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Basketball remains number one

I cannot help it, I’m excited about the NFL Chiefs and their second Super Bowl in the last three years. It’s my opinion they have the best quarterback in the NFL and a team of guys who want to win at the highest level. Barring major injury the team should be set for the next several years. I salute you SUPER BOWL Champion Kansas City Chiefs. Despite me gushing over with praise for this football team basketball continues to be first in my heart.

SMH  

You remember the Chris Beard story; the Texas coach was arrested on a domestic violence charge in December. His girlfriend made an effort to say it didn’t occur although she must have called law enforcement. After being suspended by the school Beard was then fired last month, yesterday on Wednesday the court dismissed the felony charge primarily based on the testimony of the girl friend. We shouldn’t feel sorry for Beard more than likely he was paid but this is the part that causes me to shake my head. Beard now has no job doing the one thing he loves…coaching basketball. Don’t misunderstand the statement, the intent here is to detail violence whether it occurred or not never resolves an issue.  

Years ago but the pain is still there

Joe Dumars moved from the basketball court to the front office, a key member of the Piston’s Bad Boy teams he became the GM and president of basketball operations. Despite a number of key moves while occupying the chair one bad move continues to resonate for him. April 2014 Dumars stepped down as president of basketball operations, how do I know a move he made years ago still concerns him. Just this year Dumars reflected on it. The 2003 NBA draft was LeBron’s, and the Cavs had the top pick, everyone was aware where the Akron Ohio wunderkind was headed. What about number two, there was potential talent available. Carmelo Anthony at Syracuse had demonstrated his ability all season long. Also in that year’s draft was Dwayne Wade who played at Marquette.

Unlike other names probably fewer fans were familiar with Wade until he willed his Marquette team’s advance in the NCAA tourney. Also available was Georgia Tech’s Chris Bosh but none of the names would be announced as the pick for the Pistons. The Pistons chose 7-foot 250-pound Darko Milicic with the second pick in that year’s draft. The Serbian youngster was raw but appeared to have that thing p o t e n t i a l. The shorten version of the story it was discovered the potential did not quite fit what the Pistons envisioned draft night. Milicic remained a Piston until 2006 and then it was the Magic, Grizzlies, Knicks, and Celtics. By 2012 Milicic’s NBA career was over with not a great deal to prove he was the player many first believed back in 2003. He returned to Serbia purchased land and is reported to have become a successful farmer. We can debate the fortunes of the Pistons had they chosen Anthony or Wade, but it appears after all this time Dumars still regrets that draft.

You cannot help but be impressed

Forget the Auburn blowout loss, Mizzou was bound to have a very poor game. Hopefully this was the one and only hopefully. Consider this bit of information a fact, whether Mizzou’s next game is a win or not they have the largest win total since the 2017-18 season. How did they accomplish this feat, work…work…and more work. The first key, the coaching staff assembled a collection of athletes the majority from mid major programs around the nation. They were able to blend this group from all over into a cohesive capable bunch. Besides the win total the most impressive part the patience of the team. Just like Dennis Gates they never seemed appear upset at one another over a stray pass or missed shot. No angry glances at that particular player, they never appear in a hurry even when the score doesn’t favor them. As for individual team members, I believed there might be issues regarding Isiaih Mosley. Winning early the sharpshooter transfer from Missouri State could be seen on the bench.

That became his permanent position, anytime the media questioned Gates his explanation was simple. “He’s got issues to work out” without providing us any clue what that meant. Then it occurred, Mosely enters the game as a reserve, the next two would see him inserted into the starting lineup. I’m sure there are other issues hidden from our view, but I like this coach, I like his players. In closing I like the direction Mizzou is heading there is only one problem. This is the part I like; national folks are recognizing the job Gates has accomplished in just a short bit of time. I listened to a radio interview with Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, Dodd had nothing but praise when the coaches name was mentioned. Mizzou must do its homework to ensure other programs don’t swoop in attempting to lure Gates away with more money or prestige. Recently we read the Bama announcement involving Nate Oats. Oats hired by Alabama in 2019 the school signed him to a 6-year $30M extension to guarantee he remained in place…hear that Mizzou Athletic?

A further explanation

I covered the history of the Rockets but I’m unsure if the team name was explained. Today you hear Houston and Rockets, and the first thought might be NASA, the space program and all that. Houston is synonymous with Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. The franchise was an NBA expansion team that entered the NBA in 1967 from San Diego California, yes California and not Texas. A contest was held to name the team and Rockets was chosen for two reasons.

Rockets paid homage to the theme at the time “A City in Motion.” In addition General Dynamics built the Atlas rocket for the military during this time. The Rockets would remain in San Diego until 1971 when the team was sold to Houston interests. Hemorrhaging money the owner was left with no other choice but to sale the team. I was unable to locate information relating to local investors stepping in to save the team for San Diego. Naturally with the move to Houston it probably was decided to continue the name, after all Houston had been so closely associated with the space program.

 

 

                                                             

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Sometimes it’s over before it begins

There are no highlights only lowlights, Mizzou was taken apart and spanked soundly by the Auburn Tigers 89-56. You name an area Auburn didn’t lead in, I check the box score and I didn’t see one. They ran around and over the top of my Tigers as Mizzou suffered its worst loss of the season. DeAndre Gholston led the way with 10 points, yes, I said 10. He was assisted by Kobe Brown who scored but 7 and several others also with 7, it’s easy to understand when you only shoot 31% from the floor as a team and 23% from three. Enough of that I can only look ahead to Texas A&M on Saturday.

Black History Moment

Despite the perception the NBA which was founded in 1946 did not have its first black player Chuck Cooper until 1950 after the merger. There was a league that went against the segregation pattern of America in the 1940’s. The National Basketball League was founded in 1937 and at a point in time contained 38 teams. The NBL would merge with the Basketball Association of America in 1949 thus becoming the National Basketball Association. While the BAA was made up largely of white players the NBL had broken ground in the area of integration years before. Perhaps it was World War II or something else that caused a change, but it occurred.

The 1942-43 season saw NBL rosters containing black players unheard of at the time. The Toledo (OH) White Chevrolets and the Chicago Studebakers (named after an automobile of the era) filled their rosters with black players, but it wouldn’t last. These NBL teams went out of business due to financial issues, keep in mind Jackie Robinson wouldn’t break the color barrier in baseball until 1947. By the time the NBL and BAA merged the majority of NBL teams had ceased operations. Although it was brief and only a blip on society at the time basketball opened to black players at an earlier date than the national pastime…baseball. Even more interesting the early NFL allowed black players but banned them beginning in 1933 and lasted until 1946.

The deed has been accomplished

LeBron James broke the point total scoring record established by Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 1984. At the time the record was set few believed anyone was capable of exceeding it yet 39 years later it’s been accomplished. With LeBron continuing his NBA career we might ask the question will his point total ever be exceeded. This is interesting and noteworthy; as mentioned the record was broken April 5, 1984. Later on in late winter December 30 to be exact in an Akron Ohio hospital LeBron James was born.

The question for you, similar to the Roger Maris American League home run record established in 1961 we thought it would never be broken. Over the years a number of players have approached it, but it took the Yankees Aaron Judge to break it in 2022 with 62. Perhaps he’s just been born or maybe a year or two from now. An NBA player will someday establish a new point total exceeding that of LeBron James. I managed to shock my wife unintentionally, I will explain. She saw a report on breaking the record and said, “he’s the best.” I said not necessarily so, in my opinion it’s still Kareem Abdul Jabbar for me.

Second round pick you say

Generally we are more interested in the lottery portion of the NBA draft than any other part. We believe there is potential star power in the early first round but there is more. A number of outstanding NBA players made it as second round draft choices. That says there are likely 30 players who possess superior talent but that’s not always the case, let’s check out a current number:

Nikola “The Joker” Jokic-Nuggets Round 2 pick 41

Khris Middleton Bucks-Round 2 pick 39

Draymond Green Warriors-Round 2 pick 35

Jordan Clarkson Jazz-Round 2 pick 46

Jalen Brunson Knicks-Round 2 pick 33

Malcom Brogdon Celtics-Round 2 36 NBA Rookie of the Year in 2017

Those are but a few second-round picks with careers beyond what might have been thought when first drafted. I’m sure there are others this was a quick internet search. If we returned to the past, we might locate a few Hall of Fame players. It’s unbelievable to think of the Knicks Willis Reed as a second-round pick, there were a smaller number of NBA teams in 1964 but he wouldn’t be picked before 10 other players were chosen. How about the rebounding machine Dennis Rodman drafted by the Pistons in round 2 with pick 27. I will close with the guy who brought the Euro step to the NBA Manu Ginobili, he was pick 57 in the second round of the 1999 draft. Three more selections and he would have missed the draft completely. Reed, Rodman and Ginobili all in the Naismith Hall of Fame, can I say it’s not where you started but where you ended.

He was ahead of his time

If you are a student of the game the name Pete Maravich is known to you. Maravich with the floppy socks was ahead of his time. Unless you were seeing the Globetrotters in action those of the era were unaccustomed to seeing play of that type on college basketball court and by a white guy with flashy Globetrotter moves. This was basketball in the mid to late ‘60’s, nobody handled and passed a basketball like Maravich except the Globetrotters I said that earlier. It was not just slick passes for assists he could score as well, from 1967 through 1970 he was the offense for LSU basketball. Consider this fact, 3,667 points and a 44.2 per game scoring average and this was done in only three years.

We must take into consideration at that time first year students were restricted to freshman teams. Drafted by the Hawks his NBA career was not as noteworthy but there were explanations. His flashy style of play plus his large contract as a rookie created difficulties with teammates. In the 1977-78 season Maravich begin to experience knee problems which impacted his career until the end. He would end his playing career after the 1980 season after 10 years, January 5, 1988, playing a pickup game Maravich suffered a fatal heart attack. After his death Maravich was enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. Pete Maravich, light years ahead of his time with the basketball. Check out video of him in action on YouTube.

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Bits n Pieces

Russell Westbrook traded to the Jazz is reported to be weighing his options. Jazz management indicates they are committed to playing younger players, is there a need for a 34-year-old Westbrook? A number of teams are buying out the contracts of veterans obtained in trades. There is a report the Clippers have reached out to him, although I remain unsure if this is tampering it still makes sense for Westbrook. There would be no requirement for him to move his family to Salt Lake, everybody remains in Southern Cal.    

The basketball season concluded early for New Mexico State this season. In fact this past Sunday the university suspended the men’s basketball program. The basis for the suspension involves a hazing and sexual assault against a team member implicating 3 members of the team. How this event will eventually unfold is unclear at this point since the charges if true must be decided in a civil court. NMSU up through last week had 9 wins and 15 losses and, in the WAC, they had 2 wins versus 10 losses in the WAC. There are 6 conference games remaining on the schedule plus a post-season tournament.

I’m unsure of the why, maybe it was the fact the NBA point total record was broken by LeBron James recently. You can find the article it and read it for yourself I’m not going to attempt to detail it, Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s made the claim there could be multiple G.O.A.T.’s in the NBA. I certainly have no intention to speak for anyone reading this however I’ve grown tired of the back-and-forth conversation. How can we compare Jerry West to Steph Curry, they play generations apart. Second to that what do we use as a barometer of measurement to determine their greatest? Is it MVP awards, NBA championships or something else?

If I said Alabama sports the first name that might come to mind is the late Bear Bryant football coach. Maybe the current football coach Nick Saban but a new name associated with the school might be just as widespread. Allow me to introduce to some Nate Oats Crimson Tide men's basketball team. Oats Alabama team is the AP number one team in the nation this week. This is the first time Alabama has reached this point since the 2003 season.

Has the nickname “Street Clothes” now been passed on the Pelicans Zion Williamson? He’s out once again and it appears he will be sidelined for several weeks maybe up till early April. Will that allow enough time for the Pelicans to earn a playoff spot? The latest is a hamstring injury, according to reports Williamson aggravated it while attempting to ramp up. We continue to harp on his weight versus height, I’m beginning to wonder if that might be part of the problem. His ankles or knees appear in conversation regarding his series of injuries. 

He's back

A player was traded due to his immaturity, that would appear to be the case. D’Angelo Russell played but one season at Ohio State but believed he was ready for the NBA. He was made the second pick in the 2015 draft by the Lakers and in his rookie year Russell earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie second   team. His sophomore year would see his field goal percentage dip slightly, but his scoring went up to 15.6 a game, decent for a combo guard. Then it occurred what I mentioned earlier the maturity issue. Rather than keep an indiscretion to himself he did a TMZ on a Laker teammate which caused clubhouse turmoil. June of 2017 witnessed Russell and others traded to the Nets, from there it was to the Warriors in a trade. I believe to this day the clubhouse incident was the key factor in Russell being traded.

From the Warriors, he found himself a member of the Wolves, this portion of his NBA career contained moves, but I never read of complaints from coaches or teammates. February 9 the Lakers re-acquired Russell in a trade along with several others. Other than the single incident with a teammate no longer in the NBA I don’t remember any other issues. Apparently, the Lakers believing the same had no difficulty with making the trade. Despite the number of moves Russell’s numbers have remained steady plus he’s a good three-point shooter. If there are no other issues, he could prove to be a valuable addition to the Lakers in this stretch drive for a playoff berth. The one area I’m never sure I can comment is defense, is Russell a good defender? I will leave that question to the analytic guys to determine.

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I failed to mention

Sometimes it’s the little things left undone, they can make a difference between winning and losing a game. These non-deeds can haunt the losers, its best to try and move on as best possible. This portion I failed to include in yesterday’s edition. Saturday evening the Tennessee player steps to the free throw line, he takes the first attempt and misses the basket. I don’t remember if he sank the second shot or not, either the shooter or one of the other Tennessee players committed a lane violation.

A lane violation meant the ball would be turned over to Mizzou to inbound; you know the balance of the story that’s already been communicated to you. DeAndre Gholston sinks a 35–40-foot shot with seconds remaining, while the ball is in the air the shot barely moved the twine. I’m sure game officials checked the video to ensure the shot was good. No reason for me to believe it wasn’t good, the only question did Gholston travel or committed an offensive foul. He was close by two Tennessee players as he fell to the floor did he run into them or did they foul him on the shot? Apparently not as game officials indicated the shot was good, game over. Final Mizzou 86 Tennessee 85, did the better team win the game?  

Black History Moment

You probably never heard of Don Barksdale; his name is lost in the annals of basketball history. It is significant for several reasons, and I will detail them for you. His bio reads like a “He was the first”, and they are certainly noteworthy. He was the first black player named an NCAA All-American, in 1947 the overwhelming majority of black players were at HBCU schools. Barksdale played his basketball at UCLA when he was named a second team All-American…but wait there’s more. Barksdale would become the first black player on team USA basketball and the first black player in an NBA All-Star game in 1953.

In 2012 he was enshrined posthumously in the Naismith Hall of Fame and the question might be why his name is missing for most fans? I believe its two-fold, the time period Barksdale played is an overriding factor. Beginning in the 1947 season Barksdale played AAU basketball having been passed over In the 1947 Basketball Association of America draft. Barksdale signed a free-agent contract with the defunct Baltimore Bullets in 1951 and played for them through 1953. He would close out his NBA career with the Celtics 1953-1955. The second reason for so little significance of groundbreaker Barksdale, his numbers might be considered average, I’d rather point toward his successes on and off the basketball court.

Celtic history

Anytime a player is traded the hope value is returned to those who generated it. The Warriors traded James Wiseman who they drafted in 2020 with the second pick. It appeared Wiseman possessed all the tools, 7 feet tall 240 pounds and he would add value to the Warriors into the future. Part of the problem, injuries and an adjustment to NBA play (time spent in the G-League). It appears over time perhaps the Warriors believed he’d reached his ceiling and certainly at a lower level than hoped for when drafted. The other issue was there too much pressure placed on him playing for the Warriors? With the re-building Pistons there should be less pressure to deliver immediately.

In any event the trade reminded me of another Warrior center, Robert Parrish drafted by the Warriors in 1976 and he remained with them through the 1980 season. According to what I read Red Auerbach saw something different. Celtic center Dave Cowans had retired, and Larry Bird was in his second year so there was a need. Auerbach held the number one draft pick but traded it to the Warriors along with another to acquire Parrish and with the additional pick chose Kevin McHale. McHale and Parrish along with a guy by the name of Bird would lead the franchise to championship levels. As for the Celtic pick the Warriors chose Joe Barry Carroll who was a decent center but an enigma. His time was so tumultuous he was nicknamed “Joe Barely Cares”. Hopefully this trade will turn out better for the Warriors in the future than the Parrish trade.

Why I hate KC Sports talk radio

Allow me to walk the headline back a bit, hate is a strong word. I try to refrain from using that animated a tone, let’s simply say I have issues with KC Sports talk radio. I will list them in order along with a brief detail of the why, here goes:

Andy Reid is A and Patrick Mahomes is B Prior to Reid being hired the NFL Chiefs had been one of the worst teams in the league. Since Reid’s arrival the Chiefs have been double digit winners every season except for his second. Mahomes arrives and quickly becomes the best quarterback in the NFL maybe the best all-time. These two along with the Chiefs playoff success sucks all the oxygen out of the room, I love the Chiefs, but they dominate sports talk radio 12 months of the year. 

Royals baseball The sport remains popular in a number of circles among a smaller number of KC fans. When talk radio is not discussing the Chiefs it’s the Royals from April through July. The baseball talk begins to dwindle once Chiefs training camp opens in July, the only exception was the two years the Royals played in the postseason leading to the Worlds Series. 

Kansas basketball There is a narrow window for Kansas basketball allocated between late November up through April. Basketball discussions on talk radio consist of Kansas, a smaller portion is devoted to K-State and Mizzou basketball. With that you might note the limited amount of time devoted to basketball unrelated to Kansas. There is little if any talk regarding basketball outside of the teams mentioned.

As you can see Chiefs football is the prime topic of conversation in season and out for KC Sports Talk radio. There is little talk (at least what I’ve heard) on NHL hockey or NBA basketball. Truth is there is more talk regarding soccer than there is on these sports. Do I expect a change one day in how the three KC locals operate? Let’s just say I’m not going to hold my breath, maybe the better thing for me to do is to find an alternative outlet. How about sports talk radio where you live, is it balanced or does one or more sports dominate?

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A reflection of the coach

Mizzou was on the road against number 6 Tennessee, what did I expect…a win naturally. Just kidding, I was prepared to write this down as a loss. Mizzou would inbound the ball with seconds remaining in the game, the ball was passed to DeAndre “Ice” Gholston, and he takes the shot, I was prepared for it to be a miss, Tennessee 85 Mizzou 83 would be the final. Great effort Tigers you came up just a little short, boy did I miss this one, Gholston’s ball barely move the twine as time expired…final score Mizzou 86 Tennessee 85. I’ve seen enough of Dennis Gates to clearly see this team is a reflection of him in this manner.

His demeanor during games never changes, he doesn’t pound tables jump up and down in fact he’s rather stoic. I believe that calm manner translates to his team. They are a reflection of Gates, he’s confident and that confidence rolls down to his team. I hope Todd Lebo of 810 WHB seeing the score will come to the realization sometimes you lose road games you should have won and Saturday night the opposite occurred. The Tigers won a road game in all likelihood they would have lost last season. Just a sidebar, that’s the second game winner for Gholston at the buzzer. He sank a three-point basket at the buzzer in December against UCF.   

Bits n Pieces 

There are reports circulating Paul George and Marcus Morris have reached out to Russell Westbrook to join the Clippers should he secure a release from the Jazz. Part of this is understandable, George and Westbrook were teammates as members of the Thunder. There is a question on my part to be determined, what constitutes tampering? We have witnessed in the past NBA teams being fined for “tampering” i.e. contacting players not on their roster. I don’t have the answer, does tampering only apply to teams and not players? Allow me to clear up your concern, I have no issue with whatever team Westbrook might decide on.   

Everything should be in place now; I borrowed the headline from a friend because I thought it best fit CP3. Everything is in place now for the Suns to win it all, they have DeAndre Ayton at center, Devin Booker at shooting guard and Kevin Durant at power forward, this trio along with perennial All-Pro Chris Paul have it all. Shooting, defense and quality reserves…wait a moment can they win with the reserves on hand? The Suns have a collection of veteran players in reserve roles I wonder if they scare anyone or capable of stepping up. Before you begin tossing rocks in my direction check the Suns roster besides the starter’s mentioned. Coach Monty Williams has a masterful task in front of him blending Durant and others with the collection of reserve players remaining.

Discussing buyouts this is going to be shocking to those of you reading this. Should Patrick Beverley become available I’d have no problem if the Lakers chose to pick him up. Why now versus previously you ask, I’ll be happy to explain. I didn’t like the idea (still don’t) of Beverley in the role of a starter, his defense for the most part is above average. As the first reserve off the bench I would imagine him in the role of shutting down (or limiting) that hot shooting opposition guard. Maybe it won’t work, perhaps the Lakers might be looking at someone else to fill that last roster spot. As for me that spot should be filled by Beverley.

This caution about the manner of a fellow player coming from Draymond Green of all people. Looking at the moves made by the Lakers Green was optimistic however this one left me wondering what was he trying to say? ‘I think the thing that I will watch in this trade is DLo’s fit next to LeBron James. That’s going to be a big thing because DLo plays at a certain pace. And so just to see that fit and how that’s all going to come here I think that’s important to how this trade will be judged.’ “You have to note that Green played alongside Russell for a bit during the latter’s brief stint with the Warriors, so you know that Draymond has some insider knowledge here. He is also well aware of LeBron operates, so one could argue that he’s somewhat of an authority on this subject.” * Is he saying the two teammates will butt heads or something else?

*Clutchpoints.com

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Cap

The headline is one of the many nicknames of Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Simply stated Cap stood for Captain which he was for those Laker teams in the ‘70’s. For me Cap will remain at the top for me despite his NBA point total being eclipsed, the reason has nothing to do with points or rebounds. A friend Greg sent me an article Abdul Jabbar wrote, it detailed his past and present relationship with Laker LeBron James. I found the account written by Cap insightful and interesting. He’s come a long way from his humble beginnings since his berth in Harlem New York.

I’m Ol Skool, the volume of work on and off the court by LeBron James certainly is noteworthy as it should be. The next portion I intend to discuss has nothing whatsoever to do with athletic ability. For me Cap was always more than a basketball player, he was an author, activist and more plus he will always remain at the top of my list of NBA greats, if I were to place a percentage only half having to do with basketball. I’m not going to attempt to detail the why, I would fill up the page with achievements. You are aware of most so I will leave it at this point. Born Lew Alcindor in 1947 his Muslim conversion saw a name change to Kareem Abdul Jabbar; I will just refer to him as the Cap.

Knoxville

I continue to be confused by fans at times, Texas fans literally ran Rick Barnes out of town when he coached there. He’s not won an NCAA championship since his arrival in Knoxville however his Tennessee teams have always been quite competitive. That’s my concern this afternoon, my Tigers are in Knoxville to play the number 5 or 6 team in the nation depending on which poll you follow. What do I expect, a competitive game and Mizzou wins by at least 5 points.

Road games have seen Mizzou sidetracked, the shooting and defense have been missing for large portions of the games. Looking back at the road losses hitting a few key shots and forcing a larger number of TO’s and it’s a winner rather than a loss. It’s to be expected, if we look at the conference Alabama leads the way with 7 road wins. A&M and Tennessee are 4-3 on the road, all the others are at .500 or below, someone needs to corner Todd Leabo of 810 WHB and explain to him. SEC teams (Mizzou) don’t always win on the road. Perhaps he failed to check Mississippi State and uncovered the fact they beat a good TCU team in the Big XII/SEC Challenge.

I find this interesting

Many reading this blog are aware I’ve been following the progress of Emoni Bates. If you remember as a high school player, he was chosen Gatorade Player of the Year, quite an honor. He’s been headed to the NBA since his sophomore year of high school. There have been several bumps in the road on the way to a possible NBA career. I guess in a sense we could toss out the less than spectacular freshman year at Memphis. He’d reclassified which meant he was a 17-year-old in college, certainly a maturity factor had to be taken into consideration. In addition an injury sidelined him, the next announcement he was transferring. It would be a return to home and Eastern Michigan University, Bates production at EMU has been successful however his team is not particularly good.

I’ve tried to “read” his game as a sophomore since his numbers certainly have shown dramatic improvement over his freshman season. Now 19 and eligible for the NBA draft does he submit his name, or will he wait an additional year? If Bates continues to see his name pop up on mock draft sites, I cannot imagine the 6-foot 10 170-pound wing remaining in school. Keep in mind I’m taking what others produced however they range as high as pick 50 or as low as 21. An athletes name on a mock draft site is no guarantee of anything however I will close with this bit of information. Last October not a single mock site contained Bates name, several list his name although they fail to assign a number. The sites below provided a number behind their pick, we must assume Bate’s shown enough improvement, or these guys are coping after one another. We end this inquiry by asking the question, is he ready for the rigors of NBA play?  

nbadraftroom.com 44    

nbadraft.net 50   

yahoosports.com 33

bleacherreport.com 21

sbnation.com 26

Bells

While conducting research I came across the name Walt Bellamy. There was a plethora of great centers playing during the 1960’s through the 1974 season, for a number of reasons his name is missing among the greats. Bells as he was nicknamed held his own against Russell, Chamberlain young Kareem Abdul Jabbar and others. Let’s check his bio, at the University of Indiana he was a three time All American and 1962 NBA Rookie of the Year.

The 6 foot 11 Bellamy was the anchor for the Chicago Zephyrs who would move to Baltimore and be re-born as the Bullets. From 1970-1974 Bells occupied the center position for the Hawks and performed admirably. He would become a 20,000-point scorer in the NBA and later he was honored by his induction into the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. The records indicate Bells pulled down 30+ rebounds four times during his career a feat few have been able to accomplish. Check out the scoring and rebound numbers in the spotlighted games.

35 pts and 30 rebounds vs Celtics 1/10/1962

33 pts 30 rebounds vs Lakers 2/4/1962

37 pts 37 rebounds vs Hawks 12/4/1964

30 pts 30 rebounds vs Lakers 2/6/1965

I’m sure some reading this will claim “He did that against an NBA consisting of a smaller number of teams.” Guess what, I’m going to agree with you, but the numbers are still amazing no matter the era, or the competition Bells might have faced. He retired from the NBA in 1974, his later life consisted of work with the NAACP, the Urban League and the YMCA in the Atlanta area. On November 2, 2013, Bellamy died at the age of 74 and is buried in Atlanta’s South-View Cemetery. This is but a brief account of one of the NBA’s greats who somehow has been overlooked in the annals of the history.

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Damned if you do, damned if you don’t

The Lakers were active in the trading market up to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time February 9. The first trade that broke saw the Lakers trade Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano Anderson plus Damion Jones and two 2027 first round picks. Arriving to wear purple and gold are D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt but wait there’s more. The Lakers then sent Thomas Bryant to the Nuggets for Devon Reed and three second round picks. The day was closed out with Patrick Beverley moved to Orlando for center Mo Bamba. As you can see by the flurry of activity the Lakers were quite active in the trade market. As for the headline allow me to explain, GM Rod Pelinka has been on the hot seat for months with many in Laker Nation.

The prime objection Pelinka wasn’t moving fast enough to address team needs. Now the day is complete and I’m reading as many letters complaining about the trades as praising them. Because I’m a “glass half full rather than half empty” guy I am reserving time to allow the trades to marinate. The only trade I will comment on for now is Russell Westbrook, the Lakers had to move him. It’s being reported the Jazz will likely release him and the Clippers are reported to be interested in signing him. I’m actually okay with the prospect of Westbrook moving across the hall at the arena. This team has practically been re-tooled from its season start. Are the Lakers preparing themselves for a run to earn a playoff berth?

He’s smooth

I’m no Kyrie Irving fan, never have been although I have no problem acknowledging his tremendous talent. I was particularly interested to see what his first game with the Mavs would be like since it was   available on ESPN. Even better the Mavs minus Luka would be facing the Clippers who they might meet in the playoffs. Skates, that would be my description of Irving’s moves on the court, without registering a blink it seemed he scored 24 points dished out 5 assists and grabbed 4 rebounds. Irving’s scoring and leadership was key to the 110-104 victory over the Clippers.

All was not positive as there were more turnovers than might have been expected, but part of that can be attributed to new team and new teammates. It’s easy to understand why many NBA teams were lining up to acquire his services. Irving is an exceptionally talented basketball player despite being a knucklehead at times. I can only speak to the portion I see, throughout his travels in the NBA (there have been many) I’ve yet to read or hear a complaint from a teammate. There is no method to prove my point but the trade to the Mavs provides visual proof he’s smooth.

And now there are none

I hear and read rumors of trades all the time, I can say in truth rarely does one slip past me offering a surprise…this one did. I rose on Thursday morning to discover the Nets traded Kevin Durant to the Suns, so here goes. Durant and TJ Warren to the Suns, heading east to the Nets in the exchange is Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four unprotected future first round draft choices. So what does this entail for the Western Conference race?

I’m glad you asked the question and in truth I can only say I don’t know. With CP3, DeAndre Ayton, Devin Booker and now Durant added to the lineup what do you think? You know what “they” say, on paper the Suns are the best in the west maybe in the NBA. What they often forget to mention the game is not played on paper its played on the hardwood. Okay you claim I’m shortchanging the move of the Suns that is certainly untrue, I believe they are very good.

Yes, a shot clock is needed

The final score read 4 to 2, no that wasn’t a baseball, hockey or soccer game. There is no shot clock in Oklahoma high school basketball, so this is your strategy. If you have an opponent, you believe you can’t beat you hold the ball game long. Weatherford High School beat Anadarko 4 to 2 and get this, the half time score was Weatherford 2 Anadarko 0. Understand this, Weatherford was ranked the number 3 high school in Oklahoma while their opposition was 9. The attempt to steal the game from a higher rated team didn’t work, in addition it must have been really entertaining for fans of both teams. I have no idea what the high school association is thinking but after this I’m sure they might entertain adding a shot clock next season.

Akron Ohio

We hear mention of the city and automatically think of LeBron James, but Akron knew basketball prior to James. Teammates in the Naismith Hall of Fame, not too uncommon bunches of Celtics and Lakers can lay claim to that story. How about high school teammates enshrined in the hall, has it ever occurred? My friend Alex has the answer since he’s from Akron originally. Nate Thurmond and Gus Johnson were teammates at Akron’s Central High School, Thurmond’s NBA career ran from 1963-1977.

He played for a number of teams but is primarily known for his tenure with the San Francisco Warriors. Thurmond’s high school teammate, Gus Johnson played from 1963-1973 most of his best seasons spent as a member of the Baltimore Bullets (Wizards).  Thurmond was enshrined in the Naismith Hall in 1985 and 2006 in the College Basketball Hall of Fame. As for Johnson it would be 2010 when he was accorded the honor. Both have now passed, Johnson died in 1987 and Thurmond in 2016. So there you have it, the teammates and this is a good trivia question to stump your friends.

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The trade went down

Russell Westbrook is headed to Utah, the Lakers will receive from the Wolves D’Angelo Russell, from the Jazz Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt. More on this in the Friday edition of Off the Dribble. It should be of note Russell was originally drafted by the Lakers in 2015 and is now 26-years old.

You must play the game(s)

If I’d told you 6 months ago Kansas basketball would have one more win than Mizzou, I’m sure you might have found the statement outrageous? Despite the manner the ball bounces that’s exactly our location. What does this imply for Mizzou Nation, we expect every time the Tigers hit the floor again…a win naturally. On Tuesday evening what I didn’t expect was an uphill fight all evening long as Carolina was able to sink three-point baskets which kept them in the game. The box score (Mizzou 83 South Carolina 74) details the ugly win for Mizzou.

The Tigers shot 51% from the floor and 48% from three however on the other end of the court saw Carolina shot 52% from the floor and 36% from three. Mizzou managed to match Carolina in rebounds 28, key might have been timely scoring from four Tigers. Kobe Brown led the way with 19 points 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Sean East had 15 points and Nick Honor scored 14 D’Moi Hodge chipped in with 12 points. The ugly win becomes number 18 for Mizzou and moves them closer to 20 wins. The last time a Mizzou team was able to win that total would have been the 2017-18 season, the Tigers finished the season 20-13. In closing a point for WHB 810 Sports radio, KSU was also a winner beating TCU 82-61.

By the way 810 Sports guys we don’t award grades by hires. We don’t decide one guy is an A hire and the other a B grade when their win totals are only one game apart. I’m really curious, the criteria used by your station alone to determine Tang was the better hire, absolutely no one is every awarded a grade based on whatever scale utilized. Dennis Gates and Jerome Tang have both had outstanding seasons so far. Mizzou was predicted to finish 11 in the SEC while KSU was projected 12, both programs have exceeded expectations. Now it’s on, two difficult road games, Tennessee on Saturday followed by Auburn you’ve probably never heard of.

I know it’s just me

Much later you are going to read my critique of Kansas City Sports Talk radio. I believe on a scale of 1-10 it’s only a 5 unless the discussion centers on the Chiefs. That’s the basis of my Wednesday morning rant, I didn’t set the bar too high for this one. This is no NBA town, so I certainly didn’t expect to hear what I heard at 6:00 a.m. this morning. I’m going to paraphrase the words of a local host because I didn’t record them. He reported LeBron breaking Kareem’s scoring record in a hum-ho manner. The conclusion by this host, “Basketball’s a team sport so a point total record by an individual is not that significant” or something similar.

This would be my response to that statement, did you feel the same way as Aaron Judge was chasing the Roger Maris home run record, once broken that was an individual record? What about locally, you praise the fact Patrick Mahomes threw for over 5,000 yards that too is an individual record. You then go on to close out the discussion by stating “The prospect of the Super Bowl pre-occupied your thoughts.” An NBA scoring record that’s been in place 39 years and you offer a less than enthusiastic observation. Me ceasing to listen to your station offers little in the manner of impacting your ratings however that is the path I have chosen for the immediate future.

Black History Moment

Earl Lloyd passed away in 2015 at the age of 86, most even some in the NBA don’t know his story. After playing high school basketball at Parker-Gray in Alexandria Virginia, he would move on to compete at West Virginia State University an HBCU school. Lloyd was drafted into the NBA in 1950, three years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. Lloyd was one of three black players drafted that year but was the first to play in the NBA. Game scheduling sent Lloyd into his first game one day ahead of Chuck Cooper of the Celtics and four days prior to Nate “Sweetwater” Clifton drafted by the Knicks. Lloyd would play only 7 games for the Washington Capitals before the team folded. The nation engaged in the Korean War at the time and Lloyd was drafted into the Army. He would return to the NBA in 1952 after experiencing combat during the conflict.

He suffered racial bigotry and ill treatment, but it was nowhere near what Robinson experienced in baseball. Lloyd indicates much of the public was accustomed to seeing black and white players on the same team in many colleges. This portion from Wikipedia. “Regarding the racism black players faced in the early years of the NBA, Lloyd recalled being refused service multiple times and an incident where a fan in Indiana spit on him. However, Lloyd persevered and said that these instances only pushed him and made him play hard. Saying he didn’t encounter racial animosity from teammates or opposing players, Lloyd said of fans’ antics, My philosophy was: If there weren’t calling you names, you weren’t doing nothing. If they’re calling you names, you were hurting them.” If you check his career scoring and rebound numbers, they appear average and they were, Lloyd was a defensive specialist during his career. It should also be noted he; Clifton and Cooper have all been enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. 

He was Colin Kaepernick before Kaepernick    

Some stories require them to be told as precisely as possible. Leaving out any portion of the story might lead one to come to a different conclusion, the story is too demanding to communicate in a shorten version. That’s what I have here, the story of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf born as Chris Jackson. It’s claimed while at LSU he was the best basketball player on an LSU team that contained Stanley Roberts (7 foot 285) and Shaquille O’Neal (7 foot 1 250). Shaq says without pause Abdul-Rauf was the best basketball player on that LSU team.

Others make the claim Rauf was “Steph Curry before Steph” which provides you an idea of his shooting ability and basketball skill. Raul also accomplished this while suffering from Tourette Syndrome a condition of the nervous system. From Wikipedia, “TS causes people to have “tics.” Tics are sudden twitches, movements, or sounds that people do repeatedly. People who have tics cannot stop their body for doing these things. For example, a person might keep blinking over and over.” Check the listings for the Showtime documentary Stand which provides additional detail on one of the best basketball players you’ve probably never heard of.

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Bits n Pieces 

Sam Mitchell is a favorite analyst on NBA TV, he’s insightful without being overbearing as some who perform this task. I’ve always enjoyed his take on the NBA and players except this time. Covering the evening scores he said this about the Clippers Monday night win. “By the end of the season they might be the best team in the Western Conference.” They certainly are playing better basketball with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the lineup consistently. I realize once the playoffs occur the Clippers will not be forced to play all the contenders. These are the Nuggets, Grizzlies or Kings however there are the Suns and Kyrie Irving Mavs and maybe the Lakers to contend with. As for Mr. Mitchell and his current view of the Clippers this is my take, “Show me, I’m from Missouri.”    

The SEC and SWAC share an anomaly, each conference has three schools with Tigers as their symbol. We have the Mizzou Tigers, Auburn Tigers along with the LSU Tigers in the SEC. The SWAC has the Grambling State Tigers, Jackson State Tigers and Texas Southern Tigers. Tigers might not be the most used symbol among schools, but it certainly appears to be quite prevalent. We have the Memphis Tigers, Clemson Tigers, Tennessee State Tigers, Towson Tigers, Pacific Tigers, and Princeton Tigers. It might be a good idea if a school is considering a change in its symbol, they might choose something other than a Tiger.

It’s okay

Victor Wembanyama could be drafted in June and fall flat on his face by late winter 2023. I doubt that occurs but if you wish to argue he’s too skinny or something else about his game consider these facts. 200 NBA scouts and executives were salivating after seeing him in action last October against G-League Team Elite. LeBron James said, “Everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years, but he (Wembanyama) is more like an alien. No one has ever seen anyone as tall as he is but as fluid and as graceful as he is on the floor.” This is Giannis answering the question, “He’s incredible. I believe in 2045, everybody is going to look like Victor.

His skills, the way he can shoot the ball, the way he can move, he’s extremely fast for his size, he can block shots, he can be a threat on the defensive end, he’s unbelievable.” Steph Curry approached his definition different from the others. “He’s like the (NBA) 2K create-a-player, every point guard that wants to be 7-foot. Cheat-code-type vibes, man. He’s a solid talent. It’s great to watch.” There have been other NBA players such as Kevin Durant and Rudy Gobert praise the future of the NBA with Wemby in some team’s lineup. I begin this account by stating you have no basis for believing what I say, I’m just a guy who loves basketball and enjoys writing about it. The athletes I mention have insight to accurately analyze talent, we need to listen to them.

Black History Moment

The late John Wooden has been closely associated with UCLA basketball. For good reason his UCLA teams dominated college basketball from 1965 through 1975, there was an earlier moment in the coaches history when he faced segregation head on. He coached at Indiana State (yes, Larry Bird’s school), the school was yet to move to Division I, they competed as an NAIA program. Kansas City has served as host for the tournament since the NAIA’s founding in 1937. Wooden’s 1947 team received an invitation to play in the NAIB as it was known then.

Wooden refused the invitation, the NAIB had a rule in place no black players were allowed. At the time most black players were enrolled in HBCU schools. The coach likely wrote the NAIB a “nice” letter chewing them out regarding their rules, Indiana State had a player named Clarence Walker on the squad. In 1948 with another winning team the school was invited to the tournament again. This time the rule banning black players had been lifted and it’s believed Wooden was the driving force. Not only the tournament but the hotel stay as well. It was reported Walker was allowed to stay in a hotel with his teammates although segregation was strictly in forced at the time. John Wooden a white man caused a landmark change in how this tournament would conduct itself in the future.  

Hey guys, you left me

This might not be the order but let’s pretend it was. Kevin Durant joins the Nets with Kyrie Irving at point guard and James Hardin shooting guard. The Nets would now contend for an NBA championship which will never occur now. I’m not saying the Nets will never win a championship, they will not win it since two of the trifecta are no longer in place. James Hardin informed the Nets last season he’d had enough and demanded a trade. Hardin is now entering his first full season as a Sixer. Last week Irving decided his time was up in Brooklyn and he also asked the Nets to trade him. So now Durant must be saying to them, “Hey guys, you left me,” I thought we intended to win a championship. 

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Where has the time gone 

I believe this to be correct, I think LeBron James first NBA game was televised in 2003 and I saw it. There was a great deal of curiosity on my part, could this high school phenom make the gigantic leap to the NBA. I certainly wasn’t thinking Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s scoring record would be broken let alone by this 18-year-old on my television screen. I’ve followed his career from Cleveland to Miami and back to Cleveland. I was displeased when he left the Cavs, but his return home made all that okay.

Then the rumors started, free agency would detail several teams were after his services including my Lakers. I admitted it back then and will admit it now…I hoped LeBron would pick another team. As you are aware he chose my team and the rest is history. There’s been only the one championship and based on the team’s health and his age that might be it. I never imagined all those years ago that 18-year-old on my television would become the NBA’s leader in total points. He would break the record established by Kareem Abdul Jabbar who broke the total set by Wilt Chamberlain. Interesting the NBA’s all-time point total set by three Lakers.

He's raw

The headline certainly belongs to Mizzou’s 6 foot 10 Mohamed Diarra, he’s from Paris France by way of Garden City Community College in Garden City Kansas. Of all the new players on this Mizzou team Diarra is the most fascinating for me. An international player, how much did he play prior to coming to this country? The question was asked by me and others at a point, Mizzou was badly outrebounded with their munchkin lineup…why was DIarra not playing? Coach Gates eventually answered the question by stating he’s got a great deal of catching up to do. I thought a moment, the leap from community college basketball to Division I SEC might be as wide as the Grand Canyon.

Nobody is able to accomplish the feat quickly however there is movement on Diarra’s part. We’ve seen the coach utilize Diarra in increasing minutes over the past few weeks. Although his movements on the court are somewhat animated his ability to go after the ball is not. The recent box score details two games of 10 rebounds for Diarra and one area that’s good for him…free throw shooting. He’s not the team leader but 65% ain’t too bad. This part I don’t know, he played two seasons at Garden City and this season at Mizzou will be three. I’m unsure if there is a covid year available, if so, Mizzou would have two additional seasons to train the Big Man from France.

Chicago and the NBA

If you are a certain age the Bulls are likely the only Chicago NBA team most who are reading this can identify. Some of you a slight bit older might remember the Packers, the NBA decided to expand, and Chicago was awarded a team which began play in the 1961-62 season. That team would only last two years in Chicago, year three saw them re-locate to Baltimore and re-named the Bullets. The problem poor attendance and a poorer team. Okay that’s good, you have knowledge of at least two Chicago teams. Did you know there was a third team, in fact this team was an original member when the league first began play. The Chicago Stags came into being in 1946 as a Basketball Association of America team and moved into the NBA in 1949 with the merger.

1950 saw the Stags close up shop, the city would remain without a team until 1961. What I find most interesting it appears at least on the court the Stags were a success. When they ceased operations, the team had won 145 and lost 92, their playoff record was not very good 8 wins and 14 losses. The records are incomplete however it appears the Stags may have been under financed which cause them to cease operations. There is a Bob Cousy connection, the point guard was drafted by the Blackhawks (then in existence). Cousy wanted more money than they were willing to offer, thus he was traded to Stags and when they went out of business a dispersal draft was held and Cousy would become a Boston Celtic. This concludes the brief history of Chicago’s first NBA team and one few even realize existed at a point in time. If I were a betting person, I would place a very large wager 20-30 Chicagoans are unfamiliar with the Stags.   

                                                                     

Black History Moment

A little-known story recently revealed in the last few years. HBCU North Carolina Central University played a game against Duke University. You might say “Big deal, this happens all the time” and my response might be this game had more significance than that. The game was played March 12, 1944, in the segregated south of the day. There would be no method for a college game to be hidden today but it was a different time. NCCU had one of the best black basketball teams in the nation at that time, Duke was good, but both had numbers of students serving in the military during World War II.

It was reported coverings were placed over the windows to ensure no one saw this all-black team playing an all-white team in 1944 North Carolina. How all those involved managed to keep this out of mainstream Durham remains a mystery to this day. Players took a different route to the gym to ensure no one was followed. The shorten version of this story NCCU won the game 88-44, after a break the two teams mixed their squads and played another game, certainly a violation of the Jim Crow laws of the era. The Durham police never discovered the game was being played nor was it published in the two newspapers of the day. There is no official record the game ever took place, the question might be did it occur or was it fiction?

Has this occurred to you

Ever had someone try and persuade you to agree with them and you refused? I remember one instance in particular, the City of Kansas City sold Kemper Arena former home of the NBA Kings. One of our previous mayor wasn’t keen on building a new arena, he led an effort to increase the seating. Kemper opened in 1974 (now Hy Vee) went from its original 17,500 seats to 19,500. The next mayor elected wanted an arena to go with a revitalized downtown entertainment district. This mayor got the project rolling and the Sprint Center (now T-Mobile) opened in 2007.

The basketball seating capacity was 18,972. Now this is where the difference of opinion comes into the discussion. It certainly doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the old arena (19,500) contained more seats, the question from my acquaintance it was larger than T-Mobile. With my bad eyesight I informed him my belief the arenas were about the same size. He continued to press the point in an attempt for me to agree with his view. Sorry Charley, I can’t see it (LOL) if you believe the Kemper Arena is larger that’s okay, that’s just not how I see it. Once he figured out, I wasn’t going to budge from my original position he gave up. Now friends this really proves nothing, he could be correct however with no physical proof I refused to change my position.

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The past weekend

What happened this past Saturday, was it an anomaly? Every regional team within 125-mile radius of Kansas City team lost their games. We can begin the account with the Kansas City Roos (UMKC) located in the middle of the city, they lost to Oral Roberts 85-57. The Mizzou game was not played in Columbia rather Starkville Mississippi where the Bulldogs beat the Tigers 63-53. West of Kansas City is Lawrence home of the Jayhawks, but they were on the road too, Ames Iowa.

They were losers to Iowa State 68-53, traveling further west on I-70 we arrive at Manhattan Kansas home of Kansas State. The Wildcats too were on the road playing the University of Texas and following the same pattern suit losing their match 69-66. Okay I just figured out the problem and I guess by now you have too. Other than the Roos the other three teams were all on the road. So we now can conclude the home team with the exception of one game prevailed.

You dance with the one that brung ya  

The title of this piece was attributed to the late Darrell Royal Texas football coach. His explanation “he meant he would use players and plays that had been successful in previous seasons.” Although it’s only been a season and a half that might be the case for the Lakers Russell Westbrook. As one story was being finished, I received an alert indicating the Nets had traded Kyrie Irving to the Mavs for a host of players and draft choices. No reuniting with LeBron James which has been mentioned since the Irving news first broke.

It’s apparent there are few takers for Westbrook, and it appears the Lakers will sink or swim with him on the team. On the surface this member of Laker Nation says it appears to be working i.e. Westbrook off the bench with the second unit. Westbrook’s scoring average is at a career low however that is dictated more by the role he is now playing for the Lakers. He is rebounding the ball at a 6 a game and his assist total is 7.5 both good numbers for a 6-foot 3 inch-point guard. The only three numbers that stick out for me his shooting from the floor and three certainly nothing to write home about. Westbrook’s shooting from the line back to his OKC days was only average and that’s continued.

Maybe it’s a sealed locker room but I’ve heard not one single complaint regarding Westbrook. So the Lakers need to prepare themselves for a stretch run to earn themselves a playoff berth. As for Irving should he not sign with the Mavs we’ll deal with that over the summer. I’m going to close this out with a late breaking account, this trade becomes curiouser and curiouser if bleacherreport.com is true. The dot com site claim Nets owner Joe Tsai didn’t want Irving to become a Laker. Whether it was the fact Irving wanted to rejoin LeBron James or something else, the wish was only partially granted Irving got his trade.    

Who wins It all

Jay Bilas former Duke player turned ESPN analyst is one of those voices when he speaks, I listen. He was discussing the potential 2023 NCAA champions and he provided us a few names.

Purdue

Alabama

Houston

UCLA

Arizona

Tennessee

Texas

Kansas

Xavier

UConn

Virginia

What do you think, does the Bilas list have any surprises for you? Surprises for me, Texas, Xavier and Houston. There might be others but those stand out for me.

The mouth of the South

Every time Charles Barkley makes a statement, I agree with he provides me with two or three that only make sense to him. The latest Barkleyism, “Why Tom Brady’s career is unparalleled and way better than LeBron James.” Mr. Barkley you do realize one of the individuals you are discussing played in the NFL while the other plays in the NBA. Even the dynamics of the ball are different, a football is oblong and can bounce but certainly not in the same manner of a round basketball. You do realize the physical requirements for an NFL quarterback are far different from playing point forward in the NBA. Tom Brady’s had an amazing NFL career no disagreement here, but my question is why the comparison? Finally I don’t know about you, but I’ve grown tired of the constant comparison of player A to player B which is rampant in this day and age. It’s quite clear Barkley has fallen into this trend as well.

Black History Moment

The history has been corrected; it now says Bill Russell became the first black coach in the NBA. Russell took over the Celtics in 1966 and served as player coach until 1969. Who was the first black coach in professional basketball, that would be the late John McClendon of the Cleveland Pipers? Now I’m sure you are unfamiliar with the Pipers; they were a team in the newly formed American Basketball League in 1961. This should not be confused with the American Basketball Association which came into existence in 1966.

How McClendon was hired in the first place is even more interesting. The owner of the team was a person who was later identified more with baseball than basketball, George Steinbrenner. It was reported When the team was searching for a coach Steinbrenner informed his GM “Hire the best basketball coach available.” This GM sought out and hired McClendon and the rest of the story is history now. In the middle ‘50’s McClendon’s Tennessee A&I (now Tennessee State) teams won three consecutive NAIA championships, so the coaches resume detailed success on the basketball court. McClendon’s success would see him enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame.  

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Out of sync

Mizzou started the game appearing out of sync and it remained that way throughout, final score Mississippi State 63 Mizzou 52. It wasn’t the rebound factor this time which affected the loss it was the shooting or lack thereof. Mizzou was only outrebounded by one, as for the shooting Mississippi State didn’t shoot that great but it was atrocious for Mizzou. 32% from the floor and 26.1% from three is pretty bad. Kobe Brown usually the all around leader only scored 11 points with 7 rebounds.

One positive note for Mizzou the 6 foot 10 Mohamed Diarra came off the bench and snatched down 10 rebounds for the game. Toulu Smith of Mississippi State was the chief nemesis for Mizzou. The 6-foot 11 245-pound front court man led the way for Mississippi State as he scored 25 points and had 12 rebounds. This road trip did not turn out as I hoped, and now a return to Mizzou Arena on Tuesday to face the South Carolina Gamecocks. 

Was Red all that analyzing talent

Red Auerbach won nearly 1,000 games during the course of a brilliant coaching career. Auerbach spent three seasons as head coach of the Washington Capitols and one season with the Tri-City Blackhawks before his Celtic hire in the 1950-51 season. For the next six seasons the Celtics were a plus .500 and a playoff team. During that period we saw them lose in Division Finals or Semi-Finals every season until the 1956-57 season. That particular season witnessed the Celtics finishing in first place and they won their first NBA championship. This is the stealth portion of the story; Auerbach went against the thought process of the day.

Most centers were expected to be prolific scorers and that was not the case for Bill Russell. Russell was a defensive whiz at the University of San Francisco, he could score but that was not his primary role. Back to Auerbach, he spotted Russell early and wanted to draft him, but the Celtic record would prevent that. The shorten version of the story, Ed Macauley a Celtic player had an ill son in St. Louis at the time. The St. Louis Hawks drafted Bill Russell however he’d never see the city except as an opposing player. A trade was arranged, and Russell would become a Celtic and the NBA was changed forever by this move. We can debate the Auerbach record prior to the acquisition of Russell, at the same time we must recognize his shrewdness. He drafted a defensive minded center which went against the thought process at the time.   

Iowa State versus Jalen Wilson

So you thought it was Iowa State playing against Kansas, that’s what most believed. It was actually as the headline read since Wilson was the only player with his 26 points and 9 rebounds who was prepared to play. Even Grady Dick mock draft first round pick only scored 7 points in 31 minutes. Kansas shot 38.6% from the field and 26.1% from three, they equaled Iowa State in the rebound department with 32. All game long Kansas appeared to be out of sync, adjustment after adjustment was made by Bill Self to stem the tide of the Cyclones to no avail.

The final score would read Iowa State 68 Kansas 53, this makes for a question. After losing to Tennessee in the non-conference portion of their schedule Kansas blitzed everyone including my Mizzou Tigers. The “experts” said after losing all the talent from an NCAA championship team Kansas came by prepared to compete again. You listened, I heard them too as they continued to sing praises of Bill Self and Kansas basketball. Evidently, we have two features working here, 1. Kansas basketball is not as good as they first thought and 2. The best basketball conference in the nation (Big XII) has knocked them down a few notches. Kansas could still win the regular season crown however it’s likely to be one shared by them with one or two teams.

I’m violating my policy of yesterday

The decision on Kyrie Irving I would leave to you regarding his move. I just read this morning of a proposed trade which “forced” me to comment. Austin Reaves and Max Christie would head to the Nets in exchange for Irving and I say an emphatic NO! I’m not going to debate Irving’s talent only state I’ve seen the Lakers populate the NBA with youthful talent attempting to win championships. Reaves chose the Lakers having signed in free agency, once the deed was accomplished, he proved to be NBA worthy. Will he ever approach “Kyrie Irving” numbers, who knows however he’s proven to be a talent.

I’ve seen less of Christie’s play however I’m looking at him in this manner, the Laker scouting staff in the past has been spot on in evaluating talent. This ability might be proven once again in the case of this former McDonalds All American and Michigan State shooting guard. The Lakers made him the 35 pick in the second round of the 2022 draft. Christie is still wet behind the ears turning 20-years old later this month. The Lakers would do good to hang onto “old man” Reaves age 24 as well. The only players from the Lakers to depart in my view should be Patrick Beverley and maybe Russell Westbrook.

The old NBA draft

At a point in time all draft eligible prospects arrived in the NBA from colleges and sometimes even junior colleges. That was then, this is now…the overwhelming majority of players still enter the NBA from that route. I’m not going to place a date, date and time however we have witnessed an increasing number of Euro players drafted into the NBA. They continue to improve on a yearly basis, the best currently. That would be your choice, is it Nikola Jokic or Luka Doncic you decide. Maybe Victor Wembanyama might be included in the conversation…is this too soon? The National Basketball League (Australia) has seen a number of players arrive on these shores. Some are native (Josh Giddey) while others such as LaMelo Ball left high school in the U.S. and returned after a year prepared to play in the NBA.

I’m unsure if the G-League is operating at the manner believed when it first set up operations. There’s been a change, added among the competitors was Ignite. This G-League team is comprised of high school talent who decided in favor of a pro career over college. In 2021 Overtime Elite came into existence, it operates similar to Ignite except the 6-team league is also high school players. I cannot provide you names but it’s my understanding there is no requirement for a diploma to play. OTE will allow you to finish high school while playing in the league. We have seen an increasing number of players arrive from the African continent, the vast majority play for Euro teams. As you can see talent now comes into the NBA from a number of different directions. Truth is some of these prospects arrive from venues that didn’t even exist 10-15 years ago.