Basketball from a fans perspective

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Thoughts before basketball practice begins officially

You remember Kawhi Leonard and Team USA, it was reported “The Team” decided to send Leonard home. Of course his injury issue certainly might have been a consideration but wait there is more. Kevin Durant is yet to play due to injury. Coach Kerr’s gone on record indicating there are no plans to replace him…. Hmmmm.

I informed you over a week or so ago I intended to wait. The new NBA television contract, although resolved by some in the media was not officially approved. As you are aware TNT was on the outside looking in, they would lose their place. Well that is not quite the case on Monday came word their parent company matched the bid of Amazon so for now we remain in a holding pattern for now.

He’s either age 12, 16 or 27

His name was mentioned previously however I believe a revisit on his story was in order. You might remember in late spring many of us were introduced to Mohamed Dabone who plays for FC Barcelona in the U15 division. For unknown reasons we have his height at 6 foot 10 but no figure for his weight. His physical appearance is that of a lanky youngster, as for the notoriety in late spring 2024 stories were floating all over the web. The headline gives us an idea of the events, we have been unable to determine his age, one publication claims “He would be draft eligible in 2031.”

That would make him age 11 with his 12th birthday this year, Euroleague stats list him as a 13-year-old. The basis for the excitement NBA scouts are thrilled by the skill he displays on the basketball court. His age is important only in its possible relationship to the NBA draft, beyond that is it really important? I conducted brief research on the matter and according to the web his home country of Burkina Faso in West Africa utilizes birth certificates. The question of Dabone’s age is easily addressed for his future. Official documentation of some sort will be required if the youngster hopes to play in the United States either college or the NBA.  

Be Quick

Most basketball fans are familiar with the name John Wooden. He was the legendary basketball coach at UCLA and he left us with a considerable number of outstanding quotes. Most are favorites of mine however one especially stands out to me. “Be quick but don’t hurry,” what the heck was the coach trying to instill in his basketball players? How can one resolve a problem without attempting to get to the bottom of it quickly?

I presume the coach may believe sometimes in our effort to settle a problem or issue we are guilty of making it worst…how come. Our effort exacerbates the problem because we didn’t take the time to analyze all of the elements. Perhaps this was an indication from the coach to his players he wanted them to make quick decisions and move deliberately but to not rush, the rush might create additional errors. Maybe in a manner similar to mine you to have compiled a number of quotes from Wooden, from time to time I intend to include them because many are so insightful.   

Shaq 2.0

I hope this doesn’t place pressure on the youngster. Allow me to introduce you to Peyton Marshall, he’s the freshman post player for the Mizzou Tigers. Marshall is huge, he stands 7 feet tall and checks in at 300 pounds, that was no typo he is gigantic. He was awarded 4-stars by Rivals and 247 Sports, Marshall must now prove the rating by both scouting sites was valid. Video on YouTube is really inconclusive because most of it consists of Marshall in action against much smaller competition. In the SEC it’s likely he will not face a rival his size however the competition will be so much better.

Opposing coaching staffs will map out various junk defenses to contest him around the basket. I remember reading coach Dale Brown told Shaquille O’ Neal he should declare for the NBA draft. Many games Shaq’s junior year he was often double sometimes triple teamed. Maybe that’s how Shaq became so adept at passing the basketball once he arrived in the NBA. Back to Marshall for a time, I expect his development to be slow. It takes a great deal of coaching to play the post sufficiently. So part of the equation is aimed directly at Marshall, he must be a willing learner and adaptable to coaching suggestions. At the beginning I said my hope is to not place undue pressure on the youngster, Mizzou fans should be patient with his development if it appears slow.

It's being discussed again

Unofficially the subject of NBA basketball in Las Vegas is a topic of discussion once again. By now you are fully aware LeBron James desires to be an owner, whether it’s Las Vegas or somewhere else. If it’s Vegas it’s going to take some mighty, mighty deep pockets, the rumored cost for the franchise is a reported $7 billion which includes an arena. The $$$$ are not required upfront however a substantial portion might be. I certainly don’t have privy to his bank statement but believe this will occur, the franchise could be a single proprietorship with James as the owner. Why possibly risk financial failure, its far easier to locate partners which is what I believe will occur.

If we look around the NBA there are few single proprietorships most teams have 3-4 owners. That’s only part of the effort to secure a franchise. Reports are there are more potential bidders for the franchise than James, I’m sure for the image of the league the preference would be awarding the team to him. According to Adam Silver the only delay in work on expansion was due to the television contract. As this is written there is no official announcement however the subject of television is no longer a holdup on expansion. Besides Las Vegas will it be a return of the Seattle Sonics or a team in Mexico City? My belief, Mexico City will be included in the second-tier expansion plan. With an uneven number of teams who comes into the NBA along with Mexico City to provide balance.