Basketball from a fans perspective

360 degrees of Bill Self

Several of you reading this remember that in mid to late February Kansas was struggling on the basketball court and Bill Self’s name was mentioned regarding a change. There were reports not substantiated that the coach might be resigning at Kansas and taking over for Gregg Popovich should the coach retire. There is a circle in place for this story, at the time Larry Brown was the head coach at Kansas his coaching staff consisted of several individuals who would later become household names in the NBA and in college basketball.

Alvin Gentry, longtime NBA head coach with several stops, seated near him was Bill Self present head coach at Kansas. Next to Self was RC Buford long-time executive with the Spurs and next to him was Gregg Popovich. Now the connection between Buford and Self including Popovich is clear. If this appears to be written with negative intent that is not the case, the intent was to offer an explanation as to why Self’s name is mentioned in conversation for head coach of the Spurs. I didn’t have this information prior to recently so you and I are enlightened with the history. This is one of those stories although unlikely to occur has a source for the speculation.

Sometimes they miss

I’m back again with the same question, why did you choose them? Several reading this might remember the name Sam Bowie, he played at Kentucky, he stood 7 foot 1 and possessed all the tools. The Blazers wanted Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984 but he was made the first pick by the Rockets, the Blazers had the second pick and still needing a center chose Bowie. The Bulls with pick number three chose Michael Jordan and the rest of the story is NBA history except for the injuries. Bowie had an average NBA career but damages kept him from being the player the Blazers projected him to be.

Anytime a player arrives in the NBA the judgement of whether he becomes a boon or bust sometimes rages. A website contained its list of players who failed to live up to expectations. The list contained several players I conclude should have been omitted, just like Bowie injuries seriously impacted the career expected. These are not in any order of their NBA arrival but first is Jay Williams. You are probably accustomed to seeing him behind the mic for ESPN. An All-American at Duke this guard was made the second pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Bulls. He had an average rookie season, however, none in what would be his sophomore year. Williams suffered a career ending injury while riding a motorcycle in the off season.

How good was 7 foot 273 pound Greg Oden, the Ohio State Big Man was made the number one pick by the Blazers (them again) in 2007. One NBA scout said of Oden pre-NBA, “He might be the second coming of Bill Russell.” Successive injuries prevented Oden from reaching his potential. We close this with the name of Bobby Hurley, currently the basketball coach at Arizona State, he was drafted 7th in 1993 by the Kings after an All American career playing at Duke. A severe car accident ended his NBA career. A thorough investigation is crucial before writing articles of this type.

Two New York teams

New York City has two NBA teams: the Knicks and the Nets. The Knicks play at Madison Square Garden and claim all of New York City as their fan base, whereas the Nets play at Barclays Center and their fans are primarily located in Brooklyn. As for the history the Knicks have a long history dating back to 1946 with the founding of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). Conversely, the Nets started in 1967 as part of the American Basketball Association (ABA), playing initially in New Jersey, then Long Island as the New York Nets,

In 1976 the Nets and three other ABA teams made the move into the NBA. After returning to New Jersey, they became the New Jersey Nets until moving to Brooklyn in 2012. While there is no apparent reason for adopting the borough name, it might be nostalgic, reminiscent of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. The Knicks are deeply rooted in New York City culture, with notable fans like Spike Lee, despite his Brooklyn origins, remaining loyal to them. Both teams have their share of supporters in the entertainment industry, but the Nets have grown significantly since their inception in Teaneck, New Jersey. Since their founding, there have been a number of sites that served as home for the Nets around the New Jersey-New York metro.

All-American

The headline is the term applied to the best college football or basketball player in the nation. It’s my belief to the general sports public it’s not as big a deal as it once was. As an example here’s an exercise for you…can you name any member who was named a 2024 College All American First Team? The timer begins now if you can’t name even one? Well I have an advantage over you unless you have a good memory, I have Google.

Don’t worry my memory ain’t that good either, with the considerable number of players headed to the NBA after a single season it’s difficult to retain the information. I will provide you at least two names, Zach Edey Purdue and Dalton Knecht Tennessee. The 2025 All American teams were announced, for our purposes we’ll only look at the first team. Auburn’s Johni Broome and Duke’s Cooper Flagg were unanimous choices as All Americans. The teams of all five All Americans will be present as the NCAA Tournament begins, in addition both Auburn and Duke are number one seeds.

Johni Broome-Auburn

Cooper Flagg-Duke

Mark Sears-Alabama

Braden Smith-Purdue

Walter Clayton Jr.-Florida