Basketball from a fans perspective

This was only a scrimmage

Evidently Duke’s Cooper Flagg put on a performance against Team USA. I’ve only seen clips not the complete game however keep in mind this was only a scrimmage. Those NBA players facing him certainly were familiar with his name, they had read and heard of him. Competing against an unknown player requires a whole different skill set. The most interesting part the youngster is only 17-years old, you might remember he re-classified and should be entering his senior year of high school in August. I wrote awhile back how anxious I am to see Flagg in action for Duke this fall and winter. He’s either 6 foot 8 or an inch taller, his weight is listed at 205 pounds. In the NBA he’s going to need to gain weight to compete, heck with his apparent skill he likely could play shooting guard.

Dominate the game

A friend asked the question, “Will the little man ever dominate the game again.” Domination in this instance is beyond just scoring the basketball, it’s dishing the rock and all those other things. Things that control and sometimes govern the game even at its highest level. It’s been stated for eons, “Small guys must prove they can play the game, Big Guys must prove they CANT.” If we look at NBA history its been ripe with players smallish in stature from Watara Misaka (5 feet 7) who played three games in the NBA’s very first year to Tyrone ‘Muggsy” Bogues at 5 foot 3 the shortest ever to play in the league. We also must include Spud Webb (5 feet 6) the 1986 NBA All Star Slam Dunk Champion.

Although the names mentioned made their mark in the NBA I’m looking at those who controlled the game to a degree. A number of these smaller players found their way to the Naismith Hall of Fame. If we look back at those little men one of the first names that comes to mind is Bob Cousy, only an average scorer but his playmaking led the Celtics to success. I realize the Celtics didn’t win it all until Bill Russell arrived but Cousy provided the ‘first block’ in building those championship teams we should recognize. Cousy was listed at 6 foot 1 and 175 pounds so he qualifies as a ‘Little Man.’ Fast forward a few years and Nate ‘Tiny’ Archibald would arrive in the NBA, he was 6 foot 1 and 150 pounds, more than likely he stood 5 foot 10 or 11 barely the height listed by official stats. The 1972-1973 season saw Tiny score 34 points and 11.4 assists a game, for the first and probably last time a player led the NBA in both areas in the same season. The lack of offense by the Kansas City Kings forced Tiny into a role he later relinquished with the Celtics. The 6 foot 1 Isiah Thomas was clearly the leader of the Bad Boy Pistons, his leadership skills led them to NBA championships in 1989 and 1990.

Of course the NBA’s all-time assist leader is Utah’s John Stockton, guess what he’s also 6 foot 1 and 170 pounds. Chris Paul (6 foot 1, 175 pounds) is nearing the end of his career but I would be remiss if I failed to mention him. I could make the same statement about Steph Curry (6 foot 2, 185 pounds) who dominates the game more with his scoring than assists. In closing you are going to say, “You left off a number of outstanding point guards” and I will confess you are correct. Magic Johnson and other greats are omitted because they are too tall. My plan was to list those point guards under 6 foot 2 who I believe dominate the game in the past and present.

“Dance with the one who brung you”

Before it became a country hit song the late Texas football coach Darrel Royal was reported to be the first to utter the headline sentence. My best guess for a definition, you must play the hand dealt you…there are no shortcuts. That’s the Laker roster at this stage, all conference rivals in the west have made improvements especially during free agency. Both franchises in Los Angeles find themselves in a comparable situation, treading water. It’s foreseeable the Clippers and Lakers finish above .500 and not make the playoffs. Every competitor in the west improved themselves except the Nuggets. Despite the fact of losing KCP to the Magic the Nuggets on paper appear better than the Lakers.

How did the Lakers arrive at this point is asked by members of Laker Nation. The key for this member is draft choices, they sent a ton of them to the Hornets (it seems that way) in exchange for Anthony Davis. They have one NBA championship and one play-in to date, I’m unsure who is the winner here. As for the headline this is not going to make Laker Nation happy but I’m here to give them the news. LeBron James is not going to walk through the door forever when he’s 40 years old (practically). It is time they begin developing the youngsters on the roster, nothing like a baptism of fire. No one can learn NBA skills sitting on the bench, they must be able to play and endure crucial situations. There I said it, I realize much of Laker Nation is not pleased on reading this however it’s the truth as this member sees it.  

How did it begin

A few reading this might not remember when the Seattle Supersonics existed. The Sonics were an NBA expansion team which began play in 1967, it’s interesting they were the first professional team as they began play prior to the Seahawks (1974) and Mariners (1977). In 2008 the team was sold to Oklahoma interest and they moved to Oklahoma City that year. Few remember this, Kevin Durant played his rookie year in a Sonics jersey but would move with the franchise. In between 1967 and 2008 some of the best basketball in the NBA was played.

In addition to that 9 Sonics players have been enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame, who are they? For this survey I’m excluding Patrick Ewing, Ray Allen and several other former players and coaches because they didn’t began their NBA careers in Seattle as Jack Sikma, Dennis Johnson and Gary Payton did. While located in Seattle the 1979 team won the NBA championship defeating the Washington Bullets (Wizards) 4 games to 1. Why the franchise eventually moved to Oklahoma is too complex to cover in this space. The NBA appears anxious to return to the Emerald City, it should be noted that during the team’s 41 years the Sonics won 1,745 games.