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He’s the one

In 1970 the NBA added the expansion Portland Trail Blazers, over the course of time whether winning or losing a number of outstanding players have worn the jersey. Bill Walton and Clyde Drexler wore the jersey, both have been enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. 1971 saw guard Geoff Petrie selected Rookie of the Year and 2007 would see Brandon Roy granted the same honor. Most of you are familiar with Kings forward Domantas Sabonis but it was his father Arvydas who wore the jersey well. The politics of the day prevented us from seeing him in action until he was a 31-year-old rookie. Maurice Lucas arrived after beginning play in the ABA, he was nicknamed Mr. Enforcer for his rough and tumble play in the ‘70’s. The names mentioned are just a few of the Blazer greats over the history of the franchise.

In 53 years of NBA play no Blazer ever had a game close to that of Dame Lillard. It should be of note the Blazers beat the Rockets 131-114, that was the part B. of this story. Part A. was the scoring binge by Dame 71 points Sunday evening. If you believed Dame was just jacking up shots that was far from the case, check this out. He shot almost 60% from the floor and from the 3-line and it was 100% from the free-throw line. In 39 minutes of action on the court he only registered two turnovers. No argument Dame had a game for the ages and where does he stand? He is now in the 70-point club which places him number 8 all-time in scoring alongside Elgin Baylor, David Robinson, Donovan Mitchell. An outstanding and historic game by Dame. We continue to hear from those in the media Dame should head for a team which allows him to compete for an NBA Championship, he wants a championship as long as it’s in Portland.

No guarantee

I had no idea what Mizzou basketball would be if you’d ask me last October. All I could hope this new coach Dennis Gates would lead them to at least a .500 record. My reasoning was based on a single returning player plus a bunch of unknown guys. That returning player was Kobe Brown 6-foot 8 250-pound guard, yes, I did say guard. He was clearly the leader on a bad Mizzou team last season his numbers proved it, instead of abandoning ship as 98% of the roster did Brown decided he would remain. I don’t remember if Gates talked to Brown on his arrival as head coach, but something must have convinced Brown to remain, and boy has it paid off.

This point-forward (my term for Brown) has been key to the success Mizzou’s experienced thus far. Without checking it’s likely he’s been the scoring leader well over half of the 20 wins and some of the losses Mizzou’s experienced this season. The rise of his game has seen the NBA notice him, as example nowhere was Brown mentioned as an NBA prospect last season. At the first of this season his name was also missing then wham…there he is. The latest edition of nbadraft.net places Brown the number 54 choice in the second round of the 2023 draft. Once again, the disclaimer appears at this point, just because your name is placed on a mock draft means nothing. It means absolutely zero unless your name is Victor Wenbanyama or Scoot Henderson. I will continue my check of mock sites because they will change between now and June.

The mouth of the south

Charles Barkley is at it again, the mouth that roared is providing us his opinion once again on a questionable subject, listen to this. “I’m not sold on Victor Wenbanyama just because he’s killing people in the Czech Republic.” Sir Charles goes on to explain he’s not going for all the hype of others about the French youngster. Guess what, all the points he makes about Wenbanyama are valid except for one fact. This is the same Charles Barkley who once made a bet with Kenny Smith.

The discussion centered on rookie Yao Ming and Barkley said and I quote, “If Yao Ming gets 19 points in a game, I’ll kiss his ass”, Barkley was referring to Smith of course. To prove he’s a man of his word later a donkey was brought on the set and Barkley gave the impression he placed a kiss on its rear end.  Wait there’s more, in 2018 this from him regarding Luka Doncic ahead of the draft. “I don’t trust foreign competition.” Barkley is entitled to his own opinion, but it seems at times he manages to insert his foot in his mouth as much as Stephen A. Smith. Perhaps Barkley has issues with any player not born on these shores.

Bits n Pieces  

Shooting guard Ochai Agbaji is playing for the G-League Salt Lake City Stars, he’s probably okay with that role I’m not. I saw this Kansas City youngster move from a relative unknown when he arrived at KU to an NBA lottery pick in 2022. He’s proven to me he could play and then he was drafted by the Cavs with the 14 pick, I thought he could play at the NBA level even if it was in a limited role. Then BAM it happened, Agbaji and two others were packaged in a trade for the Cavs to acquire Donovan Mitchell. I remain unsure now if the NBA remains viable in his future.  

One of the things that is mystical to me is analytics. I partially understand it but certainly not to the degree I could provide you exactly how it works and how it impacts college games. I can also add quad wins to the discussion. That might be more confusing than the other, does analytics affect quad or vice-versa? We could also add the First Four In, Last Four Out. first four in. College basketball has become even more confusing to me in recent years.

Okay, I’m pouring gasoline on the fire, but the announcers mentioned it first. Russell Westbrook has become a starter with the Clippers except on this occasion. His game on Sunday night was good, 17 points 5 rebounds 4 assists and 5 steals while shooting 60% from the floor and 50% from three. He didn’t play at all in the OT and some point (I’m unsure) in quarter number 4 he must have left the game. What does that tell me, in a tight game the coach must have believed his defense is questionable. Why take a chance, it’s easier for Tyronn Lue to sub for him. On the other hand similar to offensive or defensive line play in the NFL a replay often details tidbits of information we might have missed. The same goes for the NBA, we often miss key defensive plays.

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Are they making a move

I wouldn’t suggest this become the norm; the Lakers allowed the Mavs to race out to a 27-point lead. This meant an uphill effort all afternoon was required as they were able to win the game 111-108. LeBron James didn’t have a great shooting game but managed to score 26 points along with 8 rebounds. The key I believe was AD with 30 points 15 rebounds and 3 blocked shots as he came up big in the win. Newcomer Jarred Vanderbilt at the power forward scored 15 points but pulled down 17 rebounds.

Dennis Schroeder dished out 8 assists and scored 16 points. For the Mavs The Don led the way with 26 points, Kyrie Irving didn’t shoot particularly well but managed 21 points and 11 rebounds. At the end of the game we might ask the question, are the Lakers making their move at this time? Check out the loss column, they have 32 losses but are only 3 games behind the Clippers and Suns both with 29. The Suns are in the 4 slot and the Clippers sitting at 5 in the playoff race, that should give you proof of the tight Western Conference race.

This is the year

If you are a fan of Nikola Jokic a.k.a. The Joker don’t read this. I love The Joker, but this is the year he comes in second place in the MVP voting. It has nothing to do with him playing a lesser role for the Nuggets, in fact they might be the best team in the Western Conference. I think this year’s MVP belongs to Sixer Joel Embiid; his numbers have been outstanding for years. We know the story; basketball is still a team game, and the Sixer Big Man needs his teammates to play at a high level. In a recent contest against the Grizzlies Embiid didn’t shoot particularly well but still managed to score 27 points.

His stat stuff also included 19 rebounds 6 assists and 6 blocked shots in the victory. The one area I’ve long believed Embiid fails to be credited is his skill at passing the basketball. He’s averaging 4.1 assists a game this season, the only center exceeding Embiid in this area is The Joker. On the other hand Embiid beats out Jokic in blocked shots, in fact he is number 6 in the NBA in that area. Rest assured several reading this have probably decided “You haven’t given us one significant detail to prove Embiid is the MVP over The Joker.” That’s okay it’s probably only fans of Embiid who are likely to agree with my take. If you think the other guy is still MVP that’s okay too.

I wish I could remember

Don’t you find it interesting at times the evidence used to prove your argument? I cannot tell you the beginning only the ending, I heard a discussion on sports talk radio recently and the guy used Alex English to provide his evidence. I thought it odd because that’s a name from the past we hear very little. This host claimed, “English scored a bunch of points for a team (Nuggets) that wasn’t going anywhere.” First off, the guy who made the statement must be an uninformed youngster. Students of the game are aware English had more than a pedestrian NBA career.

Allow me to briefly provide bio information for those unfamiliar with English.  He was drafted by the Bucks in 1976 but saw limited play, he signed as a free agent with the Pacers unpleased with the limited time with the Bucks. In the middle of the 1979-80 season English was traded to the Nuggets, it was there his NBA career would blossom for the next 9 years. He closed out his NBA career with one season with the Bucks but that was only a thumbnail sketch of Alex English. He concluded his career with 25,613 points scored and a 21.5 point per game average. He would be enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame an honor bestowed on a limited number of players.

Bits n Pieces

The enigmatic Russell Westbrook, no denying he’s talented but it’s the other “things.” Example in his debut with the Clippers he scored 17 points and dished out 14 assists, that’s the good. As for the bad, it was 7 TO’s and 6 fouls ending his time on the court. The good numbers would say he’s bound for the Naismith Hall of Fame, as for the bad numbers…I will leave that up to you. There is no intention to say this is what he said however the words of Anthony Davis are quite interesting. Without calling out any names he mentioned how the atmosphere in the locker room has changed since the trade deadline. Was he discussing Westbrook, you become the judge?

I make the statement all the time, you are always entitled to your own opinion. I am going to challenge you when you make an incredibly dumb statement. Want a few examples, “LeBron paid for Bronny to be a McDonalds All American.” But wait there are more…how about this one. “Victor Wembanyama needs to gain weight to play in the NBA, they will break him apart.” This last one, “The outcome of NBA games is fixed.” With the last one I say prove it, we heard this all the time and there is never anything but caw-caw to back it up.

Every time I check the box score or see Michael Porter Jr. in action, I lament what might have been. The very talented wing is averaging 17 points a game in the NBA for the Nuggets and has been a key contributor to much of the success of the team. Porter Jr. was a McDonalds All American Cuonzo Martin recruited for Mizzou I believe the first. This talented wing would lay the groundwork for future success of the Mizzou program the only probably it never occurred. An injury caused Porter Jr. to miss his entire freshman season. My hope that he would return in fall were dashed, in the spring he announced his intention to declare for the NBA draft, who knows what the Mizzou program might have been.

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Nostradamus of the Midwest

Several might remember, a few weeks ago I predicted Mizzou would finish the regular season with 4 consecutive wins. You do understand all the so-called predictions of Nostradamus didn’t come to fruition. In addition if it didn’t turn out as stated I gave you permission to laugh at me. Yesterday the 85-63 win over the Georgia Bulldogs means I’m halfway there, this was win number 2. Once again Mizzou had me a little worried, road game and them down at the half 41-40. The second half blitz by Mizzou was a thing of beauty as they outscored the Bulldogs 45-22. You might be surprised Kobe Brown only scored 8 points; he wasn’t in foul trouble it’s just that teammates took up the slack.

Four starters scored in double figures including reserve Nick Carter (12 points). Missing shots in the first half of the game they managed to make up for it by finishing 57.9% from the floor with 50% of it coming from the three-point line. Mizzou evened the count on the boards with 28 rebounds matching the effort by the Bulldogs. This time of year studio people are discussing quality wins in relation to the NCAA tournament. I really could care less about quality wins, just as long as the number is noted on the left side of the page over the right side. The win improves Mizzou’s record to 21-8, 9-7 in the SEC a far cry from what most of us believed possible at a point in time. This team could prove to be dangerous come NCAA tourney time, with little time for preparation their offense could prove fatal to teams unprepared to play.

Was anyone playing defense

If you heard the score 176-175 your first thought, this must be part II of the NBA All-Star Game. That would not be the case as the Clippers and Kings battled it out in 2 OT’s with the Kings coming out on top. Certainly by the headline and score we must figure there was little defense played. Check this out, the winning Kings shot 58.6% from the floor and 43.9% from the three line. We can include the 80% from the free throw line as well, high scorer for the victors was point guard De’ Aaron Fox with 42 points. Fox plus the other four starters all scored in double figures with Domantas Sabonis registering 20.

On the other side the Clippers shot a sizzling 60.2% from the floor including 57.8% from three, they also shot 86.1% at the line. Kawhi Leonard led in scoring with 44 points and right behind him Paul George with 34. From the starters and reserves 7 Clippers scored in double figures in this shootout. This was the debut game for newly signed Clipper Westbrook, he was inserted in the game as a starter and   contributed 17 points along with 14 assists. Friday night’s game becomes the second highest scoring in NBA history. The record game occurred December 13, 1983, as the Pistons beat the Nuggets 186-184 in a triple OT game.

It’s different now

Ole Miss fired coach Kermit Davis on Friday, not that unusual considering the team’s record but the timing, they only had one more regular season game. Once upon a time colleges waited until the end of the season before firing a coach but that was then this is now. I’m unsure if we can determine a basis for the termination except to say there appears less patient by athletic departments in this era. Davis would have completed season five but other than his first season the basketball program failed to provide any proof it was ascending. It’s too bad for Davis, his record beyond Ole Miss provides us proof at Middle Tennessee he’s been a winning coach. The Ole Miss athletic department now begins its search for a replacement for Davis.

He’s correct

The words of Brian Windhorst could prove prophetic, he said “They (Lakers) have no margin for error.” He was speaking of this re-tooled team along with LeBron James. With his lingering injury his health is key to whatever success the Lakers hope for this season. On paper this new Laker team appears it could be successful, as a stand-alone unit in 2-3 years. Team members know how to play the game, most don’t know how to win. They don’t know how to win, exactly what are you trying to say?

Allow me to explain   further, the majority of these guys have played the game since they were 8-10 years old. They certainly know the difference between winning and losing a game, but most are missing that one intangible. Simply stated it’s the ability to realize what it takes to win an NBA championship and then accomplish it. Anthony Davis knows it and certainly LeBron James does as well. As for the balance of the roster they have yet to reach that point. That intangible is difficult to describe, for me it says despite the odds, despite what others say we are the best and we’ll prove it.

We shall see

Generally players are drafted from winning programs, will that change in June 2023? The question is asked for obvious reasons, Emoni Bates is receiving NBA views by scouts. The scouts are certainly attending Eastern Michigan games see Bates and maybe Noah Farrakhan in action, that’s about it. Friday evening the Eagles lost to Kent State 81-54 which shouldn’t be surprising, Kent State is in first place in the conference.

As most are aware I am following Bates progress this season as he resurrects his basketball mission. The 6 foot 10 Bates has seen his numbers slide over the last few weeks to 20.2 points a game. This is the issue, how much has a single fact caused the slide. Bates is the OFFENSE for Eastern Michigan, the loss now leaves them with a 6-win 21 loss season. The Eagles are 3-11 in the Mid America Conference. This is not a done deal; Bates is yet to say yes or no if he’s headed for the NBA. If I were his father, I would take out a Lloyds of London risk injury policy and recommend my son remain in school another year.

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Who is this guy

On Thursday evening Malik Beasley led the way for the Lakers scoring 25 points with 7 of his baskets from the 3-point line. He along with his teammates beat the Curry less Warriors 124-111. For those who might be unfamiliar just a small amount of background on Beasley, he played one season at Florida State. The 6-foot 4 shooting guard was drafted in round one by the Nuggets in 2016. From there it was a stint in the G-League and then a 2020 trade found him with the Wolves. In 2022 he was involved in a trade to the Jazz, February 2023 Beasley was traded once again this time to the Lakers. All this player movement during his career might indicate there were issues, as far as I can determine none existed.

The trades were not related to his inability to shoot the ball, that would appear to never be the case. All season long a missing element of this Laker team was consistent 3-point shooting, Beasley appears to have addressed that issue. He’s shot .380 over the course of his NBA career, in addition he’s never shot less than .321. Rest assured his shooting is the prime reason the Lakers were attracted to him because there was a belief, he could be the missing link. The second half of the NBA season’s gotten off to a swift start seeing Beasley inserted in the starting lineup alongside D’Angelo Russell. Russell went down with a twisted ankle and would exit the game. X-Rays proved negative and he should be able to return shortly. I like this “new” Laker team, I have no idea how far they go this season. They appear to be okay for the future with the influence of youth.

Poor judgement 

Alabama’s Brandon Miller is having an outstanding season for the Crimson Tide. Mock draft sites list Miller as a lottery pick that’s just how highly he’s thought of in NBA circles. Regardless of what occurs in June should he decide in favor of the NBA he’s made poor judgment in a choice. You may have read about an Alabama player involved criminally in a murder charge. A 23-year-old mother was murdered with a gun Miller provided to the shooter; we suppose Miller had no idea his gun would be used to take someone’s life.

Just the act of giving someone a gun details poor judgment on Millers part. For now it appears there are no criminal charges pending for Miller, but this is going to haunt him the balance of his life. A financial compensation is not going to solve this matter after all a life was lost and a 5-year-old no longer has her mother. A trust fund in the daughters name would ensure she’d be able to attend college and provide a stipend for her future. As for the present this matter is not going away soon, coach Oats and Miller will hear about this for the immediate future and must be prepared for that. I have no idea the legal ramifications of this crime, for now authorities have chosen to not charge Miller in connection with the murder. Whatever the outcome in the court of public opinion Miller has been convicted.

The only NBA team named after a district

Most NBA teams are named after the city they represent, a few (Minnesota & Utah) are named after the state rather than the city. This also applies to teams in MLB, NFL and NHL, I’m unsure if this exists in the soccer world. How about this one the Nets are not the New York Nets…they are the Brooklyn Nets but how did this occur? The team was an ABA original (1976), but back then they were the New Jersey Americans and played in Teaneck. This name would last until 1968 when the team moved to Long Island when they were re-born as the New York Nets. In 1976 they moved into the NBA along with three other former ABA teams. In 1977 the team moved across the Hudson River again and became the New Jersey Nets which lasted until 2012.  As for the other portion of the name connection we must travel back in time.

Residents are aware of this information but not everyone, New York City is comprised of five boroughs (or districts if you prefer). They are Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island and Brooklyn. At a point in time the city contained three baseball teams, they were the New York Giants, New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1957 the Giants would move to San Francisco while the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. A new owner and a planned new arena was to be opened, how Brooklyn was chosen is unclear as this is written. In any event the arena as with most in this age would be tagged Barclays Center. The team could have easily become the New York Nets again but in a move that was a salute to the past they became the Brooklyn Nets in 2012. This is the only professional sports team in existence named after a district, I believe that to still be correct today.

Will they prove me wrong

This is written ahead of the Mizzou-Georgia game today, I wonder who is facing the most pressure. Is it me or the Tigers, you remember, don’t you?  I said last week Mizzou would win its four remaining games; on Tuesday they were an OT winner over Mississippi State. Georgia’s record says they shouldn’t be a threat against the Tigers however the game is being played in Athens Georgia. This becomes game two of my earlier forecast Mizzou.

As for action earlier the Mississippi State game was the third buzzer beater Mizzou’s won this season. The positive trend that hopefully continues is rebounding the basketball. As the case in most games this season Mizzou’s found itself undersized and outrebounded on most occasions. That was the case against the taller Mississippi State team, despite this fact they only managed two more rebounds than Mizzou. Tre Gomillion a 6-foot 4 guard returned to the lineup after injury, Gomillion managed to pull down 10 rebounds despite giving way to a taller opposing player.

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Fixing the NBA All Star Game

We’ve discussed this already; the recent NBA All-Star game claimed the lowest number of viewers since I don’t know. Fans, players and coaches have claimed the game needs a fix. What you are about to read didn’t originate with me. I’ve read comments by NBA fans and will provide them here:

Play the game earlier, the NBA regular season will end in less than two months. It should be played sometime between December 25 and January 15, those dates are closer to the middle of the season, near the end of February is the present time frame for the game.

Return the game to an East-West format again, why is it so important for fans to be treated to the  disfunction we witnessed this past Sunday supposedly by the best basketball players in the world. it is unbelievable we watched Celtic teammates oppose one another and Eastern Conference Julius Randle a teammate of Western Conference LeBron James. The format adopted a few years ago makes sense to some, not this writer. In addition can we say the teams need to play with purpose, at times play was certainly lackadaisical. 

This recommendation is the best I’ve heard yet, I believe this would certainly be more entertaining to NBA fans. Two teams, one representing Team USA and the other Team World. Team World would be comprised of the large number of international players dotting the rosters of NBA teams. Imagine a team of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and others representing Team World. Team USA would feature LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Jaylin Brown and Zion Williamson and others competing against the World Team that would be entertaining basketball.

I’m quite sure there are additional methods to fix the All-Star Game, these are but a few. I’m sure you can come up with others to relieve fans of the trope we saw last Sunday.

Bits n Pieces

The Nets rewarded head coach Jacque Vaughn by signing him to an extension. This guarantees he remains coach through the 2026-27 season. The drama that was Nets basketball certainly has improved since Steve Nash was fired and Vaughn took over. For those who believe I’m trashing Nash that is not the case I happen to believe he was a poor choice. Often star players don’t make great coaches, I could insert Magic Johnson’s name at this point.

Someone help me, there must be a bunch imposters wearing Carolina Blue. What happened to the real Carolina Tarheels? They played Kansas last season for the national championship, this same Tarheel team was chosen the pre-season number one college basketball team in the nation. That was then, this is now, as this is written they have a 16-11 record, they are .500 in the ACC with an 8-8 record. They are highly unlikely to repeat last season again. Last year’s team got hot at a point after the first of the year, the momentum carried them the balance of the season and tournament.

This is great, those of us in Laker Nation realize there are great numbers of haters out there. We can welcome two more to the group…Pat Beverley and Russell Westbrook. All I can say is bring it on, prove to me you are the deciding factor in Bulls and Clipper victory in the future.

Charlie a co-worker has the solution for Load Management. He claims players should be prohibited from sitting out games on the road. He further stated home team fans see those particular athletes all the time. It reminds me of a recent game in San Francisco, you might be familiar with it. A youngster purchased her ticket ahead of time believing LeBron James had an opportunity to break the point total record against the Warriors. She was disappointed to find out he wasn’t playing until he sat down beside her.

Okay Paul I think we understand the why

Paul George went on the record, he says (these are my words paraphrasing his statement) “I’ll be happier if I win a championship with the Clippers over the Lakers.” If you remember the story when George became a free agent, the Lakers believed they had the inside track on signing him. To everyone’s surprise he decided in favor of the Clippers. Okay George let’s check the history; the Clippers have called Los Angeles home since 1984. Nope, never won it all in the City of Angels…what about San Diego? 

The city was home base from 1978-1984 for the Clippers, I don’t see any championships there. Before the franchise found its way to San Diego Buffalo New York was the home of their founding. The Braves were an expansion team who began play in 1970 where they played until 1978. There is no Braves/Clippers NBA championship ever in 53 years of play through Buffalo, San Diego and now Los Angeles. If we look at the Lakers, they have totaled 17 NBA championships since 1961. To win an NBA championship for a team that’s been in existence since 1970 through three cities and never won, I believe all of us can see how noteworthy this would be for George.     

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Not just me

It would appear from recently released numbers I’m not the only one with objections to the All-Star Game and its format. According to Clutchpoints the 2023 game drew a record low number of 4.59 million viewers, compare that to 6.28 million last season and 6 million in 2021. We could return to 2020 which saw 7.28 million households tuned into the All-Star Game. It’s clear just looking at the numbers something has developed with viewers who feel no need to tune in therefore we see what appears to be a continuing steady drop in viewership. Surely the power brokers of the NBA can see what we the fans are able to see. Maybe they need to conduct a focus group to determine what the public wants. It’s clear by the eroding numbers the television audience is dwindling away.

Sometimes the arrogance is amazing

If you’ve not won an NBA championship you shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame. How ridiculous, but this is reported to be the outlook of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Their explanation could be opposed on so many levels. In the first place I believe the door above the building reads Naismith Hall of Fame it doesn’t say “NBA Hall of Fame.” The hall’s intention was to honor the men and later women who had distinguished careers playing basketball or contributors to the game. If we begin planning for a hall of fame in 2023 exclusions could be considered but not now, this mantle of basketball prowess has been opened since 1959. Even more interesting the length of time it took these two to earned championship rings, if Garnett hadn’t demanded a trade, he just might have retired ringless. 

A similar statement could be made for Pierce too. I believe all of us understand their intent however it’s just not logical. A link to the story follows if you care to read the explanation of Pierce and Garnett. For me it makes little sense other than Garnett and Pierce voicing their opinion on a subject they have no control. If we used their criteria for entry Dame Lillard would also be excluded, his career is yet to conclude however it’s becoming more unlikely he won’t win an NBA championship. Despite the fact he’s a perennial NBA All Pro if we use the Garnett/Pierce criteria he doesn’t get in. This decision would be made despite the fact Terry in two seasons will score his 20,000 point. To his detriment loyalty to the Blazers is more important than winning a championship…maybe. In any event Garnett/Pierce are out of bounds on this issue. 

https://www.basketballnetwork.net/latest-news/kevin-garnett-paul-pierce-explain-why-nba-title-should-be-pre-requisite-for-hall-of-fame?

I wish him no harm

Pat Beverley has bothered me for quite a time, I have long believed he’s been more talk than ability. This takes into account he’s now 34-years old, every athlete slows once they are on the downhill side of 30. I’m unsure about other members of Laker Nation but this member certainly wasn’t pleased when they picked him up. He’s made defense his forte since he is unable to shoot the ball. In fact in a contest I’d take Russell Westbrook over Beverley, okay Larry Laker tell us what you really think?  At the beginning of the month the Lakers traded him to the Magic, Beverley agreed to a buyout and was waived.

This week he signed with the Bulls and that’s where this portion begins. Beverley says, “I can’t wait to knock the Lakers out of the playoffs.” That might be his intention however there are several errors in his statement. Is he 100% sure the Lakers earn a playoff berth in the first place. The Bulls do have one game remaining with the Lakers but come on, that’s just talk. As usual Beverley is stoking himself again by continuing to suffer his usual malady…oral diarrhea. As I stated at the beginning, he’s more talk than actual ability. If all it takes is for a journeyman player to knock the Lakers off maybe, they are not playoff material anyway. How many is that Pat, 7 NBA teams and 5 of whom you wore their jersey? That certainly sounds like a journeyman player to me despite the fact many claim otherwise. 

The final score is the measurement

Mizzou was coming off two losses in a row, the blowout against Auburn and a tough loss to A&M by 9 points. What did Mizzou Nation expect from its team especially playing at home, a bounce back naturally. Mizzou wanted to return the favor to Mississippi State losing to them February 4. Friends trust me it wasn’t pretty; Mizzou was playing uphill all night long. To set the stage the game was tied with 2.2 seconds remaining, Mr. Reliable Kobe Brown missed a chippy right under the basket.

So the game goes into OT, the final score read Mizzou 66 Mississippi State 64. Guard Nick Honor sank a 3-point basket with 7.6 seconds remaining in OT. I guess it's not necessary for a game to be a thing of beauty, it’s far more important the scoreboard reads in your favor. That’s what occurred Tuesday evening a win for the Tigers and a win for me. You might remember I predicted Mizzou would win its last four conference games; we are down to its last three now. Come on Tigers make me look good on my prediction. Sidebar, the win against Mississippi State was number 20 on the season the most for a Mizzou team since the 2017-18 season under former coach Cuonzo Martin.

Encroachment

The headline is a term generally associated with NFL football not the NBA. Allow me to explain, in this instance encroachment on “my season” is the subject I wish to revisit. You might remember two of our local sports talk radio guys suggested the college basketball season begin in January. They used the excuse of the Chiefs playing into and beyond the month preparing for a February Super Bowl date. This is not a criticism of the Chiefs rather the NFL, depending on your age you might not be aware of this fact. The Super Bowl was not always played in the second month of the year. It was played at the latest the middle portion of January and you know what’s occurred NFL expansion.

The NFL began adding more regular season games and the playoffs were extended even further. Who is encroaching on who might be the question? Christmas Day games were once exclusively belonged to the NBA but no more, the last few years has seen the NFL play Christmas games too. Either these two radio guys don’t know the history or perhaps they are so focused on the Chiefs they fail to take into account their narrow view. Basketball be it college or the NBA has always been an October start, personally I believe the NBA over college has been just as guilty. They too have extended the playoffs; we don’t crown a champion until the middle of June in the NBA. It would be nice if these two radio guys received some pushback on a January basketball start from someone other than ESPN’s Jay Bilas.

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Basketball from a fans perspective

NBA All Star Game

I’m prepared for pushback; I believe the NBA All Star Game has run its course in this present format. It’s time for a re-boot. Celtics Jaylin Brown matched against Celtic Jason Tatum; Western Conference LeBron’s team had Eastern Conference Julius Randle. It was more than the two examples cited here, the game was plain unwatchable for me a diehard NBA fan. It wasn’t just me; I conducted my own survey and didn’t find a single affirmative vote for the game. How to fix it, worst case cancel the game all together …why risk possible injury (Giannis and LeBron) to players in the middle of the season. As for a revised format someone smarter than me should figure that one out.

Trivia

Have you ever had a question regarding the number of Division I basketball programs? The number can change from year to year however at present there are 358 colleges and universities across the nation. Are there Division I programs in all 50 states, the answer is, no? Alaska has no Division I school, in Hawaii there is one, the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Further trivia, I mentioned the changing number of schools. At one time each of the schools below won at least one National Association of Athletics a.k.a. NAIA Championship in their past but moved up to NCAA Division I. 

Southeast Missouri State

Louisville

San Diego State

Southern Illinois

Southwest Missouri State (Missouri State)

Tennessee State

Grambling

Prairie View

Grand Canyon

Coppin State

Speculation

I’m guilty, you are guilty we all guilty of speculating at times about outcomes we believe will occur. “My team will finish ahead of yours” or “My man will score more points than yours.” Those are just a few examples of speculation something yet to occur or unproven. Here’s where I’m going with the latest rant, an NBA analyst was extoling the virtues of Victor Wembanyama recently. He pointed out this key or that bit of information all intending to paint an extraordinary picture of the 19-year-old French youngster. This analyst finished his narrative by stating Wembanyama was the best NBA prospect since LeBron James. Now it was Mr. Negative’s turn, I’m giving him that title based on his version of the same. 

He said the analyst was correct, Wembanyama had a tremendous upside and then BAM, he hit us. “He’s razor thin, I’d hate to see him experience knee or ankle problems. He went on to compare him to Kevin Durant mentioning his size while Durant was at the University of Texas. Folks, I get it, we have a high rise-high reward story here. We have no idea if Wembanyama will be a success or not, NBA scouts and front office personnel believe he’s got all the keys. The assessment for me, unlike Mr. Negative I cannot or refuse to speculate on yet to occur injuries. Why is Mr. Negative discussing injuries which may or may not occur ahead of the entry of Wembanyama? NOTE: I might add Mr. Negative used the example of Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren missing the season as an example of thin players too.  

I’m forced to admit it

This seasons Mizzou team is comprised of a bunch of guys from a bunch of different programs. Much of the success on the court has been dependent on 3-4 players always to score the ball and provide leadership. One of those players is named Kobe Brown and I am forced to admit, where would Mizzou be without him? You certainly know the story by now, three roster members remaining including Brown after the coach was fired. I’m really unsure how to categorize Brown based on his size and skill level. The roster says he’s 6 feet 8 inches tall and checks in at 250 pounds that screams power forward however he’s not strictly a power guy. Brown has demonstrated the skill of a finesse player as well, example.

In the game versus South Carolina he scored 19 points along with 8 rebounds, in the mix were 6 assists which point out Brown is a willing passer. Last season under the previous coach he was often responsible for bringing up the ball and setting the offense in motion. As they might say Brown’s got skills to play a multitude of positions on the court. His numbers are not going to wow anyone (16.4 points and 6.1 rebounds a game), his assist numbers 2.7 a game only a step behind team co-leaders Nick Honor and Sean East with 3.0 a game. Proof of improvement, he’s gone from 48.1% last season to 56.9 this season. From the three-point line he’s doubled his number from last season’s 20.6% to 47.7. I cannot be for sure on this next statement but believe it to be the case. This is not a new team now but early on I believed teammates looked at Brown as the leader and continue to see him in that light. Oh, that size thing, Brown is listed as a guard on Mizzou’s roster.

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Sometimes there is news that’s really not

The NBA was assured Russell Westbrook would eventually play for the Clippers. You remember the Lakers traded him to the Jazz however it was believed a buyout would occur. After reports surfaced there were several teams attempting to sign him one took precedence over the others. Yesterday it was announced he intended to sign with the Clippers as soon as he cleared waivers, this makes sense on several levels. With reservations on my part he remains an NBA talent he just has no range on his shot. He’s got a home in Los Angeles, and it makes sense there would be no requirement to move his family to Salt Lake City, Indiana or New York.  

Now we know

I’ve written previously how KU’s Gradey Dick has gone from a relative unknown talent to a possible 2023 NBA lottery pick. It’s based on his lights out shooting, forget about the 14.7 ppg season average   numbers. He is likely restricted by the offense Bill Self’s team runs, in the NBA there will be no such restraint, as for his shooting it truly is a lights out issue. At an early age faced with competing against older probably taller brothers he needed an edge.

That edge became his shooting, he says at the age of 10 he’d be outdoors shooting until it became dark, but the blackness didn’t stop him. Dick claims he began using muscle memory and his imagination as to where the goal was to perfect his shoot. His father told him, “If you can shoot in the dark you can shoot in the light.” That appears to ring true for the Jayhawk sharpshooter, and one more note. Jayhawk Nation enjoy Dick this season, it would be very difficult for him when the NBA comes a calling for his services. It’s almost guaranteed he will not return for his sophomore year unless something drastic occurs.

Really 

This has been mentioned in the past, NBA teams have been threatened about tanking. The opportunity to draft the 7-foot 4 Victor Wembanyama is the basis for the warning by the NBA. Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta must believe the NBA can’t do anything about prayer. During a brief television interview he closed it out by stating “Pray for Victor.” A couple of things was Feritta serious-minded, he was clearly laughing after his statement. Question would the prayer be for Wembanyama to remain healthy, or the Rockets have the opportunity to draft him.

I haven’t followed the team extensively however it appears prayer is required for more than the opportunity to draft Wembanyama. The Rockets haven’t won more than 20 games since the 2019-20 NBA season. Let’s take a quick look back, 2020 the top pick had been traded. With the second pick in 2021 the Rockets selected Jalen Green and 2022 witnessed Jabari Smith chosen with the third pick. Both youngsters appear trending upward although Green is out with an injury. Will the opportunity to draft Wembanyama aid the growth process of this young team? Scoot Henderson is thought by most to be the second pick in the 2023 draft. If Henderson falls to the Rockets his draft rights must be traded. The Rockets have Kevin Porter at the point and Green is solid at shooting guard once he recovers from injury.

It’s time for a change

I must admit it, this is influenced by a media member. He said, “It’s time we do away with All-Star games, give the players a break somehow but forget about play. This applies to the baseball game as well.” As many are aware the NFL changed its equivalent a number of years ago. I haven’t checked to determine if the viewer numbers have improved. I said last week there was no issue on my part with the Saturday night events but the NBA All Star Game is unwatchable for me any longer. Guess what, I have at least one ally sort of…the Nuggets head coach Mike Malone. I quote, “That’s the worst basketball game ever played…I don’t know if you can fix it.” I didn’t view the game so I’m unsure what aspect Malone found so terrible I know what mine is.

The idea Knicks forward Julius Randle (Eastern Conference) played on the same team with Lakers forward LeBron James (Western Conference) fails to make the game better in my view. I wonder who decided this was a better look, the slam dunk produced a new winner. Mac McClung has three games experience in the NBA, he’s spent most of the season in the G-League. I’m not hatin’ on McClung, but I don’t understand how and why he was included in this event in the first place. Sidebar, Sunday evening my wife and I attended a birthday dinner. There was time up till recently there would have been no way I would leave my television with the NBA All-Star Game pending. Despite the mention of Nuggets coach Malone I’m a party of one, this rant will not change anything. I am curious to determine viewership numbers, standby for those in a few days.

Just like baseball

The flurry of trades prior to and up to the 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time deadline reminds us of the past. In this instance I cannot address the NHL or soccer, on occasion there are trades in the NFL. We could make the same statement in baseball, but nothing compares in Century 21 to the NBA. The NBA has moved into the area that once existed for baseball alone. Players move from city to city as free agents; this occurs all the time. What’s the basis for the trade activity, I can’t speak to that of the past, but I can the present. If we check the status of most of the traded players one fact screams at us…free agency.

Without a check, I’d bet money most of those traded will become free agents July 1 and that becomes the issue. Teams unsure if they can sign player X would rather trade him believing a warm body works over losing the player and gaining no reward. This is not always the case, but we know Kyrie Irving will be a free agent July 1, on the other hand Kevin Durant is under contract through the 2024-26 season. Durant apparently was traded at his request. Reggie Jackson late of the Clippers and Russell Westbrook formerly of the Lakers will also become free agents at the end of the season, both of them were traded. After this was completed, Jackson took a buyout from the Hornets and signed with the Nuggets.

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Basketball from a fans perspective

4-0

After the Saturday loss to A&M this member of Mizzou Nation is down but not out. “David Downers” are emerging from all over the place based on two losses in a row. Those who were singing the praises of Mizzou basketball are now pointing fingers and asking questions. Believe you me I am not a member of that chorus. What do I expect for the future, I’m glad you asked me? The Tigers have 4 games remaining before the SEC Tournament beginning with Mississippi State tomorrow night. This is my expectation despite the fact 2 of the 4 games are on the road. The Tigers will end the season on a 4-game winning streak (I hope).

I realize I’m going out on a limb; you are welcome to call me brave or foolish whichever term you believe best fits. Checking the latest Top 25 list it contains two teams, Iowa State and Tennessee David Downer seems to have forgotten Mizzou was able to beat. Despite what the immediate future holds I’ve got to be just as excited about Mizzou basketball beginning next season. This season we’ve seen just a tidbit of how Dennis Gates intends to execute his basketball program over the course of the following seasons. The fact is this present team was built on the fly. As for the defense it will be there however the offense will contain an inside presence and the ability to rebound the basketball improve substantially.

There is no battle

If you’ve read this blog any length of time, you’d tend to believe I have an adversarial relationship with sports media especially those covering basketball. That is far from the truth, I have a problem with those in the media who believe their opinion is the only one that matters. Several in the media especially those who cover basketball be it television or sports talk radio have become actors especially on television. The “acting” occurs with television over radio because it’s visual, we can see how animated and boisterous they often become in their approach to the story.

On the other hand there are those in sports media I continue to read or anticipate their television or radio appearances. These individuals most often drop what I like to call truth bombs, bits of knowledge I didn’t realize or were familiar with. These I would title the voice of reason; do I disagree with their take on subjects at times…of course I do but that’s the beauty for me. I once heard this statement and believe it rings true, “We can disagree without being disagreeable.” Generally when hearing from those who clash with them, I don’t hear a cantankerous tone in their response. I realize this subject is one visited often however I’m never sure of the readership, is this someone who’s been reading Off the Dribble for a few weeks or one of several years.

Load management

You don’t like it neither do I, players resting. They are not recovering from injury or any such malady they simply have little if any desire to play the game. I was shocked, 21-year old Anthony Edwards has a word or two about the matter. His view is not going to change anything but it does detail the dilemma for many of today’s NBA players. “Just play man. If you 70-80%, you gotta play. I don’t like all the sitting and missing games…These people (fans) might not have enough money to come to one game and you sitting out.” The NBA season is a long grind, September training camp and middle of October season start.

If we add the playoffs teams playing for the NBA championship in June would play over 100 games. Although they haven’t been eliminated the league is trying to reduce the number of back-to-back games. If we throw in the travel, you can understand where this is headed. Despite all the negatives facing players I continue to believe load management has gotten out of hand. Is there a fix for this growing problem, hopefully someone has an answer? I certainly make no claim in how to address it. The NFL has it far easier due to the number of games, can you imagine this? You are a Bengals fan expecting to see Patrick Mahomes dual with Joe Burrow. Prior to game time an announcement is made Mahomes is not playing, and you later discover its due to load management.

He’s got a job

I could be wrong; I’ve had to retract statements in the past this might be one. John Calipari will remain in Kentucky until John Calipari decides and there are a number of reasons. Probably at the top of the list he’s got a “lifetime contract.” Several years ago it was decided to reward the coach in this manner, I’m unaware of anyone fired with a life contract maybe you can correct me. The 2022-23 season has been disastrous unlike many in past years, after all its always been about winning with this program. We must return to the Billy Gillespie years (2007-2009) to find a Kentucky team with as deficient a record as this season.

One thing we can be assured of I have serious doubts if the coach has lost his desire to do the one thing he loves. This reassurance is certainly not comforting to Big Blue Nation, many are accustomed to seeing their favorite team at or near the top in most polls and certainly in the SEC. This season’s witnessed Alabama rising to the top, Auburn and Tennessee are right behind them. I hope you don’t expect this downward trend to continue for Kentucky. The other teams mentioned will remain playing top notch basketball but so will Calipari’s team. USA Today and others claim Kentucky has one of the top recruiting classes in the nation headed for Lexington in August. In addition we have no idea what the transfer portal might bring about in addition to an outstanding freshman class. These are keys to an anticipated turnaround for Kentucky basketball next season.

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Sometimes you must take the bad when you’d prefer the good

The A&M game is not over yet as I’m writing this, I’m already reading complaints about Mizzou’s poor performance. After the blowout loss to Auburn all Mizzou Nation could hope for would be improved play at home. That would not be the case Saturday afternoon and evening as A&M got off to a fast start, Mizzou was playing “uphill” all game long.  The final score read A&M 69 Mizzou 60, they actually outscored A&M in the second half but it would be too little too late.

The game contained an interesting stat line, A&M committed 21 TO’s to Mizzou’s 12. The real culprit was the poor shooting, Mizzou usually good from the floor shot but 39%, that measure of shooting is not going to win very many games. This is for Nick Negative; he was applauding Mizzou until recently and now is at the top of the list of complainers. Mizzou is now .500 in the SEC however their total will eclipse last season’s numbers that I feel comfortable stating. While Nick is complaining I have a suggestion, look at Mizzou’s win-loss total this season versus 2021-22.

Quick before it changes

The headline is clearly an attempt at humor by me, the Laker roster is set after the flurry of trades before the trading deadline. It seemed every few hours up till the February 9 deadline the Lakers were pulling one trade after another after another. The departures have been noted, just in case you missed the arrivals their names and other information follows:

D’Angelo Russell PG

Malik Beasley SG

Jarred Vanderbilt SF

Rui Hachimura PF/SF

Davon Reed SG

Mo Bamba C

2025 Nuggets second round pick

2026 Nuggets second round pick

2029 Nuggets second round pick 

The Lakers have acquired 1 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 new teammates for the stretch run of 20+ games. NBA teams are able to establish a continuity with training camp what about this collection? Will coach Ham be able to achieve a mini-training camp over the balance of the season? All I can say is good luck with that, there are bunches of moving parts with these February additions to the roster. Finally it’s my contention we fail to see the Big Picture, example Russell Westbrook. His numbers certainly looked improved, but he might not have been the help needed. There are others who contend LeBron James “forced” the Lakers to acquire Westbrook, that might be true, but I believe even James could see after a time this move was not going to work as smoothly as might be expected. 

Is a court fight looming

The question is asked based on the recent dismissal of charges against Chris Beard.  Background, the University of Texas fired Beard in January based on a criminal charge of battery against his fiancée in December. I conducted some quick research, and this is what I uncovered. From the Austin American Statesman, “Beard’s contract contained a standard clause among agreements with UT-Austin that allow the university to suspend or fire him with cause for any behavior that is ‘unbecoming’ or leads to a criminal charge ‘involving a felony, or any crime involving theft, dishonesty, or moral turpitude,’

Since Beard was fired for cause, the university does not need to pay out the remainder of his contract, according to UT-Austin senior communications manager Brian Davis. Beard was in his second season of a seven-year contract with Texas that paid around $5 million annually, as well as additional perks. He was one of the university’s highest-paid employees.”

This is the legal dilemma, the charge against Beard were dismissed by the court last week. According to the court the dismissed indictment was based on the recanted testimony of the fiancée. So what occurs now might be the next question? What transpires should Beard decide to sue the university, after all the charges were dismissed by the court? Can you say, “slippery slope”, that’s what this case amounts too in my view. Despite being fired I cannot imagine Beard walking away with no financial restitution coming his way because of not being criminally charged.

Bits n Pieces

At least one former Laker is pleased with the team acquiring D’Angelo Russell. Shaq spoke in positive tones about the combo guard, don’t think it’s just him being nice. In the past he’s been critical of several Laker moves. This from Shaq, “His shot is a little prettier than the other guy, no disrespect.” Without naming him we know the other guy Shaq was referring to was Russell Westbrook traded to the Jazz at the deadline. “He will be smarter with his decisions and a lot smarter with the ball.” Just because Shaq said it in a positive tone fails to consider it might not work. It’s my contention it will work IF DLo and LeBron can manage to co-exist.

To clarify a portion of what I wrote yesterday. I have no issues with the NFL Chiefs, 2 Super Bowl wins in the last 4 years allows them to dominate sports in this town be it print, radio and television. I’m okay with that, I love my Chiefs but at the same time I’m a basketball guy. I believe many of us have the capability of following both sports equally for this reason alone. The Chiefs only play once a week, my focus is on that single game. As for basketball I could have games of interest Monday through Sunday although that rarely occurs. The point I’m attempting to make I’ve got basketball to fill in the gaps when the Chiefs are not playing.

I offer you proof how ole skool I am, I quit watching the All-Star Game at the time the East-West contest was eliminated. I continue to watch the events…slam dunk, 3-point shootout and others. I don’t know if this will be a match but let’s say it’s no enjoyable for me to see LeBron James and Julius Randle on the same team. These two and others should be on competing teams, they shouldn’t be teammates. In closing that’s okay if you don’t agree with me, you are certainly entitled to your view.

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Just thinking it don’t make it right

At least two of our local sports talk radio guys are trying to convince our thinking to their side of the street. The morning host indicated he “was pre-occupied with the Chiefs to note LeBron James breaking Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s point total.” Later and I’m not sure if it was the same day the afternoon guy had a media member on the radio and cornered him with questions. The question, “Wouldn’t it be better if the college basketball season began in January when the NFL season is basically over?” This sports media guy agreed with the idea of changing the college season however later there was one dissenter. Jay Bilas analyst for ESPN college basketball was contacted on a telephone interview on Friday.

Bilas was asked a series of basketball related questions and then the host went there. He closed out the interview asking the same question, “Wouldn’t it be better if the college basketball season began in January.” Bilas didn’t hesitate in his answer giving an emphatic no. Bilas then rattled off a bunch of reasons he believes this type of thinking isn’t possible and then began to explain the why. Kansas City is home of the World Champion Chiefs I believe all of us understand that. They are the most important sports story in this town. The NBA might be a different story, I would dare either of these guys to pose that question to followers of Kentucky, Duke or UCLA basketball. Truth is with portions of our metro extending into Kansas I have serious doubts any professed follower of Jayhawk Nation wants a January basketball start.

The Knicks

Free agency has been responsible for a large degree of player movement, the draft alone will not improve a team. Despite the disclaimer allow this brief assessment of the Knicks. You might realize there’s been little success in attracting free agents. Let’s check out their number one draft picks over the past 10 years, to be fair I am not going to assess any draft picks from the past two seasons. I’m going to look strictly at the years 2013 through 2019, the Knicks were sitting in a position to allow them to pick among the best potential draft picks available. With that said here goes, the top number one draft picks for the Knicks during this period. The Knicks are improved however think where they might be if they had been a little wiser in adding talent. 

2013 Tim Hardaway Jr.

2014-no pick

2015 Kristaps Porzingis

2016-no pick

2017 Frank Ntilinka

2018 Kevin Knox

2019 RJ Barrett

What’s wrong with this picture, plenty so let’s explain. 2014 and 2016 can be excused as the Knicks had no number one pick, as for the other years that’s a different matter. Of the number on this list the only true ascending star is Barrett because he’s the only one remaining with the Knicks. Barrett has clearly demonstrated he’s got NBA talent. As for the others it’s a mixed bag, Hardaway Jr. certainly has talent, but it appears the Knicks must have missed it, he was a roster member yet managed to escape from New York on two occasions. He was traded away and later signed as a free agent, currently Hardaway Jr. is a member of the Mavs.

For unknown reasons after a sound rookie season Porzingis wanted out, meeting with management they honored his trade request, and he became a member of the Mavs. Porzingis was traded to the Wizards where he is presently. Frank Ntilinka arrived as a prospect but never elevated his play, he was stuck in a reserve role with the Knicks and now with the Mavs. Kevin Knox landed after playing at Kentucky, he left the Big Apple two years ago for the Blazers but appears to be a reserve player only. All this movement is not laid at the feet of Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, he was hired in 2020. This simply details for us the Knicks scouting and front office management have performed poorly in the recent past.

Is it just me

NBA Western Conference teams conducted trades with those in the east over the course of time leading to the trade deadline. Why is it my conviction in the west it remains stronger than eastern time zone teams? I’m must omit the Bucks, for some strange reason this Central Time Zone team remains in the Eastern Conference. Let’s check the championship history over the last 10-15 years. 2021 saw the Bucks beat the Suns 4 games to 2, in 2019 the Raptors were winners over the Warriors 4 games to 2.

From 2008-2018 the world saw Eastern Conference teams win 4 championships and the west 8. I believe my addition is correct I didn’t double check, if correct it continues to detail the why. For every Jayson Tatum and Jaylin Brown we have a Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. We could also include Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kris Middleton in the conversation versus CP3 and Devin Booker. Of course championships are not won by NBA All Stars alone, the blue-collar guys provide just as much to victory as the others.

Am I surprised

Gradey Dick was not unknown to me, 2022 McDonald’s All America and 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year. He played high school basketball at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, naturally it was no surprise when KU came calling and he headed for Lawrence Kansas in late summer. As for the surprise, I didn’t know the 6-foot 8 205 pound small forward/shooting guard was just that…a shooter. The numbers (14.7 ppg) will not wow anybody because he’s operating within the confines of Bill Self’s offense. 

How often have we seen a college player increase his scoring once he reaches the NBA? That certainly could present itself in the case for a shooter such as Dick. It’s his shooting percentage which I found surprising, 42.7% from the three-point line alone. Then Dick’s name began appearing on mock draft sites, like a snowball rolling downhill his stock continue to rise among NBA scouts. Now Dick is listed on most mock sites, in several he’s listed as a lottery pick. This is what I uncovered in four mock sites, two of them place Dick at 12 one had him at 8 and the last one at 5. Don’t be surprised to hear the commissioner announce his name in the June draft.

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Yes, another reference to the 1966 Western Classic starring Clint Eastwood. Of course this version is set in the west, but it involves Lakers rather than cowboys as it’s subject. The Good, this new lineup including LeBron played the Pelicans on Wednesday evening. I realize the Pelicans are a good team but let’s be real, they are not an elite NBA team. Truth is with the exception of LeBron and AD this was not the Laker team of last October. They shot the ball with precision and played tough hard-nosed defense on the Pelican leading to a 120-102 victory. The Bad, reports are circulating there is trouble brewing between LeBron and AD…not a good sign if this is true.

The Ugly, you should have figured that out without my help although there might be an A. and B. We begin with A., picking up Patrick Beverley to a team featuring Russell Westbrook is a “oil and water” mixture. There are reports the two were responsible for some of the discourse that existed with the team. The portion of this story most confusing to me, why management decided to trade for a player (Beverley) with an adversarial relationship to another is a head scratcher. B. is AD, last year if you asked me about trading him, I would have screamed loudly NO…NO! I am now taking a different approach to a possible trade, AD despite his talent has been so fragile the last two seasons I’m unsure how valued a player he might be. If the Lakers decide to trade him in the off season, I’d have no issue depending on what the Lakers receive in return.

There are no super teams

Generally by February we are accustomed to seeing a “Super Team” in college basketball. In the past it’s been Kentucky, Kansas, Gonzaga, North Carolina or Duke. The 2022-23 season has seen several teams occupy the top spot at least in the polls. They are number one for a week or so and a rival knocks them off their perch. Who’s spent time at the top, you can lose count if you were to begin. The pre-season polls placed the Tarheels of North Carolina in the number one slot. We are in week 15 and Carolina is not in the Top 25, can you believe that?

By week 7 the Purdue Boilermakers had risen to number one, but they wouldn’t remain either. Week 15 placed Alabama in the top slot however we have an issue there. The Crimson Tide was beaten on Wednesday night by Tennessee. In all likelihood come Monday there will be a new number one team. The point I’m trying to make is simple for the first time in several years we have no super teams. The NCAA Champion in April will probably be decided by the last team standing, at this point that team remains an unknown. It would be foolish on my part to even project a winner even once the NCAA tourney begins, stay tuned for further developments.

Depends on your perspective

As professional sports have added teams over the years the seasons been extended. In this instance the local radio guy is entitled to his opinion but allow me to share it with you. He’s talking to a college basketball media member, this host says “It might be better if the college (or NBA) started after the first of the year. I have been so focused on the Chiefs and their continuing deep playoff runs that I hardly have time for basketball” or similar words. Let’s check some facts regarding his statement, once upon a time the NFL regular season ended around the Christmas date December 25.

The Super Bowl was played in the middle of January, that was then this is now. NFL expansion and added games to the schedule now sees the Super Bowl played in the middle of February. This is what I see wrong with his view, it’s my belief (I could be wrong) college basketball (or NBA) fans are paying attention to their sport. They are only partially affected by the stretched NFL schedule. If we are talking infringement how about the NFL, once upon a time December 25 was exclusively the NBA’s, the NFL now schedules games on that date as well. As I begin this rant, this is a non-issue in some circles. I would like to remind this radio guy from a basketball guy there are no issues however it depends on your perspective.

Is this possible…yes, it is

With LeBron James breaking the NBA’s point total it produced an interesting bit of trivia. Of course LeBron at 38 years of age continues to play, Kareem Abdul Jabbar retired in 1989. LeBron was drafted in 2003, that’s 14 years difference between 1989 and 2003 yet there are former players who have a connection. 7 players competed against Kareem Abdul Jabbar and LeBron James, behind their names are the NBA years:

Reggie Miller 1987-2005

Kevin Willis 1984-2007

Olden Polynice 1986-2006

Horace Grant 1987-2004

Mark Jackson 1987-2004

Avery Johnson 1988-2004

Rod Strickland 1988-2005

The number of games played against Abdul Jabbar or James is unknown without a greater amount of research. As you can see most were in the early stages of their NBA careers and retired one to 7 years after James begin play in the NBA. No need of remembering all the names but I bet you can beat many of your friends with this trivia.

The changed landscape 

College recruiting has totally changed, in this instance I’m going to discuss a few subjects. The first is the transfer portal, players desiring to transfer are no longer required to sit out a semester. A player leaving a program in the spring semester can play for his new team in the fall, that’s a good thing. To detail for you before this rule was changed this represents an actual incident. Two players were transferring to Mizzou one was okay to play in the fall the other was required to sit out the semester.

Despite an appeal the NCAA remained firm in their ruling. Why a transfer was okay in one instance and not in the other was never fully explained. Next, we have Name, Image and Likeness or NIL is now in place across the nation, there are several players earning large sums of money while students, that’s a good thing. The part I find most interesting the naysayers. You heard them didn’t you, “It will ruin the game” is their cry. I say you must arrive there first before deciding it won’t work.