UCLA B-Ball players arrested in China-being detained...

New Posts

So the other 2 suspended players are allowed , on Tuesday, to begin attending practices and team meetings. They still cannot play games this season.

But they have been going to classes, on their scholarship, getting an education, and been practicing separately and working out. And taking accountability and maturing.

I wish the Ball brothers were still in school too.

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/...uspended-Through-End-of-Season-466122283.html

UCLA Players in Shoplifting Scandal to be Suspended Through End of Season

LiAngelo Ball, who was one of the players "indefinitely" suspended, previously withdrew from the university.
 
katydid23 said:
Yes, seems like an underwhelming destination for the 'Big Baller' Bros. They took the first offer that reached out?
Click to expand...

I think they realized that with out a proven track record against demonstrably talented opposition (Division 1 US college, or big name European teams), that was all they were going to be offered.

Lithuania, though a small country, has been big basketball country for generations. Their teams have supplied more than a few players to the NBA and even more to other big name European teams.

Their choice of Lithuania is similar to say, a baseball athlete getting into trouble- then announcing that they are joining a Mexican league.
Most would not know that baseball has been popular in some parts of Mexico in for a long time, that a Mexican league can offer higher quality play than expected- and even more importantly, a chance to get noticed. As a result, Mexico has been a destination for US baseball players looking for a "restart".

As a side note, my guess is that Basketball is going to grow in Europe for the same reason soccer is growing here in that it is something new and fresh.
 
katydid23 said:
So the other 2 suspended players are allowed , on Tuesday, to begin attending practices and team meetings. They still cannot play games this season.

But they have been going to classes, on their scholarship, getting an education, and been practicing separately and working out. And taking accountability and maturing.

I wish the Ball brothers were still in school too.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the Big Ballers should have been more patient.

Then again, the school could have been a little more forth coming in whether or not the "indefinite suspension" was going to be permanent. All in all, I think it is a fair punishment. They cost the school a lot of embarrassment.
 
JerseyGirl said:
NBA Draft 2018: LiAngelo Ball goes undrafted

Through two rounds and 60 selections, Ball went undrafted by any team in the NBA.
Click to expand...

I think basketball is similar to boxing (my favorite sport) in some aspects. Like basketball players, boxers can potentially turn into super stars at a young age.

Ball is clearly both talented and high maintenance. But.... his documented truly dazzling performances have all been against high school players. This is similar to a talented boxer running up dazzling victory counts in Golden Gloves tournaments.

In both cases, the quality of the opposition can be difficult to judge and compare. As a result, it is not un common for boxers with great amateur records to flame out at the professional level. My guess is that NBA teams are worried about a similar flame out in a venue where everybody is talented and everybody practices hard.

My guess is that they want to see Ball perform against Division I college teams, or major league European teams before taking a chance on him. His high maintenance reputation probably does not help, but pro sports can tolerate almost any personality- if his documented playing record matches his attitude.
 
A now similar case is with Michael Porter Jr. out of University of Mo. He was no.1 recruit going into last college year. He had played H.S. basketball at Tolton Catholic, thus not against the best Division players. None the less HUGE effort to recruit him. He, his H.S. younger brother AND his Assistant Coach father recruited from Washington State. Porter Jr. played 92 seconds in game 1 and sat out the rest of regular season, to satisfy his "one and done" to qualify for NBA. He was just drafted no. 15 to the Denver Nuggets. The game just is not right these days.

JMO
 
jggordo said:
He had played H.S. basketball at Tolton Catholic, thus not against the best Division players. None the less HUGE effort to recruit him. He, his H.S. younger brother AND his Assistant Coach father recruited from Washington State. Porter Jr. played 92 seconds in game 1 and sat out the rest of regular season. He was just drafted no. 15 to the Denver Nuggets.
Click to expand...

Is Basketball becoming structured more like Baseball with farm teams?

For example, in baseball a potential super star player can be signed by a major league team with little or no documented playing history against talented opponents. The potential super star is signed by say, the Yankees. This brings prestige, recognition and the junior player can honestly say that he is a Yankee.

But…. the potential super star is then assigned to the Yankees AAA farm team for actual play where his potential will be evaluated further. In short, perhaps Porter is a Nugget, but will not be playing with the NBA Nuggets for a while?

As a side note, at least Ball can say that his high school performance was against big LA area public schools some of whom are known to have well established basketball programs. Porter seems to have absolutely no documented playing time against demonstratibly talented opposition at any level- yikes.
 
Last edited:
College sports are such an integral part of University $ now that they bend over backwards to sell the arenas out each year. By MU getting Porter signed, along with his Brother, all the season tickets for the year were sold out in a matter of days long before the season opened. Two other top recruits came to MU just to play with the Porter Brothers. When Michael Porter was "injured" after 90 seconds of play, the other recruits transferred out very quickly to other Universities. There are just SO many technical rules between college and NBA that it takes lawyers to keep them straight and also work around them.

JMO's
 
I couldn't decide which part of this article was the best...but here goes

"Why on Earth would LeBron James want anything to do with all that? Especially given that LaVar Ball has shown absolutely no ability to tame his psychosis for the good of his own kids, much less a team, even when he knew the chances were strong that James would be a Laker. On the Big Boy's Neighborhood radio show, LaVar was asked what his son could learn from being teammates with LeBron. His response: "Can LeBron teach him what? No, he can't teach him nothing. I already taught him everything."

Welcome to L.A., LeBron James. See yourself out, LaVar Ball.
 
JerseyGirl said:
Following their release, some have wondered if Trump could not also have used his influence to press the case of other individuals:

[snipped]

Wendell Brown, a former college football player, says he defended himself in a bar fight in China. More than a year later, he is still detained without a verdict. His family hopes the UCLA story will bring attention & bring him home Experts Weigh in on LiAngelo Ball's Murky Legal Situation After Arrest in China pic.twitter.com/ifUmawuuiH
— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) November 9, 2017

LiAngelo Ball, UCLA teammates back home after Trump talks to Xi about shoplifting incident
Click to expand...

Detroit native Wendell Brown had his sentence reduced from four years to three for his involvement in a fight at Chongqing bar on Sept. 25, 2016.

The reduced sentence is one of an estimated 15 percent of appeals that are successful in China.

Brown, 31, will be transferred from the Chongqing Jiangbei District Detention Center to a prison where he can apply for early release. Brown is currently scheduled for release on Sept. 24, 2019 after which he will be deported back to the United States.

Detroit native incarcerated in China for bar fight has sentence reduced
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 84 more.
Total: 2,349 (members: 85, guests: 2,264)

Online statistics

Members online
85
Guests online
2,264
Total visitors
2,349
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
592,628
Messages
17,972,092
Members
228,845
Latest member
butiwantedthatname
Back
Top