A basketball fan’s perspective

Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Barometer

Prior to the main theme my intent is to pause and discuss a subject which is deep concern for me. I am reading reports regarding Lakers Adou Thiero or Cameron Carr being traded for a veteran player. Loudly I am screaming NO-NO-NO, should I scream it again? A youth mode build has long been overdue from my perspective, I’m sure this is not the pleasure of all members of Laker Nation however it is for me. Now for the main course, bet you didn’t realize LeBron James was a Laker for a longer period than any other NBA team.

Sure his tenure with the Cavs was slightly longer however it was broken into two separate occasions. Was it good for both parties, most certainly, LeBron was able to pull the Lakers from the depths of the NBA to a competitive team who managed the playoffs all but one of the years he wore Purple and Gold. I am going to make this statement for the 45th or 75th time---I forget. LeBron James was the basis for the uptick in Laker play, for that I will ever be eternally grateful. As for the other part once again it was time for him to move on, wait you say! Who do the Lakers turn to now with no LeBron, I guess we’ll all find out beginning in October.

A budding phenom

That might be the question, Duke basketball and Jon Scheyer have reloaded the program once again. I can see why Duke is hated all over but not by yours truly. In any event once practice begins next month, newcomer Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje will appear for the first time on the team. The 7-foot-2, 250-pound center arrives in Durham, North Carolina, by a slightly unusual trek. He was born in Germany but grew up in Chicago, Florida and Delaware before moving to Spain at age 14. Boumtje-Boumtje began play for FC Barcelona youth academy once he settled in Spain.

His father is former NBA player Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, he was hired as head of league operations for the Basketball Africa League. In addition the Duke prospect had reclassified moving from the Class of 2026 to 2026. According to reports it’s a bit difficult to realize with the amount of world travel Boumtje-Boumtje just turned 17 earlier in 2026. Due to age he will not be eligible for the 2027 NBA draft. The birthday issue could work to his benefit, it will allow Boumtje-Boumtje sufficient time to grow his game over the next two seasons. As for the father, he once played for the Blazers along with several European teams before eventually leaving the game behind him.

Knicks Top 10

Who are the greatest players ever to wear Knicks orange and royal blue? The franchise began as a founding member of the Basketball Association of America back in 1946. Three years later, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League to create the modern NBA. Across nearly eight decades, New York Knick fans has featured many talented players who played at Madison Square Garden III and IV.

Naturally with such an extended period there are deserving names who might be missing from my list, to be fair the early years of play had to be taken into consideration. Carl Braun, Dick McGuire, Harry Gallatin, Sweetwater Clifton, Richie Guerin and Willie Naulls are just a few of the Knicks who played in the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s. So who deserves a spot on the all-time Knicks Top 10 list? Five selections come from the championship teams of 1970, 1973, and 2026. My opinion alone, I removed Carmelo Anthony’s name and is replaced by Willie Naulls one of the all-time Knick greats from that early era of basketball.

  1. Walt Frazier-(2)

  2. Patrick Ewing

  3. Willis Reed-(2)

  4. Bernard King

  5. Earl “The Pearl” Monroe-(2)

  6. Allen Houston

  7. Dave DeBusschere-(2)

  8. Charles Oakley

  9. Jalen Brunson-(1)

10. Willie Naulls 

Ego

Wilt Chamberlain was the most prolific scorer in NBA history, he established the all-time scoring record until Kareem broke it. Of course much later LeBron James exceeded Kareem and the number will continue to increase because he remains an active player. As for Chamberlain imagine his scoring process if he was able to conquer his one pet peeve….free throw shooting. For his 14 year career Chamberlain managed to shoot a pathetic 51% from the free-throw line. His poorest season from the line, 42% from the 1964-65 NBA season, the best, 1961-62 when it was 61%, what made the difference? Rick Barry occurred, the fellow Hall of Fame athlete suggested Chamberlain adopt his style of shooting free-throws.

Barry shot his free-throws under handed sometimes described as a “granny technique.” Did it work, it certainly did for Barry, for the course of his NBA career he was 89.3% from the line. In 1978-79 Barry shot a sizzling 94.7% from the line (he missed 9 free-throws of 170 that season). Back to Chamberlain, the one season he shot his best ever 61% from the line was shooting them granny style. The truth of the matter, the game he scored 100 points Chamberlain was 28 for 32 from the line (87.5%). So what occurred for the balance of his career, he returned to his previous formula and it became an adventure whenever he went to the line. His explanation was simple, he said “the underhand technique made him feel foolish.” Chamberlain scored 31,419 points during the course of his NBA career, imagine what his point total might have been if he’d shot anywhere close to that 61% throughout his time.