A fans perspective

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Highway to the Danger Zone

This piece does not pertain to Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (portrayed by Tom Cruise) or the 1986 song performed by Kenny Loggins. Rather, it presents a discussion on social media and poses the question: Is social media a blessing or a curse? While I leave that determination to the reader, I would like to highlight an incident that prompted my perspective. I encountered a report written in the form of a news story involving Lakers coach JJ Redick, along with LeBron and Bronny James.

The account concluded with the claim that “Redick had apologized to LeBron.” Upon review, the credibility of this narrative appeared questionable, as there was no substantiating evidence provided. This is what I determined, the writer took from a portion of an event that occurred and then “spiced it up” by adding his spin to the story. As such we can say the described event might have occurred however it most likely is the product of this writers speculation. With this in mind, I invite you and your peers to consider and discuss whether social media serves as a benefit or a detriment to sports writing or anything else for that matter.

My concern

This time last season I was anxious to see how Missouri would compete in the SEC. They were coming off a losing season however there were issues believed to have been contributing factors to the poor record. Although Dennis Gates led the Tigers to a better than expected season (22-11) they were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Drake 67-57. Over the summer and early fall I looked forward to the 2025-26 season for the Tigers, that excitement has changed to a worry. Check this out, Missouri’s NET Ranking is certainly nothing to become excited about. Being ranked number 92 in the nation is a concern of mine.

As an example headed into the SEC regular season Missouri has played two Quad 1 teams suffering losses against Kansas and Illinois and one Quad 2 team Notre Dame, another loss. The 10 wins so far looks good…the three losses not so much. Where does Missouri go from here with number 22 Florida upcoming on January 3? I will repeat an earlier assessment, Dennis Gates is certainly secure but my belief is he’s on a tight rope. How his Tigers perform this season is key, the highly regarded Class of 2026 prospects will be added to the roster. My argument, effective recruiting serves little if you as a coach are unable to transition those high school and portal players successfully to your team. If this appears to be a surrender on my part that is not the case, the headline reads: “My concern.”

‘The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated’

19th Century author, essayist and humorist Mark Twain is responsible for the headline. Reports of his death had circulated and his response was the headline you just read. It certainly wasn’t anything as serious as death however I wrote at one point “Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers should consider retirement.” I’m going to defend myself with this statement, the health of Kawhi has been a question over the last several years. Sunday night after his game against the Detroit Pistons he told me and everyone else who questioned him should just shut up.

Kawhi Leonard, widely recognized for his defensive abilities, significantly contributed offensively in this performance. At the conclusion of the game, he recorded 55 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 5 steals. He achieved these statistics while shooting an impressive 65% from the field, including 50% from three-point range. Notably, these accomplishments came against the Detroit Pistons, who now hold a 24-8 record after the game, as opposed to a lower-ranked NBA team. This display underscores Kawhi's evolving skill set and the notable impact he continues to have on both ends of the court. I can state this loudly, he’s made a believer out of me again.

Meanwhile….

I am not asserting any claims, but rather reporting findings from my research. I have long held the belief, contrary to common belief, there was not a true merger between the leagues in 1976. Instead, the NBA selectively incorporated certain ABA teams—specifically, the Denver Nuggets, New York (Brooklyn) Nets, San Antonio Spurs, and Indiana Pacers—while excluding others. During my investigation, I encountered information from AI Overview stating: “1976: The NBA absorbs teams from the American Basketball Association (ABA).” Notably, the term "absorbs" is highlighted in bold and underlined.   

Recently ESPN.com’s college journalists Jeremy Woo and Jeff Borzello profiled Darryn Peterson Kansas guard, Cameron Boozer Duke power forward and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa small forward. The article was a point-counter point i.e., why each should be the top pick in the 2026 NBA draft and what might prevent it. I’m not going to steal from their work simply point to something I agree with. Oftentimes even fans like me have difficulty assessing the potential of an NBA draft pick. I attempt to check out the portion of an athletes game that requires production, that which says ‘I need to work on this’ in order to improve my draft ability. I believe this aids in determining an athletes promise.  

On Monday December 22 the NBA and FIBA announced that talks will soon began on the ‘NBA Europe’ plan. The announcement provides no clear cut start date of the new league but there is movement no matter how slight. At this point I’m sure like me you have more questions than answers. Will Real Madrid, Panathinaikos or Virtus Bolonga cease to exist or will they be simply folded into NBA Europe? As I mentioned at one time the proposal announced on Monday is the dream first placed before us by the late David Stern then NBA commissioner who believed in exporting the NBA brand world-wide.

Is this the answer

One game really proves nothing however could it be a start. I have lamented about the lack of defense by this version of the Los Angeles Lakers, they can score with any team in the association. It’s the scoring from the bench and defense which has been the culprit in a number of the losses. Sunday evening a different story prevailed, yes I realize the Sacramento Kings are not very good however there was evidence of a different Laker team. The usual suspects led the way in the 125-101 victory over the Kings but it was the other that was most exciting.

The other I speak of was Nick Smith Jr. emerging from the Laker bench scoring 21 points and grabbing 3 rebounds in 24 minutes of action. It was also the ‘Invisible Man,’ Jarred Vanderbilt, he too came off the Laker bench playing 22 minutes. Vanderbilt only scored 5 points but I would guess he impacted the defensive effort by the reserves and a few of the starters. What develops for the future, I’m sure the coach is hoping for consistency from these two and other reserve players. The Lakers cannot seriously entertain any hope of advancing in the playoffs unless improvement is forthcoming in reserve scoring and defense, I can claim this might be a start no matter who the competition was.