Basketball from a fans perspective

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Hiring practice

The NBA long ago surpassed other professional sports in its diversity, gender and minority hiring. The league made news in this area once again recently with the hire of Darvin Ham by the Lakers. With this latest hiring half, the teams in the NBA now have black men serving as head coaches. Someone else might question if it’s necessary to make note of this news, we say yes, it is. 

Whatever might be whispered in private circles by owners it appears NBA teams are serious in their pursuit of hiring quality black and minority coaches. The NBA continues to outshine the NFL, MLB and NHL in its employment practices. One might state “White guys need jobs too,” that is certainly a true statement and whenever hiring all quality candidates should be taken into consideration prior to a decision. This latest hire by the Lakers provides us evidence once again there remains no requirement for an NBA Rooney Rule.

He wants no part of Oklahoma

We believe it was former NFL quarterback Jon Elway who announced ahead of the draft he wanted no part of the Colts at the time Baltimore was home. There may have been others however the Broncos icon is the name that comes to mind. Could we have the same scenario playing out in the NBA? If you live in the State of Oklahoma at present or have an association with it allow an explanation for the headline. Every mock website projects the 6-foot 10 250-pound Paolo Banchero to be a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Apparently, he probably could care less where he plays, the only exception might be Oklahoma.

Now relax in Oklahoma this might not be as bad as it first appears. This is the interesting part; most are aware the Thunder franchise once was located in Seattle. Banchero was born and grew up in Seattle and the next portion is most interesting. The Sonics (less the name) moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, Banchero would have been 5-6 years old at the time the team left the Pacific Northwest for its present location. It would appear Banchero still holds a grudge for the team moving to Oklahoma City claiming, “I never liked the Thunder because I’m a Sonics fan.” I’m going to read between the lines of the Banchero statement and express my belief he’s got a problem with the franchise rather than the city or state. On the other hand, I could be misreading Banchero’s intent, we shall see.

NBA Draft History

Over its history the draft has been integral to the growth of the NBA. Despite this fact there have on occasion been some unusual events like the 1977 draft. Beginning in 1989 and thereafter the draft consisted of two rounds, prior to that year it was 8 rounds. That meant instead of drafting 60 players as we do today there were 170 players chosen in the draft. There might have been a requirement for 8 rounds at one time who knows, there certainly was a smaller number of NBA teams. The ’77 draft would see the first woman drafted, Lusia Harris who passed away last January was that player. Harris alone might have been responsible for placing women’s basketball on the map.

Harris averaged over 30 points a game during her four years at Delta State. As for the NBA she never had a try out, she was pregnant at the time the draft occurred. Harris was chosen by the New Orleans Jazz with the 137^th pick in the 7^th round, in 1992 Harris was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame. With the 139^th pick the Kansas City Kings would choose Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn Jenner), Jenner was coming off his gold medal Olympic decathlon championship. Jenner played basketball in high school, whether he could shoot, dribble and defend might be the question. This move was a publicity stunt for the franchise. Although she wasn’t drafted 1981 would see Nancy Lieberman play for the Lakers Summer League team. Sprinter Carl Lewis was the 208^th pick by the Bulls in 1984, he’d never played basketball in high school or college.

This is different…maybe

The Billikens of St. Louis University call Chaifetz Arena home since it opened in 2008. Seeing a place on television versus in person is quite different and that is the case here. No, I was not at a Billiken game rather a high school graduation. On entering the arena, it appears intimate although it can seat 10,600 for basketball. Before I complete this account if you’ve been inside Chaifetz previously you know all there is to know and can stop reading.

Continuing for the others there is not a bad seat in the house, placed around the arena are 4 video screens allowing attendees to see the game close up if they desire. According to information researched, “In February 2007, Chicago-based businessman Richard Chaifetz, CEO of ComPsych Corporation and 1975 graduate of SLU, made a $12 million donation to the university, which named the arena in his honor.” * The era of the 23,000 seat Rupp Arena or the 21,000 seat Dean Dome have now become dinosaurs. It’s smaller college venues for arenas like Chaifetz and venerable Cameron Indoor Stadium home of Duke basketball which we shall see in the future.

*Wikipedia

Basketball from a fans perspective

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The Commish says an emphatic NO

His statement might not have been that forceful however commissioner Silver addressed the rumors spreading about NBA expansion. He claims the league does intend to eventually expand but not in the timeframe we reported a few weeks ago. You might remember based on at least two news sources we reported Seattle and Las Vegas were alleged to be at the front of the line for an NBA expansion team. We certainly would tend to believe a replacement team for Seattle was in the works, for all the worthy deeds he accomplished in growing the NBA David Stern was a contributing factor to the move.

As for Las Vegas being the second choice the league’s had a long association with the city despite the gambling issue, that apparently is no longer a concern. Due to the fact the commissioner says no at present what does the future hold for the NBA. The league will eventually expand to 32 teams which places it alongside the NFL, MLB and NHL in the number of franchises. Never say never however there are doubts if the NBA expands much past the number 32. What might occur for the future, untapped markets might witness a franchise move. Long-ago we saw a Kansas City to Sacramento move and more recently the Seattle franchise was moved to Oklahoma City. Despite the loss of revenue due to more teams in place a payout for new franchises will prove quite lucrative for NBA owners.

“The Wheels on the Bus”

Several might be familiar with the children’s rhyme The Wheels on the Bus.” “The Wheels on the Bus go round and round, round and round all through the town” the refrain goes. Sometimes in the case of the Warriors there are unintended consequences, the wheels on the Warriors bus fell off, that’s what occurred on Thursday. As ABC/ESPN announcer Mark Jones said at a point “They are hotter than fish grease” his description of the Warriors and especially Steph Curry hot shooting especially from 3.

Slow steady play by the Celtics and by half time they managed to hold a 56-54 lead over the Warriors despite the fast start by the home team. It was the sterling 4^th quarter where the Celtics prevailed as they demolished the Warriors defense scoring an incredible 40 points. Duplicating the Warriors particularly in the first half the Celtics rained 3’s in the 4^th quarter. The final score read, Celtics 120 Warriors 108. Tonight, we shall see who prevails in Game Two, based on the outcome of the initial game we believe the Warriors should win however if I were you, I would not place any bets on this to be the conclusion.

Forbes

Michael Jordan was the first to accomplish it, later it would be the late Kobe Bryant. Both were classified as billionaires by the financial publication Forbes, now there is a third member. Forbes announced LeBron James joined this group of NBA players. This is certainly not shocking news based on the entrepreneurial efforts by his management team Klutch Sports. It should be noteworthy MJ and Kobe were documented as billionaires after they retired, LeBron remains an active player.

Sidebar here, did you read or hear LeBron say anything negative in the past or present about the departed Frank Vogel? There is no argument from anyone, LeBron’s voice can be heard by Laker management. There are a substantial number of folks who believe he’s got player acquisition decisions. Let’s face it if your superstar player says to you “We need ________ to win a championship” don’t you think management listens especially to a LeBron James? In closing LeBron claims he is okay with the hiring of Darvin Ham as head coach of the team. Also expressing approval of the hire is unpredictable point guard Russell Westbrook. It sure would be an enhancement if the Lakers were able to get the OKC version of Westbrook.

A potential ownership duo

Paul Allen owner of the Blazers and NFL Seahawks died in October 2018. Since that point Allen’s sister has run the franchises but that is about to end. There was no long-range plan for her to continue in the role of management for either team, there is an offer on the table for purchase of the Blazers. Nike founder Phil Knight and Dodger co-owner Alan Smolinsky have offered $2 billion plus for the NBA team. I am not sure if I like this proposal with Knight being part of the ownership group.

We know little about Smolinsky except he is an owner of the Dodgers. Knight we are familiar with based on his company Nike, is this a good fit? A shoe and apparel owner who many teams have utilized his products over the decades. Is it a good thing to allow him ownership in an NBA franchise? I’m not saying Knight would force a team to switch from the Adidas or some other brand to Nike however the possibility might be in the back of his mind or one of the Nike corporate types. This is only an offer for the Blazers there is no pledge nor paperwork has been signed yet. The NBA Board of Governors needs to explore this thoroughly before giving the okay to Knight as an owner.

What comes up, comes out  

I have a failure to understand, listening to local sports talk radio one of the hosts was singing the praises of Charles Barkley. For me it seems whatever comes up comes out with Barkley no matter what the thought process. Here’s an example, Barkley claims he cannot see a great deal of success with the hire of Darvin Ham as Laker coach. He claims, “Ham is too close in age to those players he coaches.” We guess Barkley is referring to Carmelo Anthony (38 years old) and LeBron James (37 years old), Ham is 48 years old and turns 49 next month. That statement is a little strange if we look at NBA history. Pat Riley was two years older than Kareem Abdul Jabbar at the time he took over as Laker head coach.

Riley was quite effective for a number of years as head coach of the Lakers. How about the Cavs, Tyronn Lue was 39 years LeBron was 32 years old when the team won its championship? He failed to win a championship however Stu Jackson was 35-years old when he took over as Knicks coach in 1989-90. He would lead them to a 45-win season and the playoffs. His team won a playoff series before losing in the second round. In conclusion Barkley might be correct, Ham might indeed be a mistake hiring. The answer will not be known until the Lakers begin play, whether they succeed or not under Ham has absolutely nothing to do with age. Barkley is certainly intitled to his opinion on the subject however I respectfully disagree with his view of this subject.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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It’s never okay

Jayson Tatum played his high school basketball on the other side of the state. My fellow Missourian is the glue that holds this Celtic franchise together. I like Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown both talented players for the Celtics. Despite the fact I like Tatum and the others I cannot in good conscience root for them over the Warriors. The answer is simple, they are Celtics…no true Laker fan could ever ROOT for the Celtics to become champions of anything let alone in the NBA. The main explanation is simple, the Celtic and Laker franchises have won more championships than any other in the history of the NBA. The total is 17 championships for both franchises.   It's easy to understand Laker pride here, it says, “The Celtics cannot have more championships than us.” This rivalry between the two franchises are steeped in NBA history.

The teams have faced one another an NBA record 12 times with the Celtics leading in championship wins. In the past how many times did the Bill Russell led Celtics beat my Lakers? In the more recent past, it was Larry Bird and Kevin McHale and yes even Bill Walton. In the new century it was the Celtics besting my Lakers 4 games to 2 in 2008, the Lakers would return the favor in 2010 beating the hated team from Beantown 4 games to 3. You’ve just read a brief history for the animosity that exists between the Celtic and Laker fan base. Both sides believe strongly in their teams and would never, ever root for the other to win. I hope this brief explanation makes it clear why it’s never okay to root for the Celtics to win. In the meantime, Celtic fans reading this are loudly proclaiming “Our Celtics are playing for an NBA Championship where are your Lakers? I can say you won that argument, there is no defense offered.

We don’t know  

As player after player signs on the dotted line for Mizzou came this response from a fan. “Mizzou looks like a Horizon League team but must compete in the SEC”, clearly, he not impressed with the Dennis Gates hire nor his recruiting effort. His observation is certainly understandable based on the recent past. I can defend Gates in this manner, as a new hire recruiting had to be done quickly. Mizzou only lost one senior, but the firing of Cuonzo Martin caused all but three roster members to leave. I can’t blame the players for leaving the coach who recruited them is no longer there.

Back to Gates a moment, we are sure his recruiting knowledge lies with Cleveland State and the Horizon League that’s where he came from. In addition, those non-conference opponents of his program none from Power 5 schools might have also been familiar to him as well. I’m really unsure if any coach might be capable of walking in the door and immediately begin attracting McDonalds All Americans to his team. Give the coach time, I can say in earnest we may not be able to judge him after one year on the job. The truer test will be the 2023 recruiting class, we can make a better judgement regarding his recruiting over this spring and summer and into the fall.

We have no idea

I’ve been a longtime fan of former Celtics coach Brad Stevens; it was somewhat surprising when he was “kicked upstairs” and replaced by Ime Udoka. Udoka has the Celtics on the cusp of playing for the 2022 NBA Championship. Perhaps if we check Udoka’s bio, we discover why he is been successful to date. He went undrafted in 2000 although he managed to play for a total of 9 minor pro teams over a 12-year playing career.

In the NBA Udoka would play parts of seasons for the Lakers, Knicks, Blazers, Spurs, Kings and back to the Spurs again. As you can see, he must have maintained a packed suitcase with all those moves. In the two stints with the Spurs Udoka must have done something to impress Gregg Popovich because he was hired as an assistant coach in 2012 and remained in that capacity until 2019. From there it was an assistant for the Sixers and Nets prior to being hired last season as head coach by the Celtics. We have no idea what the future holds for Udoka however it certainly appears bright for him as a head coach.

The 1983 NBA champions

My Lakers were good back in 1983 but they couldn’t match the Sixers that season. That Sixer team won 65 games in the regular season; in the playoffs they swept the Knicks 4-0. They went on to beat the Bucks 4 games to 1 in the conference finals. During the season they had beaten the Lakers twice and the NBA championship would be no different, this Sixer team swept my Lakers 4-0. What was the composition of that Sixer team you might ask? At small forward was Julius “Dr. J.” Irving, at power forward was defensive whiz Bobby Jones. The post position was anchored by Moses Malone who was a terror scoring and rebounding the basketball. At the point was Maurice Cheeks who would later become a coach and the shooting guard was Andrew “Lights Out” Toney.

Those were your starters, but the Sixer bench was just as capable with guys like Marc Iavaroni and Clemon Johnson along with Clint Richardson playing valuable minutes. How good, four of the starters on that Sixer team are enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Dr. J., (1993), Moses Malone (2001), Maurice Cheeks (2018) and Bobby Jones (2019). Even the coach was enshrined, Billy Cunningham (1986) as a player. As for the other starter Andrew Toney these are the words of Pat Williams general manager at the time. Toney’s career had been cut short due to chronic foot injuries after 7 seasons. Williams said, “If not for injuries Toney would have been a Hall of Famer.” “Charles Barkley stated that Toney was the best player he ever played with.” This represents one more reason Philly fans have a love affair with their NBA teams, depending on one’s age they have witnessed outstanding basketball and teams over time.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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No surprise

Jayson Tatum was announced as winner of the Larry Bird MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals as his Celtics defeated the Heat in Game 7. Don’t wish this to sound cliché however this was met with the same yawn as the Steph Curry announcement. Tatum declared the MVP of the series certainly was no surprise. No one but Tatum (at least for the Celtics) could have been considered MVP, he was almost solely responsible for the Celtics succeeding in the playoff series versus the Heat.

Get over it!

College coaches always had an advantage, they could leave at any point for greener pastures. This statement applies to football and basketball coaches. So, what occurs, the coach moves from a mid-major to a Power 5 school. This entails more money, more money for that coach and his family but what about the student-athlete? That coach walks out and leaves all the players he recruited to fend for themselves. It might not be as cold-blooded as it sounds but it’s true.

We should point out a significant difference, both LSU and Mizzou (and others) saw their coaches fired. Athletes from both schools left with the coach recruiting them no longer there, that’s a difference. The athlete probably has no desire to play for what might be an unknown coach. We’ve heard a great deal about NIL recruiting and its impact on football and basketball. We’ve also heard from a small number of coaches complaining about Name, Image and Likeness recruiting. They have attempted to point out State U has an advantage over the University of Postotuky in recruiting athletes. Our words for those few cry baby coaches, get over it! We are in a new age…you must learn to adapt.

What’s his name again

His name is Ochai Agbaji and he’s a 6-foot 5 217-pound shooting guard. He played his college basketball at the University of Kansas; we’ve detailed how the youngster was a virtual unknown and now could be a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft in June. The mock drafts change periodically, by the time June 23 rolls around it will have changed once again. As of May 26, nbadraftroom.com projects Agbaji as pick 16 landing with the Hawks. The other mock, nbadraft.net places him at 10 landing with the Wizards, now the question becomes which team? 

The monetary difference between pick 10 and 16 is significant although not monumental. A much larger question, both teams appear to be very solid at the 2 guard with Bradley Beal of the Wizards and Kevin Huerter with the Hawks. There are two possibilities, Agbaji is drafted but a draft night trade sends him to another team. Agbaji is drafted by the Hawks/Wizards, he becomes the first reserve and moves from the bench to relief. Somehow this role as a reserve appears to be unfamiliar territory for the talented Agbaji. In closing consider this fact, as usual this is a projection there is no intent to profess future stardom for him. It is certainly fun to speculate on the future for this youngster.

The numbers don’t tell the story

If we just checked out his scoring (7.5 ppg and 8.7career) we might have difficulty understanding the value of the Warriors Draymond Green. A few have claimed he plays dirty; I respectfully disagree with that view. Let’s just say he is a throwback to an earlier era. The 6-foot 6 230-pound power forward’s overall game often is hidden from most of us. Besides his tough hard-nose defense the other numbers are easier for us to detail, this past season they were 7.2 rebounds and an interesting 7.0 assists per game. The assists place Green above those numbers registered by a group of pure point guards. Green’s usefulness has proven more valuable than the place he was drafted.

Truth is he almost missed the draft period; he was chosen by the Warriors out of Michigan State in the second round with the 35^th pick. As for the shooting in the recently completed season his field goal percentage was a sparkling .525. Any players of the past come to mind when discussing the game of Green? He certainly isn’t the rebounding force Dennis Rodman presented, despite this fact there are other parts of his game that equal or exceed The Worm. He is a better shooter than Rodman when called on and might be on the same level of Rodman with his defensive work. How about a couple of other power forwards, we have Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason as examples? If I am building a team if I have shooters, I will choose Green for his defensive expertise. Who voted Green to the NBA 2^nd All Defensive Team, he belongs on the 1^st team.

It was the anniversary

Recently the anniversary of the greatest shot in NBA history was observed. A number reading this might find this part shocking, in 2002 the Sacramento Kings were quite a competitive team. The Lakers found themselves down 2 games to 1 in the Western Conference Finals. A number might disagree with my take, I believe this to be the greatest shot in Laker history…maybe NBA history. Rather than ramble on check out the video as a reminder to those who might have witnessed the game and play. As for others it might be your first time seeing this video, enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR-BHfvKUQc

Basketball from a fans perspective

Game 7

The Celtics are Eastern Conference Champions besting the Heat 100-96. The game was highly contested as the Celtics got off to a quick start playing as a visitor. The Heat came roaring back and were in contention for a time but would eventually fall short. Jason Tatum led the way for the Celtics with 26 points but there was help from Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown both players scoring 24 points. Jimmy Butler led the way for the Heat with 35 points, he was assisted by Bam Adebayo with 25 points, the Heat actually outshot the Celtics from the field (42% to 41.2%). The Finals begin on Thursday June 2 and this should should be an entertaining series. The Warriors would appear to be the early favorite in the series.  

The Lakers have their man

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is one of those names I trust to be informative. Woj (to my knowledge) was the first to report the Lakers hired Darvin Ham as the head coach. Later information indicates the team signed Ham to a 4-year contract, what do we know about this new hire? Ham played his college ball at Texas Tech, his NBA playing career for the most part was in a reserve role for a number of teams. His first two jobs as an assistant were at the college level, from 2011-13 he was an assistant coach for these Lakers. That was followed by a stint with the Hawks and the Bucks continuing in the role of an assistant at both stops.

At this point Ham is an unfinished portrait, we have little idea on his coaching style. We don’t know if he’s a defensive guy or offensive, on the other hand, he could be a combination of both. Now there is one move complete with the hire of a head coach, there are two additional tasks ahead. Although the team has no draft choices it is incumbent, they search for another Austin Reaves type. Finally, the last duty is to figure out what to do regarding Russell Westbrook. Does he remain in place or do the Lakers try and move him?

In closing the boo-birds are out already, they are claiming without any proof Ham is not a good hire. THEY claim LeBron will “run” over Ham, all I can say is wait and see. It sure would be great if I had the ability to peer into the future and determine how something might turn out. Shoot, I could have earned a great deal more income than I have to date, oh well. I’m unsure if the HBO series is there yet, spoiler alert. At the time Jack McKinney suffered his bicycle accident Paul Westhead took over as head coach. Westhead hired Riley as an assistant coach and would become head coach when Westhead was fired. Riley had served as radio color analyst prior to becoming an assistant and later head coach. Good thing there was no social media back then, can you imagine the explosion of controversy hiring a “radio guy” as head coach?

“I’m Back!”

The headline above reflects the words of Michael Jordan as he un-retired from the Bulls. In March 1995 MJ announced he was returning to the team after playing minor league baseball. Of course, he retired a few years later but would play an additional two seasons for the Wizards before retiring once again for the final time as an athlete. We might say his statement somewhat fits the Golden State Warriors. It was 2019 when the Warriors last appeared in the playoffs, they lost the championship to the Raptors that season.

The Warriors would missed the playoffs for the next two seasons but came roaring back in the 2021-22 season. They now await the winner of the Celtics-Heat series for the NBA Championship. First, they defeated the Nuggets 4 games to 1 and compiled the same win total in the Western Conference Finals beating the Mavs last Thursday. Don’t misunderstand this account, Doesn’t matter if it’s the Celtics or Heat the Warriors still have a competitive series ahead. The question in front of the Warriors can they return to the championship contention we’ve seen in the pass? In closing Luka is officially the Don, he certainly proved to all he’s got game. Come on Mark Cuban, use your cash app and pick up The Don some additional help. Back to the Warriors a moment, they have managed to create a dynasty based on the last several years.

Did we miss the news?

An adjustment to the college game plus injury, we could state Emoni Bates failed to live up to expectations. Shortly after the season ended, he thanked coach Hardaway and Memphis basketball but announced he was transferring. Several schools were supposedly on his list, among them Louisville and Michigan appeared to be the possible destination. Despite this report we remain unsure where Bates is headed. If you believe this account to be negative that is not the intent, there is still a belief by this writer there is potential talent in Bates. After weeks of player after player transferring the news has been scarce regarding any mention of a destination for Bates.

Why

This was written ahead of the Laker announcement however it was decided to publish it anyway. Someone, please offer us an explanation. Why do we continue to read and hear media reports of Doc Rivers becoming the Lakers next head coach? Prior to this rant allow me to say upfront I don’t hate Rivers in fact I don’t even dislike him. This I’ve believed for a number of years Rivers is an overrated coach in my view. His head coaching experienced as mentioned in the past has been quite extensive. All the years Rivers served as a head coach (1999) his teams have only missed the playoffs four times, this includes stops in Orlando, Boston, Clippers and Sixers.

As mentioned previously only one season (2007-08) was there a “perfect storm” for Rivers, his Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen Celtic team won the NBA Championship. What occurred on those other occasions you ask? His playoff teams have registered a plus .500 record only three times, the championship year and once losing to the Lakers in 2010 and the Conference Finals in 2012. The Clipper team he managed from 2013-2020 never played for the Western Conference Championship. Several of those teams were loaded with athletic talent yet they never succeeded. Is the failure to advance all the fault of Rivers, of course not. Until its proven otherwise this writer believes Rivers is a good regular season coach, once his teams reach the playoffs it’s a far different matter.

It belongs to him easily

The it refers to the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP. Steph Curry was the easy winner I’m unsure if anyone other than Luka might have been in the running. Steve Kerr referred to Curry as the “engine of their offense” or similar words, for me it is difficult to describe Curry as a point guard due to his prolific shooting. Despite this fact his assist numbers are just as valid as his shooting. In the WC Finals Curry averaged nearly 24 points along with 7.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds a game. The rebound total for me is pretty amazing, at 6 foot 2 and 185 pounds it allows us to believe if Curry wants the ball on a rebound it belongs to him. With these numbers Curry still managed to shoot a sizzling 43.9% from the 3-point line.

Basketball from a fans perspective

New schedule

The late spring and summer months is not prime time for basketball. Yes, there is NBA playoff basketball, the Finals are yet to be played. The college game has been over for several months. The cycle of coaching hiring, and firings have slowed to a crawl, most coaching positions have been filled. The majority of player transfers is complete as well and based on these lesser number of events change is in the air. Beginning Monday May 30 Off the Dribble will be published Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. This change will only exist in the off season. Thanks for being a loyal reader and hopefully you will continue into the future.

The dream is still alive

We’ve been reporting on Kai Sotto for a number of years. Sotto’s dream is twofold, but actually they are one in the same. He wants to earn a spot on an NBA roster and become the first native born Filipino in the NBA as well. The question Is the 20-year-old Sotto ready for the NBA after a season in the Australian Basketball League. There is scant information indicating how the youngster might have adapted to professional basketball as he looks forward to the 2022-23 season.

Sotto’s journey began in The Philippines moved to the Skill Factory in Atlanta, from there it was on to the G-League and last season it was the Adelaide 36ers in the Australian Basketball League. We might not here Sotto’s name draft night, but he is working out for several NBA teams. If he fails to be drafted there is always signing with a team as a free agent, remember that’s what Austin Reaves did with the Lakers last season. Then again consider this fact, Sotto could begin play in the G-League for tutoring and then be called up by the big club. We read today the Kings will draft Sotto in the second round although this is only conjecture as this is written. We must wait to June 23 to discover how this turns out; this we believe to be true. Sotto will have a pro career even if it’s not in the NBA.

Legends

Recently while traveling in New York City, we passed the legendary Rucker Park in Harlem. Over the ages the park has seen a number of basketball legends play on its court. Wilt Chamberlain, Connie Hawkins, Dr. J. and others are just a few of the pros playing at Rucker. It’s the other guys you might be unfamiliar with, the one’s who became legends although they never played in the NBA. Some played briefly in college such as Earl Manigault while Herman “Helicopter” Knowings was only known for Rucker. The nickname is clear, former Knick Bernard King made this statement about this legend.

“When I was in the 9^th grade, I saw the Helicopter, with my own two eyes pick a quarter off the top of the backboard to win a bet, and I was in complete shock.” It is up to you to believe the story or is it an urban legend. Another Harlem legend, Richard “Peewee” Kirkland, unlike some of the legends Kirkland did play at the collegiate level but established his celebrity at Rucker and other courts. We must include Rafer “Skip to My Lou” Alston, as with some of the others he played in college. There is little history of Alston at Rucker although he certainly was a New York City playground legend too. This short account should not be considered complete just a thumbnail sketch of the legendary Rucker Park and a brief list of participants.

The one event might have changed NBA history

Carroll Iowa is located about 100 road miles northwest of Des Moines. Today Carroll has a population of 9,000 folks slightly larger than its 1960 inhabitants, what occurred in 1960 you ask? January 18 a DC-3 airplane landed in a Carroll Iowa cornfield. The plane had gotten lost and was running low on fuel, this was no ordinary passenger aircraft. This was the Minneapolis Lakers charter aircraft; they had taken off from St. Louis where the Lakers had played the Hawks and were headed north to Minneapolis. The aircraft ran into a blinding snowstorm and the team described it as terrifying. The plane was flying so low according to reports the pilots were following an automobile on the highway.

With today’s advanced avionics and FAA controls nothing similar could occur today but that was 1960. The pilots spotted a cornfield and circled looking for telephone or power lines anything that could impede a landing. Did I tell you there was no power inside the aircraft, reports indicate cabin lighting had gone off previously? The pilots managed to land the DC-3 in a cornfield safely without radio communications or defrosters working. Despite the safe landing a question has endured to this day, what might the NBA have done if the aircraft had crashed and there were casualties? Most of the names might be unknown to you with the exception of one, future Hall of Fame player Elgin Baylor was in his rookie year with the Lakers. As for the worst possible scenario there are provisions in place.

With few details publicly shared we are aware the NBA would hold a lottery and players from throughout the league would be drafted to re-stock a team. How about ending this tale with a bit of humor, it goes back to the days of the American Basketball Association? The late Marvin “Bad News” Barnes on a road trip was given this information and this explanation. “There’s the one about the Spirits (of St. Louis) getting set to depart on a flight from Louisville at 8:00 a.m. That would get into St. Louis at 7:56. After one look at his ticket, Barnes exclaimed “I ain’t getting on no time machine” and promptly rented a car for the trip home.” We believe no one bothered to explain to Barnes Louisville was on Eastern Time and St. Louis Central.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Difficult to figure

With the 102-82 drubbing administered Monday evening by the Celtics this series between the Celtics and Heat is now tied 2-2. This has been a difficult playoff series to determine what might be the best team. With each having blowout wins the most competitive game might have been Game Three with the 109-103 victory by the Heat. This writer is not into MMA or whatever it’s name so let’s do boxing in conclusion. The Heat are Heavyweight Champion George Foreman, and the Celtics are Muhammad Ali, both going round after round throwing haymaker after haymaker at one another without a declared winner. There is a difference however, either “Foreman” wins or “Ali”. There are no draws in the NBA playoffs, there will be a champion crowned we just don’t know which one…. yet.  Game 5 will be covered later.

The question is why?

Former NBA player JJ Redick is the latest to weigh in on this continued controversy. Why must we denigrate the role pioneers of the game such as Bob Cousy were skilled enough to accomplish? I’m not going to quote the Redick statement but simply ask why? There is no argument from this corner, the best conditioned athletes are those we see nightly in person or on our televisions. Probably 90% of you reading this had no opportunity to witness Cousy in action. Your view of Cousy is grainy black and white YouTube video of the former Celtic in action.

There’s an old saying, “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Simply stated “You toss rocks in the direction of my home I can send a few right back breaking the glass in your living quarters.” We have the opportunity to character assassinate Redick too, how about this. After being National Player of the Year at Duke significant play was expected in the NBA although it didn’t arrive quickly. On your third NBA team you finally demonstrated your talent as a valued athlete. Your NBA numbers are good, but we can say in truth they ain’t great. Cousy is in the Naismith and College Basketball Halls of Fame, thus the basketball history session ends.

Well on second thought

This is written some weeks after Jamarion Sharp decided his future was at Western Kentucky over Mizzou. The 7-foot 5 inch shot blocker who led the nation in that category might have returned to the location he was most comfortable. Naturally, this member of Mizzou Nation was disappointed with his decision but certainly understands the why. Perhaps by the time this is read Coach Gates will have settled on a center or maybe he’s there already. As for the idea the center is already there I speak of Mohamed Diarra. Diarra stands 6 foot 10 and 215 pounds, depending on the coaches offense Diarra might play immediately.

It’s unfair to look at his numbers (17.8 ppg and 12.6 rebounds) and expect that type of production in a Mizzou jersey. Although he was conference co-defensive player of the year that represents junior college basketball, he will require an adjustment period. We hope the coaching staff manages to locate a center willing to commit prior to August. Since I’m a “Glass half full rather than Half empty” guy let’s check Kobe Brown. Brown certainly has the girth at 250 pounds but might possibly give away too much height at 6 foot 8 to opposing centers. If this “small lineup” is all there is expect gang rebounding by this undersized Mizzou basketball team. Despite what might appear to be negatives I for one am looking forward to the 2022-23 season.

Guess who’s NOT getting an NBA team

2024 is almost two full years away, in addition the NBA will not be at play in these locations until probably one year later. The report we read indicates Seattle is one of the proposed new expansion teams we realize that’s a shocking surprise, right? We know the team in the Pacific Northwest will take on the Sonics name again, we have no idea what name will be chosen by the Las Vegas team. Yes fans, it appears Las Vegas with an expansion NHL team and now the NFL Raiders moved to the front of the line.

My hometown Kansas City is on the outside looking in once again. There will be NO ADDITIONAL NBA EXPANSION beyond adding these two cities, what occurs for Kansas City in the future? I’m glad you ask the question; Kansas City will be next up. Should a franchise desire to re-locate guess where they are headed? Despite the fact Vegas moved to the front of the line I’m okay if this should occur. Oklahoma City and Dallas are less than an 8-hour drive from Kansas City, I could see a couple of road trips in my immediate future. Flight time to both locations is even faster, flight time wheels up---wheels down is about an hour. Keep in mind this is not an official announcement from the NBA it is believed to be conceivable. 

One of the great mysteries of life

First, he arrives, we are concerned if he will fit in with the Lakers. In late November or early December, we said give this “marriage” a chance, by the end of February most of Laker Nation was screaming NO! We had to get rid of Russell Westbrook in the off season no matter the cost. That was then, this is now…instead of Westbrook being history it might be LeBron James. There are reports circulating former coach Phil Jackson who still holds court with ex-Jeanie Buss made his thoughts known.

PJ wants the Lakers to allow Westbrook an additional season under a different coach. We have no clue whether PJ has this much power with Rob Pelinka and others still involved in the decision making. This we know and have known for quite a while; this incoming coach must be a slam dunk hire. Not only that this present roster must be re-constructed from top to bottom no matter who remains. Can Westbrook be saved; I remain skeptical after his first season with the team. We don’t know all the locker room stories but it appeared LeBron was on his side which should carry some weight. Truth of the matter it might be greater than PJ…who knows.

 

Basketball from a fans perspective

No publication

Off the Dribble will not be published May 23 through May 25. Our regular schedule will resume on Thursday morning May 26. Take the opportunity to catch up on some of the back issues regarding the history of the game, be well.

Not just me

If you’ve read this blog any length of time you are aware of this fact. I’ve held a grudge against the NCAA for quite a few years, this the result of “throw it up on the wall and see if it sticks judgments.” They were slow to react to NIL and by the time the body did a number of states had placed the rule in place. All of this was placed at the feet of Mark Emmert NCAA president, it was announced he would be stepping down next year. This move was applauded by me in Kansas City, I didn’t realize it reached Washington D.C. too. Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn reacting to the news.

“Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn criticized outgoing NCAA president Mark Emmert on Thursday (May 5), noting the end of Emmert’s team will “enable the NCAA to support our student-athletes.” the this represents one more example of that change. Emmert announced in April he is stepping down from his role as NCAA president by June

2023. Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey discussed the future of the NCAA on capitol hill on Thursday in an effort to push lawmakers to pass NIL legislation. “For far too long, the NCAA has refused to allow student-athletes to benefit from the use of their name, image, likeness (NIL)” Blackburn told Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger. “NCAA President Mark Emmert’s resignation is one of many necessary structural changes that will enable the NCAA to support our student-athletes. During my meeting with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and other today, I continued to push for the accountability and fairness measure our student-athletes deserve.” *

What does the future hold, that remains an elusive question for now? If the body remains in place hopefully it will do what it was intended to do. The NCAA often became a punishing institution rather than one providing leadership for student-athletes and athletic directors. Naturally, the actions of the NCAA has caused the former problems it also extended to alumni and fans of many programs across the nation. Sorry Mark, I can agree with the Tennessee senator you will not be missed by me either.

*SI.com May 5, 2022

It’s the numbers 

The NBA Draft will be held June 23 in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It will be a surprise if we hear the name of a prospect called from an NAIA/HBCU school. There is a reason no name will be announced, potential NBA talent has dried up from these schools, it’s the numbers man, the numbers. Just 30 years ago (1992) that draft contained two foreign players and technically one of them was born in the United States. As the years passed, we’d witness an ever-increasing number of foreign-born players drafted, the 2021 NBA Draft contained 18 foreign players out of 60 prospects. The NBA begin attracting high school players with its G-League Elite Team. Overtime Elite a start-up basketball league also began play with high school players. Prospects continue to arrive from European nations in ever increasing numbers, others followed the path of Luc Longley.

Although Longley played at The University of New Mexico he’s from Australia. Many saw him as one of the keys to those successful championship runs by the Michael Jordan Bulls teams. Not only were prospects arriving on these shores from Australia a few high school players such as LaMelo Ball provided proof Australian basketball could lead to the NBA. We include the South Pacific island nation of New Zealand with the likes of Sean Marks, Steven Adams and others. Hopefully, you see the issue, it’s the numbers an ever-increasing number of Division I talent plus the fact even the high school players are competing against grown men in the G-League and Australia. NAIA/HBCU basketball teams continue to contend and efficiently however they are being forced to the sidelines by these other events. This should not be considered a complaint; this is just an attempt to point out the basketball landscape continues to evolve, and this represents one more example of that change.

NBA Africa

If you’ve followed the NBA any length of time you are aware of one fact. Athletes from the African continent have been just as responsible for the growth of the game as those from Europe or the U.S. for that matter. There is a question who might have been the first but allow us some leeway, it might have been Akeem Olajuwon from Nigeria who played at the University of Houston in 1981. We later discovered his name had been incorrectly spelled it was actually H a k e e m. In any event in 1984 Olajuwon was made the top pick in the draft by the Rockets and spent his career with the team except for one year spent with the Raptors he retired in 2002 a two-time NBA Champion. His success opened the floodgates to others from the African continent.

That was then, this is now… there are more than 55 players from various African nations playing in the NBA today. NBA Africa was begun in 2021, it will oversee league business on the continent including the Basketball African League. There are five former players Junior Bridgeman, Grant Hill, Joakim Noah and two additional from the continent. Dikembe Mutombo and Luol Deng from the Congo and South Sudan are also investors in the venture. The board of directors include commissioner Adam Silver and deputy Mark Tatum. If you have NBA TV, you might have seen a few of the leagues games televised. The Basketball Africa League has 12 teams containing 124 players. As noted, we’ve seen the ever-increasing numbers of players from the continent, this endeavor will greatly enhance the role of basketball in the world.

Basketball from a fans perspective

The Lottery

For many the lottery is almost as exciting as the draft itself. We can begin to formulate in our minds where a particular player might land. Truth is the lower portion of the draft is in somewhat of what most of us believe, let’s say 14 and beyond it’s a guess. As you are aware the NBA Lottery was held on Tuesday, the Magic were awarded the top spot followed in order by the Thunder, Rockets, Kings and Pistons. What changes, much between now and Thursday June 23. As an example, two mock websites have the Magic picking Jabari Smith 6-foot 10 power forward from Auburn. 

Chet Holmgren the skinny 7-foot 1 Gonzaga forward is their choice for the second pick and headed to the Thunder and the Rockets will choose 6-foot 10 wing Paola Banchero from Duke. With the fourth pick comes the departure between these two mock sites, One site list Purdue’s Jaden Ivey and the other Shaedon Sharpe from Kentucky as pick number four. We ask the question of a few…” Do you draft to fill a need or the best athlete available?” Most of those responding indicated if they were a general manager, it would be best available. 

That makes sense if we consider this fact, it’s possible that a uber talented player could be plugged in anywhere on the team. Keep in mind you make a move but not one of question, you don’t sit down Steph Curry in 2019 and replace him with Jordan Poole. You develop a Jordan Poole in order for him to eventually replace Curry at some point down the road. Of interest locally Kansas shooting guard Ochai Agbaji, he’s projected a lottery pick by one site but number 22 in another. Of course, the hope by most is to be drafted which should occur in Agbaji’s case, the significant difference between the positions is $$$, they will be much larger at pick 11 versus 22.

M.I.A.

In Game One the Heat managed to beat the Celtics to the pulp, but they had help in the victory. No this is not a reference to the officials it’s the Celtic players missing in Game One. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart was sidelined with a sprained right foot. Also missing the game was Al Horford in health and safety protocols, so what occurs with Game Two? The outlook isn’t much better for Game Two, Smart is probable, and Horford is listed as doubtful.

This is the third time this season Horford has been sidelined due to health and safety protocol. Hopefully, this doesn’t appear to disparage the 118-107 win by the Heat, but we must face it, the Celtics or any other team cannot win without their full compliment of players. Jimmy Butler went wild scoring 41 points on 63% shooting from the floor, in addition Butler had 9 rebounds, 5 assists along with 4 steals and 3 blocked shots. It’s not just Butler there was help from his teammates; the Heat are a solid defensive team. Hopefully, Game Two will be a little more evenly matched no matter who wins.

Who?

We know the Magic will have the top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft next month, who do they choose? The majority of mock sites indicate Jabari Smith Jr. will be the choice of the Magic. At 6 foot 10- and 220-pounds Smith Jr. is listed as a power forward, but will that be his position in the NBA? The power forward position for the Magic at the present time belongs to Jonathan Isaac and the small forward is Franz Wagner who is physically the same size as Smith Jr.

Who stays and who go’s might be the question at this point, choosing the number one pick in the draft says Smith Jr. will be in the lineup somewhere? Now I will place my scout’s hat on to assess the youngster, often when attempting to evaluate a player I look at his weaknesses first. Is that athlete willing to work to improve those areas requiring development? We have no idea at this point, so this portion of a scouting report is incomplete. Based on what is read to date Smith Jr. might be best suited for the power forward position until other elements of his game improve significantly. “Usually settles for mid-range jumpers when he does drive its almost exclusively to his right. Needs to become a better ball handler” reads a portion of the report.

The Bucks

NBA expansion brought about two franchise, the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks Almost immediately from the beginning a coin flip allowed them to become an NBA power. Prior to the lottery a coin flip often determined the top draft pick and that’s what occurred in 1969. When the coin flip was held the Suns lost and had the second pick, the first pick became Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Although he failed to finish his career in Milwaukee, they became respectable immediately. The Bucks went from 27-55 to 56-26 with a young Kareem in the starting lineup. Once Oscar Robertson was obtained in a trade the Bucks won their first NBA Championship. Over course of time the Bucks lineup has contained a number of outstanding players some earned a place in the Hall of Fame. Just a few of those names:

Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Oscar Robertson

Jesus Shuttlesworth a.k.a. Ray Allen

Giannis Antekounmpo

Glenn Robinson

Bob Lanier

Sidney Moncrief

Marques Johnson

Junior Bridgeman

Bob Dandridge

Basketball from a fans perspective

There is a similarity

“Don’t give up, don’t ever give up”, those were the words of a speech we shortened but made famous by the late Jim Valvano. For those unfamiliar with the name, Valvano once served as head basketball coach at North Carolina State University. His 1983 team was not given much of a chance against the University of Houston’s Phi Slama Jama team in the NCAA Championship game. That NC State team finished the season with a 28-10 record but with a championship as they upset the Houston Cougars 54-52.

In 1993 Valvano would succumb to cancer and in his name the V Fund was begun, Victory over Cancer is the theme and the foundations goal. Valvano fought for his life refusing to pass away due to the dreaded disease, that’s where the speech above originated and became renowned. Actor Ray Romano is the producer and is scheduled to play the coach in an upcoming production. Filming has yet to begin so it might be a while before the movie is ready for theatre/television release. Romano claims Valvano has always been an inspiration to him and what is even neater. From where I sit it’s my belief there will be little makeup required, Romano bears a striking resemblance to Valvano. As this undertaking moves forward, I will attempt to keep you posted on updates.

Are they related?

Yet another Bol arrives on the basketball scene, this one is John, and he’s a sophomore in high school he is an amazing 7 feet 2 inches in height. He plays for Christian Brothers College High in St. Louis and Rivals.com awards Bol 4-stars, he is rated the 34^th prospect in the Class of 2024. Because of his youth colleges are unable to make a great deal of contact with Bol at this time however he’s on their radar. Despite his youth it’s believed within rules Bol can begin receiving letters that state “We see you” and that’s what’s occurred.

As this is account is being reported the letters totaling 7 have been received by Bol. Among the schools making contact are Butler, Clemson, Illinois, Kansas State and of course Mizzou. Although he plays in St. Louis Bol travels to this side of the state to play for Mo-Kan Elite a Kansas City area AAU team. Hopefully at some point this summer I can managed to see Bol in action around the metro. There you have it, John Bol a name to keep in your memory bank for the future. In addition, hopefully we can locate information on his relationship to the other basketball playing Bol’s.

Yes, we know…Luka & defense does not compute

The headline of this story is wrong, wrong and wrong. We know what Luka Doncic can do, shoot the rock effectively and pass the ball efficiently. What about his defense you might ask, well it ain’t as bad as you might believe if you just based your opinion on some of the television analyst? A website, statmuse.com compiles defensive ratings for NBA teams and individuals. Guess what, Doncic is listed as one of the Top 10 players in the NBA, according to this site he is 8th in the NBA with a 106.5 defensive rating.   

That places Doncic ahead of some guys that might surprise you, Chris Paul, Marcus Smart (2022 Defensive Player of the Year) and Steph Curry. For fans and even media people it is far easier to witness a player scoring the ball then defending. The block shot and the steal are mostly easy to see but how about the slide over to pick up another player or a block from an off-ball defender, we often miss those plays. Let’s just say Doncic might not be a great individual defender but a good team defender. A statement once made about Magic Johnson and we can agree, it’s not necessary for a player to be great at defense but willingness to adapt to the team’s defensive schemes.

Bits n Pieces---college ball 

At Mizzou Dennis Gates and staff continue making offers for talent across the nation. Proposals have been extended to 10 prospects in the Class of 2023. There will be a roster makeover however unlike this upcoming season that number of offers is quite large. If every one of the 10 signed with Mizzou, there would not be enough space on the roster. 4-5 (we guess) would be an acceptable number. A couple of names that stand out for me, JP Estrella 6-foot 11 post and he plays at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, the youngsters home is South Portland Maine.

Where is the NCAA and its Independent Accountability Resolution Process? In this instance we are discussing the penalty facing Kansas basketball. Just in case you’ve been on the International Space Station or somewhere else allow us to clue you in. Three years ago, Kansas basketball and coach Self were slapped with Five Level 1 violations. Level 1 being the most severe, “lack of institutional control” is one of the charges. We read many are of the opinion this will be a mild reprimand for the Kansas program. That might well be the case however this anvil hanging over the program is unbelievably long.

Is it that bad you ask, former Illinois center Kofi Cockburn “plays like a 1990’s center?” That statement was made we believe by an NBA scout and might appear to be a criticism however that’s not the case I see. Let’s check and see who was playing center in the NBA during that period. Patrick Ewing was playing for the Knicks; Shaquille O’Neal was dominating center play and so was Alonzo Mourning. The players mentioned and others including   Cockburn are back to the basket centers. These players and others rarely moved out to the three-point line taking shots if I’m a general manager I draft Kofi Cockburn. We stated this previously there will be no return to post play of the past however if a team has the opportunity to draft a prospect the question becomes why not at least for me?

What is old becomes new again

Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle is home of the NHL Kraken, there is also basketball being played there. No, it’s not the NBA yet, the WNBA Storm also call this arena home and the University of Seattle men’s team as well. At some point in the near future the league will expand, and the NBA will return again to Seattle. How did we arrive here, for some unfamiliar with the past Climate Pledge opened back in 1962? Over time the arena has operated under a number of different names, at the time the Sonics departed for Oklahoma City the building was the Key Arena. There were two reasons the Sonics left the city, the owner who’d purchased the team made sounds as if he intended to remain in the city but that was not the case.

The second reason, the NBA considered Key Arena inadequate for NBA play so why is everything okay now? The iconic part of the outside portion was maintained by Kansas City architects Populous. Naturally, an undertaking of this type required a massive amount of dollars to rebuild the arena. The indication was over $1 billion was spent for the project. As for seating in the “new” arena in hockey its 17,000 plus while basketball is 18,100 and change. The new arena is the most environmentally sound in the nation, as example rainwater collected on the roof is utilized to create ice for hockey. The Climate Pledge website provides environmental details not listed here. The NBA will return to the Emerald City the only question now is when.

Basketball from a fans perspective

What’s left

We began the 2021-22 NBA season with 30 teams in contention for the championship. In truth there were only 8-10 teams we might have seen as legitimate contenders for a ring. We are now down to four, four teams remain to decide who wins it all. In the west we have the Warriors-Mavs. In the east the Celtics and Heat will face one another. The defending champion Bucks were eliminated so no repeat championship was forthcoming. As for the combatants in front of us…huge questions remain. The season is far from over as noted with much to be decided. 

The question for you, have we moved on from the LeBron/Durant/Curry age in the NBA? Are we now experiencing the Morant/Antetokounmpo/Doncic age without us barely acknowledging it or maybe realizing its here? Has there been a changing of the old guard to an extent? Sure, the Bucks and Antetokounmpo have been eliminated from playoff contention, but he returns next season a youthful 27-years of age. We can make the same statement about Morant; the Grizzlies have been eliminated too however Morant will return next season at 23 years old. Can the upset minded Mavs prevail once again, or will the veteran Warriors come forth and win the Western Conference again? 

As for the other series on the surface it appears the Heat are a defensive juggernaut. Sure, Jimmy Butler scores points in buckets, but did you notice the Victor Oladipo sighting? The Celtics led by Jason Tatum have exceeded the expectations of most, this entire run is certainly influenced by first-year coach Ime Udoka. The coach deserves a round of applause as he’s guided these Celtics to the conference championship round. I was hesitate but picked the Celtics and Mavs winner, this time I am unsure who wins. The hope is always for a competitive series and may the best team win.

The window has closed

No championship ring means just that, it fails to measure the contributions made during an outstanding NBA career. That is the lament of Suns point guard Chris Paul, Hall of Fame career but possible retirement without winning the top prize, an NBA Championship. You didn’t miss any news update as this is written Paul’s yet to announce his retirement. Paul just turned 37 and for the season and great portion of the playoffs was a 30 something on the court. Similar to LeBron the best athlete cannot continue to play at a high skill level and that might be the case for Paul.

We certainly are not ready to kick Paul out the door however there is no expectation he will continue play at an All-Star, All-NBA level next season or maybe the one after. Whatever remains in his tank we’ll try and enjoy it as much as we can. IF THERE IS NO NBA CHAMPION in his future that’s okay too. Question, why must a stellar NBA career be measured in that manner? It fails to acknowledge a sizable number of outstanding players never made it as NBA Champions however they are still enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. Sometimes it’s my belief we place far too much emphasis on winning a championship rather than a stellar NBA career. Just my thoughts you have my permission to disagree.

I’m okay…now

By now Sixer fans have settled down, injured Joel Embiid and the former James Harden lost the series. Reports have circulated for the last week or so among the Laker coaching candidates is Doc Rivers. My wife often will call with this message, “I’m going to stop for something to eat for dinner, what do you want.” I then provide her a list of food I don’t want. This is my case with the Laker coaching search; it is far easier to inform you who I don’t want. At the top of my list of potential coaches on my list is Doc Rivers. Rivers had two consecutive seasons to lead the Sixers into the championship round and has failed. “Larry you are wrong, Doc won a championship with the Celtics in 2008 what about that?”

I have no method to prove the following statement, the Celtics that year was a perfect storm for Rivers what about later. From 2013-2020 Doc was head coach of the Clippers, despite the fact of having Chris Paul, a young Blake Griffin along with DeAndre Jordan and a legion of talent never discovered a method to advance in the playoffs. They were regular season winners; the playoffs was a far different matter. Three times the Clippers were losers in the conference semi-finals, three times they lost in the first round and one season they missed the playoffs. On Friday Daryl Morey president of operations went on record, “Doc Rivers will return next season for a third year with the franchise. I just think he’s a great coach.” Good for you, so unless there is a resignation Doc remains in Philly and I’m okay…now.

A.I.

“We sitting in here—I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we in here talking about practice. I mean, listen: We taking about practice. Not a game. Not a game. Not a game. We Philly and I’m okay…now. We talking about practice. Not a game. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it’s my last. Not the game. We talking about practice, man.” If you are a follower of the NBA game, you are aware the rant you just read belongs to former NBA player Allen Iverson. When A.I. played for the Sixers the press conference speech has lasted far beyond the years of his play, what exactly is the background?

The question came up because Iverson’s dedication to the game was in question and the question set him off on this well publicized tirade. Until recently most (including this writer) had no idea Iverson was dealing with a genuine problem. The mikes shut off at this point, but Iverson continued which was lost to history. “I’m upset for one reason: Cause I’m in here. I lost. I lost my best friend. I lost him, and I lost this year. Everything is just going downhill for me, as far as just that. You know, as far as my life. And then I’m dealing with this. My best friend is dead. And we lost. And this what I have to go through for the rest of the summer until the season is all over again.” His friend had been murdered and the weight of that death plus the pressure of NBA play simply overwhelmed him. We discussed the mental health issues of athletes, and they are just as real for us as they are for Allen Iverson.