Basketball from a fan’s perspective

What if….

I told you there was a college player scoring nearly 24 points and 12 rebounds a game. In addition this prospect is shooting 63% from the floor, you might surmise NBA teams would leap at the opportunity to draft him. Despite the positives I just mentioned there is a possibility Zach Edey of Purdue might not be selected by any NBA team in the 2024 draft. I realize you might find that difficult to believe but true, don’t take my word for this please consult other sources for confirmation.

This was mentioned previously the 7-foot 4 300-pound Edey declared for the draft last year but after a time decided in favor of returning to Purdue. The question, is Edey a legitimate NBA prospect, it might depend on who you this with. The three mock draft sites I utilize place the Canadian youngster all over the map. Example, thankathon.com indicates Edey could be the 22 pick in the first round while nbadraftroom agrees with the first round they say it will be number 30. One site, nbadraftnet project Edey as pick number 47 in the second round.

The two complaints I’ve read about his game, “He’s got no range,” by that statement scouts indicate he is no 3-point threat. In this age Big Men are expected to have distance on their shot attempts. In addition it is reported he is “Slow a foot,” I’m sure Bill Russell and Wes Unseld might have been limited racing up and down the court. What both possessed was the great skill to grab a rebound off the boards and toss bullet passes to teammates streaking down court on a break. What I find even more interesting is this quote from another, “If this was 20 years ago Edey would be a Top 10 pick.” Has the NBA game changed to this degree teams are willing to pass on a prospect due to shooting from distance and foot speed?

Side by side

Since I’m always comparing the two, how about a check of stats between the two leading candidates for 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year, Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs and the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren. I believe you will find the numbers quite interesting. Wemby leads Holgren in scoring 19.8 v. 17.4 ppg, as for snatching rebounds its Wemby with 10.1 v. 7.2 for Holmgren per game. I know what some of you are saying with the height difference, “Wemby should have more rebounds and blocked shots since he's got a 3–4-inch advantage over Holmgren.”

Let’s continue this task, the block shot totals a game are Wemby 3.2 v. 2.5 for Holmgren. It should be noted here, although Wemby leads the NBA in blocked shot percentage he actually sits in second place behind the Bucks Brook Lopez in the number. Lopez has 118 to Wemby’s 109 however Lopez has played in 6 more games than Wemby. One other note, is minutes on the court, up to this past weekend coach Pop had placed a minutes restriction on Wemby. I’m unsure if there was an injury issue or something else, in any event he is no longer limited to a specific number of minutes from this point onward. 

Bits n Pieces 

A great amount of basketball stuff comes my way accidently over actual research, that is the case here. It’s been mentioned on more than one occasion Larry Brown’s coached NBA, ABA and NCAA champion teams but I didn’t realize there was an athlete with a similar resume. His name, Tom Thacker and at age 82 he’s still among the living. Thacker a guard played his college basketball at the University of Cincinnati winning NCAA championships in 1961 and 1962. In 1968 as a member of the Celtics he won an NBA championship, two years later 1970 Thacker won an ABA championship playing for the Pacers.

Some might question me on this, “How can you root for Wemby and the Lakers at the same time?” For me, the answer is easy, as long as the Spurs don’t play the Lakers everything is cool. A little history here, I became acquainted with Shaq early maybe his high school days in San Antonio. I followed his career while he played at LSU and later in the NBA with the Magic. Of course when he signed with the Lakers that made it that much better for me, now don’t confuse what I’m stating. I don’t expect Wemby one day to decide to sign with the Lakers although I wouldn’t mind.

Chaifetz Arena is the home of St. Louis University basketball and other activities, the arena seats 10,600 for basketball. Chaifetz located at 1 Compton Avenue opened its doors in the spring of 2008. It contains 14 suites and 2 party rooms on the north and south end of the arena. The construction allows a good view of the action no matter where you are seated. In addition there are video screens located in the upper portion of the arena allowing a view of the action. The building is named for Richard Chaifetz a 1975 graduate of St. Louis University and CEO of ComPsych Corporation, Chaifetz contributed $12 million for construction of the arena.

"It was a complete disgrace to the legacy of the Chicago Bulls... Whether you like Jerry Krause or not, that man's dead... His wife is there, and y'all made that lady cry and that was total BS... That hurt my heart watching that thing." Those are the words of Charles Barkley former NBA player and current NBA analyst on TNT. His reaction to the Ring of Honor ceremony held at the United Center recently.