What's that song? Sactown Races, do dah. . . etc? Okay, Camptown Races.
Not that you don't think you're at the races watching the young Sacramento Kings basketball team, led by thoroughbred, De'Aarron Fox. Young man from U of Kentucky can out race most if not all of the NBA guards. He encourages, by example, the rest of the team to catch up to him, and they've been doing it this season. If the Kings were not in the tough Western Division, at 22 - 21 they'd be in 3rd place in the Central and Southwest Divisions and 2nd place in the Southeast.
After my Warriors, the Kings are my favorite team to watch. They are young, enthusiastic, and fast, Watching youthful mistakes can be frustrating, but their losses are never about lack of effort. Sure, they've let a few games where they were ahead, slip away in the fourth quarter. Even in defeat, they're youthful exuberance is a joy to see.
All the Kings administration and coaching staff need to do is be patient. One more solid draft choice or acquisition, Perhaps a wide body, kick-ass back-up center for Cauley Stein? Perhaps a bigger back-up guard for Fox. I love Yogi, but he's not the tough JJ Barea type, so a longer body with similar quickness would be better. After that it's all about the continual growth of the young Crown Princes, aspiring to royalty.
Therein, of course, is the rub. Players at the highest level, just because they've got a signed contract, can not stop improving themselves. For example, If Cauley-Stein wants to reach stardom, he must learn to shoot a consistent mid-range jumper. Bagely, the a huge upside talent at power forward, must learn to shoot free-throws. All of them must work on their individual D. Team Defense is only as good as individual defenders defend individually. All of the Kings need to build strength and stamina. To be a playoff team, you need to be a fourth quarter team.
A few additional comments:
In professional basketball, if a really good team plays poorly in the first half, but their opponent can't stretch the lead beyond at least twenty points going into the locker-room, there is no guarantee the team ahead will be able to maintain the lead. I say this as an example of where I believe my Warriors are at this stage of the season. If one game represents the entire season, with half-time (half of the season) coming up. I don't see any team outplaying the Warriors in the second half, even thought the Dubs certainly haven't so far played as well as they can.
Saint Nick ran out of Miracles. That's what happens when you're the only Saint playing against a team of Saints.
I was not impressed with Dustin Johnson's reasoning for playing in Saudi Arabia. "I'm not a politician, I play golf." Soooo. . . athletes should not be sensitive to brutal murders? You're playing the back nine, while they cutting some guy up into pieces? You got enough $. F--k the Saudi murderers. Don't play. Show some courage!
Fox, by Tom Meschery
for De'Aaron
On the trail,
leaving the riders ,
in their superfluous
red costumes behind,
out-running the hounds.
1 comment:
Mr Meschery;
I am having one of those moments of looking back over my life, and I wanted to thank you for having been (albeit at a distance) a part of it. You were my favorite player on the Sonics when I was a kid (I dutifully listened on the radio and at least once or twice, my family made it to a game). When I was sick with some annoying (but not serious) childhood illness, my older brother bought me a book--the first poetry book I ever owned--Over the Rim. I'd love to say I grew up to be a poet, but alas I'm not that talented. I did become a lover of poetry and a humanities professor, so there was at least some focusing of my life and career trajectory back then. Thank you, and I'm happy to see you're still writing, still amusing, and apparently still good at D.
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