A basketball fan's perspective 

Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Is he the replacement

Prior to the 2026 NBA draft I was curious who might draft Yaxel Lendeborg. The draft stock regarding Lendeborg was mixed depending on which site you read. In any event after aiding Michigan in winning the 2026 NCAA championship he was drafted in the first round with the 11th pick by the Warriors. His outstanding play in Summer League saw him become a first team selection and MVP. Next stop Warriors training camp where he meets Draymond Green. The ESPN depth chart for the Warriors places him behind Green as his backup.

It’s not inconceivable Green has met the guy who will replace him at power forward at a future date. If we check Lendeborg’s numbers at UAB and Michigan we discover several interesting facts about the man. His shooting percentage was above 50% and 33% was the lowest number he managed from beyond the arc. Lendeborg also rebounds the basketball well so that provides us an indication he thrives on contact. I would be surprised if he starts over Green however as indicated earlier, if he makes the adjustment successfully to the NBA he goes into the starting lineup. As for life before the NBA, Lendeborg was born in Puerto Rico from Dominican parents, he now calls Pennsauken, NJ home, this township is located in the Philadelphia Metro area.

He’s on the move….again

NBA Summer League has ended, Jon Elmore will be trying to determine where he intends to play this upcoming season. It could be a return to the G-League or one of the many international nations and teams he’s played for. This 6-foot 3 inch guard played for the Lakers Summer League team but that’s only part of his story. Elmore is now 30-years old but has continued the dream of playing in the NBA one day. He played his college basketball at Marshall University but went undrafted in 2019. Since that year Elmore’s played for 11 teams all over the world beginning with Pallacanestro Trieste in Italy.

The following year saw him in action for Orlandina Basket also in Italy, he would then play for Ionikos Nikaias B.C. in Greece followed by Sopron KC in Hungary. He went on to play for BC Siauliai in Lithuania, Elmore returned to the United States and played for three NBA G-League teams over that period. Continuing his world tour he journeyed to Türkiye where he donned the jersey of Manisa Basket. Elmore returned to this side of the Atlantic Ocean and began play for another G-League team, this past season it was the Calgary Surge of the Elite Basketball League in Canada. This provides us ample evidence that Elmore’s love of the game, nothing but passion would entail world-wide travel of this magnitude just to play basketball.

Rookies no more 

Last season in my opinion was one of the best in my memory for NBA rookies. As starters or reserves we saw plenty of sparkling action from all corners of the association. In Charlotte and Dallas two former college teammates battled for NBA Rookie of the Year honors. Many thought the Hornets Kon Knueppel should have been honored over Cooper Flagg, both had outstanding seasons as rookies but they were not alone. Shooting guard VJ Edgecombe the number three pick came off the Baylor campus and straight into the starting lineup for the Sixers. He proved to all he was ready to assume the role of an NBA player. The number two pick Dylan Harper performed as a valuable reserve for the Spurs much of the season.

Harper came alive in the playoffs supporting the cause for his team and allowing them to play for the NBA championship. My prediction, he will receive a larger role for the Spurs in his sophomore year. The youthful enthusiastic play of Carter Bryant was quite evident for the Spurs during the season and into the playoffs, expect to see him take on a much larger role in year two. There are others in this draft class that performed admirably, expect them to improve as well too. Keep in mind there is no method to predict the possibility of injury, in addition there is no technique to determine growth in an athletes game. There are probably other areas that could delay ascension, those first year players named are standouts for me, as for the future the NBA looks in fantastic shape.

Kansas City in the NBA….again

I say thanks but no thanks, no NBA team in Kansas City for me. Okay allow me to clear the confusion of my statement. I don’t have all the details and I’m not going to pretend everything is clear to me. This I do know that the new owner of the Blazers and the city are an MMA match over the Moda Center upgrade. I’d mentioned this previously media member Bill Simmons suggested the NBA look at Kansas City for a possible future franchise. Much later the issue with the Blazers presented itself and once again Simmons claims “The NBA should look at Kansas City.” I’d love for my hometown to have the NBA return however this owners fight with the City of Portland is bothersome.

I could see it now, T-Mobile is not ancient by any standards however it’s going to require an upgrade in a few years. What if this owner makes the types of demands he’s making for Portland?  Bottom line, I’ve grown tired of “billionaire palaces for billionaire owners.” Taxpayers are left paying in perpetuity for a stadium/arena that doesn’t belong to them despite the fact their tax dollars make up the bulk of the cost. I’m unsure who pays for the maintenance and upkeep of Chase Arena or the Intuit Dome. This is fact, neither arena was constructed with taxpayer funds being expended. In closing this is written by an NBA fan who would love the association to return but not at the expense of an entitled billionaire owner.