Published Monday thru Friday    

Basketball from a fans perspective

“Be quick, but don’t hurry”    

 John Wooden 

NBA play

Bet you didn’t realize it, we are almost there…NBA play begins. The exhibition schedule starts on Thursday October 5, the Mavs will play the Wolves in the NBA Abu Dubai Games. On Saturday October 7 play resumes with the Mavs and Wolves, later in the evening the Lakers face the Warriors in San Francisco. Just in case you can’t afford air fare to Abu Dubai (or San Francisco) all three games will be telecast on NBA TV. The games in Abu Dubai are 11:00 a.m. Central Time while Lakers-Warriors is 7:30 p.m. Central. I’m excited for the 2023-24 NBA season to begin especially with the draft choices, free agent signings and trades.

Are the Bucks now favored?  

All summer Dame Lillard was headed to the Heat only it didn’t occur. Wednesday the world was advised he’d been traded to the Bucks, he joins Giannis Antetokounmpo and the others. Naturally a trade of this magnitude contains a bunch of moving parts. This was a three-team trade, Jrue Holiday and DeAndre Ayton are now members of the Blazers along with Toumani Camara and a 2029 unprotected 1st round pick (from MIL) along with unprotected MIL swap rights in 2028 and 2030.

Finally we have Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson moving over to the Suns. I’m not sure how to react to this trade, on the surface it would appear the Bucks have improved but have they really? The Suns are now minus Chris Paul and Ayton have they upgraded? Blazers should be slightly better but I’m unsure if they are able to compete for the Western Conference Championship. To be honest I’m going to be forced to wait until season play before I can begin to attempt to analyze these player moves. 

A television change

Wow, another instance of the “pie” being sliced leaving cable without a piece. We continue to read reports indicating cable subscriptions have continued a downward trend. Perhaps that’s caused many in the NBA community to make changes in their broadcasts. The Jazz in a move similar to the Suns have made a move regarding their television broadcast. The Jazz intend a combo method for fans to view the team’s games, local over the air and streaming.

Jazz games will be available on KJZZ TV and the newly created streaming service Jazz+. According to information released the Jazz will have total control over broadcast. It appears economical with choices, individual games are $5 each, monthly its bumped up to $15.50 a month and yearly $125.50. This is the interesting portion, naturally a change of this magnitude makes for a sharp change in profits. Jazz management indicates they will lose income with this bold change. The Jazz believe this plan will eventually reach a breakeven point and from there derive profits.

Defensive stalwart 

The name Nate Thurmond might not be familiar to some of you, Kareem Abdul Jabbar said this about the late Thurmond. Abdul Jabbar played 20 years in the NBA so I’m setting the stage for you. He said, “Of all the centers I played Nate Thurmond played me the toughest.” Keep in mind Wilt Chamberlain was still playing at the time and it was said “He was the most dominant.” That may well be true but he didn’t defend Abdul Jabbar like Thurmond did. Thurmond at 6 foot 11 and 225 pounds arrived in the NBA in 1963 from Bowling Green University, he was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors with Chamberlain occupying the center position. Chamberlain played center and Thurmond was moved to power forward and was the backup center. A year later a trade saw Chamberlain being sent to the Sixers and Thurmond moved into the position he’d spent his high school years and college play…center.

He would later play for the Bulls and concluded his NBA career with the Cavs. The accolades are too numerous to list them all so just a few will be noted. College and Naismith Basketball Halls of Fame, 7X NBA All Star, selected as a member of the 50Th and 75Th Anniversary NBA team. Although other NBA players later accomplished a quadruple double Thurmond was the first. While a member of the Bulls against the Hawks Thurmond recorded 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots. I forgot to mention Thurmond was on several All-Defensive NBA teams during the course of his career. 1. “NBA All Star center Bob Rule recalled Thurmond blocking six of his seven shots during the first half of their first encounter. After his coach urged him to "Keep putting 'em up. He can't block 'em all," Rule responded "Yeah, well if I hadn't made that layup it would have been all of 'em. By the way it should be of note Thurmond grew up in Akron Ohio long before LeBron James was born.

1.Wikipedia

The SEC

Arkansas received a commitment from a Top 50 Class of 2024 prospect, that’s interesting on several levels. At one time if you said SEC the other side of the conversation might be thinking football. That view is only partially true now, it was once said “There are two seasons, football and spring football” in the SEC. That statement no longer applies to one of the most notable college football conferences in the nation, the SEC continues to play outstanding football however basketball has made tremendous inroads. How has this change been accomplished, there is no one answer but simply put the SEC got tired of Kentucky beating them up every season. For generations Kentucky basketball was at the top of the heap, few SEC teams were able to sustain a challenge to the hierarchy.

This is certainly not in any order but the AD’s of these schools began a search for quality basketball coaches throughout the nation. Calipari might have been the first however winning coaches followed him in the SEC. Rick Barnes, Buzz Williams, Bruce Pearl, Eric Musselman and others arrived boosting the stock of play in the conference. Will Dennis Gates join the group providing an additional enhancement to SEC basketball? All in all the SEC is one of the best basketball conferences in the nation. I make that statement despite the fact the ACC, Big 10 and Big XII receive far more publicity. Practically anytime a conversation is held regarding college basketball those conferences are in the front portion of the dialogue.

Published Monday thru Friday    

Basketball from a fans perspective

“If you see me in a fight with a bear, pray for the bear”    

Kobe Bryant     

Twice in two weeks

I reported Mizzou was hot on the trail for Jayden Quaintance on Wednesday. Despite my best effort I’d lost track of Trent Burns, he’s the 4-star kid from Houston Texas. Burns has offers from a number of schools around the nation including Mizzou. Burns is reported to be 7 feet 3 inches in height but a skinny 210 pounds, there are some who might express concerns regarding his weight, not me. Sports nutritionist are able to design programs to place an athlete on track to add bulk to his or her frame without decreasing speed.

I have no idea what occurs on Friday when Burns makes his commitment known. Earlier I hoped but had no clue if Mizzou would be able to secure a pledge from 5-star prospect Annor Boatang yet it occurred. In this instance there are additional questions, would Burns commit with 7-foot Peyton Marshall already secured and no decision yet from 6-foot 10 center Quaintance?  That question should be addressed today, could lightning strike twice in two weeks for Mizzou? After all there were several Blue Blood programs hoping to gain a commitment from Boatang but lost out to Mizzou. Has it been scientifically proven lightning cannot strike twice near the same location?  

There are exceptions

Magic Johnson has been quite an entrepreneur since his retirement as a player. He owns a dozen 24-Hour Fitness centers, 100+ Starbucks, 30 Burger King Restaurants plus movie theaters and malls. As you might remember he became a part owner of the Lakers but later sold his share of the team in order to become part of the ownership group of the Dodgers in 2012. In July 2023 Magic joined an ownership group which purchased the Commanders from Dan Snyder. So with a stake in major league baseball and the NFL would there be ownership in the NBA again someday?

As for the NBA Magic claims he’s turned down opportunities to purchase the Pistons, Warriors and Hawks in the past. Despite saying NO to the acquisition of other teams there might be an exception, the exception would be a team that’s not currently on the market…maybe. As you might remember I wrote of the strange tale of James Dolan Knicks owner. Dolan sounded as if he was interested in selling the Knicks although it was not a declaration indicating “I’m selling.” On the other hand Magic must have read the comments of Knicks owner James Dolan too. Magic maintains owning the Knicks would be the only team beside the Lakers he would want to own. It must be New York City, Madison Square Garden or something else, the Knicks still retain cachet despite their sometimes-subpar record over the years.

Multiplier dollar effect

This is a term from macroeconomics and the definition says, “The idea that because of the flow of money, an increase in wealth will pass through many hands.” Before I delve into the story allow a pre-story, it was said the NFL draft being held in Kansas City the last part of April 2023 would generate tremendous amounts of revenue for business and the city. A picture of prosperity was projected based on fans from all over the country arriving in Kansas City. Many weeks later we discover the multiplier dollar effect was only partially correct.

Businesses (hotels, bars, restaurants etc.) a short distance from Union Station profited tremendously, the same statement could be made for food truck vendors. Downtown businesses some distance from Union Station indicate they only saw a slight increase in revenue while others claim they actually lost money due to their location being some distance from Union Station. I want to assure you I’m not anti-progress but I prefer a moderate view of projected costs. As citizens we are not privy to all the information we must trust the individuals providing it. 76 Place at Market East is the projected home of the NBA Sixers which has been mentioned in this blog on more than one occasion.

76 Place has a planned opening in September 2031, let’s conduct a dollar and cents view based on information the proponents provided. They indicate the arena will generate “$472 million tax revenue for the State of Pennsylvania.” In addition they claim this project if completed will provide the City of Philadelphia $1 billion annually. One stumbling block still in the way are the merchants of Chinatown, they claim this project will impact businesses in a negative manner. Keep in mind these are projections, it’s probably unfair but we could look at the KC NFL Draft as a barometer.

Blue Blood

The term above is used often to denote a faction of college basketball programs around the nation. These schools have been given this unofficial designation due to the fact they have won several NCAA Championships, who are these Blue Blood programs? Generally they are considered to be UCLA, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina…we might ask can any of these be replaced by others? Maybe not replacement rather inclusion. Fans of the Hoosiers might be upset with this but when was the last time Indiana won it all? The Hoosiers have won 5 NCAA championships over time however the last was 36-years ago.

John Wooden, Lew Alcindor and others will forever be associated with UCLA domination over the landscape. If we checked there are 11 NCAA trophies on UCLA’s resume. There are a record 7 consecutive NCAA championships but the last was won in 1995, 28 years ago. Let’s look at a few schools missing from the list, Duke’s won 5 championships. All the championships won by Duke occurred from 1991 through 2015. How about UConn, all occurred from 1999 through 2023. North Carolina’s won 6 championships, from 1957 through 2017. This is strictly an exercise, it proves nothing but does indicate maybe the term Blue Blood might be expanded to include Duke and UConn as well.

Published Monday thru Friday    

Basketball from a fans perspective

“Being a professional is doing the things you love to do, on the days you don’t feel like doing them.”

Julius “Dr. J.” Erving  

basketballnetwork.net

From time to time I’ve read stories in basketballnetwork.net that have been source material. That ends with this, I will no longer use the site based on the latest account. Here’s what occurred, the .net site used former Celtic Brian Scalabrine as its source for this story. This is the Scalabrine quote, “Kobe Bryant isn’t a Top 10 player all-time.” Those are his words but let’s do a background check. Scalabrine was a second-round draft choice by the Nets in 2001, he played for them along with the Celtics and Bulls.

Scalabrine’s NBA career ended in 2012 with a scoring total of 1,594 points (3.1 ppg) and 1,034 rebounds (2.0). Now some reading this will believe I’m hatin’ on Scalabrine, that is not the case I’m simply trying to point out a fact. Scalabrine was a journeyman player who managed a 12-year career so that portion is a positive. As for his view who might be the best of the best I’m going to say thanks but no thanks. I am going to read from a source other than Scalabrine if I’m considering a Top 10 list. I question why basketballnetwork.net considers this a good account to cover. Well no more from me on anything from this internet site. 

Bits n Pieces

Tennessee is extending head coach Rick Barnes contract through the 2027-28 season. I don’t find that particularly surprising, Barnes continues to turn out winning teams no matter the location. He did it at Texas for 17 years, all the time only one losing season and that was the one they failed to make the NCAA tourney. Yet it always seemed Barnes was in trouble at Texas and I am not exactly sure why. One of the criticisms I believe of Barnes while head coach his teams failed to beat Kansas. That’s really no indication of his coaching ability a great number of schools have faced difficulty beating Kansas over time. As for his measure at Tennessee his teams have earned NCAA berths 5 of the last 6 seasons, the one season missed was the covid year when everything was shut down. Allow me to say this, I don’t know the psyche of Barnes as I do several other coaches. I do believe he’s a winner all we need to do is check his coaching bio.

I’m unsure if this reported earlier however Joel Embiid is now an American citizen. September of 2022 it became official, the Sixers center is an American. Of course interests here want the NBA MVP to play for Team USA in the Paris Olympics in 2024 however that may not occur. Embiid holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and France, and the French want him, Wemby and Rudy Gobert to form an impenetrable front line. That would appear interesting if it would occur however many here want him to play for Team USA. Embiid is similar to many others who hold dual citizenship. Embiid’s been given until the end of October to decide if he wishes to play for France. This is a developing story, I will update when a decision is made.

Maybe he was just plain worn down, who am I talking about? How about new Laker center/power forward Christian Wood. It’s been reported Coach Ham called him daily while Wood remained a free agent. “Are you ready to become a Laker, are you ready”, maybe being bombarded with telephone calls every day may have been the deciding factor. I question if the story is valid however it just might be. If you remember there were at least two other NBA teams that were supposed to be making an attempt to sign Wood. Did Ham’s persistence turn out to be the decider? Was something else the decider, possibly the opportunity to play at home…was it Long Beach calling.

He was rewarded

Back in the day 6- foot 7 170-pound Michael Cooper played a valuable role for the Showtime Lakers. If you look at his career scoring you might laugh, 8.9 points along with 4.2 assists. I once read Celtic great Larry Bird claimed the Laker forward played the toughest defense in the NBA on him. Cooper was the NBA Five times All Defensive First Team and three times All Defensive Second Team, in addition he was 1987 Defensive Player of the Year. Where am I going with this account, its headed toward Laker forward Jarred Vanderbilt.

Acquired at the trade deadline from the Jazz he took on a valued role as a defender, Vanderbilt was one of the keys to the deep playoff run the Lakers made. The Lakers realizing his value signed him to a four year-$48 million contract. Vanderbilt is 24 years old, which says he might be capable of having a long and successful career in Purple and Gold. Was this simply a case of NBA maturity or was it the right team and right time for Vanderbilt to fully display his talent? Drafted by the Magic he would be traded to the Nuggets, from their it was Minnesota and then Utah. It’s clear to all the Lakers believe they have a gem in the 6-foot 8 214-pound power forward. It’s good to score the ball, it might be just as good to keep the other guy from scoring.

It could happen (I hope)

Rivals 5-star prospect Jayden Quaintance is high on Mizzou’s list of prospects and a number of other schools. He was in Columbia to meet with the coach and staff plus tour the campus September 21. Standing 6 foot 10 and 235 pounds and with skill it’s easy to see why a great number of schools around the nation want him to play for them. On the other hand Mizzou’s already received a commit from 7-foot 300-pound Peyton Marshall also in the Class of 2024.

It’s easy to see why Quaintance might choose another school with the number of schools desiring him to play along with the prior Marshall commitment. Let’s suppose despite what appears an impossibility Quaintance decides instead of another school he chooses Mizzou. Could Coach Gates implement a twin tower offense/defense for the Tigers with both in the lineup? There is no announcement yet when a decision will be reached by Quaintance. I know what you are saying “The picture you anticipate will never occur?” I rarely say never, Mizzou Nation could speak this into existence, stand by.

Published Monday thru Friday    

Basketball from a fans perspective

“It’s pathetic if you can’t shoot 70 per cent from the line” 

Rick Barry (89.3 per cent career)

Vegas…

Yesterday you read an account of NBA arenas, planned arenas were also mentioned in the story. You might have noticed Las Vegas was mentioned and that probably caused you to question why. “Las Vegas has no NBA team, why is it included in a list of proposed arenas?” Allow for a quick explanation, the city is on the NBA’s radar for expansion only behind Seattle. There’s been not one shovel of dirt turned over although Tim Leiweke CEO of Oakview Group indicates his company is budgeting $10 billion for an arena, hotel, gaming and entertainment district.

The chief reason I believe this project will be completed is that Leiweke claims Oakview will require no public funds for the project. If you’ve read this blog any length of time you are aware I have issues with billionaire owners asking taxpayers to build palaces for exclusive use of their teams. Anytime I read discussions similar to that of Leiweke I become excited. As for competition can Las Vegas support these franchises. I speak of the NHL Golden Knights, NFL Raiders and maybe major league baseball in the future. I cannot address that question then again it appears Leiweke’s group appears confident in its plan and intends to follow through.

A warning…be carful

You might believe folks giving you advice have your best interest at heart, but do they always? I’m unsure if I mentioned this, shortly after the mid-point of last season the Lakers acquired Jarred Vanderbilt in a trade. At the time I figured it was just a move the team felt was needed, later the 6 foot 8 Vanderbilt proved to be one of the catalyst leading to a deep playoff run by the Lakers. Similar to the role Michael Cooper played with the Showtime Lakers there was little requirement for Vanderbilt to score. He was to provide lockdown defense to the opposition which he accomplished impressively. Over the summer the Lakers offered and Vanderbilt signed a 4-year $48 million contract, this includes a player option in year four.

In conclusion everyone is pleased…well maybe not everyone. Former Laker guard and annoying pest Patrick Beverley began stirring the Kool-Aid without knowing the flavor. Beverley claims Vanderbilt should have waited until next summer when he becomes a free agent, he could have signed a $65 million deal. There are several things wrong with this picture. First of all I would guess consulting with his agent Vanderbilt believed the time was right. The extension is guaranteed, I’d hate to see if occur but what happens if he is injured this season…bye-bye to any contract. Second, Beverley is not in any team’s front office, he’s coming up with a figure that cannot be documented. Third, I’m going to borrow the LaVar Ball line, “Beverley needs to stay in his own lane.” In closing there are reports Vanderbilt is 6 foot 11, he won’t deny nor confirm that to be correct.

What to expect

Colleges have been open about a month, the football season has begun in earnest. Naturally my thoughts are on basketball specifically at Mizzou. The Mizzou website has been updated with photos of all the athletes on the roster and this fan has questions. Last season was a full-blown mystery, Dennis Gates was new, the athletes were new, the offense was new. For the 2023-24 season I can state the only change is the coach, I now have a good idea of the Gates style. As for the athletes this is going to be a mixture, the coaching staff reached out and secured several players in the transfer portal i.e. veteran players. At the same time there are incoming freshman who must adapt to play at the college level. 

The concerning piece, will these moving parts be able to form a cohesive and effective working unit? I certainly am not prepared in September to answer that question. What do I want, an effective Mizzou team able to compete in the tough SEC? Knowing Gates as I believe I know by now they will play defense that’s a recognized fact currently. The one area I need to see improvement more than any is rebounding the basketball. I could return to last season’s stats for proof of that fact but it’s not worth the effort. Let’s just say despite the 25-win season Mizzou often found itself outrebounded in the majority of its games. As for the headline, I expect, no hope the team is competitive in the 2023-24 season. None of the pre-season polls has Mizzou close to being selected for the NCAA Tournament, maybe that’s a good thing in a manner of speaking.

A cryptic statement

Is James Dolan about to divest himself of running the Knicks? As most are aware especially those in the Big Apple a number of Knick fans have been upset with his ownership for years now. For most of us we haven’t heard a great deal from Dolan until his statement of last week. It certainly is dangerous to enter someone’s mind however let’s dissect his comment. “The Knicks and Rangers are near and dear to my heart, I don’t really like owning teams.” He went even further calling team ownership “kinda sleepy,” what the heck is he saying? For those of you who work in the field of economics probably find Dolan’s statement even more confusing.

Although I faced mandatory courses in micro and macroeconomics it was never my strong suit and my work career didn’t call for a heavy emphasis. 1. “In the 24 years that Dolan has been CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports Company, the parent company that owns the Knicks, the Knicks have made the playoffs just eight times, advancing past the first round only three times. They’ve gone on two separate playoff droughts that lasted six and seven years each.” With this sort of history it’s understandable why Dolan might be bored. However much of the Knicks poor play over that period might be blamed on the CEO of MSG. Over the 24 years a parade of head coaches and front office officials have come and gone, I don’t know if this is a fact or not Knicks ownership certainly has appeared chaotic at times. 

1. unknown

Published Monday thru Friday    

Basketball from a fans perspective

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”

Unknown 

I’m fired up again

A disclaimer must always be taken into consideration especially at the amateur level, high school talent adjusting to Division I play is always a question. I present that in front of you prior to the forthcoming information. With that out of the way allow me to inform many of you Dennis Gates and Mizzou received a commitment on Friday. Annor Boateng a 5-star 6-foot 5 wing from Little Rock Arkansas announced he intends to head for Columbia Missouri next fall. To update you Boateng becomes the fourth prospect added to Mizzou’s 2024 commitment list.  In late June and continuing into summer Coach Gates and staff were recruiting.

The coaching staff was rewarded receiving commits from 6 foot 4-point guard T.O. Barnett along with 6 foot-6 forward Marcus Allen plus Peyton Marshall a 7-foot 300-pound post player. As you can see by the headline as a member of Mizzou Nation I’m unsure whether it’s the upcoming season or 2024-25 I’m most excited about. The four are pledged, they are yet to sign and could change their mind between now and graduation. I am going to suppose this time next season all will be in Columbia Missouri. It’s not just me flaunting Mizzou basketball check out these scouting sites. 247Sports.com indicates they now have the top recruited class in the nation while Rivals.com places them at four. On3.com has Mizzou as the number 7 team.  

This is interesting

Late last week current Laker owner Jeanie Buss provided us a degree of insight into an occurrence in the recent past of the team. Few if any of us were aware of the news Jeanie was about to reveal. She indicates her father Jerry told her of this incident. After the 3-peat season in 2003 or 2004 Jerry was offered $1 billion from a prospective buyer for the Lakers. Today with billion-dollar sports palaces and billion-dollar teams it’s not that unusual to read or hear of monetary offers exceeding even that figure.

At that time it was an unheard-of amount for anything connected with sports, according to daughter Jeanie her father’s response was strictly Jerry Buss. She claims he said, “People would ask me what would I do with all that money? The first thing I would do is buy the Lakers.” Two things, either he didn’t inform her where the offer originated or she knows but will not confirm the prospective buyer. As most of you are aware the late Jerry Buss was responsible for much of the success the Lakers experienced during the 1980’s and 1990’s. Buss passed away in 2013 at the age of 80.

Is he on the hot seat

Although Kansas City is home I have a friend with Carolina connections. Truth is he graduated from North Carolina and at one time was president of the Kansas City chapter of Carolina alumni. William is Carolina Blue to the bone so I believe he might not be pleased with the following account. Let’s do a quick history check, Roy Williams, longtime coach retired in 2021. William told me at some point “A coach with Carolina connections would be hired to replace Williams. That would become Hubert Davis, he played for the Tarheels and had an average NBA career. Prior to the start of the 2012-13 Williams hired Davis as an assistant coach and it was assumed he would be the next head coach.

In 2021 the school announced Davis would be hired to assume leadership over the Tarheels basketball program. His first season at the helm saw the Tarheels finish the season with a 29-10 record and were NCAA Division I Runner up. They were the preseason number one team for 2022-23, despite the lofty beginning things didn’t turn out quite as expected. The Tarheels finished the season with a 20-13 record but 7Th place in the ACC, even worst after the preseason selection as the number one team they finished out of the Top 25. The Tarheels became the first pre-season number one team to be omitted from the Top 25 poll in its history. I have no idea who left or who returns, this I believe, there is more expected for Carolina basketball.

I watched the build

Okay I admit it, I’m a manner of speaking I’m a nerd if the term is still in usage. Thanks to YouTube I’ve been able to track the construction progress of the Intuit Dome. For those who might not be familiar with the name this arena will become the home of the Clippers once completed, it’s scheduled to open in the fall of 2024. Thanks to construction cameras and video I’ve watched a number of arena builds in my Kansas City Man Cave. Below are names of the arenas, dates they opened and location:

Amway Center 2010 (Orlando)

Barclays Center 2012 (Brooklyn)

Golden 1 Center 2016 (Sacramento)

Toyota Center 2016 (Houston)

Little Caesars Arena 2017 (Detroit)

Fiserv Forum 2018 (Milwaukee)

Chase Center 2019 (San Francisco)

Intuit Dome planned opening 2024 (Inglewood)

There are arenas to be constructed in Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Las Vegas. Of the four cities named two have possible hurdles in front of them that might impact a start date, they are in  Philadelphia and San Antonio. I’ve mentioned business interest in Philadelphia have voiced strong opposition to the project. In San Antonio the issue of building a new arena have been less vocal although they exist as well.

Published Monday thru Friday    

Basketball from a fans perspective

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”

Michael Jordan 

Sometimes talent is just not enough

How about this story, we have an apparent youthful talented player on our roster. Despite his budding talent trouble with a capital T seems to follow him around. Is he the problem or is it something else, we’ll soon find out? Kevin Porter Jr. of the Rockets was arrested, he’s out on bond as this is written. A week ago he was accused of attacking his girlfriend and allegedly strangulation and assault fracturing her neck in a New York City hotel. As this is written there’s been no word from the NBA however Porter Jr. has a pass history of issues.

It would appear he’s got anger management issues based on incidents since he was drafted in 2021 by the Cavs. One key consideration, Porter Jr. is a member of the Rockets because of a problem with the Cavs who drafted him. I am not in a position to determine the path of the NBA but expect it to be tough. Domestic violence incidents are taken serious in this day and age. Porter Jr. is proof no matter how talented one might be there are conditions in place to ensure continued employment. No matter what the NBA decides it appears Porter Jr. should be required to attend an anger management program. I’m going to follow this developing story and update you just as soon as the outcome is known. 

Free agent

With but a few short weeks ahead before NBA training camps open Michael Carter-Williams remains a free agent. Prior to looking at the present a brief return to his past history to determine the WHY. Back in 2013 this former Syracuse Orangeman was the number 11 pick in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft. Great things were expected from the top point guard in that year’s draft, he was tall (6 foot 5) and had all the tools. That’s the reason the Sixers made him their choice, Carter-Williams would go on to be named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2014. Carter-Williams played 70 games his rookie year, that would be the high-water mark for games played.

The most games was the 54 he played for the Bucks in 2014-15 and the 52 games he played for the Hornets in the 2017-18 season. Moves by Carter-Williams from team to team have witnessed him unable to sustain his health, there has been one injury after another on top of another. After playing in 31 games the prior season for the Magic in 2022-23 Carter-Williams was in action for only 4 games. Despite his apparent talent it’s a simple fact he’s been unable to sustain play for an extended period of time. Carter-Williams certainly is susceptible to injury so that might be the basis for NBA teams unwilling to sign him. Perhaps there is an NBA team somewhere willing to give Carter-Williams a chance to resurrect his NBA career.

“Just when I thought I was out they pull me back in!”

The headline is the declaration by Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in 1990 movie Godfather III. To a degree that’s me, not the organized crime part but I continue to receive reminders of the past. I’m researching material for the blog and I come across a story on Moses Malone. The NBA championship he aided the Sixers to win over my Lakers still pains me but there is more. In 1976 an expansion draft took place and NBA teams chose the remaining ABA players, one of those chosen was Moses Malone. The Kansas City Kings had pick number 3 in the first round in the 1976 draft. The Kings chose a 29-year-old guard by the name of Ron Boone an above average player but he would never reached the heights of Malone.

With pick number 5 the Blazers selected Malone, they had Bill Walton on the roster plus Maurice Lucas so for a strange reason they failed to keep Malone. Malone migrated to the Rockets were he demonstrated his budding talent before eventually aiding the Sixers to an NBA championship. I’m going to do a little revisionist history, maybe the Kings scouting staff was unable to justify selecting the 6-foot 10 215-pound Malone. I make this excuse despite the fact Malone had an outstanding rookie season for the ABA Utah Stars. Surrounded with talent there is no clue how far the Kansas City Kings might have advanced with a 6-foot 10 260-pound Malone in the lineup. The move that didn’t occur may have been a contributing factor to scores of subpar seasons for the Kings in Kansas City.  

Too tight for your britches

You might be thinking, “What the heck are you trying to say with that headline Larry Laker”, allow me to explain. “The word britches comes from a Middle Eastern word breches which means breeches or pants.” What the heck do pants have to do with basketball? I’m going to supply the definition for britches which states it means “conceited, self-important.” That’s a term I’d like to apply to some (not all of my Kansas basketball friends). All these years since Mizzou left the Big XII I’ve tried to mellow my stance anytime the subject comes up. Despite my effort I continue to read letters critical of Mizzou basketball and what’s gotten worst. Because Kansas football has finally turned the corner some in Kansas have begun to try and put down Mizzou football. Well I’ve compiled a little history here as a reminder to them of past failures of Kansas basketball.

This is not all me some parts come from a story ESPN’s Myron Medcalf and his research. Success has occurred in the past on the basketball court at the NCAA level for Kansas but what about the times they came up short? The Jayhawks are the pre-season number one team for the 2023-24 season, in the 2004-05 season the same scenario existed. They were a three seed team in the 2005 tournament yet lost to number 14 Bucknell 64-63. On that team Wayne Siemien was a first team All American and five teammates went on to play in the NBA. Then we had the 2009-10 team, they were even better having 8 players later go on to the NBA. To detail their dominance for you that team was a number one seed and won 27 of their first 28 games. That team would lose in the second round to Northern Iowa 69-67 on a late three-point basket which won the game. No argument on my part, Kansas basketball has been quite successful but not at all times. There are instances in the past where their teams came up woefully short.

Published Monday thru Friday    

Basketball from a fans perspective

“I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success.”   

Kobe Bryant    

Don’t expect instant success

Victor Wembanyama has been front page news in this blog plus 1,001 others print and broadcast outlets since the NBA Draft in June. The 7 foot 4 Wemby will change the NBA we have been led to believe…. whoa hold on a moment folks. He might not be able to play at a high skill level however I seriously doubt that. I hope to not read complaints about his play or lack thereof until his sophomore season. Many in the media are guilty right now, there is no need to wait until the season starts. These media members will line up and in a loud voice complain about the first Wemby missed shot or his first turnover or maybe it might be a free throw. If this appears an excuse so be it, the youngster is only 19 years old.

With that statement I realize Kevin Garnett and LeBron James were near the same age but this is different. All three played the game as youngsters however Garnett and LeBron had a slight advantage over Wemby having played basketball here. Wemby appears quite skillful we need to remind all including media members, give him time to adjust to the swift robust play of the NBA. I certainly don’t pretend to be an expert but point out a matter I’ve read. A few in the media claim there are aspects of Euro basketball much different from the NBA. They claim aspects of the NBA game might actually be better for Wemby than Euro basketball, let’s just say I will wait to determine if that’s true. The truth of the matter there might be a number of Americans more upset with Wemby once they are informed he will be playing for France in the 2024 Olympics.

Bits n Pieces

It’s being reported that the ACC is looking at adding USMA at West Point to the conference, Navy is in the same conference but no mention of Annapolis was mentioned. They do what they must however this would not be a good move in my opinion. Once upon a time the military service academies were close to the same level as North Carolina, Duke and others in football and basketball. For those who believe I’m defaming the Patriot League where Army and Navy reside that is not the case. Let’s be honest there is a difference between the Patriot League and a Power 5 conference. Back in the day the Army produced Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard in football, more recently the Navy had David Robinson playing center for the basketball team. Those days are long gone for all military service academies.

The Maui Invitational will be played this upcoming season, the tournament will be played in Honolulu. For a while many believed the devastating fire that consumed much of Lahaina would force the 2023 tournament to be cancelled. This thought prevailed despite the fact the Lahaina Civic Center was reported to be unaffected by the massive fire. As additional details are known regarding the tournament I will attempt to update you with information.  

That’s quite confusing to me, the statement made by Knicks owner James Dolan. You might remember fans asking him to sell the team were met by MSG security and in some instances escorted out of the arena. Although Dolan claims there is no intention to sell the Knicks (or Rangers) this is what he said. “The Knicks and Rangers are near and dear to my heart, I don’t really like owning teams.” Calling the economics of major league sports kind of sleepy.” Okay Mr. Dolan what are you saying, that statement sounds like you are stating “I love ownership but not the economics.” Is that what you read in the Dolan statement?

Dynamite comes in small packages

The textbook definition of the headline reads: “The character of a person cannot be judged by solely relying on his or her clothing and external appearance.” That should certainly fit Jacob Gilyard, standing 5 foot 9 and 160 pounds it’s likely he had to prove he could play the game. He played high school basketball at The Barstow School in Kansas City (MO), he did not receive any scholarship offers from Power Five schools. Gilyard chose Richmond to begin his collegiate career, this time he probably had to prove himself once again of his basketball talent especially against the opposition.   

Playing point guard for the Spiders Gilyard would become the NCAA Division I all-time steals leader, in addition he was twice NCAA steals leader and Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year. Once again Gilyard was overlooked, in the 2022 NBA draft every team passed on him probably believing he was too small. In September 2022 he signed with the Grizzlies, the following month November 9 he was in the opening night roster for the G-League Memphis Hustle. This past April he signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies where he finished the season. What occurs next month when training camp opens, I only know part of the story? Gilyard will compete for a roster spot, as this is written ESPN’s depth chart places him third behind starter Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose.

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Basketball from a fans perspective

“Confidence is everything in this game, if you don’t think you can, you won’t”

Jerry West 

The Best Player on Planet Earth

Joseph Vincent produced a YouTube video with the title The Best Player on Planet Earth, it was a reference to Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. I didn’t watch Vincent’s video but decided to check some numbers. I’m sure Nuggets fans and maybe others will not be pleased with this next statement. Jokic has one of the weirdest three-point shots in my recent memory, I watched him throughout last season’s playoffs take the shot. Guess what, as unorthodox as the shot looked most of the time he sunk the basket. As proof he shot 38.3% during the season and in the playoffs it was a sizzling 46%.

The 6 foot 11 Jokic rebounded the ball at a 12.7 per game clip during the regular season, in the playoffs he raised it to 13.5. 24.5 points per game average was raised to 30.0 playoff basketball. I’m going to stop with the numbers at this point and say Nikola Jokic is a very good basketball player. Is Jokic the best player on Planet Earth, that’s your call for several reasons? If we look strictly at the numbers and based on two NBA MVP’s (2021, 2022), NBA Finals MVP and a host of other honors I could be persuaded that he’s the best. There are portions of his game plus other NBA players I might have overlooked, what do you think, am I off base?  

Mizzou visits

I’m unsure if this was reported correctly, in this instance I’m discussing a possible error on my part. In any event a portion of this might be a repeat. On September 1 Trent Burns visited Mizzou the facilities and the coaching staff. Burns is a Rivals 4-star prospect attending PSAT Academy in Houston, he’s a 7-foot 2 220-pound post player and a Class of 2024 prospect. I believe the error was the report on Jayden Quaintance, his Mizzou visit is scheduled for Thursday September 21.

Quaintance is a Rivals 5-star prospect and is 6 foot 10 235-pound post player, he attends Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh North Carolina and is also a Class of 2024 prospect. With a commitment from 7-foot 300-pound Peyton Marshall it’s highly unlikely Mizzou manages to secure signatures of Burns and Quaintance. The purpose of the report is to update those who follow Mizzou but might be unaware of the recruiting portion. As I wrote somewhere the State of Missouri was once flyover country, prospects from all around the nation flew over as they made their way to basketball programs in other parts of the nation. I believe that’s now all changed thanks in part to coach Dennis Gates.

Biggest rival

For most in Laker Nation the answer is easy, the team sharing Crypto.com arena with them. Although the Clippers have certainly had a great deal of success the last few seasons Los Angeles remains a Laker town. The Clippers have their share of fans and some of them might believe the Lakers are their biggest rival. Apparently that is not the case for some, one writer in particular claims the rivalry question resides in Boston. The teams faced one another numerous times during the Showtime era, the last few years not so much.

In 2008 the Celtics beat the Lakers to win the NBA Championship. The Lakers won the Western Conference and the championship the next season winning but didn’t face the Celtics, instead they won over the Magic 4 games to 1. In 2019 the Lakers tied the Celtics for the most championships in the NBA, they would face the Heat and won over them for number 17. In the Showtime era of the 1980’s it was almost routine the Lakers won in the west and the Celtics in the east and the two teams would face one another for the NBA Championship. However the rivalry is much older, it goes back to the Celtics of Bill Russell and Sam Jones who would fact the Lakers of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

Two of him

I will make a couple of statements at the beginning of this about Bill Walton. First of all see ESPN’s 30 for 30 video production on his life and career, the visual picture they portray is much better than presented here. Mention his name and those born after 1990 might say, “Isn’t he the college basketball television analyst, you know the one with tie died shirts. He’s always talking about the Rock band the Grateful Dead when not discussing the game, did this guy ever play?” My answer is yes however there is the high school/UCLA version and the Walton who played in the NBA, that’s the problem. With the exception of a few years with the Blazers some unfamiliar with him decide “If Walton played basketball he couldn’t have been very good.” That’s the problem we tend to focus entirely on one’s NBA play to decide if someone can or cannot play the game. Walton led Helix High School in San Diego to 30-0 seasons twice.

In 1969-70 his senior year at Helix Walton averaged 29 points and 25 rebounds. This is a direct quote regarding his days at UCLA, “I was John Wooden’s easiest recruit. I became his worst nightmare. I drove the poor guy to an early death when he was 99.” It was a difficult time while Walton was enrolled at UCLA, the Vietnam war was raging and the civil rights movement was very much in the forefront of the nightly news. Walton was arrested in a demonstration against the war while at UCLA which certainly didn’t endear him to his coach. Despite the bumps in the road at UCLA Walton would go on to be drafted by the Blazers, in 1977 he was the leader as the team won it’s only NBA championship to date. Later he was beset by a series of injuries that curtailed the balance of his career. Despite the injury bug he was named league MVP in 1978 and in 1986 was NBA Sixth Man of the Year while a member of the Celtics. See the ESPN 30 for 30 telecast, there is so much more detail of Bill Walton that anyone born after 1990 is not aware. 

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Basketball from a fans perspective

“Keep practicing. Never let someone tell you you’re too small or too slow.”

Chris Paul 

Winning Time…apparently no more

HBO confirmed Winning Time’s second season concluded on Sunday evening. For those unfamiliar this is the fantasy series detailing the Showtime Lakers of the 1980’s, I’m using the term “fantasy” based on several events. Not a single Laker had anything good to say about the series, in addition Laker owner Jeanie Buss was the only person associated with the team changing her mind. Buss was displeased at first too, she eventually changed her mind. She had pleasant things to say about the production especially John C. Reilly, who portrayed Jerry Buss.

Much later Buss went on record indicating how pleased she was with Hadley Robinson’s depiction of her. Jeff Pearlman, who wrote the book indicated the on-going writers’ strike was responsible for the fact there would be no season three. Despite the view expressed by Pearlman I believe there was more to the story than a writers strike. I expressed this view last season and will repeat it again, editorial liberties were taken by Pearlman in writing the book which became the HBO production. Again to my knowledge other than Jeanie Buss I don’t remember any Laker of the past pleased with Showtime. I could be incorrect on this, I believe the negative opinions expressed by many associated with the team might have been its downfall. This next portion I’m unsure if I covered it, Pearlman pleading for viewers indicating there would be no season three without an increase in viewership.

While researching this story I came across information to share and include. The following numbers cannot be verified although Lynette Rice Deadline.com writing Sept. 17 indicates they are correct. 1. “The August 2023 premier attracted 629,000 viewers, compare that to the 901,000 who tuned in for the first episode in March of 2022.” Although I have no doubt Winning Time had an audience these numbers prove it might not have been substantial enough to maintain production for a third season, that fact alone might have sealed the fate of Winning Time. I repeat my earlier statement, viewing Oppenheimer, Malcom X or Lincoln…. I realize the actors were working from a script, the events detailed was not a word for word detail of the occurrence. In my historical view I’m more concerned about the event itself, why manufacture or embellish portions of the episode to make it more appealing to a television audience?

1.deadline.com Sept. 17, 2023

Teams you love to hate

Friends the title might be a little misleading, let’s just say there are college basketball teams you strongly dislike. Can you name them, maybe in some instances there might be more than one. I once read a true rivalry occurs when one guy beats the other on occasion. It cannot be one-sided despite the length of time teams might have competed against one another. Once upon a time I could state St. John’s and UConn were fierce rivals. I could also make the statement regarding St. John’s and Georgetown. Sharing a border one might believe North Carolina and South Carolina would be rivals despite playing in different conferences. That rival lies in close proximity, it’s the Duke Blue Devils. Looking south we have two teams in the same state but once again different conferences, the University of Florida and Florida State.

In the Midwest portion of the nation we have Michigan-Ohio State along with the Purdue-Indiana rivalry. In Kansas I’m a little unsure, it should be Kansas State although recently Kansas basketball has dominated this rivalry. Kansas generally avoids playing Wichita State for various reasons. It would seem with a common border Iowa State and Arkansas would be rivals for the University of Missouri, it’s not there as far as I can see. Once again different conferences but the rivalry is more Illinois-Missouri than anything. Out west we have UCLA-USC and Oregon-Oregon State. Is there rivalry between New Mexico and New Mexico State, someone needs to answer that question for me. Auburn-Alabama matches have been historical in football, basketball between the schools might reach that pinnacle one day as well. Because this is done from what I think rather than research there might be schools I missed. In addition a number of these mentioned might not be rivals at all with the schools mentioned.

He’s the man

I bet you didn’t realize the NBA is so youthful compared to other major sports. Since 1946 only 5 men have led the BAA which through a merger with the NBL became today’s NBA. What you are about to read is certainly not intended to be complete, it will provide a thumbnail sketch of the occurrences during the period of leadership. Maurice Podoloff was there at the beginning however despite leading the league his title was “president.” In any event while serving as president he was responsible for negotiating the merger between the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League in 1949 were the NBA was born. Podoloff served in the leadership role from 1946-1963, in addition the collegiate draft and 24-second clock originated during his tenure. In 1963 J. Walter Kennedy took over the leadership of the NBA from Podoloff, in 1967 his title was changed from president to commissioner and successors hereafter would be hired under that title.

There were only 8 teams and no national television contract at the time Kennedy became president. By the time he retired in 1975 the NBA had increased to 18 teams and a lucrative television deal was in place. In 1975 Larry O’Brian was hired to succeed Kennedy, the league increased its visibility under O’Brian. The NBA began an arrangement outside broadcast television with cable deal (ESPN & USA). The ABA-NBA expansion (merger) occurred while O’Brian was commissioner and several other noteworthy events occurred. In 1984 David Stern succeeded O’Brian as leader and the NBA began expanding rapidly adding additional teams. Stern was the driving force to ensure the NBA would become an around the world league. It was during his time when international players began arriving in the NBA in numbers. February 1, 2014, Adam Silver was approved to succeed Stern as commissioner of the NBA. I have skimmed over a number of very important events in the leagues history, time and space prevent detailing the story in its entirety.

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Basketball from a fans perspective

"Not only is there more to life than basketball, there's a lot more to basketball than basketball."

Phil Jackson

Change is in the air

Should we suppose the NBA Suns were ahead of the broadcast changes? Back in the spring Suns management announced they would not re-new their television contract with Bally Sports. No further explanation was given for the change or at least that’s what I remember reading, the intent was to make Suns games available on local over the area broadcast systems. Earlier this month we saw the Disney fight with Charter/Spectrum, several channels including ESPN were blacked out. Although ESPN and other affiliated channels are now back on the air changes will be forthcoming.

I’m reading accounts indicating cable systems will be changed significantly over the next few months and years. Sports packaging as it relates to satellite and cable television will change, notice I didn’t say might it will! Back to the Suns, it’s written games will be available on local stations across the State of Arizona owned by Gray Television. As this is written there is no indication how many of these stations exist, in addition to local over the air a streaming service of games will be available through Kiswe. How is this going to work out for fans without cable or satellite…we return to the 1950’s. Suns management is offering free antennas for over the air broadcast of games.

According to news reports the Suns quickly ran out of antennas so we might say on the surface this would appear a good move on the part of the Suns. Management has made the claim Suns broadcast numbers will tripled over the sum of households in the past. I asked the question at the beginning of this account, did Suns management see this broadcast change coming or something else existed? The focus of this discussion centers on the NBA Suns, there is no system in place to reveal how the change in cable/satellite might impact other professional sports.

What about Bob?

No, the headline is not a reference to the 1991 movie starring Bill Murray, it’s a reference to Bob Huggins. He is definitely out but is the fight over? You remember the confusing story, arrested on a DUI “he” faxed in a letter of resignation. Later he claimed his wife had signed the document and he still believed he was head coach of West Virginia basketball. He would sue the university unless they returned him as head basketball coach. The only information I can locate as this is written, 

Attorneys for Huggins and the university are conducting meetings, I have no insight or crystal ball but believe this will likely occur. The parties will come to some sort of a financial arrangement and Huggins will remain on the sidelines. He will not return as head basketball coach at WVU, there is no way that occurs. It’s not only the one issue that impacts a decision there is the homophobic hot mic radio incident that occurred weeks prior to the DUI arrest. I am quite sure there is a basketball program somewhere in the nation willing to hire Huggins. Without providing names I can think of at least two coaches who were hired after questionable conduct issues.

The Spurs home

We’ve covered the effort to build a new Spurs arena, this effort is partially driven by the June draft. Of course you are aware Victor Wembanyama was made the top choice by the Spurs. Looking toward the future entities within the San Antonio/Bexar County government believe now is the time for a new arena. Thanks to a fan who lived there we can return to the past, there have been three arenas serving as home for the Spurs:

HemisFair Arena 1973-1993 This arena only held 10,146 when opened in 1968, by the time the Spurs moved renovations had raised seating to 16,057.

AlamoDome 1993-2002 The arena was actually built for an NFL team that never arrived, based on that fact it contained the largest seating in the NBA. Portions were partitioned off to not make such a cavernous building. Despite “downsizing” the AlamoDome could still host more than 31,000 for basketball. The Spurs returned to the arena for their 50Th Anniversary and more than 68,000 fans attended the game played last January.

SBC Center 2002-2006/AT&T Center 2006-2023 Frost Bank Center 2023-? This is the present home of the Spurs and for the upcoming season will see a name change as the arena becomes the Frost Bank Center. As for the Spurs NBA Championships the first was one in the AlamoDome, the others in the SBC/AT&T Center. We shall see what prevails in the future, will there be a new arena replacing Frost Bank? NOTE: History buffs please take note, from 1978-88 the Detroit Pistons played in a “football stadium” too. The now demolished Silverdome in Pontiac Michigan was also home for the NFL Lions for a time. As for NBA basketball seating was quite huge however it was short of the attendance registered at the AlamoDome.

Mizzou in Da House

I'd mentioned Annor Boateng in an earlier account, he is one of the top prospects in the Class of 2024. Boateng just began his senior year at Central HS in Little Rock Arkansas. He's a 6-foot 5-inch wing and is being recruited by a number of schools. They are Georgia Tech, naturally Arkansas, Auburn, Indiana, LSU Mizzou, Ohio State and Virginia Tech along with several others. What’s different about Boateng besides the number of schools recruiting him?

If you haven’t noticed it yet allow me to clue you in, Mizzou is in contention for Boateng to come play in Columbia. I’ve mentioned this previously but would like to state it again, the State of Missouri is no longer flyover country. Prospects are not flying over or around visiting other programs, they are landing at Columbia Regional Airport to visit the campus and meet Coach Gates and staff. Just in case you wondered once the decision is made there is no guarantee Boateng will decide on Mizzou. It’s just nice to know prized prospects are not overlooking Mizzou any longer.

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Basketball from a fans perspective

Bits n Pieces 

Veteran and future Hall of Fame athlete Chris Paul is now a member of the Golden State Warriors. Both are a surprise, the fact at 38 years of age he will be playing for a new team. The most amazing fact, Paul might become a starter for the Warriors, if that is the case who sits? That would likely be 6-foot 9-inch Kevin Looney but that could present a further problem. There is no argument regarding Warriors shooting but rebounding the basketball might be another matter. We could see the Warriors with the shortest backcourt in the NBA with the 6-foot Paul and Steph Curry at 6 feet 2. I never say never however despite the fact of two future Hall of Fame guards there might be a problem. Will this duo be able to not only rebound but defend with such a “tiny” backcourt? It will be interesting to see how this match works out over the course of the season.

I came across an account which I thought quite interesting, 247Sports.com presented its Top 10 high school basketball players regardless of their class and guess who’s at the top?  In a manner of speaking its really no surprise, they selected 6 foot 8 forward/wing Cooper Flagg. Even more interesting is Flagg’s age, although now a senior at Montverde Academy he will not turn 17 until December 21. This is the part that stood out for me, 1.” In short, it’s the defensive dominance (he’s the best non-7-foot rim protector I’ve ever seen at this age), combined with the offensive progression, killer instinct, intelligence and competitiveness.” I hope this is not a “Emoni Bates” repeat and Flagg is for real, the comparison to Larry Bird is scary for me. There are several in the media sitting the bar a bit too high in my view. 

1. 247Sports.com

A special Happy Birthday greeting to one of my favorite coaches Larry Brown. Although now retired (temporarily) he turned 83 years old yesterday. 3X ABA Coach of the Year, 2001 NBA Coach of the Year, 2004 NBA Champion along with induction into the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. You question why I state the retirement is temporary for Brown. He was working the 2021-22 college basketball season in an advisory role to head coach Penny Hardaway at Memphis. Health concerns caused him to resign in the middle of the season, if his physical condition issues are resolved expect to see him at some basketball stop soon. I say that because basketball is his life, Google his name and note the number of stops he’s made over his career.

How to….

Be informative in describing the game but don’t talk too much. I don’t have the answer however the shorten version of this account is the role of a basketball television analyst.  They are hired due to their expertise and ability to communicate the game to the viewer.  It’s always been my belief a radio analyst requires far more verbal skills than video, it’s obvious the picture.  You might not see the nuances of the game however an untrained eye can see the shot or the pass, blocked shot or TO.  It was said the late Chick Hearn simulcasting Laker games on radio and television was much more descriptive than required for television. 

It was done on purpose the action on the court had to be communicated to those in his audience listening on radio.  We have reached a stage now especially with television, the picture quality is so clear and concise we now see plays our grandfathers and fathers never witnessed.  I believe it’s important for that analyst to highlight areas which they believe are critical for the viewer.  At the same time, its unimportant to talk incessantly as Jeff Van Gundy often does during games.  Don’t get me wrong, I have no doubt of Van Gundy’s basketball knowledge and now I will probably miss him. For me it appears he often go’s on tangents which often have nothing to do with the game in front of us.  Now you ask, could I perform the role of an analyst?  Currently not without a great deal of training and coaching, after that I think I could manage the job.

Who’s record

The scoring of LSU’s "Pistol" Pete Maravich and his scoring prowess is well established. We even detailed for you he is the all-time leading scorer in college basketball history. That statement is only partially correct but not fully, Maravich scored 3,667 points in NCAA Division I basketball. An athlete few remember Travis Grant scored even more, playing for Kentucky State University he scored 4,045 points. Grant was nicknamed "Machine Gun" due to the rapid point totals he registered during the games he played. Perhaps one of the reasons the record is not known by most Kentucky State played at the NAIA level although now the school has moved up to the Division II level.

During Grant’s time at Kentucky State the school won three consecutive NAIA Championships and his scoring was a contributing factor. Grant would be drafted by the Lakers in the 1972 NBA Draft, unfortunately he was unable to transfer the success he achieved at the college level to that of a professional. Grant exited the NBA by 1976 having spent time with three other NBA/ABA teams. There is this to consider, NAIA schools unlike Division I always allowed freshman to play on the varsity. The Maravich scoring represent his point total from his sophomore through senior years. I took this investigation one step further and uncovered this fact. Maravich averaged 39 points a game his freshman year scoring 741 points, which makes for a grand total of 4,408 points he scored at LSU.

What occurs

Anthony Davis has gone on record indicating he is reluctantly playing center, his preference for a position is power forward. As this is written there are reports AD will be the starter but the question might be for how long, I say this since it appears there is now depth at the five? We are 6-8 weeks or so from the start of training camp, even then the question might remain unanswered for a time. Let’s do a quick assessment here, the Lakers now have two veteran post players and one rookie.

There is youth too, the recently acquired Christian Wood (27-years old), 7-foot Jaxson Hayes (23-years old) picked up during the free agent period and 23-year-old 6-11 Colin Castleton. We have been led to believe coach Ham prefers a veteran presence in the post, a rookie is likely to spend the bulk of his season with the South Bay Lakers. Castleton will probably not be involved in play short of injury to one of those mentioned earlier. AD turned 30 years of age in March so he should still have several quality seasons ahead barring injury. We must wait to see how this post position fight turns out.

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Basketball from a fans perspective

The school of his choosing

Over the summer the name Cooper Flagg blew up, the first mention he reclassified and immediately became the top prospect in the Class of 2024. Then the 6-foot 8-inch 195 pound small forward went out and had a terrific game at the legendary Rucker Park in Harlem. His performance brought comparisons to Larry Bird, which I believe is totally unfair to this teen. Scholarship offers were already in place but it’s likely he received a few more after his summer play, he’s enrolled at Montverde Academy in Florida.  

Flagg's mom indicates her son has three schools on the calendar prior to the start of the college season. Flagg will be in Storrs Connecticut home of the NCAA Champion UConn Huskies and meet with Dan Hurley that will occur September 22-24, October 6-8 it’s Lawrence with Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks. October 20-22 Flagg will visit Durham North Carolina home of Duke University and meet with coach Jon Scheyer. Flagg has 8 other schools offering scholarships, which becomes his school of choice? I have no inside information regarding a decision by Flagg but believe he will likely choose the Duke Blue Devils.

Why just the Lakers and not the others?

The NBA finally decided to address the issue of “Load Management” and its effect on the integrity of the game. The Board of Governors voted to levy huge fines on teams who violate the new guidelines regarding resting players. I’m not going to detail line for line of the new policy, it is available for you to check on a number of other sites. This is what I found most interesting one headline announced, “Is this change aimed at the Lakers.” I cannot address that however I make this statement, I’m sure the Lakers will work within the confines of the new guidelines.

This issue of “sitting” players impacts more than the Lakers alone there are certainly other teams and players that will be affected by this new rule. There is a player with a locker on the other side of Crypto.com area who might be in a similar category to LeBron James in supposedly missing games. The issue is understandable from the NBA’s viewpoint, they want LeBron, Steph Curry and others on the floor especially when on the road. Will this new policy change the issue of load management…we must wait and see after the season for a true assessment?  

Not too surprising

This is not intended as a criticism of Shams Charania writer for The Athletic, I enjoy his analysis of the NBA. On September 11 he wrote “expect to see Victor Wembanyama at power forward.” With Spurs training camp 4-6 weeks away this is not exactly shocking news for a number of reasons. Depending on the publication it’s reported Wemby weighs between 210-230 pounds, he’s far too “slight in the pants” to play most opposing NBA centers. Standing 7 foot 4 or 7 foot 5 Wemby should be able to shoot over most power forwards. This is what I expect to occur, opposing power forwards will do a “Kareem” on him.

You are now asking yourself, “What’s a Kareem?” At the time Kareem Abdul Jabbar entered the NBA he was also rather light, he played center (225 pounds or so). Competitors would often attempt to push him outside his comfort zone. This was done most often to force Abdul Jabbar difficulty in shooting his devastating skyhook. Unlike Abdul Jabbar what I’ve seen of Wemby thus far is a much wider arsenal of shots. There is a possibility at some future date he might be able to move into the post although that’s not a guarantee. It just might be best even with a weight game over time power forward might be his best position. Who can really answer the question, I can only speculate since I’m simply a longtime basketball fan.

Take that NCAA

How about this, the Big XII, Big 10 and Big East are discussing a post-season tournament. These conferences are about to throw down the gauntlet so to speak. In this instance this event has nothing to do with the NCAA Championship Tournament already in place, it would be far different. This tournament would be comprised of those who were overlooked or excluded from the March Championship Tournament. There is an immediate downside, if this comes to fruition it might prove the end of the National Invitation Tournament as we know it.

This Madison Square Garden event has been on life-support the last several years as the NCAA Tournament continued to expand. In addition we are aware of NCAA teams being overlooked or just plain excluded from The Big Dance. As an example last season North Carolina (20-13) and Clemson (23-10) along with 20-14 Vanderbilt failed to receive an invitation. I’m not going to detail the nuts and bolts, i.e. the predictor tool used to determine who goes and who remains at home. In this instance I’m looking strictly at a teams won-loss record. My view it’s a good thing although the downside might be no more NIT Tournament which has a rich basketball tradition and history.

Planned new arenas

I’ve mentioned 76 Place in the recent past, this is the planned arena for the Sixers. Although Wells Fargo Center is relatively new (1996 opening) play dates must be shared with the NHL Flyers and others utilizing the building. 76 Place would be the exclusive home of the Sixers, there are roadblocks in place which must be resolved before the first shovel of dirt is turned over and construction would begin. More recently the Bexar County and San Antonio announced a joint effort to build a basketball-baseball complex in the downtown portion of the area. This effort was driven by the June draft and the arrival of Victor Wembanyama. It’s believed Wemby will be the driving force for the increase in attendance, this is not a done deal either.

There are logistics which must be worked out before construction begins. This past Monday came word from Oklahoma City the intention to build a new arena for the Thunder, this arena would have a planned opening for the 2029-30 NBA season. The Thunder denote they intend to sign a 25-year lease on the new arena. Paycom Center is relatively new having opened in 2002 but is now considered antiquated by NBA standards. There are additional details which must be worked out however the OKC mayor appears pleased with the effort. The key portion of the announcement, “Don’t raise taxes if it can be avoided” says Mayor David Holt. Three planned arenas in Philadelphia, San Antonio and Oklahoma City, as additional information is forthcoming I will attempt to keep you apprised of the news. As noted these efforts are in the talking stage so it’s yet to be determined if these buildings are completed.