Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Tuesday, Thursday plus Saturday & Sunday

“The play is under review”

The headline above is the term used by game officials in the NFL and NBA. A stoppage in play occurs and game officials huddle to check the validity of action that occurred on the field or court, in this instance it was neither. Keenan read my account on Tuesday titled “The product is good.” I attempted to discuss elements of the NBA and why I believe the game remains good despite the naysayers. That’s where the question arose, I believe there might be a degree of confusion regarding a portion written. With that said, “The play (written word) is under review.”  I have no desire to place restrictions on any spoken word or print that might appear negative regarding the NBA. There is no argument with reporting facts, inserting yourself into the story…yes I take issue with that.

The chief issue for me the messengers who are often so critical of the NBA appear to “bite the hand that feeds them.” Allow me to cite as an example this account, I was once employed by a company and was required to sign a document prohibiting me and other employees from contacting the media. This was a requirement if the media contacted us as well, several of you reading this are thinking to yourself “That’s not the same thing” and I can agree. My intent was to point out that no matter the field there are restrictions on what you can convey or print, I am sure an agreement of sorts exists with the messengers. As I attempted to point out my chief complaint I believe these messengers should exclude themselves from social media if a disagreement might become personal. Rest assured many of you will be opposed to my stance and that’s okay however I don’t believe my opinion will change on this matter.

There is work to be done

The Portland (Maine) Press Herald recently posed an intriguing question: "Is Cooper Flagg the first white American selected as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft since 1977?" Reviewing the article, I realized this fact had not previously caught my attention. My belief has been, white or black can he play at the NBA level. The article was correct, Kent Benson from Indiana University was made the top pick in 1977. Accordingly Flagg is the first selection since 1977 or 48 years ago.

It is important to note, several international white players have been selected as the number one pick between the years 1978 and 2024. Just in case you had a question Larry Bird was chosen sixth overall by the Celtics in the 1978 draft. Flagg hails from Newport, approximately 100 miles north of Portland, which explains why the state of Maine is particularly proud of him, the state ranks 42nd in population among the 50 U.S. states. Flagg becoming the top draft pick in 2025, it’s become an even bigger deal in Maine. His story aside I might pose the question for all to ponder, we see the top player whoever that might be selected in June. If there are no white Americans at or near the top of the NBA Draft a better question might be why not? I’ve repeated this over and over we have no idea of the future success if there is any for Flagg. This we do know, in all 50 of these United States he turned out to be the best high school basketball player in the nation…why?

I believe there have been two maybe three contributing factors to the success of Flagg on the basketball court, his outstanding work ethic and a belief in himself far beyond our comprehension. The X factor, a mother and father who played the game at the college level. What does the future hold for Flagg if successful, he will create a tidal wave of interest for the NBA much like Caitlin Clark has done for the WNBA. If that is the case the next Cooper Flagg might be playing in middle school or maybe even high school but he is there…if he cares enough and dreams of success on the basketball court.

Life’s like a box of chocolates….

Better yet, NBA games are played on a basketball court and not on paper. There may be additional moves by the Lakers but the chief concern has been addressed. Late Wednesday afternoon came the announcement that free agent Deandre Ayton had cleared waivers and agreed to become a Laker. It’s certainly hoped he will anchor the defensive effort of the team next season. One of my co-workers said; “All they need from him is 10 and 10,” of course he was referring to 10 points and 10 rebounds, the 7 foot 252 pound Ayton has a 7 foot 6 inch wingspan. We mutually agreed that scoring is not the problem for the Lakers it’s defense, it’s hoped Ayton will aid in that area.

That was the upside, now for the concerns regarding Ayton. There are two standouts, injuries and attitude…one is difficult to avoid the other is a mindset. Ayton missed a number of games last season for the Blazers, I’m going to place that in the rear view mirror. If reports are only half correct about attitude issues he will be gone quickly and the Lakers will have lost. I’m betting that doesn’t occur with LeBron and Luka pushing him. On the surface the balance of talent assembled might appear unimpressive, after reading of the gathering of talent and viewing video I’m okay. In the draft the Lakers traded down to pick Adou Thiero in the second round. He played for John Calipari at Kentucky and when the coach moved to Arkansas he followed. Reports indicate he’s a work in progress shooter but the other areas of his game are outstanding. Thiero is 6-foot 8 and 220 pounds and moves swiftly up and down the court like a gazelle, it’s reported Thiero led the nation in dunks. If you check Jake LaRavia’s numbers they are not very impressive. Laker scouting must have witnessed something in his game to sign him to a 2-year free agent contract, LaRavia is 6-foot 7 and 236 pounds, he shot a sizzling 42.3% from three.  

Our last focus is Eric Dixon who is signed to a two-way contract, he will spend a major portion of his season with the South Bay Lakers. Of course he hopes to play well enough to be signed to a regular season contract. As for this past season Dixon led the Big 10 in scoring, he’s a 6-foot 8 265 pound forward. In my opinion these three are most likely to earn regular season roster positions, the Lakers are becoming younger, Dixon is 24, LaRavia 23 and Thiero is 21.