He has a brother

The Class 4A state title in Nevada is history, it was decided last Friday. Shabazz Muhammad (6-6 215) led Bishop Gorman to the championship scoring 36 points. Although the career of Shabazz is over there will be another Muhammad at Gorman next season. The younger brother's name is Rashad, he's slightly smaller in height and weight than his older brother. Rashard is a 6-4 170 pound shooting guard in the Class of 2013, you might want to keep track of he and Bishop Gorman for the future.

 Do you have any spare change laying around?
"Worried that the luxury suites at the Barclays Center would never measure up to your fine tastes? Today, the arena introduces The Vault, 11 “ultra-luxurious suites” inspired and designed by Jay-Z, a Nets part owner who has already nabbed one for himself. If you’ve got the money to splurge, each Vault suite owner will receive eight premium tickets in the first 10 rows of the lower bowl to all Barclays Center events, including Nets games, as well as boxing and concerts. The suites are also described in a release as having “sophisticated lounge seating,” and flat-screen TVs. Suite guests will have access to the Armand de Brignac Champagne Bar (whose bottles go for about $300). The Vault’s common space, behind black steel doors, also has a 15-foot high shear lit curtain and screens of translucent glass. And of course, it’s designed to look like a club. The Wall Street Journal says that the suites run $550,000 per year, with a minimum three-year term – which is about $45,833 per month." As I mentioned in the headline anybody have any spare change? (fortgreene.patch.com)

I have to admit it

The Knicks Jeremy Lin is actually no overnight sensation, we knew about him all along. We knew he was key in leading Palo Alto (CA) to a state championship but were informed "he's Asian." Our mindset informs us Asian's are "good doctors, good at math and maybe some other mind skills, basketball is a completely different story." He went to Harvard and demonstrated he could play really well but we didn't scout him because that's Ivy League basketball. We knew but failed to comprehend what he brought to the table against UConn and several other high profile schools during Harvard's non-conference schedule. He worked out in NBA tryout camps but when draft time came we didn't bother to draft him. Although he's 6-3 and 200 pounds the "guy is Asian, if he were Yao Ming's (7-6) size it might be a different matter."

You know the balance of the story to date----there are still folks who see but refuse to believe their own eyes, the Mavs Jason Terry is one of those. He stated "it's easy for him (Lin) due to D'Antoni's system" what a bunch of caw-caw! Might I remind you I too have been critical of D'Antoni for a different reason, his teams don't emphasize defense enough for me. I've yet to hear any player state "the NBA game is easy!" The statements that bother me the most are those that point out his weaknesses. We could profile all 400 + NBA players and uncover an aspect of their game that's inadequate or below par. The same might apply for our 9-5 jobs whatever the parameters are we probably come up short is some area. All a person requires sometimes is an opportunity, I have no clue where Lin will be in 5 or 10 years he might be finishing up his PhD or he could still be hooping in the National Basketball Association. As for Taiwan this from USA Today, "Tuesday morning 4,000 Xinbei high school students were allowed time off from classes to see a televised broadcast of the Knicks' loss to the New Jersey Nets." There just might be a "Jeremy Lin" among the gathering.

What would you do

I'm revisiting an early story on the Blazers Greg Oden. I didn't realize at the time the recent micro fracture surgery was on his other leg, now he's had surgery on both legs. I think anyone in that situation would be a little tired of hospitals, should Oden retire? I'm sure the thought has crossed his mind, surgery after surgery and the term rehab has become a word he would like to forget.

Someone pointed this out for me they said "Andrew Bynum is not injury prone, one his surgeries Kobe landed on his leg.
Now as for Greg Oden he is injury prone." I certainly can agree with the statement and it's a shame too, the youngster has never had played a full season. Since his 2007 draft the nearest he came to a full season was 08-09, he played in 61 games that year. The one year he played at Ohio State his numbers were decent. He averaged 15.7 points with 9.6 rebounds and 3 block shots a game, and a field goal percentage an outstanding .616. And at 7-0, 285 pounds you can understand why the Blazers drafted him, his ceiling was astronomical. I hate to see injuries deprive any player of a career, the Blazers Brandon Roy retired earlier after a brief but outstanding career with the team. It's possible the same fate might be the future for Gregory Wayne Oden Jr. at age 24.

   

Bits n Pieces

The best player in the class of 2014 is 6-7 200 pound Andrew Wiggins says ESPN Recruiting. Wiggins is a high school sophomore from Toronto Canada. The recruiting process has already begun, offers from Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida State and West Virginia are on the table. Those are probably his pared down list of schools. Hmmmmmm, wonder which school he might chose, I have a guess however yours could be far different from mine.

Rumor out of Chicago involving Pau Gasol. The Bulls are supposed to have offered Carlos Boozer and C. J. Watson. If the Lakers make the trade I hope the Bulls might include a draft choice. Boozer we know his strengths and weakness, Watson is question mark for me. I haven't seen enough of him to convince me he's a starter at the point. UPDATE: Derrick Rose is denying a report that states he'd suggested this trade!

Wichita State (KS) has quietly slipped into the Top 25, as this is written the team is 24-4 and 14-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference. They are led by senior Garrett Stutz in most offensive areas. This 7-0 255 pound center is leading the team in scoring at 14.1 and rebounding at 7.9 per game. He is shooting 58.1% from the floor. I haven't seen Stutz's name on any mock draft sites but that's hardly proof he can't play at the next level. The Wolves Brad Miller is in his 13th season and Piston Ben Wallace will retire in April after a 15 year career, neither player was drafted. Did I fail to mention Stutz is from Kansas City Missouri?

The "worlds most famous arena " Madison Square Garden is in the middle of a massive renovation. The lower bowl portion has already been completed, anyone remember Willis Reed coming out of the tunnel to battle the Lakers in 1970? Reed had suffered a severe injury and many thought Reed would be able to play in the 7th game of that series.  That tunnel leading to the locker area no longer exists, check it out on YouTube it's there. The lower bowl portion of the building is complete and the upper portion will be completed next year. This version of the Garden was built in 1968 which makes it a dinosaur compared to other NBA arenas. This latest work is the second renovation, the first occurred in 1991. (portions NY1)

Boy am I disappointed, disgusted and generally upset over the results of the Mizzou-KU game. I thought Mizzou had a fighting chance and they really did, they just were unable to sustain a lead. The season is not yet over, it's quite possible they could play KU in the Big XII post-season tournament.

Are you surprised, I'm not

Last Friday I was a little surprised viewing various NBA websites after the Knicks-Heat game. A couple of examples, Yahoo.com, Reality Bites, ESPN.com headline read Linsanity Defense. Media acts if they as if they were shocked or surprised at the baptism of "fire" the Knicks and especially Jeremy Lin endured. I guess maybe they sometimes fail to read what they wrote. It was pointed out earlier by many of these websites the Heat were a little upset with Lin-sanity and they said as much. The Knicks will recover and so will Lin, I certainly wasn't expecting a 30 point, 10 assist and 6 rebound game from him. Last week I listened to Walt "Clyde" Frazier former Knick and currently a member of the Knicks broadcast crew. Interviewed last week on the Dan Patrick Show Frazier said "I wasn't impressed by Lin until yesterday (Feb 19th) the Mavs are a strong defensive team."

Seattle Sonics

Christopher Hansen's proposal for a new arena in Seattle appears to be solid. Briefly he is proposing $290 million in private investment toward a S450 to $500 million arena. Hansen and his partners would be responsible for purchase of an NBA franchise. The portion of his proposal with the greatest impact is no tax on the citizens. Fans are tired of paying for arenas and stadiums and then held hostage by owners. It appears this hedge-fund manager has studied arena and stadiums in other parts of the nation. I will be monitoring this closely to see if the proposal "has legs." I'd mentioned before the clock is slowly ticking in Sacramento, there is no former proposal at this writing. A series of events must occur before the NBA is settled again in the Emerald City. For discussion purposes we'll assume the arena is a done deal in Seattle. The Maloof brothers have indicated they are losing money in Sacramento, would they be willing to sell the franchise to Hansen's group knowing it would be headed out of town? The citizens have one owner in their corner, Mark Cuban. Cuban was one of the owners voting against the move to Oklahoma City. In fact he said, "as long as it's an existing team, no expansion team." Of course that type of statement makes folks in Sacramento, New Orleans and Memphis extremely anxious.

Coach of the year

Kim English tweeted this last week and I kinda thought okay, now that I've read this story I see what he's talking about. Keep in mind my fan connection to the Mizzou Tigers and Frank Haith. Nick Fasulo MSNBC Sports wrote a piece on coach of the year. Here's what he wrote on Haith, "remember, Haith didn’t recruit Ricardo Ratliffe, or the team’s prolific backcourt. He isn’t responsible for his team’s cohesion, either. He really may have only implemented a system that suits the personnel better than what his predecessor had in place. That in itself is laudable, yes, but just how responsible is he for the 2011-2012 Missouri Tigers? Is it enough to warrant hardware?" You can draw your own conclusions, if I had a vote I know who I'd be voting for.

Bits n Pieces

This is an old story but certainly worth repeating. February 12th Rajon Rondo had one of those games. The
6-1 Celtic point guard had a triple double against the Bulls. Playing 40 minutes he had 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds. He was 11-22 from the floor, shooting .500 from the floor.

The Knicks Jeremy Lin scored 109 points in his first four games as a starter. We must revisit 1976-77 no player in the history of the NBA matched or exceeded his point total in their first four games. It was actually a double-edge sword, the Knicks needed him to score, no Stoudemire or Anthony in the lineup. Lin's role will change once both return. Anthony has been the main culprit, when the ball is passed to him he holds it bogging down the offense. Anthony has indicated he has no problem with Lin generating the offense, let's see if he's a man of his words when he returns.

Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports is one in a group of people who think they are equally qualified to discuss basketball and race relations intelligently. Once upon a time when working for the Kansas City Star he proved insightful, he hasn't been in that mode for a number of years. I find it difficult to locate basketball fans who actually believe the guy. I plead guilty, sometimes I write an article critical of a player, owner or commissioner. I don't make habit of it.   

Last night I had an opportunity to view two KU players on opposing teams. Okay I exaggerate a bit, Metro Sports picked up the telecast from Wichita.  Conner Frankamp's (Class of 2013) Wichita North team was matched against Perry Ellis's (Class of 2012) Wichita Heights team. Frankamp is a 6-0 shooting guard who shot lights out to the tune of 38 points, he was 11 of 21 from the floor with 5-3 point baskets. 6-8 Perry Ellis a McDonalds All-American was bottled up most of the night, he was double and sometimes triple teamed. Ellis carries a 27 point a game average but was held to 11 points as Wichita North upset Wichita Heights 47-38.

Can you say spoiled?

I have come to the conclusion Laker fans (with the exception of me) are spoiled. 16 NBA Championships, a number of Hall of Fame players and California. The largest number of complaints seem to be coming from Laker fans. "He's soft, he plays with no passion, doesn't like to mix it up inside." Those are just a few of the comments I've read and heard expressed. Is Gasol having a bad year, I hardly think so. TNT broadcaster Kevin Harlan mentioned with Bynum in the mix now Pau's number have decreased. Gasol is at 16.8 ppg, 10.2 rpg and 1.3 blkpg those numbers don't reflect the skill of this 7-footer. Over the course of his last 5 games Gasol has averaged 3.2 assists per game. I'd be willing to bet his assist number totals eclipse those of several point guards. The power forward position has been a revolving door throughout the years this team has played in Los Angeles. Mark my words Gasol is the best all-around athlete to ever play power forward for the Lakers! I'm not in favor of players going to the media however I was pleased with Kobe. He told Laker management either trade the guy or squash the rumors.

Rookie of the year

The race appears to be wide open for rookie of the year. I'm not declaring for any player just reporting, for the doom and gloom crew. These youngsters provide proof of NBA growth. As this is written the Wolves Ricky Rubio is 11.0 points per game, 8.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds. The Cavs Kyrie Irving is 18.2 points per game, 5.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds. MarShon Brooks of the Nets is 13.9 points per game, 1.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds. The Bobcats Kemba Walker is 13.2 points, 3.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds. Note: Just in case you ask where is the Knicks Jeremy Lin? Lin is in his 2nd year, although he played sparingly last year.

Did you know

Throwback uniforms have become popular, often NBA teams sport them and a number of fans can't relate to the history because they are too you.  The San Antonio Spurs recently wore jerseys with Chaps on the front. The Chaparrals were an original ABA team with a home base in Dallas Texas. The team was sold to a group of San Antonio owners in 1972-73 and became the San Antonio Gunslingers, later they were renamed the San Antonio Spurs. The Memphis Grizzlies were spotted in Green and Gold uniforms with Tams written on the front. Again this was the former ABA team located in Memphis. Oakland A's owner Charles Finley owned the TAMS and had them outfitted in the same team colors of his baseball team. TAMS stood for Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, Memphis in Tennessee borders the other two states. (Wikipedia)

Say what?

There where a number of folks who questioned Mizzou's non-conference schedule. Their schedule was not the toughest schedule in the Big 12 conference. I did take issue with some of the comments especially regarding California and Notre Dame. As this is written Cal is 10-3 in the Pac-12 and tied for first place, their

Notre Dame, the Irish are 10-3 in the Big East Conference and 18-8 overall. I have no idea what either school's RPI is however both have winning records. 20 win teams might not make the field of 64 but certainly the NIT post season tournament is possible. 20 wins also says your team is pretty good, not great but good and it contains talent. One school of thought on scheduling says play a soft schedule, it allows your team to become accustomed to winning. The other view is play a tough schedule, the theory is it better prepares your team for conference play. Of course there is a downside to a tougher schedule, you risk the much greater possibility of injury. Playing a tougher schedule also might cause your team to run out of gas by the time the NCAA tournament rolls around in late March.

I'm really depressed

I guess K-State has Mizzou's number, I certainly didn't expect Mizzou to beat them by 20 points but I did expect a win. Oh well it's on to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday.

 

Why Tyson Chandler is here

You might have thought money and the prospect of playing in the Big Apple was the hook for Chandler. Not so, according to the New York Post the Knicks number one fan takes the credit Spike Lee. "Lee, who has become tight with the Knicks front office and attends periodic practices, chatted up Chandler before the Dallas game in early February last season. Last year he was trying to convince me to come here in free agency as if he was the general manager or owner." So now we know why Chandler is in New York rather than some other NBA location. The story might not be true but certainly sounds like something the number one Knick fan would do to help "his" team. Unlike some celebrities who only show up at games Lee has been in the audience at NBA draft night. Last Friday Lee had a Jeremy Lin high school jersey, for Sunday's game he sported the Harvard jersey. (New York Post)

 

He said what?

Stop me if you heard this one---LeBron is on his way back to Cleveland! Sorry, I getting ahead of myself Bron's not exactly headed back to Cleveland. Bron was asked the question and his response "he could return to play for the Cavs under owner Dan Gilbert because Gilbert is not the coach." Hey LeBron "if you are so anxious to return to Cleveland why did you leave in the first place?" Is it possible Bron has finally come to the conclusion his exit was poorly handled. I read somewhere a writer stated Bron was in an uncomfortable position. All his life he'd been the hero, loved and cheered by the masses, from biddy basketball to the Cavs Bron was always loved. He (or his advisors) had no comprehension of him leaving Cleveland, I'm sure they figured there would be backlash but certainly not the degree that eventually occurred. Besides the championship rings I understand the difference between he and Kobe Bryant. Just an observation on my part, I think to a degree Bryant enjoys the role of villain. Bryant has said as much, he loves playing on enemy basketball courts.

The point guard

Interesting Lin-sanity has kicked Ricky Rubio and Jimmer Fredette to page 2. Our attention was focused on Rubio and Fredette, but coming forth from the Knicks bench comes Jeremy Lin a player they almost released. There are a number of NBA stories this season but certainly Jeremy Lin and Ricky Rubio have sparked an increased interest in the NBA. I'm not sure of the numbers but the turn styles at Target Center Minnesota's have blown up. Jeremy Lin in The Big Apple, I don't think we could have written a screen play with this scenario. The NBA has become the league of point guards, practically every team except my Lakers have a quality point guard. Just mention a few MVP Derrick Rose, old man Steve Nash at age 38 leading the league in assists. Rajon Rondo is also a story, I don't even remember this guy at Kentucky do you? I do remember I read his name prior to the draft and most scouts were saying the same thing, "he can't shoot." That element of his game is still not developed but the intangibles he brings to the court negate his average shooting. As for Jeremy Lin this is no "Rudy" story, the book and movie are pure fiction---here we are witness to the real thing!

Where is he

Ishmail Wainwright left Raytown South (KC metro) to attend Montrose Christian Academy. Montrose is located in Rockville Maryland near Washington D.C. I wanted to check on the progress of this 6-6 220 pound small forward. Wainwright was the first player to commit to Mizzou and coach Frank Haith, a short time later he de-committed with the comment he wanted to check other schools. Wainwright indicated he was pleased with the change of schools, he indicated he was also pleased in the number of collegiate scouts visible for Montrose games. I wanted him at Mizzou maybe because he was the first to verbally commit. At this point I would be surprised if Wainwright is headed to Mizzou, the school has received signed letters of intent from two small forwards for the 2012-13 year.

Playing both sports?

Mizzou was jumping up and down with excitement in the signing of Dorial Green-Beckham. Green-Beckham is a 6-6 220 pound wide receiver and rated a 5-star recruit by Rivals. Power Mizzou.com has him listed on it's football and basketball page, Green-Beckham indicates he might attempt to play football and basketball at Mizzou.

"Another one bites the dust"

The question was raised if this is the best Mizzou team of all time. During Mizzou's game against Texas A&M Color commentator Fran Frashcilla made a statement which might better sum up what this team has accomplished to date. He said "this might have been the perfect storm, Laurence Bowers injured prior to the start of the season. His injury probably caused Haith and staff to implement this 7-man rotation." In years past I've seen Mizzou teams suffer when the primary offensive threat has a bad game. This team has no "primary" scorer only guys who can shoot the lights out. Leading scorer Marcus Denmon was off in the A&M game. English stepped up and led the way to victory with 21 points. The team has played in this manner all season long, they have each other's backs! Mizzou accomplished the usual, i.e. out rebounding a much taller A&M team. One of Mike Anderson teams won 31 games but I also think they lost 11 games. I might have been tempted to consider that Mizzou team the best ever. After considering the collective efforts and exploits of this 25-2 team I declare they are the best ever regardless of what occurs the balance of the season.

 

I don't get it

My former manager is originally from New York City, I'm going to pose this question to him. We have discussed the move of the Nets from New Jersey to Brooklyn, we haven't discussed the name change. From all indications the team name will be changed to Brooklyn Nets once the move to Barclays is done. Jay-Z and others connected with Barclays Center continue to point out how important the name Brooklyn is to the residents. I don't get it, isn't Brooklyn already one of the boroughs that comprise New York City? I'll answer my question by saying yes, however this wasn't always the case. My research indicated Brooklyn was once a separate city, Brooklyn did not become a borough until 1898. This former city had it's own mayor, it's own city government, it's own everything. A vote was held to determine if the city would become part of the existing New York City or remain a separate city. Of course we know the the results of the election but unsure why in 2012 an event occurring in 1898 could still be an issue for present day residents of Brooklyn? Why not New York Nets which was the ABA name for the team for a time?

His retired number

By now all are aware Shaquille O'Neal has retired, his movement from team to team bothered a number of Laker fans. When he signed as a free agent with the Celtics that was the last straw for several Laker fans. Larry Laker is not included in the number, sure I thought he was chasing a championship. In any event on the heels of his retirement notice the Lakers made an announcement too. The team would retire his number 34 and it would hang with those of Kareem, Jerry West, Chamberlain and Magic. I thought this was a noble gesture for the Lakers because it sent a message to him all is forgiven. Everyone was so focused on the Kobe-Shaq feud they might have forgotten Shaq had "burn bridges" with Laker management. All is forgiven which it should be, Shaq was a valuable key to 3 Laker championships. Shaq's ceremony was originally intended to occur this season, the delayed start of the season caused a temporary postponement. The Lakers announce it will be held sometime during the 2012-13 season.

They don't want it

Rockets management and the City of Houston is excited, they have been awarded the 2013 All-Star Game. Mean time NetsDaily is reporting the Knicks and Nets are both jockeying to serve as host for the 2014 game. The renovation work will be complete on Madison Square Garden by that time. The building has such a high degree of usage the work is being done in phases. Barclays Center which will serve as the Nets home is scheduled for completion this upcoming September. There is one NBA team that wants not part of All-Star weekend, that team is the Chicago Bulls. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf states "we will only serve as host if forced to! He went on to state "the NBA takes over a teams arena for nine days prior to the All-Star Game. In addition season ticket holders must be placed in a lottery to determine if they will receive tickets." Can you imagine being a season ticket holder and forced into a lottery system for the All-Star game. I can understand why Chicago would pass if offered the game.

McDonald's All-Americans

The date of the game is March 28, 2012, it will return to Chicago and The United Center once again. Last year there were 20,018 fans in attendance which set an all-time record for the event. Once upon a time Kansas City served as host, the year was 1989 long before the Sprint Center was built. The attendance was only
average I certainly would like to see what the event might draw if held at Sprint. Some of the suspects are familiar, Perry Ellis who is headed to KU and 7-foot Isaiah Austin who will play for Baylor. In addition the number two player (he's still number one with me) in the nation Shabazz Muhammad of Bishop Gorman (Nevada) was chosen. Muhammad remains undeclared but indicates a decision will come at some point in April. Muhammad was interviewed on ESPN and again I must express how adult this young man is. He responds to questions unlike many in his age group do, well thought out and well spoken youngster. Another player chosen for the game was shooting guard Marcus Smart from the Dallas metro area. I had an opportunity to witness two of his AAU tourney games last summer, Smart is on his way to Oklahoma State.

The name's the same
I'm sure it could be a blessing or a curse to an individual with the same name of a celebrity or personality. In this story the name might be considered a curse. The Sacramento Kings have a rookie point guard on their roster, his name is Isaiah Thomas. The Knicks in the middle of a seven game winning streak have heard few boos recently aimed at them. The boo birds returned for the Wednesday game at Madison Square Garden. The boos were not aimed at the Knicks, they were aimed at rookie point guard Isaiah Thomas of the Kings. Every time his name was announced it was followed by a course of boos. Should we presume a number of Knick fans might still hold a grudge against Isiah Thomas? Although the spelling is different the Kings Thomas was named for the former president, coach and GM of the Knicks.

"I left my heart in San Francisco"

The above is the title of a song made popular by Tony Bennett but it might be a reflection of the Warriors thinking! I'm stating up front these are talks only, no shovel has been planted in the dirt nor have any documents been signed. "The Warriors met Wednesday (the meeting was held last month) with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Giants CEO Larry Baer to discuss the feasibility of erecting a new, state-of-the-art arena near AT&T Park that would open before the 2017-18 season." The Warriors state it's their desire to replace Oracle Arena with a 20,000 seat arena. According to the San Francisco Chronicle Oracle Arena is the oldest arena in the NBA, built two years before Madison Square Garden. If this arena comes to fruition and the Warriors move will they become the San Francisco Warriors again?
(San Francisco Chronicle)

I had to research this one

Mizzou's Flip Pressey could always score more (9.8 ppg) but it's really unnecessary based on the other intangibles. I wondered if there had ever been a player of his caliber at the point in Mizzou's history, thus I began searching the archives. I was surprised when I discovered Anthony Peeler is Mizzou's all-time career assist leader at 497, Melvin Booker is second with 488 assists. Prior to the research I've always thought of Peeler in the role of a shooting guard not a distributor. In any event Flip in the middle of his sophomore year has 270 career assists with a major portion of the season still remaining. At the present pace he will surely break Peeler's record and become the all-time assist leader. One other note, Flip's 5.9 assist per game is the highest ever for a Mizzou player, previously it was Peeler's 4.2 assists per game during the 1989-92 season. (mutigers.com)

Did you see

2012 is the 35th Anniversary of The McDonald's All-American game, the game has truly grown over the years. The term McDonalds All American after a players name holds great distinction for that player chosen. A panel of basketball experts were asked to chose a team comprised of 35 former All-Americans. The majority of players went on to NBA careers. In fact several have had careers that will eventually find them enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield (MA). Kobe Bryant and LeBron and others are headed for the hall as soon as their careers end. Others are simply waiting the mandatory time for inclusion to the hall. Injuries hampered several players and we have no method of gauging what type of NBA careers they might have had. In the case of Grant Hill (1990) and Larry Johnson (1987) both continued to play in the NBA but were unable to play at the high skill level they exhibited prior to their injuries. Others had brief NBA careers due to injuries, Bobby Hurley (1989), Jay Williams (1999) Clark Kellogg (1979) and Ralph Sampson (1979) are just a few who injury robbed them of an NBA career.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Do you remember last season when draft experts were claiming the cupboard would be bare come draft time? With any draft and continued growth in that players game the story of the 2011 draft is incomplete. Last season is behind us and looking ahead to June 2012 the experts are all smiles. As per the normal several kids will dip their foot in the pool to determine if the water is hot, cold or lukewarm. If it's cold or lukewarm they will most likely withdraw their names and indicate "I'm staying in school!" As for the others ESPN's Chad Ford claims the 2012 NBA Draft will make up for last seasons so-so draft. You know Jared Sullinger of Ohio State and Harrison Barnes of North Carolina but mark my words. A player will raise his draft stock by an outstanding performance at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in April or individual team workouts. The list of NBA players who came through Portsmouth reads like a who's-who. It's very likely the player would have been drafted anyway but the tournament might have provided a scout enough information to say "let's draft _______!" Former Mizzou forward DeMarre Carroll's outstanding tournament play at Portsmouth raised his stock considerably and most certainly led to the Memphis Grizzlies drafting him.

Rudy, Rudy, Rudy

Sorry wrong sport, even the wrong name but this story is not fiction. Many folks including former Notre Dame QB Joe Montana said most of the stuff in that movie didn't occur, pure Hollywood. The folks chanting Jeremy, Jeremy are rooting for a legitimate hero. Last night against the Raptors Lin scored 27 points dished out 11 assists and finished it off with a last second 3 with 00.5 on the clock. I thought there might be a requirement for D'Antoni to confer with Anthony once he returns. I don't think so, I think Lin is in charge and proved it last night with Amare Stoudemire on the floor.

 

Seattle

Do you think Seattle might want another NBA team? I certainly can't speak for the residents but I'm sure a significant number probably want the NBA back. A new player has come forward who appears to have the answer for the city. Christopher Hansen claims to have the money, he just needs a franchise. The NBA is certainly not looking at expansion based on today's economics so it must be an existing franchise.

A San Francisco hedge-fund manager met with officials in the Seattle mayor's office last month, Hansen wants the NBA in Seattle again. "Christopher Hansen, 44-year old Seattle native Christopher Hansen, approached the city about his desire to buy an NBA team and build an arena south of Safeco Field." Hansen is eyeing developments in Sacramento, it's his view if a new arena is not built the Kings will move south. The key date is March 1st which is fast approaching, Sacramento must provide the NBA evidence of plans for a new arena. Sacramento is under the gun again same as last year. Best guess Hansen purchases the Kings from the Maloof Brothers and then moves the franchise to Seattle. Of course this is all speculation on my part, I don't think the team is going to Anaheim. Los Angeles metro certainly has enough population but three teams might be one to many even for Southern California. (Feb 4, 2012 Seattle Times)

Your choice for player of the year?

I watched with interest an ESPN discussion regarding the NCAA player of the year. The usual suspects were mentioned Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, KU's Thomas Robinson and several others. I don't remember them mentioning Creighton's Doug McDermott, most likely it's the school he attends. A player attending a
mid-major (I hate that term) school tends to be overlooked. The other issue we become fixated on athletes headed to the NBA, I have no idea if NBA scouts are attending his games, I know this the guy can flat out shoot. As this is written he's led Creighton to a 21-4 record. This 6-7 220 pound small forward has numbers as good as anybody in the country. McDermott's numbers, 23.3 points and 8.4 rebounds a game while shooting .616 from the floor. The guy is shooting an amazing .500 from the 3-point line and .837 from the free-throw line. Did I mention he's in the middle of his sophomore year?

How tall is tall?

I pose the question based on the NBA of today. Draftexpress.com has Mizzou's Marcus Demon at the 20th pick in the second round of their mock 2012 draft. Even more interesting they list him as a shooting guard which in reality he is. The question is if drafted will he be a one or a two? The Lakers Andrew Goudelock was a do everything guard last season for College of Charleston. The Lakers roster list him as a point guard and in all actually that's probably going to be his lot in the NBA. The same probably is true for Denmon should he be drafted. Laker great Jerry West was considered a shooting guard who had the talent to pass the ball, West is
6-2.

Not again

Once again Blazer center Greg Oden has endured another surgical procedure. Unfortunately Oden cannot remain healthy enough to play an entire season, it's always been one operation after another after another. The press release indicated Oden had played in a total of 82 games since he was drafted 1st by the Blazers in the 2007 NBA Draft. The Blazers have been criticize for picking him instead of Kevin Durant, the organization cannot be blamed for picking Oden instead of Durant. Coming out of Ohio the 7-0 foot 285 pound Oden appeared to be the better choice over the skinny 6-9 235 pound Durant. The surgery was an arthroscopic procedure to remove "debris" from his right knee. When healthy (which hasn't been often) Oden has looked good on the court, not so much offensively but he exhibited a strong defensive presence around the basket.

Bits n Pieces
Denver has an overall better won-lost record than the Knicks since the Carmelo Anthony trade. The time period covered is the trade last season to the Nuggets current losing streak. Denver received several players in the trade that have allowed them to become a more balanced team. My buddy Dave thinks Denver needs a "super-star" to complete it's roster, I'm not sure if I agree.

I read a funny story by Peter May ESPN Boston. May was reflecting on the Celtic's problem dealing with the height posed by Lakers Bynum and Gasol. The late Chuck Daly coach of the Pistons was asked if he'd figured a method to counter Celtic forward Kevin McHale. "I spent all summer trying to figure out a way to guard McHale. I didn't come up with one. He's still too tall," Daly said.

During last Thursdays NBA telecast Marv Albert mentioned "the Celtics had an open date on Wednesday so coach Doc Rivers took the opportunity to fly to Chapel Hill for the Duke-Carolina game.'  I'm sure he must have been pleased with son Austin shooting in a 3-point game winner.

I was anxious to see how Knick point guard Jeremy Lin would play against my Lakers. I should have remembered that an old adage you know the one that states "be careful what you wish for." Lin erupted for 38 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds while shooting .565 from the floor. I'm convinced Lin is the real deal. Over the last 10 games he's averaged 18.4 points per game and 6.1 assists while shooting .535 from the floor, I'll take those numbers any day from my point guard. The return of Stoudemire and Anthony will require the offense to flow through them. There will always be a need for a distributor but Lin's shot total will be reduced.

Another win

I'm unsure of the message Frank Haith is giving out but we should consider a patent on it. This Mizzou team continues to amaze me, I thought going into this game Baylor would be breathing fire. After losing to Kansas earlier in the week I can admit it now I was a little scared. The first half didn't help me either, the Tigers were outrebounded badly. I have come to the conclusion Scott Drew's mission in life is to convince us he is a good coach, great recruiter however I question his coaching skill. How do you lose a game this badly with the height advantage you have? Perry Jones III disappeared once again, this guy is a projected NBA Lottery Pick! You coulda fooled me, Jones III was 2-12 with 4 points total for the game. How do you outrebound your opposition 35-22 yet lose a game 72 to 57? Baylor folded like a lawn chair, I guess hitting 14 treys over Baylor's zone defense was likely the contributing factor.

I don't do this on purpose

Search for stories on big guys routinely sometimes the stories reach out to me. I did uncover a story of interest regarding a 7-5 high school player from Senegal. Yes, I typed 7-5 as in 7 feet 5 inches tall which makes him the tallest high school player in the nation. Mamadou Ndiaye arrived in the U.S. two years ago and has only been playing basketball in that brief time frame. Ndiaye had surgery to remove a tumor from his pituitary gland but is healed and back out on the basketball court. Ndiaye is enrolled at Huntington Beach Brethren Christian School (California). He is in the Class of 2013, however is extremely raw in his basketball development. Ndiaye wears a size 19 shoe and the video I witnessed indicates he needs basketball shoes. It appears he has Nike running shoes while competing. Video of the young man detail some skill on the court, it's difficult to access his overall game when matched against munchkin competition.

Kobe, Kobe, Kobe 

Okay I get it you hate Kobe Bryant, you and couple of thousand others. Larry Bird doesn't agree with you when asked said. "Well, probably Kobe, because of the fact that ... well, of course he wouldn't have been shooting as much as he does now ... but his desire to win, his dedication, to always get better, uh, and he's just, he's just tough," Bird said. "He's just a tough cat. "But, if you want to have fun, like I did with Bill Walton, play with LeBron. It would have probably been more fun to play with LeBron, but if you want to win and win and win, it's Kobe. Not that LeBron's not a winner, just that [Kobe's] mindset is to go into every practice, every game, to get better." (Yahoo Sports)

Mizzou

I received an email that caused me to laugh out loud. My buddy Ira and fellow Mizzou fan took me to task for not writing enough of a story regarding Mizzou's victory over Kansas. How do I feel about the win, extremely pleased how the Tigers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. After KU pulled ahead the team could have just folded and said "this team (KU) is better than us." They didn't give up scoring 11 points to take the lead and the victory from the Jayhawks. Kim English led the way during a timeout exalting his teammates to prevail. What more can I state about senior guard Kim English who gave up 1/2 foot in height and 35 pounds in weight to Jeff Withey. He schooled Withey (in English) while he managed to score 18 points on him and other Jayhawks. Kansas City product Marcus Denmon 29 points, 9 rebounds 2 assist and 1 steal while shooting 63% from the floor. I could go on with the cast of characters, each player contributed greatly in this exorcism of Jayhawk mania. All we hear from Lawrence is about a blocking/charging call, surely that one call didn't cost the Jayhawks the game did it? Maybe the purpose of semi-circle in front on the basket should be explained to Jayhawk fans. Is this the best Mizzou team ever? I don't know, the history is still being written Mizzou is not assured first place yet. As for Coach Haith what can I say, I had mentioned this previously the knock on him as a coach "he wasn't a good X's and O's guy!" I think we can put that story to bed too.

How did we arrive here?

Depending on your age you might wonder why Los Angeles has two NBA franchises? The 2011 population of Greater Los Angeles is 17,877,006 which is certainly enough people for the two franchises to co-exist. The Minneapolis Lakers moved to Los Angeles in 1960, for some odd reason Bob Short who own the team decided to maintain the same name for the team. I'm unsure how many lakes there are in Los Angeles however if you head due west you will arrive at a large lake, the Pacific Ocean. Clippers are a different story the team was born as a result of league expansion. The franchise came into the NBA as the Buffalo (NY) Braves in 1970 where the team remained until 1978. That year the franchise moved from Buffalo to San Diego, once in San Diego the team was re-named the Clippers. San Diego remained home base for the Clippers until 1984 when they moved to Los Angeles. This represents a brief glimpse in the history of this 42-year old franchise. Clippers games were played in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena which had been the home of the Lakers. Jack Kent Cooke who owned the Lakers at the time built The Forum 1967 and it became home to the Showtime Lakers until Staples Center was opened. In 1998 ground was broken in downtown Los Angeles for a new arena, the Lakers were the first tenant signed for The Staples Center. Many months prior to the arena opening the Clippers signed a tenant agreement as well, it was thought the Clippers would play their games At the Pond in Anaheim California. The Clippers had scheduled several games At the Pond in years past. The decision was made to sign an agreement to play at Staples. (dates, Wikipedia)

Business as (un)usual

Even with a settlement I was the one voice loudly proclaiming fans would abandon the NBA due to the Lockout. Early indications point to the fact I was wrong! Henry Abbott of ESPN.com has posted some pretty interesting numbers. You can read Abbott's entire column if you wish I cherry-picked on the portion I thought most enlightening to fans. This is from his True Hoop Column February 2nd. "The first 325 games of this NBA season averaged attendance of 17,094. That's better than 89 percent of capacity, and a hair better than the first 325 games of last season, which averaged 17,057. But almost every other indicator blows those in-arena numbers away. Viewership is going a bit nuts:

• ABC has had just three games, so it's hard to say anything conclusive, but the audience is up five percent compared to a year ago.
• ESPN viewership is up 23 percent.
• TNT viewership is up 50 percent.
• NBA TV viewership is up an insane 66 percent.
• NBA on regional cable sports networks are up 12 percent.
• Local over-the-airwaves broadcasts are up 36 percent.

I based my view on the backlash that resulted from the previous work stoppage in '98-'99. Fans were upset, attendance was down and so were the television numbers. Fans were upset and they let the NBA know about it, it took fans sometime to come back to the NBA. Economics are different this go round, the nation's economy and segments of the population unemployed I thought an emphatic No the NBA might occur. I misread the public (fans) this time.

The Knicks have a "new" point guard

This is really funny, I had written a story on how the Knicks were failing even with Tyson Chandler in the lineup. What does D' Antoni do, he inserts Jeremy Lin in the lineup at the point. After losing two games in a row Lin became a spark for a turnaround, he came off the bench against the Nets and produced 25 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds while shooting .526 from the floor. To prove the effort was no fluke D'Antoni inserted him in the starting lineup for the following game against the Jazz. Lin produced 28 points, 8 assists and 2 rebounds shooting .588 from the floor. He might have saved Mike D'Antoni's job with his sparkling play at the point. The natives were getting restless in MSG, a chorus of boos had begun to rain down on the Knicks. New Yorkers had Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler and were still losing. New Yorkers are quite vocal in expressing their displeasure as it relates to basketball. Lin has battled all his life against racial stereotypes. An example despite the fact he'd led his high school team to a state championship few schools recruited this 6-3 guard. Lin enrolled at Harvard excelled in the classroom and basketball court. A sparkling record at Harvard and he was still overlooked in the 2011 NBA Draft. Lin exhibited his basketball skills during summer league play and the Warriors later signed him. I'm unsure why, the Warriors released him in December 2011 with little playing time. He was picked up as a free agent by the Knicks and the rest is history. Several questions remain chief among them what happens when Baron Davis is able to play? With Yao Ming's retirement Lin is now the lone Asian playing in the NBA.

Baylor

More than likely Baylor will lose a substantial portion of it's front line to the NBA. The Waco Texas school is following a similar pattern of Kentucky and North Carolina, just reloading with new talent. They have been hot on the recruiting trail, in the fall 7-foot 210 pound Isaiah Austin and 6-3 180 pound point guard L.J. Rose will arrive on campus. Austin is a 5-star ESPNU candidate while Rose is a 4-star recruit. Baylor recently signed Ricardo Gathers a 6-7 240 pound power forward, Gathers is also an ESPNU 4-star player. The big question next season will be Scott Drew, can he overcome his apparent limited coaching ability. Drew is not a bad guy by any means, it just appears he's not real keen with X's and O's. (for proof see the tape of Baylor's game with KU in Waco). If we remain in Texas, specifically Houston we have the Harrison brothers from the Class of 2013. Twin brothers Andrew and Aaron Harrison, Andrew is a 6-5 210 pound point guard and Aaron a 6-5 205 pound shooting guard. Both brothers are undeclared at this point but guess-----an offer is on the table from Baylor for both. Surprise, surprise! I think we all might have once viewed the State of Texas as rich in football talent, the football statement is still true however more and more quality basketball players are being groomed in the state.

The ABA
Most Kansas City residents don't realize the city once had an opportunity to become home to an ABA team. I'm not referring to the incarnation that came about in 2000, I'm referring to the ABA of Dr. J., George McGinnis and Larry Brown. This ABA team would have arrived years earlier than the Cincinnati Royals who would become the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. You say you don't remember Kansas City having an ABA team, allow me to explain. "February 2, 1967, the ABA was created. One of the charter teams announced that day was an unnamed Kansas City franchise. The Kansas City team was awarded for $35,000 to James B. Trindle. On April 1, 1967 due to an inability to nail down an arena deal in the home city the Kansas City franchise was relocated to Denver and named the Denver Larks. Trindle had ongoing financial problems and the team was sold to J. William Ringsby, the owner of Rocket Truck Lines. Ringsby renamed the team the Denver Rockets in homage to his trucking business, in 1974 the name was changed to Nuggets." Today's Denver Nuggets are a direct result of the inability of Kansas City to provide an arena. So you now have more historical information than most citizens of Kansas City. (Wikipedia)

I've been here before

Sometimes fans are so fixated on statements made by the media the comment often becomes "their" view. So it is with the "trade Bynum for Howard" that continues to dominate the conversation of several Laker fans and others. It's easy to say "trade Bynum for Howard" these fans seem to have forgotten salaries have to match in a trade. Odom is history, what Laker is traded besides Bynum to make this work? We could pose multiple scenarios, bottom line the Lakers must receive value beyond Howard if any trade is to work. The Lakers would need to replace a starter(s) or members of their bench. So fans if you must continue to discuss trading Bynum can you make it "workable." The problem with this edition of the Lakers is clearly not the center position, it should be evident to even the casual observer the problem is a point guard and bench depth. Derek Fisher is a savvy veteran as they might state but it's time he is replaced. He should be playing back up minutes as a 37-year old. The Lakers must rebuild on the fly allow Darrius Morris or Andrew Goudelack adequate time at the point! We have no idea if they can play seated next to Mike Brown, besides the fact neither can learn the game seated on the bench. I know the situation is quite different in Cleveland and Minnesota however both coaches are allowing Kyrie Irving and Ricky Rubio to develop and enhance their game for the NBA.

Tommy Amaker

This former Duke point guard has turned out to be a darn pretty good coach. I guess you could say his first coaching stop Seton Hall was a learning experience for him. Amaker's four year record at Seton Hall was 68-55 record. certainly not an earth shattering record but he moved one step in the coaching ranks becoming head coach at Michigan. His last two years at Michigan he was 22-11 and 22-13 for a 108-84 at Michigan. Next stop Harvard of the Ivy League, he turned the program around. Amaker's initial year Harvard was 8-22, the following year they reached .500 with a 14-14 record. Since that second year Amaker teams have gone 21-7, 23-7 and this year Harvard is 20-2 as this is written.

Basketball is different

Reading a Laker fan website I noticed something that seems to occur only to basketball players. In order to provide the best description of a players you say "his game is similar to ______ ." By describing him in this manner you provided them with a visual picture of the players ability. This type of description occurred with Laker rookie Andrew Goudelock, Goudelock had an outstanding game when the team faced the Nuggets. Out come the comparisons, "he plays like (former Laker) Nick Van Exel." I have a question for you, we tend to describe a basketball player in the manner of a player we might be familiar with. Honestly I don't ever remember baseball or football players described in that manner. Do we say ________hits a baseball like Albert Pujois or __________runs pass patterns like Wes Welker? Am I off-base on this, I might be but I don't think so?

Number one seed?

ESPN's Joe Lunardi "The Bracketology" expert has Mizzou a a number one seed in the West (Phoenix). If Mizzou could "escape" Phoenix they would be headed to St. Louis, I'm unsure if that's good or bad. Lunardi has five Big XII teams in "The Big Dance!" As this is written we have a 3-team tie for first place, Baylor, Kansas and Mizzou, still in the race for first place is Iowa State. And these are the five schools Lunardi indicates will be the Big XII contingent to The Dance. Listening to sports talk radio this afternoon the host stated, "sometimes fans are more concerned with wins and losses (during the season) than the players." I can agree with that statement based on the email traffic and sports talk radio Monday after the Saturday night Mizzou-KU game. Maybe the larger problem is the radio/television hosts, 98% of the time they have never played the game at the collegiate or NBA level. They second guess coaches decisions with a drop of the hat, it's rather interesting a coach must make a decision with 18,000 screaming fans and sometimes plus a national television audience. Think you'd enjoy someone critiquing your job at the office or at the worksite? Think about that the next time you ask why did coach_________make that move or that decision?

Mizzzzzoou!

I am well pleased with Saturday night! Mizzou 74 Kansas 71.  Wonder if Mike Anderson was watching the game?

Play ball!

Those who follow baseball are aware of the legal issues facing the baseball Dodgers, in any event the team is now for sale. Present owner Frank McCourt expects the team to sale for $1.5 billion. 10 perspective owners have stepped forward and have submitted bids, of the ten individuals 3 persons have NBA ties. Among those submitting bids were Magic Johnson, Mark Cuban and Stan Kroenke. Former Laker Magic Johnson has become a successful entrepreneur since his retirement. He owns several TGIFriday Restaurants, Magic Movie Theatres and 24 Hour Fitness Centers just to name a few of his endeavors. Mark Cuban had bid unsuccessfully a number of years ago to purchase the Chicago Cubs. Stan Kroenke owns the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche teams and is a family member of the Walton (Wal-Mart) clan.

I would imagine
Ames High (Iowa) won the state championship two years ago with a 27-0 record. The team was comprised of two athletes playing at Creighton University and North Carolina. Doug McDermott is enrolled at Creighton and Harrison Barnes is attending North Carolina. Both stepped up their game to compete at the Division One level without missing a beat. McDermott is the 3rd leading scorer in the nation at 23.5 points a game, this 6-7 220 pound small forward pulls down 8.4 rebounds a game. Barnes is scoring at a 17.3 points a game clip and this 6-8 215 pound forward manages to snag 4.7 rebounds a game.

He only scored 3 points
Flip Pressey scored only 3 points in Mizzou's win over Texas Tech. The balance of the box score for this diminutive point guard reads, 3 rebounds 12 assists 3 steals and 2 turnovers in 35 minutes. We have been witness this season to his maturity as a basketball player. It's been mentioned on more than one occasion he sometimes played out of control during his freshman year. For that reason former coach Mike Anderson kept him on a short leach. His game under Frank Haith has grown tremendously as a sophomore. Ricardo Ratliffe said, "I always need to be ready to receive a pass from him." Pressey is sitting at 6.0 assists per game but I believe it could actually be slightly higher. I have seen catchable bullet passes go out of bounds or a teammate catch a pass and them miss the basket.

Global cultural ambassador
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will serve as a Global Cultural Ambassador tor the U.S.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTx_ps-dD4E&feature=youtu.be

I finally got a chance
Murray State is the real deal, they remain the only undefeated Division One team at 23-0. Few Ohio Valley Conference games have been telecast in our area so last Thursday was my first opportunity to view the Murray State Racers. Unfortunately I didn't realize the game was on, I was able to view the game after the 2nd half had begun. I might have been able to view the best portion of the game because Murray State was actually 11 points behind their opponent Southeast Missouri State. The Racers applied the pedal to the gas and simply sped away from Southeast Missouri. Murray State reminds me of Mizzou in one instance they have a height issue, they have two players both 6-9 but neither plays much. Their best player is 6-0 guard Isaiah Canaan who is this years Jimmer Fredette. Canaan was shooting deep, deep 3's all evening, he led Murray State to victory with a game high 32 points.

Bits n Pieces

Phil Jackson is working on his memoirs, the title of this publication is "Eleven Rings." According to reports it will be out next year, that's an appropriate title for his book.

The Thunder have become a force in the NBA, despite their efforts on the court they need a designer. A designer to come up with better uniforms, I've seen high schools with better looking threads than the Thunder.

One more bit of Thunder news, why does the sports media insist on referring to them as O. K. C.? I can count on both hands the number of times I've heard a broadcaster say KC Royals or KC Chiefs. They almost always say Kansas City, what's up with O.K .C.?

If the Tigers don't win tomorrow I'll still be okay, this years Mizzou team has exceeded my wildest expectations. I once remarked to a friend all I wanted them to do was compete for the Big XII Championship. They might not win but I know they will have given their best effort.

I'm a little slow
Sometimes I have difficulty reading between the lines, I did that with this story. This "so-called" feud between Shaq and Dwight Howard regarding the best center in the NBA. That's only a small portion of the story. You might remember a story I wrote last week, Shaq had pronounced Andrew Bynum the best big man in today's NBA. Shaq did it on purpose to spite Howard, he knew word would eventually reach Howard's ears. This feud involves two rather tall dudes who both claim Superman as their alter ego. Without taking sides I would assume Shaq could lay claim to the title, Dwight Howard arrived on the scene much later. If Howard wants to refer to himself as Superman it's okay with me however I cannot speak for Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal.

He said what?

I don't think I ever remember an NBA player complaining about the home arena. I'm sure it's probably occurred at some point in the past, my memory banks fail me on this one. We have an NBA player complaint, the player in question is Nets point guard Deron Williams. What I find unusual he played in this arena last year but has now chosen January 2012 to complain. The arena in question the Prudential Center or the shorten name Pru which is located in Newark New Jersey. This was intended to be the Nets temporary home while awaiting completion of the Barclays Center. I never read or heard the Nets moved from their original New Jersey home the Meadowlands to the Pru? In any event Williams chief complaint appears to be the background behind the goals of the arena. It's a depth perception issue. Someone said, "maybe the main reason he's complaining is his 37.2% shooting from the floor." I've read and heard college players voicing a similar complaint but it involved games basketball games played in domed stadiums which were designed for football.

ESPN.com

You wanna know the real reason a vast majority of people continue to hate on LeBron and crew? The culprit is the world wide leader ESPN! Both the television side and .com side want to overload us with Miami Heat news. Did you forget the world wide leader aired "The Decision?" Why wasn't it on Fox or CBS Sports?
The other point, what is the purpose of the Heat Index maintained on the front page of the website? The Heat Index is bogus because they award grades to James, Wade and Bosh, no other Heat player has ever been individually graded to my knowledge. LeBron and crew are always awarded passing grades, I believe last year Bosh might have received a D. It appears as long as they play they are awarded a passing grad, currently injured Dwayne Wade is given an incomplete. The opposition is always graded but to my knowledge not one opposition player has ever been graded.

Los Angeles

The Clippers are a very good team, they are much improved over last year especially with Chris Paul in the lineup. The only problem for me is this media driven frenzy. They are treating the Clippers in the same manner of the Heat and neither has won nothing. "Lob City" headlines and "Battle of Los Angeles" to me is all media hype and media driven. If the two teams don't like the other that's okay, they represent the same city but that's all they have in common. The teams are mortal "enemies" and that makes this rivalry that much better. They occupy the same arena but Clipper fans are not Laker fans and vice-versa. The Clippers can keep Billy Crystal we have Jack Nicholson! One of these teams is not like the other. One of these teams has won 17 NBA Championships and the other 0, can you guess which one?

 

I know my bias is showing

CBS Sports.com contained a list of Player of the Year Candidates. It contained the usual suspects, KU's Thomas Robinson, Ohio State's Jared Sullinger and several others. I scanned the list for Marcus Denmon or Ricardo Ratliffe's name but neither was listed. I also saw a list for coach of the year and guess whose name was omitted? We have no idea how the balance of the season will turn out, but for now I think Mizzou has exceeded expectations.

 

In good hands

The above was once the motto of an insurance company but it could be applied to several NBA teams. I've made note the lack of quality play at the center position. In fact I once mentioned with Shaq's retirement we are down to two good post men, Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum. On the other hand we are witness to a succession of quality point guards coming into the NBA. Naturally we are speculating on the rookies but it appears they are moderate successful in bridging the gap from college to the NBA. The Cavs Kyrie Irving, the Wolves Ricky Rubio and the Bobcats Kimba Walker are playing major minutes for their respective teams, other rookies are the Knicks Iman Shumpert and Norris Cole of the Heat. Youth will be served, the Nuggets have 3rd year man Ty Lawson at the helm, 2nd year speed merchant John Wall guides the Wiz. MVP Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans are in their 3rd year in the NBA. Evans and Shumpert are playing the point currently for the Kings and Knicks however they may become two guards in the near future. There are other youthful point guards, Mike Conley of the Griz in his 4th year and D.J. Augustin of the Bobcats in his 3rd year. As you see this changing of the guard is "real" change at the one. How successful will the others be, can the Lakers Darius Morris assume the point for them replacing 37-year old Derrick Fisher? What about Jimmer Fredette, will he transcend to the role of a point guard in the future for the Kings? Fredette was a do-all guard in college who could flat out shoot. These are but few of the young point guards who are providing leadership for their respective teams while others are in waiting to assume the role.

 

The east side of the state

There is good basketball team on the east side of the state of Missouri, this is probably know to but a few on this side of the state. Distance might be a contributing factor. Columbia and Springfield are nearer to us than metro St. Louis. Television plays a role too, on this side of the state we can view all Mizzou games and a significant number of Missouri State games. Occasionally a Billiken game might be picked up on this side but there is no regularity. The Saint Louis University Billikens are 13-3 as this is written. Currently they sit atop the Atlantic 10 standings and probably must be considered the conference favorite. The Billikens coach is Rick Majerus, I'm sure the name might be familiar to most of you. Majerus was the longtime coach at Utah from 1989-2004, he's been at SLU since 2007 rebuilding this university basketball program. Criticism is good but I think it's only good when serving a purpose. One writer stated little if any attention would be paid to this program if not for it's well known coach. That type of statement is certainly not fair to the roster of SLU players, there are good college players spread throughout the nation several are at SLU.

 

Has age finally caught them

Laker Haters love to tease me about the "old" Lakers. They might be old but their key players and reserves don't have the mileage of the Celtics. On this story come back in the spring if I'm wrong. I thought the trio of Celtics had one more championship run in them. Unfortunately it does not appear to be the case, they look old, and even worse they are slow. Ray Allen is 36, Kevin Garnett 35, Jermaine O'Neal 33 while Paul Pierce is 33. Rajon Rondo is the baby of the bunch at age 25. Keep in mind Garnett, O'Neal and Pierce have played major minutes over the course of their careers. Garnett and O'Neal both both came directly from high school into the NBA, Pierce left KU after his junior year for the NBA. Their combo of players have quite a bit of mileage on their knees and legs from the regular season and the playoffs. The balance of the roster is comprised of twenty-something players. They could field a younger team but certainly not one any NBA team would fear.