MSG

The initials are all that's required to identify "the world's most famous arena" Madison Square Garden. NYC will have two "new" arenas in the very near future, Barclays Center home of the Nets and MSG. The Garden will not exactly be brand new but an $850 million dollar makeover will make it appear new. This place is so very busy the work must be accomplished over the summer. St. Johns basketball, pre and post season NIT basketball, Rangers hockey plus the WNBA's Liberty and Knicks. In addition there are concerts, Ringling Brothers Circus and WWE added to the mix of dates.  As you see there are few dates when the arena is not hosting an event of some type. A busy arena plus a limited timeframe forced the Liberty to play their games in Newark this summer. This 2011 portion of construction will be completed in time for the Knicks to play in the fall.(if there is a season) Remodeling the second oldest arena in the NBA (1968) will be completed over the next three summers. It might be noted the present arena is actually the fourth different building in the cities history named Madison Square Garden.

Perception correction
It was not my intention but I might have created a misunderstanding. I mentioned the smaller population base in Kansas and the fact KU recruits extensively outside it's borders. The statement is fact, I didn't intend to give anyone the impression there was little basketball talent in the state. The metro areas of Kansas City, Wichita and Johnson County have long produced a significant number of players throughout the years. I wrote of the talents of Willie Cauley Olathe Northwest Center however he's not the number one player in the state, that honor belongs to Perry Ellis 6-8 220 pound forward. Ellis averaged 22.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg and 1.8 apg as a junior and was the 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas. The schools seeking his services are Kentucky, Duke, Memphis, Kansas State and KU.

Anderson & Haith
Anderson and Haith might sound like a law firm or maybe accountants.  It's actually Mike Anderson current Arkansas coach and Frank Haith Mizzou coach, both coaches are beginning their first season as head coach. I surveyed both teams their rosters and last seasons records to project the upcoming season. Arkansas was 18-13 (7-9) in the SEC, Mizzou 23-11 (8-8) in the Big 12, on the surface Mizzou would appear in better shape but there still might be questions. Anderson left Mizzou for one reason in my view, the opportunity to replace the Nolan Richardson legacy. I know Richardson is long gone but Arkansas won an NCAA Championship and Anderson was an assistant coach on that very successful team. I am going to venture on the edge of the cliff and peer over, I think Mizzou will be more successful this upcoming season. A Frank Haith offense will be much easier to teach than a Mike Anderson offense, Mizzou "veterans" will play superior ball to the Arkansas frosh. Both conferences will be strong but I give the edge to the downsized Big 12 over the SEC (excepting Kentucky). Let's enjoy the upcoming season and be prepared to laugh at me should this assessment be incorrect in March.

You say what?
The players and owners met Tuesday for the first time since the lockout. No progress was reported on the labor issues although the NBA chose to release a statement. The league announced Commissioner David Stern will receive no pay during the labor impasse. We are unsure if he's paid weekly, monthly, semi-annually or what but his $10 million salary will remain in the bank. Do you feel better knowing Stern will receive no pay during this time period? I know I feel better knowing he's not being paid. This reminds me of the statement Patrick Ewing made during the strike shortened season of '98-'99. Ewing said, "we might make a lot of money but we also spend a lot of money." Should we suppose this might fit the commissioner too, maybe Stern might be forced to apply for food stamps.

"I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it."Hall of Fame baseball player Rogers Hornsby