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Basketball from a fans perspective

“Coaching is easy. Winning is the hard part”

Elgin Baylor

I sure hope he’s not holding his breath

The breath thing is a reference to Oklahoma State basketball coach Mike Boynton. You might have thought it was just Kansas basketball caught in the 2017 FBI investigation. Oklahoma State, LSU, Louisville, Arizona and NC State was also included in the number of schools under the microscope. None of the schools mentioned was banned from post-season play in 2022 with the exception of OSU. Why was OSU hammered while the other schools received a slap on the wrist including the basketball bastion Kansas?

With the recent announcement regarding Kansas basketball being resolved Boynton must have figured he would voice his concern with the outcome. By my headline I’m simply pointing out the inept NCAA through the IARP process will never admit it was wrong or apologize. Let’s face it friends, OSU doesn’t have the basketball mantra of Louisville, Arizona or should I say it…Kansas. If you’ve read Off the Dribble any length of time you are well aware I have continuing issues with the heavy-handed mechanics of the NCAA. They have no problem “beating up” OSU but find little wrong with Kansas who they leveled 5 number one violations.

He’s part of ABA history

Spencer Haywood was featured in the first season of the HBO show, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers. Because the focus was on Magic Johnson, Jerry Buss and others the portrayal of Haywood only covered just a brief portion of the man, my intent here is to provide additional detail. Spencer Haywood was born in Silver City Mississippi in 1949, he grew up in poverty as his family were sharecroppers. The family would later move to Detroit where he attended Pershing HS, in 1967 he led the team to a state championship. It’s not clear now but rather than a 4-year college he enrolled at Trinidad State Jr. College in Trinidad Colorado.

The 1967-68 season would see Haywood average 28.2 points and 22.1 rebounds a game. Those numbers almost forced the Olympic Committee to choose the 6-foot 8 225 pound forward for the 1968 Olympic basketball team. At the age of 19 he was a key to Team USA winning the Gold Medal as he led them to victory. After the Olympics Haywood transferred to the University of Detroit (now Detroit Mercy) where his numbers exploded. 32.1 points and 21.5 rebounds the basketball world set up and really took notice, after Haywood’s sophomore year he decided to turn pro but there was one problem. In 1969 the National Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association had a rule in effect. A player’s class must have completed 4 years of school in order to be eligible for the draft.

This is where it became interesting, the ABA came up with a “hardship exemption” indicating family poverty should be considered to allow Haywood in the league. The ABA in its fight with the NBA and desperate to attract stars used this method to draft him into the league. Haywood was chosen by the Denver Rockets (Nuggets) and the 1969-70 season saw this. He was named ABA Rookie of the Year and ABA Most Valuable Player. In the fall of 1970 he joined the Sonics of the NBA which caused a lawsuit and court fight. That aspect will be covered in another segment, I thought it important you be aware of the contribution of Spencer Haywood to professional basketball.

Relevant 

Is the Big Man game still a relevant part of basketball today, there is no method to fully deliberate this issue however check this out? Connor Vanover standing 7 foot 5 arrives at Mizzou in the transfer portal, next season 7-foot Peyton Marshall and 7-foot 3 Trent Burns indicate they will be signing with Mizzou.  The question is asked again, not because of Mizzou but the fact Dennis Gates recruited Big Men. Zach Edney returned to Purdue after submitting his name to the NBA, he’s a capable 7-foot 5 300-pound center but apparently believed it was better he return to school. 7 foot 1 Chet Holmgren was the second pick in the 2022 draft while Victor Wembanyama 7 foot 3 was the top pick in 2023, both are different.

The skill set of both would indicate they are more accustomed to playing on the perimeter rather than in the paint. Guys certainly have not ceased to grow however their role and impact on the game has changed over time. Perhaps that might be the reason Edney was found lacking by the NBA. It has more to do with how that Big Man is utilized in the offensive schemes of today. In the 2024 mock draft prepared by NBA Draft.net we see these names mentioned. We have 7 foot 1 Alexandre Saar France, 6-foot 11-inch Matas Buzelis G-League, 7-foot Aaron Bradshaw Kentucky and 7-foot Kyle Filipowski from Duke. I’m unsure of the skill level but each certainly must have a degree of talent. Every Big Man is not shooting three’s but those who are capable certainly make themselves more valuable to a prospective college or NBA team.

Upward and onward

The Thunder finished last season two games below .500, will 2024 be upward and onward? They were quite competitive, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a star and ready to move into the upper echelon. Josh Giddy improved his numbers across the board, 6 foot 8 Giddy is listed as the team’s shooting guard despite the fact he dished out 6.2 assists per game. Besides Thunder team depth we must guess on the   Chet Holmgren affect. If you remember the story the skinny Holmgren was absent his “rookie” year suffering a season long injury.

ESPN’s depth chart has Holmgren listed as the starting center, I have doubts if that’s the position he eventually plays. Despite his 7-foot 1 height his reported 208 pounds says small forward. While at Gonzaga Holmgren demonstrated a keen ability to manage the basketball in the same manner of a guard. Despite question marks on reserves barring injuries the Thunder should be improved in the 2023-24 season. Are the Thunder playoff bound this time around after barely missing the cut last season? Several factors exist chief among them in my view avoiding injury (of course) and a productive reserve unit.