Basketball from a fans perspective

Published daily except Tuesdays & Thursdays

Say what?

Apparently Kings owner Vivek Ranadive decided to make a move. The Kings mired in a 5-game losing streak decided to part ways with coach Mike Brown, it’s not unusual for this to occur. Professional teams in all sports decide to terminate the contract of the guy they once believed in. Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year in the 2022-23 season his first at the helm, he’d managed to coach the Kings into the playoffs.

You say teams earn playoff berths all the time…not the Kings since those glory days of the recent past. The Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic Kings teams were in the playoffs every season until a playoff drought begin one lasting 16 seasons (2006-2023). It would become the longest in NBA history. During this period, the team had 11 head coaches including Mike Malone who was also fired. Of course you realize Malone was later hired by the Nuggets and won an NBA Championship. Next up defending Brown was Steve Kerr, he served as an assistant to Kerr for a number of seasons. The next portion you are reading cannot be documented however reports are Mike Brown was on his way to the airport, the Kings scheduled had them playing the Lakers in Los Angeles last night. Kings management was reported to have fired Brown “on the telephone.”

I’ve long maintained a coach is hired or fired based on the whims of an owner, despite this fact if true this is not that manner. As for the future former Kings player and current assistant coach Doug Christie’s been named interim. If I am seeking a head coaching position I just might take a pass on Sacramento although there is an opening, apparently there is little stability in being hired by the Kings. You might be hired however you might not be in place very long.

The Big XII race

There are more than 12 teams in this conference, I wonder when a decision is made to change the name. Of course that’s a different discussion than what you are about to read. From where I sit the SEC is the strongest college basketball conference in the nation, second is the Big XII. The conference race officially begins next week, I thought it would be a suitable time to check out the KenPom ratings for the Big XII Conference.

These are in order according to KenPom and how they believe the race is liable to unfold. Of course there is no guarantee this will be the finish, this is their projection based on all that analytic stuff. They believe the finish will be Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech and Baylor in that order, immediately after the name is the latest KenPom ranking. Keep in mind, a team’s place can go up or down during the season. Naturally, this projection fails to take the post-season tournament into consideration. 

Houston 4

Iowa State 5

Kansas 8

Texas Tech 13

Baylor 18

Never say never

This was news we expected to hear but when would it occur? The Clippers announced Kawhi Leonard will play in their January 4 game scheduled against the Hawks. This will be the first appearance for Leonard since he appeared in an April 26 playoff game against the Mavs, in that game he played 25 minutes and scored 9 points. I don’t believe anyone questions the talent of Leonard he’s clearly demonstrated it in the past because it’s his health, this is the chief concern.

The game will be broadcast on NBA TV so those of us with the network will have an opportunity to see him in action. Leonard’s now 33 years of age plus he has an extensive injury history so I don’t believe anyone should expect the Leonard we saw at the time he was in San Antonio. Truth is we cannot expect the Raptors version of him either, the hope is the return to action is successful. In the meantime I must complement Kansas City’s Tyronn Lue who’s managed to keep the Clipper ship afloat through this issue with Leonard and place a competitive team on the floor.

What’s the first thing…

You are discussing the previous night’s Spurs game with your buddy. “Boy, you missed a treat, the Spurs beat the Wizards 139-130.” Your friend continues, “Wemby had a monster game, he scored 50 points in the win.” What do you suppose is wrong with that picture, nothing really but I will attempt to detail for you. As fans we sometimes place a great deal of emphasis on the point total accumulated by a player, it’s as if the points detail for us a players worth or value. There are areas that impact the final score, however, for the most part we pay little if any attention to them.

Rebounds, assists, free throws we can measure to a degree. There is no effective method to measure a players value on the court I’m just not sure analytics does that either. Dennis Rodman, Michael Cooper or Bobby Jones three players from the past. Their role was to be an interrupter to play with belly button defense on the opposition, rebound the ball and in some instances be an assist person. For the most part the numbers might be small by comparison to those who might play more minutes as a starter. Next time you evaluate talent don’t just look at the scoring aspect of the game.