A fans perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Sunday

Meanwhile….

Anytime a discussion is held regarding injuries everyone seems to get an excuse except the Los Angeles Lakers. This week they lost their match against a very good San Antonio Spurs team. One pundit said; “The Lakers missing LeBron James Wah Wa Wa Wah Wa Wa” (think adults talking in the Peanuts Charlie Brown cartoons). They received commendable play from Luka Doncic but that was it, then I thought out his comment and said, “he’s only looking at a portion of the problem.” Starting guard Austin Reaves has been missing from the lineup with a grade 2 left calf strain, he’s out for another 2 weeks at least. Starting forward Rui Hachimura has a calf industry he might play in the Friday evening game against the Bucks. Rookie Adou Thiero hasn’t played major minutes however he is sidelined as well. If all are healthy the Lakers beat the Spurs but that is not . The answer cannot be determined except to say the Lakers might have stood a better chance than missing major parts of its roster being unavailable to compete.           

The losing streak is over at least for now, the New York Knicks were in some kind of funk having lost 4 games in a row. On Wednesday they would face the hot and streaking Los Angeles Clippers at Madison Square Garden. The Clippers held a slight lead at the half but much later witnessed a resurgence by the Knicks, the final score would read Knicks 123 Clippers 111. So what happened, for one thing the Knicks had all 5 starters score in double figures plus reserve Jordan Clarkson scored 12. Jalen Brunson led in scoring with 26 points, he and Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 7 assists a piece. The Clippers didn’t actually roll over they just ran into a Knicks team determined to break out from a slump. The Clippers were held to 43% shooting meanwhile the Knicks were at 50%, three point shooting saw the Clippers at 36% compared to the Knicks 42%. The Clippers had 4 players score in double figures, they were led by the 25 points scored by Kawhi Leonard.

Not much going there

Jeff Borzello, who covers college basketball for ESPN.com had an interesting column on Friday. It was a guesstimate which team would win the conference race and who were the contenders. Of interest to me the Big 12 and SEC race, it would appear he believes Kansas and Missouri will come up short. As an example in the Big 12 he’s got Arizona favored (no surprise) but the biggest threats to them are Iowa State, Houston and BYU. Did you notice among the missing….the Kansas Jayhawks. Folks around these parts including plenty of Kansas fans continue to revel in the mystique of Allen Fieldhouse and Bill Self. Kansas will field a competitive team one with tournament aspirations they will not win the Big 12 regular season crown.

Let’s check out the SEC, he’s got Vanderbilt as the favorite. That says something, the school once referred to as “The Harvard of the South” has quite a competitive basketball team this season. Borzello list the biggest threat to the top rung as Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee. Each of those schools could win the SEC regular season championship however there is a missing school. The Missouri Tigers are absent from his list however the chief question can they contend with the other named conference members? This is what I think, this is not what I know, a couple of those teams will not finish at the level to be considered contenders. That will allow Missouri basketball to succeed in passing them in the standings, could it happen? I am allowed to dream ain’t I?

He is the man….at least that’s what I believe

Recently without offering a shred of evidence I pronounced Cooper Flagg the leader of the Dallas Mavericks. I came to this conclusion after seeing several Mavs games plus highlights from others, this was done from the beginning of the season through games played in December. I can now offer what I believe is credible proof of that leadership that Flagg’s demonstrated on the court to date. This rookie small forward leads the Mavs in four categories, they are:

Points 682

Rebounds 233

Assists 151

Steals 44

Check this portion out, a healthy Anthony Davis and Flagg is probably in second place in point totals, he also might be behind AD in rebounds too. As for the assist department a healthy Kyrie Irving might find Flagg behind him as well. As for the steals category that’s a tossup in my view, he could lead or exceed even with a healthy Irving in the lineup. On the other hand maybe Flagg is only providing us proof he is a Bonafide NBA talent for now and injuries aside should have a successful career. Flagg is clearly The Man in Dallas. As further proof the Mavericks announced; “Everyone on the roster is subject to trade except for Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg.” That’s a strong statement coming from management, a closer look reveals Irving while certainly valuable and talented is 33 years old while Flagg just turned 19.

What is going on

At the time Ben Simmons was drafted out of LSU it was evident there was a ‘hole’ in his game. The Philadelphia Sixers were aware his shot range only extended about 10 feet from the basket i.e., there was no jump shot. There were other elements Simmons brought to the table which made him a potential talent, in his first few seasons with the Sixers that appeared to be the case. His first 4 seasons saw him average 16 points and nearly 8 assists a game, despite no shot from distance his low from the floor was .545% and a high of .580%.

A back injury saw Simmons miss the entire 2021-22 season, by the time he returned it was all downhill after that. The promise that was once held for him ended, from there it was 3 years with the Nets and last season spent with the Clippers. As the 2025-26 season approached, not a single NBA team contacted him. The season began and Simmons was without a team for the first time in years. So what occurs in the life of Ben Simmons at present, he’s taken up another sport. Simmon’s is focused on sport fishing, he’s become the controlling owner of South Florida Sails in the Sport Fishing Championship. According to reports I uncovered he is hoping to return to the NBA at some point in the future. So there you have it, an update on the latest developments in the life of Ben Simmons.