Basketball from a fans perspective

They don’t want to win

The Spurs are a young team in the NBA, that fact can often lead to mistakes costing a win. What if there are losses that could have been avoided, a layup that might prove easier to score than a shot from distance? For the most part frontcourt players (excepting LeBron and maybe a few others) don’t control the action. It’s up to that point or combo guard to direct traffic. There are reports that fans believe teammates of Victor Wembanyama are overlooking him on the floor. Why would they do such a thing, is it jealousy or something else? Because we are not in the locker room we have no idea of the composure of Wemby, is he a personality others like to be around is there something we cannot see.   

This from my high school days bear with me as I approach this using football as the example. This story was told to me by a classmate who played on the offensive line. I didn’t ask him, he casually brought this up in conversation one day. “You know I don’t hold my block as long as the coach wants me too. I don’t like Jim (QB) so I make my offensive hold less than normal and then let them come in hit Jim.” My mouth must have dropped open after hearing his story, I believe Melvin wanted to win however he allowed the feud with his quarterback teammate to overrule his play. Is that what is occurring in San Antonio, are teammates envious of the publicity Wemby is receiving or is it his personality causing issues? If the subject with Wemby is correct the Spurs have miles and miles to go before they become a good team, here’s hoping I’m wrong about the jealousy thing.

Saturday action

I’m only covering the Saturday action of the Thunder-Lakers plus Pistons-Nets games, these took the lead for me. Yesterday I wrote of a Thunder victory prior to the game, without returning back I don’t remember all the details. This part I did know, they arrived in OKC on a 4-game losing streak. The Thunder are now one of the best teams in the NBA, I believe most would have agreed with me on the victor. NBA games are played on the court and not on paper, the Lakers turned out to be winners 129-120. In the future I will cease predicting the outcome of games, I lack psychic ability. My Laker team was on a losing streak however the Pistons were much, much worst. Headed into their game with the Nets the worst team in the NBA had the all-time losing streak in front of them…26 games. The worst team in the NBA had registered 25 consecutive losses, are they really that bad?

I’ve yet to see them play this season but don’t believe they are as bad as their record indicates, in any event it occurred. The final score read Nets 126 Pistons 115, they tied the NBA record for most consecutive losses.  The schedule doesn’t get any easier, upcoming for them are the Nets again plus the Celtics, Raptors and Rockets. Based on my recent past I certainly am making no attempt to predict when the streak ends. Before I close this back to the Lakers a moment, they may not be an elite team however there is no way with the talent on their present roster they should have experienced a 4-game losing streak. My finger pointing begins at Darvin Ham, sorry coach it’s on you, beyond the coach it’s the team excluding AD…the Lakers continue to depend on a 40-year-old to lead them. I know he’s not that old it was for emphasis, it must be clear there are no players willing to stand in the void, that player unafraid of taking charge when LeBron is out of the lineup. Until that player steps up or maybe acquired the Lakers are likely to muddle somewhere in Top 10, good without being great.

SEC cauldron

My Tigers have lost 3 games in a row, against Kansas, Seton Hall and last Friday against Illinois. My hope was Mizzou would build momentum going into SEC play but that belief is long gone. Mizzou has a winnable game coming up against Central Arkansas on Saturday but they cannot take any team lightly at this point. Then it’s Georgia at home, Kentucky there, South Carolina at home and Alabama on the road. Despite what some might say I believe the SEC to be among the most competitive conferences in the nation. As for how Mizzou manages this season, this has got to be a work in progress. What I’ve seen thus far the coaching staff certainly has as well but I’m going to provide you my observation. Rebound the ball and box out…two keys which Mizzou certainly lacks at times this season. We know officials are not going to allow an opposing player to climb over your back for the ball, Mizzou must improve in this area.

The offense looks stagnant for the most part, there is no inside presence however that’s not all bad. The coach seems to prefer a perimeter type offense which is okay as long as you are making shots. I will repeat the last statement…making shots, if you are at the 3-point line it might be paramount to sink a significant number of them. 7 foot 5 Conner Vanover has been given permission to shoot from three, there is only one problem with that in the games I’ve seen he’s yet to sink one. With the limited minutes Vanover’s played I don’t wish the focus to be placed entirely on him however there is this tidbit. With his height and weight in limited minutes I expected more than what he’s exhibited to date. Finally Nick Honor is on the court to run the offense, can I say I’m disappointed to date. Mizzou will be unable to correct all the issues I’ve mentioned, they must scratch and claw their way to victory in the very tough upcoming SEC race.

What the world thinks

I came across a bit of interesting information to share with you regarding world viewership of NBA basketball. We hear reports about the popularity of the NBA so let’s take a list of a few facts. “Basketball is the world’s 3rd most popular sport with a global number estimated to be 2.2 billion fans.” The world leader of course is soccer or football, followed by cricket and then basketball. Rest assured there are several NFL fans who might find it hard to believe the world fails to follow their sport as much as the others. There are NFL fans abroad it’s just the fact those NBA fans outnumber them. The NBA indicates games are telecast to more than 200 nations around the world, they are broadcast in over 50 languages. As for the top nations around the world this should be considered an estimate. It’s believed the top 5 nations viewership outside of the United States is in the following order:

The Philippines

Australia

China

Canada

Mexico

Is this for real

As you read this consider it’s written after Bronny James first game, health issues aside is he a legitimate NBA prospect? He certainly has the size if the figures are accurate, 6 foot 4 and 210 pounds. That’s certainly enough size to play the point or maybe as a combo guard. I’ve noticed two mock draft sites project Bronny as a first round draft pick. They place him nowhere near the top but definitely in the first round.

That’s my difficulty, Bronny certainly appears talented enough to play at the Division one level but is that good enough for NBA play. I checked these websites and my focus was on weaknesses. “Bronny’s biggest weakness in high school was the inconsistency of his play. On some nights, he looked like the top prospect he was projected to be. On others, he fell into the background, looking like any other guy on the floor. He’s not an assertive scorer and lack the typical shake you see from elite guard prospects, failing to create separation from his defender. He’s a reliable ball handler, but it will be important for James to get more creative as a dribbler and establish some go-to moves as a shot-creator.”

What you read is one scouts view so you can understand why I have questions. I don’t remember the player, however Isiah Thomas was a part of the Raptors at the time. Thomas indicates he drafted Tracy McGrady because he didn’t want to take a chance on missing what he believed was a talented prospect. As you are aware McGrady turned out to eventually become a 2017 Naismith Hall of Fame honoree.