Basketball from a fans perspective

Familiar names

I’ve mentioned in the past my trust in ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski previously. I’ve found few instances when he’s been wrong on a story he reports. According to Woj the Lakers will announce the hire of Scott Brooks and Nate McMillan as assistant coaches. Both names should be familiar to you, Brooks coached the Thunder and Wizards. As for McMillan his coaching resume is even more extensive going back to his days as a Sonics coach. Now I suppose you are asking the question, do I feel any better about the JJ Redick hire as head coach? As often stated in this blog, “I’m from Missouri, you’ve got to Show Me.”

The 2024-25 Lakers will be a WIP, work in progress, I must wait. Despite the statement this with emphasis from me Redick is a smart dude. The question can he make the transition from a player to a head coach in a single bound? It certainly helps the cause hiring someone you believe might be an aid in one’s effort to succeed. Redick or anyone in a similar position must be willing to listen to and take advise from his coaching staff. That’s what Brooks, McMillan and whoever else might be added to the staff. As this was being finished a story was revealed on ESPN’s Around the Horn indicating these two have history. Brooks playing for the Rockets and McMillan with the Sonics got into a fight on the court while both were active players.

This might be misleading

I’m really unsure why all the complaining about the 2024 NBA draft. No, not the quality but the quantity of drafted players. As you are aware Zaccharie Risacher from France was made the top pick, he was followed in order by Alexandre Sarr also from France. For the first time two international players were drafted as the number one and number two picks. These two are joined by 9 other international’s chosen in this year’s draft. 11 total is not gigantic when you take into consideration there were 60 players drafted in two rounds. Many in the NBA community had us in a panic mode believing the sky was falling. I didn’t check past drafts nor did I read anything to determine if this was the largest total of international players ever in history.

Consider this, baseball, American football and hockey are played around the planet but not in the substantial numbers of basketball. At the present basketball is played by youth all over and in addition there are several professional leagues in all four corners of the world. On the European continent we have Euro League basketball, the NBA Academy Africa is teaching the game, in addition the National Basketball League (Australia), the Chinese Basketball Association and a host of others are playing the game. There are a few in this country who live and breathe NFL football, their   counterpart is guys like me who’s sport of choice is basketball. As I’ve stated over and over, you might as well comfort yourself with the fact international players will continue to be a part of the draft. In addition the numbers will surely increase over the next few years.

I’m replacing Rob

The Lakers failed to pay attention to my draft request, of course I wanted a Big Man. My preference would be of the rookie type but that probably was unlikely. The Lakers are in a win-now mindset, they want a championship a Big Man and not a rookie could bring. There are few quality Big Men available. With the recent signings the list has continued to shrink, let’s begin. A name available is Mo Wagner (6-11, 245 pounds), the Lakers originally drafted Wagner in 2018 but traded him to the Wizards in July 2019.

As far as I remember there were no issues with Wagner he was just part of a trade. Recently I came across the name of another former Laker who is now with the Bucks, his name Brook Lopez. He’s been a valued member of the Bucks since leaving the Lakers. Despite turning 36 before the season ended Lopez had a good season, in the instance of Lopez a trade would be required. Wagner and Lopez each bring a skill set the Lakers are lacking at this point. Once upon a time a player came into the NBA and he named himself the “Kobe stopper” indicating he was able to shut down Kobe Bryant. There is no true stopper in either player named but they do bring something to the table lacking by the Lakers to date.

There is basketball

If you are like me suffering with no basketball to watch this is your reminder, NBA Summer League play will begin play from several sites. One location for the California Classic Summer League will be Sacramento the other schedule finds teams in San Francisco, the dates for Sacramento are July 6-7 & 9. As for San Francisco its July 6-7 & 10. The Salt Lake City Summer League will be July 8-10. The conclusion will see 2K25 Summer League beginning play on Friday July 12 and concluding Monday July 22.

The games in Las Vegas will be played at the usual site, the Thomas & Mack Center. Participating team locations will be provided at a later date, as for the play these teams are put together on the fly. If you’ve not witnessed Summer League play in the past there’s not a great deal of team basketball played. Despite that negative it’s an opportunity to witness talent in action prior to the start of the NBA season. An additional note, I tuned in to many of the Laker games in 2017 wanting to see rookie Lonzo Ball in action. Kyle Kuzma was the budding star of that summer league for the Lakers and he was the player that most the last to arrive in the NBA in this manner.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Patrick Mahomes vs the NBA

The QB plays for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL, he’s not competing on the basketball court. Despite my statement a couple of talk radio sports host believes that is the case. Before I go any further allow me to state I love Mahomes, he is the best quarterback now possibly in NFL history. That’s a discussion for another time allow me to elaborate. The afternoon host were discussing the new contract Mahomes signed with the Adidas brand. They mentioned how important it was for Mahomes, thanks to three Super Bowl wins the Chiefs QB has become the face of the NFL.

One host mentioned Michael Jordan and the Air Jordan brand, he expressed a belief Mahomes would be “competing with MJ eventually.” At this juncture the conversation went off the rails in my view. He mentioned the fact the NFL exports games to Europe every year and eventually it will go to the African continent. That can only grow NFL fans in these foreign lands, no argument there. This is where these host are off base, football cleats are no comparison to basketball shoes. The Air Jordan brand is engrained in the minds of basketball fans, I could see Mahomes increasing the sale of Adidas. Passing MJ is going to be a mighty mountain for the Chiefs QB or anyone else.

There is player movement

I can’t address the NHL, I don’t know hockey but the NBA is a different matter. Of all professional sports the NBA has the most player movement of all. Free agency and trades exist in baseball and football but nothing close to what exists in the NBA. For fans that can be a good and a sad thing depending on circumstances. Teams believing that single player can lead to an NBA championship will sign him to a huge contract hoping for the ultimate reward.

On the other hand the best intentions sometimes fail to get the results expected, we can look at the Los Angeles Clippers as the example. They signed Kawhi Leonard after he’d led the Raptor to an NBA championship. He probably said, “I can’t do this by myself I need Paul George to aid our cause. That was 2019 and as George departs for the Sixers the Clippers are yet to win a championship. According to NBA on Clutch Points “the duo (of Leonard and George) won a total of 13 playoff games.” The overall playoff record…13 wins and 13 losses surely much more was expected. Although the .com site provided the dollars paid the two I’m not going there. The truth is injuries severely derailed the championships the team was supposed to have won. There is a secondary factor to look at…the trade. The Clippers drafted a combo guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but included him in a trade for George. Also included in the trade was Danilo Gallinari and a host of draft choices.

I have a co-worker who says I cannot claim the draft choices as given away since we don’t have the ability to determine the outcome. That might be partially true however continuing to deal draft choices will eventually come back and bite you in the butt. My argument says you can anytime you have no first-round draft choice till 2029 or 2030. His counter argument is if a team wins they would be drafting somewhere between 27 to 30 which is true. Consider this fact, NBA teams have found gems (it could be luck) in the second round of a draft. If there is any finger pointing some of it should be aimed at the Clipper front office.

How did the Spurs do

By now you have become aware I’m a fan of the San Antonio Spurs, they are probably my second favorite NBA team. After watching a number of their games on ESPN or NBA TV I know where help is needed. I was anxious to see how their draft turned out, as I mentioned they are a young team. Adding additional youth might not prove beneficial immediately…on the other hand the right guy could make a dramatic difference. With pick number 4 they chose Stephon Castle a 6-7 210-pound combo guard. The nation and world became acquainted with him with the stretch run UConn made in winning the 2024 NCAA tourney.

Interesting I checked the ESPN NBA page and the Spurs page. They have Castle listed as the starter at shooting guard, whether that comes about is another question. With pick number 8 the Spurs selected Rob Dillingham point guard from Kentucky, they immediately traded his draft rights to the Wolves for future draft choices. The Spurs were not finished with dealing, they acquired Juan Nunez a 6-5-point guard from Spain with pick 36, the early word he might remain overseas. This is not surprising news, the Spurs have done this type of arrangement in the past. With pick 48 they selected Harrison Ingram a 6-5 small forward who played his college basketball at North Carolina. The Spurs look improved for the 2024-25 NBA season however we must begin play first to affirm that belief.

This is modern basketball, what changed

Donovan Clingan and Zach Edey have been drafted, since this is written ahead of time I have no idea by whom. This draft is different for several reasons the chief one we have two traditional Big Men chosen earlier than normal. Clingan from UConn stands 7 feet 2 inches in height and weighs 280 pounds, Zach Edey played at Purdue, his individual stats, 7 feet 4 and 300 pounds. These two faced one another in the 2024 NCAA championship game won by UConn 75-60. They will face off again in the NBA, hold on there a moment. Before you began thinking Kareem Abdul Jabbar versus Robert Parrish or Shaquille O’Neal against Dwight Howard this is not that NBA…there’s been a change in the manner the game is played now.

There are two culprits I say are to blame for the change in how the NBA game is played today, they are Dirk Nowitzki and Steph Curry. Dirk was drafted by the Mavs in 1998, up to that time 7-foot players were all post players, there were few players of that height playing any position except center. Not only did Dirk have the height of a center he weighed 245 pounds the equivalent or exceeding the weight of some centers yet he played power forward. He could shoot and shoot from distance out to the 3-line, culprit 1. Next up we have Steph Curry, after three ‘pedestrian’ NBA seasons some of it due to injury year four became a breakout year for him. Steph began his prolific shooting from distance, this has continued from that point up to the present he’s proven to be a lights out shooter, he becomes culprit 2. In addition he’s got 4 NBA Championship rings proving his proficiency. So there you have the two individuals I believe are why NBA offenses went away from post play. There is one other consideration as well, analytics I’m sure must have been in the mix as well.

“As long as there’s basketball, there’s always a place for those guys. But big men now more than ever, are role players,” one Eastern Conference scout told ESPN. “It’s like running backs in the NFL—they used to be what your offense featured, now they’re complementary by nature, outside of the two or three that are incredible. So if you’re going into it (from that perspective), who are the guys with the best complementary skills?” Although the Mavs lost the Finals we witnessed that type of play with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively from the center position. Kristaps Porzingis of the Celtics when healthy also provided the skills pointed out. There are other Big Men candidates who will be in the 2024 draft, how they adapt to play in the NBA will likely vary.

Basketball from a fans perspective

They need a change as well

I pointed out recently being a 16-team conference the Big 12 required a name change. Several names have been mentioned some of which I believe are kinda strange, more on that at a future date. That’s not the only conference requiring a name change, there is one more at the present time. Before I cover that fact with all the movement over the past 2 years I’m unsure if these are the only two requiring change. The ACC or Atlantic Coast Conference takes its name from the fact most of its members until recently were located on the east coast in somewhat proximity to the ocean.

Of course that went away with the addition of Notre Dame in Indiana and Louisville in Kentucky both Midwest locales. The latest conference additions to the ACC scream loudly for a required name change, the conference adds SMU in Texas along with Cal and Stanford both California schools located on the west coast. According to Goggle Maps a hike of 22 miles from the campus of Stanford and you arrive at the Pacific Ocean. If you were at Cal and decided to travel to the Pacific Ocean the distance is even shorter, it’s about an 18-minute walk or 3.9 miles. On the other hand the expanse between these schools to the Atlantic Ocean requires an airline flight of 4 hours and 57 minutes. We shall see what eventually prevails for both conferences re-naming them.

I’d be careful

Former Kansas basketball star Frank Mason expresses doubt about Zaccharie Risacher. “Played this young guy in France this past season; no way he’s the number one pick in the NBA draft lol, but I guess! My question for Mason, who really knows in advance the capabilities of any player? Scouts and coaches analyze what is in front of them prior to making a decision. I don’t know if this to be a fact but guess this check is done on more than one occasion. With that statement allow me to say this about the view he expressed.

Mason could well be correct in his statement however we must take into consideration the recent history of draft picks. In 2023 there were doubters (Barkley, Shaq those two in particular) who expressed similar opinions regarding Victor Wembanyama…wonder how that turned out? What are the expectations for Risacher, is he expected to immediately replace someone in the Hawks lineup? There is a belief he’s ‘plug in and play,’ it might be an astute idea for Mason and others to wait until the player arrives and begins play to determine their skill level. Risacher might not be at the top of this draft in Mason’s eyes but how do we know for sure he’s not a talent?

Free Agency

Unlike other professional sports the NBA has the largest player movement of all. Naturally, these moves prove rewarding to the players whether they move to a new team or remain with their present team. As for names it’s difficult to list all, I will attempt to update names when practical. My hope is to keep you informed on as many as possible. Leading off is a signing mentioned yesterday, Chris Paul moving to the Spurs on a reported 1-year deal. Early Monday morning news reports indicate Paul George is leaving for the Sixers, it’s a reported 5-year agreement for him.

His former teammate James Harden will remain with the Clippers for a 2-year agreement. A player vital to the Lakers championship was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, he moved to the Nuggets providing them shooting and defense. Caldwell-Pope is finalizing an agreement with the Magic on a 3-year deal. It was reported the Lakers were seeking the services of Big Man Jonas Valanciunas, that will not occur now since he’s headed to the Wizards for the next 3-years. Andre Drummond will sign with the Sixers, now it appears Isaiah Hartenstein will be headed to the Thunder. It look as if the Lakers will not acquire the Big Man they so desperately require.

I can be influenced

The 2024 Laker draft was displeasing to me initially, days later I have calmed down. This draft might be the best for the Lakers in a number of years. I’m unsure if ‘John is copying from Brad’s page’ however the draft grade by all has been rated outstanding, check this out:

The Sporting News A+

Yahoo Sports A

USA Today A+

CBS Sports A+

Bleacher Report B

The Ringer A

The Score A

The Lakers failed to draft a Big Man as I wanted however choosing Dalton Knecht with pick 17 and Bronny James with the 55th pick still offers the hope of improved play in the upcoming season. Several sites indicate Knecht could be inserted in the lineup immediately. Bronny is a different matter however there are certain factors to consider. Number 1 the health issue which forced him into a reserve role once the medical staff okayed him to play. 

Secondly his Southern Cal team was not particularly good, this issue certainly didn’t aid Bronny’s game to grow. Until the season begins we are unclear how all this will play out but this is my belief. He will spend the majority of the 2024-25 season playing for the G-League South Bay Lakers, the reason is clear. The Laker backcourt is loaded with players which says minutes might be scarce. The Lakers contending for a playoff position are not likely to provide Bronny an opportunity for a great deal of playing time.

Basketball from a fans perspective

This is yet to be confirmed

It is being reported that when Chris Paul receives his release from the Warriors he will sign with the Spurs. If this is confirmed it is good news for the Spurs and Paul, I believe the diminutive point guard is still one of the best despite his age and mileage on the body. The Spurs are a youthful team very much in need of direction which Paul could provide. At the beginning of the season Jeremy Sochan was at the point, he was adequate but not what the Spurs needed, he was replaced by Tre Jones.

Jones a natural at the position was able to provide some stability at the point but was still found lacking. Now entering the picture for the Spurs is veteran Chris Paul. At age 39 this is likely Paul’s last stop before his enshrinement in the Naismith Hall of Fame. This move should it occur receives my stamp of approval for the reasons point out earlier. In addition thanks to the 2024 draft the Spurs become even younger with Stephon Castle added at shooting guard and the possibility of guard Juan Nunez arriving from Spain. The Spurs become winners with the veteran Paul at the point, do they make the playoffs now? We must wait for play to begin for that answer.

HBCU

The history of the NBA details a large number of athletes began their careers at HBCU schools. Due to segregation particularly in the south most black players in the NBA were drafted from historically black colleges and universities. This trend begin in the 1950’s and lasted up through the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Celtic great Sam Jones from North Carolina Central, Willis Reed who attended Grambling State and Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe Winston-Salem State are just a few of the names. As state schools in the south began opening their doors to black students the number of athletes from HBCU schools began a downward trend in the NBA.

If we fast forward to the present day the Sixers Robert Covington is the lone active NBA player from an HBCU institution. Covington played his college basketball at Tennessee State in Nashville prior to entering the NBA in 2013. As for this news the name is Joirdan Nicholas, he’s a 6-9 forward and he plays for the G-League South Bay Lakers. Nicholas will play for the Lakers Summer League team beginning play in a few weeks. Although Nicholas went undrafted he played collegiately at Texas Southern an HBCU school located in Houston, Texas. The opportunity for him to earn a roster spot on the Lakers is slim however the significance of his effort is noteworthy. In addition to that it’s vitally important to be fully aware of the game’s history and it’s players.

We are down the road a bit

Some of us are literally in charge of our fate, one of those persons is John Calipari. As you are aware he’s now head coach at Arkansas, how the hire came about is intriguing. We read reports that several in the Blue Grass State were not pleased with the school coming up short in the tournament every season. Cal continued his trend of attracting top notch talent to Lexington, what occurred afterwards was the issue. We’d been reading for a time the coach was on the hot seat but could they, would they fire Cal? From my position I’m going to say no, the nod for one reason alone…$$$. If the information located is correct let’s place it in that realm.

If Cal were forced to leave, Kentucky would be on the hook for $33 million to $35 million. I have serious doubts the school would be willing to pay out that amount of money to someone who is not coaching the program. I certainly didn’t see this move occurring, Eric Musselman leaving Arkansas to take over the Southern Cal program. Arkansas requiring a coach to take on the role probably leaped at the opportunity to hire a coach of Calipari’s capability. I hope those reading this in Arkansas don’t take offense, I believe the pressure to coach at Fayetteville is nothing like that of Lexington. Coach Cal has never had a problem recruiting, in recent years it’s been the winning part (NCAA) that’s been an ongoing issue. It’s my belief the program at Arkansas will thrive because of one person, John Calipari.

You are going to forget his name

His name is Ulrich Chomche, you are going to forget his name but maybe not what he’s accomplished. The NBA opened its academy in Senegal in the fall of 2017, its sole purpose was to grow the game of basketball on the African continent. Prospects from all over the continent journeyed to Senegal to train and advance their basketball skills. It probably was hoped one of those attending the academy might earn a promotion to the NBA. As for Chomche his bio indicates he first picked up a basketball at the age of 11 and one year later enrolled at the academy. What I find interesting Chomche indicates he was pressured to play because he was the tallest kid in the neighborhood.

At age 18 Chomche stands 6-10 and 232 pounds, it should also be mentioned attendees of the academy in addition to basketball skills are also enrolled in English classes. Chomche is from Cameroon just like his countryman Joel Embiid who might have been his inspiration. The second round of the 2024 NBA draft saw this youngster selected by the Toronto Raptors as the 56th pick. Being chosen next to last    has nothing to do with Chomche’s ability, its likely he spends time in the G-League or maybe he decides to remain in Africa at the NBA Academy. Once it’s believed he is ready for NBA play it will begin in earnest with the Raptors or some other team. Chomche was drafted directly from the NBA Academy but undoubtedly he will not be the last to arrive in the NBA in this manner.