Why Zeke?

Isiah "Zeke" Thomas is at it again, with the lockout dominating NBA news LeBron news have been relegated to page 2. At least that's what we thought until Thomas became news again. He served as host for an NBA exhibition game and said; "we shouldn't hate LeBron James because he's been successful. It kind of comes with the territory when you're really good." Thomas goes on to state he thinks "there are going to be some people who are upset with that." Is Isiah really that clueless as to the reason the venom has continued to rain on LeBron. Hey Isiah folks are not upset with LeBron because of his success, I don't think the personal goals have been the focus. Anytime you promise fans a championship (Cleveland) and then leave as the first opportunity doesn't sound like a very trusting soul.  LeBron added more fuel to the fire by promising the folks of South Florida "six, seven championships!" Somebody needs to rein Isiah in and explain the facts of life to him! (South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman)

Coach Boyle
This past season was Coach Tad Boyle's first year at Colorado. I have no idea at this stage how good a coach he might become. He turned around Northern Colorado University that's fact. His first year the team was 4-24, his last last season they were 25-8, 12-4 in the Big Sky Conference. His initial season Colorado finished 21-13, 8-8 in the Big 12. Dave Telep who covers recruiting noted "Colorado hasn't signed a T-100 since David Harrison (remember him). Now they have two in Xavier Johnson and Josh Scott." Colorado is always a school I thought with the right coach could become competitive, just maybe Boyle is that man.

Rick Barry
He was one driven player, driven to be the best there was. Barry's three sons all played college ball and had limited NBA careers. It can be stated with no hesitation on my part the father was the superior player. Barry came to the NBA from the University of Miami, he did this at a time prior to school having any national notoriety in any sport. Barry was the number two pick in the 1965 NBA draft by the San Francisco Warriors, he rewarded their choice being selected Rookie of the Year. The NBA and ABA were fighting for players and he left the Warriors and toiled in the ABA for a number of years. During his 15 year career he was an 8x NBA All-Star and 4x ABA All-Star, in addition he won Championships in both the NBA and ABA. This 25,000 point player was selected to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team and has been enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. (stats, Wikipedia)

Before I began
Allow me to state up front again I'm not taking sides, I'm only reporting what I see. The implied threat by several NBA players of going to Europe and elsewhere to play ball. Forget it, European teams have a limit on the number of international players. A Kobe Bryant or Deron Williams is certainly welcome but the 12th or 13th man on any NBA team is a completely different story. The superstars can remain locked out out till the cows come home, they are financially solvent. That's not the case with the vast majority of players who will be scrambling for the few basketball jobs available. Instead of an arena near you they are likely to be waiting on you at Wal-Mart or Home Depot. As for the owners there was a time especially in baseball their only source of income was derived from the sport. That scenario no longer exists in any major American sport especially the NBA. Owners might "lose" money on the season but only indirectly, their non-NBA ventures will allow them to remain living in the life style they have become accustom. This solid financial status is probably the main reason a number of owners have taken a hawkish approach to the lockout. As for both two sides, how could you meet for three consecutive days and offer not a glimmer of hope. Did the two sides not learn anything from the 1989-99 lockout? Note what my research uncovered; "The 1998-99 season, which began on February 5, 1999, was shortened to 50 games per team, as opposed to the normal 82. As a result of the 204-day lockout, 464 regular-season games were lost. In addition to the lockout, the NBA's popularity was affected by the second retirement of Michael Jordan, who had been largely responsible for an increase in fan interest during his career. The average attendance during the shortened season was 16,738 fans per game, down 2.2 percent from the 1997–98 average of 17,117 spectators per contest. Ticket sales fell nearly two percent further in the opening months of 1999-2000, and remained under 17,000 per game for the following three seasons. The league also saw television ratings drop for three consecutive seasons after the lockout." Somebody needs to remind these guys of the numbers, they are alienating their base with a prolonged work stoppage. (Wikipedia)


"Giving yourself permission to lose guarantees a loss."
Pat Riley