A fans perspectives

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65

Those not checking NBA stats regularly might conclude Victor Wembanyama San Antonio Spurs star is “missing.” No place can you locate his numbers unless you look them up separately, this is the example. We find him scoring at a 24.2 point per game average which is above his career number of 22.9. That number would place him tied with Utah Jazz forward Keyonte George however Wemby’s not there. Okay you are now going to check his block shots per game, they are 2.7 which would place him tied with Alex Sarr of the Washington Wizards.

Let’s check Wemby’s rebound total, its 11.1 per game, he would be third in the NBA. Your question, why isn’t Wemby listed in any of the stats just covered? The answer is simple, he suffered two extended time missed due to injury. As this is written he’s played in 32 games which places him just outside the minimum number to qualify for post-season honors. The question might be asked, what is the minimum number of games played to be eligible, its 65? The Spurs have 36 games remaining on their schedule, Wemby can only “miss” play in three games for the balance of the season. Someone might add are individual honors important, my response is yes but they come in second to a team’s success on the court. I’ve mentioned this in the past and will do so again, Wemby wants to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Sometimes fate intervenes

This was pointed out to me by a trivia person, he wrote “The Kings would still be in Kansas City if they had drafted Larry Bird.” My first reaction; WHAT, then I decided to conduct a bit of research. Bird was selected with the 6th pick in the 1978 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, okay how did he almost become a King? The Kansas City Kings had the second pick in that draft and chose point guard Phil Ford who went on to become NBA Rookie of the Year. Later an eye injury shortened what could have been an outstanding NBA career.

Meanwhile Bird decided to return to Indiana State for his senior year, later in 1979 he would duel Magic Johnson for the NCAA Championship, that game would set the stage for future matches, later they would meet as adversaries in the NBA, Bird with the Celtics and Magic with the Lakers. Speaking of Magic Johnson he also came close to becoming a Kansas City King. After reading that you are probably saying no way, how did this almost occur? That second pick in the 1978 draft and this is how the story unfolded. Joe Axelson then Kings general manager flew Magic and his father to Kansas City for a meeting. Magic says the Kings were prepared to offer him a six year contract paying him $200,000 a year if he would leave school after his freshman year. Take into consideration that’s 1978 dollars, if a similar issue occurred today the money amount would be considerably above that figure.

Back to our story, Magic says this, “I’ve been poor all my life” however his father had the final word. He told his son, “You been poor all your life what’s one more year, you need to return to school?” Of course he did, declared for the draft after his sophomore season chosen by the Lakers, the balance of the story is NBA history. The history of the NBA in Kansas City might have taken an entirely different course if fate hadn’t entered the picture. It would have been an either or situation, the Kings would have Bird or Magic on their roster.

The coach

There are many pursuits in life in which the public has an opinion. I speak of those jobs or positions which inspire public comment, political is the one most view however I would suggest another…head coach. Those in all sports constantly face the ire of fans, alumni and the media. Often under intense pressure from those elements I would borrow the comment made by President Harry Truman. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” That has sometimes been the path of those coaches, the pressure becomes too much for them to bear.

This focus is on two coaches one collegiate the other in the NBA, who live this burden on a daily basis. Dennis Gates at the University of Missouri and JJ Redick with the Los Angeles Lakers, we cover the path of Gates first. The Chicago born Gates began coaching as an assistant at several stops the chief one being Florida State under Leonard Hamilton. The 46-year old Gates would be hired as head coach at Missouri in 2022 and the first question “Dennis who?” if nothing else he accomplished one task, Gates was able to renew the basketball culture at the school. Despite this fact a losing record in his second season saw the ‘wolves’ begin to howl. They have been less vocal but continue to whine from time to time. Now a brief look at JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers, this might be the toughest hire as head coach in the NBA, other than the Celtics job, these are two storied institutions. In 2024 with no coaching background the Lakers hired Redick as head coach. Redick was appointed after an extensive NBA playing career (2006-2021) he moved from podcaster to head coach in a single bound. There were a number of questions “how do you hire someone with no prior coaching experience?”

The media has certainly run rampant at times regarding Redick’s coaching moves despite the fact last season and this his Laker team is plus .500. They made the playoffs last season and should this season as well. His counterpart Gates might be less secure although his Missouri teams have earned an NCAA invite two of the three years he’s been at the helm. Will it be a third in 2026, that question is unanswered as this is written. One thing for sure this is a fact, Gates can certainly recruit. So there it is, a look at two basketball coaches one college and one in the NBA, one in Columbia (MO) the other in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile….

I believe we’d better hold off inscribing Cooper Flagg’s name on the NBA Rookie of the Year trophy. His former teammate at Duke has quietly moved into the lead by many in the media, yes Kon Knueppel is the name. This is written with Knueppel playing 44 games, I cannot speak to the defensive side of his game the offensive numbers for a rookie are good. 19 ppg, 48.2% from the floor with a sizzling 42.3% coming from three. Knueppel at 6-foot 6 is grabbing nearly 6 rebounds and dishing out close to 4 assists a game. As you are aware Flagg was made the top pick in the 2025 NBA draft however Knueppel was close behind having been chosen number 4 by the Charlotte Hornets. I’d mentioned previously last season while both were enrolled at Duke all eyes were focused on Flagg, based on that fact it’s easy to see why some in the media and fans may have overlooked Knueppel.

Cameron Indoor Stadium is one of the older college venues still in use today. The home of the Duke Blue Devils opened January 6, 1940, since that year there have been 5 renovations over the course of the buildings existence. There is a premium on seating because the fire marshal will only allow 9,314 fans in the arena for basketball. Cameron is also utilized by the women’s basketball team along with women’s volleyball. It’s my contention it will be several years before the arena is replaced for one reason alone. The Blue Devils have a built in home court advantage, their rabid fans are practically sitting on the court, many at the same level of the opposition. There are a number of basketball cathedrals which exist across the collegiate landscape of America…Cameron Indoor Stadium is one of them.  

I caught the last portion of the Hoops Hall Classic Championship game played in Springfield (MA) on Sunday. 6-foot 3 Jason Crowe Jr. was named MVP and he managed to fill up the box score. The victory by his Inglewood HS (CA) team over Notre Dame (CT) wasn’t an overwhelming victory despite Crowe Jr.’s game. The game was an 81-80 victory by Inglewood over Notre Dame, they had an opportunity at winning the game however the shot was a miss. 5-star prospect Crowe Jr. filled up the box score with 48 points, 6 steals and 7 rebounds in this game. As most are aware he is headed to Mizzou in the fall, based on this game alone you might see why optimism abounds in Columbia based on the potential of this lefty shooter.