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Basketball from a fans perspective

“If I came in to recruit your son, I would tell you, your wife and your son that I will be the most demanding coach your son can play for.”

Bobby Knight  

A basketball icon has passed

Late Wednesday afternoon came word Bobby Knight had passed. The former basketball coach was last at the helm at Texas Tech but it was Indiana where he became a household name in the world of basketball. After coaching at Army first as an assistant he took over as head coach in 1965 and remained there until 1971. It should be noted that one of his players at Army was Mike Krzyzewski who learned the game from Knight.

While at Indiana beginning in 1971 his Hoosier teams won three NCAA Championships (1976, 1981, 1987). A double honoree in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. In closing I must briefly cover the “other” Bobby Knight. The former coach could be described as volatile in a lot of his relationships with game officials, the media and sometimes even his players. Despite this fact I’ve never read or heard any former player speak in negative tones about the coach, Bobby Knight who passed was 83-years old, R.I.P.

West coast basketball

As I’ve stated west coast night games cause me in the Midwest to miss the final score. That was the case on Tuesday evening, the Spurs-Suns game. I wanted to see Wemby in action, the Suns raced out to a large lead I don’t remember the number. Spurs bad shooting plus uneven play by Wemby led me to the conclusion this was going to be an “easy” victory for the Suns. My eyelids began to betray me so it was off to bed for me, imagine my surprise when I arose on Wednesday morning to discover the Spurs won 115-114 after being down 20 points.

Because I wasn’t counting I’m guessing most of the 5 TO’s by Wemby must have occurred in the first half of the game. After adjustments (and I’m sure a discussion with Pop) the youngster certainly must have played better in the second half. How about the box score, Wemby didn’t shoot very well from three the other portion was good. It was 50% from the floor, 80% from the free throw line along with 4 block shots. For the record this rookie season will be a WIP, i.e. work in progress. If you are sick of reading Wemby stories I will provide you this warning in advance, this is not the last Wemby story you will read in Off the Dribble this season.

This is interesting

You might find this as interesting as me, lakeshowlife.com dated October 28 attempted to raise future Laker questions on their season. It was titled “4 Signings the Lakers will regret come January.” All with exception of one individual were free agents signed over the summer. The names detailed in the account are Jaxson Hayes, D’Angelo Russell, Christian Wood and Cam Reddish. 

I am more familiar with Russell from his previous stint with the Lakers and then his acquisition in a February 2024 trade. As for the others I’ve read of their past but remain unsure what they might present to the Lakers. In my opinion this story is yet to be written, how can a decision be made about an NBA season after a brief 4 games? I try and adopt a wait and see attitude regardless of the team. I could make the same statement about the Clippers acquisition of James Harden or any other player.

Injuries

A couple of co-workers were evaluating the trade of James Harden to the Clippers. In a very limited discussion one mentioned how the injury issue might affect the team over the course of the season. His comment didn’t have Harden in mind; more specifically it was aimed at Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Although there is no effective method to calculate injuries they do occur. The Clippers made the trade because they believe the “window is closing” on their championship opportunities. Key players for the Clippers including the newly acquired Harden average 32-years of age.

That’s certainly not ancient however age is also a factor in injuries. That ankle turn or something else might not respond to treatment as quickly for a 32-year-old versus his 22-year old self. As for the injury issue in general it doesn’t matter if we are discussing the NBA, college or high school, injuries do and have impacted basketball teams over time. Teams and individuals must prepare themselves as best possible. I’ve read and believe this to be true, you cannot play the game at half speed. That player must compete at the highest level, playing at 80-90% is a contributing factor to injury. In conclusion this is not intended as a harbinger for any team however we must recognize the possibilities that do exist.