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Basketball from a fans perspective

Don’t slay the messenger

Many of you understand the meaning of the headline as for others, it simply states one might deliver information which a portion reading or hearing it might not be pleased. That is the case here but that comes later. I’m unsure if I missed this maybe so, in any event new Laker Rui Hachimura was in the starting lineup on Tuesday. The Lakers faced the Knicks in MSG and the place looked packed. Short version, the Lakers were able to come away with a 129-123 OT win. LeBron James led the way with a triple double 28 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. AD was right behind him scoring 27 points along with 9 rebounds. 

As for Hachimura he contributed 19 points and 9 rebounds while shooting 66.7% from the floor and 50% from three. The only negative on his part, free throw shooting. Despite being a 76.8% shooter for his career Hachimura only shot 50%, oh well you can’t be perfect. What I found interesting when he was drafted in 2019, I don’t remember it being a big deal in Japan. Evidently the trade to the Lakers must have been really big in his home country, I’m unsure if it was a streaming service or what. It was reported the system crashed in Japan as large portions of the nation wanted to see Hachimura’s first game as a Laker. No disrespect toward the Wizards but this trade appears more important to Japanese citizens than Hachimura simply being drafted. Just sayin’, I have no method to qualify my statement as truth.

Are you superstitious

In this modern age few of us will admit they are superstitious; this account is partially based on a conversation with my wife. She looked at the cup containing my morning coffee, her words; “You and that cup.”  That’s stuff of the past, after all we are in the 21^st Century. Those types of beliefs belong in the Middle Ages, if not then at least the 19^th or early 20^th Century. Nobody is superstitious anymore well maybe; they still persist and I’m reluctant to admit it I am one who practices superstitions to a degree. I’m not talking about a Friday the 13 or the number 13 in general. This is not walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror or having a black cat crossing your path.

Those above are but a few superstitions I’ve either read about or had family members who practiced them. Statement of fact it should make sense to not walk under a ladder of someone working above your head. My superstitions are sports related allow me to point out just a few examples. The coffee mug my wife mentioned at the beginning of this account cup remains clean and, in the cupboard, unless. The unless part, the Lakers must have won the previous night or afternoon. It’s an NBA World Champion cup from 2020, doesn’t mean a darn thing just me. Want more, this only applies about half the time. Whenever the Lakers, Mizzou or the Chiefs play I will usually wear appropriate apparel. This includes logo baseball caps as well when venturing outdoors. So there you have it my sports superstitions, do you have any?

Upcoming key dates

There are dates involving the NBA you need to note on your calendar. As you are aware almost immediately as the college season concludes players decide if they are going to return to school or submit their name for the NBA draft. The first date of note is the deadline for early entry, this is roughly 60 days prior to the draft, it’s April 23, 2023. Almost a month later in May the draft lottery is held and that’s where we discover the destination for Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson. A yet to be announced date, the NBA draft combine will be held in Chicago.

The May event will see a number of prospects have an opportunity to be seen and analyzed by a collection of team scouts and management. During the combine players are run through a series of drills to determine their agility, strength and other intangibles. Over the past 2-3 years fewer athletes projected as top draft picks have participated in the combine. All is not lost however, if a prospect doesn’t receive positive feedback or something else occurs, he can withdraw his name, but this must be completed by June 12. The culmination of all these moves or potential moves is the NBA draft which will be held the evening of June 23 at the home of the Brooklyn Nets Barclays Center.

I’m glad we didn’t have to play them

The recently concluded Big XII/SEC weekend saw Mizzou easily defeat Iowa State then ranked number 12. Kansas State beat Florida 64-50 and this is what a member of Mizzou Nation told me. “I’m glad we didn’t have to play them,” a reference to playing Kansas State. Jerome Tang has done wonders in a short space of time with the basketball program in Manhattan. Just to prove how tricky games can turn out, Kansas State faced Iowa State on January 24 and lost to them 80-76. The game was played at Hilton Coliseum but that alone is an interesting fact since Mizzou blew out Iowa State immediately thereafter. In any event let’s check out the Wildcats and Jerome Tang. You remember Keyontae Johnson don’t you, he played last season at Florida but suffered a medical emergency.

This from Wikipedia, “On December 12, 2020, Johnson collapsed on the court in a game at Florida State. When he arrived at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, doctors assessed him to be in critical, but stable condition. After three days in a medical induced coma at Tallahassee Memorial, Johnson was taken back to Gainesville, Florida for further treatment.” In May he entered the transfer portal and in August Johnson committed to Kansas State. It’s not just Johnson, the diminutive Markquis Nowell has also been a valuable contributor to the success of Kansas State. The 5-foot 8-inch Nowell from Harlem leads the Big XII in assists at 8.2. He’s got a little scoring punch too at 16.9 points a game. As this is written the Wildcats are in a 3-way tie for first place in the Big XII and none of the three are the Kansas Jayhawks.