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?