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Basketball from a fans perspective

Sometimes it’s over before it begins

There are no highlights only lowlights, Mizzou was taken apart and spanked soundly by the Auburn Tigers 89-56. You name an area Auburn didn’t lead in, I check the box score and I didn’t see one. They ran around and over the top of my Tigers as Mizzou suffered its worst loss of the season. DeAndre Gholston led the way with 10 points, yes, I said 10. He was assisted by Kobe Brown who scored but 7 and several others also with 7, it’s easy to understand when you only shoot 31% from the floor as a team and 23% from three. Enough of that I can only look ahead to Texas A&M on Saturday.

Black History Moment

Despite the perception the NBA which was founded in 1946 did not have its first black player Chuck Cooper until 1950 after the merger. There was a league that went against the segregation pattern of America in the 1940’s. The National Basketball League was founded in 1937 and at a point in time contained 38 teams. The NBL would merge with the Basketball Association of America in 1949 thus becoming the National Basketball Association. While the BAA was made up largely of white players the NBL had broken ground in the area of integration years before. Perhaps it was World War II or something else that caused a change, but it occurred.

The 1942-43 season saw NBL rosters containing black players unheard of at the time. The Toledo (OH) White Chevrolets and the Chicago Studebakers (named after an automobile of the era) filled their rosters with black players, but it wouldn’t last. These NBL teams went out of business due to financial issues, keep in mind Jackie Robinson wouldn’t break the color barrier in baseball until 1947. By the time the NBL and BAA merged the majority of NBL teams had ceased operations. Although it was brief and only a blip on society at the time basketball opened to black players at an earlier date than the national pastime…baseball. Even more interesting the early NFL allowed black players but banned them beginning in 1933 and lasted until 1946.

The deed has been accomplished

LeBron James broke the point total scoring record established by Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 1984. At the time the record was set few believed anyone was capable of exceeding it yet 39 years later it’s been accomplished. With LeBron continuing his NBA career we might ask the question will his point total ever be exceeded. This is interesting and noteworthy; as mentioned the record was broken April 5, 1984. Later on in late winter December 30 to be exact in an Akron Ohio hospital LeBron James was born.

The question for you, similar to the Roger Maris American League home run record established in 1961 we thought it would never be broken. Over the years a number of players have approached it, but it took the Yankees Aaron Judge to break it in 2022 with 62. Perhaps he’s just been born or maybe a year or two from now. An NBA player will someday establish a new point total exceeding that of LeBron James. I managed to shock my wife unintentionally, I will explain. She saw a report on breaking the record and said, “he’s the best.” I said not necessarily so, in my opinion it’s still Kareem Abdul Jabbar for me.

Second round pick you say

Generally we are more interested in the lottery portion of the NBA draft than any other part. We believe there is potential star power in the early first round but there is more. A number of outstanding NBA players made it as second round draft choices. That says there are likely 30 players who possess superior talent but that’s not always the case, let’s check out a current number:

Nikola “The Joker” Jokic-Nuggets Round 2 pick 41

Khris Middleton Bucks-Round 2 pick 39

Draymond Green Warriors-Round 2 pick 35

Jordan Clarkson Jazz-Round 2 pick 46

Jalen Brunson Knicks-Round 2 pick 33

Malcom Brogdon Celtics-Round 2 36 NBA Rookie of the Year in 2017

Those are but a few second-round picks with careers beyond what might have been thought when first drafted. I’m sure there are others this was a quick internet search. If we returned to the past, we might locate a few Hall of Fame players. It’s unbelievable to think of the Knicks Willis Reed as a second-round pick, there were a smaller number of NBA teams in 1964 but he wouldn’t be picked before 10 other players were chosen. How about the rebounding machine Dennis Rodman drafted by the Pistons in round 2 with pick 27. I will close with the guy who brought the Euro step to the NBA Manu Ginobili, he was pick 57 in the second round of the 1999 draft. Three more selections and he would have missed the draft completely. Reed, Rodman and Ginobili all in the Naismith Hall of Fame, can I say it’s not where you started but where you ended.

He was ahead of his time

If you are a student of the game the name Pete Maravich is known to you. Maravich with the floppy socks was ahead of his time. Unless you were seeing the Globetrotters in action those of the era were unaccustomed to seeing play of that type on college basketball court and by a white guy with flashy Globetrotter moves. This was basketball in the mid to late ‘60’s, nobody handled and passed a basketball like Maravich except the Globetrotters I said that earlier. It was not just slick passes for assists he could score as well, from 1967 through 1970 he was the offense for LSU basketball. Consider this fact, 3,667 points and a 44.2 per game scoring average and this was done in only three years.

We must take into consideration at that time first year students were restricted to freshman teams. Drafted by the Hawks his NBA career was not as noteworthy but there were explanations. His flashy style of play plus his large contract as a rookie created difficulties with teammates. In the 1977-78 season Maravich begin to experience knee problems which impacted his career until the end. He would end his playing career after the 1980 season after 10 years, January 5, 1988, playing a pickup game Maravich suffered a fatal heart attack. After his death Maravich was enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. Pete Maravich, light years ahead of his time with the basketball. Check out video of him in action on YouTube.