in his pinky finger than my body but there was one drawback. He didn’t know beans about serving in the role of a head coach. Over the last 3-4 years Haley’s had plenty of company as the NFL continues it’s recycle pattern of hiring head coaches fired from other teams.

Best high school basketball in the nation

“The best high school talent in the country is played in Chicago and New York City.” The words of a co-worker who grew up in Chicago, no argument on my part except I’d like to add Los Angeles and Southern Cal to the discussion. Basketball is played in rural areas and small towns in the nation some of it mighty darn good. It’s an outgrowth of population but the crème de la crème arrive on colleges and in the NBA from large urban areas of the nation.

What other urban areas to add to our discussion, for these purposes the city is named but the basketball is metro, how about Dallas-Fort Worth? I once said at the time Shaka Smart was hired “He could just recruit without leaving the State of Texas.” The other large urban area would be Houston, scores of high school talent come from the southern portion of the state. We could include Atlanta and Seattle as well; on the east side of Missouri we count St. Louis as a major producer of top talent. I’m quite sure someone will be upset because I omitted their city, but my intention was to detail those metro areas I believe produce the greatest number of talent for the nation’s colleges and the NBA.