Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Back problems

Several might remember recently I wrote of the Clippers and their post-season hopes. Everything surrounding the team this season is a positive, my questions involved if they were ready for a deep playoff run. Well it occurred again, Tuesday evening ‘The Claw’ left the game in the first half of their game against the Wolves. The Clippers statement indicated Kawhi Leonard suffered back spasms, not only did he leave the game he left the arena as well.

The statement released by the Clippers indicated “he could rest better at home than sitting on the bench” which makes sense. I have no medical training and can only speculate on this matter. The Clippers require a healthy Leonard if they are expected to make a championship run. They cannot do it with Paul George, they cannot do this with James Harden nor Russell Westbrook. They require no, they need a healthy Kawhi to compete for an NBA Championship. I hope Kawhi returns healthy and is able to play significant minutes for the Clippers.

What kind of magic?

Veteran scribe Andy Katz released his power ranking for 36 college teams. After searching the list I noted he listed Kansas at number 34, contrast this with a number 16 AP ranking and 18 NET. I would ask the question why Katz has Kansas ranked so low compared to the others? I’m not going to debate that however I will take up the case of the locals. I listened to a discussion recently and the consensus of opinion was this Kansas team was good enough to make the field of 32.

Hearing this statement while driving I almost swerved off the road, my first thought “Have these guys seen Kansas play at all?” This is the radio hosts belief listening to Bill Self. Self-claims “Kevin McCullars Jr. and Hunter Dickinson resting this week should be ready at NCAA time.” Keep in mind the coach is certainly closer to this issue than me but I find the statement somewhat suspect. These local guys believe that McCullars hurt off and on all season and Dickinson returning from a separated shoulder are going to be fully healed. This might be one of the worst Bill Self teams since his arrival, they currently have 9 losses going into the NCAA Tournament. Can they win the Big XII Conference tournament…that’s possible although they would probably face Houston again.

We shall see what unfolds on Wednesday as Kansas faces Cincinnati. That issue aside, the NCAA Tournament seeding is yet to occur but if they are a number 3 or 4 that presents additional challenges for Kansas. I’m sure someone reading this will claim “Your built-in bias against Kansas is a contributing factor to this negative report.” One might come to that conclusion however I don’t believe that to be the case, I’m am seeing the field of  competition without being sidetracked by local media.  

We are months from the NBA draft

By the time you read this perhaps Cody Williams will still be in place, nbadraft.net has Williams at    number one. The sites latest projection has the 6-8 190-pound Colorado freshman headed to the NBA in June. Several issues of note, Williams is not the leading scorer for his team averaging a little under 14 points a game. Between the college game and the NBA there are far too many games even on television for me to witness all the basketball talent. Besides the fact that wouldn’t do much good anyhow, I’ve blown some calls in the recent past. One player in particular I tuned in to see him play and the game I witnessed was terrible. I can boldly make a similar statement regarding the Wolves Anthony Edwards.

It was him I once saw Mizzou shut down and thought “This guy is supposed to be good.” In any event the June draft awaits and all will discover if Williams will hold the top slot or slide downward. Another site, nbadraftroom.com places him second in their mock and tankathon.com list Williams number four on their projected list of NBA prospects. At this rate we can state he will most likely be a lottery pick in 2024. In his case its probable he might not work out for any NBA teams, that appears to be the norm currently. Players mentioned anywhere in the lottery for fear of injury perhaps no longer work out for teams. I’m going to search YouTube for video of him playing at Colorado. One last note, with his height and slight weight he just might become a shooting guard in the NBA.

He must rest in the summer

The fall, winter and spring of the year must certainly be the only time veteran broadcaster Kevin Harlan gets any rest. As this is written I am watching and listening to him broadcast a college basketball game. From August till the end of December you’ve likely seen and heard him on a CBS Sports NFL game. Later in that same week he might fly to Denver, Dallas or some other city for TNT to broadcast an NBA game. On the weekend it’s likely he might be heard on a college basketball game.

Between NFL football, NBA and college basketball Harlan is probably absent from his home 3-4 nights a week from August to perhaps May every year. A major portion why he is so busy is he’s just that good, as for NBA telecasters there are 3-4 names that generally come to mind. They are Mike Breen, Ian Eagle, and Harlan…perhaps Mark Jones might be included too. There are other broadcasters working for both TNT and ESPN/ABC but those named are most associated with NBA telecasts. As for the headline indicating rest, as far as I can determine Harlan doesn’t do golf or baseball broadcast so he must rest in the summer.