Basketball from a fan’s perspective

This position continues to confuse

Your opinion belongs to you…no disagreement with that statement. If you take a position regarding a “thing” please explain the basis. In this instance I speak of Bol Bol the 7-foot 3 220-pound center for the Suns. Shaquille O’ Neal went on the record with this statement, “We’ve seen Victor Wembanyama before, his name is Bol Bol.” O’ Neal’s TNT cohorts roasted him for making such an asinine statement, he compounded it by saying “Bol is lazy.”

The O’ Neal statement was allowed to marinate awhile and then it came up again this past week. There is no change in the position taken by Shaq he continues to maintain his opinion without offering the WHY. If you are a relative or friend of Bol Bol there is no intent on my part to disparage him or his ability. Bol is now going into his 5th NBA year, he’s played for the Nuggets and now the Suns. If there was a measure of NBA talent he’d be playing more than 19 minutes a game for his NBA career. O’Neal is in a perfect position, he can make statements or express his opinion without a requirement to explain the WHY.

I agree

Once every two to three years Stephen A. Smith makes a statement I agree with. Just joking folks, the number is actually more it’s just the fact there are few times we are in agreement on a subject. Sometimes veteran coaches don’t receive the telephone call or text message. The message that says “The _______ are considering hiring you as head coach or we’d like to hire you.” NBA teams for a variety of reasons decide they want someone for the job other than you.

It occurred for Jeff Van Gundy, it’s my belief that’s why he was employed by ESPN for such a lengthy period…nobody wanted to hire him. We could insert the name George Karl here, it’s been quite a few years since any NBA team has bothered to contact him. We could add the name of Byron Scott to our list. What occurred for these former coaches and others, was that they didn’t adjust to changes in the game or their coaching resume contained questions. Back to ESPN’s Smith, he went on record indicating the hire by the Bucks might be Doc Rivers last coaching stop. I didn’t read the details as to why this was Smith’s conclusion, you read my objections immediately after the hire.

Years later

I’m unsure why the story is just now emerging however I thought it was worthy for a report. Most of us are aware of the competitive spirit of Kobe Bryant, this is one more example. Bryant had no plans to slow down, only an Achilles injury would curtail his Naismith Hall of Fame career. I continue to believe he would have played into his 40’s if not for the injury. In any event Gary Vitti long time Laker trainer tells the story, he rushed onto the court after it was clear Bryant had suffered a major injury in a 2013 game against the Warriors. Vitti indicates he said to Bryant, “Do you want a chair?” Kobe said “F**K Paul Pierce,” for those who might not understand the profanity allow this explanation.

In 2008 the Lakers were playing the Celtics in the NBA championship. At a point Celtic Paul Pierce went to the floor apparently injured. He laid on the floor while attendants brought out a wheelchair helped place him in the chair and took him into the locker room. This was near the end of the first half. The second half of the game Pierce came running onto the court apparently recovered from whatever malady he’d suffered. Years later the truth was revealed, Pierce had a stomach problem which prevented him from standing up and walking out. In 2013 Bryant remembering the story uttered the phrase to Vitti, he would limp to the free throw line sink two free throws which led to a Laker victory.

I will attempt to clarify my earlier account

On Thursday I wrote my 99th account of Big Men, it’s not really been that many but I was told this. You have a belief in Big Man basketball and I can say that is certainly true. In any event in the Thursday edition of Off the Dribble among the names mentioned in Yes I do incoming Mizzou prospect Payton Marshall was mentioned. It was noted he stands 7 feet tall and weighs a hefty 300 pounds, at this point I might have confused you.

Here’s what I wrote, “I’ve seen video of him in high school but that hardly is a true test, despite this factor his play reminds me of a young Shaquille O’ Neal.” A couple of things here, it is easy to dominate the competition when you stand 3-5 inches taller and weigh anywhere from 75-100 pounds more. We must first determine Marshall’s work ethic, playing at the college level is more than playing bully basketball. How badly does he want it…i.e., the desire to be the best in the post. “According to 247sports.com Marshall is projected to be the 10th best post prospect out of 55 players in the Class of 2024” so you see what that states. Marshall has his work cut out for him based on the 247 sports account.