Basketball from a fans perspective

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RIP

In case you missed this report Joe Bryant died on Tuesday at the age of 69. For those who might not be familiar with the name he was the father of Kobe Bryant. In the NBA, the elder Bryant played for the Sixers. San Diego Clippers and Houston Rockets. His bio indicates he played for a number of teams in Europe before retirement and becoming a coach. 2005-2007 saw Bryant serve as head coach for the WNBA Sparks. Bryant had a rather ordinary NBA career unlike son Kobe who reached legendary status in the association. It’s reported Bryant had suffered a stroke so it’s unclear as this is written an autopsy report of his death. R.I.P. Joe “Jellybean” Bryant.  

He’s making waves too

A group of us at work held a discussion on the struggles of Bronny James the other day. Somehow the conversation morphed into another subject, one co-worker said, “Wait until you see Carmelo Anthony’s son, he’s got game.” I thought for moment and then realize I’d written several accounts regarding Bronny James…I’d even written about the sons (Cameron & Cayden) of former NBA player Carlos Boozer also in the Class of 2025. I’m am sure Kiyan Carmelo Anthony had never been covered in this blog.

Kiyan is smaller in stature than his dad, he’s a 6 foot 5-177-pound shooting guard. Keep in mind he is likely to grow in height and weight. Kiyan attends Long Island Lutheran HS in Glen Head New York an internet search reveals Glen Head is a hamlet on Long Island in the New York City metro. 247Sports and Rivals award Kiyan 4 stars and he is rated a Top 32 prospect by one site and Top 34 in the other. Kiyan’s yet to make a decision regarding which school he will attend however of the 14 schools with offers its highly likely Kiyan heads to Syracuse. I could toss out the possibility he goes to Australia to play.     

A revisit

It’s not often I’m correct on anything, seeing the struggles of Bronny James I located this account published April 6, 2024. The font has changed however the prediction has not, it’s unnecessary to read the entire article I will highlight the portion I want you to pay particular attention to. 

Isn’t this an interesting development

While working on the Saturday edition came this breaking news, Bronny James declared for the NBA Draft while exploring the transfer portal. This makes sense on several levels, he can meet with teams obtain feedback prior to making a decision. We cannot determine the future without adequate comment which its hoped Bronny receives. There are several scenarios that could be developed but I’m not going there totally.

In closing allow me to express my concern, I am going to assume the Bronny health issue will be monitored but he’s played limited minutes during his freshman year. The move of his coach at USC certainly played a part in this move however my hope he would return to school. I am no draft expert but believe he is not ready for the rough and tumble world of the NBA. I was on the “Wemby Watch” early, although he was only 19 years of age Wemby had experienced play as a pro, Bronny has basketball skill but little to back up his desire. This is another story that will be monitored over the next few months whether the destination is the NBA or another college.

Could there be more   

I have written on this subject previously, the NBA continues to be diverse in its hiring practices more than any other professional sports. The NFL was bragging about having a female official for the recent Super Bowl. How about this history, the NBA hired two female officials in 1997, one remained on the job long enough to retire. There are 4 female assistant coaches in the NBA, a total of 15 have served in that role over time. Becky Hammon was the first being hired by the Spurs in 2014.

Nancy Lieberman became the first head coach when she was at the helm for the G-League Texas Legends in 2010. The day-to-day operations are difficult to determine and how much decision making is involved but in the association according to 2023 figures 18% of the owners and CEOs in the NBA were women. A recent Summer League game between the Wizards and Hawks, the GM’s of both teams were interviewed at the half. Both teams have black men serving in this role however there are a number of others spread throughout the NBA. This also includes those working in 17 NBA offices throughout the world.

I’m not going to cover the sum of bench coaches you are likely familiar with the name. The answer to the title of this account is yes, there could always be more diversity in hiring. My point was to provide you proof that the NBA is head and shoulders above the others when it comes to hiring practices. This is not one sided, with the exception of NHL hockey which I’m unfamiliar with all other professional sports including the NFL have embraced diversity in their hiring and promotions,

John Wooden

There remains two questions for me regarding the late John Wooden. Was he a great coach or just a great motivator for his UCLA teams all those years, better yet maybe he was a combination of both. In fairness a coach must have superior talent, having a Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton and others certainly helps. 620 wins versus 147 losses (.808) at UCLA including 10 NCAA Championships, his teams won 300 games in the NCAA Post-Season and only 67 losses (.817).

One of the areas of my focus has always been the magnificent quotes he left for us to ponder. This is one of those quotes I’ve posted in the past but believed it was significant enough to repeat it again. I’m sure he must have communicated this to his UCLA teams at times while running practice sessions. “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think about you?” Think about the words and how they might reflect on you personally.

“Ant” 

Can you imagine Anthony Edwards as a running back, corner back or quarterback? It’s been said that while playing youth sports football was his favorite sport. He only switched to basketball after seeing his brothers play the game and “thought it would be fun.” After attending two high schools in his native Atlanta Georgia he was named a 5-star prospect by Rivals and a McDonalds All American in 2019. He stayed close to home enrolling at the University of Georgia in Athens. The consensus of opinion he would be a one and done player headed for the NBA which made him stand out over others on the roster.

Sure enough after one season he declared for the NBA draft but back up a minute here. By reputation I was anxious to see Edwards play, I don’t remember whether the game was played in Columbia or Athens however I was disappointed. Edwards scored 20+ points but took a considerable number of shots which caused yours truly to question his ability. I know it’s not safe to see a player once and decide they can’t play, that was not the issue the thought was maybe he doesn’t have the skill set I’d read and heard about. If you fast forward to the present you realize I was wrong, he was the driving force in the Wolves playoff run. Standing 6 foot 4- and 225-pounds Edwards is rock-solid. Expect important things to occur for Edwards over the next few years as he continues to make his mark in the NBA. Anthony Edwards, “Ant-Man” or “Ant” one of the NBA’s bright stars.