Basketball from a fans perspective

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Check this out

The early signing period for college basketball prospects is around the corner, November 10-17. I thought it would be interesting to check the latest class rankings for 2023 prospects according to a few .com sites. ESPN.com is not included in the count, in any event my Mizzou Tigers certainly surprised me. It appears to date Dennis Gates and staff have done a decent job recruiting. Of course it’s realized accomplishments on the court are far more important than ranking on paper. I still remain careful based on Mizzou football, Eli Drinkwitz and his coaching staff appear to make noise in recruiting which to date has not panned out. I refuse to look at success this upcoming season for Mizzou basketball, this is a patchwork team. This class (2023) should be a truer test of Gates and his recruiting efforts. In closing I haven’t given up on Drinkwitz, I still expect him to turn the corner with his football program. 

on3.com

40^th

247Sports.com

12^th

Rivals.com

15^th

Dub Power

I’m going to allow Draymond Green his space, this is a positive regarding the Dubs. Can they escape the west and defend their championship? The question will not be answered until May or June 2023 but let’s check out a couple of things. It would appear 7-foot James Wiseman now healed is prepared to play major minutes at the center position. The depth chart list Kevon Looney as the starter but that just might change at some point. At the power forward position is Green however waiting in the wings is Jonathan Kuminga.

Despite some of the negatives attributed to Stephen A. Smith it’s apparent the coaching staff is satisfied with the effort of Kuminga. Playing both guard positions is Jordan Poole, this 6-foot 4 guard had a break-out year during the Warriors championship season. Could he replace Klay Thompson at the shooting guard…time will tell on that one. As for the balance of the bench it looks good plus the ability to spell the starters providing quality offense and defense. Are the Warriors scary, no they are not however they have a veteran presence. A presence that says we are the champions, the road to the championship runs through Chase Center.

What now

The saga of Emoni Bates continues with this latest news, felony charges were dropped. If you remember the account, he was stopped during a routine traffic check. Found in the glove box was an unregistered firearm, I’ve read nothing to confirm this, but the automobile he was driving was borrowed so we guess the gun belonged to the owner of the vehicle.  Eastern Michigan University announced Bates player status would be re-instated. He could have been charged with a felony, its now been reduced to a misdemeanor.

Bates must enter a diversion program to have his record expunged, in addition as part of the agreement a mentorship program is required. It’s my belief his professed basketball career might be at a crossroads. The crossroads in this instance has nothing to do with the legal issues he faced it’s the other thing. Is or rather will Bates prove all of us wrong? The bright NBA future once projected for Bates is rather dim at this point in time. Bates is at a point he must prove to all he is the legitimate star once projected by that NBA scout during his sophomore year of high school. After all we are looking at the former Gatorade Player of the Year in Michigan basketball.

The worst franchise

I wonder if you find this interesting, every time someone writes a piece on a bad NBA team, they always omit the Sacramento Kings out of the equation. Consider this, the last time the Kings earned a playoff berth was the 2005-06 season. A 12-year-old who might have attended one of those playoff games is now 28-years old, it’s been 16 years since the Kings last earned a playoff berth. The Kings have suffered from bad management, bad coaching and in some instances bad players. Let’s take this one step at a time…management. The Maloof brothers owned the team during a time period they were successful on the court, although they never won a championship, they were always contenders.

In 2013 the brothers sold the team to an ownership group headed by Vivek Ranadive. Several years later Ranadive brought out his partners and became the sole owner. It is difficult to determine Ranadive’s role based on the next portion coaching. Mike Brown is now the 8^th coach the team’s had since 2013 and the problem we are unsure if any of these guys were given adequate time to develop a team. Four of the number spent a single season as head coach, it’s impossible to establish any continuity if a team is constantly changing coaches. Finally we arrive at the talent pool, the Kings can look at few top prospects despite finishing at or near the bottom. A number of these draft choices have been traded to other teams throughout the NBA. With that closes our short check of what I believe is the worst run franchise in the NBA.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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The Warriors have a bigger problem

The Draymond Green-Jordan Poole fiasco has been discussed earlier. I’ve given my opinion of the fight between the two teammates; your view might be different from mine. It’s my belief Green is history; he will be traded probably after the season however it could occur between the time you are reading this and some point during the season. That’s a small issue compared to the larger one, it’s my belief the Warriors have an even bigger problem, players indicate it’s not uncommon for altercations to occur in practice. This one is different, someone or several someone’s believed it was worth contacting the tabloid website TMZ.

My time in the corporate world informs me this is a clear violation of company policy i.e. contacting media without permission. Warriors general manager Bob Meyers has a job on his hands playing detective and determining who is the responsible party. From what I’ve read, and I believe this might be the case TMZ provides financial rewards to those providing video. I’m going to get ahead of the story and say the Warriors will contact the website first asking for details. Should TMZ refuse it’s likely the Warriors file a lawsuit against TMZ, we might ask the question should this occur is this final step a requirement, a court case?

Laker News

Is it possible Matt Ryan has earned a roster position? Everyone and their brother realize the Lakers of last season lacked effective shooting from three. They picked up Ryan September 26 and Sunday night the signing appeared a success. Against the Warriors Ryan was en fuego as Dan Patrick former ESPN anchor would say once upon a time. Ryan came off the bench in the second half of the game and played 20 minutes. During the appearance Ryan was 6-9 from three along with 2 made free throws…20 points in all. Dennis Schroeder returning to the Lakers was a surprise for me and maybe others in Laker Nation. Schroeder claims he’s got “unfinished business” remaining and went on to explain a story from his past. The point guard claims that reported huge contract he’d been offered never existed. Once again, we must point a finger at the media because the Lakers never made any comment on the contract.

Was it really a pro league?

We’ve covered the American Basketball League in the past, it’s not to be confused with the ABA which came along 6 years later. The ABL began play in the fall of 1961 and the league played until December 31^st, 1962, it began as an 8-team league with franchises located in:

Chicago

Cleveland

Hawaii

Kansas City

Los Angeles

Pittsburgh

San Francisco

Washington/New York

How did it start, the league was the brainchild of the late Abe Saperstein owner of the Harlem Globetrotters at the time. For the early years of the NBA there was great difficulty attracting fans to their games. The Trotters would be invited as part of a double-header playing the first game, it was hoped fans would remain for the NBA game which followed. Due to his effort in aiding the NBA in those early days Saperstein believed he’d been promised an NBA franchise in Los Angeles. That event would not occur, the NBA allowed owner Bob Short to move his Lakers from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1960. With this occurrence Saperstein was upset, he began the American Basketball League he hoped would compete with the established NBA. With no national television contract and little visibility compared to the NBA the handwriting was probably written early.

This upstart league if we wish to consider it that hemorrhaged money just to do business, in truth the NBA had little impact in its demise. Despite its rocky start the ABL established at least two “first’s”, the first black head coach in a major sport and introduction of the 3-point basket. History says the legendary Bill Russell in 1966 became the first, he was in the NBA, but the ABL Cleveland Pipers hired John McClendon in 1962 as head coach. Most believe the ABA with Dr. J., and others was responsible for the 3-point basket, not so it was the ABL. Once the league folded at least 12 players moved into the NBA best of the bunch was Bill Bridges who enjoyed a 12-year NBA career. It should also be noted the late George Steinbrenner owned the Cleveland franchise; it would be 1973 when he along with several partners would purchase the New York Yankees baseball team. So, what do you think, do we consider the ABL a true pro league with such a short life cycle? You make the call on this one, I’m simply providing the history.

A great number of troubling things

The age we live in has been a blessing and a curse. Let’s deal with the curse, one of them is technology. Technology or social media moves at the speed of light it seems at times but that in itself is part of the problem. I have no intention of naming the former NBA player or details of HIS story, if you care to research it, I’m sure you can locate it. The story goes LeBron James took money from a source which silenced him from commenting on a social issue. This is the issue I have with the former players account. The story he reveals has some truth to it in fact I read it prior to his accusation regarding LeBron.

The social media world we live in today allows someone like this former player to point a finger at a subject and LeBron James tie both together although he is the only one thus far. LeBron James has lots of money and enough attorney’s to defend himself adequately, he doesn’t need my commentary but yet I believe he does. The world of social media allows us freedom to accuse anyone or any organization we wish yet offer no proof of the misconduct. In closing the primary reason I refuse to name the player, or the cause is due to the fact mentioned above, give us proof besides your mouth an indiscretion has occurred or will occur. Once the evidence is placed in front of us, we can make a rational judgement on the matter before us.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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Listen to them and not him!

Heard enough talk about Victor Wembanyama from me, prepare yourself I am only beginning there is so much more to cover over the next 8 months? Joe the local YMCA legend and others have quite a few thoughts regarding Wembanyama and his future in the NBA. The majority of the negative comments belong to Joe and his associates. How about reading what these next few people have to say about the youngster, they just might have little more of an idea what it takes to play at the NBA level. In addition I believe it might be a little more advisable to listen to what they have to about Wembanyama over Joe and his buddies. 

“We’ve never seen anything like Victor Wembanyama”-Rudy Gobert Wolves

“He’s like a 2k created player every point guard who wants to be 7 feet, he’s a solid talent”-Steph Curry, Warriors

“He’s incredible man like I believe in 2045 everybody is gonna look like Victor”-Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks

“That type of talent and skill it just puts a smile on your face. The league is in trouble when he comes in”-Kevin Durant, Nets

“No one has ever seen anyone as tall as he is but as fluid and graceful, he is a generational talent”-LeBron James, Lakers

“Victor Wembanyama is the singular greatest prospect in NBA draft history”-Adrian Wojnarowski ESPN Senior NBA Insider  

What you just read are excerpts made regarding Victor Wembanyama. If you want to do an assessment of his talent and possible NBA future listen to them and not Joe and his YMCA league experience. Joe might be a legend at the Y and on the playground, but he’s never played the game at the highest level. I take the statements above as proof over that of Joe, sorry man.

Potential Talent but lack of effort

There are untold numbers who play the game, the vast majority fall short. They are not good enough to play at the NBA level which is often our barometer but even there we find differences. The one’s who become superstars, those who are good role players and the underachievers. Who are the underachievers, they are incredibly talented but fall below the level we expect of them. When compiling this I remember reading a story about the old Brooklyn Dodgers. They had a pitcher at the time, every season it seemed he won 18 or 19 games but never won 20. A reporter asked him why he fell short, and his response was simple, “If I win 20 games, they will expect me to do it every season.” As for our basketball players none suffered any major injury during their NBA career, they just failed to play at a high skill level despite their apparent talent projection, here goes:

Michael Olowokandi a.k.a. The Candy Man-He arrived in the NBA drafted number one in 1998 by the Clippers. Why does he make the list, the Clippers hired Kareem Abdul Jabbar to tutor him on Big Man play. Keep in mind this would have been prior to small ball, NBA centers were not expected shoot threes, they played a back to the basket game. As for the coaching of Olowokandi I’m unsure how long it lasted but when it ended, he was questioned by a media member, and this was his response. Olowokandi, “I learned as much as I could” which is odd considering this 7-foot 270-pound center left the NBA with an 8 point and 6 rebound career.

Andrew Bynum-The Lakers drafted him as the 10^th pick in the first round in 2005. Coming out of high school it was believed he needed time to adjust to NBA play and that was the case. After trading Shaq many in Laker Nation believed they had a new and improved version of Shaquille O’Neal. Speaking to the media someone compared him to Shaq, Bynum said confidently ‘The difference I hit my free-throws’ and he was correct. The Lakers moved Phil Jackson and replaced him with Mike Brown who Bynum openly disrespected. Before the days of centers jacking up 3-point baskets he defied the coach hosting up a shot which missed badly. By age 26 injury and mostly his head would be his last year in the NBA.

There are others who could have been profiled, these two are noteworthy because in my view they could have been so much better if their heads were screwed on properly. Others might contend Olowokandi playing at the University of the Pacific didn’t face stiff competition. We could see potential but not the lack of effort. Bynum’s career was cut short due to injury however he never seemed that interested, basketball was what he did, not what he loved. Both entered the NBA with all the tools yet appeared unwilling to work toward improvement. Depending on your age I’m sure you have a list as well, there were two others I considered adding but didn’t for one reason. Although I consider them underachievers if we look at their career numbers, they are above average. 

Might we see a change? 

Several accounts have been written regarding HBCU basketball. For those who might be unfamiliar the initials stand for Historically Black Colleges & Universities. In the 1950’s through perhaps the middle 1980’s these schools produced about 60-85% of the NBA’s talent. Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity Change would witness state schools especially in the south began recruiting a greater number of black talent. Black athletes especially those in football and basketball would no longer leave their home states of Alabama, Georgia and other southern states. These athletes rather than head for California, Michigan and other locations remained at home.

There was ‘cause’ and ‘effect’ at work regarding the future of athletic programs at HBCU institutions throughout the nation. The cause was an ever-increasing number of black athletes recruited in-state especially in the south, the effect HBCU athletic programs were no longer able to recruit the cream of the crop in talent. As an example of the eroding talent pool Robert Covington of the Clippers is the lone HBCU player in the league in 2022, Covington played his college basketball at Tennessee State University in Nashville. The dwindling pool of football talent for the NFL has not been quite as drastic as that in the NBA.

As for basketball ‘baby steps’ are in place, slow change as we begin to witness former NBA players become head coaches at HBCU schools. Former point guard Kenny Anderson is now head man at Fisk. Reggie Theus is in charge at Bethune-Cookman, Juan Dixon at Coppin State, Bonzi Wells, LeMoyne-Owen, Mo Williams, Jackson State. I don’t wish to mislead you by this account, it’s going to take more than hiring a few former NBA players as head coaches in order to raise the level of play at HBCU’s.  There is a requirement for more steps like those of the Jordan Brand, the brand’s announced a 20-year partnership with Howard University and there are other efforts at work.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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I can be easily fooled

How about this for an example, I’ve often repeated this story. At the time Emoni Bates was a high school sophomore he was projected as NBA ready. This was not me rather what I (you too) read about the youngster. Fast forward to 2022 and we discover that is not the case. As Bates enters his sophomore year of college, I am unsure if he’s a bonafide college prospect. There’s a saying, “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me”, it’s a simple explanation. If someone takes advantage of me twice, I only have myself to blame I don’t believe that to be the case for Victor Wembanyana. Teams are salivating at the opportunity to draft him, how about this statement from an unidentified NBA GM, “It feels like a race to the bottom like we’ve never seen.” The 2023 draft might reflect that of 1984 when Hakeem Olajuwon was drafted number one by the Rockets. We are at a unique time regarding the 2023 mock draft, for the first time in my memory all concur.

Can you believe it, 14 mock sites place Victor Wembanyama in the top slot of their mock draft. Wembanyama will still be a teen (age 19) when drafted number one in June 2023. Now comes the ugly word ‘tank’, NBA teams losing on purpose in order to improve their draft position. I have gone on record several times indicating I can't stand to think a team would lose on purpose just to improve its draft position. Back to the profile, in his second game Wembanyama led his Metro 92 team to victory 112-106 over Team Elite. The teen Big Man once again filled the box score with 36 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks and 4 assists. One of the problems for me is separating outlook from fact and that is the case for Wembanyama. I was surprised but not shocked by a number of the letters I read, perhaps 98% of the writers were positive toward the youngster.

The other 2% negative comments had nothing, but their opinion to back up disapproving observations regarding Wembanyama. “He only had 4 rebounds” (first game),” to me it’s a little difficult to snatch rebounds when one is shooting 7-11 from the three-point line. One writer even claimed, “I could guard him, “I’d stripped the ball with his height.” Turns out the letter writer admitted he was 5 foot 8, where do these negative folks come from. Finally this one, “He’s too thin for the NBA” one writer stated. Must I remind the person of Kevin Durant before he arrived in the NBA or how about Kristaps Porzingis? There is no guarantee Wembanyama accomplishes anything in the NBA, I’d like for him to appear first in a game before deciding to pick his effort apart on paper as many of these “Stephen A. Smiths” have done. We depend on the experts to provide us sound advice, that is the case here, I have yet to read a negative comment by a credible source, have you about Wembanyama? Asked his height, Wembanyama indicated he was 7 foot 3 the last time he measured himself barefooted. If we add an inch or inch and a half for shoes that makes him 7 foot 4 or 7 foot 5 on the court.

The Sky Hook 

Did you realize the dunk was banned in college basketball for a time. Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) was the culprit while enrolled at UCLA. For those too young there might be a question as to why?  Beginning in the 1967-68 season the dunk was banned for 10 years. According to the NCAA, the dunk “was not a skilled shot.”  The rules committee stated that the suspension was also imposed due to harm concerns of individuals who might contest the attempt.

In their analysis, they documented 1,500 incidents in which a player was injured near the backboard in the preceding year.” You might find this difficult to believe now but the ban created a monster shot for Alcindor. He began perfecting a hook shot which Bucks broadcaster Eddie Doucette would dub ‘The Sky Hook.’ Broadcasting Bucks games back in those days the announcers sat in the upper portion of the arena unlike announcers of today. Doucette claimed it look as though the shot was coming out of the sky at his level.

NBA expansion

Once the NBA expands (and it will) we’ve discussed the fact Seattle is a slam dunk. The NBA is ready to move to that portion of the Pacific Northwest. I seriously doubt if there would be a problem locating an owner willing to lay down large sums of money to purchase the franchise. That story will be covered in another account, what about the second franchise…that would be Las Vegas. I hate to admit it, but Vegas has moved in front of my hometown of Kansas City, I can provide you 7 reasons why Las Vegas will be chosen. These belong to me, it’s possible you might have an additional basis.

NFL Raiders and NHL Golden Knights

NBA Summer League

AAU Summer Tournament

NBA exhibition games host

WNBA Aces

G-League Ignite

Las Vegas in the conversation by many including the commissioner

Suddenly Las Vegas is booming with professional sports teams. The Golden Knights expansion team arriving in 2017, the WNBA Aces moving from San Antonio in 2017 and the Raiders moving from Oakland in 2020. G-League Team Ignite after three seasons in Walnut Creek California moved to Henderson Nevada a Las Vegas suburb. There are probably additional reasons Las Vegas will likely be the city of choice over many others including my hometown.   

Bits n Pieces 

Earlier you read a NBL team faced the Suns in Seattle last week. The attendance for the game was acceptable but nothing worth becoming exciting. I wrote I believed the Monday game with the Clippers facing the Blazers would be a much truer test for Seattle and its NBA fans. The box score read a reported 18,440 fans were in attendance for the game in Climate Pledge Arena. One game certainly wasn’t a make-or-break future for Seattle however the sold-out building is certainly a good sign for the city.  

Don’t forget about me might be the word from Scoot Henderson, Vincent “Scoot” Henderson is the teen 6-foot 2-inch point guard from Team Elite of the NBA G-League. His two games versus Metro 92 caused us to focus on him with a national and world audience viewing his game on television. For those unfamiliar with him he reclassified and instead of college this 5-star point guard decided on the G-League. He’s now in his second year and will likely be the number two draft pick in 2023. You might ask why he’s probably the number two choice, this is the year of Victor Wembanyama. Regardless of who is the top pick we know for a fact there will be two teens at the top Henderson and both 19-years old.

Absent up to this weekend in Laker training camp was point guard Dennis Schroder. News reports indicate the speedy guard had visa issues which prevented his travel from Germany to the U.S. The signing of Schroder with the Lakers caught me off guard, this was a move surprising to me and perhaps other Laker fans too.

I didn’t read the story only the headline, those reading this might have a clearer picture than me of the dispute. Despite that fact I believe Draymond Green is history with the Warriors. The man believed to be the heart and soul of the team clearly stepped over the line. As fans we often have no idea of what occurs in practice but when a member slugs another and there is video that’s news. Jordan Poole is in concussion protocol and it’s likely he returns in time; Green is reported to have left the team to “clear his head.” If this incident occurred in the day of the Bad Boy Pistons, its likely it would be no big deal. In the 21^st Century NBA this type of behavior is no longer tolerated. As for Green he’s enough of a talent a team would be willing to sign him.

Basketball from a fans perspective

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The wow factor

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

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

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

A bit of trivia

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

Missouri State

Louisville

San Diego State

SE Missouri State

Southern Illinois

Marshall

Indiana State

The coach received another commitment

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

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

Tiger

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

Princeton Tigers

Auburn Tigers

LSU Tigers

Mizzou Tigers

Clemson Tigers

Memphis Tigers

Tennessee State Tigers

Grambling Tigers

Texas Southern Tigers

Jackson State Tigers

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

Bits n Pieces

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

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

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

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

“Grizzly Adams agree to a two-year deal”

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

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

Basketball from a fans perspective

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Coming to America

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

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

Spike Lee seats?

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

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

Talking smack

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

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

Is there a rule?

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

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

What about the Nets

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

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

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Speculation

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

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

Is his career over?

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

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

ESPN

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

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

She’s worn several hats

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

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

The judicial court over the basketball court

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

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

Basketball from a fans perspective

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The NBA in Seattle

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

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

Why is it an association rather than a league?

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

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

What do you think?

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

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

This is different

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

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

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I’m shocked!

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

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

What he said

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

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

It depends

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

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

Is this it?

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

Maryland – 2002

Florida – 2006 & 2007

UConn – 2004, 2011 & 2014

Villanova – 2016 & 2018

Louisville – 2013

Syracuse – 2003

Virginia – 2019

Baylor – 2021

Can they, or should they?

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

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

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Bits n Pieces

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

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

The injury bug

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

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

I’m violating my established rule

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

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

Best Big Men

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

Kareem Abdul Jabbar-3 NCAA championships, 6 NBA championships

Bill Russell-2 NCAA championships, 11 NBA championships

Wilt Chamberlain-2 NBA championships

Shaquille O’Neal-4 NBA championships

Hakeem Olajuwon-2 NBA championships

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

Moses Malone

David Robinson

Patrick Ewing

Willis Reed

Nate Thurmond

Bob Lanier

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