A fans perspective

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“It’s more than shooting the ball!”

I have a friend who played competitive basketball at the college level. Every time I mention the high point total of a player he always reminds me, “It’s more than shooting the ball!” He’s correct the only issue there is no reliable method for me or anyone for that matter to convey how good a game Steph, Wemby or Luka had without mentioning point totals. I cannot convey the number of great defensive plays they made, I can detail rebounds and assists but even that fails to convey the whole story so I am going to stop and talk points scored.

Friday night Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors fought off Wemby and his San Antonio Spurs, the final score 109-108. Steph scored 49 points including the basket which sealed the win. As for Wemby and crew it was a different story as they came up short. Wemby scored 26 points pulled down 12 rebounds along with 3 blocked shots. Surprise Luka was not the leading scorer for the Los Angeles Lakers in their victory over the New Orleans Pelicans 118-104. It was Austin Reaves with 31 points and 7 assists but Deandre Ayton’s game must also be mentioned. The Laker Big Man scored 20 points along with 16 rebounds and 2 steals and 1 blocked shot, his best outing as a Laker. Not a point total but just the fact the Detroit Pistons have surprised me, they should be considered an Eastern Conference contender.

Sometimes history is kind

Many reading this will remember I wrote of my interest in the American Basketball Association. Interest to the point I am a member of a social media website, from time to time I encounter stories to share with you the reader. Most often I want any account to be as accurate as possible and that is the case here. The ABA went out of business in 1976 when four not all of its teams were absorbed into the NBA. Those teams added to the NBA were the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets and Indiana Pacers. The beneficiary of this move were the remaining ABA owners and players, Dr. J., Moses Malone and others would go on to have sterling careers in the NBA. It’s my belief and I have no method to prove it the ABA is out of business by 1980 if not sooner, the owners were hemorrhaging money by this time.

Capital sustaining the league was scarce and would become even lesser as the years continued. That first season (1967) the ABA contained 11 teams, by the final season the league was down to 9 teams. That might not appear much attrition, however, take into consideration the number of moves during its existence. The Pittsburgh Pipers, Minnesota Muskies, New Orleans Buccaneers, Dallas Chaparrals, Houston Mavericks, Anaheim Amigos and Oakland Oaks no longer existed or had moved to other cities by 1976. The Chaparrals would relocate to San Antonio and were renamed the Spurs. As you can see a great deal of instability occurred in the 9 years of the existence of the ABA. It continues to be my belief (without offering a shred of proof) there was no true merger. The NBA “took in the ABA teams” they believed might be the most profitable, after all doesn’t money impact all moves? It’s my conviction that history might be more considerate to the ABA than what actually existed.

College basketball notes

Although Missouri and Kansas are no longer rivals after Missouri’s move to the SEC, animosity remains. The most recent example, recruiting talent. Depending on which scouting source utilized one placed Missouri at the top for the Class of 2026, another had Kansas in that position. While fans of both programs are arguing back and forth Michigan State moved ahead of both. Ethan Taylor 5-star center from metro Kansas City bypassed both schools announcing he was headed to Michigan State, this allowed Michigan State to move to the top position eclipsing both Missouri and Kansas.  247Sports moved Kansas into the number two position followed by Purdue and Missouri, Oklahoma State rounds out their top five.

Duke continues its recruiting at a high level under coach Jon Scheyer. They landed 5-star prospect Cameron Williams, he attends St. Mary’s High School in Phoenix, 247Sports list the 6-foot 11 Williams as the number 4 prospect in the Class of 2026. Consider this recruiting story, Duke was able to secure Williams commitment over the competition which included Texas, Arizona, Purdue and SMU. Duke was ranked number 23 but that was published prior to adding Williams to the latest count. He joins 4-star Bryson Howard a 6-foot 5 small forward from Frisco, Texas, and 4-star center Maxime Meyer 7-foot 1 from Bradenton, Florida.

I located an interesting account on a dot.com site highlights the fact that Larry Bird was reportedly enthusiastic about the prospect of attending the University of Kentucky. However, Bird appeared to have more interest in the Wildcats than they reciprocated; then-head coach Joe B. Hall indicated that Bird was "too slow a foot for their program." Subsequently, Bird spent a year at Indiana University before transferring to Indiana State and later joining the Boston Celtics. At the time, Joe B. Hall could not have anticipated that Larry Bird would eventually become known as "Larry Legend." Can we simply state Kentucky swung and missed on this one.

Bryce James, the son of a well-known basketball figure we might be familiar with is not expected to be a one-and-done athlete at Arizona. Head coach Tommy Lloyd has stated that James may be redshirted this season. As of this writing, the Arizona Wildcats have concluded three games, and James has yet to make his first appearance. Naturally, Lloyd provided no basis for Bryce not seeing any action as this is written. As for the differences between the brothers Bryce stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 195 pounds, is taller than his brother Bronny, though he is approximately 15 pounds lighter. Should Bryce be redshirted, it prompts consideration of whether a similar approach might have benefited Bronny, acknowledging that their circumstances differ.