Basketball from a fans perspective

Not shocking or even surprising

News outlets were informed on Wednesday that Bronny James Jr. would forego college and remain in the NBA draft. I hope he proves me wrong so many of you can laugh at me, laugh for this reason alone. I don’t believe Bronny is ready for the rigors of NBA play despite having an all-time great for a father. I would feel a degree more comfortable if he’s played significant minutes during his freshman season. We are aware why Bronny was on a minutes restriction and a reserve.

I remember back to Kyrie Irving, he’d played but 9 games for Duke before declaring himself ready for the 2012 NBA draft. Not only did Kyrie prove me wrong by having an outstanding rookie season he was named 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year. Kyrie got me twice, maybe that will be the case for Bronny as well. Please note one issue before I close, in 2011 I didn’t claim Kyrie had no talent. I can make the same statement in 2024, Bronny is certainly talented and may indeed prove me wrong. In any event the closer we arrive at the draft the more liquid it becomes. Some sites indicate Bronny will be a lottery pick while others claim it’s the second round.

Is it true

Many in the media now claim recruiting is not as important as it once was. They maintain the transfer portal has allowed non-competitive teams to register immediate improvement. On the surface it certainly makes sense your school recruits an athlete who is well acquainted with basketball at this level. That fuzzy faced freshman might be a McDonald’s All American but he’s got no idea what is required at the collegiate level. While that last statement might be true I continue to believe vital recruiting must occur in both areas, HS seniors and in the portal.

With that said we’ll look at both areas as described by media sources. Sidebar here, now you see why I’m so excited about the outlook for Mizzou basketball in 2024-25. The basketball program was never ranked very highly in recruiting going back years. The legendary Norm Stewart (1967-1999) was once asked, “Does Missouri have any McDonald’s All American’s?” The coach responded, “No but we eat at McDonald’s.” There may not be immediate improvement however it’s exciting for Mizzou Nation to see the basketball team this highly rated on both polls. These might have changed by the time this is read however not substantially, 247Sports ranks the best incoming classes in this order:

  1. Duke

  2. Alabama

  3. Arizona

  4. Rutgers

  5. Mizzou

On the other hand using the same source 247Sports the following are the Top 5 transfer portal classes plus one:

  1. Arkansas

  2. Indiana

  3. St John’s

  4. West Virginia

  5. Kentucky

12. Mizzou

Maturity or something else

Some of you remember what occurred, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James were able to blend their talent and produce an NBA championship for the Cavs. It seemed like shortly after Kyrie said something to this effect, “I want to build (or play) for an NBA champion I am the leader” or similar words. He would depart for the Celtics but encountered issues there, next up the Nets but they were found wanting as well. This basketball journey took him in a trade last season to the Mavs. My first thought “boy I hope he is able to adjust in Dallas after all this was Luka’s team and not his.”

With ball dominate Luka Doncic’ how would this blending of talent work out was questioned by everyone including yours truly. There were a few bumps in the road last season but the 2023-24 season has been a completely different version. Although the Mavs were losers on Tuesday evening against the Wolves they will eventually play for the NBA Championship. A portion of this can be attributed to Kyrie adjusting his game and no longer believing he must dominate the ball. At age 32 Kyrie still has plenty of gas in the tank and its hoped by Mavs fan’s he will help the team to win another championship. As for the headline, Kyrie has always marched to the beat of a different drummer, I’m going to attribute his basketball growth to maturity and just leave it there.

I wrote it

Sometimes your memory might betray you, I’m unsure if that’s the case however this is fact. The Nets are an afterthought for most of New York City and there is a reason why. The franchise began life as an American Basketball Association team, they have moved quite a bit. They began life as the New Jersey Nets and the dates and moves follow:

New Jersey Nets 1967-1968 Teaneck NJ

New York Nets 1968-1976 (ABA) Long Island NY

New York Nets 1976-1977 (NBA) Long Island NY

New Jersey Nets 1977-2012 East Rutherford NJ & Newark NJ

Brooklyn Nets 2012-present

I was almost correct, the team remained in the NYC Metro however over the years the Nets franchise has made 5 moves playing in a number of different arenas around New Jersey and New York City. Barclays Center in Brooklyn their current home is perhaps the most superb arena the team’s called home in its nearly 60-year history of existence.