A fans perspective 

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The best

Another post that originated at work and yours truly was the culprit. I asked a couple of co-workers who was the best “Little Big Man” in NBA history. Naturally, some of the names we had no opportunity to see in action, based on that fact I decided to do a 6-foot 2 inch height cut-off. None of the players on the list stand any taller than the height mentioned, in addition rather than place them in order their names will simply be listed. We begin with Allen Iverson (6-feet), he spent his best years as a member of the Sixers. At his height and weight of 150 pounds he should have been a pure point guard, coach Larry Brown moved him to the shooting guard due to his prolific scoring. The Bad Boys of the Detroit Pistons had Isiah Thomas (6-foot 1) driving the bus, there is no doubt the Pistons would have not gone as far as they did without Thomas orchestrating the offense.

A few years prior to Thomas the Kansas City Kings and later Celtics had Nate ‘Tiny’ Archibald (6-foot 1) playing for them. He remains the only player to ever lead the NBA in scoring and assists in the same season, by the way it’s my belief Tiny was closer to 5-foot 11. How about Spud Webb who stood 5-foot 6 and won the 1986 Slam Dunk Championship at the All-Star weekend. Muggsy Bogues was only 5-foot 3 but managed a 14-year NBA career mostly for the Charlotte Hornets. We come upon Nate Robinson (5-foot 9), he won the 2006 Slam Dunk contest beating Andre Iguodala. Several of these mighty mites are still playing such as Chris Paul who is 6-foot tall, he’s now a member of the Clippers. Also injured and expected to miss the season is 6-foot Fred Van Vleet of the Rockets, this critique is closed mentioning the greatest 3-point shooter in NBA history…his name Steph Curry. He’s listed as 6-foot 2 however there is a question in my mind, I believe he’s at least an inch or two shorter.

Class of 2026

Coach Gates and his staff secured another commitment on Sunday: Aiden Chronister, a 6-foot-7, 180-pound wing and 4-star prospect in the Class of 2026. Chronister attends Sunrise Christian Academy in the Wichita, Kansas metropolitan area and is originally from Rogers, Arkansas. He was recruited by several programs, including Arkansas, Indiana State, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. The addition is notable as Mizzou was able to attract Chronister despite competition from John Calipari at Arkansas. Mizzou continues to pursue basketball talent nationally. Recruiting in-state remains valuable, a broad national approach is particularly significant. Rivals and 247Sports both place Mizzou basketball recruiting number one in the nation for 2026, of course we are still early in this process.

There is a possibility they might not remain in this position at the end of summer 2026, regardless of that fact they are first place this time of the year is certainly noteworthy. As I have indicated the recruiting uptick is well and good however there is one needed essential. Mizzou needs to play deep, deep into the NCAA Tournament in the upcoming season and every season thereafter establishing that foundation mentioned by another 2026 commit.  As evidence of the past let’s delve into the past briefly, since the move from the Big 12 to the SEC the record is not good. Since 2012 Mizzou has gone 84-148 (36.2% in league games. They have finished with a losing record in 7 of their 13 seasons in the SEC along with having 4 coaches over that period including Gates. This certainly points out the need of building a successful basketball program, in addition to maintaining a successful high skill program such as Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State and others.

A revisit

A number of you might remember Karim Lopez, previously profiled last year. As an update for those reading about him for the first time he’s an 18-year-old basketball player originally from Hermosillo, Mexico, a city located in the central portion of the country. Lopez would began his professional career in 2022 with Joventut Badalona’s “B” team and was subsequently promoted to the senior squad, where he appeared in four games before moving to the NBL. During the most recent season, he played for the New Zealand Breakers and continued to demonstrate significant potential.

Analysis of several reputable NBA mock draft sources provides us valuable insight into the prospects for Lopez. According to nbadraft.net, Lopez is projected as the 13th pick in the 2026 draft. In two other sites, nbadraftroom.com ranks him number 8 in their draft while tankathon.com places Lopez at number 5. Standing 6-foot 8 and 220 pounds he is projected as a small forward. It should be noted that Lopez must maintain a high level of performance to secure his position in the draft; nonetheless, it is noteworthy that all three mock draft sites currently project him as a first-round selection, suggesting he has made a favorable impression on NBA scouts. As for the question about his status, he was born on the North American continent which says no…he’s not an international player in my view.

A bold trade for Chief (and McHale)

That was his nickname, I would bet money today even in Boston it’s believe Robert Parish was always a Celtic. If not that he played a year or two for another NBA team. The truth of the matter, the Warriors made him the 8th pick in the 1976 NBA draft. Parish actually played 4 years for the Warriors and after a slow rookie season was on the road to becoming an outstanding player. “In 307 games over four season, Parish averaged 13.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 block with the Warriors.” This is what unfolded, center Dave Cowans had retired after the 1979-80 season and Larry Bird had finished his rookie year with the Celtics. The team needed a replacement at the center position and that’s when Red Auerbach went to work.

Prior to the 1980 draft Auerbach dealt the top overall pick and an additional first-round pick to the Warriors for Parish and the Warriors’ first-round pick, the third overall. With that pick, the Celtics chose Kevin McHale while the Warriors selected Joe Barry Carroll with the first pick. This is not intended to denigrate Carroll however his NBA career was nowhere near that of Parish and McHale. Auerbach and the Celtics certainly didn’t realize it at the time but the foundation for those ‘80’s championships was laid in front of them with the trade. Of course Larry Bird was the clear leader of those Celtics teams but he certainly couldn’t have accomplished it without the aid of two hall of fame players Parish and McHale. NBA teams arrange trades routinely, the hope by both sides is for a winner. Sometimes the trade is totally lopsided in favor of one team over the other, that certainly is the case here.