A basketball fans outlook

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This wasn't what I wanted

What did I expect for the Lakers at the beginning of the season, a deep playoff run. I held on to this view especially based on them being meteoric HOT in March. Then BAM, the first hit was to Luka Doncic, he went down with a left hamstring strain and my hope “maybe it’s not too bad!” Then a second seismic shock occurred, Austin Reaves suffered a Grade 2 left oblique injury, and just like that the starting Laker backcourt was gone. I am no medical professional however reports indicate Doncic could return before Reaves but then an adjust period would be required.    

The best case scenario both return but require adjusting to compete again based on the amount of missed time. In Friday evening’s 119-103 victory over the Warriors this was the lineup we saw. Jake LaRavia who’s been a part-time starter became full time, in addition shooter Luke Kennard was also inserted in the lineup. It’s certainly much easier to overcome a Steph-less Warriors team over the Nuggets, Rockets and especially the Thunder and Spurs. If JJ Redick is able to push and prod this present team beyond the first round he should be named Coach of the Year. It is time for Laker Nation to prepare itself regardless of what the future holds.

The downfall of Kansas basketball

I figured the headline would cause you to stop immediately even if you only read the first few sentences of this account. Will Bill Self be on hand after the 2026-27 season, this might be the only guaranteed year. Will he be coaching Kansas basketball for the next five years? In the recently completed season we saw the Jayhawks finish the season with a very good 24-11 record, 12-6 in the Big 12 conference.

That was good enough for them to end with a respectable third place finish but for Jayhawk Nation that has not been well received. As for the current time frame NIL has not been a coaches best friend, nowhere has that been more evident than in Lawrence Kansas. As this is written 5 Kansas players have entered the portal with Flory Bidunga being the biggest name since he’s also declared for the NBA draft. Kansas is left with only one scholarship player on the roster, all this and I have yet to mention Darryn Peterson who most certainly is headed to the NBA. The good….Tyran Stokes the top prospect in the Class of 2026 is reported to be on his way to Lawrence however as talented as he is reported to be Stokes is a party of one. Based on the Kansas roster as this is written they could obtain another one or two 5-star prospects but that becomes a wish.

This is an early April draft of Kansas basketball, I believe Self and staff will present a competitive team in the fall. I have serious doubts that they win the Big 12 conference so Jayhawk Nation better get accustomed to flying a little lower than most of the faithful might have expected based on past Kansas teams. Despite what some might perceive as a doom and gloom report that is not the case, I am being a realist in what could occur beyond next season for Kansas basketball.   

Meanwhile…. 

This is a rare event in NBA history, this is the brief detail. If I informed you an NBA player tallied 150 assists in a season, that wouldn’t seem the least bit impressive—this would be said especially since The Joker currently leads the association with 686 assists and with several more games remaining in the season. However what if I added 150 blocked shots and 50 three-point baskets secured to that total? That becomes a rare achievement, in addition only three players have accomplished this task in NBA history. They are Victor Wembanyama, Andrei Kirilenko who played for Utah and other teams from 1997-2015 and Anthony Davis.

College basketball currently faces numerous administrative challenges. For instance, two athletes who previously played professionally returned to compete at the collegiate level, and several players have attended three different institutions before exhausting their eligibility. These examples highlight the pressing need for the NCAA to establish clear guidance and policies. In Tennessee, the women’s coach now has no players on the team roster due to portal transfers, underscoring the complexity of these issues. As such, additional adjudication is required for a range of concerns. Strong leadership from the NCAA is essential to address these matters effectively.

We have several issues facing the NBA in the upcoming off season, among them are the 65-game played rule. Several key players have legitimately been sidelined due to injury. As you might remember NBA owners and the players association made an agreement beginning in the 2023-24 season, a minimum of 65 games must be played in order to be eligible for awards. The intent was to curtail player load management or resting healthy players. Those who will be impacted by the rule at the close of this season are Cade Cunningham Pistons, Luka Doncic Lakers and perhaps Victor Wembanyama, the dilemma for Cunningham and Doncic will be appealed while Wembanyama might make the cut with limited play in the remainder of the season. My solution, maintain the rule however a closer examination should be made regarding those named above and perhaps others.