Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

A new NBA strong hold opening

In a little more than 90 days a brand-new arena will open, the Warriors will play the Lakers in a pre-season game October 5.  On October 25 we witness the first regular season game against the Clippers.  It’s Chase Center we speak of new home of the Warriors, it’s an 18,064-seat arena located in San Francisco’s Mission Bay District. 

Chase Center replaces Oracle Arena in Oakland which served as home for the team since 1971.  Chesapeake Center in Oklahoma City and Oracle have both laid claimed to the noisiest, boisterous arenas in the NBA.  The question, will this hold true once the Warriors move across the Bay?  The good news, this is not a tax funded building; it’s built with private funds.  This is the same plan for Clippers owner Steve Ballmer’s in Los Angeles. 

“Pressure” 

It was 1981, many of us listened to the Queen/David Bowie collaboration titled Under Pressure.  The following year Billy Joel’s label released his recording Pressure.  Although both have the word Pressure in their title they differ significantly.  I’m watching NBA TV and a discussion which team is under the most pressure the Lakers or the Clippers?  A member of the media indicated he thought it was the Clippers while another said it had to be the Lakers. 

Frank Vogel and staff will be under immense pressure, but the Clippers have got to be slightly above them.  On the court the Clippers have certainly been more successful over the last few years.  Despite earning several playoff berths the Clippers have never played for an NBA championship.  Adding Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to an already formidable lineup the Clippers are expected to contend for an NBA championship.  We understand a few media people think the addition of Anthony Davis will improve the Lakers, but they say the supporting cast is only okay.  What do you think, I've voiced my opinion?  

Champions  
The Jr. NBA Championship games concluded this past Sunday.  The girls’ team U.S. Central from Kansas City (MO) defeated team Canada 72-35.  As for the boys’ game played later it was the U.S. West team based in Los Angeles defeating Team Africa 70-61.  Although his team came up short Marouf Maoumine from Cameroon certainly played outstanding basketball during the tournament.  The 6-foot 5-inch youngster is only 14-years old, he recorded two triple doubles in the five games played.  It’s going to be at least four years before we see him in a U.S. college or the NBA if he continues development at this pace.     

Trivia
Did you realize the Thunder franchise drafted three MVP’s in consecutive years?  Yes, it occurred, in 2007 the Sonics franchise drafted Kevin Durant with the 2^nd pick in the first round.  Durant would move with the franchise in 2008 to Oklahoma City where they were re-named the Thunder.  Russell Westbrook was made the 4^th pick in the first round of the draft and joined teammate Durant. The following season 2009 would see the Thunder draft James Harden as the 3^rd pick in the first round.  In 2013-14 Durant was named league MVP while a member of the Thunder. 2016-17 Westbrook won the award and the following season it was Harden as a member of the Rockets.  With the July trade of Westbrook none of these former MVP’s now wear Thunder across their jersey. 

The people want to know
Remember back to last spring, the NCAA announced there would be penalties forthcoming from the Adidas trial.  The second part of the announcement said, “Action would occur after the NCAA championship was decided.”  Okay we get that; it was early to mid-March at the time this announcement was made.  It’s now almost the middle of August, to date Utah’s been placed on two-years’ probation for recruiting violations.  To our knowledge Utah is the only school identified as this is written. 

Auburn basketball is on a self-imposed probation surrounding former assistant coach Chuck Person.  Is Auburn facing further sanctions from the NCAA?  Arizona and Sean Miller’s name was mentioned quite often during the Adidas trial, to date the school and coach are moving along as if nothing ever occurred.  Miller was suspended at one point but returned after missing a few games.  Colleges and Universities are beginning their academic year and yet we’ve heard nothing from the governing body.  Let’s see if we can find other examples of slow movement beside the NCAA.  How about oil in near zero weather, turtles certainly don’t crawl very fast.  Come on NCAA the people want to know what’s going on. 

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

Not exactly sure

Emily Caron SI.com college reporter wrote a story I’m not exactly sure is true.  She attempts to point out more and more high school prospects are remaining at home to attend college.  Ms. Caron cites Trae Young who attended Oklahoma prior to the NBA Hawks and James Wiseman currently enrolled at Memphis as examples.  She believes this has become a trend but I’m not exactly sure if that’s the case.  I could cite three high profile high school players two who chose to play professionally rather than attend college, has skipping college for the NBA become a trend?

In the instance of my account until there is overwhelming evidence, we could state it’s not a trend.  The youngsters I note have decided college is not for them at least currently.  For decades NYC prospects remained home, they would attend St. John’s, Fordham, NYU, Long Island University and others.  The largest populated metro in the country continues to produce basketball prospects however in recent years fewer and fewer stay home.  Ms. Caron is certainly intitled to author an account as she sees it, I’m just not exactly sure how true it is.       

I hope I’m not guilty, although I might be
Sometimes we are guilty of making incredibly dumb statements.  I hope I’m not guilty, although I might be.  Where am I going with this rant you ask?  Recently  Rivals number one Class of 2020 prospect Evan Mobley announced his verbal commit.  The 7-foot center plans on attending Southern Cal, his father is on the coaching staff at Cal, did that impact his decision? 

We cannot answer the question, but the question reminded me of a similar story a few years ago.  In 2017 Michael Porter Jr. announced he would attend Mizzou; his father Michael Porter Sr. was a member of the coaching staff.  A letter writer questioned what he believed was nepotism in the program.  Much later it was pointed out this scenario plays out all the time be it basketball, football or some other sport.  Relatives do influence prospects; I’ve got no issue with the process.   

Really, your reading far too much into this
As reported earlier the Lakers signed Kostas Antetokounmpo younger brother of Giannis.  Now all sorts of jokes are floating about, older brother Giannis will become a free agent in 2021.  It’s believed the Lakers will have an inside edge with the younger brother playing for them.  Allow me to punch several holes in that balloon, first off, we don’t know if Kostas is talented enough to become a quality NBA player.  He was undrafted then picked up by the Mavs, they released him after but one year. 

We can rest that portion of the joke, how about the second part.  Attempted tampering come on people we are talking two years down the road.  Question when players talk about coming together and playing on the same team it’s just talk.  On those occasions a team has a similar conversation it becomes tampering.  If a team makes it known publicly, they are interested in signing player X that is blatant.  If you sign the brother of a player on YOUR roster, “really you are reading far too much into this.”

NBA team names
Many of the names might not be connected to what we might first believe.  Consider this, the Houston team is nicknamed the Rockets.  Okay they represent Houston which is home to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.  Well not quite, the expansion franchise was in San Diego and later moved to Houston.  They were the Rockets when launched in Southern California and retained once the move was made.  The saga of the Lakers has been explored previously, the franchise began play as the Minneapolis Lakers and in 1960 moved to Los Angeles.  We know the State of Minnesota has a significant number of lakes, that why one of the nicknames is “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, of course there are no Lakes in Los Angeles however the team kept the name. 

At the time the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City they couldn’t transfer the name, a brand-new name had to be chosen.  After all these years I still fail to understand the appeal of “Thunder.”  Everywhere in the world experiences thunder Oklahoma City is no exception.  Oh well, I like the Nets because it truly makes sense.  Basketball is played with a goal containing a net, classic.  The rural portions of Tennessee are home to black bears, grizzlies live in the Pacific Northwest and Canada not Memphis.  Did you say Canada, the team was originally headquartered in Vancouver as the Grizzlies?  Miami has ample amounts of Heat, get it?  I thought Pelicans was strange at first until I read southern Louisiana marshes are full of this species of bird.  Detroit is still the automobile capital of the nation, despite this fact the Pistons first called Fort Wayne Indiana home and later located to Detroit.

The late Tom Benson wanted to change the name of his basketball team.  He wanted the Jazz however Utah refused to give it up.  He settled on the Pelicans a bird native to southern Louisiana and New Orleans.  This was not the first time a franchise underwent a name change.  The Chicago Packers began life in 1961-62 as an expansion team, the following year they were re-named the Zephyrs.  In 1963 the team left for Baltimore and undertook another name…. Bullets.  The franchise would play under that name with two more moves, in 1997 they became the Wizards.  The Hawks were born as the Buffalo Bisons in 1946, from 1946-1951 they were the Tri-City Blackhawks.  The Blackhawks became the Hawks in 1951 in several franchise moves leading up to today’s Atlanta Hawks. 

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

An investigation is required
It’s been documented in Words eye view the difficulty in following Euro League basketball.  The same statement could be applied to the National Basketball League (Australia).  During the season NBA TV occasionally telecasts Euro games however there is no frequency, to my knowledge NBL games have never been telecast.  In this age every sporting event is either televised or available on-line, I’ll give you an example. 

Mizzou was scouting a point guard at a Wyoming Junior College.  They didn’t offer him a scholarship, but I was able to see two or three of his games on-line.  The youngest brother LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton are headed to Australia and New Zealand for NBL play.  In addition, there are three or four high profile Euro players I want to check out.  We are discussing games on the other side of the world so it’s got to be on-line delayed, a 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. my time game is not a possibility.  That’s part of my mission for the 2019-20 basketball season to see at least one Euro and NBL game a week. 

They might dinosaurs but they still hold value 
Are newspapers from a bygone era, do they still hold value for some; they have not become dinosaurs as many might believe.  The St. Louis metro contains 2.8 million folks, the KC metro is 2.5.  The St. Louis Post Dispatch published a very insightful story on Mizzou basketball, a similar account was missing in the Kansas City Star.  Mizzou is partially responsible for the lack of media coverage as an example.  

Once Mizzou relocated to the SEC from the Big 12 it’s my belief media coverage (others claim my imagination) decreased. Big 12 Kansas State is 135 road miles from KC, the University of Kansas 50 miles.  The University of Arkansas is 230 road miles from KC and is the nearest SEC member.  No one would drive this distance; University of Florida is nearly 1,000 road miles from KC.  The Big 12 conference is in our “backyard” therefore media coverage including newspaper has become the norm.  We are not at the edge of the earth here Mizzou is covered, its just not what Kansas State or the University of Kansas receives. 

How did that happen?
Michael Beasley faces a 5-game suspension for violating the NBA’s drug policy.  You ask the question, “How can this occur he’s not in the NBA?”  You are correct he began the season with the Lakers was traded to the Clippers who waived him, he spent the balance of last season in China.  Reports are if he signs an NBA contract he will immediately be suspended.  How did his NBA career go off the rails, was he not as talented as we first believed? 

In the 2008 NBA draft Beasley was made the second pick by the Heat, after the first two seasons it was downhill thereafter.  Beasley has done an extensive tour of the NBA since the 2010-11 season.  It was Minnesota then Phoenix, back to Miami then in succession Houston, Milwaukee.  He finished last season with the Lakers and Clippers who released him.  We’ve never read of any problems with coaches, the difficulty appeared to be violation of team and league rules.  Beasley is 30-years old now, there are serious doubts he will ever change.

Was he cut or something else occurred?
Will he or won’t he, the answer is the latter.  The nation of Senegal on the West African continent announced its FIBA roster and Tacko Fall’s name was missing from the list.  At this point we don’t know if he was cut or something else occurred.  We can only make a guess unless Tacko announces his intention.  Our best assumption, it appears the 7-foot 7-inch Big Man has made earning a roster spot on the Celtics the priority over playing for Senegal.  So, we must guess the “something else occurred.”  Later you will read in another account we ask the question, is the game changing again?  Is the traditional Big Man game returning to the NBA, is small ball on the decline?  

Is it worth the $$$?
Most of us who are capitalist have no problem with ESPN.com making money.  Allow a slight retreat from the statement.  We have no idea of the $$$ but rest assured ESPN.com probably earns large sums of money for the website.  The question is it worth the $$$ involves ESPN+, this portion of the website requires a subscription.  The fee is nominal for the subscription however it’s a matter of principle for me. 

Rest assured there are stories exclusive to staff at ESPN.com, you are likely to not see it anywhere else except by reading it on the .com website.  That’s fine, but this is the reason I refuse to purchase a subscription.  Whatever the “exclusive” published I’d bet money if it’s a report on the Bulls in a week or 10 days the account is likely to be covered on the web.  I will continue to tell ESPN.com thanks but no thanks, I’ll wait for someone else to report the story without paying for it.   

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

The number one prospect
Unless you live in the Ypsilanti Michigan region its highly likely you’ve not seen Emoni Bates in action.  If you follow the game as I do, I’m sure you are likely familiar with his name.  For others what do we know about the 6-foot 8-inch 200 pound forward?  He’s already the number one prospect in the Class of 2022, Bates’s received a boat load of accolades after but one season of high school basketball.  According to Wikipedia Bates stood 6 foot 2 inches in the 6^th grade, the next year it was 6 feet 6 inches. 

One analyst, “He’s the best high school prospect since LeBron James” and we know what transpired with that guy.  Let’s cover the most recent news, Bates entering his sophomore year of high school indicates he’s not headed for any prep school.  He could always change his mind at some future date but indicates for now he will remain in the city at Lincoln High School.  It’s been mentioned previously, if his basketball skill level continues to grow, he will likely be the top NBA draft choice in 2022.  By 2022 the one and done rule will have been eliminated by then. 

Better defender
The headline reads, “I’m capable of being the Lakers third star” which should not be shocking news.  Those are the words of Kyle Kuzma discussing the upcoming season.   The 6-foot 9-inch forward was the 27^th pick in the first round of the 2017 draft.  He was drafted by the Nets and arrived in a draft day trade with the Lakers that sent D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Nets in exchange for he and Robin Lopez. 

Consider this Lonzo Ball drafted 2^nd in the same draft certainly arrived with more ballyhoo than Kuzma, Ball played at UCLA, Kuzma at Utah.  As a reminder attempting to secure Anthony Davis it was his name the Pelicans wanted, it was the Lakers who continued to say NO.  Kuzma’s offensive numbers provide us proof he can play at this level; he certainly is capable of stardom. The only complaint we read Kuzma could become a better defender, notice it didn’t say GREAT just better.  That’s certainly possible for him.  

Mizzou non-con out
Mizzou announced its non-conference schedule this week.  From this fan’s perspective it’s a mix bag, several very noteworthy games.  Other games might be considered toss-ups, games Mizzou should win if they play well.  A Mizzou fan website looks at it this way, “Good for the schedule bad for attendance.”  I’m only going to cover those games I believe are going to be on the tough side.  The first challenging game is November 12, the Tigers travel to Cincinnati to battle the always rough Xavier Musketeers. 

The Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City will see Mizzou versus Butler on November 25, if they win, the following evening its either Stanford or Oklahoma.  On December 3 Mizzou plays Charleston Southern in Mizzou Arena, on the road in Philadelphia on December 7 finds them matched against Temple.  Those games are followed by Southern Illinois and in the Annual Braggin’ Rights game they face Illinois.  On January 25 it’s West Virginia on the road in Morgantown, so there you have it.  Some might believe the schedule is not that compelling, I beg to differ with them.  

We certainly have a great number of “experts”
The headline is certainly tongue in cheek; I don’t know about you, but I certainly experience it.  Letter after letter written by college and NBA fans stating who can coach versus who can’t, in addition who can play and who can’t.  Now I must admit to a degree sometimes I’m one of the culprits.  Allow me to provide an example, a writer claims DeMarcus Cousins is damaged goods. 

The writer goes on to point out Cousins will never return to his pre-injury self.  That’s a strong statement considering the writer has no firsthand knowledge just an opinion.  If it appears, I’m defending Laker players that’s not the case it could apply to any player in a similar scenario.  We could apply this writer’s statement to Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and a host of other players. 

Hope this doesn’t sound arrogant on my part
At the rate NBA players are dropping out or deciding to not play for Team USA the future looks dim for USA basketball.  I’m referring to Team USA future play in the FIBA championships to be played in China.  We get it, counting exhibition and the regular season most NBA players will have played well over 100 games.  

NBA players have literally been tied up from October through April, those on playoff teams it’s been even longer playing into May and June before their season is complete.  The obligation to play in the FIBA games really appears to lack the emphasis placed on Team USA for the.  It’s my understanding FIBA positioning in these games does set the stage for the Olympics, apparently that is not paramount in the eyes of NBA players.  Oh well, hope we play aptly.

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

Grandpa Carter
Vince Carter is probably yet to be a grandfather, however he’s old by NBA standards. Stop and consider this fact, he’s old enough to be a father to several of the 2019 NBA draft class.  The athlete Kenny Smith dubbed “Half-man, half amazing” for his dunks is 42 years old.  The Hawks signed Carter to a one year deal his last contract prior to his retirement.  He will turn 43 in the middle of the season, the next stop for him the Naismith Hall of Fame. 

Another hire 
The NBA continues to lead in diversity hiring over other professional sports leagues.  On Monday the Grizzlies announced the addition of Niele Ivey to their coaching staff.    Ivey's spent the last 12 seasons as associate head coach at Notre Dame her Alma mater.  The hiring of Ivey now brings the total number of female assistant NBA coaches to 9.  Will there be a female head coach one day possibly.  Big3 basketball currently has two females, Lisa Leslie and Nancy Lieberman serving as head coach.  Lieberman once coached a G-League team so the future might not be that distant.  

Sometimes you swing and miss, sometimes you get a hit! 
I know, I’m applying a baseball term to a blog about basketball however the subject is the bouncing ball.  Allow a brief explanation for why its use in this account.  CamRon Fletcher is a 6-foot 6-inch small forward, Fletcher attends Vashon High in St. Louis.  The prevailing thought Cuonzo Martin and his connections to prospects in the metro might entice Fletcher to Mizzou.  Well it didn’t happen, this 4-star athlete and the number 37 prospect on Rivals Class of 2020 gave a verbal commit to Kentucky. Many were lamenting the two years of work spent attempting to recruit him by Mizzou as wasted effort.  

I don’t look at the effort as wasted, it certainly would have been quite a coup if Fletcher had chosen Mizzou.  I've believed for a number of years recruiting is just like fishing; you toss your net overboard you are bound to catch some fish.  Sometimes the big ones are almost captured but sometimes manage to slip away.  That’s the issue here, the Calipari legacy plus the even larger Kentucky heritage made for an offer Fletcher was unable to turn down.  We believe Fletcher is a talent however he is arriving at a D-1 school and Kentucky no less.  Will he or can he adjust to competitive play at this level and the pressures of play at Kentucky?  Only time will tell for sure and it will be the fall of 2020 before we discover the outcome.  

Bits n Pieces
UConn Nation don’t take this personal; it’s not aimed at your university rather the system that's in place.  We reported earlier UConn was leaving the American Athletic Conference for a return to the Big East, July 1, 2020 is the date.  The exit fee for this deed is a cool $17 million, next time you hear a college athlete discuss being paid keep this in mind, that is all. 

Currently a 5-star recruit has Mizzou and Kentucky on his short list.  The problem anytime your effort is against a blue blood program your liable to lose.  BJ Boston is not the athlete in question, but I hope you get the idea.  Boston a 6-foot 7-inch shooting guard is the number 7 prospect in the Class of 2020.  The youngster had 20 scholarship offers, he declined 19 of them to give Kentucky a verbal commitment for 2020. 

Tragedy impacts the NBA and basketball world too; I can think of Malik Sealy and Bobby Phills being killed in automobile accidents.  Two former UCLA players one who played in the NBA committed suicide, death is not unknown.  When death comes from the hand of a spouse that’s a different matter.  Sherra Wright recently pleaded guilty in the death of her ex-husband former NBA athlete Lorenzen Wright who died in 2010.  The complete account is available on several sports and news websites. 

TNT is dropping its players only broadcast next season, those are the broadcast that featured former NBA players behind the microphone.  As painful as Marv Albert might be to some fans, he is a professional broadcaster, he’s worked at this task for many a year.  Chris Webber, Kevin McHale, and Isiah Thomas are best served in their roles as analysts not broadcasters. 

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

Ranker.com
The above is a digital media company, it’s not a sports.com however from time to time provides sports articles.  Ranker.com conducted a poll the public was given the opportunity to participate in a vote.  You decide a list of who are “The Greatest Wichita State Players of All Time.”  Polls of this type are generally not very accurate, they often reflect the here and now, they fail to look at a place in history.  The public decided with its vote Warren Jabali (1965-1968) was the 10^th best player in Wichita State history.     

The only criteria for the poll, the voter must consider the time frame they played  for Wichita State, pro careers should be excluded but that might be questionable based on the results.  Shockers playing since 2012 placed higher in vote totals than Jabali a Wichita State Hall of Fame honoree.  Shockers Fred VanVleet (2012-2016) finished 3^rd while Landry Shamet (2015-2018) was in 6^th place and Ron Baker (2012-2016) in 7^th place.  It should be of note all three played in the NBA, VanVleet and Shamet remain active with the Raptors and Clippers today.  

He’s going to be paid
The Warriors Draymon Green is going to be paid, I once read reports he'd taken a pay cut in order for the Warriors to sign Kevin Durant.  The Warriors intend to reward Green; media is reporting he will receive a 4-year $100 million extension.  I don't believe anyone would question his value to past Warrior success, he is an elite defensive talent.  

Mizzou makes the cut again
July 29, we reported shooting guard Josh Christopher reduced his choices to five schools, he’s a Rivals 5-star Class of 2020 prospect.  it was mentioned Mizzou was competing with several Big Boy programs for Christopher’s services.  Once again Mizzou makes the cut again, this time its Rivals 4-star point guard Caleb Love also a    2020 prospect.  Love attends St. Louis Christian Brothers High; several high-profile schools have offers for him.  In addition to Mizzou also in the running are Arizona, North Carolina, Indiana, Kansas and Louisville all vying for his services.  It’s difficult for Mizzou Nation to speculate on both due to the number of schools with offers on the table.  Hopefully Mizzou manages to secure one of the two prospects.  

Never heard of him…had you?
The 2017 NBA draft was noteworthy for the Lakers, that draft brought them Lonzo Ball.  With the 27^th pick in the first round Kyle Kuzma was selected by the Nets, later his rights were traded to the Lakers.  No one short of the Lakers scouting staff was familiar with Kuzma.  In the 2017 NBA Summer League he would distinguish himself by his play, he would be named league MVP but that was only the beginning.  Kuzma was a part-time starter during his rookie year, the 6-9 forward finished his first year with a 16.1 scoring average. 

He was honored with his selection to the NBA Rookie First Team in 2018.  Last season he bumped his numbers even higher finishing at 18.7 ppg and this next part is most interesting.  Once talk began on acquiring Anthony Davis all the Laker names discussed early were traded except for one…Kuzma.  The Pelicans said they wanted Kuzma and the Lakers said an emphatic no.  New coach Frank Vogel is already impressed with Kuzma, an area the coach sees as needing improved play is his defense.  There is no doubt he will work on improving his defense making him an even more valuable Laker. 

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

I coulda figured
Can’t claim I said it, but I certainly thought it, what game among the four could the NBA have televised December 25, Christmas Day?  I stepped into the mind of an ABC sports network executive, “Let’s see we could match….no that’s not much of a rivalry anymore.  We could schedule the Knicks plus whomever, naw that won’t work either.  I’ve got it how about this one, we’ll advertise it as The Battle of Los Angeles as the Clippers face the Lakers or vice-versa.  That game should draw a large national audience of NBA fans.”  There are other games scheduled but that’s got to be at the top of the list. 

Another brother
Preparing yesterday’s account of Kostas Antetokounmpo, I didn’t realize there was another brother.  The youngest offspring attends Dominican High School in Milwaukee and is a Class of 2020 prospect.  Unless Alex begins a growth spurt, he’s a “shrimp” by comparison to his older brothers.  He stands 6 foot 7 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds, 247sports.com rates Alex a 3-star prospect. 

I’m shocked
We express opinions daily, sometimes hourly, for the most part our views don’t always create controversy but there are a few.  This is not a direct quote however the subject is Pelicans vice president David Griffin.  Griffin stated he was miserable while serving as GM of the Cavs in 2016.  He makes this statement despite the fact the Cavs were NBA champions that year.  You can read details why Griffin claims he was so unhappy on the web. 

Shannon Sharpe of Fox Sports takes issue with Griffin on this issue, check out the video from his program.  Taking this one step further he said this about LeBron James, “He’s not the same player anymore and he’s not motivated to win like he used to be.”  Griffin has certainly been closer to LeBron James than most of us.  His words are quite interesting, as for the situation in Cleveland I cannot speak to that.  I do question his view that LeBron is no longer bothered with winning.  I cannot imagine any professional athlete uninterested in the opportunity to be a champion.    

No questions for him
Season after season the recruiting and then the speculation.  That’s what each of us see that follow high school basketball recruiting, “Where’s he going to school?”  No need to guess the intentions of MarJon Beauchmap.  The 6-foot 6-inch small forward is headed directly for the NBA with no planned stop at the collegiate level.  Beauchamp a 2020 prospect will prepare himself for the 2021 NBA draft. 

The youngster will begin his senior year at Dream City Christian School in Glendale Arizona.  He will graduate in the spring and then start a training regiment to prepare for the 2021 draft.  This Rivals 4-star prospect has 7 schools with scholarship offers.  Others will criticize the move, while some will praise his decision.  The youngster is stating up front I’m a basketball player rather than a student. 

Headed to China
We are nowhere close to the start of the NBA season; it is close enough for Lance to plan.  Lance Stephenson decided it might be time to make a move, after playing one season with the Lakers and a free agent not a single NBA team approached him.  No argument Stephenson certainly is possessive of talent, but he’s always remained a conundrum to many. 

Drafted by the Pacers he played twice for them along with six other NBA teams.  There are occasions a single event is forever ingrained in our minds.  For many we see him as a member of the Pacers, he’s standing next to LeBron on the free throw line blowing into LeBron’s ear.  He was asked later and simply said; “I was trying to distract him.”  No more dance with Lance as he leaves the NBA for China on a 1-year contract. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GCOrYM01pw

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

There is hope he becomes a clone of his big brother
The Lakers made a surprise move earlier which it’s hoped will pay dividends later.  Kostas Antetokounmpo and the last name should be familiar to NBA fans.  He’s next to the youngest brother of Bucks forward Giannis.  Kostas is 21 and played one year at Dayton University and then was drafted in 2018 by the Mavs.  He was claimed off waivers by the Lakers and has signed a two-way contract

Kostas is 6 foot 11 inches the same height as his older brother but weighs only 200 pounds, can we see a future in the weight room?  In any event it’s likely he will be sent to the Lakers G-League affiliate South Bay.  Kostas certainly is termed a project, unlike his older brother coming off an MVP year and certainly has proven his capability.  The Lakers long-range hope Kostas becomes a clone of his big brother Giannis.

Alaska
The largest state in the union has a small populace in relation to its land mass.  Despite the scarcity of people Alaska manages to produce basketball talent from time to time.  Many of us knew the name Trajan Landon prior to him becoming the Pelicans general manager.  He played at Duke and for a time with the Cavs, most of his pro career was spent in Europe.  Then we had Carlos Boozer who also played for Duke, Boozer had several NBA stops during his time in the NBA. 

We end this brief look back with Mario Chalmers, Chalmers will forever be remembered for hitting the crucial shot.  His basket near the end of regulation sent the NCAA championship in OT with Kansas winning.  Might Daishen Nix be the next top prospect to call Alaska home?  Nix is a 5-star point guard in the Class of 2020, this 6-foot 4-inch prospect currently plays at Trinity International in Las Vegas Nevada.  Nix has 21 offers on the table waiting for his decision, keep an eye on the Jayhawks.  Kansas is supposed to be in the lead although Nix has made no commitment as this is written.  

We don’t know yet
Charles Barkley arrived in the NBA in 1984, he was a 6-foot 6-inch 252-pound force.  Athletes weighing as much and more had long been part of the NBA.  The amazing part of the young Barkley was his speed and the fact he could guard a 6-11 Kevin McHale and others.  He had the skill to accomplish the task of playing competitive NBA basketball.  Fast forward 35 years and Zion Williamson draws similar comparisons to Barkley, Zion is taller by an inch and 30+ more pounds on his frame.      

Before we get too far along allow me to state we don’t know if Williamson can play, we believe he can however he must prove he’s got the skill.  The comparison ends before it begins, Williamson has several skills Barkley never possessed.  Other than adjusting to the NBA the chief concern for Williamson might be controlling his weight.  At 288 pounds it appears he gains weight easily, that fact could prove detrimental to his NBA career.  The wear and tear on the knees from all the running and jumping is a concern.  A BMI (Body Mass Index) website indicates at his height and weight Williamson is considered obese, if he weighed between 260-270 pounds, he’d still be considered overweight. 

There is an explanation
If you stand 6 feet tall as a high school freshman, it’s likely you concentrate on two skill areas.  Those would be shooting the basketball and passing it, there are other roles to improve one’s proficiency however those are key.  In fact, his bio contains this line, “He was the skinny kid who shot 3-pointers.”  Anthony Davis was that freshman, now you fully understand and appreciate his skillful passing or 3-point shooting. 

As for the growth spurt entering his junior year of high school, he stood 6 feet 8 inches.  The balance of the story is well known, recruited by John Calipari at Kentucky he would become a key member of their 2012 NCAA championship team.  He left after his freshman year and entered the NBA at 6 foot 10 and 222 pounds, Davis is now a rock solid 253.  Although he’s certainly got the height and the bulk, he prefers to play the power forward position. 

They probably don’t know   
Depending on the age of the person there are Indianapolis residents who only know pro basketball with the introduction of the Pacers.  Surprise, surprise Indianapolis had pro basketball prior to the Pacers who first arrived as an ABA team, bet you didn’t know that?  The team was founded in 1937 by grocer Frank Kautsky, the team played in the National Basketball League and Midwest Basketball Conference as the Kautskys.  The team would later move into the Basketball Association of America as the Jets. 

League rules at the time prohibited commercial sponsorship of a team but that was 1948 America, the 1948-49 season would be the first and last playing as the Jets.  The BAA and NBL merged and with two teams representing the city the Jets folded in favor of the Olympians, how the Olympians came into existence is unclear.  The Olympians would represent the city in the NBA from 1949 to 1953.  The only documentation uncovered indicated the Olympians were under financed even in 1953 dollars.

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

A Kansas City legend
A stage in the Plaza Library contained his widow former opponents, teammates and friends of the late Warren Jabali gathered last Sunday.  Dave Thomas author of “Jabali A Kansas City Legend” presented excerpts from his book to those gathered.  The passage of time did not hinder anyone from sharing memories of Jabali’s play at Central High in Kansas City and later at Wichita State and professionally in the ABA.   The paperback version of the book is available on Amazon for $19.95.   We continue to praise the basketball prowess of the late Warren Jabali.  If this Kansas City high school athlete was that good how come, he didn’t play in the NBA or I was familiar with his name? 

There are several reasons and I’ll try and provide the high points for you.  Jabali was a 6-foot 2-inch point guard with great skills for the middle 1960’s.  First point, Jabali was drafted by the Knicks in the 4^th round of the 1968 draft.  Although fewer NBA teams existed back then can you imagine arriving in training camp with a large number of athletes in front of you?  Second point, Walt Frazier was drafted in 1967 and established himself as the starting point guard, if Jabali made the team it’s likely he would have played behind Frazier or maybe not. 

Third point, the ‘60’s was a turbulent time period in America, racial strife and the war in Viet Nam divided many in the nation.  Jabali had a reputation (unfair) he was a black power advocate.  This reputation began at Wichita State when a fight broke out between, he and an opposing white player.  Final point, I offer you no proof although it is believed this occurred.  Red Holzman didn’t want Jabali on his team based on point three, Jabali refused to back down to anyone which caused problems for him with several white people.  There you have it the many reasons Jabali cast his lot with the upstart American Basketball Association Oakland Oaks rather than the NBA.

Sometimes we fail to understand change
As humans a number don’t adapt to change, it often becomes their worst nightmare.  Teams have undergone a name change for unusual reasons.  In the 1961-62 season the expansion Chicago Packers began play in the NBA.  In that period the city contained slaughterhouses, cattle were euthanized, and the meat was processed in these plants. 

Naturally the smell around these facilities was none too pleasant and must have drifted toward Chicago Stadium where the team played.  In any event the expansion team smelled bad and so did the plants.  To alleviate the smelly problem the second season witnessed a name change becoming the Zephyrs.  Later the franchise moved to Baltimore becoming the Bullets and later to Washington D.C.  The former owner concerned with violence in the city and the name of the team held a contest and thus the Wizards were born.

The move of the Cincinnati Royals to Kansas City also caused a change, the baseball Royals were already in existence, so the team became the Kings.  Those and maybe other team names are somewhat valid, how about change for no reason?  That might be the case if the Clippers in act the plan, there is no concrete proof this transformation will occur but here goes.  Owner Steve Ballmer is considering a logo and name change for his Clippers.  If you are asking why, I’ll leave that to marinate on your brain for a while. 

Youth will continue to be served
I’ve stated repeatedly mock drafts certainly are no indication of fact.  With that statement to consider we took an early look at the 2020 NBA draft on nbadraft.net and nbadraftroom.com.  Of the first 20 prospects all are freshmen or international players except for 3.  The international arena is far different, so no commentary is made here, as for American athletes that’s another story. 

It’s been mentioned commissioner Adam Silver believes the age restriction for American players will be revised by the 2021 draft.  That 2021 draft will likely include high school athletes, Emoni Bates is likely to be at the top of the list.  Whatever procedure takes place, high school players headed overseas or the NBA changing its policy youth will continue to be served.  

70% of those in the NBA
The comment was made, “Carmelo Anthony is better than 70% of the players in the NBA.”  Guess what, there is no argument on my part Anthony very much remains a talent.  On the other hand, “Father Time remains undefeated.”  Many of that 70% are more willing to do the intangibles which enhances their respective teams.  This is not a talent issue; it’s clear Anthony is more talented.  The difference as I see it at this stage of his career, he’s unable to find the middle ground for his game by taking a lesser role.  That’s the prime reason as the calendar changes from July to August he’s got no job.  Will Anthony play in the 2019-20 season, only he knows for sure?