A fans perspective

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A beat down of epic proportions

I was certainly concerned, the Los Angeles Lakers would be facing the Thunder in Oklahoma City. It turns out my concern was legitimate, the defending NBA champion Thunder won the game 121-92. I am sure in their history the Lakers have lost a game badly however in recent memory it was nowhere close to Wednesday evening. The Lakers scored the first basket, 2-0 in their favor however that was about it. It seemed every shot the Lakers took missed or was contested, not only that, there was a Thunder defender in the face of the Laker shooter.

Luka Doncic led the way for the Lakers with 19 points but it was 7 for 20 from the floor, what is interesting the Thunder were outshot from three but that’s about it. Thunder shooters found the basket shooting a sizzling 50% from the floor while the Lakers shot a measly 40%, the 20 TO’s the Lakers suffered certainly didn’t aid the cause at all. Help is on the way, Gabe Vincent is healing and should be ready soon, rookie forward Adou Thiero who’s been sidelined due to surgery should also be ready to play. LeBron James is reported to be working out with the G-League South Bay Lakers so we should also see him soon as well. So despite the beat down there are positives for Laker Nation to look toward and this game must be placed in the rear view mirror.

Is he a center or power forward

The “he” in this instance refers to the San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama. If you check ESPN’s website they list the 7-foot 5 Wemby as a forward, other sources record him as a power forward/center. It really makes sense to list Wemby at two positions, there’s never been a pure center in the NBA able to master a basketball at his skill level. Despite his triple double (31-15-10) the Spurs lost to the Golden State Warriors 125-120 Wednesday evening. Back to Wemby, one day he might equal a feat accomplished by only four other players in NBA history, i.e., a quadruple-double, points, rebounds, assists, blocked shots or steals. The four players who have achieved this rare accomplishment are Nate Thurmond, David Robinson, Alvin Robertson, and Hakeem Olajuwon.

It is important to note that the NBA did not begin recording blocked shots or steals until the 1973-74 season. While there is no available evidence to confirm it, it is plausible that Wilt Chamberlain also attained this distinction on multiple occasions. The NBA began the tracking process in the 16th and last season Chamberlain played. As for Kareem Abdul Jabbar, it’s possible he could have recorded a quadrable double too. Abdul Jabbar was in his 5 th year before tracking began. As for Victor Wembanyama, it is reasonable to project that, barring injury or early retirement, he will be regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history. This assessment is based on his reputation as a dedicated student of the game, despite his youth. Moreover, his specific position on the court is of secondary importance, provided that he continues to demonstrate a high level of skill in his respective role.  

The Clippers  

I’ve written several columns on the Los Angeles Clippers, their history and personnel since their arrival in Southern California. As was pointed out after locating from Buffalo to San Diego (1978) they move again to Los Angeles in 1984 where they presently remain. Part of the issue as I see it, ownership under Donald Sterling was key to the Clippers generally being non-productive. Shortly prior to Sterling being forced out a change in play on the court began. After Steve Ballmer took over he promoted the team in grand style although they continued to play good but not great basketball. A number of outstanding players have worn Clipper jerseys over the years however the record indicates they were never able to rise to the level expected. There have been some good ones over the time of the Clippers time in Los Angeles.

Last year Ballmer opened his palace, the Intuit Dome. “The Palace” is my name for the arena Ballmer had constructed at his expense, did I mention Paul George and Kawhi Leonard along with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin? Those are but a few of the talented players discussed earlier for a variety of reasons unable to raise the Clippers to the level of championship contenders. We could use the old idiom, “Always a brides maid, never a bride” to describe basketball in Los Angeles for the Clippers. I was recently surprised to discover that a co-worker indicated he is a Clipper fan. If you live in and around Southern California that statement probably means little, this fan and I live in Kansas City Missouri. During our conversation, my co-worker indicated he’s got a buddy (also in Kansas City) who is a Clippers fan. Here with our NBA drought I’ve seen all manner of jerseys over the years…I’ve yet to see anyone wearing or admitting they were a fan of the Clippers that is until last week. NOTE: As this report was completed came word guard Bradley Beal would undergo surgery on his left hip, he would miss the season.

Jay Bilas and his Top 68

ESPN’s Jay Bilas provided us his Top 68 college teams for the 2025-26 season. Bilas places Purdue at number 1, Houston at 2, defending champion Florida number 3, UConn at 4 and Duke is listed at 5. In my part of the country Kansas is number 18 however ahead of them in the ratings of Bilas are Houston, Texas Tech, Iowa State, BYU and Arizona. Despite the fact they have retooled the program Kansas is likely to finish in the middle of the pack of the Big 12 i.e., in six place. As for Mizzou he places the Tigers at 35, Florida already mentioned is ahead of them. In addition, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Texas.

Based on the Bilas projection Mizzou should finish even further down the line than Kansas in the SEC. It’s my belief Mizzou will end the season a couple of notches ahead of the Bilas projection…why? Mizzou has an intriguing prospect in Shawn Phillips Jr., the 7 foot 245 pound post player. In the school’s exhibition game against Kansas State Phillips Jr. scored 14 points and snatched 10 rebounds. In Mizzou’s regular season first game against Howard University it was 16 points and 11 rebounds, it appears Phillips Jr. is a double-double man. This is the portion of his story most interesting, spending 3 years at Arizona State he was a backup never starting a game. Dennis Gates recruited Phillips Jr. from the portal, hopefully this will prove to be a slam dunk asset.