Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Bits n Pieces

The concern with Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell is more money than his play. He’s not a great defender but certainly not as bad as cynics would have you believe. The problem is his contract which calls for a large payout next season, apparently after trading for him last season management is unwilling to pay. The money issue is real, I cannot provide documentation if the Lakers are willing to pay the “balloon” salary next season his contract calls for.

We love success of a football or basketball team but only to a point, I’m reading letters none locally how “We are tired of the NFL Chiefs winning.” Interesting in that the Chiefs have won in the playoffs but are yet to play in the Super Bowl. The same “hate them” followed the Patriots during the Tom Brady era. The Lakers haven’t won anything since 2020 (I don’t count the in-season tourney) yet check out any NBA page. Sooner or later you will come across a letter or two expressing hatred toward the Lakers.

On Tuesday a story headline read En Fuego, I was discussing the game Joel Embiid had played. I attributed the headline term to Dan Patrick from the days he was co-anchor for ESPN's SportsCenter. Patrick used it to describe an athlete who'd played a great game, as an example he might say "Charles Barkley was En Fuego in tonight's game." That's not quite correct, I utilized the English to Spanish translator, on fire is actually "en Llamas. .  

The IT factor

Although the discussion began on football it could easily be translated to basketball. I ask Rory what makes Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes so different over others. Rory said “Mahomes has the IT factor working for him,” what the heck is the IT factor? Rory said, “It goes beyond the physical side of the game, Michael Jordan had it, Michael Jackson had it.” After I tossed the question out to others Chris gave us his definition. “I think “it” is a drive to be the best above those around them.

They have such a force of will they bring out the best in their teammates and drive them to succeed. While they may not, in Jordan’s case, necessarily be liked by their teammates their leadership elevates everyone around them.” Michael Jordan’s name was mentioned twice, are there others in basketball that have the “IT?” Larry Bird possessed it, so did Magic Johnson but there are others. I happen to think Kobe Bryant had it too although some will argue against me including his name in the count. A coach can also have that “IT” factor working for them as well.

A double surprise

The first surprise, Adrian Griffin was fired after 43 games in his rookie season as a head coach. The Bucks are in second place in the east with 30 wins versus 13 losses. If they were in the Western Conference they would be in a first-place tie. I’m not going to attempt a read between the lines on this one but I can say the news caught me off guard as probably most of you. As for the second surprise it’s now official that Doc Rivers has been hired to replace Griffin as head coach of the Bucks.

Before I began allow me to state this at the beginning, I happen to be one of a few unimpressed by Rivers coaching. If you check out his coaching resume it looks exceptional, his teams have won 1,097 games losing only 763. One positive thing I cannot ignore is the fact Rivers always earns playoff berths, his teams fall short with the exception of 2008 when his Celtics beat my Lakers 4 games to 2. Beyond that one year, with head coaching stops in Orlando, Boston, L.A. Clippers and Sixers his teams have won a single NBA championship.  

Wemby v Sampson

I’m going to venture into territory I usually avoid…comparisons. Often when describing an athlete we might say, “His game resembles _______________.” That’s usually the only barometer we have to attempt judgment of an athletes capability. In this instance we are going to check out Ralph Sampson prior to injury. Sampson might have been Wemby before Wemby, he measured the same height (7-4) but he was 228 pounds. He was selected the number one pick in the 1983 draft by the Rockets, although he was a center in college his position in the NBA would become power forward. It was done for two reasons number one, the Rockets had Hakeem Olajuwon already established at the center position and number two, Sampson’s skill at handling the basketball. Despite his height no one with his height had demonstrated such dribbling and ball handling ability to that point.

As for Sampson’s play that first year he was named Rookie of the Year in 1984, he and Olajuwon were able to become a formidable Twin Tower tandem that performed at a high ability level. It was 1987, February 4 to be exact, Sampson suffered a major cartilage tear in his left knee when his right foot slipped. Although he would later play for three other NBA teams it was his tenure with the Rockets most remember, the dribbling skill and other aspects of his game surprised some and shocked others. How good was Sampson, he’s enshrined in the College and Naismith Hall of Fame. At Virginia he was a three-time college player of the year and first team All American three times as well. Check out the YouTube video below of number 50 for a look at his unique skill set. What’s the old saying, “There’s nothing new under the sun,” that certainly applies and it’s sad to see injuries robbed Sampson of maybe becoming spoken of in the same manner as MJ, Magic or Chamberlain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxRUPDjKlU4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgDJbb8bMhM