Published Daily  

Basketball from a fans perspective

Khan  

If you are a Trekkie, you are familiar with the name Khan; Khan was the arch adversary of Star Trek’s Captain Kirk. While plotting his revenge against Kirk he was heard to utter this sentence, “Revenge is a dish that is best served cold? It is very cold…in space.” Remember the words of Patrick Beverley late of the Lakers now playing for the Bulls? He said and I paraphrase he would ensure the Lakers fail to make the playoffs.

Guess what, they might not earn a playoff berth however based on Beverley’s recent showing…well. In the Lakers 121-110 win over the Bulls this was the box for Mr. Beverley. He was 0 for 5 from the floor, 0 for 5 from three for 0 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. To top it off Laker guard Austin Reaves mimicked the gesture Beverley had done on Sunday after Beverley sunk a basket over LeBron. The 6 foot 5 Reaves took the shot and sunk the basket over the 6 foot 2 Beverley. It might have been a friendly gesture by Reaves toward Beverley but you know for sure I didn’t take it in that manner.

The NBA Draft

Over the last few days a number of underclassmen have declared for the NBA Draft. For the most part the names were expected, however one was a surprise although it might have been predictable. Markquis Nowell, point guard for Kansas State announced he was declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft. He played a steady game all season long but he especially came to the forefront during the NCAA Tournament, is he a legitimate NBA prospect?

Allow me to say I’m unsure, however nobody would question his desire. There is no doubt he is the smallest athlete in this draft, I know that without checking anyone’s stats, Nowell is 5 ft 8 inches and 160 pounds. I’ve made this statement in the past but its worth repeating, “A Big Man must prove he can’t play while a little man must prove he can.” I said this previously and it too is worth repeating, Nowell could duplicate what Austin Reaves did two years ago. Not wanting to be drafted by what he considered the wrong team Reaves said essentially “Don’t draft me.” Reaves preferred to choose his team rather than the other way around signing with the Lakers as a free agent.

It’s all critical

We have no issue discussing an athletes physical issues, what about his mental issues? Somehow anytime the subject of mental health is discussed we tend to skip over the topic. That might occur elsewhere, not here. Veteran Andre Drummond Bulls Center announced he was deleting his social media apps to focus on his mental health. Coach Billy Donovan ruled him out of Tuesday evenings game. Allow me to state at this point I have no expertise in the field of mental health.

His teammate DeMar DeRozan has gone on record indicating he suffers from depression and mental health issues. Somehow, we have a mistaken belief “That’s somebody else’s problem” or “It’s easy to pull out of it.” Both statements are far from the truth. My research indicates over time there have been 5 NBA players who committed suicide. John Wall admitted he considered suicide over the last three years dealing with family and his own health issues so the issue is certainly real. So there are terms we use in jest (I’m not going to name them) we should cease using.

McDonald’s

In this instance we are discussing the game and not the restaurant. My question is why vitriol is aimed at a 17-year-old kid. I can’t figure it out except perhaps it’s the father who is actually the target. It began when Bronny James was named a McDonald’s All American, “His father got him on the team” or other similar words were read by me and others regarding his inclusion to the team. Then it began in earnest when Bronny James’ photo was placed next to the write-up about the game over DJ Wagner. Letter after letter came pouring in despite an exceptional 15 points on 5 for 8 shooting from three.

Unfortunately Bronny shares the same fate of the Ball brothers, a large segment hate the father so the son becomes a target. As for Bronny’s selection as a McDonald’s All American I will forever remember the words of Shaquille O’Neal. The NBA in selecting its 50^th Anniversary team included Shaq’s name. This was the response by one media member, “How can you be included on this anniversary team when you’ve only been in the NBA 3 (or 4) years. Shaq said and I quote, “I didn’t vote for myself to be placed on the team.” Whatever the future holds for Bronny we’ll soon find out whatever he decides, will it be college or pro basketball in the G-League or maybe Australia. 

Prove it to me

Are the Clippers legitimate contenders for the NBA Championship this season? Unless I see something different, I’m going to answer in the negative. There was no Kawhi Leonard In 2021-22 the best the Clippers could hope for was a playoff berth, this season is far different. I continue to hear from TV guys who announce on a daily basis “how talented this team is.” My response is simple all the talent in the world fails to advance your team without the intangibles. What are the intangibles, they are whatever that team be it the Clippers or some other to succeed at the highest level. This team built to win an NBA Championship has fallen short since the time Doc Rivers led them and he’s been gone going on three years now.

Some of you might conclude “What should I expect from a Laker fan?” You might believe I’ve got a vendetta against the Clippers but that is not the case, there is an internal problem which cannot be fully detailed. If we look at Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, they have been in and out of the lineup for extended periods of time with the Clippers, this hasn’t aided the cause one bit. The Clippers will earn a playoff spot this season beyond that is an unknown. In any event the window might be gradually closing for them. The two anchors on the team Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are 32 and 31 years old now and both have injury histories. The window for top notch play begins to wane for athletes as they age, LeBron James is an exception.