Basketball from a fans perspective 

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KAT

Saturday morning came news of a blockbuster NBA trade. The Wolves Karl-Anthony Towns was traded to the Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, DaQuan Jefferies and a lottery-protected first round pick from the Pistons. On the surface my first reaction says the Knicks intend to battle the Celtics for Atlantic Conference supremacy. The Knicks were competitive last season as Jalen Brunson led the way for the team. KAT becomes the second blockbuster move by the Knicks in this off season, earlier they added Mikal Bridges from the Nets.

The portion of the trade I find most interesting, KAT was born in Edison but grew up in Piscataway NJ located in the New York City metro. In a sense this will be a return to home so to speak, by the way according to the NY Post KAT says he did not demand this trade be made. This trade aids the Knicks in this manner, it makes up for the loss of Isiah Hartenstein and the delayed recovery from surgery for Mitchell Robinson. On the other end does this trade make the Wolves any stronger in the Western Conference? That question will remain unanswered for now, as for the Knicks I believe they have improved with this trade.

He’s retiring

Derrick Rose is retiring after 16 years in the NBA and after playing for several teams. After a year’s play at the University of Memphis the Bulls made this Chicago area talent their first pick in 2008. By 2011 he was made MVP of the association the youngest in the leagues history. Rose would tear his ACL in his left knee in the 2012 playoffs, surgery indicated he’d be out 8-12 months. He did not return for the 2012-13 season despite being cleared by the Bulls medical staff. He did return but later suffered another devastating injury which kept him sidelined.

Rose began a journey that took him to several teams in the NBA including the Knicks twice, his last team would be the Grizzlies where he retired. It’s quite easy to lookback on his NBA career and say, “If only he’d been able to avoid injury.” Considering the two devastating injuries it’s a wonder he even played in the NBA the length of time he managed (16 seasons). Rose turns 36 years of age this month and if he’s managed money properly should be able to live the rest of his life financially secure. As for the basketball part those who missed his play in college and early in his career with the Bulls missed a treat.

Are you a hater

This is an advance warning for those who consider yourselves a Duke hater. I offer not proof  but it appears the football team doesn’t suffer the same dislike that faces Duke basketball. I am sure some of this hatred goes back to the days of Coach K. Oh well here goes, I recently read the ESPN family of channels will broadcast a substantial number of Duke basketball games this upcoming season. Rest assured there will likely be games on CBS and Fox Sports as well.

It was pointed out the university will be on television more than a number of NBA teams. I’m sure a portion of this increased coverage is due to Duke wunderkind Cooper Flagg, he will be on full display during the 2024-25 college season. The legend of Flagg has grown to epic proportions prior to him ever setting foot inside Cameron Indoor Stadium for a meaningful game. The arena is always bursting at the seams anyway since it holds less than 10,000 fanatical supporters. In conclusion you have been warned in advance of the planned television schedule.  

Slipped beneath the radar

Imagine this scenario, you are made the 57th pick in the NBA draft, there are only 60 players chosen in total. This says you are third from the bottom, a draft pick that low is a sure indication of how scouts are evaluating your talent as a potential NBA player. What if I told you that was a true story, it was no fairy tale, that player’s name was Manu Ginobili. After the 1999 NBA draft Ginobili would spend his entire career as a member of the Spurs however it was not his first professional basketball play. Ginobili was chosen that year but would not play his first game for the Spurs until 2002. What occurred between the draft and his arrival…plenty, Ginobili would play for several European teams.

This is the portion of the story most interesting, he is considered the originator of the “Euro Step” however Ginobili is from Argentina on the South American continent. His resume is quite extensive, the following represents only his NBA career. Ginobili was a 4X NBA champion with the Spurs, 2008 NBA Sixth Man of the Year. It should be of note he made a name for himself as a reserve player before eventually becoming a member of the Spurs starting lineup. In 2022 Ginobili was enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield Massachusetts, he’s come a great distance not being considered a valid prospect to the ultimate prize, the hall of fame. Based on how little scouts thought of him and where he ended can we say he “Slipped beneath the radar.”

Rivalry

I’m unsure if this is actually the case, college basketball rivalries are no longer intense. Don’t misunderstand my statement they still exist but not at the blazing white hot level any longer. As an example one of the best in the nation Kansas-Missouri no longer exists. With the departure of Mizzou to the SEC it disappeared, many especially on the Kansas side will claim it still exists but not for me. If we look closely that rivalry has been replaced by Illinois, the two schools play annually a week or so before Christmas. We cannot look at Kansas-Kansas State, one party must defeat the other on occasion. A one-sided match with the Kansas Jayhawks winning every season is not a rivalry.

What about the others, at the top of most list is North Carolina-Duke. These two schools located 12 miles apart have comprised some of the best basketball talent in the nation over the years. It’s been Duke’s coach K. since 1980 on one side and now Jon Scheyer, for Carolina since 1980 its been Dean Smith for a time then Bill Gutteridge, Matt Doherty, Roy Williams and now Hubert Davis. Up next might be Louisville-Kentucky, which is an interesting one. For years Kentucky refused to play Louisville, state government had to threaten to withhold funds if this policy remained in place. There are others however I wonder if they are as intense as we might believe, who are they? How about Indiana-Purdue, Xavier-Cincinnati along with Arizona-Arizona State. Did I miss any, I'm sure there are one or two I missed.