Basketball from a fans perspective

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"Too late; Fall back baby"

Dick Barnett, former Knicks player, passed away at the age of 88 on Sunday. For those who might be unfamiliar with his names he would become a key member of the only two championships won by the Knicks. Barnett had a notable career at Tennessee A&I (now Tennessee State), where he won three NAIA Championships. As for the NBA he was chosen as the 4th pick in the first round of the 1959 draft by the Syracuse Nationals who would later move to Philadelphia and with a name change become the Sixers.

After playing two seasons with the Nationals, his rights were sold to the Lakers, he was a vital contributor for three seasons. In October 1965, Barnett was traded to the Knicks where he played for nine seasons which after five games in the 1973-74 season. After his NBA career, he earned a Ph.D. in Education from Fordham University and taught sports management at St. John's University until his retirement in 2007. Renowned for his left-handed jumper, Barnett was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, solidifying his status as a basketball legend. Defenders of Barnett would hear him often say; “Too late; Fall back baby” once he took his shot.

There is no requirement to feel sorry for Duke

Do you believe winning basketball is over at Duke because of the season ending tournament loss to Houston? As of now, Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as is Kon Knueppel. or return to Duke for his sophomore year. Duke will still have significant incoming talent. Coach Jon Scheyer and staff have been out on the recruiting trail, they will welcome the Boozer twins, sons of former Duke and NBA player Carlos Boozer. Cameron is a power forward at 6 foot 9 inches and 215 pounds, while his brother Cayden is a 6 foot 4 inch, 205-pound point guard.

In addition to the Boozer’s Shelton Henderson, a 6 foot 6 inches, 220-pound small forward, will join the team in the fall. In competition with Cameron at the power forward position will be newcomer Nikolas Khamenia, who stands 6 foot 8 inches tall and weighs 210 pounds. As for Khaman Maluach or junior Tyrese Proctor who both played a vital role for Duke’s success whether they return is unknown at present. These players, along with others should continue the winning ways of Duke basketball in the fall and winter. NOTE: This was written ahead of Maluach’s declaring for the NBA Draft.

A permanent NBA best

We have held discussions regarding records that will never be broken, this is one of them. The 1972-73 season saw Nate ‘Tiny’ Archibald lead the NBA in scoring and assists, no one has ever accomplished this feat to date. When we return to that time we discover the Kansas City-Omaha Kings had few offensive weapons. It Tiny didn’t hoist up a shot attempt they often failed to score, now please don’t think he was simply jacking up shots. The 3-point basket wasn’t adopted by the NBA until 1979 so Tiny was not volume scoring, truth is he shot nearly 49% from the floor while dishing out 11.4 assists per game.

As for his scoring average it was 34 points a game which remains to this day the highest point total for an NBA guard. Pause here; James Harden is not a point guard, he is a shooting guard. As for Tiny he scored 2,719 points that remarkable season, the Kings as a team scored 8,882. If my math is correct that would indicate Tiny was responsible for nearly 40% of the team scoring that year. Whenever this College Basketball and Naismith Hall of Fame guard’s name is mentioned the time period he spent as a member of the Kings is almost always excluded while his time with the Celtics is always covered. I believe this is due to the fact he was a vital contributor to the 1981 NBA Championship the Celtics won. Tiny might have been the first NBA combo (shooting & assist) guard in the leagues history. Tiny led the NBA in points and assists in a single season…an unbreakable record.

Swiss Army Knife

I continue to read accounts regarding the Lakers Rui Hachimura’s name being mentioned in an off-season trade. In all instances he is cited as part of a package to enable the Lakers to acquire a quality Big Man, I hope he’s not traded. I have not always held this belief however Hachimura has become a “Swiss Army Knife” for the Lakers. Whatever is required of him he is able to contribute, do you want him to guard The Joker he is able? How about on switches picking up the Thunders SGA, he can do that as well.

Do they need him to hit an open three or grab a needed rebound he can do those as well. The point I am attempting to make is simple whatever the coaching staff requires of him he contributes. If he is traded in the off season what will occur for the Lakers? I love me some Dorian Finney-Smith he plays tough defense but does not provide the shooting ability of Hachimura. What about Jarred Vanderbilt, he too is a quality defender however he offers much less offensively than Finney-Smith and is nowhere close to the production of Hachimura. Based on this summation it indicates the Lakers should uncover another method to acquire a Big Man. This acquisition should not include power forward Rui Hachimura, Laker GM Rod Pelinka will not read this but I sure would like him too.