A fans perspective 

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Correct name please

We realize there’s been a cultural misunderstanding of family names for athletes from China. As an example years after he ended his NBA career Yao Ming corrected his name, this from AI Overview; It is Yao Ming, but his full name in the traditional Chinese format is Ming Yao. In China, it’s customary to place the family name first, so he is known as Yao Ming, with “Yao” being his last name. However, when he came to the US for the NBA, people mistakenly thought “Yao” was his first name and called him “Yao” instead of his actual first name “Ming.”

By now you might be wondering where is this headed, I’m going to say straight to the Brooklyn Nets and their present roster. For the upcoming season, the Nets team have added rookie Zeng Fabo on its roster or is it Fanbo Zeng? After arriving here from China he played at Windemere Academy in Florida. After committing to Gonzaga he decided instead to commit to the NBA G-League. In August he signed an exhibition 10 contract with the Nets. Wikipedia has him listed as Zeng Fanbo while Instagram and ESPN says it’s Fanbo Zeng. Basketball reference.com and FIBA also names him Fanbo Zeng. This is a serious matter and should be clarified by NBA teams with Chinese players on their roster. It’s my belief if the NBA clears the name issue at the start of a career there shouldn’t be another case of Yao Ming or Ming Yao.

Mizzou Nation

Are members of Mizzou Nation living in an alternate reality? The question is posed based on the Class of 2026 headed to Columbia Missouri next fall so far. As you are aware Mizzou has a commitment from the top point guard in the Class of 2026 Jason Crowe Jr., also headed to Mizzou is power forward Toni Bryant. Two 5-star prospects in one class, that just doesn’t occur until the arrival of Dennis Gates. Although Mizzou was able to recruit Michael Porter Jr. a 5-star recruit an injury prevented him from displaying his offensive and defensive repertoire. Time spent with the NBA Nuggets has provided us evidence of MPJ’s talent.

Over the years the coaching successors to Norm Stewart recruited in my opinion second tier athletes. The only problem as I see it was the lack of sustaining the recruitment. The revolving door of head coaches is probably as much to blame as the athletes recruited. It seemed there was always a player or two the incoming coach found it necessary to convince them to remain at Mizzou. Yes lack of continuity certainly has been a problem. Dennis Gates is now entering his 4th season at the helm and should have reached a degree of comfort after weathering a terrible 2023-24 season. I hope no one misunderstands my statement, I certainly am not claiming Gates is going to sit back and rest on his laurels. As evidence of his effort we need look no further than the Class of 2026 and the incoming prospects.

You are in the now

Mature fans of Dub Nation realize it wasn’t always this way, I speak of Chase Center. I realize it opened in 2019 so it’s not brand new however based on the past it appears it will remain home for quite a period. It seemed at times the Warriors never settled in one location very long and a portion of this might be their fault. The team moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco in 1962. From that 1962 date until 1971 games were divided between play in the Cow Palace (yes that’s the name) and the Civic Auditorium. In 1971 the Warriors moved across the bay to Oakland, they began play in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Later the arena would undergo a corporate name change and become Oracle Arena and the Warriors would remain there until 2019. Once the move was made to Oakland the Warriors underwent a name change, San Francisco was dropped and Golden State was added. Was the name change required by the move, probably not? In the NFL, the Giants and Jets have never dropped New York despite the fact MetLife Stadium is located in East Rutherford New Jersey. In any event the name issue is a totally separate subject. Chase Center also serves as home court for the Valkyrie of the WNBA and the University of San Francisco. As for the Warriors having called a number of arenas home they are now settled at 1 Warriors Way, San Francisco, California.

What might have been

A story on Lonzo Ball popped up on the ESPN page, the Bulls traded him to the Cavs during the summer they now become his 4th NBA team. Thinking back to 2017 I still believe all the elements were in place but you can never account for injuries. He spent his rookie year and one additional year as the Lakers point guard, from there it was the Pelicans for two seasons. In 2021 he was traded to the Bulls where he remained until July 2025. I continue to believe this Ball brother had all the tools except for his injury history which has really impacted his career.

He’s been sidelined for major portions of the past two seasons while a member of the Bulls. The Cavs represent a fresh start and one I believe is much improved for him. This is no knock on the Bulls however there is no comparison to the present edition of the Cavs. From what I’m reading coach Kenny Atkinson is excited about having Ball as his point guard. Looking back at that draft there was a question on who would be the top pick Ball or Markelle Fultz, as it turns out Fultz would be chosen one and Ball at two. After his pick at one Fultz has also endured an injury riddled career, picked by the Sixers he later went to the Magic and will begin this season as a member of the Kings. Can we say 2017 was not a particularly good year for point guards to be drafted into the NBA?

Meanwhile…

The “He” I speak of is Jack Taylor, you don’t recognize his name do you? If I said Pete Maravich (69 in one game) or Oscar Robertson (62) or Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) who scored 61 you wouldn’t be surprised. The scoring record is the 138 points Taylor scored in a single game while playing for Grinnell College against Faith Baptist Bible College November 20, 2012. As for the 138 points, setting the NCAA record for most points by an individual player in a game. He played 36 minutes and shot 52-108 from the field, 7 of 71 from three-point range, and 7 of 10 from the line. As for the question where is he, at 5-foot 10 he went undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft. Like most folks Taylor went to work no longer desiring to play basketball. He would marry his high school sweetheart and later become a father, as for the work it would be starting his own videograph company.

Akron Ohio’s city population is not huge (189,664 in 2024) compared to many other American cities. Throughout the years the city has witnessed a number of basketball players emerge and several who were the best of the best. Despite this relatively small city four Hall of Fame basketball players were born here, the last two are just waiting retirement and enshrinement. The first name to mention is Nate Thurmond noted as one of the all-time great defensive centers in the NBA (1963-1977). Up next is Gus “Honeycomb” Johnson (1963-1973) who became the model for NBA power forwards who came into the NBA after him. It should also be mentioned that both Thurmond and Johnson played at Akron’s Central High School on the same team. We fast forward but remain in Akron for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer LeBron James, yes he too was born there. This exercise is closes with a name few realize because he grew up elsewhere, that was the case for prolific shooter Stephen Curry.  

Inside the NBA with Ernie, Charles, Kenny and Shaq will return to the airways on Wednesday October 22 and Thursday October 23. This long running pre and postgame program originated on TNT in the 1989-90 NBA season, it’s now moved to ESPN. I’m unsure if fans were as concerned about losing TNT NBA games broadcast as much as possible loss of these guys. In any event the NBA must have heard the voice of the fans and decided in favor of continuing the program despite a change of networks. “In its first season, there were no permanent hosts or analysts. Craig Sager, Hannah Storm, Vince Cellini, Tim Brando and Fred Hickman shared hosting duties at various points of the season. In the following season, Ernie Johnson Jr., formerly a sideline reporter, took over as the show's full-time host, a role he retains to this day.”