Basketball from a fans perspective

“Be quick but don’t hurry”

John Wooden 

MIZ-----ZOU

You’ve got to remain in place until the end, I’ve got to remind myself of that fact. The final score read Mizzou 70 Minnesota 68 although it certainly appeared doom and gloom. Minnesota began the game on fire from three, Mizzou didn’t turn over the ball but just missed shots. The Golden Gophers hit their first 7 shots from distance and with missed opportunities by the Tigers you can understand my pessimism. Mizzou was down 20 points with 11 minutes remaining you might understand why I believed this was going to be marked as a loss.

Mizzou then made a tremendous 31-9 run forcing a tie and Sean East actually took the shot and was fouled, he sunk the penalty shot end of game. Remember the hot shooting by Minnesota early, it didn’t last as a team Mizzou outshot them from the field 44% to 41. The three-point shooting by Minnesota early diminished and both teams were tied at 35%. The only glaring area which must be cleaned up is rebounding the ball, Minnesota outrebounded Mizzou 42 to 24. I posted this on social media but I’m not going to retreat from it. Two years ago under Cuonzo Martin Mizzou would have lost a game similar to Thursday night, the point is moot because there is no method to prove my theory.  Next up is a home game for Mizzou versus Jackson State on Sunday afternoon.

As you are probably aware Jayden Quaintance committed to Kentucky this week, I thought that might occur after looking at the success Mizzou experienced with Class of 2024 prospects. Quaintance at 6 foot 10 and 235 is a legitimate center but incoming for Mizzou is 7-foot 300-pound Peyton Marshall plus 7-foot 3 210-pound Trent Burns both arriving in the fall of 2024. As for the present roster there is   freshman Jordan Butler 7 feet and 230 pounds. Quaintance just might have believed his best move was to choose Kentucky over Mizzou. I ain’t mad at him, I understand and hope he’s successful playing for John Calipari.

Lightning Rod

I believe there are two sides to every human being, the public and the private one. The public is what our friends, family and if a celebrity we see. Of course the other is the attitude or intent we never see. Sometimes the private side can become public and that’s what’s occurred with Mark Jackson. Former NBA player, former NBA coach and now former broadcast analyst. For me the public version I witnessed always appeared positive. This statement is made due to his broadcast effort and his apparent desire to return to the coaching ranks.

Jackson’s story somewhat parallels that of former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy.  Try as he would no NFL team appeared willing to hire Bienemy as a head coach. A similar situation existed for Jackson, his name would be mentioned periodically however I must say his account always resided in the unconfirmed realm. I believe Jackson is financially solvent, the public has no idea of his payoff from ESPN. The public has no idea if the contract he worked under has expired. I cannot and should not speak for you, there are no glaring issues that can assert Jackson is a bad guy. I hope he finds basketball employment with another team.

The World’s Most Famous Arena

Anytime someone sees the headline they realize the description is Madison Square Garden or MSG, it’s the iconic arena located at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza in mid-town Manhattan. This is the latest arena (there have been 3 others) to be given that name opened in 1968, although it’s the oldest NBA/NHL arena its undergone renovations. It’s been remodeled twice in 1991 and again in 2020. As for the future of the arena it will remain open but for how long? How many days in a year, your answer is 365. 

MSG serves as host for more than 300 events which makes it the busiest in the nation and perhaps the world. Now for the politics, the New York City Planning Commission voted to renew the operating permit for the next 10 years pending City Council approval however that’s not what actually occurred. The City Council cut the time in half approving a 5-year extension for MSG. Does MSG close in 2029 or 30, I have no inside information but have doubts that will occur. We cannot imagine the Knicks (and NHL Rangers) playing anyplace else even on a temporary basis other than MSG. We shall see what eventually develops with this story.

They are babies

What to expect of a young team, they are going to play up and down. There will be good wins and embarrassing losses. As for the youthful impact for the Spurs reserve Doug McDermott at age 31 is the oldest member of the team, we have been all about 19-year-old Wemby but it’s the balance of the roster. The Spurs average 23.8 years of age which makes them the youngest team in the NBA. It's not only Wemby who struggles some nights it's the other Spurs as well. This is not offering an excuse but consider Chet Holmgren with the Thunder. 

Holmgren is a rookie too however the key difference, the Thunder are competitive and becoming better on the other hand the Spurs are still growing and developing. Next time you read a box score detailing the Spurs being blown out consider the youth. The Spurs are certainly in good hands with Gregg Popovich at the helm. How about this bit of news, bet you didn’t realize there are 8 head coaches in the NBA at present all once served as assistants for Pop. In addition there are assistant NBA coaches, front office executives along with a G-League and WNBA head coach.

Taylor Jenkins Grizzlies

Quin Snyder Hawks

Jacque Vaughn Nets

Will Hardy Jazz

Monty Williams Pistons

Steve Kerr Warriors

Mike Brown Kings

Ime Udoka Rockets