A fans perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Sunday

Everybody has one

A podcast that is, those in sports media including former NBA players. One of those former players is Jeff Teague who played for 12 seasons in the NBA, based on that fact alone he’s got credibility. Despite his years in the NBA I take issue with a recent podcast. I searched for his podcast but was unable to locate the specific one but here’s what he said. “If Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins another NBA championship, he could rank above Stephen Curry and Magic Johnson.” Below that its reported “his comment is a subjective take, reflecting common sports debate around legacy, championships, and individual impact.”

I ain’t hatin’ on SGA but how do two championships supersede the 5 Magic Johnson championships and the 4 won by Steph Curry? This view by Teague in his podcast leaves me questioning what is he attempting to achieve? Time and time again I’ve maintained your opinion belongs to you alone. Before I close this exercise I decided to check the definition for subjective. Used as an adjective it is: “based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.” Utilizing this definition it would appear this is Teague’s basis for his conclusion. I am going to turn it around and state based on my feelings, taste and opinion I don’t agree with Teague. 

Bad Boys part deux

Okay I might be getting ahead of myself a bit, the 2025-26 version of the Pistons is yet to win its first championship. Despite my previous comment they look outstanding and this I don’t understand. After witnessing them run away from my Lakers in the middle of the third through the fourth quarter (128-106) how could they lose to the Clippers on Sunday 112-99? In any event it was more than Piston Cade Cunningham who led them to the victory. The Pistons shot 63% from the floor and a sizzling 46% from the three line, contrast that with Laker shooting 45% and a dismal 28% from three.

As per usual the primary issue once again for the Lakers was their team defense, they are in some dubious company. The Wizards have 10 losses of 20 points are more however the Lakers are not that far behind tied with the Pacers both teams having 6. The overall record of the Lakers looks good on the surface however December has not been kind to them. With the loss on Tuesday they now total 11 but 7 of the losses have occurred during the month. In addition team defense is rank number 29 in the NBA surrendering 120.3 points per game. This is not offered as an excuse but injuries have impacted them tremendously. Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves are all sidelined, which certainly doesn’t aid the cause.  

Meanwhile….

Duke and Jon Scheyer do what they do i.e., continue to recruit outstanding talent. That is the case here as the Blue Devils have maintained the number one recruiting slot for the Class of 2026. This occurred after securing a commitment from Deron Rippey Jr. a 6-foot 1 point guard and 5-star prospect attends Blair Academy in Blairstown New Jersey. For those who might be wondering about the location of the school its about 66 miles west and north of New York City. Besides Duke other schools under consideration by Rippey Jr. were North Carolina State, Tennessee, Miami and Texas.   

La presio’n ser’a tremenda for Karim Lopez in the fall of 2026. Prior to that he will hear his name announced the evening of the 2026 NBA draft by commissioner Adam Silver, where and who drafts Lopez is an unknown in early January. I sure hope he doesn’t succumb to the pressure, he’s not the first Mexican to play in the NBA but he might be the best to date. This native of Hermosillo, Mexico is currently playing for the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL, Australia’s professional basketball league. Lopez is a 6-foot 8 210 pound small forward, who’s also played for Club Joventut Badalona in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain. He’s only 18 years old so whichever NBA team drafts him must take into consideration his youth despite the fact he’s played professionally.

This is an interesting bit of history for Mizzou Class of 2026 point guard Jason Crowe Jr., he is ranked 4th in ESPN’s Top 100. In the past the only incoming freshman to rank higher was Michael Porter Jr. The recruitment of Crowe Jr. is noteworthy, for another reason, Kentucky and Southern Cal were considered to be in the driver’s seat, especially Kentucky. It was pointed out recently that Jason Crowe Sr. had played college basketball with current Kentucky assistant Jason Hart, the two were reported to have remained friends over the years. For unknown reasons Mizzou became the recruiting winner.