Basketball from a fan’s perspective

They are not that good

I’m not sure who began the conversation but I hope to clarify it. The UConn Huskies are good, they are very good, fact is they are my pick to win the NCAA Championship. They are not, I repeat they are not good enough to beat an NBA team. It seems every time a good college team appears on the horizon someone decides “They could beat an NBA team.” There is no method to provide you proof but trust me, it ain’t happening. 

I refuse

The Lakers-Grizzlies game wasn’t on TV, I have no League Pass therefore this is a box score only account. I was aware ahead of time AD would not play in the back-to-back. That’s reasonable considering he’d played 53 minutes the previous night. LeBron missed the Bucks game but would play against the Grizzlies. What should Laker Nation expect, well allow me to state it int this manner…to play at a high skill level.

Going forward I refuse to anticipate the outcome of a Lakers game ahead of time whatever is left of the season. The 136-124 victory on Wednesday provided the Lakers their 5th win in a row. With no AD in the lineup it was LeBron’s turn to lead and he did just that with a triple-double, 23 points 14 rebounds and 12 assists. There is no doubt 39-year-old LeBron is not the LeBron we saw at 29 but his play is certainly better than players 10 years younger. Although the game was outstanding for LeBron he was not the top scorer for the Lakers, that honor went to Rui Hachimura. The Laker power forward scored 32 points along with 10 rebounds. D’Lo also chipped in with 23 points and Taurean Prince came off the bench with 15, Austin Reaves only scored 13 points but dished out 11 assists.

I ain’t projecting anything about the future for them however as this is written the Lakers are 9 games above .500 as they streak toward the playoffs. This almost seems to be a repeat of last season, the final question remains. Do they have enough to compete for the Western Conference crown? Do they have enough to contend for the NBA Championship? I hope you were not dependent on my to provide you an answer to either question.  

Show me the money

Receiver Rod Tidwell screamed that statement at sports agent Jerry Maguire in the 1996 movie Show me the Money. That just as easily could have been Kentucky coach John Calipari. After meeting with the AD I’m sure Cal might have been prepared to leave if Kentucky was willing to pay him, perhaps the discussion never reached that point. As an outsider this is what I believe occurred in the recent past, Cal’s continued to recruit extensively young prospects.

There’s been little if any veteran presence on the roster to help the newcomers. So what occurs, Kentucky loses in the first or second round and the process begins over again. You might remember I wrote the number two recruiting class in the nation is headed for Lexington in the fall. I don’t believe Cal has forgotten how to coach, the landscape might have changed but not the coach. Expect Kentucky basketball to be competitive in the SEC next fall and winter, how far the NCAA run they make is unknown until we arrive there.

Nicknames 

You might remember I once wrote nicknames that appear to be a thing of the past? That might not be the case all over, I submit the name Robbie Avila. Avila has placed Indiana State on our minds again thanks to his play and the Sycamores, not since the days of Larry Bird has much been written about Indiana State basketball. The clear leader of the team is 6 foot 10 Avila, he registered 17.3 ppg and nearly 7 rebounds during the season. An interesting aspect Avila is adept at passing the rock with a 4.1 assist a game average. Avila can play the game, the Sycamores believed they were NCAA bound but that was not to be.

The NCAA Tournament Committee decided to pass on Indiana State so they accepted an invitation to the NIT. Second to his outstanding play Avila’s managed to pick up a number of nicknames, they are Cream Abdul Jabbar, Larry Nerd, Larry Blurred or Milk Chamberlain are among the names. Let’s define these, I guess Cream because he’s a white guy. As for Larry Nerd or Blurred the glasses he wears are probably the basis for those. Milk Chamberlain, we have no idea if Avila drinks milk however he’s a white guy. Come on and laugh, some of the nicknames are funny while others might cause you to say, “What are they talking about?” In closing this should be of note, you cannot nickname yourself…someone else must bestow the name on you. As an example I never, ever refer to LeBron James as The King for this reason alone he gave himself the nickname.