KSR Today: The NBA Season Tips Off (and it's stupid)

Today marks the start of the 2021-22 NBA season. There will be 28 Wildcats on opening day rosters. It’s worth celebrating.

Now it’s time to move on because nobody cares about the NBA before Christmas.

We are in the heart of football season, right at the midway point of college football and a third of the way through an historically long NFL season. Instead of talking about what matters, our timelines will be riddled with NBA nonsense. Adam Silver would rather fight with pro football than delay the start of the season a few months, giving us The Finals during a dead time in the sports calendar in late July.

October is for autumn leaves, cool weather, hot chili, warm sweatshirts and football. Basketball can get the hell out of here, at least for a few more weeks.

NBA Opening Night Schedule

• 7:30: Brooklyn at Milwaukee on TNT
• 10:00: Warriors at Lakers on TNT

Preseason AP Top 25 Released

Kentucky won just nine games in 2020-21, yet the Wildcats are in the top ten to start the 2021-22 college basketball season. The Cats are No. 10, one spot behind their season-opening opponent, Duke. The two teams will tip-off three weeks from today. Kentucky is the highest-ranked of five SEC teams in the preseason AP Poll.

Those weren’t the only rankings unveiled to start the week. KenPom has crunched some numbers and slotted the Wildcats in at No. 17 to start the college basketball season.

Let’s Go, Dick Vitale!

Dickie V has been fighting against cancer for years by raising money for the Jimmy V Foundation. Now he’s taking that fight directly to the disease, after he was recently diagnosed with lymphoma. Vitale will undergo chemo for six months, but still plans to work some college basketball games around his treatment. If he attacks cancer with the enthusiasm and energy that he brings to college basketball courts, the disease doesn’t stand a chance. You got this, Dickie V.

Going to bed with a heavy heart from the hundreds of text messages,social media hits by so many of u . I am OVERWHELMED ! My family & I say THANK YOU .I Will WIN THIS BATTLE with ALL the support.Must be at hospital at 5:30 am for preparation for several procedures .🙏🙏🙏 needed

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) October 19, 2021

Kentucky Football Returns to Practice

Things operate differently during the Kentucky football bye week. Players get a few extra days off to heal up after seven physical football games. Today they’ll return to the Joe Craft Football Training Facility to watch film and run around a little bit. We’ll hear from Mark Stoops and others Tuesday night.

Injury Update

Mark Stoops did not hold his weekly Monday press conference during the bye week, but the (radio) show must go on. During his one hour call-in show he provided a few injury updates. Josh Ali remains on track to return for the Mississippi State game. Izayah Cummings is currently in a sling after the tight end took a hard shot from Nakobe Dean. I’ve heard the injury is not major and it “shouldn’t be too long” before he’s able to return to the gridiron.

Shout Out to EKU

EKU scored 25 unanswered points to stun Central Arkansas with a 38-35 victory on the road. The win moved the Colonels into the FCS Top 25 at No. 22. Eastern Kentucky is now 5-2 in Walt Wells’ second season as the Colonels’ head coach.

Coaching Carousel Turns

We now have two Power Five coaches ousted in 48 hours. Like Coach O, we could see this one coming a mile away. Nick Rolovich refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The state of Washington required all of its employees to get vaccinated. When that mandate went into effect, Washington State parted ways with its head coach and four assistants that did not get vaccinated. Rolovich was the highest-paid employee in the state with an annual salary of more than $3 million.

Great TV Show Finale

It’s a good week to catch up on all of your favorite TV shows, so I’ll recommend one that I’ve enjoyed thoroughly that reaches its conclusion tonight. Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building releases the final episode of its ten-episode first season today. Starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, it has been a delightful mystery to watch unfold. The episodes are only 30-40 minutes long, which makes it an easy, intriguing binge. Enjoy.