A fans perspective 

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You cannot change history

Reading this blog any length of time you are well aware I delve into the occasional “What if.” I did it with the Wolves with their opportunity to draft Stephen Curry, the same could be said for the Kansas City Kings who passed on Moses Malone. The Kings at the time must have believed guard Ron Boone had more upside than Malone who after his career would be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Whenever an event or player is profiled I’ve attempted to discuss it from the point history might have been different. In the instance of actual events you cannot change the course of history to fit your narrative.

By now you are wondering “Where is he going with this latest rant?” Only one issue, a social media writer decided to compare Dr. J’s career to Kawhi Leonard. It was the number of championships I took offense, he listed two NBA championships for Leonard (correct) and one for Dr. J. (incorrect). This individual was only counting the single championship won in 1983 while Dr. J. was a member of the Sixers. This author failed to list the 1974 and 1976 championships won by Dr. J. while he was a member of the ABA New York Nets. The blogger probably disagrees with me and that’s okay, a championship is just that, we don’t have permission to decide two championships won in the ABA are less important or should not be counted. 

Recruiting news

The top men’s basketball recruit in the Class of 2026 eliminated at least one school in his list however he accomplished this in a strange manner in my estimation. Tyran Stokes a 6-foot 7 245 pound 5-star forward signed a NIL agreement with Nike, that move might have eliminated Kansas although he visited Lawrence which had been recruiting him. It certainly remains possible the Sherman Oaks California prospect could continue interest but that’s unlikely due to Kansas being associated with Adidas. Although no decision has been reached Kansas remains included along with Oregon, Southern Cal and Oregon on Stokes list.

Despite this apparent negative news there were two positives for Bill Self, they received commits from Taylen Kinney a 6-foot 1 point guard from Overtime Elite, he’s a 5-star prospect. 4-star prospect Trent Perry a 6-foot 5 forward from Link Academy also verbally committed. In other recruiting news John Calipari and Arkansas announced 4-star prospect Abdou Toure a 6-foot 5 forward had chosen the Razorbacks. He made his decision over Providence, Alabama, Arizona State and Florida State who also were recruiting him. Toure is rated the number 33rd prospect in the nation by 247Sports and in the 2026 ESPN 100 he’s in the 31 spot.   

Conspiracy theories

Seeing video of Luka Doncic in action is the basis for this account, conspiracy theories exist in other sports but nowhere near the level they do in the NBA. Last February the trade the sent Doncic to the Lakers was monumental and Mavs fans were left in shock. Fast forward to the draft in June and what occurs, the Mavs win the lottery. The NBA “was making up for Doncic by allowing the Mavs to draft Cooper Flagg,” that was the theory. There are others, Game 6 in 2002 the disparity of free throws in favor of the Lakers allowing them to win the series over the Kings and play for the NBA championship…conspiracy. The nearly two years Michael Jordan played baseball before returning to the Bulls.

The theory, Jordan was suspended for illegal conduct (betting on NBA games), not that he was hiding from organized crime elements. The Patrick Ewing 1985 draft and the “frozen card,” this allowed Knicks GM Dave DeBusschere to separate it from the others and thus Ewing becomes a Knick. This was a brand new one for me, the 2012 draft was “fixed” allowing the Pelicans to draft Anthony Davis. There is also the Tim Donagy hangover, this former game official claimed officials controlled the outcome of games due to their and others gambling habits. There are other conspiracy theories surrounding the NBA and it’s players, in conclusion I’m just not sure why. All I can say is this, every time there is an occurrence that might appear unusual someone will come forth with a conspiracy story from it.   

Arizona basketball

Arizona is expected to draw significant attention from the basketball community this fall and winter. The school has long established itself as a prominent program in college basketball. On this season’s roster is Bryce James, who is the younger brother of Bronny James. Bryce, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound shooting guard, is taller than his brother, who weighs 205 pounds. Bryce previously attended Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles and received three-star ratings from Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN. Bryce is another basketball-playing child of LeBron and Savannah James. The youngest member of the family, Zhuri James, is 10 years old and participates in activities such as volleyball, dance, and others. We can expect increased television coverage for Arizona basketball and Bryce James this season.