Basketball from a fans perspective

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Conference Realignment in College Basketball

College basketball conferences were originally organized regionally. The old Big 8 conference included schools in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Colorado—all located in the same general area. Similarly, the defunct Southwest Conference contained only Texas schools. This regional alignment no longer exists. Historically, west coast schools were affiliated with those on the west coast or at least the Rocky Mountains. Plains and Midwest schools, as well as those on the east coast, followed a similar pattern. However, many schools are now part of conferences far from their original regions.

For instance, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), traditionally associated with the Atlantic Ocean, now includes Syracuse and Notre Dame, which are miles and miles from the ocean. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has the University of Missouri, which is 1,008 road miles from conference member Florida. The SEC also includes schools that were once considered distant cousins like Texas and Oklahoma. Additionally, UCLA and Washington, both west coast schools, are now members of the mostly Midwest Big 10 Conference. The driving force behind this conference realignment is primarily financial, with the prospect of generating increased revenue. While some individuals initially valued tradition, others are more concerned with the success of their teams, regardless of the opponents they play.

What happened was

The Kings have faced challenges for several years, with some brief success under coach Mike Brown before his eventual departure. Draft picks and trades are always uncertain in their outcomes but consider this. In the 2018 draft the Kings selected Marvin Bagley III with the second pick, while the Hawks chose Luka Doncic, who was traded to the Mavs. Doncic has had considerable success, whereas Bagley is now with his third team, has posted respectable numbers but has not reached Doncic’s level of impact. Additionally, the Kings traded Tyrese Haliburton, whom they drafted in 2020 and who played two seasons before his trade to the Pacers. Haliburton has been key to the success of the Pacers especially this season playing for an NBA Championship.

Finally I close with this story, in 2017, the Kings drafted De’Aaron Fox with the 5th pick, and he quickly became a significant addition to their roster, by 2025 he requested a trade. The events that eventually unfolded are unclear however the Kings accommodated Fox sending him to the Spurs this past February. Retaining talent has been an ongoing issue for the Kings, impacting their potential improvements, which is a topic briefly covered in the past. The Kings franchise might not be championship quality but certainly there have been opportunities to improve the team over time. The Kings front office changes coaches so often its necessary to check the website to determine who is coaching them this week. Am I being too tough on Kings management…perhaps I am however the truth is the light. As you can see over the course of time a number of talented players have worn jerseys of the Kings.

Meanwhile….

Hansen Yang has proven he’s got skill based on his performance in the NBA Draft Combine held in Chicago. I have doubts he remains in the 2025 NBA Draft, I imagine the Big Man returns to China and continues development of his game. Standing 7-foot-1 and 253 pounds he’s certainly got the size to play in the NBA, he must adapt to the American game on the fly and I don’t believe that will occur quickly. If he remains in the draft he plays for a G-League team and I’m not sure how much that will aid his development. Video of him at the combine indicates Yang has talent although he is a bit raw. On the other hand I could be wrong, he’s aligned with Klutch Sports and Rich Paul appears to carry a degree of weight now in the NBA, if Paul can “guarantee” Yang is drafted…well.

Neither of the candidates for the Knicks head coaching job was mentioned in my recent blog. I did not include them as I thought there were not interested in the position. Despite my view the media thinks otherwise, this is their observation. They begin with Rick Pitino, who declined the coaching position when contacted, and John Calipari now at Arkansas. Both are experienced college coaches with NBA backgrounds. Pitino previously coached the Knicks (1987-89) and the Celtics (1997-2001). At 72, he appears to prefer coaching at St. John’s rather than returning to the NBA. Calipari’s NBA experience includes head coach of the Nets from 1996-99 and serving as an assistant with the Sixers. It’s also being reported that the Knicks wish to discuss with Jason Kidd taking over the team. Of course the Knicks must receive permission from the Mavs for this to occur.

Players must play

He’s won nothing yet however I am going to pose the question, is Sam Presti the best GM in the NBA? Presti is the executive VP and GM of the Thunder, he’s held the position since he was hired in 2007 at 29 years of age. Presti became the second youngest in NBA history to hold the position of GM. Presti was named GM while the franchise was located in Seattle and moved with them to Oklahoma City. He was involved in the Sonics selecting Kevin Durant and all subsequent high profile players since then. Besides Durant it was drafting Russell Westbrook and James Harden and the belief in Oklahoma City the team was on its way to the top.

They picked up Carmelo Anthony, Paul George and Chris Paul in trades, despite this accumulation of talent the Thunder failed to reach the heights many hoped would occur. 2012 saw them play for their first NBA Championship. The Thunder now find themselves on the cusp of a championship, Presti continued adding talent to this team, Isiah Hartenstein in a trade with the Knicks and drafting Chet Holmgren. Acquiring Alex Caruso in a trade with the Bulls cannot be emphasized enough, he is the defensive wizard as a reserve. The chief reason (and not the only one) is the acquisition of Shai-Gilgeous Alexander in a trade for Paul George. It’s been mentioned SGA’s accession to the become the league’s MVP is the driving force for this season’s championship run. The Thunder are primed for a championship this season, if not this year soon, the average age of this team is 27 years of age.