Basketball from a fans perspective

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He was too old

The headline is a little misleading however an explanation follows. Guard Dalton Knecht wasn’t projected to be the first pick in 2024 however it would be somewhere in the Top 10. Imagine the shock in the “war room” when Laker management discovered Knecht was available at 17. Did he fall because of potential issues…no it wasn’t that, why do you suppose he dropped. From what I’ve read there were teams concerned about his age, now Knecht is nowhere near LeBron’s however he is 23 years old. The entire draft has changed so much in recent years, we have players chosen annually between the ages of 19-21. So it comes down to the fact that a number of NBA teams were scared off by Knecht’s age.

The 6 foot 6 inch (198.120 cm) Knecht had a slow start during summer league and only occasionally flashed the type of game he had while at Tennessee. We’ve read and heard reports that JJ Redick is constantly encouraging him to shoot the ball and the message has finally come through. Do you suppose Redick might see himself in Knecht? Injuries placed Knecht in the starting lineup recently and Saturday evening against the Pelicans he really came to the forefront. 27 points shooting 85.8% and 50% from the 3P line. All that and understand this 0 TO’s in 37 minutes of action on the court. As per usual I always wish to approach this story like others, this is no prediction of future stardom. Knecht 4 for the win, Lakers 104 Pelicans 99.

Opening bell

Despite the horrendous play Mizzou experienced this past season what is expected for 2024-25. Looking at recruiting this is interesting, for this season if we just look at that alone Mizzou is ranked number 6 in the nation by Rivals. Although 2025 recruiting is not yet complete they place Mizzou at number 22, as for others On3 has them at 29 and 247Sports places them at 32. Both numbers are high water marks for any Mizzou programs of the past and this goes back to the era of longtime Mizzou coach Norm Stewart (1967-1999).

It’s that time of the season, i.e., the early college basketball signing period. As a reminder this group of prospects for Mizzou were ranked in the Top 10 in the nation. This is a position Mizzou’s never held in the past. It’s early so it is yet to revealed whether Mizzou’s Class of 2024 is as promising as the experts have indicated. Although most of this crop of freshman have not seen the floor at Mizzou arena we are going to look at 2025 recruiting. The early signing period began November 13 and runs through November 20 and     Nothing has changed since the earlier mention, there is 6-foot 155 pound PG Aaron Rowe and 6-foot 7 225 pound forward Nicholas Randall. As this was being completed Rowe and Randall signed on the dotted line, both are headed to Mizzou next fall. There are several other 2025 athletes on Mizzou’s radar, the question might be will they sign early or late? There is a giant step between competitive high school basketball and tough SEC play, that says an adjustment is required for all incoming freshmen.

Up next are the transfer portal players, Mizzou is no exception generally transfer players were productive at their previous school. That fails to take into consideration they too might suffer an adjustment period as well. This is not me rather it’s the media, a 21 win season on the high side and a 17 win season on the low side. The Columbia Daily Tribune says Mizzou might be headed for the NIT over the NCAA Tourney. The question for Mizzou Nation, would this be a successful season in their eyes?

This is pleasing news for many

As most of you reading this are aware a new television contract takes place next season for the NBA. The family of broadcasters will no longer consist of a broadcast staple…Turner Network Television. With this move the extremely popular Inside the NBA program along with it’s crew would disappear from our television sets. There is much rejoicing in the land today because apparently a new agreement has been concluded. The Wall Street Journal is reporting TNT will license Inside the NBA to air on ESPN and ABC. Until this is finalized we can speculate regarding several issues until they are confirmed.

Now that it appears we are headed in a positive direction let’s explore some detail. At the top of the list is Charles Barkley, Sir Charles indicated he was retiring and then he wasn’t. It’s highly likely he remains in place continuing to be his irreverent self. Next up, the City of Atlanta would cease to exist if Ernie Johnson left. We are going to suppose the broadcast will continue to emanate from Atlanta. Kenny will continue to go to the Big Board to diagram the play and Shaq will go on with whatever it is he does lol. It should be of note this is not the first instance of a program moving to another network however it should detail for all how popular Inside the NBA is with its audience.

Whatever happened to Wally Pipp? 

If you are historical student of baseball the name is familiar to you. As for others Pipp was the starting first baseman for the Yankees from 1915 through 1925. His story is part fact and part fiction, in a game once he asked to be removed from the starting lineup due to a headache. Lou Gehrig would replace him and go on to play 2,130 consecutive games a record which stood for 56 years. The reason why Pipp was seated is the fictional portion of the story. That was baseball and this is a basketball blog so what’s the story here? Starting guard Jeremy Sochan went down with an injury which placed rookie Stephon Castle in the starting lineup.

What are your expectations for an NBA rookie, yours might be different from mine and that’s okay. For me the bar is never too high i.e., I expect them to adjust to play but the speed depends. I’m sure few would admit it however the phrase “deer in the headlights” probably applies to most rookies for a time. As for the bar being placed too high last season I believed Wemby could play once he adjusted to the NBA. I have made the same statement about Laker rookie Dalton Knecht who slid downward in the 2024 draft due to his age. This exercise is not on either of them, but rather Spurs guard Stephon Castle. I believe Castle can play effectively at the NBA level for a number of reasons. He excelled at UConn playing for a good program and one of my favorite coaches Dan Hurley. Drafted by the Spurs places him in an ideal position although he’s second on the team’s depth chart. When given time on the court the 6 foot 6 (198.12 cm) shooting guard has shown steady growth in a reserve role. In the starting lineup last Friday against my Lakers Castle literally said “I’m here” with his game.

Castle scored 22 points on 58.3% shooting from the floor with 75% of it from 3P line as he dealt out 5 assists, two downsides to the game the Spurs were losers and he shot only 63% from the free throw line. I never predict superstardom for any rookie however I can say with confidence that if Castle is able to avoid major injury he should have a stellar NBA career ahead. This headline from a .com site, “He’s already the second best player on the Spurs.” This presents a dilemma for the Spurs, they must make a backcourt move at the trade deadline.