Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Not surprising

By now you are aware Darvin Ham is out as Lakers coach, this news should certainly not be surprising, you’ve read he would be fired in this blog and from other sources the last few weeks. As for his replacement depending on the resource you will read many of the same names. There is no desire on my part to repeat all the names except to say this, no hire without experience. As for me Purple & Gold is ingrained in my system, I am a long-time card-carrying member of Laker Nation. Hopefully whoever the Lakers eventually hire will be a coach on the same page as his team. One of the names mentioned is JJ Redick, sorry I ain’t buying it.

Redick had a prominent NBA career as a player for a single reason alone, he’d arrived in the NBA an All American from Duke. He discovered quickly what he was able to accomplish at the college level on the court wasn’t going to cut it in the association. What did Redick do, he re-invented himself becoming a 3-point shooting specialist. He even managed to work his way into the starting lineup for more than one team. As for the no in front of Redick, need I remind you of Jason Kidd and Steve Nash. Both were outstanding NBA players, they were hired as head coaches with no experience. Kidd and Nash were walking disasters as head coaches, Kidd now in his 3rd stop with the Mavs fully comprehends the role of head coach. As for the other names mentioned as a possible head coach we shall see what eventually develops.  

A name from the recent past

Several of you reading this might remember the name Kai Sotto. He was the Filipino youngster who came to these shores to prepare himself for the NBA. He certainly had the size standing 7 foot 3 and 232 pounds however a strange thing occurred. Sotto’s name was not announced in the 2022 draft so what occurred? Since then he played a year in the NBL in Australia and presently is on the roster of a Japanese B. League team. The season witnessed Sotto at play for the Hiroshima Dragonflies and he is now on the roster of the Yokohama B. Corsairs.

Despite the passage of time Sotto is still only 21-years of age but has the window began to close for him? There were rumors he would join the NBA Warriors, that scenario makes a great deal of sense because the Warriors are one of the smallest teams in the NBA in height. It would seem with the close of the regular season this might be an ideal time to hook up with an NBA team, he could play Summer League which would allow that team to see him in action and possibly sign a free agent contract. We’ve discussed over and over the game has changed however not to the point an NBA team could not utilize a quality Big Man.

Discussing a post player(s)

Dennis Gates and Mizzou did satisfactory in the transfer portal, 247Sports places the Tigers 8th in the nation. As for the crop of incoming freshman Mizzou did fine here as well, their recruiting class is number 5. So as you can see hopefully Mizzou will improve over the tragic won-loss record this past season. I thought the program would be down a notch however experiencing a losing season in the SEC was certainly not expected in the coach’s second season but hopefully help is on the way. The help from two directions, the incoming crop of freshman and the transfer portal.

Mizzou has two legitimate post players arriving in the fall both of whom are 7 feet tall. Despite the fortune that might accompany one or maybe both they are fresh faced, college basketball will become a gigantic experiment for them in this first year. Mizzou remains on the hunt for a portal post player and there are several who could fit the bill. Team scoring should be improved over last season so that player manning the post must be defensive minded, there is no requirement for him to be a scorer although an offensive game is secondary. One of the names mentioned is Josh Gray (7 foot, 260 pounds), the Mizzou coaching staff has certainly seen him in action playing for SEC rival South Carolina. Also mentioned in the report is Bent Leuchten from Germany, he played at UC-Irvine and is 7-1, 265 pounds.

The scouting report indicates there other potential athletes available and they are mentioned however Gray and Leuchten appear at the head of the class. Neither has much of an offensive game but again that’s not the vital need for Mizzou basketball. As indicated earlier a defensive minded post player who can rebound the ball and score on occasion. The upside for both players signify that is their strong suit, we shall see what develops between now and August if Mizzou is able to land one of these prospective post players.

A much fairer comparison 

If you’ve read this blog any length of time I am always complaining about rule number 1. What is rule number 1, never argue Michael Jordan could beat LeBron James. The two played in different eras, a much better argument could be made regarding those of the same era. Someone wrote, “What about a Wilt versus Kareem match?” Sounds good on the surface, the two certainly battled one another until Chamberlain retired. The only problem I have Kareem was 22 years old and Wilt had turned 33 by the time they first met on an NBA court. The comparison is not bad however for me it would be much better if the two rivals were closer in age. Bill Russell versus Chamberlain would have been better except the offensive game of Russell was limited compared to his opponent.

Although its lost to history I believe a better match might have occurred with a player most of you are probably unfamiliar with, his name is Walt Bellamy. No way am I indicating Bells is a superior play over Bells I just happen to believe it makes for a better matchup. Bells is much closer in age (3 years younger) to Chamberlain and unlike the age difference between Kareem and Wilt the two named played in the same era. During his NBA career Bells scored 20,941 points in his NBA career, he’s enshrined in the College and Naismith Hall of Fame. It was not only scoring the ball Bells was a prolific rebounder as well. For me Rule number 1. is in effect, compare players of the same era. Prior to completion of this account I read of another, Nate Thurmond. He was a teammate of Chamberlain for a time before the Warriors traded him to the Sixers. In addition Thurmond was known more for his defense than his offensive capability, he provided quite a defensive presence on the floor for the Warriors and later Bulls.