Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Bits n Pieces of information 

Just kidding folks, we realize expansion is on the minds of NBA owners. Recently the Board of Governors met although commissioner Silver indicated expansion was not a topic of discussion. Of course NBA fans are curious to know if and when Seattle and Las Vegas will be added as the 31st and 32nd teams in the league. A question was asked by a member of the media if Climate Pledge Arena was up to NBA specifications, some might remember this is the refurbished Key Arena. I’m not sure about the interior portions of the arena however the website indicates it now seats 18,300 for basketball up from the 17,072 of Key Arena.

I’ve covered Hubie Brown previously, his name popped up again on one of my social media sites. Brown could have retired years ago after all he’s 90 years old, he’s got to be a great-grandfather maybe a great-great grandfather. He’s been associated with the NBA for 50 years in some capacity. Brown’s longtime association with basketball and his contribution has seen him enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. You now he must love the game, he continues working when he could have retired ages ago. Hubie Brown former point guard, coach at several stops and broadcaster. He’s a name you should be familiar with from basketball’s rich history.

Although the game has changed the prospect of adding a quality Big Man to your program continues to be intriguing to a considerable number of college basketball coaches. Based on that fact Eric Reibe from Potomac Maryland would appear to be one of those budding talents, the 4-star prospect stands 7 feet tall and weighs 230 pounds. There are a number of offers pending for this Class of 2025 prospect, Kansas, UConn, North Carolina and Creighton are just a few of the more than 34 bids for his services. This certainly is no hint of future success on the basketball court just a name you should become familiar with.  

What he said

Over and over I’ve admitted Shaquille O’Neal was a favorite of mine. If you thought it was because of his tenure with the Lakers its more, it goes back to the days I first saw him play at LSU. This continued on with him being drafted by the Magic, I followed and rooted for him at that same time I was cheering for the Lakers. Once Jerry West managed to secure him in free agency I was overjoyed. Fast forward to the present day, the Big Aristotle provided us his assessment of the Spurs Victor Wembanyama. This is a little different in one aspect, prior to his arrival Shaq questioned Wemby’s potential. All that’s disappeared now, Shaq acknowledges the budding talent of the 7 foot 5 Wemby but does question one aspect.

As a post player who played down low Shaq questions whether the youngster can dominate the NBA as Shaq did. Despite Wemby’s height and his increased weight of 220 pounds I would ask the question. In today’s NBA is it really necessary for Wemby to dominate the game in the post? It’s my belief given time and development of his game the youngster could be just as dominate but in a different manner. One thing for sure Shaq is forgetting, the game’s changed whether he likes it or not. There is no longer a requirement for post play of the past. I don’t have the answer my intent is to provide you the view of Shaq and to determine your thoughts but pose the question, is Shaq correct in his view? As a fan I just happen to disagree with the view of Shaq regarding this issue.

“The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated"

Our headline is one coined by writer Mark Twain an American writer, humorist, and essayist. His quote could easily fit the Pac-12 Conference in recent weeks. We thought the conference was on its death bed, everyone was escaping leaving Oregon State and Washington State the lone remaining members. This league was definitely on life support, “the patient was expected to die anytime” only it didn’t occur. On Thursday came word, the league had used an automated external defibrillator or electronic panels to “shock” the conference and revive it.

This is what occurred, San Diego State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State have been invited to become members of the Pac-12, this move is to be complete by the 2026 season. If you didn’t make the count there are only six teams, two more teams must be added to be recognized as a conference. The door is probably closed on Stanford, Oregon, UCLA and USC to return to the Pac-12. Will the two additions to the conference be geographical additions, could it be New Mexico, New Mexico State or Grand Canyon as an example? I will advise you of the two additions as soon as they are announced.

The rise of

Last season we saw Shai-Gilgeous Alexander rise to the top of an elite NBA talent. I hesitate to call him the best combo guard in the NBA however he certainly might be close to the best. His rise might have been indirectly responsible for the lesser play we saw of Josh Giddey, he took a back seat in the Thunder offense. You remember Giddy don’t you, big guard (6-8) from Australia, in 2022 the Thunder may have believed they had uncovered a diamond in the rough. On June 21 Giddey was traded to the Bulls for Alex Caruso so what exactly occurred?

I’m not exactly sure, if we look at his numbers they certainly were not terrible however this next portion is pure speculation for me. The factors, the rise of Gilgeous Alexander, the two in the same backcourt appeared to not work successfully. Gilgeous Alexander moved ahead of Giddey with his prolific shooting and the other things. Lastly, the elephant in the room, Giddey’s possible relationship with an underage girl. He was under a microscope by the NBA for weeks, that must have impacted his play to a degree. He was finally cleared but in a manner similar to Kobe Bryant the episode was held over his head by a number of fans.