Basketball from a fans perspective

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Meanwhile… 

I'm going to walk back a promise I made to myself, "I'm going to allow the Laker front office leeway, they can select a team without my input. Recent developments indicate that the Phoenix Suns are reportedly considering a buyout for guard Bradley Beal. Should this occur, Beal would be eligible to sign with any team at the league minimum salary. This scenario presents the possibility of Beal joining the Lakers, where he could offer veteran leadership and backcourt scoring off the bench. However, it is likely that several other NBA teams would also express interest in signing the accomplished guard. Ultimately, it would be prudent to allow events to unfold naturally without my input; if Beal is release, the Lakers and other franchises will make their respective decisions regarding his acquisition. 

Remember the old saying "He plays like a girl!" In the case of top NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg that might not have been such a big deal. I'm reading Cooper Flagg's mom Kelly coached his AAU team as a youngster. "She focused on effort and letting him learn from mistakes, rather than trying to micromanage his game. As he got older, she transitioned to a more supportive role, respecting the coaches and their decisions while still offering guidance and encouragement. As for Kelly Flagg “she was a highly accomplished basketball player, starring for Nokomis High School and the University of Maine, where she was a team captain and helped the team upset Stanford in the 1999 NCAA Tournament.” If you should hear someone uttered that phrase in the future, He plays like a girl” remember Cooper Flagg and this key. Training by his mother was key to his future development.     

Perhaps later you will read a slightly different version of this subject matter. It seems there’s been an explosion of articles indicating LeBron might desire a trade elsewhere. Despite his age he’s been valuable to the Lakers, the 2020 championship can be attributed to his outstanding play. Over the course of his NBA career LeBron’s been an all time great, I'm not going to add any GOAT debate at this point but simply state consider this fact. He wanted the Lakers, he came to Los Angeles as a free agent because that's what HE wanted. The Lakers or rather the late Jerry West wanted Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, they were recruited. As far as I know, no one in the organization targeted LeBron in the same manner as Kobe and Shaq.  

Working

Scottie Adkinson, a student at Webster Groves High School (MO), is set to begin his junior year this August. Although he still has time to consider his future options, he has already attracted significant attention from major scouting organizations. Each of the three primary scouting sites has evaluated Adkinson’s performance, awarding him four-star ratings, though his national ranking varies: Rivals lists the 6-foot-3, 170-pound combo guard at No. 24 for the Class of 2027, On3 places him at No. 26, and 247Sports ranks him at No. 37. Regarding his commitment to the University of Missouri, reports indicate that Adkinson visited Columbia multiple times before finalizing his decision to enroll.

College basketball fans across the country and throughout the SEC have begun to recognize Dennis Gates and his staff for their recruiting prowess. The next step for the program is to translate recruiting success into on-court achievement, ideally reaching or contending for an NCAA Championship. Whether Adkinson's arrival will coincide with a new era of basketball excellence at Missouri remains to be seen; however, there is a shared sense of optimism among Mizzou Nation regarding Coach Gates and his ability to attract top-tier talent. Additionally, it is worth noting that the St. Louis metropolitan area has historically produced more basketball talent than Kansas City, though retaining local prospects has posed challenges in the past. Missouri has no Class of 2026 prospects committed yet Adkinson made his decision very early.

Jurassic age of the NBA

The headline is certainly not shocking news just continued evident of the change of NBA basketball. After watching and assessing the 2025 NBA Draft this stuck out for me. Some of you might remember the days of a draft chock full of centers that no longer exists and it’s been that way for a time. That period is now considered the Jurassic age of the NBA, no one develops true centers in the 21st Century. Check this out, Duke's Khaman Maluach was the first center chosen with the 10th pick, then it was Derek Queen of Maryland at 13. From that point on three consecutive post players were chosen, Georgetown’s Thomas Sober then Yang Hansen China and finally Joan Beringer of France.

That 30th or last pick in the first round of the draft turned out to be Yanic Konan Niederhauser from Penn State by way of Switzerland. Today’s game there is an emphasis on athletes who are slashers, guys who are between 6-foot 7 up to 6-foot 9 or so. They are expected to have range out to and including the 3-point line. I am always anxious to determine the training routine for Big Men of today. Let’s face it tall basketball athletes continue to play the game, practically every college team in the nation has at least one 7 footer on its roster. I am curious, if a coach discovered there was a budding “Kareem” or “Shaq” on his team would he attempt to change his offensive game? Would he force that player to jack up shots from the 3-point line rather than work in the paint? I wish there were an opportunity for me to pose the question to a high school coach.

He returns

I must place this Laker move in the category of surprise, all in Laker Nation were aware Jaxson Hayes became a free agent at the end of the season. Most probably believed as I did, the 7-foot center would find a home somewhere in the NBA based on his dreadful playoff. The departure of Hayes didn’t occur, however, it was announced on Thursday he would be returning to the Lakers. As for the reasons he was resigned we must travel back in time, immediately after Anthony Davis was traded, Hayes in a reserve role moved into the starting lineup. It seemed for a time he’d found an ideal teammate in the newly arrived Luka Doncic, Hayes was on the end of many a lob but it ended there. Hayes was found somewhat deficient on the defensive side, by the time the playoffs begin his appearances decreased significantly.

A legion of fans in Laker Nation believe it was the coaches fault Hayes wasn’t playing however there was more, it was clear he was unable to handle his position in the playoff loss to the Wolves. By now you are probably asking “Why the heck is he returning to the Lakers?” The primary reason is that he signed a team friendly one-year contract, and additionally, he is reverting to his role as a reserve player. There is no issue with being a reserve; Hayes has the ability to play in the NBA but is not expected to log major minutes or be that stopper. He is anticipated to continue in this role with the Lakers unless Deandre Ayton encounters foul trouble or is injured/ill, in any event welcome back Jaxson Hayes. Finally this on LeBron James, we are reading and hearing a great deal about LeBron wanting to leave Los Angeles. I have no idea if the stories are true or false this I do know. His contract says he can veto any trade, in addition to that the Lakers could release him however that’s dumb. Why release a player but continue to pay him, that certainly accomplishes nothing in my view.