A fan’s perspective

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It takes more than talent

An SI.com story contained “The 25 Greatest NBA Players in the 21st Century.” After checking the names two stood out for me, they didn’t stand out because I believed they didn’t belong on the list. It was the other thing which says to me it takes more than talent. Number 17 was James Harden now playing for the Cavs which becomes team number 6 for him. Harden was the NBA’s MVP in 2018 while a member of the Rockets.

Harden is a capable shooter and willing assist man, he’s an average defender, despite what might appear for me to detail negatives I believe his next stop after retirement will be the Naismith Hall of Fame. So what’s the problem for me, talent aside doesn’t matter which of the teams we are discussing Harden disappears come playoff time when the team requires him to step up. Clutch certainly doesn’t fit behind his name, talented does. His former teammate Kawhi Leonard is placed at number 14 outside their Top 10 list. When healthy an above average defender hence the nickname The Claw. A very capable shooter from mid-range out to the three-point line. Leonard alone was the basis for “load management” being added to the lexicon of NBA conversation. If NBA players in the past rested during the season it was usually nursing an injury or preparation for the playoffs.

Leonard rested when he rested, was it his knee or some other ailment it was never very clear. Load management plus injuries were evident during Leonard’s time with the Clippers. Oh, by the way….Leonard is likely headed to the Naismith Hall of Fame as well. Am I a hater when it comes to Harden and Leonard, I will continue to believe it takes more than talent to be a successful NBA player. Sometimes it takes stuff we might find difficult to elaborate.

Don’t mess with what works

Our company trainer was at one time the track coach at one of the local high schools. During one of our training sessions Ralph told us a story which has remained with me for years. Ralph indicated he discovered one of the sprinters on the team was a natural, he timed the youngster and discovered he was running 9.9 in the 100 meter sprints with little effort. Ralph told us although he believed he was a natural with a degree of coaching he could improve his time even more. The young man took the word of his coach and began attempting to implement the tutoring into his sprints.

There was only one problem, using Ralph’s techniques the young man actually became slower which proves a point. This youngster took the coaches word to heart, the only problem his times increased significantly. In this instance coaching curtailed what was natural ability. This provided Ralph proof that if an athlete performs at a high level why attempt to change the athletes approach to the game. Of course that’s not to say coaching cannot better a player it just depends on the circumstances. In basketball I’ve compiled a list of former players with funky shots from the floor or free-throw line. Despite the fact the shot didn’t look good most of the time they were able to sink the free throw or basket, let’s begin this exercise:

Anthony Mason

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V3J4wlCxvg

Jamaal Wilkes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9lZhbKtIDQ

Bill Cartwright

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYKlLz2Cwb0

Tacko Fall  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMr_R9F5jQM

Michael Adams    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGlqU1ztdHk

Meanwhile….

Which basketball conference was the strongest in the nation this past season? Was it the Big 10, ACC or the SEC? I’m pleased you asked the question because the answer follows, this is not my view or opinion of the subject. According to the NET and RPI conference metrics, the answer—unsurprisingly—is the SEC. The Big 12 ranks second, followed by the Big Ten, ACC, and Big East. What surprises me is that the much-revered Big Ten and ACC, while certainly home to outstanding teams, no longer wields the power they once did. Prior to reading this what conference do you think or believe is the best in the nation headed into the 2026-27 season?  

We have basketball on our minds, I realize a significant number of you have NFL or college football in the Frontal and Temporal portions of your brain. That’s easy to understand that these two dominate the sports news at the present time however consider this fact. November 3, Mizzou plays Cleveland State….that’s 39 days from today’s date. October 5, the Lakers begin preseason play with a game against the Kings, that’s 10 days from now. I realize a number of you are questioning the “short” amount of time however its something college and the NBA have accepted. Do you realize at a point there will be baseball, football (NFL & college) along with the NHL and NBA plus the college men’s basketball overlapping one another?

Is it the Victor Wembanyama factor or is it something else, that might be the question for the sell-out of the European NBA games. The NBA announced on Wednesday the Spurs-Pelicans game in Paris France January 14 is sold out. The teams meet three days later in Manchester England and that game is also sold out. Unfamiliar with the capacity of the arenas I decided to check out the facts. Accor Arena in Paris holds about 15,000 for basketball but can seat larger crowds in other instances. As for Co-op Live in Manchester the capacity is unclear for basketball, the only figure I could uncover indicates 20,500 seating capacity. The only sport in Europe that beats the NBA in pure numbers, football (soccer).  

The Bad of this account (at least for the Missouri side), the Chiefs are moving about 24 miles to a new football stadium. For those unfamiliar with the geography the team is moving from Kansas City MO to Kansas City KS, yes, there are two cities with the same name. This replacement for Arrowhead will be a dome stadium which says; yell it loudly with me, Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four in the future for the metro. According to the Chiefs front office they have placed a bid for both events for the future, the football stadium has a planned opening of 2031.