Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

The wow factor

Television doesn’t do a basketball prospect justice and that is the case here. I hate to become overhyped about a prospect be they amateur or pro. As an example I was singing the praises of Emoni Bates until I realized he might not be as good as advertised. I didn’t want that to affect me regarding Victor Wembanyama the first time I saw the teen Big Man from France. Metropolitans 92 lost their game against G-League Team Elite 122-115. Scoot Henderson the brilliant G-League point guard took on the challenge of his team facing Victor Wembanyama’s Metro 92 team. Henderson led the way scoring 28 points along with 5 rebounds and 9 assists. Although I can state I was impressed with Henderson’s game it was Wembanyama who I was most curious about. I’m sure there are others like me who were quite impressed with the young Frenchman.

Wembanyama sat most of the first half due to foul trouble and adapting to NBA play, this is one example of play. During activity around the basket the 7-foot 5 Wembanyama took the ball off the rim, this is okay for international play but certainly not okay in the NBA…the result a goal tending call. The second half of the game Wembanyama went to work and almost willed his team to a win. For the game Wembanyama shot a sizzling 55% from the floor, 7-11 from the 3-line scoring 37 points in all. He scored baskets in a variety of manners there were lobs, mid-range and three-point shots, the only exception I don’t remember a back to the basket score. In defense of Wembanyama he’s a jump shooter and from distance. To further enhance his game in my eyes he proved he wasn’t a one-dimensional player with 5 blocked shots and certainly intimidated a number of misses. My scouting eye indicates there are a couple of areas for Wembanyama requiring work for his NBA future.

Wembanyama must gain strength, notice I didn’t say weight, at 230 pounds he just might have a naturally thin frame. The camera caught a rebound being snatched out of his grasp. At this point Wembanyama is strictly a jump shooter, the question might be asked is this element necessary to add to his arsenal? Ever seen a 7-foot 5 guy dribble the ball the length of the court, Wembanyama has that skill? There is definitely a wow factor regarding this 18-year-old youngster. The number one and two projected players in next year’s NBA draft were on display on Tuesday and Thursday. According to ESPN.com there were more than 200 NBA scouts and front office personnel in attendance at the game. One GM described Wembanyama as “a 7-4 Kevin Durant” which is certainly high praise. When it was suggested, the youngster be shut down for the season his agent scoffed at the idea, so we know that’s not forthcoming. Do we have a diamond in the rough in Wembanyama, only time will tell. A recap of Thursday’s game will be available in Sunday’s edition.

A bit of trivia

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics or the NAIA was comprised of several schools that have now become Division I programs. One by one over the years these schools decided to move up their level of competition. Just a couple of notes of interest on two of them. In 1948 Louisville won the NAIA Tournament and in 1986 the NCAA Championship and repeated the feat in 2013 although the championship was later declared invalid. As for Southern Illinois by the time they won the 1967 NIT Championship the school had moved to Division II.   

Missouri State

Louisville

San Diego State

SE Missouri State

Southern Illinois

Marshall

Indiana State

The coach received another commitment

Mizzou coach Dennis Gates received a 2023 commitment on Wednesday. 7-foot Jordan Butler a Rivals 4-star recruit verbally indicated he intends to head for Columbia Missouri next fall. My chief concern is his weight (195 pounds), I’ve got to believe he will be camped out for a while in the weight room attempting to add pounds to his thin frame. Butler becomes the third member from the Class of 2023 making a verbal commitment to Mizzou, the others are Anthony Robinson II a 6-foot 2-point guard and Trent Pierce a 6-foot 8 wing.

By my count Gates will lose 7 players from the present roster next spring to graduation or eligibility issues. Mizzou is likely to need a commitment from 4 additional players to complete its roster. There is a downside to incoming freshman talent. The late basketball coach Al McGuire once expressed in these words, “The best thing about freshman is they become sophomores.” Of course his meaning was simple, we should expect them to play at a higher level than in their freshman season. In addition the phrase was coined by McGuire prior to the one n done of today, some of those freshman might be headed for the NBA or other professional endeavors.

Tiger

Mascot names are applied to college teams throughout the nation, sometimes they represent a weather occurrence (Iowa State Cyclones, Miami Hurricanes) or an animal (Texas Longhorns, Boston College Eagles). Our guess there are more animal mascots over any other name, we are overwhelmed with Bears, Lions, Tigers, Cougars and Panthers. There are other animal names but those would appear the most often used. As for the name most used that would be Tigers, check out just a few examples below:

Princeton Tigers

Auburn Tigers

LSU Tigers

Mizzou Tigers

Clemson Tigers

Memphis Tigers

Tennessee State Tigers

Grambling Tigers

Texas Southern Tigers

Jackson State Tigers

We could also include the Lincoln (MO) University Blue Tigers, Morehouse Maroon Tigers and Tuskegee Golden Tigers although these three and others with tiger add-ons are not included in the count. According to Fansided.com there are 31 schools in all with Tigers as their team’s mascot.

Bits n Pieces

The final score read 134-124, you figure the Suns managed to beat the Adelaide 36ers. That is not quite the case, the 36ers from the NBL in Australia placed a beat-down on the Suns. This was the first loss to a non-NBA team since 2016 when the Thunder lost a game against Real Madrid. Despite the setback it certainly is not the end of the world, the 36ers roster evidently contains some very talented players. In addition this was the first game of the pre-season for the Suns, I hope that doesn’t appear an excuse on my part.  

Recently a headline caught my eye, and I offer proof I need to read slower:

“Grizzlies, Adams agree to a two-year deal”

This is how I read it before re-reading the comma and spelling:

“Grizzly Adams agree to a two-year deal”

Most of you reading this are probably too young, as for others you may have forgotten this information.  In the late ‘70’s there was a short-lived television series titled The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. Of course in this story the NBA Grizzlies were signing center Steven Adams to a new deal.

Recently we discussed the future sale of the Suns franchise. Unofficial reports indicate a perspective owner with deep, deep pockets is interested in purchasing the Suns and WNBA Mercury. The name is well known to all of us with his trucks driving up and down the streets delivering goods on a daily basis. He’s Jeff Bezos founder and owner of Amazon and the world’s 2^nd richest man. The reason I claim this is not official news is because Bezos has said nothing publicly, but Shaq has. Shaquille O’Neal having divested his interest in the Kings is looking for another franchise. He claims his interest in purchasing the team waned once he discovered Bezos might enter the picture. Shaq says he would be okay being a minority shareholder should Bezos purchase the team. 

Basketball from a fans perspective

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Coming to America

No, this is not the 1980 Neil Diamond hit nor the 1988 Eddie Murphy cult movie classic with the same name. No this is the talented young Frenchman Victor Wembanyama visiting our shores I believe for the first time. The 19-year old’s Metropolitans 92 team was in action last night against G-League Ignite team in Las Vegas, this was the first of two exhibition games scheduled to be played. Question, why would a team fly 5,000 miles to play a couple of exhibition games?

Exposure, NBA scouts are familiar with his name even with the difficulty of pronouncing it. I’m sure all of us will adjust after all we learned how to pronounce Antetokounmpo. There are some in this nation who believe we are losing our world dominance in basketball. They look at the Joker, Luka Doncic and others as proof and I say so what. The growth of the sport internationally has been steadily increasing and it’s my belief it’s a good thing. I can hardly wait until next June when commissioner Silver steps to the mic and says, “With the first pick in the 2023 NBA the _________________ select Victor Wembanyama from Metropolitans 92 and France.”

Spike Lee seats?

This story has nothing to do with movie director Spike Lee or the Knicks for that matter. I’m using him and actor Jack Nicholson’s front row seats at Knick and Laker games as the example of large amounts of money expended. The amount they pay for season tickets to NBA games is astronomical compared to our discussion, I came across this account while conducting research on another matter. If you wish to attend the Banner Night Ceremony of the Warriors, be prepared to pay huge sums of money.

It's being reported the average ticket price for that game will be $897 which makes it according to the writer second only to Kobe Bryant’s last NBA game in 2016. At the time this was written the lowest price ticket was presented as $241 however another vendor priced them at $302. The NBA (along with other sports) is no longer a family affair unless one has deep, deep pockets. If this appears a negative that is not the case, it simply represents the world of sports entertainment today. Ticket prices (in all sports) will continue to rise considerably over the next few years. 

Talking smack

Once upon a time there were classic duals in the NBA between a number of Big Men. Of course, one of the best of the best was the legendary Wilt Chamberlain, this story represents his meeting a rookie on the court for the first time. Walt Bellamy arrived in the NBA from the University of Indiana in 1961, he was 6 foot 11 and 225 pounds. Bells as he was nicknamed could score but he could also do the other things too. All this meant little the first time he faced the 7-foot 1 275-pound Chamberlain. Prior to the center jump Bellamy said, “Hello Mr. Chamberlain I’m Walter Bellamy.” Chamberlain reached for Bellamy’s hand and said, “Hello, Walter. You won’t get a shot off in the first half.”

Wilt then blocked Bellamy’s first nine shots. At the start of the second half Wilt said to Bellamy, “Okay, Walter. Now you can play.” Nothing ever wrong with bragging about your game just as long as you can back it up. There is no doubt Wilt Chamberlain could back up his braggadocius. As for Bellamy he would later be enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. We could make a similar statement about Bill Russell. He blocked so many shots when he arrived in the NBA players began to look for his looming stature around the basket. I remember Russell stated opposing players would sometimes miss shots for fear Russell was close by. He said, “I couldn’t block every shot however the idea was to intimidate them.”

Is there a rule?

Jim Boeheim Syracuse basketball coach will turn 78 years old in November. The veteran coach winner of nearly 1,000 games claims he’s got no intention to retire. Part of the rush to retire the coach over the last several years his Orangemen team has not been as successful as those in the past. Last season Syracuse finished with a below .500 record in the ACC and overall. The only negative on his resume, many have expressed a belief Boeheim should have more than the 2003 NCAA Championship on his resume.

After all his teams played in 5 Final Four’s plus 3 national championship appearances. Once we heard his players even the highly skilled ones were not prepared for NBA play due to his teams playing zone. That view has been kicked aside with most NBA teams employing elements of a zone defense. The awards and accomplishments of Boeheim are far too numerous to list here but these two should be of note. Similar to others the coach has been enshrined twice, in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. Jim Boeheim a name we should also remember as a great basketball coach.

What about the Nets

The media tends to focus on the prior champion team (Warriors) and their adversary. In this instance the Celtics might be dealing with an unusual dilemma versus a normal off season. As for the contenders in the east, we also have the Nets who must be considered a 2023 NBA championship quality team. The media focus has also been on the Lakers but for a different reason, back to the Nets are they legitimate? Kyrie Irving is listed as the starter at the point and Ben Simmons might be the starter at the power forward. At center is Nic Claxton, small forward Kevin Durant and Joe Harris at shooting guard.

Other than Durant can this lineup match up against the Celtics, Heat, Bucks and Cavs in the east? Before Nets Nation tosses rocks in my direction allow me to elaborate. I continue to believe Kyrie Irving is one of the best at his position, the better question is his head ready for NBA play? We are past covid protocol however Kyrie remains Kyrie, “He’s like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.” I remain unsure about the Nets until the middle of the season, at that point I believe all of us (barring injury) can better assess this team. The key and MVP of this team in my view Durant says; “I want to move past the off-season drama” and perhaps they can and will.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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Speculation

The sale of the Suns will not be accomplished quickly. Based on the $1.5 billion-$2.5 billion reported sale price who affords the team, better yet who wants to become an owner? Let’s return to the past for a couple of story’s. This is baseball but at the time former owner David Glass announced his intention to sell the Royals puzzled looks abounded, who wants to purchase the team? Turns out most of us in the Kansas City Metro had no idea who John Sherman was let alone the fact he lived in the metro. We could also look at Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, because of his association with Microsoft Ballmer had a well-known name unlike that of Sherman. Still in all both men stepped out from behind the curtain indicating a desire to become owner of a sports franchise. Back to the Suns a moment, there is no requirement for ownership to be local although it might be a good thing.

Look at the example we cited earlier Ballmer most likely still lives in the Seattle metro where his former business Microsoft was located. There are billionaires with enough capital to own a sports franchise by themselves but sometimes that is unnecessary. Often, we see many franchises throughout the sports world with minority shareholders. Entertainer Jay-Z once owned a share of the Nets, another performer Usher might still own a piece of the Cavs. This ownership issue applies to former players too, Penny Hardaway owns a portion of the Grizzlies. Chances are likely the purchaser of the Suns will be an unknown name to most of us, in closing allow me to toss out the name Oprah Winfrey. She and a partner attempted to purchase the Clippers when the team was placed on the market. After the dollar figure reached a certain level she and the partner dropped out. Could the Suns be of interest to this media mogul?

Is his career over?

Lonzo Ball is in trouble, my comment is based on the recent statement he issued to the media. Check this out, “I really can’t run. I can’t run or jump. There’s like a range from like 30 to 60 degrees when my knee is bent that I have like no force, and I can’t catch myself.” That sounds possible career ending to me what about you? The injury suffered was a meniscus tear on his left knee, he underwent surgery in January 2022 and was expected to be out 6-8 weeks.

In April Ball was ruled out for the balance of the season after experiencing pain during rehab. We are in October and not only is he not ready to play based on his comment it’s highly unlikely he will soon appear. Considering this is a second surgery on Lonzo is a cause for concern although Bulls management indicates they are optimistic. I’m always bothered when an athlete loses his career due to injury and that might be the case for Lonzo Ball. On the other hand, never say never, hopefully he can return to the court even if it’s in the middle of the season.

ESPN

Other than watching the sporting event (basketball, football or baseball) I no longer watch ESPN programming. That might sound confusing allow me to explain I almost never watch SportsCenter any longer or programs focused on the sport. I’ve discovered I can gain the information I need from other sources. I’ve read some of your letters and a number of you claim the Worldwide Leader has become too political but that’s not what caused me to become an occasional viewer. It’s the other things and the latest includes former employee Rachel Nichols. She’s now working for the Showtime Network, prior to that she hosted a number of ESPN programs on the NBA and was a sideline reporter for a spell.

Nichols was fired by the network in an unsavory manner in my view. Nichols claims she was “miked up” in her hotel room with a feed to the Bristol Connecticut headquarters. She made comments which were derogatory toward a former employee. The engineer realizing Nichols wasn’t aware she had a hot mike continued, when she reached a point the person(s) begin recording her comments. Yes, we might not agree with what she said but according to Nichols ESPN held onto the tape for one year. She claims they released it to the media and from there the firestorm began. Nichols was fired or her contract was not renewed based on the conversation recorded on the tape. Employers have the right to terminate any employee at any time however it’s the method done in this instance. If they wanted Nichols gone why hold on this tape for nearly a year, they could have fired her at any point?

She’s worn several hats

When reading the bio of Stephanie Ready it says coach, sports analyst and television personality. We can check each of the “hats” one by one…coach. She played basketball and volleyball at Coppin State in Baltimore and graduated cum laude with a degree in psychology. She immediately was hired as volleyball coach after graduation and from there it was an assistant coach for the men’s team at Coppin State. Ready then moved to the G-League becoming an assistant coach for several years.

After the G-League Ready moved into the television side of her career. First as a sideline reporter for the Bobcats (Hornets) and during the WNBA playoffs. Ready was named analyst for Fox Sports Carolina thus becoming the first full time female analyst. In 2018 Ready moved to Turner Sports where she can be found on the NBA on TNT. Ready also serves as one of the studio hosts on NBA TV. A brief look at Stephanie Ready who certainly has continued to move upward in the world of sports television broadcasting. 

The judicial court over the basketball court

By now most are wondering what occurred to Emoni Bates. This once time projected generational player will await a favorable outcome in a court of law before he can return to a more familiar court. Even if the court outcome favors him what about school? Could a code of conduct violation ground him at Eastern Michigan. You read or heard a routine traffic stop by the police revealed a gun and one with altered markings. Bates claimed the vehicle was not his, it was borrowed from a friend. Despite this fact Bates was arrested, later he posted bond and exited jail but there is a further story here which we’ll attempt to uncover. Did we betray Bates; I don’t mean individually but collectively? We read the projections of writers, scouts and others as they promoted the youngster. The hype was nationwide, Gatorade Player of the Year and other accolades awarded him.

It wasn’t just us it was his dad as well who would become a contributing factor. There was no practical reason for the father to remove his son from the public high school and begin Yspi Academy. Bates decided to re-classify and graduate high school early, Bates said it was Michigan State and then changed his mind it would be Memphis. His initial beginning at Memphis was good although it would crater later. It was reported poor work ethic and then an injury sidelined him for portions of his freshman season. When the season was over, he announced his intention to leave Memphis. Bates would return home to Michigan and decide to cast his fate with Eastern Michigan University. That brings us up to date prior to the traffic stop and arrest. This is not intended to be a gloom and doom report, all is not lost and there is no intent on my part to paint that type of picture. Bates is young and has time to make changes in his attitude and life choices.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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The NBA in Seattle

On Friday evening Seattle NBA fans were treated to a game between the Clippers and Maccabi Ra’Anana from Israel, the game was played at Climate Pledge Arena. It should be of note Climate Pledge was formerly known as Key Arena and has been completely overhauled internally, this arena once    served as home for the Seattle Sonics. Seattle fans having no connection to either team I wondered about the attendance for this game.

The Clippers lineup contained no regular starters, and the Maccabi team was totally unknown to me. There was no surprise on the outcome as the Clippers won easily 121-81, surprise. The announced attendance of 9,333 was a little surprising to me, I thought more fans might decide to attend. At the same time I have no idea without a further check on ticket pricing, that plus the opponent (Maccabi) could have been a factor in limiting the crowd. Perhaps tomorrow night’s game featuring the Clippers and Blazers might be a better guide to determine Seattle interest in the NBA.  

Why is it an association rather than a league?

It’s the National Football League, Major League Baseball or National Hockey League. Why does the NBA refer to itself as an association when in truth it too is a league? I’m happy you asked the question because we must return to the past for the answer. We consider the 2022-23 season the 75^th Anniversary of the NBA however technically that is incorrect. The NBA can do what it do because it is the NBA, as for the anniversary allow us to delve into past history. In 1946 a collection of teams totaling 16 began play as the Basketball Association of America or BAA. The Knicks and Celtics are two of those original teams remaining from the founding. History was not so kind, 4 of the 16 teams would be gone after that first season, one additional team went belly up by the second season. Year three would see four BAA teams added to replace the defunct franchises, however 1949 is the key date for us to circle.

The National Basketball League or NBL at its 1937 founding contained 38 teams, over time subtraction saw many of those franchises vanish. In 1949 the BAA and NBL merged to become one league and was anointed the National Basketball Association or NBA. We can only guess the thought process must have been, there might have been a belief the word association (joining together) might have sounded better than a merger, it’s strictly a play on words in my view. A number of present-day NBA teams trace their roots directly to the NBL, these include the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers to name a few. This last part most might question “Why so many franchises went out of business”? It was likely a combination of factors the chief one being the sport itself. We must take into consideration unlike today the NBA might have been considered minor league in the eyes of many at that time. It was baseball first then college football, shoot even the NFL wasn’t that popular in the 1940’s.

What do you think?

Subject to change however this is the lineup coach Ham has used most in practice to date. Damian Jones at center, AD at power forward, LeBron small forward, Kendrick Nunn shooting guard and Russell Westbrook at the point. This is quite interesting for a number of reasons allow further explanation. Of those names Nunn is probably the biggest X factor for a number of reasons. Nunn went undrafted in 2018 but managed to play for the Warriors G-League team, from there it was two seasons with the Heat. In 2021 he signed a free agent contract with the Lakers. Injuries have sidelined Nunn up to this point, he’s yet to set foot on a basketball court in a Laker jersey in real game action.

The Heat didn’t depend on Nunn for scoring when in the game his three-point shooting was above average. At center is Damian Jones who somehow walked away from the Lakers the first time around. Signing a free agent contract again the team likes the 6-foot 11 Jones shot blocking ability plus his lob potential around the basket from LeBron, Westbrook and others. The Lakers don’t require scoring from Jones just consistent defense around the rim. This brief look at the Lakers closes with a look at the team’s mystery man Russell Westbrook. What should Laker fans expect in year two from the mercurial point guard? If the team manages to avoid major injuries to LeBron and AD I expect an improved season from Westbrook, how much better?   

This is different

Without researching the question it’s my belief only Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon might be the lone NBA player to become an American citizen. Olajuwon originally from Nigeria arrived here in 1980 to begin play at the University of Houston, we know the balance of his resume. Sixer Joel Embiid arrived on these shores from Cameroon. Embiid first attended high school in Florida and later played a season for Bill Self at Kansas. Embiid was drafted as the third pick by the Sixers in 2014 and after a few years of negligible play he’s become a bona fide top notch NBA center.

Last week Embiid announced he’s become an American citizen, despite the connection to Cameroon he’s now an American. This from Embiid, “I’ve been here for a long time. My son is American. I felt like, I’m living here and it’s a blessing to be an American. So I said, why not?” Asked about the Olympics the Sixer Big Man had no answer for the question. As most are aware there have been a steady stream of European, African and Asian athletes who played in the past and are currently active in the NBA. As I first indicated Olajuwon and Embiid are the only two that have become naturalized citizens. As for Mr. Embiid allow us to welcome this brand-new American citizen.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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I’m shocked!

Not really but I wanted a headline grabber, and this story is really not that in a sense. It represents a continued policy of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Recently the coach added an assistant to his staff, her name is Candice Dupree former WNBA player. Dupree will take on a role as player development coach with the Spurs. This move certainly shouldn’t be surprising if you are familiar with Pop, he was in the forefront of making change in the NBA consider this fact. 

Over the years there have been 15 female assistant coaches in the past up to the present in the NBA, but Pop was the first coach to open the door. Becky Hammon was hired by Pop in 2014 and she became the first female assistant coach in the NBA. She resigned last season to take over the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA. What did the Aces accomplish once Hammond took over as coach…the Aces only managed to win the WNBA championship? Will there be a female coach in the NBA one day, that’s likely to occur in basketball over the NFL? The NBA should be commended for attempting to equalize job opportunities.

What he said

On the surface the response of guard Marcus Smart might seem callous by many. Asked about the coaching change for the Celtics he said, “Nobody died.” Allow me to finish the quote, “Nobody died. I still love Ime as a person and as a coach. He led us into the Finals. It’s just something unfortunate happened to him.” For some it depends on your perspective, I held a conversation with a co-worker and Celtic fan. I know you are probably shocked there are Celtic fans in the middle of the nation.

I digress however this was my statement to Rory. “The Celtics will be okay there might be a little drop off, they might not return to the Finals. This assistant coach (Mazzulla) is not an unknown voice, Celtic players have heard him. There will be some of the old by the former coach and some of the new Mazzulla will implement. Rory is not quite as optimistic as I am, however, I will stick by my view for now. He claims the injury to Robert Williams will impact the team. He’s also looking at Jaylen Brown whose name was floated around in trade circles all summer. “I think if I was Brown I would be upset.”

It depends

I hit my growth spurt between my 6^th and 7^th grade year of school. I remember it well because my mother had purchased jeans for both my brother and me with the intent of wearing them over summer into the start of the school year. As we approached the start of school mom asked me to try on the jeans, needless to say they were hitting me around my ankles. I thought “Boy I’m on my way to 6 feet tall”, I didn’t grow to the height I hoped. The growth spurt varies among individuals, as an example folks might say “The Bulls Scottie Pippen was a skillful passer for a guy 6 foot 8 in height.” The explanation is simple, in high school he was forced to play the point because he was nowhere near the height he would eventually reach. Pippen was a 6-foot 1 point guard at Hamburg (AR) High School. We could make a similar statement about the Lakers Anthony Davis who is almost 6 foot 11.

At Perspectives Charter High School in Chicago, AD was a 6-foot 3-inch point guard who gained an aptitude for passing the basketball. In the case of Pippen and Davis we have examples of two players who experienced growth spurts. For Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and others there was none of that. These two graduated high school at their NBA height (7 foot 1) and gained additional weight playing in the NBA. I could locate no high school information on 6 foot 10 Chris Webber or 6 foot 11 Kevin Garnett. These two certainly are on the list of best passing Big Men. Once again, I have no high school data on this man, the best current passing Big Man in the NBA is Nikola Jokic. Jokic who stands 6-foot 11 and 284-pounds has assists numbers astronomical for a player his size. Last season he dealt out 7.9 assists to Nugget teammates and two years before it was 8.3.

Is this it?

There appears a belief only Blue Blood programs win the Division I championship every season, that is the perception and not actual fact. Let’s explore the years 2002 through 2022. We can state with certainty Kansas, North Carolina, Duke and Kentucky have registered the bulk of wins during this 20-year period however there are some names you may have forgotten. Check out the ‘other’ champions and the year they won below:  

Maryland – 2002

Florida – 2006 & 2007

UConn – 2004, 2011 & 2014

Villanova – 2016 & 2018

Louisville – 2013

Syracuse – 2003

Virginia – 2019

Baylor – 2021

Can they, or should they?

I saw an interview on NBA TV of Giannis Antetokounmpo recently, perhaps you saw it too. During the interview he expressed how much he appreciated the opportunity to play for the Greek National Team over the summer. Once the interview was complete the host began a discussion with Sam Mitchell former NBA player and coach turned analyst. I’m going to paraphrase the quote, Mitchell indicated Antetokounmpo, and others had been playing all summer, they won’t need much of a training camp. At the same time, we probably will see them in limited action during the exhibition season. Then the real question, at what point does the body begin to break down?

It’s documented the regular season and a deep playoff run an athlete could play well over 100 games. If we toss in another 30 or so playing in Europe during the summer, you see where I’m going don’t you? I certainly would not place myself in front of Antetokounmpo or any other Euro player desiring to play for their nation. There comes a point the body must rest and by this, I mean fully rest. The question becomes can the NBA place restrictions in a player’s contract, or should they? I realize nationalism is more important in this instance than the NBA but there comes a point. The body can break down based on the wear and tear of a rigorous “two seasons” of basketball?

Basketball from a fans perspective

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Bits n Pieces

As NBA training camps open one of the most confusing might be the Celtics. They are a veteran team; they know what to do however the coaching change at the top is the question. When training camp opens assistant now head coach Joe Mazzulla is now the man in charge. The team is accustomed to hearing his voice during practice, shoot around and during a game however he’s now in a different position. Much of this Celtic team competed for an NBA Championship last season so they know how to win. If the Celtics begin the season slowly there is no requirement to panic although I know a number will.  As for guard Marcus Smart and his response that will be covered on Friday. 

LaVar Ball should be pleased now, all three sons are now in the NBA. We are acquainted with oldest brother Lonzo although injured plays for the Bulls. Baby brother LaMelo is a member of the Hornets, he now has a new teammate-brother. LiAngelo’s been signed by the Hornets for an undisclosed amount to a non-guaranteed contract. You might remember he was in the Hornets training camp last season however he failed to earn a roster spot. Do we suppose the time is now for LiAngelo and each of us must apologize to daddy LaVar. LaVar said ages ago all three of his son’s would play in the NBA. He further stated all three would play for the same team, that might be unmanageable.  

The injury bug

In a manner similar to others in Laker Nation I’ve lamented the saga of Anthony Davis. So much talent yet he continues to spend time on the injury list. It might be bad but nowhere close to that of Markelle Fultz. You remember Fultz don’t you, number one draft pick by the Sixers in 2017 from the University of Washington. I just read he fractured his toe, no surgery (which is good) now with the Magic they have given no timetable for his return. No one plays 82 games anymore injury or not but consider these numbers.

In 6 years, Fultz has played a total of 131 games for the Sixers and Magic, he was a starter in 86. In that time, he could have played in at least 492. For the talented but injury prone guard it’s been one injury after another, the closest he came to playing a full season was his first with the Magic. In the 2019-20 season Fultz managed to play in 72 games in 60 of them he was a starter. The following season he played 8 games and last season it was 18. There is no attempt to detail the injuries I’m just going to say so much potential talent but little opportunity to display it.

I’m violating my established rule

You are probably asking yourself “What is the rule?” I have refrained from writing about Mizzou prospects at least till there is a verbal commitment. Even verbal’s are saying “I might attend there on the other hand maybe not.” So now that you have the background allow me to inform you of a recent occurrence. Mizzou had four prospects visit the campus over a recent weekend. Antonio Barrett or T.O. as he prefers is a 6-foot 4 180-pound point guard, 247Sports awards this Class of 2024 prospect 3-stars. For me the most interesting part Barrett is from Edmond Oklahoma, the city is located about a 30 plus minute drive from the University of Oklahoma.

Barrett does have OU on his list of schools nevertheless this is still quite interesting. We can add the name of John Bol a 7-foot 2 190 pound forward, the skinny Bol attends Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita (KS). Bol is awarded 5-stars by 247 Sports and a sophomore at the school. Also visiting Columbia was Jordan Butler a 6-foot 10 220 pound forward, Rivals doesn’t award this Class of 2023 prospect any stars but no matter. Stars are to provide us a projection of an athletes potential, they fail to indicate if that particular athlete can play at the collegiate level. There you have it Mizzou Nation pending prospects for the future of Mizzou basketball and the reminder I violated my own rule in providing you this information in advance of possible commitment.

Best Big Men

I listen to a local podcast; the hosts were discussing the best Big Men. Okay, we know offenses have changed, it’s now an inside out game versus outside end of long-ago basketball. Who are your Top Five Big Men? Mine is a little different because I attempted to look at their college as well as the NBA. Based on that factor my Top Five in order:

Kareem Abdul Jabbar-3 NCAA championships, 6 NBA championships

Bill Russell-2 NCAA championships, 11 NBA championships

Wilt Chamberlain-2 NBA championships

Shaquille O’Neal-4 NBA championships

Hakeem Olajuwon-2 NBA championships

Those who while very good failed to earn a spot on my roster, not in any order:

Moses Malone

David Robinson

Patrick Ewing

Willis Reed

Nate Thurmond

Bob Lanier

You are asking the question, “Where is Tim Duncan” and with good reason. Tim despite his greatness spent the major portion of his NBA career as a power forward. He did this despite being 6 foot 11 and 250 pounds. There are several Big Men omitted from this list, they are certainly valued players however they don’t measure up to my Top Five. What do you think, you agree with my list? Do you think several in the second tier earn a spot on your list? Did you notice the fact all are retired players, with the change in NBA offense there are few players who might qualify.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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He’s got a right to his opinion…but!

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time you are aware of this issue. I’ve had a long-time difficulty with the accuracy of specific story’s reported or written by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. Opinions are one thing accurate reporting is another, allow me to cite the latest example. A few weeks back I read (maybe you did too) a story from Smith regarding the Warriors Jonathan Kuminga. From Smith, “Kuminga lacks commitment and discipline and was shortchanging the Warriors.” Warriors coach Steve Kerr questioned the account even stating he'd contacted Bob Myers general manager wondering where the story originated.

This Kerr quote: “Because it (the report) made no sense. JK’s been great, he’s done everything we’ve asked of him. He’s working hard. I enjoy coaching him. He’s right where he needs to be, and just gotta keep getting better every day.” We’d expect a coach to defend his player no question, it's likely someone provided this information to Smith however that can present a problem. My issue with the Smiths of the world are the “reliable sources” might not always be so dependable. We once used the term for malfunctioning computers, “garbage in-garbage out.” As I’ve stated over and over the ESPN guy’s got a right to his opinion, he doesn’t have the right to make up stuff.

What is wrong with us?

We’ve reached a strange point in time in my view. The last few years has seen us believe no one besides Michael Jordan represented greatness in the game from its founding in 1949. This latest rant is based on a photo of Artis Gilmore blocking a shot and the commentary from fans. Oh, you are unfamiliar with the name? Gilmore is a 7-foot 2 center who began his professional career in the ABA. He would go on to play outstanding basketball for the Bulls and Spurs from 1976 through 1987, look up the numbers if you care.

The point of this latest rant is more than Gilmore, a number of appear to believe “If I didn’t see it, it didn’t exist.” Those who came before Michael Jordan to put it in the jargon of JJ Redick were “plumbers and carpenters.” I am going to attempt once again to ignore those who claim “__________ played in 1957 he couldn’t have been very good.” Rest assured there are several athletes of that generation who could have played in any age. Stop shortchanging athletes because of the era of their play it just doesn’t make sense to me. Keep in mind this is coming from a guy who believes the athletes of today are better conditioned (training, diet etc.) than most of those of the past.

Interesting

I saw another YouTube video featuring Victor Wembanyama which is the basis for this account. The 18-year-old French youngster has been termed by many a generational talent. Countless scouts are stating the 7-foot 5 youngster is the best NBA prospect since 2003 when LeBron James was drafted. It is noteworthy Wembanyama was born the year after LeBron’s NBA debut. Back to this from the video, it points out only two players his height and taller have tasted success in the NBA. The players are, Kristaps Porzingis (7-3) and Yao Ming (7-6). We know Porzingis has suffered injuries which have sidelined him from time to time since his NBA debut.

Porzingis finished this past season playing 51 games for the Mavs and Wizards. As for Yao despite an effective NBA career injuries forced him to retire at a relatively young age 31. We have no idea what Yao might have been if not forced to retire early. In an earlier time 7-foot 4-inch Rik Smits had an outstanding 12-year career all spent with the Pacers. Let’s face it injury or not several of the players 7-foot 3 and taller were not very good or were simply specialists. Despite the promise 7 foot 3 Hasheem Thabeet was not a quality NBA player although he managed to play at UConn. 7-foot 7-inch Manute Bol who played from 1986-1995 was strictly a specialist for a number of NBA teams.

We also could look at 7-foot 3 Arvydas Sabonis, he was the Nikola Jokic of the 1980’s. Unfortunately, once he reached the NBA (1995), he was a shadow of his former self due to injury. Sabonis was prohibited from playing in the U.S. as a member of the Soviet Union's basketball team. As for Wembanyama the future is in front of him, there is no sure-fire method to avoid injury. He must continue to develop his game and play it as best he can. Get this, Wembanyama might actually be taller than 7 foot 3. In a video he is standing next to Purdue center Zach Edney who is reported to be 7 foot 4. Wembanyama is clearly half a head taller than Edney.

They are just being cautious

A 10-year-old probably could tell us Kawhi Leonard is key to the success of the Clippers. Paul George is good; John Wall was good at a point in time but unless Leonard is able to return and impact the game…well. A piece I read recently reinforced the view stated in the first paragraph. Leonard missed all of last season recovering from a torn right ACL tear, the Clippers indicate he’s been cleared to play. Despite the optimistic tone given by management I was surprised to discover Leonard’s yet to play a 5 on 5 game.

Clippers president Lawrence Frank indicates training camp moves will be at the discretion of Leonard, it’s further pointed out his play in exhibition games might be limited as well. Athletes in the NFL and NBA have returned to action from similar injuries in the past but there is a question. The question will Leonard come back on the court as the player we remember? I hope this doesn’t appear a doom and gloom account, but all the money sunk into constructing Intuit Dome won’t be worth squat if Leonard is not playing on the floor in two years.

We don’t know

During the mid to late 1990’s I checked, the Celtics made the playoffs for 7 consecutive seasons. They failed to win it all but were a good team. They still had Larry Bird although he began to show signs of slowing, they had Kevin McHale. Two players who might have led them to great heights never fulfilled the promise and both by death. In 1986 the Celtics made Len Bias the second pick in that year’s draft, an All American at Maryland it was believed the 6-foot 8 210-pound Bias would eventually replace Bird in the Celtic starting lineup. Two days after the draft celebrating with friends in his dorm snorted cocaine, the result Bias suffered a cardiac arrhythmia from the cocaine, attempts to revive him at the hospital and he died. We can only speculate; Bias was reported to have all the tools to gain success in the NBA. How good was the potential, just recently Bird said he would have retired in 1986 if Len Bias had lived.

In 1987 the Celtics with the 22^nd pick chose Reggie Lewis from nearby Northeastern University. Lewis would play a reserve role in his rookie season with only 49 games. The 1988-89 season would be his breakout year Lewis was a starter in 57 of the Celtics season, he would average 18.5 points a game that season. The career of Lewis would continue ascending upward until April 29, 1993, in a playoff game he collapsed on the court and after several minutes rose. That game would turn out to be his last action in an NBA game, in the hospital Lewis was diagnosed with focal cardiomyopathy a disease of the heart muscle.

Lewis was informed this would be career ending so probably like us he sought a second opinion. Another medical team identified his condition as neurocardiogenic syncope. On July 27, 1993, while working out at Brandies University Lewis suffered cardiac arrest, attempts to revive him failed and he died that same day. The second medical group indicated they did not suggest Lewis begin workouts again. We can only speculate on Len Bias, perhaps he might not have been great as an NBA player. Those with the opportunity to see him play claim there was no doubt regarding his ability. As for Lewis it was a different matter, brief as it was, we saw him in action for the Celtics. He too was thought of as a rising NBA star after he was chosen to play in the 1992 NBA All Star Game. The account of two Celtics who could have led them to NBA greatness.

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A brief statement

This might sound shocking coming from a Laker fan, but I was pleased with the news. The Celtics hired Ime Udoka as head basketball coach June 23, 2021, however he was not an unknown name. Most of us remember him from his time as a reserve player for the Spurs, he was a Nets assistant when hired. Part of the success experienced this past season by the Celtics playing for the NBA championship can be partially attributed to Udoka. As for the unpleasant part, Udoka was suspended by the Celtics for “violations of team policy” late last week, as with you the news of his suspension caught me off guard. A day later came the announcement the suspension would last the length of the 2022-23 NBA season. Coaches have been suspended in the past however this is quite different, I cannot think of an occasion when an NBA coach has been suspended (especially by his team) for the length of a season.

Generally, suspensions with this length of time would be handed out by the league. Anytime a coach is placed in this type of trouble generally its more to do with team play over anything else. In this instance the Celtics indicate Udoka violated the policy of the team. This is my view alone; I have read very little on the subject, at the same time I avoided the “Stephen A. Smith's” of the world providing their opinion on the matter. For me there is great difficulty for me delving into issues of relationships. Did he/she or didn’t he/she, as human beings each of us might act out a development in a different manner. I cannot begin to speculate the direction this franchise might take after the suspension is complete. Allow me to say this, from all apparent reports we’ve received thus far Udoka is guilty of the charge leveled at him and will suffer for it. It’s really too bad because I believed the Celtics had found their coach for the present and future of the franchise.

Welcome Back Kotter Dennis

In 1975 the ABC Network premiered a comedy about a former student who returned as a teacher to his old high school. The series Welcome Back Kotter ran four seasons and the ensemble cast of students consisted of a young John Travolta. Dennis Schroeder has been welcomed back to the Lakers by LeBron James which is quite interesting. It seemed when the speedy point guard left two years ago there appeared problems between the two. If you’ve followed the game, you are aware LeBron rarely relinquishes control of the basketball.

It seemed this might have been an issue between the two, notice I said it seemed to be. With LeBron extending a welcome to Schroeder via Twitter if there were issues evidently, they must be resolved now. I have been in a state of “what are they doing” this summer on the “new and improved” Laker roster. It is so very top heavy with guards especially point guards, does Westbrook’s future remain with the Lakers or somewhere else? I’m reading the same thing you are, the possibility of Beverley starting with Westbrook coming off the bench. The addition of Schroeder has likely sealed the fate of Scotty Pippen Jr. despite my desire for him to remain on the roster. I guess most of this will be addressed in the next few weeks with training camp about to start. 

The beginning

The NBA has officially returned, media day was held on Friday by the Hawks and Wizards. Yesterday on Saturday the Bucks, Hawks, Warriors and Wizards opened training camp. On Monday the Bucks and Warriors media day will be held. On Tuesday all other media days will be held and September 27 the remaining training camps open. It’s been an interesting summer for a variety of reasons. Probably at the top of the list Russell Westbrook (for now) remains a member of the Lakers. We finally heard from Ben Simmons of the Nets and Danny Ainge’s “housecleaning” of the Jazz continues. Ainge attempted to trade Donovan Mitchell to every team that probably talked to him.

He was finally able to accomplish this move trading Mitchell to the Cavs for a host of players. The Clippers will see the return of Kawhi Leonard to the lineup. In late news the Celtics open camp with Ime Udoka suspended for the season, assistant Joe Mazzulla takes over. In the category of non-people news construction is moving at a steady pace for the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The new home of the Clippers is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024. Suns owner Robert Sarver was given a 1-year suspension for his conduct and several days later Sarver announced he was placing a for sell sign on the Suns and Mercury franchises. Those are but a few of the story’s that emerged over the summer, more than likely I missed a few. The question remains for you reading this, are you ready for some NBA basketball? I certainly can place myself in the number.    

We miss the mark again…

Maybe the case might be we have our own agenda and wish to push it. Example, Shams Charania wrote “The NBA and NBAPA are expected to agree on lowering draft-age eligibility from 19 to 18 in the new CBA.” The first two letters from fans miss the mark completely. The first writer claims 18-year old’s are not mature enough to play in the NBA, the second writer claims they are changing the rule so Bronny James will be eligible. Let’s take this one letter at a time, once upon a time the NBA allowed high school players to be drafted.

There were some hits (Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady) but there have also been misses. The writer was partially correct every 18-year-old is not mature enough but don’t toss every 18-year-old into the same pot. As for the second letter writer his comment makes the least amount of sense. He's read comments made by LeBron James and his desire to play an NBA game with his son. This writer gives us the belief LeBron’s got enough power to force the players association to change their opposition to a rule in effect since 2006. If the writer is on the “Hate LeBron” bandwagon so, be it but don’t make up stuff to fit your view please.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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It’s now over      

Remember back last season, Kyrie Irving could only play road games for the Nets. Due to covid continuing to rage New York City had an order in place which stated public gatherings required proof of covid vaccination or entry would be denied. I could make the same statement for our northern neighbor Canada they had a rule requiring visitors to be vaccinated. In addition to Kyrie being barred so were The nation had a similar mandate in place, just ask the Kansas City Royals who were forced to leave about a dozen unvaccinated players and coaches at home. Irving and the Royals have no issues now; the City of New York has rescinded its covid vaccination order. On Wednesday of this week, we are informed our northern neighbor Canada intends to follow a similar direction at the end of September. The pandemic appears to no longer be raging although people are still contracting covid but not in the great numbers of 1-2 years ago. 

This was surprising

It appears over much sooner than we might have thought, Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver has begun the process to sell his teams. The firestorm created by the NBA investigation was certainly not going to die soon however there is another piece of this story. All of us are guilty of making dumb statements at times and they can and should be forgiven. In the instance of Sarver, the investigation by the independent counsel discovered a continuing pattern of racist and misogynistic statements made by the owner. The issue I have difficulty understanding Sarver, you are an owner of he an NBA team with a majority of the players black and a WNBA team comprised of women.

The key, no one twisted Sarver’s arm to purchase either franchise. These teams didn’t transform after he became the owner, the names might have changed but certainly not the racial or gender makeup of either team. It really makes me wonder why in the world would he spend his money to own them, is it the opportunity to belong to a small group of people i.e., owner of a professional team. It’s my belief there are a few wealthy people who tend to believe they are impervious to issues such as race or gender. That’s likely a question for smarter people than me to figure out the why. Despite an upcoming change in ownership the real winner is Sarver who purchased the Suns in 2001 paying $401 million. Reports are now circulating the Suns franchise alone will have a price tag of $1.2-$2.5 billion placed on it. Who becomes the winner based on this projected outcome?

There is a change

You were correct in believing Coach K. retiring at Duke was the story in college basketball however there was another. Jay Wright winner of two NCAA championships decided to retire at Villanova, Coach K. we knew ahead of time, Wright we didn’t. We are aware Jon Scheyer took over at Duke but what about Wright’s replacement. The name is Kyle Neptune, and he is only 37-years old despite an extensive record as an assistant and head coach at Fordham. From 2013-2021 Neptune was an assistant under Wright and then left to head the Fordham program.

Once Wright made his intentions know Neptune was hired as his replacement. Unclear is whether Neptune contacted Villanova, or the school reached out to him. Neptune finds himself replacing an icon such as Wright, will he be prepared to undergo the scrutiny this will require. I always believed Wright’s team exceeded expectations. I hope this doesn’t sound offensive to fans of the program, but I never believed Wright was able to attract the top 10% of basketball talent. He was able to recruit the remainder of talent available and managed to get them to play their behinds off. The roster for Villanova is unclear to me however we can guess if there were missing pieces Neptune’s addressed that. Good luck coach in your first season at the helm.

Scoot

His given name is actually Sterling however Scoot is the nickname most know him by, he graduated high school early but decided on a pro career rather than college. The 6-foot 2 inch 195-pound guard headed for the G-League and Team Elite, as a 17-year-old Scoot outpaced many of the “veterans” in the league. This is not high school basketball so there were areas of his game requiring improvement. According to scouting reports Scoots 3-point shooting is the only real downside of his game.

Scoot is a speed merchant up and down the court and with most guards today he’s more a combo than pure point guard. How good is Scoot, of the 14 mock draft sites 11 project him in the top three in all mock draft sites with the exception of one.  In any other draft year, a talent such as Scoot would see him projected as the top pick in that year’s draft. This is not an ordinary draft year; the 2023 NBA draft is the Victor Wembanyama lottery. Teams will be jockeying position to draft Wembanyama however no doubt Scoot is number two. There are questions surrounding the durability of the talented French youngster Wembanyama.

My Mount Rushmore

We are always selecting players for our Mount Rushmore, but this is a little different. This is a Mount Rushmore of college basketball coaches. Although I consider myself a basketball historian my mountaintop contains more recent coaches. For these purposes Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp, Phog Allen University of Kansas and Oklahoma A&M (now State) Hank Iba and a number of others are not included. This trio and others won a ton of basketball games over their tenure however for my purpose 1950 is the starting point, okay here goes.

My roll contains the names of those I believe changed the college game in a variety of ways. Mount Rushmore in South Dakota contains four former presidents, mine will contain the same number of coaches. Who are those to be enshrined by me, they are Dean Smith-North Carolina, John Thompson-Georgetown, Coach K.-Duke, John Wooden-UCLA. You might ask why no John Calipari, Bill Self or Jim Boeheim on my list, nothing wrong with them they just don’t make the cut, this is my list what about yours? Check back with me in 5-6 years my Mount Rushmore of coaches might have changed. It’s likely one could be subtracted, and another added in his place I just don’t know.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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When it rains it pours

The old adage simply states when life events turn negative sometimes additional one’s pile on top of the others. That might be the case for Emoni Bates, the high school phenom once projected to be NBA ready at the end of his senior year of high school. I’ve mentioned at least one scout claimed Bates would be ready if the league rescinded its age limit. In any event Bates decided to re-classify and graduated high school early. After pledging to Michigan State, he decided on Memphis, at Memphis his freshman season was up and down mostly down. An injury while enrolled at the school didn’t help but his play on the court left a great deal to be desired.

After the school year was complete, Bates returned home and decided to enroll at Eastern Michigan. On Sunday evening a routine traffic stop uncovered a concealed weapon, he was arrested and faces two felony charges the concealed weapon and altered ID on the weapon. A lawyer for Bates claims he was driving a borrowed vehicle and the gun was already in the vehicle when he begin driving. As you might anticipate Bates been suspended by the university pending the outcome of charges. Friends this is not the end of the world for the young man, but it seems one thing after another after another continues to impede his path. Most I believe he’s got a measure of control and others not so much. As I told a friend if Bates intends to have any kind of basketball career, he’s got to make wiser decisions going forward.

Did you know?

The Globetrotters actually borrowed the name Harlem, the team was founded in 1926 in Chicago, they never played in Harlem until 1968. We must return to a time when segregation was the norm for America. Abe Saperstein a Jew was founder, owner and early coach of the team. The Trotters would schedule games all over the Midwest when first founded, many of the towns had a predominately white population and Saperstein wanted the residents to be aware they would be seeing an all-black team on the basketball court. The majority of black basketball players coming out of college would play for the Trotters due to segregation of the races that existed at the time.

Prior to World War II there existed a number of black and white teams although segregation was still the norm for the nation. It’s been reported after the NBA began allowing black players a large number continued to be attracted by the Trotters. Back to Saperstein it’s been mentioned previously the NBA was “minor-league” back then compared to the Trotters. NBA teams would often play double-headers inviting the Trotters and hoping the crowd would remain for the NBA game. Later Saperstein would go to war with the NBA based on what he believed was a handshake agreement. The NBA during that period was an east coast and Midwest league, Saperstein believed he was promised a franchise in California.

First it was the Lakers moving to Los Angeles in 1960 and then the Warriors to San Francisco in 1962 the largest markets in the state. So, what did Saperstein do, he formed his own league the American Basketball League, owned the Chicago franchise and was the leagues commissioner. The ABL underfinanced and no television contract would close shop after one and a half seasons. Years later many cynics would emerge regarding Saperstein regarding payments to his players and other issues. Despite the negatives there is no doubt Abe Saperstein played a key role in the growth of basketball and perhaps even black players being infused into the NBA. In 1971 Saperstein was enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game, he died of a heart attack in 1966 at the age of 63.

They attacked me

Several acquaintances expressed shock and disbelief reading my “Did you know” story on Wednesday September 14^th. “I can’t believe you’d write a story about Kansas basketball but fail to cover Mizzou.” I was threatened with expulsion from Mizzou Nation, at least two folks asked for my card. Okay I admit it the truth has been stretched a bit but not totally. I was asked “Why nothing on Mizzou” and the response is simple? I really don’t know at this point, early on with the Dennis Gates hire and recruitment I was excited. The coach hit the ground running, he got a de-commit to re-commit and that athlete is now in Columbia. That would be Aiden Shaw 6-foot 8 small forward and 4-star prospect from the Kansas City Metro.

In addition, Gates and staff managed to secure a number of other prospects including 6-foot 5 shooting guard Isiaih Mosley from Columbia. Mosley should have been at Mizzou all along but that’s another story. We are in the waiting period to see what develops with the coach and his program. There is only so much to write about when Mizzou is yet to play its first game with Gates in place. Truth is this, I don’t believe we can tell anything about the coach or the team until mid-February. By then we can do a sanity check and determine if it’s thumbs up or thumbs down on the season. If this account appears negative far from it, I remain excited but unsure what Mizzou Nation will see on the floor this fall and winter. Despite my hesitancy I remain a loyal part of the program and my hope for desire is a winning program, I’m out.

I like him

NBA Summer League I always look for a particular Laker player. One season it was Lonzo Ball although Kyle Kuzma outplayed Ball in my view. This past summer there were a two or three that stood out for me however that one player wasn’t drafted he signed as a free agent. That free agent Scotty Pippen Jr. was impressive at times during summer league play, he arrives in the NBA after three years at Vanderbilt. Pippen Jr. might be a long shot to earn a roster spot since he’s on a two-way contract. I’d sure like to see him when the Lakers open the season next month, is it that time already?

Pippen Jr.’s got size (6 foot 3) to play the point and a slim 170 pounds, it wouldn’t hurt to add a few more pounds in his case. I ain’t got the eye of a scout but one of the areas I saw requiring improvement is penetration, several games he got in trouble by over penetrating. Although he’s listed as a point guard similar to many of today’s players, he might be nearer to a combo guard. Pippen Jr. has a nice little tear drop similar to Tony Parker. His 3-point shot might be described as a work in progress. Overall Pippen Jr. will likely spend the season with the South Bay Lakers although it would be nice in my view to see him with the parent club.