Basketball from a fans perspective

What a game

Prior to their road trip, the Los Angeles Lakers played their final home game on Thursday night against the New York Knicks. The Lakers had Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves listed as injured; however, Reaves was able to return to the lineup, offering valuable insights into his performance post-recovery. The game concluded with the Lakers securing a victory in overtime, defeating the Knicks with a score of 113-109.

Luka Doncic led the team with 32 points and 12 assists, while LeBron James contributed significantly with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Lakers' bench was also effective, with Gabe Vincent scoring 12 points and Dalton Knecht adding 11 points. Although the Lakers did not achieve a high shooting percentage, it was higher than that of the Knicks, with both teams' defenses playing a substantial role in the shooting outcomes. The Lakers are scheduled to face the Boston Celtics at TD Garden tonight, with the game being broadcast on ESPN and other platforms. During the Knicks’ game, their leader Jalen Brunson sustained an ankle injury at 1:04 in OT after stepping on Reaves' foot, leading him to limp off the court before the conclusion of the game. If not for Brunson the Lakers might have won the game in regulation, he was the offense with his 39 points and 10 assists. Despite this setback, he managed to make both free throws.

The extent of his injury remains to be determined as this is written. The Lakers' victory marked their eighth consecutive win as they prepare to compete against the Celtics. In the previous match, strategic defensive plays were noted, such as the 6-foot-9 LeBron matching up against 7-foot Karl-Anthony Towns and 7-foot Jaxson Hayes guarding the Knicks' small forward for the majority of the game. Additionally, Luka’s effort demonstrated his ability to contribute defensively.

I’m scared

There are a bunch of things that scare me, I’m not going to bore you with a list because it might be quite extensive. I will just state this, the influx of international players in the NBA is not scary or something that I must worry about for the future. I don’t remember who said it, I don’t wish to misidentify the players who made this bold statement. They said American players eventually “would be in the minority of NBA players.” Help, help the sky is falling is the mantra of these and others but I have no fear.

Truth is whatever the number of international players arrive overall play in the NBA will only become better. After all isn’t that what most of us desire better play, I know I do? Remember, no some of you are too young. Some of you might recall a time when the prospect of drafting a Euro player made some NBA fans cringe. There was a reason, although they exhibited talent in Europe it didn’t translate very well to the NBA for a number of them. In fairness Euro players had to adjust their game to fit that of the NBA which eventually would occur later. There might have been someone else, this is done from reading and reflection. That first Euro player to impact the NBA significantly was the late Drazen Petrovic who was born in Yugoslavia in the area now recognized as Croatia. Despite being drafted by the Blazers in 1986 he didn’t play much and it was a concern for him. Note what he later expressed about his time in Portland.

“I have to leave to prove how much I am worth. Never in my life did I sit on the bench and I don’t intend to do that in Portland.” That gives you an indication of how much he believed in himself, January 1991 Petrovic was traded to the New Jersey Nets and the rest of his short story is history. I cannot relate his defensive strengths however he became an offensive juggernaut for the Nets. June 1993 Petrovic’s ascending NBA career was cut short, an automobile accident in Germany took his life at age 28.

He was Akron first

Practically every NBA fan is aware of Akron, Ohio, and the city’s relationship to LeBron James. However, LeBron was not the first talented player from Akron; there were two others. These two were teammates at Akron’s Central High School: Gus Johnson and Nate Thurmond. Both players are in the Naismith Hall of Fame, indicating their prominent level of talent. This article focuses on the 6-foot-11 Thurmond, who played the post position. He played college basketball at Bowling Green before being drafted in 1963 by the San Francisco Warriors. Initially, Thurmond could not play his natural position because the team had Wilt Chamberlain as the center.

Thurmond was therefore required to play power forward and occasionally relieved Chamberlain in the post. In 1965, the Warriors traded Chamberlain to the Sixers, allowing Thurmond to move into the center position, where he was more comfortable. Thurmond was a two-time All-Defensive First Team member and a three-time All-Defensive Second Team member. Additionally, he was an NBA All-Star seven times during his career. Notably, Bill Russell retired the year before Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was drafted. While Wilt Chamberlain was still a significant defensive and offensive presence in the league, Abdul-Jabbar stated that Thurmond was the most challenging player for him to compete against, not Chamberlain. Thurmond passed away in 2016 at the age of 74. His name is sometimes overlooked despite his contributions as one of the great post players in NBA history.

Meanwhile…

Duke’s Jon Scheyer is losing one of his top assistant coaches. Jai Lucas has been hired at the University of Miami, he will replace long-time Miami coach Jim Larranaga who announced his retirement.  Lucas will become the youngest Division I coach at the age of 36. Lucas went undrafted in 2011 from Texas, he began a basketball journey with a number of stops. In 2016 he took on the role of assistant coach at Texas where he played. In 2022 he was hired by Duke as an assistant and in 2023 he was bumped up to assistant HC for the Blue Devils. If his last name sounds familiar his father is John Lucas, the elder Lucas had an extensive playing career in the NBA.

I want on those occasions I speculate on something hopefully its well thought out. That is not the case for what you are about to read. The article I read indicated the Celtics were top heavy in the front court and the roster members were named. Missing from the list was the name Al Horford, the writer indicated the 38-year old Horford might be bought out or something similar. This writer mentioned the lack of depth for frontcourt players for the Lakers. My first thought…why would the Lakers pick up Horford at 38, I realize some of you are saying LeBron is older however Horford ain’t LeBron.