A basketball fans perspective

Monday, Wednesday & Friday

You can’t get there from here

The free agent moves of the Lakers have been called into question by many among them ESPNs Stephen A. Smith. I’m not going to detail individual players, my task here is to discuss the why. This is written Friday July 3, 2026, it’s my understanding the Lakers have little cap room remaining. With that statement I have no idea who will comprise the remainder of the roster. Training camp for NBA teams begins in late September, which is about three months from now, the league will commence play in October and the 2027 NBA playoffs will begin in April.  I hope you understand where I am headed with this rant, there are far too many intangibles at work to determine whether the Lakers have assembled an NBA championship roster.

The first area of concern is injuries: As much as we hate to discuss the issue player availability is a major portion of the game, and as an example how about the playoffs. There is no method for us to determine whether a healthy Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James could have beaten the Thunder in the playoffs. The second issue I’d like to add is cohesiveness: can this patch work roster, especially the newly acquired players, play together as a team? The third, and perhaps final, factor is competition from other NBA teams. The only team failing to make a move at least through the free agent period is the Warriors, time remains for even them up till Monday. All NBA teams remain immense competition for a playoff spot, an NBA championship is a whole other story. Don’t misunderstand, a number of issues raised by these individuals are valid. Despite that fact it’s a little difficult to decide who is to become the 2027 NBA champion since we are early in July 2026….hence the basis for the headline of this account.

Proof to her (and me)

I’m going to fall back on my overused line “what do I know….I’m just a basketball fan.” More on me later, you remember the comment Becky Hammon made regarding Knicks guard Jalen Brunson. I’m not going to repeat it word for word just the fact she expressed a belief a “little guard” could not lead his team to an NBA championship or something similar. After the Knicks became NBA champs by sinking the Spurs hopes Hammon did back up to a degree. She said her opinion was wrong and referred to Brunson as an “outlier” a term totally unfamiliar to me.

This is the definition I uncovered: “An outlier is a person, thing, or data point that stands apart from others because it is radically different. The term generally describes something that falls outside the main grouping or normal pattern.” Brunson’s name is added next to Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas two small guards with NBA championships on their resume. I never questioned Brunson’s leadership skills I did however underestimate his bulldog determination to succeed. In a sense perhaps Hammon and I shared the same perspective to a degree, in my instance let’s just say I am in a full scale retreat from my earlier observation.

He did it again

I read Stephen A. Smith’s statement and initially planned to leave it alone. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt he was wrong and that it needed to be addressed. For anyone unfamiliar with the situation, free agency and a trade brought several new players to the Lakers. Training camp has not even begun, so we do not yet know who will start, other than Walker Kessler. Based on the addition of Kessler and two other white players, Smith concluded, “They can’t win with these guys, this ain’t golf,” or words to that effect. The information I uncovered most of you are familiar with, it indicates “Black athletes make up about 78% to 80% of the NBA.” Consider the reverse: what if a white media member made a similar comment about a hockey team adding three Black athletes, or a soccer (football) team doing the same?

What makes Smith’s statement even more puzzling is that, in the same remarks, he mentioned Larry Bird’s greatness and even included Cooper Flagg’s name. Consider this fact, the 2004 Lakers had four future hall of fame players, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Karl Malone and Gary Payton. These Lakers failed to win a championship despite the fact of these four very talented black athletes. This brief response will not change Stephen A. Smith’s mind, or the minds of those who agree with him. Over time, the NBA has taken questionable actions that appeared racially biased, and I cannot deny that. Still, I believe a harmful or misguided message can be worse of all, it provides a misleading or unhealthy view of a matter some or unable or unwilling to see. Early in his media career Smith had a degree of credibility for me, he was bombastic but entertaining, all that’s changed now. He’s become trapped in this media driven frenzy he’s created, it's a shame the discussion of race must continue to permeate the thoughts and beliefs of some. 

It might be over

Mizzou coach Dennis Gates during a radio interview indicated the Mizzou-Kansas game might be over. Contractually the December 2026 game will be the last played unless the school’s decide to renew. Gates indicates he is interested in the game remaining on Mizzou’s schedule however athletic department changes or coach Bill Self on the Kansas side might not be interested in continuing the series. For those unfamiliar with the history these schools were longtime rivals dating back to the first game played in the 1906-07 season. All that changed in 2012 when Mizzou moved to the SEC while Kansas remained a member of the Big 12.

There is speculation on my part (unproven) Bill Self was upset at the move and avoided scheduling this longtime rival for a non-conference game. The final conference game between the schools saw Kansas win an overtime thriller February 25, 2012, 87-86 in Allen Fieldhouse. The two school’s would not play one another until December 11, 2021, Kansas was a winner 106-65 once again playing on its home court. As conference foes and later in the SEC Mizzou has been at a deficit in the won-loss department. If you ask the question what do I think, at a point there was a strong desire on my part for the rivalry to continue, the years have seen me less interested in playing Kansas. We shall see how this rivalry eventually resolves itself because it’s clear Dennis Gates wants it to continue.