Published Monday through Friday 

Who’s fired and who’s about to be hired

Steve Nash is out as Nets head coach; the news release was nicely worded. It simply stated, “Nash and the Nets have agreed to part ways,” make no mistake about it Nash was fired. Did he deserve the firing, probably not but who said life is fair? I believed Nash was in trouble the team had gotten off to such a slow start. I told a co-worker the firing caught me off guard, I informed him “I thought if the team didn’t play better by late November or early December Nash could be fired.   

The first two seasons while Nash was head coach the team finished above .500 although they lost in the playoffs, this season the have won 2 games while losing 5 when Nash was terminated. Now who’s about to be hired, surprise…surprise. The Nets new coach will be Ime Udoka who is suspended as Celtics coach. The truth is I believed although he was suspended for the season, I had serious doubts if he would ever return to the helm. This is the surprise part for me, I thought it could be a few years before Udoka received an invitation to coach at the NBA level again.

The buck stops here 

The title of this account is a plaque former president Harry Truman placed on his desk. Perhaps the problem of the Lakers is not on the court but the front office. None of the moves over Rod Pelinka’s tenure were made in the dark, unfortunately when they blow up, he becomes the fall guy. Granted he cannot play the game, but his personnel decisions have certainly played a large role in player acquisition. In addition Pelinka is certainly not responsible for Anthony Davis, LeBron James and others missing games due to injury.

Here we are again at a crossroads, the Lakers won’t have a draft choice of their own for the next 10 years. Okay just kidding, it’s not that bad but almost. We don’t know all the details however Pacer center Myles Turner is gently pushing for the Lakers to make a trade. The proposed trade would have the Lakers receiving Turner plus 3-point specialist Buddy Hield. The Lakers would trade Russell Westbrook plus their 2027 and 2029 first round draft choices. Up to this point we see what’s occurred for the Lakers thus far. So many draft choices surrendered to date have handicap building this team. I’m going to sit in Pelinka’s chair for a moment, I’m gonna say…make the deal. Harry Truman made the tough decisions perhaps it is time for Pelinka to do the same thing.

The eye of a scout

I found this very interesting, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe is listed as a second-round draft pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. This part I found most interesting, and you might as well. Emoni Bates is projected a second-round pick in several mocks and in others he barely misses the cut. Why am I using my eye as a scout, a couple of reasons and I will elaborate. The 6 foot 9 Tshiebwe’s offensive game is limited but the man can genuinely go and get the basketball.

Tshiebwe led NCAA Division I teams in rebounds with 15.2 a game, it’s not the fact Tshiebwe can’t score Kentucky runs no plays for him. As for Bates we know the story, he arrived at Memphis as a high impact freshman and had a less than spectacular first year. Bates would transfer to Eastern Michigan for his sophomore year, at this point we don’t know what to expect despite the early hype. We have two prospects one returning from a stellar year (Tshiebwe) while the other (Bates) is still attempting to find his way. Is either one projected to be an NBA player, better yet do they have the right stuff? We certainly don’t have the answer; truth is we might not know until the end of the 2023 collegiate season.

Piling on

The NBA season is a mere 6 games so far, despite the limited number of games we can report there are rumblings in Philly. It appears Sixer fans are displeased with the coaching of Doc Rivers, pause here for just a minute. I’ve seen but 10 minutes of Sixer action thus far, you ask the question why Darvin Ham is safe with the Lakers who are yet to win a game? The answer is simple, Ham has coached but 5 games in the NBA, over the course of his career how many games has Rivers coached?

I don’t dislike Rivers however for a long period of time I believe it’s been his reputation over actual production. His playing days are long behind him so I cannot expect Rivers to suit up and play. Management and flow of the game are at least two keys for me in success at the NBA level. I hope this does not appear to be a case of me piling on I just happen to believe Rivers coaching is an illusion. If it turns out I’m wrong, I certainly will return and make mention of it.

Speaking of the draft

The opening night of NBA action for Magic forward Paola Banchero was outstanding although his team lost to the Pistons. Moderating the highlights it was mentioned he was the top draft pick in 2022, I’d forgotten although it was only four months ago. I decided to return and check the actual draft versus a mock to determine the accuracy. I only looked at one mock, nbadraft.net which was darn near accurate. Below is how it played out, the number in parenthesis is the actual draft position:

Jabari Smith (3)

Chet Holmgren (2)

Paola Banchero (1)

Jaden Ivy (5)

Benedict Mathurin (6)    

Through the first five picks nbadraft.net’s mock draft was accurate with a slight margin of error. This provides evidence (at least for me) the exactness of several mock draft sites.

Published Monday through Friday 

Lakers win…Lakers win

I didn’t see the game, I don’t have NBA League Pass yet, in addition neither ESPN, TNT nor NBA TV telecast the game. Sure enough the Lakers managed to win their first game of the season, the final score read Lakers 121 Nuggets 110. Reading the box score it appeared the scoring was balanced and most of all they were finally able to shoot from three successfully. They were 13-30 from three for a 43.3% which is much better than in the previous 5 games. For me the most interesting part was Russell Westbrook coming off the bench scoring 18 points along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists and get this, he shot 50% from the floor and 50% from three. 

The hero of the night had to be Westbrook, his +/- for the Lakers was an 18, even LeBron who scored 26 points was -1. Anthony Davis with 23 points and 15 rebounds was +15. Will this new and improved Laker team get it together might be your next question. In addition to improved 3-point shooting Anthony Davis must be in the lineup for 60-70 games. Any lesser numbers and the Lakers could return to their previous form. I was extolling the outstanding game registered by Westbrook. If and that is a gigantic IF Westbrook adapts to play with the second unit as he did Sunday night, they will continue to play successful winning basketball. Finally team defense, despite the losses the Lakers have played reasonably good defense. Notice I didn’t say great defense, they must continue at this level and maybe an even improved defensive effort.

He could play

Warriors guard Jordan Poole could play, there was a requirement for seasoning (G-League) and there were several players in front of him (Kent Bazemore, Damian Lee, Kelly Oubre Jr.) that left before he could prove his worth. That’s what occurred for Poole after his arrival from the University of Michigan, he was drafted in the first round with the 28^th pick in the 2019 round. You see what occurred prior to him becoming the valued player he is now.

How valuable is he, can we say 4-year $140 million extension might provide us proof? It also provides a signal the franchise is looking past Steph Curry and Klay Thompson as foundations. It should be of note Andrew Wiggins (age 27) signed a 4-year $109 million contract in the off season as well. As for Poole I find it interesting how he managed to secure his large contract, it was necessary for him to prove to Warriors management he was the real deal. The Warriors intend to bank on Poole and others to continue the winning tradition established by Curry, Thompson, Green and others.

A lion with no teeth and de-clawed

Were they guilty, in this instance I speak of Bill Self and Kansas basketball? I don’t really know, the governing body of college basketball the NCAA deemed it so. The organization cited five level 1 violations with level 1 being the most serious. That was nearly four years ago and since then we’ve heard practically nothing but crickets from the NCAA. What is most confusing the NCAA appears to play unequal justice; this is our example. Oklahoma State self-reported and the result, the NCAA banned the team from participating in last year’s tournament. They did this despite all OSU guilty parties are no longer connected with the school.

Bill Self and Kansas basketball operating under a four-year investigation was permitted to play. I know ahead of time your thoughts, you are going to say, “Isn’t Oklahoma State a football school?” Kansas basketball is an institution, James Naismith, Wilt and all. No disagreement on my part Kansas basketball is steeped in tradition, at the same time should they be treated differently than OSU? One cannot justify unequal justice. I’m quite sure Kansas fans reading this account written by a Mizzou guy will claim bias on my part. To a degree they might be correct but not completely, my ire is aimed at the NCAA and their shoddy investigative process. We are at a point in time I believe the NCAA should just retire quietly. The NCAA has been dysfunctional in my view for a time, they are no longer furious…they are a lion with no teeth and one de-clawed.

Why do you keep teasing me

I wrote a few weeks ago how many games Zion Williamson has missed over his brief NBA career. Zion returned to the lineup and Sunday proved to me once again he is a budding talent. Against the Clippers Zion scored 21 points along with 12 rebounds and an amazing 7 assists. In 31 minutes he registered only one turnover, his game total was key as his Pelican teammates beat the Clippers 112-91. Standing 6 foot 6 and 284 pounds we continue to hear reports Zion needs to lose weight. Zion’s height plus his weight make it very difficult on his knees and legs with the amount of running and jumping required. I believe he's proven to be the talent we believed he would be at Duke, then earlier at Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina.

I’m not a fan

Who am I discussing, that would be Paul Pierce who spent most of his NBA career a member of the Celtics. I believe my dislike goes back to the wheelchair game, in the 2008 Finals versus my Lakers Pierce goes down in a heap, he appears so injured the training staff brought out a wheelchair to take him back to the locker room. Watching the game I figured he must have sustained a serious injury. The second half of the game he emerges from the locker room apparently ready for action which caused me to scratch my head. The Celtics would go on to win the game and series beating my Lakers.

Years later Pierce claimed he’d suffered a bowel incident and that was the basis for being wheeled from the floor. Fast forward to 2022 the Lakers among several other teams have gotten off to a poor start, along comes Pierce to pour gasoline on a smoldering fire. This is a paraphrase of the Pierce statement, “Lakers are playing like there trying to match LeBron with Victor Wembanyama, oh I forgot they don’t have their draft pick.” Pierce is correct…the Lakers had traded the pick earlier however there is a question for him. In addition to the infamous wheelchair game why’d you get fired from ESPN? Serving as an analyst is “free money”, discussing a sport you excelled in, and they asked you to leave what goes with that?

Published Monday through Friday  

How about those other guys

The media and former players and front offices (not publicly) have made fun of the Lakers and their poor start and current record. I guess any team with LeBron James is probably going to receive its fair amount of criticism when the team fails to perform to the expected level. On the right coast there is another team almost as bad, the Nets. The Nets do have one advantage over the Lakers, they have won a game of course hat changed last night with a Laker win. This assessment is not fair I’ve only seen bits and pieces of games while they were off to the 1 win and 5 lost start.

What’s the problem, no more covid restrictions for Kyrie Irving plus he’s healthy; Kevin Durant is scoring at his usual pace and even Ben Simmons has made appearances on the court in a Nets jersey. I have no answer for you, but it also appears Steve Nash and the coaching staff can’t figure it out either. If the season ended today neither the Nets nor the Lakers make the playoffs. Laker Nation probably hoped for a playoff run as for the Nets the situation was totally different, they were supposed to compete. The season is not over due to a poor start, the Nets and Lakers have time to turn it around however they must get going real soon.  

He did what

Although DeMar DeRozan now plays for the Bulls Greg Popovich stopped the game on Friday evening. The game was halted in San Antonio, this clearly demonstrates why coach Pop is one of the best coaches in the NBA. He did this honor a former player DeRozan, who added his name to the record  book becoming the 50th player in NBA history to score 20,000 points or more. DeRozan was drafted by the Raptors in 2009 and would spend the first 9 years of his NBA career with them.

DeRozan played another three seasons with the Spurs and for coach Pop. Last season the Spurs traded him to the Bulls where he continued to his outstanding career, he averaged nearly 28 points a game while shooting .504 from the floor. What’s unusual, DeRozan managed to score his 20,000 points without a great deal of fanfare, in fact I had no idea he was even close to the number. Congratulations are certainly due Compton’s own DeMar DeRozan, although becoming the 50^th player in NBA history might not seem like a big deal but consider the number playing the game since 1946. At age 33 DeRozan certainly has a few more productive years ahead of him.

Thanks Chris

Reading my Friday story regarding Pres Obama possibly becoming a Suns owner. Chris reminded me of Obama’s annual fill out the bracket for the NCAA championship. With my memory jogged I remember one year in particular he sat down with Andy Katz former ESPN guy in the White House going over his picks for the champion. I also recall Obama walking through a gym one time picking up a basketball and sinking a 3-point shot.

He did it the first time unless the video was doctored, LOL. In 2019 we witnessed a rare occasion, usually when at team chants MVP it’s for a player on the court or field. In this instance it was Obama’s appearance for Game Two of the 2019 NBA Finals in Toronto. Unless it was a political rally, I don’t remember every hearing that type of greeting for a president attending a sports event. Somebody check me out and see if I’m correct. I located a newspaper article indicating 7 NBA champion teams visited the White House while Obama was in office.

The return of?

Is Emoni Bates ready for the collegiate season at Eastern Michigan? In an exhibition game against Grand Valley State he dazzled the gathering. Scoring 27 points on a variety of shots Bates clearly demonstrated he’s got talent. The one-time cover for Sports Illustrated has traveled a rocky road over the last nearly two years. I’m not going to detail the recent legal issues it’s the basketball part. His freshman season at Memphis did not unfold as we first thought, on top of that an injury cut the season short. I’m unsure about you although I had no advance information I was not surprised when he decided to leave. Although he is still young his basketball outlook may be at a crossroad.

I’ll use this example, Lenny Cooke from Atlantic City NJ, in 2001 he was rated a higher basketball prospect than either Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James. Cooke’s story is a reflection of hundreds of others. Are you asking the question, “How come I never heard of him?” Rather than detail history there is a documentary available on Google recounting his story, bottom line Cooke never made it to the NBA after being rated number one in the nation. I hope this is not considered an indictment of Bates; I certainly would like to see him excel at the game apparently, he loves. The issue for him and others often decisions off the court can impact you severely in the future. If the NBA dream remains alive for Bates it certainly is still possible. Those of us who follow the game know if you’ve got a microorganism of talent NBA scouts are going to find their way to you. 

Not me

I cannot remember who was on the other side of the conversation, whatever the case during our discussion he mentioned he “was not impressed with Luka Doncic.” He went on to explain the WHY and I countered by informing him not me, I don’t agree. The Mavs point forward continues to be the focal point of the team’s offense and defense. All fall and winter mock draft sites listed the 6-foot 7-inch Doncic from the top spot up to number 5, he would become the 3^rd pick in the 2018 draft. On Thursday evening he was the driving force willing his team to an OT win over the Nets with another triple double.

Doncic registered 41 points, 11 rebounds along with 14 assists and 3 steals, the only downside to his game is his defense. Don’t confuse the statement, I’m not saying Doncic doesn’t play defense it’s just not the strongest part of his game. I was reminded of an assertion regarding Magic Johnson, it was said he wasn’t a good defensive player. I’m sure Magic and others with similar skill sets played good team defense. Besides the fact, so what if you are not an NBA Defensive Leader. That’s my belief for Luka, you cannot excel in all facets of the game, but I believe he’s not as bad a defender as some might lead you and me to believe. Take a look at this YouTube video from the game, can you say Luka magic?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51fcuxlck9Q

Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Monday through Friday

Hail to the Chief

The title is the personal anthem of the President of the United States. Well that’s not going to be played however there is a connection. As most of you are aware Robert Sarver owner of the Suns is suspended for the year by the NBA. With the suspension Sarver decided instead to sell the team. Although no majority owner has been identified a potential minority owner has been identified. I have no method to document this account I’m only reading reports.

Barack Obama former President of the United States is reported to be interested in becoming an owner. Is it true, we have no method to verify the story however it makes sense on several levels. Obama played basketball in high school and while serving as president would play the game on occasion. He’s also made appearances at NBA and college games while serving in office, this is a developing story so we must wait to sort it out. In truth unless there is unannounced background activities this is liable not to be resolved until early next year.

He’s an institution

Word came the 2023 NCAA championship game will be the last for Jim Nantz of CBS Sports. We’ve seen Nantz and heard his voice for such a long period of time many tend to believe the job’s always been his. He began broadcasting the championship game in 1991 replacing Brent Musberger. No mystery as to why Nantz is retiring, he indicates the need to spend more time with his family. For nostalgia purposes let’s take a brief look back, that 1991 championship game saw Duke led by Coach K. defeat the Kansas Jayhawks under head coach Roy Williams 72-65.

Non-conference schedule

Mizzou’s schedule is somewhat vanilla, the only really tough games in my view are those where they face Kansas and Illinois. They will play Kansas at Mizzou Arena on Saturday afternoon December 10. In the Annual Braggin’ Rights game they will face Illinois Thursday evening December 22 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. I hope no one believes I’m stating these are the only tough non-conference games…they are the toughest in my view.

The following games will be competitive, Wichita State (Tues night Nov 29), Southeast Missouri State (Sun afternoon Dec 4) and UCF (Sat morning Dec 17) should be good games. It’s my hope the remaining 7 non-conference games will prepare the Mizzou Tigers for tough Southeastern Conference basketball. Maybe that might be the plan all along by Dennis Gates and staff, I’ve noticed the more competitive games are played the last portion of the non-conference schedule. On the other hand it just could be a figment of my imagination.

Not good

Wednesday evening the NBA world received the news, although it was not shocking, I believe it certainly was surprising. Kawhi Leonard would miss the next two games, I thought it odd he wasn’t a starter in the team’s early season. Leonard had taken on a reserve role coming off the Clipper bench, that I found a little unforeseen. Now we receive the truth, it’s reported Leonard is experiencing swelling in his surgically repaired right knee.

The Clippers were prepared for a deep playoff run this season with the return of Leonard and a healthy Paul George. Now the knee acts up and the question, is this just a glitch or will he ever return to the Kawhi Leonard of the past? Despite the fact I root for the other tenant at Staples Center (I know that’s not the name) I hope Leonard is able to return to the lineup. This I am sure of, unless Leonard is at full strength the Clippers might not make it out of the Western Conference, we shall see what develops with this story. 

Can he do that?

It’s interesting the commissioner is addressing the issue tanking of teams, perhaps it’s the prospect of drafting Victor Wembanyama or maybe something totally unrelated. After all this is not the first time we’ve heard the term used when a quality talent appears on the NBA horizon, a team wants to secure a better draft position. Commissioner Silver was in Phoenix to address Suns employees, but the tanking issue came up as well. This is a portion of Silver’s message, “We put teams on notice, we’re going to be paying particular attention to the issue this year.”  The proposed solution is quite radical and I’m unsure if he’s got the power or if the owners will give him Carte Blanc to fully address it.

Moving the culprit(s) into the G-League while moving that G-League team to the NBA. That’s the part I question whether it could be accomplished. Again if proven I believe a far more beneficial punishment would be a humongous fine levied on the culprit(s) and exclusion from the NBA draft for a period of let’s say 5 years. In closing there is a further concern. You might have read or heard the same interpretations as me, those claiming “Wemby needs to be drafted by the right team.” These cynics name the teams they believe are bad for the NBA, the Jazz, Thunder, Spurs or Hornets. As for my take, so what if it’s not the Lakers, Knicks, Bulls or Nets. A projected talent must not always play for one of those major market teams to bolster their place in the NBA. 

Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Monday through Friday

Nicknames

It’s common place in sports to anoint athletes with nicknames. It occurs almost routinely, some names become forever (Air Jordan) while others the sports world never accepts (Slim Reaper for Kevin Durant). Several co-workers even Laker fans now refer to Anthony Davis as “Street Clothes.” Of course that’s a reference to AD’s inability to remain healthy for extended periods of time. As this is written the Lakers list him as day to day with back issues. As someone who suffers with back issues myself, I can understand the difficulty if he misses the Wednesday night game. AD is not the only Laker banged up this early season, also listed as day to day are LeBron James and Russell Westbrook.

Speaking of Westbrook it’s not easy to blame all the difficulties on him, I wrote of my belief the Lakers could contend this season and this should not be considered panic mode. AD especially and LeBron must remain reasonably healthy this season, in addition Laker management must figure out what to do with Westbrook. My suggestion which holds the weight of a grain of rice is simple, send Westbrook home until they manage to consummate a trade. The Lakers currently sit in last place in the NBA in 3-point percentage shooting a paltry 21.2%. All of the bad shooting is certainly not Westbrook’s fault it’s the other things that have seen his game slowly erode over time. I haven’t seen every game however it appears he is out of step with his teammates.

Bits n Pieces 

I have read and heard the term “Dub” used in place of the Warriors name for a time now, maybe like many of you wondered what in the world is that. So with the question in mind I began a short research project, and this is what I uncovered. “The nickname comes from people shortening Warriors to the letter W. The shorter form of the letter W is pronounced “Dub.” It also helps that W represents the word “win” in the world of sports, so when their fans refer to them as the Dubs, they are also referring to the team as winners.” So for us living outside the San Francisco-Oakland metro this is the explanation for the term Dub or Dubs. On the other hand maybe the nickname is primarily used by those in Warrior Nation and few others.

One of the largest international unguarded border in the world exist between the United States and Canada. For generations we’ve witnessed traffic back and forth between the two nations. The traffic has consisted of trade between the partners, more recently we’ve seen an ever-increasing number of our northern neighbors playing basketball both college and the NBA. The latest import is Olivier Rioux, he’s enrolled at IMG Academy in Florida; I have no idea if he develops into an NBA prospect or just a good pro player. We should keep an eye on Rioux who stands 7 feet 6 inches in height and checks in at 286 pounds.

I tried to point out Mizzou’s Dennis Gates receives a pass for 2022-23. The reason is simple when Gates took over as head coach the roster contained only three holdovers. I believe the 2023-24 season would be clearer test of his ability and the team. Let’s check the 2023 ratings on a few prospect sites, 247 Sports places Mizzou 15^th in the nation while Rivals list Mizzou at 19. On3db has Mizzou at 42, missing in this brief account is ESPN’s class rating. The Worldwide Leader fails to provide any information without payment, content is part of ESPN Plus which requires payment.

It’s really sad

Somehow cynics have convinced many of those who follow the NBA “nobody played outstanding basketball until Michael Jordan arrived.” We are two days past the anniversary (October 18) as this is written. Nate Thurmond who up to that point spent most of his time a member of the Warriors. The Bulls acquired him in a trade and his first game in a Bulls jersey he accomplished a feat few (maybe Chamberlain) might have accomplished. The 6-foot 11-inch Thurmond scored 22 points along with 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots. Thurmond played center at Bowling Green University, he was switched to power forward or backed up Wilt Chamberlain at the time he was drafted by the Warriors.

Once Chamberlain was traded Thurmond moved back to his natural center position where his NBA career would lead him to the Naismith Hall of Fame. Thurmond was more a defensive center than a scoring center. Kareem Abdul Jabbar was once asked who the toughest center was, he faced in the NBA. With no hesitation he said Nate Thurmond. The legend Bill Russell retired after the 1969 season; in the fall of that year a young Lew Alcindor began play for the Bucks. By the way Wilt had yet to retire in fact Alcindor (Abdul Jabbar) faced him numerous times prior to Wilt’s 1973 retirement. I say this to point out Abdul Jabbar did not name Chamberlain as the most difficult opposition player he faced despite playing against him on numerous occasions. Remember the name Nate Thurmond an All-Time great basketball player.

Who’s best

No argument on my part, college football is king. I once read football “paid” for all other sports that don’t generate revenue. You know them, tennis, golf, swimming and other sports activities. Too a degree basketball also receives revenue but not to the degree of other sports programs.  Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan and others draw huge crowds to their games. The playoff system now allows for a single national championship in football. Despite the facts just mentioned it’s my contention college basketball has a clear advantage over football. I know you probably fell out of your chair with laughter reading that statement, while you are returning to your seat allow me to explain my meaning.

68 basketball teams begin play to crown a national championship, even though it a single elimination tournament come early April a champion is crowned. The difference, well Eastern Michigan could battle North Carolina or Duke in the early rounds of the tournament. Lower seeded teams have on occasion caused enormous upsets. In a football playoff you will never witness Eastern Michigan playing Duke for the championship. Truth is you might not see the two schools face one another in a bowl game. If you are a Division I basketball program, you are liable to be matched against another Division I program no matter the size of the student body. We cannot make that claim regarding college football. You are now stating I’ve oversimplified the issue and to a degree that might be the case. Despite this I like the idea of EVERY school competing for the championship in basketball over the exclusivity that exists with college football. 

Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Monday through Friday

Just sometimes

I’ve seen and you as well players arriving from college without missing a beat. In fact in some instances the NBA allows them to play at a higher skill level or maybe it’s as simple as adjustment to the NBA. Magic power forward Paolo Banchero is that guy, the one who’s not missed a beat thus far. The 6-foot 10 250-pound talent left Duke with a 17.2 point 7.8 rebound and 3.2 assist per game average over 39 games. Banchero’s hardly come close to that number of games played in the NBA, yet his start certainly is noteworthy.

The numbers registered currently are 23.3 point, 8.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Banchero will probably not gain any fans in Oklahoma City based on his pre-draft comment. Prior to the world being aware of where and who would draft him he made off the court news, Banchero informed the Thunder he didn’t want to be drafted by the team. There was no indication there was a problem with the city it’s the franchise which is the catch. This Seattle born and raised resident claimed he watched the Sonics leave town when he was a child, evidently Banchero still holds a grudge against the Thunder. All this for a teen, the 19-year-old turns 20 on November 12^th.

Home court

My friend Jerome posted a photo of the Cow Palace on social media recently. This arena was home court for the Warriors when they first arrived from Philadelphia. This subject has been mentioned previously but worth a look at the arenas which served as home court. At the time the Warriors moved to San Francisco in 1962 games were played in the Cow Palace an arena which opened in 1941. The Daly City arena was home court until the 1964 season, Civic Auditorium became home and served the team until 1966.

That season the Warriors moved back to the Cow Palace and remained there until 1971. Besides those locations also serving briefly was San Diego Sports Arena (six games 1971-72), San Jose Arena (1996-97 renovations at Oakland Arena). Prior to Chase Center opening in 2019 the arena across the bay was home court for the longest period. It was known by a number of names over the years, but most identify with the arena in Oakland now known as Oracle. This was home court from 1971-2019. As you can see over time the Warriors have played in a number of arenas even some outside the general area.

A coaches worth    

Who is valued compared to who might be the first question you might think. All coaches have limited value, notice I didn’t say any because all have knowledge of the game. Sometimes circumstances and often talent leave that coach short of his peers. Allow me a few examples, the late John Wooden at UCLA was considered an outstanding basketball coach. His UCLA basketball teams won 10 NCAA Championships between 1964 and 1975 when he retired yet we heard this. “Coaching Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar), Bill Walton and others it’s easy to see why he won.” That statement might only be partially correct, UCLA did dominate college basketball back then it was indeed a different era.

This is my belief, and I certainly can be challenged on this, another head coach with those same teams may have won 2-3 championships. The coach in this instance John Wooden made the difference. Since he left the game, we’ve heard similar complaints about Phil Jackson. “How good a coach was he, when he arrived with the Bulls they had (Michael) Jordan, and Scotty Pippen in place.” Someone might make the same statement about Jackson’s time with the Lakers. ‘Ya, there was Kobe, Shaq…the team was already assembled.’ The statement about the Bulls and Lakers is true however the missing element the coach. In the NBA it’s a different story in my view, a coach must have the ability to convince NBA players to his style of coaching.

Oftentimes these players are making two or three times what the coach earns in salary. On the other hand, we have the case of the late Dick Versace. Versace was an assistant under Chuck Daly with the Bad Boy Pistons during much of the time the team was quite successful. The Pacers would hire Versace believing he had the tools to lead them successfully, unfortunately that was not the case. He only lasted two seasons as head coach before he was fired. A member of the media wrote, ‘I’m unsure how he (Versace) could sit so long next to Chuck Daly and learn so little about coaching basketball.’ As with any account there is certainly more to the story however it closes our interpretation regarding coaches and their value to a team.  

No stars

Over the weekend Mizzou coach Dennis Gates received a verbal 2023 commitment. From Southeast High School in Augustana Illinois Danny Stephens a 6-foot 8 inch forward made his choice known. Stephens hometown of Augustana is located about 100 miles southwest of Peoria. The announcement indicates Stephens will join Mizzou as a preferred walk-on. As for the headline Stephens is awarded no stars by any scouting website. 

I’ve always believed stars are a method for us in the general population to assess the potential talent of a prospect, it certainly is no indication of talent. Stephens chose Mizzou over Western Illinois, Eastern Illinois, South Dakota and Southeast Missouri State. Athletes must produce on the court however this I find quite interesting. 247Sports places Mizzou’s Class of 2023 number 15 in the nation. I’m scratching my head; I don’t believe the Tigers have ever been as highly ranked as this in the past. We in Mizzou Nation hope Gates can produce on the court as efficiently as he’s been able to recruit thus far.    

Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Monday through Friday

The season

Who’s hot and who’s not, the NBA season is but a few games old however let’s check out a few things. The Celtics, Bucks, Jazz and Blazers are undefeated as this is written; these teams have gotten off to a swift start. On the other hand let’s check out those teams stumbling at the beginning. The Magic, Sixers, Lakers, Kings, Thunder and Rockets have yet to win their first game of the season. As for those yet to register a win the Sixers and Lakers are receiving the most scrutiny.

The Sixers for an assortment of reasons you choose the one that works for you, as for the Lakers it’s their poor shooting and what’s his name. We realize teams are not going to remain undefeated and the others will win but this is the issue. Barring injuries a fast start is always a good sign while a poor start could mean disaster and becoming contenders in the Victor Wembanyama lottery. A dot com site I guess poking fun at the Sixers and Lakers indicated neither owns their first-round draft pick, they couldn’t choose Wembanyama even finishing with a poor record. Well never say never, either could make a trade and give up even more draft picks to acquire the pick.  

Don’t think the NBA is tough

Sometimes even with Naismith Hall of Fame teammates NBA teams fail in their effort to win a championship. As evidence I provide you the lineup of the Philadelphia 76ers for much of the 1980’s. Can you imagine this, four of the team’s starters and the top reserve all enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. The names, positions and the years they were enshrined in the hall is also provided for you. I hope you find this as interesting and noteworthy as I do.

Here goes, the Sixers had Julius Erving at small forward (1993), Moses Malone at center (2001) Charles Barkley power forward (2006) and Maurice Cheeks point guard (2018). Bobby Jones Sixth Man of the Year (2019). The difficulty was escaping the Eastern Conference at the time, the Larry Bird led Celtics and later the Isiah Thomas Pistons totally dominated the decade. We saw the Sixers win the Eastern Conference and play in the NBA Finals three times in the decade, (1980, 1982 and 1983). The 1983 season would be the only time they would be crowned NBA champions.  

No Knicks 

My friend David won’t appreciate this so hopefully he forgives me for what he is about to read. A number of teams will be in the Victor Wembanyama lottery among them the Knicks. If for example the Thunder win, they draft Wemby and trade his draft rights. They have Chet Holmgren all 7 foot 1 and capable of playing a similar game, of course Holmgren is out for the season. If they swapped picks with the Knicks much of the public will believe the draft is fixed based on this outcome. We return briefly to the past for a couple of story’s, the first involves Magic Johnson.

At the time Magic was drafted the Lakers finished the season with a 47-35 record but legitimately had acquired the top pick in that year’s draft. Although Patrick Ewing played at Georgetown the Hoyas played St. John’s a number of times prior to the 1985 NBA draft. Have you heard the frozen or bent card story, if not allow this explanation? The lottery then was conducted differently than now. Knicks GM Dave DeBusschere was allowed to reach into the hopper pull the card which turned out to be the number one pick, that pick would later become Ewing. That was 1985 and many believe to this day the lottery was fixed to allow the Knicks to draft Ewing. As for me I don’t believe in conspiracy story’s maybe you do.

What about expanding the Tournament

The number I read was 20, the NCAA is considering expanding the NCAA Championship tourney by adding 20 teams to the present number. Before going any further allow me to state should this occur, we’d better prepare ourselves for the funeral of the National Invitation Tournament. The NIT first played in 1938 is older than the NCAA Tournament but has been on life support for quite a while, should there be expansion the NIT will become history, let’s check a chronicle of time occurrences. In 1951 the tournament certainly didn’t hold the prestige it does in the world of today. Back then only 16 teams were vying for the crown of champion.

In 1975 expansion saw the NCAA increase the number of teams to 32, in 1985 came a large increase to 64. The number increased again in 2001 to 65 and then it became a 68-team tournament in 2011. Let’s not fool ourselves should this increase come about the driving force is $$$$. Is this a good thing or bad, it likely depends on where you sit. I could see a team a few notches above .500 able to qualify for the tournament. The upside additional revenue and teams qualifying for the tournament. The negative, this will be the death nail of the NIT which is certainly not a good thing. During Big XII media day Baylor’s Scott Drew indicated he wants the NCAA to increase the number of teams to a staggering 128. He claims teams would only be required to play one additional game to qualify for the championship.

He cannot seem to stay healthy

Can we say Zion Williamson is the face of the Pelicans franchise yes, I think most of you reading this believe as I do. The problem, the youngster cannot seem to remain healthy enough for an extended period. As a reminder he missed the entire 2021-22 NBA season with an injury. We read Williamson worked out all summer with plans to appear on the court. On Sunday after playing but three games he went down with an injury while attempting to block a shot. At this point Williamson is listed day to day but boy I just don’t know. Williamson’s value and his impact is diminished severely when he is unable to appear on the court. This latest setback continues a pattern for the Pelicans young power forward. Check this out, nobody plays a full season anymore, but Williamson’s only played in 85 games versus missing 123.  

Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Monday through Friday

Violation of a standing rule

You ask what the rule is, it’s simple never dialogue with someone who is not your friend or at least an acquaintance? I made the mistake the other day of posting my thought regarding the NBA on the public portion of a social media site. The first response from the stranger was answerable on my part with a simple explanation. From that point on everything went completely off the rails. Every time I made a point I believed would close the dialog he responded with one more, “What if.”

I ignored his last comment and I believe he might have gotten the message, he failed to contact me further the balance of the evening. Whether its social media a friendship or something else, you always have the right to your opinion on a variety of subjects including the NBA. He might not have agreed with my take on a subject that is still okay. I don’t believe it’s necessary for you to affirm my view, at the same time I refuse to delve into a myriad of “What if’s” or “He did.”

Bits n Pieces

Kris Parker is a 6-foot 8 175-pound shooting guard, he’s a senior at Crossroads Charter Academy in Quincy Florida part of the Tallahassee metro. Our barometer of measurement, Rivals.com awards him 4-stars. Why is he being profiled, for this reason, he’s one of a number offered a scholarship by Mizzou. I have no idea if he is headed to Mizzou or not. Fan future indicates there is a 91% chance he’s headed to Columbia next fall. We shall see what occurs, the only issue will an early pro career prove more enticing? Parker’s received an offer from an NBL team in Australia, he could go the route of LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton. Spend a season in the NBL and then declare for the NBA draft in 2024.

It's been mentioned in this blog on more than one occasion how tough a competitor Larry Bird was. This from Darryl Dawkins, “The only way we could stop Larry Bird was fouling him hard every time he went to the basket. I remember I hit him with an elbow to his chest and he got up and said MY MOMMA HITS HARDER THAN THAT. Larry went on to score 50.” Keep in mind that was the rough, tough and tumble days of the NBA, players expected to be hit and depending on the status of the game hard. Have you heard the term “No layups?” It means what it states no one is getting a layup without being fouled hard. 

We’ve heard Joe and others from the Park & Rec league claim “Victor Wembanyama is too skinny” to play in the NBA. Guess what they could be partially correct based on his 7-foot 3 (4 or maybe 5) inch frame. Wemby is reported to weigh 209 pounds but consider the 2013 draft, that was the year Giannis Antetokounmpo was chosen. I checked out his pre-draft measurements for him it read he stood 6 foot 10 and weighed 205 pounds. The current Bucks roster lists him at 6 foot 11 and a stocky 242 pounds, as you might note it’s likely Wemby gains pounds in the future. The key for Wemby is to add bulk without losing the other things.

In just a few short weeks college basketball returns, not only is it returning but it’s returning in great numbers to our television sets. About 300 games will be available on CBS and the CBS Sports Network this fall and winter. I don’t have the numbers for ESPN but last season they telecast up to 800 games on their various cable networks. If we add NBC, ABC and Bally Sports into the mix, I’m sure you can see there will be plenty of college basketball for you to watch with your buddy’s at the sports bar or at home this upcoming season. 

What do I think

This is it; I don’t truly know what to think of Russell Westbrook, I suppose it depends on the day of the week and maybe even the hour of the day. Just when I believe it might work and he’s adjusted the point guard disappears. This is the example, the first game of the season against the Warriors it was 19 points and 11 rebounds while not spectacular was certainly a worthy game. On Thursday it was just the opposite, with his team facing the Clippers in 27 minutes Westbrook scored but 2 points. How did he accomplish this effort, well he was 0-11 from the floor 0-6 from 3. Early on Darvin Ham indicated Westbrook would be coming off the bench, that has not been the case thus far, as he’s been in the starting lineup in the first two games.

You can see the dilemma as me, borrowing the line from Forrest Gump. Rather than life its Russell Westbrook, who is just like a box of chocolates, you never know what you gonna get, i.e. until the game is played. To be honest I have no idea the direction Westbrook is headed with the Lakers. It matters not I want this “marriage” to work, the party directly involved must desire it to work otherwise can we spell D I V O R C E? This is not part of the story but one reflecting a different attitude. Most are aware Kawhi Leonard missed all last season, on advice of everyone connected with the team he emerged from the Clipper bench. This is interesting, Leonard was supposed to have approached management with this idea.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Change

There will be no Sunday edition as preparations are made to begin publishing Off the Dribble on a Monday through Friday basis.   

Ring Night

Hope for the best was me at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday evening. My Lakers faced the NBA champion Warriors, in addition the game was in San Francisco, and it was ring night which certainly was beneficial to the home team. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Lakers, new coach and new system plus Russell Westbrook. Final score read Warriors 123 Lakers 109, this account is not complete because West Coast games are West Coast time, and my address is in the Central Time Zone.

I turned off my television shortly before half time with the Warriors in the lead. Other than losing the game the shooting was a disappointment. If we check the box score the shooting was not vastly different (43.0 Lakers 45.5 Warriors). The huge difference was from three with the Lakers shooting a paltry 25% while the Warriors were at 35.6%, the rebounding difference Warriors 48 and Lakers 47. Steph Curry led the way for the home team scoring 33 points assisted by Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson. LeBron James led for the Lakers with his 31 points, as for Westbrook his game was 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Must have been another slow news day

You probably don’t know Mark Bergin, neither did I prior to reading his latest story. Bergin works for WRAL in Durham North Carolina so that’s probably accounts for why it was written. He wrote “If the Lakers stumble at the beginning Mike Krzyzewski is waiting in retirement.” You remember coach K., don’t you, the longtime Duke coach. He of numerous NCAA Championships and a stellar winning record, in addition enshrinement in the Naismith Hall of Fame…that Krzyzewski. He retired at the end of last season after a 42-year career as head coach at Duke. The coach has accomplished about all there is in basketball except the NBA. In 2004 the Lakers did contact the coach regarding the head coaching position, and I guess that might be the basis for the Bergin story.

In any event coach K. turned them down. 2004 was 18 years ago, and the coach is now less than 6 months from turning 76 years of age. Should we believe the coach is going to suddenly unretire to take a job which would require a great deal of his time. In addition he’d be forced to move to Southern Cal at least for the season. I happen to believe Krzyzewski might want to remain at home being a grandfather and husband. For those who might believe this to be disparaging toward the coach you can forget that. There are a number of coaches past and present on my best ever list, coach K. is one of them. If we are discussing possible jobs, I could see him as a scout even part time. Coach K. could work the basketball hotbed of the Carolina’s and the eastern half of the nation. There certainly would be some travel but nothing like that of a head basketball coach in the NBA.

Two chances he signs with Mizzou…slim & none

Landren Blocker is a 6-foot 5-inch shooting guard from Mansfield Texas in the DFW metro. This 4-star prospect has several schools on his radar including Mizzou. Although from the Dallas metro he attends Little Rock Christian Academy in Little Rock. Blocker indicates he’s got a close connection with two assistant coaches one of them being David Nutt assistant at Mizzou.

Why do I think he’s headed somewhere other than Mizzou, his response to questions and answer session. Blocker has an older brother Landon who played at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita. The older brother a 6-foot 2-inch point guard is also a 4-star prospect, this sibling is headed to Arkansas to play for Eric Musselman. Although the younger brother claims he’s not made a decision this is his statement. “I’ve never had an opportunity to play on the same court as my brother.” I certainly ain’t saying he's headed to Arkansas too but its highly likely based on his statement. 

I wish Kenny and Shaq would explain

Last season Charles Barkley complained loudly in print media about the number of times Laker games were on television. I cannot give you a count as this is written however if we include NBA TV in the mix, they were seen a great number of times. I would be among the first to admit the Lakers were not very good last season despite having LeBron James on the roster. I understand the WHY they were on television so often they were/are the LAKERS.

Despite what Barkley and maybe others think the Lakers are NBA royalty and the networks (ABC/ESPN & TNT) want them broadcast over the airways. The Lakers and Celtics are in the same boat, each team has 17 NBA championship trophy’s about. As further proof I offer the NBA’s kick off games on Tuesday, who was on Tuesday evening, it was the Sixers-Celtics and Lakers-Warriors? I wish Kenny and Shaq would explain to the Chuckster what NBA royalty is. Despite the fact it appears the television analyst has a problem with the Lakers, both teams the Lakers and Celtics) are NBA sovereigns.

Is this the year?

I didn’t realize it until I read the headline, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are now in their 4^th year with the Clippers. The other team in Los Angeles is prepared to move to the upper echelon of the NBA, they intend to win the championship. Besides the two stars what about the others on the roster? They have Reggie Jackson at the point, Marcus Morris at the power forward and Ivica Zubac at center all capable talented players. Gifted point guard John Wall was added, due to injuries and personal issues Wall’s missed a considerable number of games over the past three seasons.

Wall took a buyout from the Rockets and decided to cast his fate with the Clippers. Can he return to All Star form while playing this season, we shall see. Veterans Nicholas Batum, Robert Covington and Norman Powell add depth to this team, are the Clippers prepared to battle the Warriors and Suns for Western Conference supremacy? They are certainly ready for the season; the only remaining question is the injury bug. We know there is nothing possible for anyone to avoid injuries but if they can remain healthy this might be the year. The year the Clippers emerge out of the Western Conference to contend for an NBA championship.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Publishing change

The NBA season began last night, the college basketball season will begin in the next four to five weeks. Based on this my blog will begin publishing Monday through Friday, for now there will be no Saturday or Sunday edition. This change will become effective Monday October 24^th, thank you for being a faithful reader of Off the Dribble.

The Perfect Storm

This is no reference to the 2000 movie drama starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg. This perfect storm will see the Lakers finish the 2022-23 season with a winning record, they will finish with a 43-39 record. How do they accomplish this when most of the experts believe they Lakers face adversity this season. By the way this is written about 3-4 hours ahead of the Warriors-Lakers tip off game. How do they accomplish a winning record?

Russell Westbrook-The mercurial point guard will lead the second unit, or he’s traded.

Games-AD must stay healthy and appear in at least 60 productive games.

LeBron-Continue to be LeBron.

Quality 3-point shooting-Kendrick Nunn, Matt Ryan and ?

Belly button defense-Patrick Beverely, Dennis Schroeder & Wenyen Gabriel

Avoid serious injuries-LeBron and AD

This is the final season for Westbrook, he’s got to prove he’s a team player, AD must avoid the injury bug that effects his play. LeBron James has stressed the importance of AD taking more of a leadership role with the Lakers. LeBron, easy continue to play at a high skill level despite now in his 20^th NBA season. The Lakers were pathetic from the 3-point line, that’s the reason Ryan earned a roster spot. He and Nunn or expected to contribute off the bench with timely accurate shooting. A former coach used the term belly button defense to denote his team played hard-nosed defense. The trio of Beverly, Schroeder and Gabriel are mentioned however defense involves the entire roster. Finally the last piece is an issue the team has little control, avoid major injuries. The Lakers probably wouldn’t have won it all last season, its my contention without the players missing time they might have finished above .500.

Just when you think you know it all 

You discover one more thing you didn’t know. That was the case recently, I read Julius Erving a.k.a. Dr. J. complained because his name wasn’t included in the NBA’s All-Time list of scorers. Naturally I sat for a minute I’m sure if you saw me, you’d see the puzzled expression on my face. After a little research I discovered why the good Dr. was complaining. The history indicates Dr. J. scored 30,026 points during his pro career; if he was included among the Top 25 scorers, he would displace Shaquille O’Neal currently in 8^th place. I learned Dr. J. scored 18,364 points while playing for the Sixers, he’d scored 11,662 points earlier while playing for the Virginia Squires and New York Nets.

This oversight not only affects Dr. J. without checking I’m sure there are others. Artis Gilmore, George Gervin, Moses Malone and several others might have played more games in the NBA than they did in the ABA. How should the NBA address this issue, they should consider following what Major League Baseball did recently, they added the records of Negro League teams which had been excluded during the time blacks were not allowed to play. This sort of the same discussion, players were ignored because of the league they played. The NBA should follow the process of baseball and add the records. I think I’m going to write the commissioner and see what he’s got to say. I think this oversight should be corrected by the NBA for Dr. J. and others.  

Fulfill your dream

The change in the basketball landscape often causes us to miss developing collegiate talent. A budding talent is here one minute and gone the next, that might be the case for freshman Nick Smith. If you check most NBA mock drafts for 2023 the third name so often seen is that of Smith. Smith’s at the University of Arkansas and some mock drafts place him right behind Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson. Let’s take a glimpse of the youngster, he was two-time Player of the Year in Arkansas 2021 and 2022. This 6-foot 5-inch combo guard is a McDonalds All American and the MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit. Smith had basketball offers from all over the nation but chose to remain close to home.

After all Little Rock is about a three-hour drive from Fayetteville. If Smith is a good as advertised, he will not remain at Arkansas long, he will declare for the 2023 NBA draft, and we can say in truth…we barely saw him play. On the other hand can we really blame him, Smith is like a thousand other youngsters who dream of playing in the NBA? I can make the statement fulfill your dream young man, you can always return to college and attain the degree if it’s important to you. We can rest assured Eric Musselman and staff have scouted Smith extensively since Little Rock is not a great distance from Fayetteville to travel. He will be in action against my Mizzou Tigers so I will have plenty of opportunities to see him this fall and winter.

Don’t burn your bridges

I read an article on the net maybe you did too, it read Allen Iverson wants a job with the Sixer organization. AI points out despite the fact he’s been retired 11 years now he claims, “I’m always a Sixer.” I believe we can understand his statement to a point. The diminutive shooting guard (notice I didn’t say point) electrified Philly fans during the 10 years he played for the Sixers. If we look at his bio there are a wealth of awards and honors accumulated during his career. He was NBA scoring champion four seasons and one of those years saw him awarded MVP for the league.

With the passage of time there is no explanation why Iverson was traded, he played for several NBA teams prior to returning to Philly where he retired. Based on his desire for a job I wonder why the Sixers have not contacted him, where is the disconnect? Iverson is now 47 years old and certainly not the same personality who left the team in a 2006 trade to the Nuggets. Despite the fact he is not the same person your past can and, in some instances, comes back to haunt you, it’s my belief that is the case for AI. Someone reading this might believe there is a hate AI going on here, that is far from the case. Perhaps another NBA team might be willing to take a chance on hiring him it doesn’t appear to be the Sixers for some reason.