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I am disappointed

Do you mind if I share this with you? I figure you might not have a problem, okay here goes, I am disappointed, no I can say extremely frustrated with Anthony Davis. After the Lakers acquired AD and he was matched with LeBron James I had visions of multiple NBA championships. To date there’s been a single championship since the two became teammates. AD has budding superstar stamped on his forehead but there is a problem. He is unable to avoid the injury bug, you cannot be a superstar if you are always on the injured list.

The NBA championship year saw AD score at a 26-point game a clip along with nearly 10 rebounds. AD played 62 games that year but since it’s been 36, 40 and injured this season 25. The Lakers cannot sniff a championship with AD limited to the numbers just detailed for you. There is no effective method to avoid injury, I must come to the realization AD is just one of those players who suffers injuries continuously. In conclusion whatever I receive from him is all I’m gonna be given and I shouldn’t expect any more injuries and all.

Jerome Tang vs Dennis Gates    

Kansas State and Mizzou were in trouble, Bruce Weber and Cuonzo Martin had reached the end of their tenure at the school’s. Both were replaced, KSU hired Jerome Tang and Dennis Gates was contracted by Mizzou. It’s likely in both instances the question was asked “Jerome Who” in Manhattan and echoed in Columbia with “Dennis Who”. Unlike Mizzou where Dennis Gates was hired, I had no idea of the potency of KSU basketball. The Wildcats finished last season under Weber with a 14-17 won-loss record, under Tang they have exceeded last season’s total. The Tuesday win against KU became number 16. Briefly Tang served as an assistant at Baylor for Scott Drew serving in that capacity for the last 19 years.

Gates had a number of stops in his career as an assistant coach, from 2011-2019 he worked for Leonard Hamilton at Florida State before becoming head coach at Cleveland State in 2019. Mizzou finished last season with a 12-21 record, as this is written they are 14-4 in the tough SEC. A brief look at the background of each coach, now the basis for this piece. It seems one of the local sports talk radio stations has decided this is a contest between Tang and Gates, allow me to explain. One of the morning host had the same prepared speech as the afternoon guy. “If Dennis Gates is a B hire, then Jerome Tang is an A” these two-host stated at separate times. It irked me for more than one reason, why has this station decided a contest exists between the two? Based on the to date record both coaches appear good hires but why must 810 WHB decide to award grades?

A brief check

The name Kim English might be unknown to some of you reading this. English is a former Mizzou Tiger; he was the glue that held some of those teams together in the early 2000’s. He was a late second round pick by the Pistons in 2012 but only managed a “cup of coffee” in the NBA so to speak. English would spend the greater portion of his professional career in Europe. In 2015 he became an assistant first at Tulsa and then to Colorado and later Tennessee. March of 2021 George Mason University in Fairfax Virginia hired him as head coach.

I had no idea of the team English inherited but decided to check on his progress in his second year. The first year George Mason finished with a 14-16 record 7-9 in the Atlantic 10, this season’s team has 11 wins and 8 losses with a 3-3 record in the conference. I have no idea if Kim English will be successful at George Mason or some other school this I know for a fact, he’s a winner. When a coaching change occurred at Mizzou rather than leave for another school he remained. As I indicated earlier English became the glue that held those Mizzou teams together, good luck going forward in your coaching endeavor.

Villains

In an earlier period Dennis Rodman was a villain, he was a bad character to opposing teams and fans. Rodman performed the role far beyond anyone back then and into the present. In today’s NBA Draymond Green might come close to that role but what about others. It’s been my contention there were others who performed the role but in a different manner. Reggie Miller was that guy, it seems his ire was aimed more at Spike Lee and the Knicks than other teams, I could be wrong in my view. I don’t remember fury aimed at Miller beyond New York. On the other hand I cannot say the same about the late Kobe Bryant.

He was beloved by Laker fans, as for the rest of the NBA he clearly was a villain. Another villain of today is Patrick Beverley of the Lakers. He loves to get in an opposing players face (and head) during a game. Speaking of the Lakers LeBron James has also been anointed an anti-hero although many find excuses to plain hate him. Also many see the Suns Chris Paul as a villain, he’s been involved in a number of altercations over the course of his NBA career. An entire team can be cast as villains, so it was with the Bad Boy Pistons, fans everywhere hated the team especially center Bill Laimbeer. Ron Artest a.k.a. Metta World Peace was also perceived as a villain much of his NBA career. Rest assured the Lakers have been placed in the same role too, in their instance it’s probably more by winning than any other reason.

Closing this out a name few are familiar with John Brisker. The greater portion of his career was spent in the ABA although he would play briefly in the NBA. He played in the rough and tumble days of basketball when player fights occurred frequently. This is certainly not complete just a few thoughts, did I miss one of your favorites? I do find it strange, nothing like this ever existed with the Celtics. Contrast that with today, the Celtics are in the upper echelon of the league and the Lakers are below .500. Which team is receiving the most hate in print and over the airways?

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The Battle for Kansas

The Kansas Jayhawks are the number 2 team in the nation, we should expect them to be favored in their Tuesday evening game against the Kansas State Wildcats the number 13 team. For those unfamiliar with the geography the two schools are located about 100 road miles from the other. In the hearts and minds of many inside the state they are thousands of miles apart. The game was played at KSU with the rematch scheduled at the end of January in Lawrence. KSU began as if they intended to run their rivals out of Bramlage Coliseum. As most expected, KU rebounded and just like an MMA fight each side inflicted knockout punch after knockout punch as they attempted to displace the other for the lead.

Despite this fact the game was tied at the end of regulation, an overtime was required to determine a winner. In the OT KSU scored 11 points and KU 10 resulting in an 83-82 win for KSU. As for the nuts and bolts of the game it went in this manner. KU forward Jaylen Wilson had a career night leading the way with 38 points and 9 rebounds in45 minutes of action. On the other side KSU forward Keyontae Johnson scored 24 points including an alley-oop dunk in OT which proved to be the game winner. This game becomes a winner for KSU nothing more, there remains a great deal of Big XII conference play. All in all I believe Jerome Tang is due a shout out for apparently turning the KSU basketball program around in his first year on the job.

And you thought I’d forgotten

Time has passed since you’ve seen a story on Victor Wembanyama from me. The 7-foot 4 French teen has continued to amaze us with his all-around game. I thought I’d take time and address a few of the concerns I’ve heard about him. Weight-Wembanyama is in between, he doesn’t weigh as little as some have reported or as much as others. His playing weight is about 220 pounds, and you say, “That’s thin for someone with that height” and I am going to agree with you. Kevin Durant arrived in the NBA about 210 pounds but now is reported to be about 240, do you remember the story? When he came into the NBA projected high draft choices participated in the NBA Draft workout. It was reported (it’s never been confirmed) Durant couldn’t bench press a certain amount it was believed he should be capable.

I think Durant’s managed to do okay for himself over the course of his NBA career. If we briefly return to the past, we could look at George Gervin as an example too. The Ice Man stood 6 foot 7 but a spindly 180 pounds, talent plus those pounds managed to place him in the Naismith Hall of Fame. He’s gained 10 pounds since the 2015 draft however Kristaps Porzingis checked in at 230 pounds, that’s thin for someone 7 foot 3 inches in height. Have you noticed what’s going on with this account? I said, “address a few of the concerns” and Wembanyama’s weight is the only issue in some minds. Euro league opposition might not push him around in the same manner he will face in the NBA however it’s my early belief he should be able to hold his own. Are there any other questions to discuss, and you thought I’d forgotten about Victor Wembanyama?

Are they correct 

I watched and listened to a post-game review of the Clippers; the Sixers had just won the game against the Clippers beating them by 10 points. I listened as Candance Parker, Shaq and Jamal Crawford each made an assessment of the Clippers. The trio mentioned the same story we’ve heard since the beginning of the season, injuries plus lack of continuity continue to impact the team. This is the part I wish to share with those who didn’t see the telecast. As this is written the Clippers have won 23 games while losing 23 certainly noteworthy. They claimed "This team is built for the playoffs" and not the regular season.

It was mentioned despite their .500 record they are 7 in the Western Conference which would guarantee a playoff spot. The trio also discussed how deep and talented laden this Clipper team is, this portion I can agree, much of the NBA season remains. My question is this gathering, and others continue to repeat how talent laden they believe the Clippers are. This is where I separate myself from the pack. A healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are certainly elite NBA players. John Wall’s game has regressed although he remains solid. Norman Powell and others are certainly talented but other than the names mentioned I’m not impressed. If I had the opportunity to ask any of the three a series of questions, I’d start with this one, how can you establish continuity with an everchanging lineup? Also this one, are the Clippers overrated as a team? Chemistry is very important to a team no matter what sport we are discussing, tell me, am I missing something regarding this version of the Clippers.

We hardly knew you

As Michael Porter Jr.’s star continues to rise, I can state we in Mizzou Nation hardly knew you. Former Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin had captured lightning, he was hired and the top high school player in the nation would soon follow him to Columbia. Mizzou Nation was excited, most believed based on what was read Porter Jr. would only play for one season, it was the NBA for him. The anticipation of Porter Jr. leading Mizzou to an exceptional season went down the drain quickly, he injured his back in his first game against Iowa State.

Surgery was performed in November, and he was able to return to action March 2018. He came off the bench in two and that would be it, shortly thereafter Porter Jr. announced he intended to apply for the NBA draft. June 2018 the Nuggets well aware of his injury issue drafted him anyway with pick 14 in the first round. The Rivals 5-star prospect expected to lead Mizzou to great heights was unable to accomplish much playing only three games in total. After a slow NBA start, we’ve seen the 6-foot 10 Porter rise close to the level projected at one point while at Mizzou.

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It wasn’t quite as we believed

In a recent interview Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving provided a correction to a portion of his bio. He said, “The ABA had a hardship clause and underclassmen were allowed in the league. This didn’t exist in the brown ball league.” Why he left school early, he claimed an agent informed him “The ABA will go out of existence in 2-3 years you should make all the money you can, the opportunity won’t be there later.” Dr. J. smiled as he explained “The ABA continued to operate 5 more years beyond that date.” Why did he choose UMass, “I really wanted to go to St. John’s, Lou Carnesecca had been recruiting me heavily? Amherst was a 2 and ½ hour drive from Long Island and I wanted to get away from home.

The first season at UMass saw the doctor score 25.7 points and pull down 20.9 rebounds a game, pretty amazing for a 6-foot 6-inch 200 pound forward. When he returned for what became his last season at UMass, he scored 26.9 points along with 19.5 rebounds a game. Dr. J. was ready for the rugged play of professional basketball in the ABA. He left after his junior year (1971) signing with the Virginia Squires, the following year the NBA could legally draft Dr. J. which the Bucks did with the 12 pick in the first round in 1972. The balance of his basketball story was a high wire act with thunderous dunks. The story how Dr. J. managed to arrive with the Sixers is quite complex however despite the fact the ABA Nets moved into the NBA they did so without Dr. J. on their roster.

Bits n Pieces

With trade talk surrounding Russell Westbrook all season long I decided to use ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine. I plugged in the name of Westbrook and added Myles Turner and Buddy Hield from the Pacers, guess what, the trade worked. According to John Hollinger’s trade machine the Pacers win total would decrease by 12 and the Lakers would be +6. I have no idea the accuracy of Hollinger’s premise but if it’s close to being accurate it would appear the Lakers should move on the deal quickly. Based on my previous statement although it looks good as the old repetition says. “Everything that glitters is not gold”, that might be the case with this model.

When discussing the Eastern Conference race recently I omitted the Sixers. The Sixers led by Joel Embiid and featuring James Harden is certainly one of the contenders but there is an issue…the coach. I’ve long mentioned my belief Doc Rivers is overrated as a coach. I know you are going to mention the 2008 NBA Championship won by his Celtics team. I can agree that’s the one outstanding accomplishment for Rivers but that’s it, his past teams (Magic, Clippers) have underperformed at times. This applies especially to the Clippers when they were certainly the better team. So you might see why I overlooked the Sixers…it was due to their coach.

How about this one, I don’t know the length of time, but I noticed the Big 10 was using a strange (for me) looking logo. It’s B1G and this is the explanation I read, “The resulting logo features contemporary collegiate lettering with an embedded numeral “10” in the word “BIG,” which allows fans to see “BIG” and “10” in a single word”. I understand the effort the conference made but the question still remains for me. It still looks a little strange to me, oh well.

Purdue center Zach Edey stands 7 foot 4 and either 285 or 295 pounds depending on your source. If this was 1980 or even 2000 NBA scouts would be making notes and discussing their belief in his NBA future. Instead we read scouting reports indicating his prospect of playing in the NBA are limited. For one thing Edey doesn’t have a 3pt shot similar to Joel Embiid, that fails to bother me but in today’s NBA centers are expected to shoot it. One of the other complaints “he’s slow a foot” which in my mind is a little misleading. Is the center of today responsible for generating the break, you can answer that later. If I’m a general manager I would choose him if I had the opportunity. Edey is a double-double man for Purdue scoring at a 21.9 clip along with 13.4 rebounds a game.

A cautionary tale

To the surprise of most in Mizzou Nation the Tigers received another commit for 2023-24. This from a 6-foot 5 210-pound wing player, his name Curt Lewis and he will arrive at Mizzou after playing first at Eastern Kentucky and this past season at John Logan College. Lewis had a number of offers on the table but decided in favor of Mizzou giving the school a verbal commit on Monday. The early assessment of his game he’s a scorer a role highly favored at Mizzou.

This next portion is a Rock M Nation account, they claim Lewis is highly valued since they expect to lose a player to transfer after the season. I have an idea who that player might be however I’m not going to name him. In any event it will likely be the spring period before Lewis signs on the dotted line. Welcome to the ZOU Curt Lewis. Mizzou now has five prospects headed to Columbia in the fall, as for the purpose of the headline. Although he played Division I basketball at Eastern Kentucky he literally arrives after playing at the junior college level.

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You might have to hold your nose

As I wrote earlier there are a number of upset fans in Big Blue Nation. They are dismayed about the play of their beloved Kentucky Wildcats, they might be more displeased with Coach Cal. This version of Wildcat basketball might stink but it would appear help is on the way, not this season but next season. If I were part of Big Blue, I would be exciting about the incoming crop of freshmen. This is the projection for next season additions for the Wildcats and how 247Sports rates them.  

Justin Edwards 6-foot 7 small forward 5-star

DJ Wagner 6-foot 3 combo 5-star

Aaron Bradshaw 7-foot center 5-star

Robert Dillingham 6-foot 2 point 5-star

Reed Sheppard 6-foot 3 combo 4-star 

Despite the appearance of a rescue there is much to take into consideration. No matter how talented this group is they are after all freshmen. They must adapt their game to the collegiate level, some players accomplish this in just a few games. A number of instances will find that prospect “lost” on the court until his sophomore year. In any event Big Blue Nation is not pleased but I have words for them. Those of us in Mizzou Nation had to wait a considerable period of time before we’d see competitive basketball again. For Big Blue it’s not been that long, hang in there. As for the coach his words, “If you want to get on me, that’s fine. I’m the coach.” This is difficult to believe by some, Kentucky beating Tennessee on their home court is considered an upset. 

He cannot be saved

Georgetown was only down 37-33 at the half, on the schedule was the Villanova Wildcats usually every teams Kryptonite. This time Nova came into the game with a 7-10 record, 2-5 in the Big East. In the end Georgetown was in its usual place a loser, this time it was 77-73. Oh how the once mighty have fallen might be my statement. At the time Patrick Ewing was patrolling the paint he and his Hoya teammates struck fear in most teams they faced but that’s history now. The loss to Nova was number 9 in a row for the season, it becomes the number 25 Big East loss in a two-year streak.    

They have a 5-13 record and are 0-7 in the conference and sinking fast. I’m unsure what could save the coaches job at this point unless they win the NCAA which is highly unlikely. Is it the coach or something else that’s caused this perennial basketball power to go over a cliff? I’ve always liked Ewing from his days at Georgetown and into the NBA with the Knicks. He won the big prize while in college, but it always eluded him with the Knicks. Perhaps Ewing is one of these guys with basketball knowledge but lacks ability as a head coach. There is no shame intended with that statement, allow this bit, Magic Johnson was one of my favorite players, but I believe he was a horrible head coach. Superstar players as coaches, Larry Bird is the only successful one to date in my view.

A brief explanation

From time to time you note there is an Emoni Bates story. For a few that might have missed my season opening statement or they might be unfamiliar with the Eastern Michigan guard. Allow a brief history, Bates had potential star written on his forehead early. The 6-foot 10 guard/forward would lead his Lincoln High in Ypsilanti Michigan to the Michigan State Championship as a freshman. His sophomore year would see a first, Bates was selected Gatorade National Player of the Year becoming the first accorded the honor. From that point on the public began to see changes, Bates dad pulled him from Lincoln and created a charter school.

After an up and down junior year he would reclassify, and his school of choice would be the University of Memphis. Bates freshman year began on a high note, but poor play and injury contributed to an up and down first year. Because of his age Bates was not eligible for the NBA draft so another decision was required. Over the summer Bates returned home and enrolled at Eastern Michigan University. At EMU it would appear he’s resurrected his basketball career however questions remain, for the most part his shooting has been decent (20.9 ppg) in his sophomore year. The problem for me (and maybe others) EMU is not particularly good, the school’s only won 4 games out of a total of 16. I wrote this in another account, it’s easy for us to see the offensive game of Bates on television.

We can check the box score for those totals the other parts are more difficult to analyze from our standpoint, example. His assist total is not particularly noteworthy, could it be he’s passing the ball and teammates are unable to score? How about his defense, one more area of concern we cannot fully address. In closing why the microscope on his game this season, we didn’t have the ability to see him in action due to injury and limited playing time. Does the NBA remain in the future for Bates, we shall see in the spring with an announcement by him and in the June NBA draft. One other note, for those who might believe Bates is too thin consider this fact. George ‘Iceman’ Gervin in the Hall of Fame was 6 foot 7 and 180 pounds during his playing days.

They ain’t never comin’ back

I’ve finally concluded the NBA will never return to my hometown; I’ve firmly convinced myself of that fact just looking at the history. In recent times, with the exception of Charlotte, Minnesota and soon Seattle the association has never returned to any of its former homes. I am not discussing the chaotic period of the 1950’s when NBA franchises went out of business annually, this discussion centers on the more recent period. Check this out without a great deal of research on my part, it’s not just Kansas City facing this dilemma. On the other side of the state we uncover the NBA leaving St. Louis in 1968, the city has never been mentioned since.

Despite its large population San Diego’s lost two franchises the Rockets (yes) and the Clippers. The expansion Rockets were born in Southern California in 1967, they would move to Houston in 1971 where they remain to date. Former owner Donald Sterling moved the Clippers from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1984. The Cincinnati Royals departed for Kansas City in 1972, when’s the last time anyone has mentioned the NBA in connection with the City of Cincinnati. The Grizzlies departed Vancouver for Memphis in 2001, Vancouver is mentioned on occasion but more a Google search. Kansas City does have hope in this regard, should Royals icon George Brett and the Chiefs Patrick Mahomes decide to pool their funds and say “We want a franchise” I believe the NBA would accommodate them.

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Is this the year

In the Eastern Conference it’s the Celtics and Bucks leading the way. It’s early but one or the other might play for the NBA championship, on the other hand it could be another team. In the Western Conference there are contenders, but my focus is on the Nuggets, is this the year? They have the twice league MVP in Nikola Jokic at center but it’s not only The Joker there is a supporting cast. Mizzou’s Michael Porter Jr. is steady at small forward along with point guard Jamal Murray. Also I must mention power forward Aaron Gordon who is ballin’.

The leader of this crew is Mike Malone, the Nuggets have blossomed with him as head coach the last few years. Depth, injuries and immaturity kept many of the former Nugget teams from advancing deep into the playoffs. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” certainly fits Malones story. He was hired as head coach by the Kings June 13, 2013…December 15, 2014, he was fired by those same Kings after a 11-13 start. I didn’t bother with checking the Kings record but that goes to show you the idiotic moves the Kings of the past made. As for Malone with the Nuggets his teams have either finished first or second in the Pacific Northwest Division. For the last four seasons the Nuggets earned a playoff berth, will 2023 become a breakout season?

This is terrible (or some believe)

Have you noticed a trend, anytime there is change in manner college basketball is administered naysayers come out of the woodworks in droves? They provide us proof by their responses they hate the change and this, “It will ruin college basketball.” How many times have we heard that statement, probably more times than we have fingers and toes. Want a few examples, how about this one? “The dunk should be outlawed; the safety of the athletes is in danger.” We heard those words and other similar as Lew Alcindor dominated the game in the middle 1960’s. How about one and done athletes, “College basketball will be ruined by allowing underclassmen to leave for the NBA.”

The latest might be Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) or the transfer portal. Why should the NCAA and the institutions earn all the money from sports, players should be eligible immediately in transferring. We’ve read and heard complaints about both. It’s my belief it’s the issue of change that upsets many of those who complain. Don’t misunderstand there is no attempt on my part to muzzle anyone. Sometimes many fans sit down and write without having a great deal of forethought. There are several unnamed issues I am highly unlikely to change my mind. There are others I seek the opinion of those with knowledge before coming to a conclusion. Again, don’t confuse my intent by writing this. You are certainly entitled to your opinion but let’s just say sometimes change is difficult to adopt for some. I’m sure in this short piece I’ve missed something, you are likely to uncover it…go for it. 

The NFL

Don’t be fooled by the headline this remains a basketball blog, what’s the basis. Its coaches, the NFL has begun its annual search for head coaches. I turned to a DePaul-Seton Hall basketball game and on the sidelines was head coach Tony Stubblefield and Sheheen Holloway both black coaches. I was familiar with the announcement of the Holloway hire, as for Stubblefield I remain unfamiliar with his background. The point I’m attempting to make Eric Bieniemy Chiefs assistant has begun the interview process that could lead to a head coaching job. For those who might be unfamiliar with Bieniemy he’s black and he’s made the rounds the last few years interviewing yet not hired. Perhaps he doesn’t interview well or maybe there is something else holding him back. In this instance its more than Bieniemy, the NFL unlike the NBA or college basketball has done a poor job in hiring black head coaches.

Without research I have no idea how many “Tony Stubblefield’s” are coaching Division I basketball, the NBA is a different matter. I mention in another account when the Nets removed interim from Jacques Vaughn’s name, he became the number 17 black head coach in the NBA. The sports are far different but how are colleges and the NBA able to find and hire black coaches? Even in basketball all are not going to be successful but no one has any idea until given a chance. The same applies for the NFL, perhaps Bieniemy might be a terrible head coach but consider this fact. He certainly cannot be as bad as some of the white coaches we’ve seen over the years. My hometown Chiefs once employed one of the worst (in my view) opinion there was. Todd Haley as an NFL assistant had more football knowledge in his pinky finger than my body but there was one drawback. He didn’t know beans about serving in the role of a head coach. Over the last 3-4 years Haley’s had plenty of company as the NFL continues it’s recycle pattern of hiring head coaches fired from other teams.

Best high school basketball in the nation

“The best high school talent in the country is played in Chicago and New York City.” The words of a co-worker who grew up in Chicago, no argument on my part except I’d like to add Los Angeles and Southern Cal to the discussion. Basketball is played in rural areas and small towns in the nation some of it mighty darn good. It’s an outgrowth of population but the crème de la crème arrive on colleges and in the NBA from large urban areas of the nation.

What other urban areas to add to our discussion, for these purposes the city is named but the basketball is metro, how about Dallas-Fort Worth? I once said at the time Shaka Smart was hired “He could just recruit without leaving the State of Texas.” The other large urban area would be Houston, scores of high school talent come from the southern portion of the state. We could include Atlanta and Seattle as well; on the east side of Missouri we count St. Louis as a major producer of top talent. I’m quite sure someone will be upset because I omitted their city, but my intention was to detail those metro areas I believe produce the greatest number of talent for the nation’s colleges and the NBA.

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Figure this one out if you can

Arkansas beat Mizzou rather easily 74-68 on January 4; that was followed on January 7 by a tough match against Vanderbilt which they won 85-82 January 7. Yesterday that same Vanderbilt team pounded number 15 Arkansas 97-84. Don’t tell me the SEC is not one of the toughest conferences in the nation. In addition to this past history we saw Florida serving as host to Mizzou in Gainesville, the Gators managed to overcome a deficit and charge back winning the game over Mizzou 73-64.

I have noted the number of times Mizzou’s been outrebounded, that would not be the case as Florida only had one more rebound. This time if we just check the rest of the box the game was pretty much even. Mizzou hit the boards harder despite the double-double by Florida’s Colin Castleton (16 pts-13 rebs). As usual Kobe Brown led the way for the Tigers scoring 21 points along with 6 rebounds. Mizzou came up short on the road for the second time in a week, they are now 2-3 in the SEC and 13-4 overall. Mizzou now returns home to face Arkansas on Wednesday, hopefully they can place a halt on this two-game losing streak.

A new record

The Spurs set the record, but the Warriors won the game. The final score read 144-113 in favor of the visiting Warriors who were led by Jordan Poole off the bench with 25 points. Donte DiVincenzo also emerged from the bench right behind Poole scoring 22 points, that guy Steph Curry had a rather pedestrian game with 15 points. As for the record, the game was played in the Alamodome, and it set an NBA record with 68,323 in attendance.

The previous NBA record (62,046) was held by the Hawks in a March 1998 game against the Michael Jordan led Bulls. It’s been 50 years since the Spurs moved to San Antonio from Dallas, the Spurs will be celebrating the anniversary all season long. For those who are unfamiliar with the building the Alamodome is a football stadium, it was reconfigured to serve as home court for the Spurs. At the time the Spurs called the building home maximum seating was in the neighborhood of 39,000 fans. You’ve heard the term “nosebleed section”, in the Alamodome that’s a real thing based on where one might be seated.

Not a usual thing

I have no inside information, there’s always been a reluctance on my part to detail names of recruiting prospects. Until there is a signature commitment a changed mind can come into the decision. You are aware of signed prospects saying, “I’ve changed my mind.” With that out of the way I’m going to discuss two with Mizzou offers but no decision yet. The first name I would mention is Kris Parker, he’s a 6-foot 8 175-pound shooting guard. Parker attends Crossroads Academy in Quincy Florida which required a check. I had no idea where Quincy is located and maybe you didn’t either.

The town is about 25 miles north and west of Tallahassee so that answered the geography question. We should also mention the name Blake Butler. He’s enrolled at East Mississippi Community College, he’s a 6-foot 5 210-pound shooting guard who hails from Louisville Kentucky. Chances are Mizzou signs one of the two prospects and enhances the shooting for the 2023-24 collegiate season. Butler would be a red-shirt sophomore should he enroll at Mizzou in the fall. These prospects aside there are unknown issues at work…the transfer portal. You have taken note Dennis Gates was able to provide a starting point for his Mizzou program using this method. Until we get there, we have no idea who or what positions might be filled utilizing the transfer portal.

Doesn’t matter where you play

Statement of fact, at this point the road to the NBA remains open for Emoni Bates. The question is talent and ability to adapt over the fact he’s playing at Eastern Michigan University. Earlier I mentioned one of the all-time greats George ‘Iceman’ Gervin played at the school. NBA draft night the television camera usually catches Kentucky’s John Calipari, there’s a reason the coach has seen a number of his players drafted but he’s not alone. How do you suppose NBA scouts spotted CJ McCollum, after all we don’t think NBA in regard to Lehigh University. McCollum’s certainly had a noteworthy NBA career to date. McCollum is now a member of the Pelicans however he was drafted by the Blazers. His backcourt mate with the Blazers was Dame Lillard from Weber State, again talent has arrived in professional basketball from the Utah school.

The best shooter in the game today…maybe all-time arrived in the NBA from Davidson, I’m speaking of Steph ‘Lights Out’ Curry. If we briefly glanced at the past, we uncover the names of Larry Bird (Indiana State), Steve Nash (Santa Clara), Karl Malone (Louisiana Tech) and Scottie Pippen (Central Arkansas). The student enrollment at many of the institutions named is quite considerable. The point I was attempting to make talent managed to find its way to the NBA from schools generally not in the discussion of basketball powers. If you check the conferences of those named you will uncover the fact none played in the Big 10, Big XII, ACC or SEC. Back to the opening question, does Emoni Bates earn an NBA roster spot? I really have no idea; this I do know. The fact he’s playing at Eastern Michigan will not be a hindrance to him playing in the NBA should he prove talented enough.  

Youth will be served    

Youth will be served or so goes that old adage. This news might have changed by the time you read this although I seriously doubt if it will have changed much. The mock draft of si.com for January 12 was quite interesting, not the names or the positions but the ages. I could say none of the first ten could purchase alcohol legally. They begin at number one with Victor Wembanyama who is age 19, at number 10 is Cason Wallace Kentucky guard also 19. Brandon Miller at Alabama is the “old man” of this mock, he’s number four on their list and 20 years old.

The majority of others are either age 18 or 19. Basketball especially in the NBA has always been a young man’s game, this mock draft if halfway close to being accurate provides us proof. It’s become quite rare for a junior or even a senior to be drafted. Ja Morant might be the most recent exception to the usual pattern; he would be drafted after his sophomore year at Murray State. Is this a bad thing, depends on your perspective. Once upon a time we heard loud screams of complaint from college coaches. Guess what, they managed to adapt their recruiting. Although Kentucky is not having a good season thus far, we might consider John Calipari the king of one and done athletes. That’s one of the reasons Calipari is   always visible at the NBA draft he’s there supporting his players.

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This is interesting

What’s the most popular sport followed in this country? That’s easy it’s football but wait there’s more to this statement. A company statista.com compiled figures for the 2022 calendar year, they questioned a sample of folks to determine which sport is their favorite? Below is the percentage although I’m unsure of the number of respondents to the question.

Football 51%

Basketball 40%

Baseball 39%

A couple of notes, it’s not clear by statista.com in the instance of football if it’s the NFL and the college game combined or just the NFL. I could make the same statement regarding the percentage that indicate they follow basketball, are there any surprises for you? There are for me, how far baseball has slipped in the eyes of the majority of Americans. Think about this a minute, do you know anyone under the age of 40 (excluding the athletes) who are rabid fans of baseball? Does this represent a change in the habits of most Americans? The game most followed in the ‘40’s, ‘50’s and ‘60’s no longer has the clout it once held.

Bits n Pieces 

I believe many of us who follow the college game were familiar with the name Gradey Dick. We knew he was a McDonald’s All American, we knew he was also Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2022. Here’s what we didn’t know, the 6-foot 8-inch shooting guard would have a breakout first year with Kansas basketball. A year that’s seen his NBA stock rise at a swift rate. One site nbadraft.net projects Dick as the number 5 pick in the 2023 draft, as for nbadraftroom.com they place him at 17. What occurs for the future of this youngster, that certainly is an unknown, but this is solid. If it can be confirmed, he would be a lottery pick I’d find it difficult for him to remain in school.      

Brian Windhorst of ESPN is one of those in the media I find informative and have little disagreement with. Recently Windhorst points out throughout his NBA career at several stops LeBron did not have a great deal of success with rookie teammates. It appears he might fail to appreciate those learning the game. We know this to be correct based on stories we are hearing. It would appear he’s prodding the Lakers to give up first round draft choices. We guess the draft choices are utilized to acquire veteran talent to play alongside LeBron. This is not for LeBron but for others, how can a rookie learn the game at the NBA level if he’s not playing with the best talent? In closing we know this to be a fact, while at Cleveland LeBron persuaded the Cavs to trade rookie Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love. 

Sink that free-throw and boy did they, the Heat set an NBA free-throw record recently. In a game against the Thunder player after player went to the line, each sunk shot after shot after shot etc. Jimmy Butler led the way for the Heat with his 23 for 23 from the line but there was help for him. Five other Heat players went to the line and shot 17 for 17 making for an NBA record 40 out of 40. Despite the prolific shooting the Heat had to hang on for dear life only beating the Thunder by one point 112-111.

10% is the figure a fan claimed, allow me to explain further. An interview where Magic Johnson indicated if he’d been with the front office the Lakers would have been able to sign Kawhi Leonard. A fan responding to the story said, “It doesn’t matter Leonard’s only played in 10% of the games since the Clippers signed him.” Okay, Leonard missed all last season which would have been 82 games. The two seasons before that Leonard played 57 and 52 games now one of those was a covid year however the league did play close to 80 games. He was nowhere close to a complete season in either year. I didn’t check the fan’s math but 10% might appear to be correct.

It’s a population thing…maybe

The most highly populated states in the union also contain the most NBA teams. I guess that shouldn’t be too shocking, should it? that is a statement of fact, and we can begin to prove it. They are concentrated in the order of population beginning with California, Texas, Florida and New York. The State of California contains the highest number of residents in the nation, located there are the Kings in Sacramento, the Warriors in San Francisco and the Lakers and Clippers in Los Angeles. Texas is the second most populated state in the nation and contains three NBA cities, they are the Dallas Mavs, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.

Florida is number three in population and home for two teams the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. New York is now in fourth place in population, once the city of Syracuse and Buffalo had NBA teams now it’s only the boroughs of New York City with the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. That’s it, the states with the highest population base also have the greatest concentration of NBA teams. Sidebar here, Chicago and Milwaukee are a little over 100 road miles apart. At the time expansion Milwaukee arrived in the NBA (1968) it was a different era. I have serious doubts if a “Milwaukee” type scenario would exist today, the Board of Governors just wouldn’t approve two franchises located less than 100 road miles apart.

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Hopeful anticipation

What occurred in College Station Texas Wednesday evening was not anticipated. I expected the Tigers to compete against A&M and they did to a degree however they came up woefully short. Mizzou was on the back end of an 82 to 64 loss, poor shooting and even poorer rebounding will cause a team to lose a game of this sort. Let’s check out the box score for a few highlights (or lowlights), Mizzou shot 35.6% from the floor to A&M’s 53.3.

Did I mention the issue of rebounds, A&M had a 42 to 25 advantage? As usual Kobe Brown led the way for the Tigers scoring 12 points, Hodge and Gholston registered 10 apiece. Finally there was an unusual sighting, Mohamed Diarra all 6 foot 10 was in action for 8 minutes. His contribution was minor, but the Tigers were getting killed on the boards, the move might have come as one of desperation. Am I disappointed, of course I am but no need of dwelling on it, now it’s on to a Saturday match against the Florida Gators at their house?  

The Alamodome

For those who might be unfamiliar with the Alamodome it’s located in San Antonio and it’s a football stadium. It was converted for NBA basketball and served as home court for the Spurs for nine seasons beginning in the 1992-93 season. In 2002 the Spurs moved into the newly built Southwestern Bell Arena (AT&T now) where they remain to the present day. Why the interest in the Alamodome at this time, the reason is simple an NBA attendance record is about to be broken?

On Friday 63,592 tickets have been sold for the game against the Warriors which will break the NBA record set 25 years ago. Curiously that game featured the Michael Jordan Bulls playing the Hawks March 27, 1998. There were 62,046 fans in attendance at the Georgia Dome for that game. The significance, this is the 50-year anniversary of the Spurs in San Antonio. Although the team was an NBA original from 1967 home has not always been in the city, one additional note, if the Spurs are making the announcement of ticket sales ahead of the date the attendance record is eclipsed already.

I think I might ask for my money back

We’ve discussed the less than stellar play of the Clippers. My focus has primarily been on Kawhi Leonard, but Paul George might be as much of a culprit. Let’s see what occurred, the Clippers were so concerned about PG signing with the Lakers they signed their future away. I make that statement because unlike Leonard a trade had to be accomplished to acquire PG. The Thunder sent PG to the Clippers for Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and five (5) first round Clipper draft picks. Gallinari has since moved on and now plays for the Hawks. As for Gilgeous-Alexander he’s blossomed in a Thunder jersey and is knocking on the door of stardom.

The draft choices cannot be analyzed since there are two remaining in the future. As for the 2020 and 2021 choices both have been traded, the 2022 pick was Jalen Williams. This rookie from Santa Clara has moved into the starting lineup for the Thunder. The 2019-20 season was impacted by covid, of the 72 games played George was in action for 48. The next season he was able to play in 48 of the Clippers 82, of the 42 games thus far this season he’s been available for 31. This is not a discussion of talent rather one of readiness to play. It does no good to have a brilliant talent such as Paul George if he’s infrequently available. I concluded a while ago it serves no purpose for the Clippers are any other team for that matter to have a superstar talent on the sidelines on a frequent basis.

The world’s most famous arena

Reading the headline you are aware this must be an account regarding Madison Square Garden. That is indeed the case, in this instance we ask the question how long? See the clock is ticking on the oldest continuously operated NBA and when the lease runs out what occurs? That remains a question for now but let’s check the rich connection to the NBA. No place in the NBA will you see as many men dressed in suits as you will MSG. My guess is rather than head home after their workday is complete, they simply leave their Manhattan offices for 4 Pennsylvania Plaza the address of MSG.

The arena will hold 20,000 for Knick games and based on television there appears to be few empty seats in the lower bowl. This is the fourth arena in the city with the MSG name, the present arena opened in 1968. Since it’s opening the arena has been renovated 1989-1991 and again 2011-2013. The walkway in the video we see Willis Reed emerge from for Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals no longer exists. Renovation has changed that portion of MSG. Opposing players from Wilt Chamberlain to LeBron James claim they love playing in the building, most say it’s playing the game before the knowledgeable basketball fans of New York City. At this point we are unsure what the future holds for MSG, as I stated at the beginning the clock is ticking on its eventual demise at least at this location.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHzxM69qm50

Lifetime contract

Without conducting research allow me to inform you Kentucky’s John Calipari has a lifetime contract. Several years back the school made the announcement and it’s believed to be in place. There are some in Big Blue Nation are wishing otherwise, more than an ample number of fans are upset. They are distressed because unlike past seasons this version of the Kentucky Wildcats appear easily defeated. That has been the case and folks are upset about it, there was a small demonstration in Rupp Arena of all places.

A fan was removed because he held a sign that said Calipari take the Texas job or similar words. 5-6 years ago we’d never see anything similar occur anywhere in the State of Kentucky. I’m borrowing this from someone, he said; “Calipari should take the Texas job, in two years they will be in the SEC, and he should beat Kentucky.” Trust me it ain’t gonna happen, someone will be hired in Austin, and it is highly likely it won’t be Calipari. This is my belief; Kentucky fans are spoiled in the same manner as other highly successful programs across the country. Want me to name the bunch, how about fans of the Kansas Jayhawks, Duke Blue Devils, Carolina Heels and UCLA Bruins just to name a few? Coach Cal has hit a rough patch in his coaching career and Big Blue is not particularly forgiving.

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The record or a record

It was stated ages ago, “Records are made to be broken” which often occurs. They are set and then someone comes along and breaks it. In baseball last summer and early fall we waited in anticipation to see Yankee Aaron Judge break the American League home run record. Years ago when Wilt Chamberlain set the NBA’s all-time scoring record of 31,419 points few believed anyone would come close to that total. A number of years later Kareem Abdul Jabbar would break the Chamberlain record.

Abdul Jabbar’s record total would make it virtually impossible for anyone to approach it. What I find most interesting since the Chamberlain total, we’ve had five players exceed the 31,419-point total including LeBron James. Sometime in the not-too-distant future a new record will come into fruition. The unbreakable figure of 38,387 set by Kareem Abdul Jabbar will be surpassed by LeBron James. There will be no time limit placed on the contemporary number someone, maybe yet to be born will exceed the record established by LeBron James. As mentioned at the beginning of this account records are made to be broken.

One of these is not like the other  

The Thomas Bryant-Anthony Davis comparison goes like this. Both are 6 foot 10 inches; AD has a few pounds more 254 to Bryant’s 248. AD arrived in the NBA as a lottery draft pick, Bryant almost missed having been drafted in the second round. This is where the comparison ends, think about this a moment. One guy (AD) prefers a position other than center, the other (TB) desires to be on the floor period. Don’t get the wrong impression Davis has played center this season although that’s not his favorite. The injury to Davis has been a blessing in disguise.

The injury has allowed coach Ham to move TB into the starting lineup and boy has it been beneficial to the Lakers. We have seen the stepped-up play of LeBron, Westbrook plus other teammates…somewhat hidden is the effort of TB. As I indicated earlier no one is going to confuse him with Laker centers of the past i.e. Wilt, Kareem and Shaq. He’s good at pick and roll basketball and TB is scoring nearly 13 points a game. There are three portions of his game that bode well for him field goal percentage (.685), 3pt shooting (.467) and free-throw shooting (.721). He’s managed to convince LeBron what the future lineup of the Lakers should be once AD returns.

Bryant at center, AD at power forward and LeBron at small forward. It’s clear by now much of Laker Nation is not pleased with AD at this time. Of course this has nothing to do with his talent it’s the injury bug which hovers over him. My hope is each player is pleased with their role on the team, in this age an NBA coach cannot be a dictator. Based on the last statement it’s my belief TB belongs in the role of a starter regardless of AD’s spacing issues. The two should work out together to iron out any issues, this lineup I believe is a winning one.

“You play to win the game…Hello? You play to win the game”

I borrowed the quote of former Jets head coach Herm Edwards. I did this because I believe it so applies to this account. Mizzou and Kansas State replaced their head basketball coaches, the season would see Dennis Gates and Jerome Tang hired to righten the ship. Allow me to briefly discuss the media’s outlook on these two programs in October prior to the start. The SEC is a 14-member conference, it was the belief by many Mizzou would finish the season in the 11 slot. Mizzou would only finish ahead of Vanderbilt, Georgia and South Carolina. These media folks picked Kentucky to be the top team in the SEC. Circle back a moment, Mizzou won a hard-fought match against Vanderbilt but that was supposed to occur. Were they expected to beat Kentucky convincingly, I think not? Across the state line in Manhattan Kansas the fate of Kansas State basketball was projected even worse.

The media picked them to finish 12 or last in the conference race, Baylor was projected number one. K-State managed to beat Baylor on their home court this past Saturday. This is written January 8, there is a great deal more basketball to be played. Despite the fact both Mizzou and K-State are near the top of their respective conferences we might not find them there at the end of the season. The point of this exercise is simple, Dennis Gates and Jerome Tang have injected enthusiasm into basketball programs that were stuck in the mud. Both coaches must prove over the long haul they have IT, the ability to recruit and coach winning basketball. Based on what I’ve seen to date I’d have a great deal of difficulty believing they can’t complete the task at hand. If Mizzou and K-State continue at their present pace I could foresee Dennis Gates and Jerome Tang sharing Coach of the Year honors.

I can’t believe I’m writing this, on the other hand

This is for Americans and those in the International community. The game was invented by a Canadian who made his way to the U.S., it was perfected here and raised to an even higher scale. The game moved across the ocean and around the world. Other than football (soccer here) it’s the second most popular sport in the world. I read a tweet which boggles my mind, “It’s ridiculous how much disrespect international players get in the NBA.” I thought for a moment who is writing this, and have they taken time to check out the NBA in the last few years? What did he mean disrespect, not getting a foul called or is it something else? It certainly can’t be league MVP; The Joker has won it two years in a row.

Giannis Antetokounmpo won the NBA MVP the two years previous to that and how could we omit Luka The Don, Luka Doncic. Now back up…way back to an earlier period. There was a time international players were not close to the skill level of most American players, NBA teams found them lacking an ingredient different for each athlete. There might be someone else but I’m going to give credit to the late Drazen Petrovic from Croatia who “cracked” open the door. Euro players had arrived on these shores before him, but he might have been the first to play at a high skill level. It’s no telling what heights the 6-foot 6-inch guard might have reached if he hadn’t died tragically at the age of 28 in a 1993 automobile accident in Germany. We could also include Hakeem Olajuwon, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol, the first two are in the Naismith Hall of Fame while Gasol’s been nominated for the Class of 2023.  

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Bits and Pieces 

In a manner of speaking I’m stealing a portion of this from Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News. In a radio interview DeCourcy was asked about Dennis Gates and the rumor his name was mentioned (along with others) about the open Texas job. This from DeCourcy, “If you have an AD, you have a good relationship and good pay why make a move?” I can agree wholeheartedly with his statement because “all that glitters is not gold.” As for Mizzou’s administration and Gates I have no answer, I believe the coach has a good relationship with the AD, but I cannot provide you proof of my statement.

Eastern Michigan was in action against in-state rival Western Michigan. Unless Emoni Bates has a spectacular game his team usually loses and that was the case Tuesday evening. The Broncos beat the Eagles 85-79, Bates was the leading scorer with 23 points but despite help his team lost their 12 game and second in the conference. On January 13 EMU is on the road facing Akron and the road to the NBA continues for Bates.

What timing

The story above was written days ahead of what you are about to read. His name popped up on my social media site, Artis Gilmore. You might not be familiar with his name as might be others. Working backward allow me to inform you he’s been enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Gilmore played his college basketball at Gardner-Webb (then a junior college) and later at Jacksonville University. He stood 7 foot 2 inches and 240 pounds; Gilmore played a Big Man’s game in vogue for the time frame of the late ‘60’s into the 1980’s. In 1971 he was drafted by the ABA Kentucky Colonels and NBA Chicago Bulls and what is read is interesting. The ABA was so desperate to place him in their ranks they were willing to sign him to a 10-year contract.

The Bulls wanting his services as well went ahead and drafted Gilmore should his future change (which it did later). When the ABA went out of business the Bulls drafted him in the dispersal draft and he would play for them until 1982. In 1982 Gilmore was traded to the Spurs and would play for them until 1987. Gilmore   would finish his NBA career with the Bulls and Celtics, his last pro team was in Italy, and he retired from the game in 1989. If we look strictly at his numbers, I’m sure many will question why this left-hander is in the hall with career numbers of 12.3 rebounds and 18.8 points a game. Rather than listen to me blab and blab and blab check out this YouTube video. It should also be noted Gilmore probably had the largest Afro in the ABA, larger than Dr. J.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeTiJKrhuX8

Purpose in the proposal

A map indicates Trenton is 30 some miles from Philadelphia Pennsylvania. The Sixers want their own arena despite the fact Wells Fargo Arena is fairly new (1996). The issue almost always is based on money, it’s my understanding the Sixers don’t control anything. Truth is the Sixers are tenants in an arena owned by Comcast Spectator, the NBA team receives not one dime of any event held in the building with the exception of Sixer games.

One proposal under consideration was to move the team to Trenton New Jersey however that appears to have disappeared once 76 Place at Market Place in Philly move from a hope to a solid built project. The undertaking will not be completed until 2031 so we have quite a while to wait until the arena is completed. I like the proposal already and not a shovel full of dirt’s been turned over. If you check the window in bold print the website indicates 76 Place will be privately funded. Planned seating for the arena will be 18,500, this is considerably larger than Wells Fargo, according to information secured it seats 16,110 for basketball.

76place.com

Recruiting remains important

All are aware the college basketball landscape has changed significantly in recent years. Players transfer and no longer are forced to sit out a semester to play, this can change a program overnight from one muddling along to an NCAA invitation. Despite this change I continue to believe recruiting remains a vital step for improving a team. You might remember I wrote earlier this season is a throw away for Mizzou’s Dennis Gates, what does he do in his second year on the job?

We are still early; the spring signing period begins April 12 and ends May 17 which gives Mizzou’s staff ample time to scout and recruit high school talent. The coach and his staff are off to a good start based on what I uncovered. Mizzou is in the middle of the mix for Class of 2023 prospects, in my view any position below the Top 50 places a program in exclusive company. Don’t take my word, note the scouting site and the position they place Mizzou. Keep in mind several freshman require seasoning while others hit the ground running.

SI.com-22

Rivals.com-29

247Sports.com-22

On3/db-37

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I continue to ask the same question

On another social media platform I posed the question. The latest AP, Coaches and CBS Top 25 poll place Mizzou 20 in all three polls. The question was asked by me again, does this glorified “beauty contest” serve any real purpose? The first Monday in April is a truer test, late in the evening an NCAA basketball champion will be crowned. A friend said, “Yes it does matter, after so many years of the program being down, it’s nice to see Mizzou listed among the best in the nation.” Second to that I wonder if high school prospects pay any attention to the polls? If they do it could aid in attracting talent to that particular institution.

“The ship be sinking”

Those were the immortal words of former Knicks guard Michael Ray Richardson. His statement was made in 1981 after the Knicks suffering a losing streak of four consecutive games. We might have a case of history repeating itself to a degree however this time it a team from the west coast, the Clippers. The Clippers are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, the latest a 112-108 match against the Hawks. What’s wrong with the team many had pegged as potential 2023 NBA champions? Injuries to Paul George and others plus load management for Kawhi Leonard and rotation issues.

Without the two being in the lineup consistently the Clippers are an average NBA team. In an attempt to address issues he saw Tyronn Lue shook up his starting lineup however on Sunday night it failed to make much of a difference. As this is written the Clippers have a .500 record 21 wins and 21 losses. Many state “We have a half of season of play remaining” which is certainly true. The Clippers have ample time to finish the season successfully. My question surrounds the durability and the power to avoid injury and not the talent of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. We shall see what eventually prevails for the Clippers for the balance of the season.

The numbers

After the Saturday win against a tough Vanderbilt team I thought I’d toss a few numbers in your direction. Mizzou is tied for third in the nation in scoring, they are 6 in assists.

87.1 scoring points per game tied 3

19.1 assists per game 6

75.1 points allowed

31.9 rebounds tied 407

The numbers clearly indicate Mizzou is on the right track except for one. The rebound per game total provides us an indication of a key problem, lack of rebounds. Can Mizzou’s smallish front line manage to improve from here on out, yes, they can however change is necessary? What’s most important, boxing out the opposition or all five guys crashing the boards? Actually both are equally important however coaches claim it’s better to go get the ball.

One other note connected with the basketball program, it’s clear Gary Parrish of CBS Sports is impressed with Mizzou and Dennis Gates. He was the first to my knowledge to move Mizzou into the Top 25, in addition this part is stunning. Parrish claims Gates should be under consideration for head coach at the University of Texas. Certainly the expectations for the coach are outstanding despite the fact Gates has less than a full season at the helm. Depending on the outcome of the season Gates might find his name on more than one list as a potential head coach. We must return to the days of Mike Anderson to remember when reports of this type cropped up regarding a Mizzou coach.

Why not…but I’m only a fan

I read this statement a long time ago, “Give me a place to stand and I can move the world.” Those were the words of Archimedes ancient Greek, philosopher just one of the many “hats” he wore. I could easily see those words used by center Thomas Bryant. Laker Nation is not going to confuse Bryant with Wilt, Kareem or Shaq at the 5. Let’s travel back to last season prior to Bryant’s arrival, this is the brief Andre Drummond story. Anthony Davis made it known Drummond made it difficult for him to operate in his usual space. Fast forward to the present and Darvin Ham moves a reluctant AD to the 5 and then another   injury.

Forced to the sidelines once again and we see Thomas Bryant enter the lineup in his place. It’s been too many years but somehow the Lakers “lost” the 6 foot 10 Bryant to the Wizards where he was able to play successfully. Free agent Bryant signed with the Lakers over the summer but played little with AD in front of him on the depth chart. If you check his stats, they appear pedestrian however it’s my view there is more to his game oversimplify scoring. There are two hopes on my part, I hope when AD returns from the injury list Bryant remains in the lineup. I hope AD and Bryant can work in the lineup together and continue to move the Lakers on a continued upward trend and provide the defense and scoring so vital for the team. I cannot speak to the defensive side of Bryant, but 29 points and 14 rebounds is outstanding in my book. Get this, according to Lakers Nation website in this most recent game Bryant became the first Laker since Shaq to score that number of points and rebounds while shooting 85% or better from the floor.

An update 

This past Saturday afternoon Emoni Bates game was on display once again. He would lead the way as Eastern Michigan beat one of their in-state rivals Central Michigan 62-56. The slender guard/forward registered a double-double with 26 points along with 10 rebounds. As you can note by the final score Bates didn’t receive a great deal of help from his Eagle teammates, they would only score 28 points. To no surprise you’d understand why Bates leads the team in scoring. He’s scoring at a 20.7 points a game along with 6 rebounds, for the season Bates is shooting .438% from the floor and .364% from the 3pt line. His field goal percentage plus 74% from the free-throw line could certainly be improved. I believe the NBA is clearly in his future, but the question remains will he be a legitimate star?

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Friends

No, this is not a reference to the long running television series Friends. This is a description of a friendship between a coach and his former player. “He’s a very good friend. He will always be. So you feel for people who get caught up into a situation. But I’m not a judge and jury and our friendship will continue.” The words of Gregg Popovich Spurs coach describing his relationship with former player Ime Udoka.

Depending on the circumstances we often lose friends when a self-induced tragedy occurs in our life. In this instance I’m not saying you hold them up as heroes or heroines, but the circumstances must be doggone drastic to cut someone out of your life completely. I continue to believe Udoka deserves a second opportunity to coach in the NBA and it will come someday. The firestorm surrounding him will continue to exist because many of us have difficulty forgiving. We have no idea what lies in the back of their “closets” do we? 

I suppose I could be wrong

Currently the two mock draft sites I utilize have the Hornets projected to draft Victor Wembanyama. If they secure the top slot, there is no doubt he will be chosen by them it’s the number two spot under review. Recently I stated if the Hornets have the opportunity to draft Scoot Henderson, they might choose him with the prospect of a trade. After hearing from others I wonder if I could be off base, allow an explanation. LaMelo Ball might have some flaws in his game, but he is a good young point guard. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2021 despite his limited play at the pro level. Henderson appears to be an outstanding point guard in the G-League, he will be a lottery pick, likely number two. 

A portion of my earlier evaluation was reading about Norm Nixon and Magic Johnson, both excelled as point guards. Truth is the Lakers won that first championship with both in the backcourt. It was said “You need a single primary ball-handler to run a team”, that would be Magic thus Nixon was traded. What I might not have taken into consideration is changes in the game. We have combo guards now rather than pure point guards. We often discuss the lack of Big Man post play in today’s NBA we could look at the point guard also. Chris Paul is a dinosaur; he might be the last pure point guard in the league all the others for the most part are combo guards. If the opportunity presented itself could Scoot and LaMelo operate as backcourt partners? I don’t have an answer for the question but after a revisit on the subject I’m certainly not going to say it couldn’t work.

Give me a reason to spend my money

The Saturday Mizzou victory over Vanderbilt represented the third consecutive sellout game. Recently tickets for basketball have become a hot item. I haven’t seen any figures, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Mizzou’s exceeded last season’s attendance already. Of course I’m counting the non-conference portion of as well. I guess the question might be why the sellouts are shocking, Mizzou fans were just waiting for the opportunity to become enthralled with basketball again.

As for the cost I’m unsure of student ticket prices, although they are discounted no one wants to spend money without the reward of a win. As for those in the working class they remain in the same mindset too, they could find other areas to expend their disposable income. Mizzou Arena seats 15,000 for basketball so that gives you an idea how many have been in attendance the last three games. The next two Mizzou games are on the road so we must wait until the January 18 against Arkansas to determine if the home sellout streak continues. That’s all the student body and others are saying, “Give me a reason to spend my money.”

Not in the beginning

The American Basketball Association or ABA began play in 1967 the 11 teams considered themselves major league but that wasn’t true. Those who played in the league thought of themselves as professionals, and they were…they were paid. The only issue ABA play was no way close to that of the older established NBA. In 1976 by the time four teams moved into the NBA they might have been on equal terms except financially. The ABA teams which went out of business a number of players from those teams were placed in a dispersal draft and they came into the NBA too.

Did you notice I didn’t use the term “merger”, that’s what it was labeled however I beg to differ. How do you merge when only four of your teams move into the NBA? Try as they might ABA owners were money losers over the time the league operated. Teams moved it seemed routinely, players changed teams because of monetary issues, with no national television contract you can see the issue. At the end of operations many of its players were equal to or exceeded the talent of NBA players of the era. Of course with a smaller number of teams overall there were not as many. Unless you are a student of the game you will only recognize the names of Dr. J., Moses Malone, George Gervin and Artis Gilmore but there were other equally talented players.

Could an equivalent of the ABA come into existence today, it could although I seriously doubt it the landscape has changed significantly. In 1967 there was a smaller NBA and the Eastern League which operated similar to today’s G-League. I know there was no Australian Basketball League, Euro League play might have existed but would have been in it’s infancy. Today we have the G-League as mentioned earlier, Overtime Elite and maybe other leagues I might have overlooked. No, a revised ABA could not exist today in my view there is far too much competition for players in 2022. 

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Basketball from a fans perspective

Gotta rebound the rock

I’m convinced, Mizzou is a better basketball team than most of us envisioned last March 22 when coach Gates was hired. If we checked the box score from the 85-82 victory over Vanderbilt yesterday the numbers are for the most part even. The only area that leaps off the page at us is rebounds; the Commodores outrebounded the Tigers 31-22. You are going to read in another installment about the short frontline of this Mizzou team. Kobe Brown the all-everything athlete stands 6 foot 8 and he’s the tallest player who plays major minutes. Ronnie DeGray III is 6 foot 6 and from there the Tigers become considerably smaller. Mizzou essentially plays four guards along with DeGray at forward.

More on that later, despite the rebound discrepancy other aspects of the game contributed to the win. In spite of foul trouble four players finished in double digit scoring with two of them coming off the bench. As for the rebound issue, there is height in 6 foot 10 Mohamed Diarra and 7 foot 2 Mabor Majak who never play. Diarra last played at the junior college level while Majak arrived from Cleveland State with coach Gates. In any event I’m going to leave the rebound issue in the hands of the coach and his staff. If I can see the deficiency sitting in my Man Cave, I know they can, let’s see how capable they are in making adjustments for the future. Speaking of the future the Tigers have been fully “exposed”, SEC foes are prepared to face Mizzou.

The Battle for Los Angeles

Laker and Clipper Nation were optimistic at the beginning of the season, both fan bases believed their favorite team would compete however the Clippers were projected to be the better team. In fact some in the media picked the Clippers as the possible 2023 NBA Champions. This is written January 7; the standings will have changed slightly however what has been seen thus far is not what both fan bases expected. The Lakers got off to a horrendous start but currently find themselves 3 games below .500 (18-21), the Clippers with a 21-20 record certainly don’t scream NBA champs.

Can we state with conviction both franchises have underwhelmed thus far? Injuries appear to be the chief cause of less than spectacular play for both teams. The Clippers Kawhi Leonard returning from no play last season has missed close to the same number of games of Laker Anthony Davis this season. Both players are key to any hoped-for future success of the Clippers and Lakers. What was expected to be a battle for the hearts and minds of Angelenos has turned into a small skirmish at best. Finally this bit of information I located online. I guess when you have a 38-year-old on your roster the assumption might be you have an old team, that is not the case. The average age of the Lakers roster is 27.6 including LeBron James, the Clippers are 28.6. I realize one year is not a big deal except in the minds of those who believe the Lakers are elderly. As for the oldest that would be the Bucks whose average age is 30.1.

We are yet to reach the middle of January, there remains plenty of time for both teams to improve their position in the standings. As for a possible championship we shall see what unfolds in the future for both Los Angeles teams. At this point it might be a longshot for either team to be considered a contender. The Clippers and Lakers have an ongoing history of key players missing in action due to injury and the 2022-23 season appears to be no different. Maybe there really is no battle for fans, until the Clippers are able to at least play for a championship they will remain the number two NBA team in these parts. It’s not like they haven’t had an opportunity it seems injuries, coaching and sometimes the roster has combined forcing the Clippers to come up short time after time after time. It’s difficult at this point to determine which team has the clearest path ahead beyond this season.

Scoring binge

Recently I went on record indicating how difficult it was to keep up the pace. The pace of reporting high scoring games by NBA players, in recent weeks we’ve seen an explosion in scoring. It’s not just individual players its teams as well, some of you might remember back to the day. We had 3-5 teams any season holding the opposition to under 100 points a game. The Bad Boy Pistons, the Jordan led Bulls and others I might have overlooked.

Those days are in the rear-view mirror of the NBA, it’s now score…then score and score some more. As this is written the NBA contains not a single team holding the opposition below the threshold mentioned. The Cavs are the best in the NBA, they hold opposing teams to 106.4 points per game. 7 teams in the Eastern Conference are scoring more points than they give up Celtics, Bucks, Nets, Cavs, Sixers, Knicks and Pacers…that’s it. In the Western Conference we have 5 the Nuggets, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Mavs and Kings. Is there an explanation for the prolific scoring binge, I’ve read nothing to date? I guess in today’s NBA the hope is to outscore your opposition no matter the total.

We don’t know

If we check the bio of Patrick Ewing, we’d discover it’s outstanding. His stellar basketball career beginning at Georgetown and in the NBA with the Knicks have seen him enshrined in the College and Naismith Hall of Fame. From Ewing’s retirement up to the present there have been mixed results on his career. For those who follow the NFL they are aware offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy has been mentioned as a potential head coach but is yet to be hired. This action has occurred over the past two years or so with no positives to speak of. Back to the NBA, Ewing after retirement served at several stops as an assistant coach. Every time a head coaching job opened just like Bienemy; he would interview but not hired.

Finally in April 2017 Georgetown where he distinguished himself on the basketball court would hire Ewing as head coach. The three-time All American was back where a portion of his outstanding career had begun. Ewing’s first Hoya team finished the season 15-15, since that point his Hoya teams have been less than spectacular. The high-water mark for Ewing thus far has been his second season at the helm, his team finished 19-14. So far this season’s Hoya team has 5 wins and 11 losses, 0-5 in the conference. After fighting so hard to gain a head coaching job maybe he might be among that number. The number who are great basketball players but only so-so as a coach. In year 6 there is a question just how long will the AD continue to remain in Ewing’s corner? The Hoyas have lost a record 25 conference games in a row.