Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Tuesday, Thursday plus Saturday & Sunday 

“I ain’t seeing KD…I’m seeing Andrei Kirilenko”

Those are not my words, they were spoken by Tony Allen former NBA guard. He said, “I don’t think he’s gonna turn a franchise around like that.” That’s his view of Cooper Flagg, he claims his view is not hate its perspective but where does it come from? I certainly don’t have the credentials of a Tony Allen however I have an opposing view. First, some reading this might not remember Andrei Kirilenko. He was an international player but spent the bulk of his NBA career as a member of the Utah Jazz, he was nicknamed AK-47 for his initials and jersey number.

During an 11-year career with the Jazz he played an integral role in the success of the team, although drafted in 1999 he continued to play in Russia. Beginning in 2001 through 2011 he was a valued member of the Jazz. Kirilenko was All NBA Defensive First Team in 2006 and earned second team honors twice. The 6-foot 9 forward even led the NBA in Blocked Shots in 2009. If Flagg plays defense anywhere close to the level of Kirilenko that will be beneficial to the Mavs. As for the franchise thing I never read of anyone claiming Flagg “would turn a franchise around.” I would implore Allen and anyone else to adopt a wait and see attitude regarding Flagg’s future. Must I remind you again we heard similar comments regarding Victor Wembanyama, Allen just happens to be the latest to provide us his take on Flagg.

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I’m surprised

That would be me, the surprise is you didn’t hear me yelling at my television. I was begging Karl-Anthony Towns to stop shooting three’s, the guy is 7-feet tall and 250 pounds. He should dominate on the inside but that’s another story for another time. The Knicks won, they came roaring back (thanks in part to KAT) who aided much of the effort in the second half of the game. The Pacers had raced to a 20 point lead in the second quarter, the Knicks played a little better whittling that huge lead down to 13 at the half. The third and fourth quarter belong to the team from NYC.

The Knicks tightened up their defense and played much better than what was witnessed during most of the first half of this game. I’ve picked on KAT for his distance shooting however if not for him the Knicks surely would have lost this game. He finished with a needed 24 points and a 15 rebound effort for his team. The final score read Knicks 106 Pacers 100, both teams shooting was even, behind the line proved to be the downfall for the Pacers, they managed to shoot a meager 20%. The Pacers remain in the driver’s seat with a 2 Games to 1 lead however the Knicks proved they are legitimate contenders. By the way I’ve been a long-time fan of KAT he just happens to play for the Knicks, does that entail favoring the Knicks?  

The best defense in the NBA

After overwhelming the Wolves in two consecutive games only the home team had an idea what might occur. The Wolves at home performed a beat down on the Thunder, that’s the only way to describe it. I’m unsure of the period however at some point in or near the middle of the second quarter. The Wolves ran through, around and over the top of the Thunder. The primary issue the Thunder appeared incapable of stopping them. It was not only scoring by Ant Man the Wolves appeared to ramp up their team defense as well.

The Wolves shot 57.3% from the floor and 76.5% from three, as for the Thunder it was 40.7% and actually a decent 31.8% from three. The final score read Wolves 143 Thunder 101, this is written ahead of reading anyone else but the 42 point victory has got to be an NBA record. Ant Man led the way for the Wolves with 30 points however Julius Randle made an appearance too. After a meager 6 points in Game Two he finished this game scoring 24 points. The Wolves will require more than Randle to win this series but it certainly aids the cause when he doesn’t “disappear” as he did in Game Two.  Whoever wins Game Four on Monday, I have no idea but continue to believe the Thunder will win this series, have I placed the kiss of death on them?

A decision

Wilt Chamberlain, despite his numerous NBA scoring records, had a notable weakness in shooting free throws. Throughout his distinguished NBA career, he achieved many accolades; however, his performance at the free throw line was significantly lower, with a career shooting percentage of 51.1%. Interestingly, during his historic 100-point game, it is reported that he shot 28 for 32 from the line, an impressive 87.5%. Chamberlain shot underarm for this game, which was number 75 for the Warriors, With only four remaining games in the season Chamberlain continued to shoot the ball underhand from the free throw line.

It was stated in the following season (1962-63), Chamberlain reverted to the conventional free throw method, causing his free throw percentage to decrease once again. At the time, Chamberlain remarked that the underhand method seemed unmasculine, a sentiment influenced by the fact that Rick Barry was the only NBA player employing this technique. Barry’s free throw percentage was 88.0% in the ABA and 90% in the NBA. This statement should not be interpreted as a criticism of Chamberlain. It is my belief (without offering you any proof) that Chamberlain could have potentially scored an additional 10-15 points per game over the course of his career. What do you think, am I off base in my unverified assertion that Chamberlain might have been even more prolific a scoring machine if not for his free throw percentage?   

The son of…

Dylan Harper has good basketball genes, a number of you reading this might remember his father former NBA player Ron Harper. The elder Harper played for the Cavs but most remember him for his time with the Jordan Bulls and the Kobe/Shaq Lakers. The 6-foot 6 220 pound Harper is about the same physical size of his father, what about his future? He is projected as the number two pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and that pick belongs to the Spurs. Whether Harper is drafted and remains with the Spurs is an unknown ahead of draft night.

I read a scouting report compares him to one current and one former NBA player. “(Deron) Williams was a bulky point general who didn’t need a knockdown 3 to become an All-Star, which may be the path for Harper.” And this, “Even if Harper doesn’t become an offensive engine, he has Jrue (Holiday) like high-end role-player skills to fuel a fruitful career.” As I have often indicated it might be unfair to compare a potential rookie to an existing NBA player, unfortunately that’s all we have most times. There is no requirement for you to remain late night for the draft, the commissioner will announce Dylan Harper’s name quite early in the evening.