Basketball from a fan’s perspective

NBA Rookie of the Year

I believe I declared the race over in early January, I said this as well. I don’t have a vote in the matter, I would be shocked if anyone other than Victor Wembanyama is named 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year. Yes, I realize the Spurs lost once again but the last time I checked the game remains a team sport. One talented individual can make a basketball team better but not necessarily a winner, that is the case here…the Spurs roster is adequate but not great. Sunday evening Wemby had another one of those games, his effort was outstanding and the 5 blocked shots he registered continued his league leading ways.

Curious about the number I decided to check the record book. 7-foot 4 Mark Eaton playing for the Jazz accumulated 456 blocks in the 1984-85 season, in second place we find 7-foot 7 Manute Bol a member of the Wiz in 1985-86 had 397 during the season. With 30 games remaining in the NBA season Wemby could easily exceed 200 blocks. It’s unlikely Wemby wins NBA Defensive Player of the Year but certainly should received a few votes for the plaque. The youngster shines in two areas, I’ve mentioned this previously blocking shots and rebounding the basketball. As Kennan says the rebounds and shot blocking detail for us the effort Wemby makes for his game, he’s got a trait all athletes fail to possess. That’s the most exciting part of the bright NBA future for Victor Wembanyama.

They have deep, deep pockets

Some of you might be unfamiliar with the Koch family, they are among some of the richest in the nation…perhaps in the world. The family has been involved in all types of investments but to my knowledge sports has been excluded that is up to now. You might have read Nets owner Joe Tsai with 49% of the team is placing 10% of the shares on the market. Julia Koch widow of David Koch reveals a desire to become an NBA owner purchasing the 10% share.

This sale share would include Barclays Center, the WNBA Liberty, and the Nets practice facility. It would appear the three adult children of Julia Koch are probably more involved in the sale over the mother. The NBA will conduct a background check however unlike other instances there is no question regarding the finances of the Koch family from Wichita Kansas. According to Forbes, Koch has a net worth of $69.1 billion, that’s with a B. In a short amount of time the NBA family will most likely include selected members of the Koch family.

Abomination

I had to double check the headline, I wanted to ensure it was used correctly. One of the definitions for the word is Horror…that certainly applies to Mizzou basketball for the 2023-24 season. What most of Mizzou Nation believed promising has turned into a dreadful performance. So what occurred, a bunch of stuff 98% of it bad? In Dennis Gates I trust, I wanted to get that out of the way first. Unlike the Laker coaching situation the coach at Mizzou is on solid ground, there have been a series of unfortunate issues most of which were unplanned. Guard Sean East II came to the forefront this season but he was missing in action due to injury for two games. Transfer Tamar Bates with his play and scoring (13.6 ppg) has been one bright spot in a dismal season.

These backcourt twins have been steady most of the season but they have been the only ones. Now for the disappointments, I’m going to lead with Connor Vanover. All 7 foot 5 of him has been moved to the bench and likely out of the rotation. He’s somewhat limited but 7 foot 2 Mabor Majak has replaced Vanover in the limited minutes. I’m going back to the holdovers I expected more than what we’ve seen, guard Nick Honor and forward Noah Carter. Both exhibited strong play last season which has been missing for the most part. I believed Aiden Shaw would play better in his sophomore year that’s not turned out to be the case. At this point I will cease before I begin crying, just joking. Despite high expectations for the season they just didn’t prevail for a variety of reasons.

Are you worried, I’m certainly not

A well-known sports site on its mock draft places three international players 1, 2 and 3 in 2024. Of course they approach this from a “sky is falling,” it is clear they appear worried, I’m not. Who are the players you might ask, they are Alexandre Sarr a French youngster playing in Australia. Sarr stands   7 foot 1 and weighs 217 pounds, following him is Nikola Topic’ a 6-foot 6-inch 200-pound point guard. Topic’ hails from Serbia, the third pick by this mock is another French youngster Zaccharie Risacher.

Risacher is a 6-foot 9 204-pound small forward. This is just one mock draft site, in addition this is the mid to late February. By the time the June draft comes about all three of the names will likely be drafted, they might not be in the order projected but it will occur. We’ve heard the concerns expressed previously with Giannis, Joel and The Joker dominating the MVP vote over the last several years. Seeing a Wemby in action is exciting and in addition provides us proof of the growth of basketball worldwide. I cannot make you feel comfortable about the development of the game internationally but I’m not worried and neither should you.

NBA ranking

What do you suppose the net worth is for your favorite NBA team? The team at the very top according to Forbes surprised me, perhaps it might be an astonishment to you as well. In any event below are the top 5 and their net worth. Apply billion behind the number:

  1. Warriors $7.7 

  2. Knicks $6.6 

  3. Lakers $6.4

  4. Celtics $4.7

  5. Clippers $4.65

  6. Bulls $4.6

  7. Mavs $4.5 

  8. Rockets $4.4

  9. 76ers $4.3

10. Raptors $4.1

Any surprises for you in Forbes Top 10, there certainly was for me? I was surprised to see the Golden State Warriors at the top of the list. The Nets at 13 and the Wolves at number 29 was also a revelation. I would have thought with the Nets being located in New York City their net would be somewhere in the Top 10. As for the Wolves nothing stood out for me I just thought they might be higher on the Forbes list.