Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Tuesday, Thursday plus Saturday & Sunday 

He will play football in the fall

Ian Schieffelin has played power forward for the Clemson Tigers the last four seasons. It’s been reported he attempted to portal transfer but realized his appeal might not be heard in time for basketball. The 6 foot 8 240 pound Schieffelin decided to remain at Clemson and play football in the fall…yes I said football. He’s attempting this switch with the encouragement of Dabo Sweeney Clemson’s football coach. Schieffelin intends to play tight end for the Tigers football team,

The starter at tight end has graduated and reports are the remainder of the roster has seen limited play during the season. Switching basketball for football is not all that unusual however I am unable to uncover anything in Schieffelin’s bio indicating he played the sport in high school. I hope this report doesn’t appear negative that is not the intent, he might uncover a “new” career. NFL Hall of Fame players Jim Brown and Tony Gonzales played basketball, Patrick Mahomes, Randy Moss, Antonio Gates and a host of others played basketball but switched to football in the NFL.

“Help, the sky is falling!"

The Lakers win championships (17) or at least that’s what they are supposed to accomplish. The morning after the loss is gloomy for Laker Nation except at my house. I’m am extremely disappointed but not in the dumps, it’s clear the better team won this series. Over the next few days and weeks scores of media folks most with no association with the NBA will provide you the WHY the Lakers failed to advance. A number will likely be correct in their assessment while others…well the Lakers are a favorite topic so we begin a discussion.

My intent is to duplicate the effort of an “ostrich,” I intend to block out the caw-caw especially from those only connected to the NBA by working for ESPN, ABC or other media. We might not always agree but most in Laker Nation are of the same mindset, we know what is required to address the issues facing the team. In closing allow this bit of input, JJ Redick received a round of criticism for several coaching moves. I’m not with those critical of Redick, prior to the acquisition of Luka Doncic the Lakers were playing much better basketball than Darvin Ham’s Lakers. From time to time I intend to look at various methods to improve the team, stand by for them. I’m sure we don’t require the media to inform us what is in front of our faces.     

I ain’t hatin’ on him

If you are a fan of Kawhi Leonard you can stop reading at this point. The issues raised over the next few paragraph’s will concern you and there is no intent on my part to do that. I read a brief piece written by Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, it seems Quinn was attempting to place Leonard in the pantheon of great NBA players. He was unsure as I am exactly what position The Claw holds. I’m uncertain why Quinn chose former NBA player Antoine Walker as a comparison and this was a revelation to me. To this point Walker has scored more career points than Leonard, should that be a consideration on the greatness of Leonard? The good, he’s a two time NBA Champion with the Spurs and Raptors although to me one stands out over the other. With the Raptors he clearly was the man, without him providing practically everything the Raptors fail to win.

That 2014 champion Spurs team had Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili along with Boris Diaw and several veteran contributors in addition to Leonard. Leonard is now in year 5 with the Clippers, during that time 68 was the most games he’s played, that occurred during the 2023-24 NBA season. The injury bug landed on Leonard, especially with the Clippers, he’s always managed to miss major portions of each season. He cannot help being injured but it begs the question, how valuable is he when he is often unable to play. I hoped you noticed nowhere in this account did I mention his lack of talent. When healthy Leonard is an outstanding offensive player and might be one of the best defensive small forwards in the NBA. There is no requirement to win an NBA Championship to be Naismith Hall of Fame worthy however there remains a question. In your view is Leonard enshrined in Springfield?

A second round pick

I checked out the 2012 NBA Draft, I wasn’t surprised at the number of first round draft choices picked ahead of Draymond Green. Many of the first round and the majority of the second round no longer receive payment from the NBA team that drafted them originally but Green does. He was the 35th pick in the second round of that draft, indicating scouts and GM’s might have believed at the time there was no NBA future for him. Consider these first round picks long since gone, remember Thomas Robinson Kansas, he was the 5th pick in that draft. How about Royce White (16) or Perry Jones (28), they represent just a few of those chosen ahead of Green. It’s my contention that at least one perhaps more of those Warrior championships might not occurred without the play of Green.

No I didn’t say he was more important than either one of the Splash Brothers or others from that period onward. If we check his numbers there is nothing that stands out, they appear subpar and in some instances below average. There is one unmeasurable regarding Green, it’s a trait that cannot be fully defined. I prefer to call it grit, the AI Overview defines grit in this manner; “generally refers to determination, perseverance, and passion for long-term goals. It’s often associated with the courage and resilience needed to overcome challenges and setbacks in pursuit of a goal.” Sometimes Green’s volatile play causes him to pick up an excessive number of technical fouls during the course of the season and into the playoffs. Is he a ‘dirty’ player, I’m not qualified to make that determination. The single example might be his fight with Jordan Poole when the two were teammates. Maybe Green might just be one example of those who, despite their starting point, are bound and determined to prove you have underestimated their grit!

I didn’t know

It is a certainty that James Harden will have an impressive regular season performance, followed by a notable decline during the playoffs. To illustrate this point, Harden has participated in four Game 7s for four different teams, all resulting in losses despite his apparent skill. In 2018, as a member of the Rockets, his team was defeated by the Warriors. Three years later, in 2021, while playing for the Nets, another Game 7 loss occurred against the Bucks. Additionally, in 2023, Harden was part of the Sixers, who lost a Game 7 to the Celtics.

Most recently, his Clippers suffered a Game 7 defeat against the Nuggets on Saturday. It is important to acknowledge that basketball is a team sport wherein peak performance from all players is essential. Harden's contributions must be viewed within this context, yet his playoff statistics are suboptimal: 25% shooting from the floor and 25% from three-point range, although he did achieve 13 assists. While Harden is undeniably a skilled NBA player, it appears he lacks the critical "crunch time" mentality—a determination that drives one to secure victory against all odds. This aspect seems absent in Harden's competitive mindset.