A Fan’s View of Basketball

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He mad!

Last week Luka Doncic signed an extension that will keep him with the Lakers for 3 more years. All that could change if he decides he wants to play somewhere else. At the photo signing of the contract it appeared all his teammates were there including new center DeAndre Ayton. Missing from the photo and attendance was LeBron and Bronny James, in this instance the absence of LeBron was the story. “He mad, doesn’t want to be there,” maybe there are a dozen or so other pictures you could paint for LeBron’s lack of attendance. I remain unconcerned, just another media attempt to promote suspicion and prod a controversy.

Much later the media was informed that LeBron had video conferenced Luka and congratulated him on the new contract. He did not join the half dozen or so Laker teammates who traveled to Las Vegas for a Backstreet Boys concert. We are aware LeBron is on his way out the door, that fails to take into consideration he’s still a valuable talent and remains among the top players in the NBA. Bottom line and this represents my opinion only, LeBron has no responsibility to attend every time there is a Laker event of note. Is he upset due to the shift in dynamics for the Lakers, I don’t really know but I doubt it. More immediate concern, once the game official tosses the basketball in October he will be there, not only that he will play inspired basketball until he can’t.

Meanwhile….

On Saturday, I discussed Daryl Morey of the Sixers and his recent remarks about the 2020 NBA championship. Morey's comments prompted responses, including one from former player and current broadcaster Richard Jefferson, as reported by Basketball Network: “Richard Jefferson Refutes Daryl Morey’s Statement That The Bubble Title Was A Fluke. Tell Jimmy Butler, who almost died of exhaustion.” It is notable that Morey's statements come five years after the NBA championship. As referenced in the headline, Morey’s focus remains a topic of discussion given that he was not directly involved with the 2020 event. Rather than concern himself with a 5 year old championship it might be far better to concentrate on his Sixer team and the issues they present.

The old Big XII Conference saw Kansas basketball dominating play, the new Big XII is quite different. The Jayhawks might not have always won the post-season tournament but in the regular season they always finished in first place. Nowhere in the country did one team dominate a conference in a manner similar to Kansas. The last two seasons have been totally different, the Jayhawks finished in the top half but nowhere near the place fans expected. Those who follow the program were unaccustomed to a 6th place finish last season and 5th place the prior year. Kansas will compete this upcoming season but the Big XII is now a race to the top and it includes more than Kansas. Play is yet to begin however Houston is predicted to finish in first place for the 2025-26 season

It might be the fact that today’s NBA players are taking better care of their bodies plus a larger number of them begin play at age 18 or 19, it makes for years of longevity in the association. Our focus has been LeBron James but he is but one of a number of NBA players with double-digit years of play. Truth is there are 8 current players with 17 years played, they are Jeff Green, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Brook Lopez and DeAndre Jordan. Mike Conley and Al Horford have 18 years, Kyle Lowrey 19, Chris Paul 20 and LeBron James 22 years played. I included Westbrook and Horford in the count although as this is written neither has currently signed with any NBA team.

Is he coming or going, my statement is made regarding Dame Lillard. You remember the history, this 9 time All Star point guard while with the Blazers was traded to the Bucks. An Achilles injury sidelined him this past season and the last word we received he was headed back to the Blazers, that was what we thought. We knew he wouldn’t play this upcoming season but then a shocker came our way. Weber State, where Lillard played in college, is hiring him as General Manager, a role that quite a few universities are currently seeking to fill. Although Lillard recently re-signed with the Blazers, at 35 years of age he may be just considering future career opportunities. This might be a greater challenge than competing in the NBA…just sayin.’

He was familiar to us

The college basketball season will see a number of coaches, some new while others have moved to new programs. One of those moving was Ben McCollum at Iowa. Interesting in that he was familiar to us in Kansas City, he led Northwest Missouri State to four (4) NCAA Division II Championships. Depending on where one might live Maryville is a slight bit over 100 miles from the Kansas City metro. Basketball fans here had the opportunity in person or on television to witness McCollum’s teams in action.

As for me I questioned how long he’d remain at NWMS and finally it occurred, he was offered the head coaching position at Drake. He managed to lead the Bulldogs to a 31 win season and an NCAA berth where they beat my Mizzou Tigers. Shortly after they were eliminated McCollum was offered the head coaching position at the University of Iowa. Although a youthful 44 years of age he’s been a head coach for 16 years, during this time his teams have won 426 games losing but 95 for a .818 winning percentage. The road is going to be somewhat tougher at Iowa and Big 10 basketball, I have no doubt McCollum will continue to succeed. Check out the progress he’s made, from Division-II to mid major basketball and finally to a Power 5 school, he’s a proven winner.