Published Monday thru Friday    

Basketball from a fans perspective

“Average players want to hear how good they are. Great players want to hear how they can keep getting better” 

Unknown        

Speak up

I remember as if it was yesterday…the change. Our manager held a team meeting and laid out a change in the manner our department would operate in the future. At the conclusion he asked, “Are there any questions or concerns?” I don’t remember now if anyone responded however I was not pleased with the change but said nothing. Days later something came up and I expressed my frustration with the change. The manager had this surprised look on his face and responded, “I thought you were okay with the new policy you didn’t say anything.”

Bam, he got me, upset as I was my opinion of the change was never expressed. Kawhi Leonard shares that silence as I once did, and your question is how? The NBA’s new policy on load management was the question aimed at Leonard during media day. The Clipper forward expressed his displeasure and indicated he believed this change was aimed strictly at him. There are occasions I can think of in basketball where a mandate impacted a specific player. Widening the lane in the NBA was meant to inhibit the play of Wilt Chamberlain, banning the dunk in college was aimed squarely at Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar). There are probably other examples however those two stand out to me, now back to Leonard. Most of us are aware he’s never been vocal going back to his days spent with the Spurs.

That’s okay, however, just like me he’s said very little over the years other than when injury strikes why he is absent from the game. I wouldn’t take this to be fact because I didn’t check it however it sounds about right, a fan claims Leonard’s missed 50% of his team’s games since he's been a Clipper. There was no requirement to send a message over social media however just like me nothing was said by Leonard. I don’t believe Leonard is a malingerer he genuinely wants to play, my suggestion, you need to do a better job of explaining why you are sitting. My thoughts alone, I hope it doesn’t appear to be piling on.

Bits n Pieces 

As much as they attempt to deny it they wanted Cooper Flagg badly. They in this instance is Jayhawk Nation, how do I make this bold claim reading a fan website. This particular website attempts to point out there are other players Kansas could attempt to recruit. Yes, that statement is correct however does it really make sense missing the top player in the Class of 2024 and everything is okay. Kansas basketball will be okay, it might have been even better if Flagg had come on board. This is a bold statement considering the youngster has yet to declare where he’s headed. I will repeat it again, I might be wrong but truly believe it’s the Duke Blue Devils.

America’s team part II, was I too bold awarding the honor as America’s team to the Lakers. I think there are other items I failed to detail which provide proof. Guess what, I’m going somewhere I didn’t like to prove it, television. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty ran for two seasons on HBO, the only other comparison was the Michael Jordan Bulls in the ESPN produce series Last Dance. The Celtics despite the glowing record of the ‘50’s and ‘60’s has never been profiled in the same manner as the Lakers. In addition the Laker brand even in down years retains its world-wide status, doesn’t matter where you travel in this nation or the world for that matter, it could be Detroit or Denmark, Easton or Estonia.

How about the basketball

The SEC is a 14-team conference, next season will witness two teams added. The University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma join the SEC, what about the basketball? The question cannot be answered until completion of the season however this is a complex subject for a number of reasons. First a brief look at Texas, despite the Chris Beard fiasco the team under Rodney Terry finished the season strong.

Texas registered 29 wins this past season in the Big XII, over the past 5 the school ended the year with a +.500 record except for one. The Longhorn’s last season in the conference should see them a winner again. As for Oklahoma the picture is not as clear with this program. Under the retired Lon Kruger the Oklahoma Sooners were competitive, playing for Porter Moser the last two seasons has led no one to believe the basketball is headed in the proper direction. This is the dilemma, we have one school ready to bust down the door and the other barely noticeable on the court. Until Texas and Oklahoma began play we really don’t have an answer.  

A change

While a member of the Bulls Scottie Pippen was a vital key to championship basketball. It was said the rangy forward would often take the responsibility of guarding a key opponent. Considering his beginning as a college band member, (yes he was) to multiple NBA Championships, that’s quite a leap. Let’s back up a moment, at the time Pippen arrived at Central Arkansas the school had an NAIA affiliation. By the middle 1980’s the NBA had begun to move its scouting interests away from smaller schools and began concentrating its efforts on Division I and the slowly emerging talent from Europe. At this point the focus becomes the late Jerry Krause general manager of those championship Bulls teams.

Krause is no longer here to defend himself having died a few years back, there have been a ton of complaints regarding how he ran the Bulls. This move Krause should be given credit, he was the one recommending the Bulls draft Scottie Pippen. Fast forward to the present day for the balance of this story. I’m unsure what’s occurred since retirement for Pippen, I don’t have any idea of his business or other types of investments. As for the vindictive Pippen I have an idea 2020 might have been the starting point. It appears since the ESPN 10-episode Last Dance premiered Pippen’s changed. Was it the manner Pippen believed he was profiled in the series that became the catalyst? I really don’t have a clue however I know he’s lashed out at MJ and others since the airing of the series.