Basketball from a fan’s perspective

An addendum

This second portion of KC Sports Talk radio involves Kansas State and Mizzou basketball. Because I indicated I ceased listening last year this is what I heard in the winter and spring of 2023. One station over the other appeared to have a lovefest regarding Jerome Tang at Kansas State, as for Dennis Gates at Mizzou not so much. For Gates it was more “He’s doing a good job” and that was about it. I’ve come to a conclusion and fully understand the difference between the two.

Allow this brief explanation, Gates smiles in his press conferences but appears to approach the game from a no-nonsense position. On the other hand Tang is gregarious and has an outgoing personality which causes many in the media to rush him for a cool sound bite. For Gates this just doesn’t exist, keep in mind this is last season with both in their first year at the helm. Both schools received NCAA invites although Kansas State advanced further than Mizzou. Just my take…someone else might have a completely different view of this matter.

When is he gonna win some games

Prior to writing this account of Victor Wembanyama I thought I would get ahead of some of the negative stuff. No…the Spurs lost again on Tuesday night this time to the Wolves 114-105. Wemby’s contribution was 17 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocked shots added to his NBA leading total. I know your next statement, you borrowed it from me. I borrowed it from my co-worker, “He should be able to block shots he’s 7 foot 10 inches tall.” Truth is Wemby is not that tall” (or at least that’s what we’ve been told). Has a rookie ever led the NBA in blocks, I’m glad you ask the question?

I researched the answer for you, in the 1985-86 NBA season Manute Bol had 397 blocks and average 5 blocks a game. Wemby will not approach those numbers but consider this fact. Bol did not present the offensive presence Wemby does, Bol was in the lineup for the Washington Bullets (Wizards) to rebound and block shots. In any event with a 20+ lead over his nearest competition Wemby will become the second rookie to lead the NBA in that field. As for assists he’s not in the conversation with centers Nikola Jokic or Domantas Sabonis, as for the others Wemby is right there with them. Weaknesses, I’m sure there are various Wemby examples but similar to all facets of his game it’s a work in progress, he will improve.

A father’s lament

“Can y’all please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball” those are the words of LeBron James. He was describing son Bronny however I remain unsure why or who it was intended for. Allow me to explain further. At the beginning of the week ESPN’s 2024 mock draft removed Bronny’s name and indicated he’d be drafted in 2025. I’m guessing the father took exception to what ESPN had done, this is the difference for me,

If for example the GM of the Pistons or Spurs informed LeBron “Your son is not going to be drafted this year” his tweet (X) on social media might be understandable. ESPN carry’s a great deal of weight however it’s only indirectly connected to the NBA, the Worldwide Leader controls the broadcast only they have nothing to do with player personnel decisions. That is with the exception of Stephen A. Smith, he’d like us to believe he can call “somebody” and that somebody will follow his lead. Back to LeBron a moment, perhaps the reason his tweet (X) was sent out and later deleted he realized it might appear somewhat questionable.

This would fix it

I am making NO CLAIM on my insight, this comes from the University of Alabama’s athletic director. I didn’t read it in detail but his proposal the home team is forced to forfeit the game. Money will not solve the issue because I understand the SEC fines member schools for rushing the court. The fine is not coming from the students pocket so they could probably care less about a fine. What might smack them good about the head is “losing” a game they actually won. I believe this would fix it, it would place an immediate stop sign around the bleachers. Students would think twice about rushing the court realizing they might cost their school a win, I like it. I hope it can be implemented by next season to avoid potential injury to players, students and anyone else involved in the melee’s we’ve seen.

Tell me it ain’t so

I have no idea if this is true so take it for what it’s worth. If reports are halfway accurate it appears there are NBA teams indicating they will “draft” Bronny James. This is in the hope of attracting pop LeBron to play alongside his son which he’s always claimed he wanted. As a member of Laker Nation I am unsure how much more the Lakers can receive from LeBron. Talented as he is even at this age I am prepared to move on to someone else. Don’t misunderstand my comment, if LeBron stays I’m okay, if he decides to leave and play with Bronny that’s okay too. Now for the youngster, I’ve said this over and over I believe Bronny is talented…the question is he talented enough to play in the NBA, that’s quite possible?

Do I envision NBA stardom for Bronny, that’s a difficult question to answer as this is written. Currently he’s not even the best player on an underperforming Southern Cal team, that would be guard Boogie Ellis. There are publications that indicate Ellis might be a second-round draft choice. This is the picture, we have a reserve player who might be drafted in the first round versus a guy scoring at a 17 point per game clip. Please tell me what’s wrong with this picture, can this really be the case? I hope no one believes I’m hatin’ on Bronny that is not the case I happen to believe he’s just not NBA ready at the present time. As this was being completed came word from ESPN, they have removed Bronny’s name from the 2024 Class and moved him to 2025.