Basketball from a fans perspective

On the other hand

I held a brief description on the State of the Lakers season thus far with a co-worker. This co-worker is also a Laker fan and this was my statement, “I wish there was a little bit more consistency with the Lakers, they appear on a roller-coaster. It’s up one game and down the next,” he nodded his head in agreement. On Tuesday night Laker Nation saw a win as they beat the Suns 106-103 and they now head to Vegas to play the Pelicans. Why the inconsistent play it certainly isn’t injuries I don’t believe.

Injuries always exist however the only ones in my mind considered major might be Jarred Vanderbilt who has only played 2 games and Gabe Vincent who’s seen action in 4. Did the late season and playoff run of last season lead us to believe they were better than they are? How about this one, they made key moves over the off season but so did every other Western Conference team. Despite these facts technically the Lakers are better over last season for several reasons. Up to this point AD has been able to remain on the floor and is playing outstanding basketball in the majority of games. In addition LeBron James is playing as if he's in his early 30's rather than playing in year 20. The Laker won-loss record is better than last season, I checked it out and discovered these numbers. With the Tuesday win the Lakers have now won 13 games versus 9 losses, contrast that with last season.

This time last year the record was 10 wins and 12 losses so it's not quite as bad as we might perceive, they are a slight bit better. What one wants is not always received but this is the Laker future for me. A lesser dependency on LeBron to be that guy, his game at 39 still eclipses players 10 years younger. It's time for AD, Rui, Reaves and others to step up and become THE MAN! They are the ones to raise the play of this Laker team to championship level.   

Hey coach

I’m unsure of the day, date and time of the first coaching staff, I do remember reading the legendary John Wooden who had Gary Cunningham as an assistant coach at UCLA beginning in 1965. I’m unsure if there were other college teams with assistants at the time or maybe even earlier. When Red Auerbach led the Celtics his sometimes propensity for being ejected from games meant someone had to take over. I never read or heard if there was an assistant during those days, the same applies to his counterpart Fred Schaus with the Lakers. By now you are asking the question where is he going with this discussion? Allow me to inform some of you of this bit of information. I was checking G-League Team Ignites 2023-23 roster.

In addition to head coach Jason Hart there are 5 players with assistant coach behind their name. There is an Athletic Trainer their assistant along with a video coordinator. You know what a video coordinator does don’t you, they become head coaches? Ask Erik Spoelstra, that’s how his NBA coaching career begin as a video coordinator for the Heat. My Mizzou Tigers have Dennis Gates as head coach and 5 assistants on the staff. The rosters of an NFL or college team are so huge they demand more than one coach, to a degree we could make the same statement regarding a baseball team. Question for you, has the game of basketball changed that much it now requires multiple coaches? I can’t answer that question however that sure appears to be the case as coaching staffs have expanded over time. 

Click Bait

Sometimes the teacher is not as good as the student, remember my warning about clicking on websites that look enticing? Well guess who did that very thing, yours truly…. prepare yourself for my excuse.  The story read “NBA Players who are now Broke,” I just finished a story on a former player who went through financial ruin so I was attracted to the story. It didn’t help they placed a photo of Charles Barkley next to the account.

After reading the first few lines I stopped and decided to check something. I was curious why Barkley had been featured so I began a web search and this is what I uncovered. Unless there is something hidden The Round Mound of Rebound is worth an estimated $60 million. Because I’m not Barkley’s accountant I have no idea if what I read and reported to you is accurate. During the NBA season I’m seeing Barkley at least twice a week on my television, I believe the financial figure I located on the web to be correct. As for the excuse there is none, I didn’t follow my own advice.

Best fit or best athlete

I’ve mentioned this in the recent past that the old Dallas Cowboys franchise would not debate the issue. The issue at draft time, “Do we draft the best fit for our team or the best athlete.” It was my understanding they always drafted the best athlete…how does this fit this account? Two of the three mock draft sites I utilize have Alexandre Sarr as the top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. I’d mentioned earlier 7 foot 1 Sarr is from France but is playing for Perth in the NBL of Australia. A Spurs website is projecting Sarr as a possible addition alongside Wemby in the future.

My statement is fact, despite the presence of Wemby the coaching expertise of Pop the Spurs are dreadful. Should they be willing to add another rookie to their lineup or would another player be a better choice? I mentioned Sarr’s height, he doesn’t weigh much more than Wemby, he’s 217 pounds but that is not as critical to me as having a rookie and second year player in the starting lineup. This is certainly not the NFL however the decision is yours, you become the Spurs brain trust. Should you have the opportunity to draft Sarr do you follow through or look at another prospect? The draft can be tricky in this regard, sometimes a player you expected to not be available to your team is. At this point do you turn from that intended draft choice?