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Basketball from a fans perspective

It’s been a good run

You live by the jump shot and you die by the jump shot, the old adage continues to apply. Mizzou couldn’t put the ball in the basket all afternoon and early evening. Princeton didn’t actually shoot that well, but they were good enough to beat these, Tigers 78-63. Those of us in Mizzou Nation now must look forward to August 2023 and the incoming class. This will not be an unknown this time, we are familiar with Dennis Gates, and this is what I expect next season.

A better rebounding Mizzou team and less emphasis on shooting from three. They are likely going to continue to attack the opposition with a pressing style defense. There are plenty of unknowns, they have a number of seniors but there is a belief several will return in the fall. This will still provide Mizzou with a veteran presence on the court. I have a fellow Mizzou friend, and this was his statement to me, “I don’t have the patience for freshmen to develop.” He is probably looking at the transfer portal and as we have seen not only at Mizzou and other locations the portal works. Despite the Saturday outcome the disappointment should soon leave.

Health

As humans we are generally concerned about our health especially when there appears a medical irregularity. As most are aware Kansas coach Bill Self has dealt with a recent health issue. This is written ahead of the Kansas-Arkansas game, the news is full of will he or won’t he. You will read this after we discover if Bill Self coached the Jayhawks yesterday or not. Your health is nothing to mess with especially since it appears this is heart related.

It would seem Self is sitting on top of the world based on his past coaching record. There is a factor we have no idea, that is the stress this job entails over time. It is important Self is able to return coaching the Jayhawks however his health is the prime consideration. Norm Roberts has served as an assistant for a number of years, he’s not a clone of Self but certainly has an idea what the head coach desires. The stakes are certainly higher however the head coach was on the sidelines for 7 games they lost this season. My final word…listen to the medical team, if they indicate it’s okay to coach so be it.

Victor Wembanyama

This is a different story on the French teen phenom or alien as LeBron calls him. We have a lottery in place to determine the top pick, ping pong balls placed in a hopper to govern the order of selection of a prospect. There is one other area to consider, teams making trades and giving up draft choices. That’s what occurred for the Lakers in acquiring Anthony Davis, they surrendered their first-round draft choice in the 2023 NBA Draft. Based on the Lakers stumbling out of the blocks and playing subpar basketball for much of the early season up till the All-Star break. It appeared the Pelicans might have an opportunity to draft Wembanyama due to the position of the Lakers. Of course this was not set in stone the Pelicans would have won the lottery first, but the possibility certainly existed.

After the All-Star break thanks to a few trades the Lakers have played improved basketball, on the other hand the reverse has occurred for the Pelicans. With Zion Williamson out at times and injuries to others the Lakers have passed them in the standings. Before you read something into this that is not there allow clarification. The Lakers might still miss the playoffs, they must still surrender the draft choice but there is a difference. As mentioned at the top unless the Pelicans lose the balance of their games it’s unlikely, they would have enough ping pong balls to change the outcome. There are doubts in my mind if Wembanyama would be available once we are past the third pick. At one time it appeared the Lakers might be giving the Pelicans the opportunity to draft Wembanyama but not now.

The Knicks are for real

Saturday’s game became win number 42 for the Knicks as they beat the Nuggets 116-110. In addition to solidifying their playoff position they have now won more games than any Knicks team dating back to 2012-13 season. Acquiring free agent Jalen Brunson has been key to the success however as you know basketball is a team game. The usual suspects Julius Randle and RJ Barrett have also been key contributors to better play this season.

Jason Hart and Emanuel Quickley have been valued reserves, Quickley stepped in while Brunson was out and provided valuable scoring and leadership. I don’t believe this Knicks team is equipped to compete for an NBA Championship, but next season might be a different story. While applauding the team I cannot overlook the coach, Tom Thibodeau has done a magnificent job providing leadership. The only negative is center Mitchell Robinson, the Big Man indicates he’d like to be involved more in the team’s offense. Other than this issue it appears the Knicks are prepared for success now and into the future.

Bits n Pieces 

We discuss upsets in the NCAA Tournament but is there really such a thing? This was the topic for a sports radio talk guy recently, he said “Upsets in the NCAA Tournament no longer exist.” He went on to explain the basis for his reasoning and I tend to agree. This 2023 tournament has witnessed team after team (other than my Mizzou Tigers) losing to a team with a higher seed. There is no single explanation except this one, parity. Talk all you want about Fairleigh Dickinson or Furman being mid-majors, they no longer exist. Let me not mislead, there are conferences that are tougher than others. As for the teams in a single elimination tournament not so much. I certainly am in no position to tell you to quit using the term an upset it’s just that I’m unsure it exists anymore.  

I have no vote in the MVP voting, last season I pronounced Joel Embiid MVP. Of course you realize he didn’t win, do I dare repeat my statement of last season….yes  I will. He is the 2023 NBA MVP, and his numbers speak volumes. For the last 10 games check this out, Embiid’s shot 60% from the floor. Almost 46% of that from the 3-point line this for a 7-foot Big Man. Part of that number included 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 block shots while averaging 35.7 points per game. Fans of the Joker are going to claim his numbers are comparable, I’m not going to argue that. I still believe Joel Embiid is this seasons NBA MVP.  

Stanford is The Cardinal, without checking I’m guessing it’s the bird. I have a question for you, we’ve seen a number of mascots NBA and college, but have we ever seen a tree? The information I located on the net claims the school doesn’t have an official mascot. If that’s the case, why do we see a student dressed as a “tree” on the sidelines at football and basketball games?