Basketball from a fans perspective

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Ant Man

Anthony Edwards emerged from the bench to lead Team USA in scoring with 26 points. Five starters (Ant Man makes 6) scored in double figures leading to a 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico. Joel Embiid was in the starting lineup and managed to contribute 15 points and 2 blocked shots much to the ire of some in the arena. With the victory Team USA completes its Group C schedule and prepares to play August 6, either 4:00 p.m. or the 7:30 p.m. game in the quarter finals against Brazil.  

Before I close allow me to say this, coaches make coaching decisions. Sometimes they are good…sometimes they are unlikable, until we get there I don’t really know and neither does ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. This is one of those rare occasions I can state let’s see the end result. Steve Kerr’s been at this labor long enough to have a little bit of an idea what he’s attempting to accomplish. With the wealth of talent assembled and the long NBA season the changing lineup might be an attempt on his part to provide a degree of rest for some members of Team USA.

It’s now official

The calendar has turned to August, with that the Big XII Conference becomes the largest in the nation. A welcome has been extended to Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado (again) and Utah, this is now a 16-team conference. A 16-team conference in three time zones Mountain, Central and Eastern Time zone. I’m unsure how the football schedule will work…as for the basketball it’s going to be different. I checked, conferences schedule 16 games, a home and home timetable. With that it “appears” that type of scheduling might disappear with the considerable number of schools in the conference now.

We’ve seen the power of these new additions to an existing strong conference, Houston was the best team last season. Adding Arizona, Arizona State and holdover Cincinnati along with Baylor and Iowa State, a run through this conference might become a daunting task for Kansas basketball. For all you Jayhawk fans becoming upset relax, all I am stating the dominance of basketball in the conference is likely ending. The future says the Big XII or whatever the conference becomes might play the best basketball in the nation. As for Colorado some might not be aware, the Buffs became conference members in 1948, they departed for the PAC-12 in 2011 and now return.

Is there room

Kobe Brown was key to Mizzou’s success in Dennis Gates first season at the helm. I wasn’t shocked but pleased to see him drafted in 2023 in the first round. At the beginning of that season Brown’s name was no place to be found on any mock draft site. It proved to all Brown’s ability to work and continue growing and adapting his game for NBA play. Headed to a veteran Clippers team I reasoned Brown wouldn’t receive a great deal of P/T in his rookie year which turned out to be true. His sophomore year might prove different, the 6-foot 7 250-pound small forward is preparing to battle once training camp opens in the fall.

With the departure of Paul George and Russell Westbrook the Clippers coaching staff will be looking at various aspects of the roster differently than in the past. The ESPN depth chart at small forward list Derrick Jones Jr. as the starter backed up by Amir Coffey. I don’t have the ability to see this roster as Ty Lue does however it would appear the coach might consider moving Brown up in the rotation. Keep in mind this is written as a Mizzou fan, perhaps there are elements missing from his game that prevent Brown from moving up. Hopefully, Brown holds one of those heart-to-heart conversations with his coach and staff to determine what’s missing from his game.

Bits n Pieces 

“Two men enter one man leaves,” that’s a line from the 1985 movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. In the movie violence is perpetrated on one of the men entering the contest, this is nothing close to that. I just thought this story resembled one previously at Purdue. For the last 4 years 7-foot 4 300-pound Zach Edey has been patrolling the paint for the Purdue Boilermakers. He’s gone now, Edey is now a member of the NBA Grizzlies however there is a replacement for him at his former school. His name is Daniel Jacobson, I have no idea if his transition from high school to college will be successful this first year. This is the part I know, Jacobson’s height is the same as the departed Edey, there is a weight difference, Jacobson weighs only “230 pounds.” 

NBA Africa saw a familiar name at play in a recent tournament held in Atlanta Georgia. On the court was Oscar Wembanyama the 17-year-old younger brother of Victor. He’s not as tall as his brother as he only stands 6 foot 8, I could locate nothing regarding his weight however from his photo he appears quite thin. His numbers were average however it’s difficult to determine his impact not aware how many minutes he might have played in the 6 games. Of course he was questioned on his older brother and he said this; “I don’t particularly feel in (Victor’s) shadow. My goal is not to do exactly like him but to write my own story, as beautiful as possible.” That’s an adult statement by a youngster don’t you think?

The quote is not quite correct

It was Henry David Thoreau who said; “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.” The general public has taken liberties with the Thoreau statement to say, “He (or she) marches to the beat of a different drummer.” Simply stated one takes a different approach to a subject from most people around them. That was the indication I’ve gathered over the years regarding the late Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. 

Coach K., former Duke coach knew both individuals well although neither played for him at Duke. He met them while coaching Team USA and got to know their personalities. To read the comments of coach K., both Bryant and James are unlike any athletes he ever coached. He alludes to the fact they are driven to succeed, that’s an easy statement to make, are not all of us driven toward success. Probably, some of us have something extra that often cannot be defined that other athletes sometimes lack. In football the Chiefs Patrick Mahomes has that “It” factor. In reading the coach I conclude Bryant had that “It” factor and James continues to possess it. 

Before his death and as a player I remember hearing and reading complaints about Bryant, 97% of them were from fans, if I fast forward to the present that same percentage likely exists for James. No doubt in my mind Michael Jordan had the “It” factor working for him as did a number of others. Keep in mind the athletes named and others are human, they certainly are subject to the same mistakes of you and me. Despite the prior statement they do, “March to the beat of a different drummer.”