Basketball from a fans perspective

Published daily except Tuesdays & Thursday

I can’t see it

To provide context, some of you may not be aware that Gregg Popovich, the Spurs coach, suffered a mild stroke. He has not coached the Spurs since early in the season, and the front office recently announced that Popovich will miss the remainder of the season. At 76 years old, he is the oldest coach in the NBA. Soren Petro of WHB 810 Sports Radio reports that Spurs GM RC Buford and Bill Self are friends. The suggestion is that if Self is tired of coaching college basketball, he could consider moving to the NBA. However, I have some reservations about this scenario. Age—Self is 62 years old. If he had been offered an NBA head coaching job 10 or even 5 years ago, it might have been feasible.

Unless Self is seeking a brand new challenge, why risk tarnishing his legacy by moving to the NBA? The Transition—The NBA has proven to be a challenging environment for many college coaches. The only coach who has successfully transitioned between college and the NBA is Larry Brown. Quin Snyder is at the Hawks but he was an assistant and later head coach for the Jazz prior to the move to Atlanta. Billy Donovan is at the Bulls after first coaching the Thunder, he certainly was a success at the college level. At the NBA he’s 399 wins and 319 losses, his teams have never made it out of the first round of the playoffs except the Thunder team his first year in the NBA. While it's important to keep an open mind, Kansas fans should note that Self would likely consider a position at Oklahoma State (for obvious reasons) before moving to an NBA coaching role.

Meanwhile

The Spurs are optimistic about a complete recovery for Wemby by next season. I conducted a brief hunt for deep vein thrombosis and this is what I discovered. “A condition where a blood clot (thrombus) forms in a deep vein, usually in the legs.” That was the portion that’s most interesting to this non-medical person, Wemby’s thrombosis is in his shoulder.

The situations that makes fans feel more comfortable is downright laughable at times. It was pointed out Kansas had the second longest streak in the Top 20 before they were omitted in the week 17 poll.    Houston now has the longest which prompted this from who I take to be a Kansas fan. “How many championships Houston won?” Okay, Kansas won it all in 2022 if that makes you feel better, Houston has 0 wins, there I wrote it…I hope that helps.

I need help with this matter and perhaps you can aid me. I continue to ask the question why America appears so in love with Charles Barkley? He is constantly discussing any and everything 40% or so of his conversation is often unrelated to basketball. Did I miss the memo, when did he become the consultant on EVERYTHING?

A friend asked, “Have you purchased your 77 jersey yet?” I laughed and told him, “After all this time I am yet to add a LeBron Jersey to my Man-Cave.” There was no particular reason except LeBron remains an active player, every jersey I have hanging represents a retired Laker. As soon as LeBron retires I will buy a number 23 jersey, as for Luka at age 25 it’s going to be awhile lol.

Overvalued

The Mark Williams saga is no longer the conundrum I once believed it to be. As of now you are aware Dalton Knecht and Williams have rejoined their respective teams. According to an Instagram post by Williams: “I didn’t think I had failed my physical. That didn’t even cross my mind.” For those who might be unaware it is important to note that HIPAA regulations likely apply to professional athletes just as they do to the general public.

Hence, while it is understandable that Williams would make such a statement, the Lakers' medical staff is legally prohibited from disclosing any information regarding the health status of an individual. But wait, perhaps it was more to the story than simply failing a physical. What you about to read I am offering you 0 proof, I believe Williams might have been overvalued. Williams has tools but based on players that would be given up by the Lakers and draft choices he was overestimated. Would the Lakers be willing to take him on during the summer, my guess is yes.

Wrong time…maybe wrong place

Tamar Bates’ stats, 13.4 points and 50% shooting from the floor with 40% from three, may not stand out, but his true value lies in his grit. Some might be unfamiliar with the term, what is grit. I had to retreat to the dictionary for a definition, it’s as follows. “Grit is a personality trait defined by determination and perseverance for long-term goals,” and Bates certainly embodies this. Despite initial setbacks, including negative comments from former Indiana coach Dan Dakich, Bates has shown tremendous resilience.

A Kansas City native, he began his basketball journey first at Piper HS in KCK and then transferred to IMG Academy. He was recruited by the University of Indiana but there his career almost stalled. With the success of Missouri basketball an old tweet from the former coach associated with Indiana surfaced. Coach Gates would attribute the negative remarks to someone else and not the Tamar Bates he knows. Last season, Bates remained consistent even during Missouri's 0-18 struggle. This season, with improve team play and fewer injuries, Missouri excels with Bates, who always aims to meet his team's needs.