A fans perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday through Sunday

The Spurs are for real

The San Antonio Spurs were believed to be exploited however instead they became the exploiters. Prior to the game I thought “They are playing the Lakers at home plus the fact there would be no Wemby to block or alter Laker baskets. The game would be close however the home team would prevail over the young Spurs.” That was my view and not reality which later occurred, as I indicated it was Spurs 132 Lakers 119, the next question might be asked, exactly what occurred? 

The Lakers can score baskets, truth is they can do this with the best of the NBA. The Lakers have two deficiencies which the Spurs exploited to the max. 1. Average to poor defense against the three point line and 2. Little offensive production from the Laker bench. The positive, the Lakers still have one of the best won-loss records in the NBA. The negative…unless they address the two issues raised they earn a playoff berth but are quickly eliminated for championship contention. At this point I will leave the concerns I’ve expressed with the Laker front office, from where I sit little can be accomplished to address the issues raised.

Meanwhile…

If Karim Lopez is selected in the June draft, he will join the list of Mexican athletes who have played in the NBA. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound Lopez currently competes for the New Zealand Breakers in the National Basketball League. Multiple NBA mock draft sources project Lopez to be chosen in the first round of the 2026 NBA draft; according to nbadraft.net, he is projected at No. 8, while bleacherreport.com ranks him at No. 11. Check tankathon.com which lists him as the No. 12 pick, and nbadraftroom.com expects him to be selected at No. 24. What is most interesting is the growth of basketball in our neighbor to the south. From what I read the most popular sports in Mexico are in this order, soccer, boxing and baseball.

Several reading this might remember the name Emoni Bates, for him there is a question. Is his dream of an NBA career officially over? Bates was pronounced “Ready for the NBA” by a scout after being named National Gatorade Player of the Year while in high school. Play at two high schools, two colleges, drafted as the number 49 pick in the second round by the Cavs in 2023. He appeared only briefly with the Cavs and from there it was the Sixers who waived him prior to the start of the 2025-26 season. Where in the world is Emoni Bates, I am unable to find him on any NBA or G-League team?

Is a new wave of basketball stars preparing to make their mark, there are several following in the footsteps of their famous fathers. More recently it was Bronny James’ son of LeBron, waiting in the wings so to speak is Marcus Spears Jr. son of the former NFL player. Meanwhile Kiyan Anthony begins his journey at Syracuse, fans and scouts are watching closely for promising players who could help shape the NBA’s future. Freshman Anthony has settled into a reserve role although his coach has expressed the belief he is a budding talent. Playing 23 minutes a game his numbers are 11.3 pts and 44% shooting in his limited court time for the Orangemen.

Is there a next

Chris Paul lives in Los Angeles, for that reason alone the fact the Clippers ‘cut’ him just meant he was at home anyway. Despite the number of reports surrounding his departure from the team he claims in an interview all is well. The statement from those of us in the public might be why not. Paul is eligible to be traded after next week, will he attempt to resume his Hall of Fame NBA career? Paul is the only one to answer that question, besides the fact the 2025-26 season was supposed to be a farewell tour for him. I speculate on a great number of things involving the NBA and it’s players however this is not one of them. I can say this in truth it’s been a magnificent run for Paul despite the fact he never won a championship.

This is bittersweet in a sense because it’s my belief that the one true opportunity to win it all was prevented by the NBA. You remember the story I hope, in any event the New Orleans Hornets (Pelicans now) franchise was being operated by the league. Paul was traded to the Lakers and a few days later NBA commissioner David Stern voided the trade. He claimed at the time the decision was made “In the best interest of the league.” Just imagine a backcourt of Kobe Bryant at shooting guard and Chris Paul at the point, despite what Laker Nation desired the tandem never came about. Then again we could look at the development in this manner, Kobe and Paul two driven but gifted players may well have butted heads and the championship hopes and aspirations might have never come to fruition.

I didn’t realize

I would suppose if you don't win an NCAA championship, your name isn't considered among the top college coaches in the nation. That would be the case for Mark Few head man at Gonzaga, do you realize he’s been at the helm for 27 seasons? Did you also realize in that time his Bulldogs have never, ever not earned an NCAA invitation. Recently Few was honored by winning his 750th game as a coach a number few have attained, the All-Time winner is Coach K. with 1,202 wins. The only active coaches ahead of Few in descending order are Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Rick Barnes, Bill Self and Dana Altman.

I would consider the fact that places Few in some exclusive company. As usual Gonzaga has begun the season on a high note winning 9 of their first 10 games, the Bulldogs are ranked 8 in the AP Top 25 and 7 in the Coaches Poll. As for their BPI ranking they are second in the nation behind Duke. Few is only 62 years old which places him well below mandatory retirement age, if he should average only 25 wins over the next 5-6 years he will eclipse many legendary coaches of the past. A few of those names, how about Bob Huggins, Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith along with Jim Calhoun. Of course nothing is set in stone, Few might decide the daily grind of coaching at this level wears on a person’s psyche, we shall see.

A conundrum

I was prepared, the NBA family of channels now consisted of two not included at present. I was accustomed to TNT from the time the network first began broadcasting games. Their announcers plus studio crew was top notch, that would be gone beginning with the 2025-26 NBA season. The new streaming partners are Prime and Peacock neither one are included with my service at present. We are three weeks from the new year, the NBA season began almost two months ago and I am missing. Missing what you might ask, the ability (without NBA League Pass) to see all the games I desire.

Games broadcast on Prime and Peacock I’ve had to follow the progress on my iPhone, that method is okay but certainly nowhere close to seeing the action. Here I am faced with the dilemma, do I pay extra for Prime and Peacock or simply follow my established routine? One of the issues to consider…playoff basketball. Last season and in the past TNT broadcast a number of playoff games, what occurs for this season? Do I miss seeing vital playoff games due to the fact I have neither of the aforementioned streaming services?  I guess it’s a matter of paying for what you desire which makes me (and others maybe) glutinous consumers. What to do…what to do…the conundrum in front of me requiring a decision real soon.