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Basketball from a fans perspective

1985 all over again

It begins again, what are you asking…conspiracy theorists have surfaced once again. As for the headline in 1985 the Knicks were terrible, Patrick Ewing at Georgetown was the best college prospect available. Even more interesting Ewing had been in Madison Square Garden numerous times playing St. John’s. Back then the draft lottery was conducted somewhat differently than what was witnessed on Tuesday. The shorten version Knicks general manager Dave DeBusschere pulled out the envelope that turned out to be Patrick Ewing. It didn’t end there despite a Hall of Fame career by Ewing however the Knicks never were able to win a championship. As for the conspiracy since the hopper incident two stories have swirled around that draft. The first account says this, the card DeBusschere pulled out had been placed in a refrigerator/freezer therefore it was colder than the others allowing DeBusschere to “separate it”. 

The second story indicates a corner of the card was bent slightly making it different from the others, that was then this is now. We are hearing stories the NBA directed Victor Wembanyama to the Spurs, as evidence they produced a photo of the wall painting with him in a Spurs jersey a couple of months ago. Tony Parker who once played for the Spurs has been "scouting" this youngster since he was a pre-teen, he's done nothing but sing his praises. On Thursday after the draft lottery this same Parker circulates a photo of a pre-teen Wemby in a Spurs jersey. There are probably more stories circulating about the 2023 lottery these are but the first three of note. Back to the Ewing draft a moment, do you realize the conspiracy story is still circulating 38 years later, I would suppose in 2061 there will likely be continued conspiracy discussions and arguments regarding the 2023 Draft Lottery.  

Wanna be gangster

This is written strictly from a point of speculation; Ja Morant is not a gangster. Despite my statement Morant appears to believe that he is. I heard someone say, “This time it’s different his partner released the Instagram video.” That is true, however one should be careful who they hang out with. It’s my belief the entourage surrounding Allen Iverson influenced him in a negative manner but that’s another story. I continue to read and hear stories on Morant’s intelligence, evidently that might not be quite true.

If for example you repeat the same action we might consider the first time an accident, the second time no matter if it was a friend involved, it was intentional. All this after meeting with the commissioner less than two months ago and undergoing therapy. Everyone is offering their belief in the pending suspension so I intend to weigh in too. Considering this is a second offense coming after meeting with the commissioner and undergoing therapy. The suspension will not be yearlong as some have suggested, it won’t be as little as 8 games. Morant will be sidelined a minimum of 12 games and a maximum of 30. There is one other issue to consider, the endorsement deals Morant has in place could possibly "go away" depending on the commissioner's decision...we shall see what prevails. 

I wonder

This is speculation based on news reports, it cannot be documented. James Harden of the Sixers will become a free agent this summer. There are reports indicating he intends to opt out of his $30.6 million contract. The question for you to decide, you are general manager of XYZ NBA team do you sign Harden for the remainder of his career? Harden will turn 34-years old (August) by the time the 2023-24 NBA season begins. If we check his regular season numbers, they appear steady and in line with those of the past.

As for the playoffs we saw a different James Hardin in action except in a few instances. In 11 games Harden shot 39% from the floor and 37% from three, his rebounds and assists were good as his 20.3 points per game average. At Harden’s age do you offer a reward signing him to what amounts to a lifetime contract? My concern would be his Game 7 performance against the Celtics where he all but disappeared, Hardin played one of the poorest games of his NBA career. In 41 minutes of action he was 3 for 11 from the floor, scoring a total of 9 points along with 5 TO’s.

Something to consider

This might be a reach on my part, the only reason I’m posing the question is because I read an account recently. A sports website claimed there might be underlying reasons for the Warriors early season conclusion. Before it’s discussed it allow me to say I thought about it but certainly made no comment until now. The Warriors Jordan Poole had an up and down regular season and all but disappeared in the playoffs. What occurred with this apparently talented shooter?

Was it the Draymond Green factor that caused the downturn in Poole’s play? You remember what occurred early in the season, Poole was “sucker punched” by Green. Could A single incident especially early in the season have that kind of effect. How about the personal issues Andrew Wiggins dealt with for an extended portion of the season, did that upset the Warrior season too? There is much debate since the Lakers beat the Warriors, several are claiming Dub dynasty might be over and done with. These are probably two of the keys which resulted in the early conclusion of the season.

It’s ain’t over till it’s over

Mackenzie Mgbako was rated the number 9 prospect in the Class of 2023 by Rivals. This 5-star small forward is 6 foot 8 and 185 pounds and much earlier committed to Duke. Mgbako would change his mind on Duke and considered another school to attend. Opening his commitment, a host of schools began actively recruiting Mgbako again. Finally the news indicated he’d reduced the count to a small number of schools, he would decide between Indiana and Kansas as his choice. Several of the Kansas faithful believed this highly touted prospect was headed to Lawrence Kansas to play for Bill Self.

If you check the Rivals site their FutureCast projected it was a 63% probability he would choose Kansas. Fans even weighed in claiming a lower percentage (45%) but also believed Mgbako would be playing for Self. On May 12, he made it official, his school of choice would be the University of Indiana and play for coach Mike Woodson. This certainly wasn’t a case of picking the nearest school, Mgbako is from Roselle New Jersey part of the New York City metro. I guess technically speaking Bloomington Indiana is nearer home than Lawrence Kansas. In any event as for the recruiting thing, it ain’t over till it’s over. Keep in mind no one associated with the program promised Mgbako would chose Kansas over Indiana.