Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Tuesday, Thursday plus Saturday & Sunday 

MVP…MVP…MVP

We’ve heard plenty of vociferous MVP chants in NBA arena’s around the nation, we heard it every time the Knicks Jalen Brunson stepped to the free throw line at MSG. We heard it in Paycom Arena in Oklahoma City but this time it was for real. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Thunder point guard has been named the NBA’s MVP for the 2024-25 season. As for the vote SGA received 913 points edging out Nikola “The Joker” Jokic who received 787 points. Most of us (including this writer) had forgotten the Clippers drafted SGA but would trade him to the Thunder 6 years ago. The trade has allowed him to fully develop and exhibit his talent.

Unlike others of his generation SGA’s game is mostly mid-range, it’s not that he can’t shoot from distance he appears to favor shooting the ball in much closer to the basket, when you shot 51.9% from the floor why take shots from longer distance. Despite the statement SGA can and sometimes does shoot three’s, during the regular season he was nearly 38% behind the line. The Thunder won 68 games during the regular season the most in the NBA this recent season, without hesitation I can say SGA led the way in most of those games. It is clear to me and others that follow the NBA he is the real deal, should the Thunder continue to advance and win an NBA Championship we can point the finger directly at SGA.

Duke reloading

Coach Jon Scheyer has managed to snag the world’s top international prospect. His name is Elhadji Dame Sarr and he simply goes by his middle name Dame. He is a 6-foot-8 wing who is reported to have a 7-foot wingspan, that sounds a little suspect to me however I will accept it for the time being. Home for Sarr is Italy where he was born and raised, his parents are immigrants from Senegal on the west African continent. I am repeating myself, it’s difficult to assess talent at an all-star game however that’s exactly what presented itself to me. A few weeks ago we saw him in action as Team USA faced Team World at the Nike Hoops Summit.

Team USA prevailed however Sarr represented himself quite well in the game. Sarr went on to score 17 points and pull down 4 rebounds in 25 minutes of action. As for the balance of incoming freshman we have the Boozer brothers, Cameron and Cayden. Add Nikolas Khamenia a 6-foot-8 power forward and a 5-star prospect. This roster will also see 6-foot-6 Cedric Coward arriving from Washington State along with former Rutgers Big Man 6-foot-10 Ifeanyi Ugochukwu. Teams don’t win on paper however it appears Duke will have one of the deepest rosters in college basketball. NOTE: Duke moves quicker than me, as I was finishing this update Sebastian Williams made his commitment known. The 6-foot-8 230 pound power forward was a Class of 2026 prospect, he decided to reclassify to 2025 in the fall and will be heading to Duke.   

The world knows

If you are familiar with NFL legends the late Jim Brown should be in your memory. Despite his record setting NFL career did you realize he played basketball while enrolled at Syracuse? Sure most of us are aware he played (and was great at) lacrosse, the basketball was an entirely different story. Brown divided his time playing two seasons for the basketball team, standing 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds he earned high praise as an outstanding rebounder. He scored 13.1 points per game clip for those two seasons as a starter.

The record indicates he decided to not play basketball his senior year of college. The history says he refused to play because he wouldn’t be a starter, although we are talking black and white players on the same team this was 1957. It was said Syracuse had an unofficial policy it followed, no more than three black players on the floor at one time. Of course Brown would go on to fame and glory as a running back for the Cleveland Browns and later be inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame. From there it was Hollywood calling where he transitioned into the role of an actor. This is a brief look at the life of Jim Brown who might have played in the NBA if not for the other sport.

Convince me…please

I am reading this account from several sources, the Lakers will attempt to trade for Kristaps Porzingis. The 7-foot-3 240 pound Big Man would certainly fill a role if healthy. That is the issue for me, despite being very talented in most facets of the game (less rebounds) he would make a worthy edition however it’s the other things. I remember just like it was yesterday, it was actually 2015, the Knicks made Porzingis the 4th pick in the first round of that year’s draft. In my mines eye I can still see apoplectic Stephen A. Smith pontificating for several minutes the morning after the draft. Smith was roundly criticizing the Knicks for selecting Porzingis, fast forward to the middle of the season Smith was forced to admit maybe he was wrong. Later Porzingis would leave the Knicks, since then he’s been on a “world tour.”

From the Mavs to the Wiz and now with the Celtics, once again I said nothing about his talent it’s the other thing. Remember the nickname “street clothes” often applied to Anthony Davis, I could relate it to Porzingis as he’s managed to miss considerable time with all the franchises he’s played. There is another name being mentioned, Brook Lopez of the Bucks. Throughout his NBA career while not great at rebounds for someone 7 feet and 282 pounds he manages to accomplish the other things well, for a Big Man he is excellent behind the 3-line. My reservation on Lopez is his age, he just turned 37 years old in April. The question that cannot be answered for now, is he ready and able to undergo another NBA season…one with a new team? Although he is older than Porzingis he does not have the injury issue so prevalent with Porzingis. The bottom line for both, should the Lakers decide to pursue Porzingis and Lopez I must reluctantly accept them to the Purple and Gold. I would hope there is a Big Man in residence as a future replacement.