Bits n Pieces

If the Celtics still wish to trade Rajon Rondo I think the Lakers might be willing to take him off their hands. The guy is still not a good shooter as evidence his .350 from the floor. The balance of his game against the Knicks Sunday was epic, 18 points, 17 rebounds, 20 assist, 1 steal and 1 block shot. All this from a 6-1 186 pound point guard.

The Kansas City Star reported this story, at the beginning of the collegiate season "sportsbook Bovada had Missouri at 75-1 to win the NCAA championship." Later it went to 100-1, I guess this might have been around the time Laurence Bowers tore his ACL and it was reported he would missed the entire season. Interesting this week Vegas now says Mizzou is 10-1. (Kansas City Star)

I have always believed a person is entitled to their own opinion and view. At the same you are not entitled to your opinion or view if you utilize half-truths, innuendo and other caw-caw to validate your point! That's what we have with Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports, volumes of what he believes but nothing but his words and view to validate the position he takes. Monday's Fox Sports headline read: Kobe can win 10 titles; he still won't be LeBron's equal. Shame on me and you, I thought Whitlock would provide us proof of his argument and all he provided was caw-caw. Kobe Bean Bryant does not need me to defend him, that's not the issue here. This writer claims to know NBA basketball yet writes some of the most worthless dribble I've ever read. "Kobe is a shooter period" was one of Whitlock's line, if you hate Kobe that's okay but don't make up stuff to validate your opinion. Keep this in mind, Whitlock is the same person who dreamed up methods of "fixing" the NBA. One of his proposals NBA teams would pay bonuses to players who were without tattoos. His claim the no tattoo policy would make the game more fan friendly????

Cal's Jorge Gutierrez accomplished a rare feat, he was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Gutierrez modest numbers give you no clue to the value of this 6-3 195 pound point guard. His numbers 12.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. You just might hear his name called in June during the annual NBA draft. Want an inspirational story, Google his name.

I wondered if fans would boycott the NBA after the protracted Lockout, I have no attendance numbers but television numbers are way up. "Sunday's broadcast (Heat-Lakers) was watched by more than 7 million people. It equaled a Celtics-Lakers matchup last year as ABC's highest-rated non-Christmas regular-season game with a 4.3." (Associated Press)

He should be included in the race
CBSports.com has decided the collegiate player of the year is a two-man race. They project the selection to be either KU's Thomas Robinson or Kentucky's Anthony Davis. Both players have experienced outstanding seasons but so has Mizzou's Marcus Denmon. His scoring average (18.2) tops both Robinson and Davis. Denmon's 90.2 free throw percentage is the 12th highest in the nation and certainly exceeds Robinson and Davis. Naturally Denmon's field goal percentage is lower than Robinson or Davis he's most often shooting from distance. The problem, how does a 6-3 shooting compete for votes against two 6-10 guys? In fact of the ten players profiled Denmon and Murray State's Isaiah Canaan are the only guards. I know Robinson or Davis will most likely receive the award but it would real cool if Denmon received it.

Think you might need a loan if you had to feed these guys?

This is a basketball story but it's also a story of food. Question, can you imagine the grocery bill in the Zeller household? You see there is mom and dad plus brothers Luke, Tyler and Cody. Luke is currently playing in the NBA Developmental League, 6-11 245 pound Luke played at Notre Dame. The middle brother Tyler is 7-0 and 250 pounds. Tyler is in his senior year at Carolina playing for Roy Williams. The "baby" of the bunch would be Cody, he's at Indiana and is 6-11 230 pounds. I guess Mr. and Mrs. Zeller have some relief at the grocery store with all three brothers no longer eating meals at home. Of course this will change once schools out, most likely Tyler, Cody and Luke return home during the summer and the grocery bill rises substantially once again. We are assured of one thing, the grocery store manager breaks into a wide smile once the Zeller's arrive to shop.

He's goooooood too

I was so busy watching Ricky Rubio and Jeremy Lin I forgot about Kyrie Irving. I never got to see Kyrie play last season, he was injured in Duke's eighth game of the season. He would remain on the injury list most of the season. He completed his freshman year with a grand total of 11 games. Later in the spring when he announced he was entering the draft I said what, "does he think he's that good?" I've since found out he is that good, as of Tuesday February 28th he's scoring at an 18.1 per game clip, dishing out 5.1 assist and grabbing 3.5 rebounds per game.

He's got game

From a physical standpoint and skill level LeBron is the best in today's NBA! At 6-8 and 250 pounds he's got to be one of the quickest and fastest end line to end line. I imagine he could beat Tony Parker or any of the other speedy point guards in the league. The only problem it seems in critical playoff games he fails to use this speed. In the past he's hung out on the perimeter jacking up shot after shot. Once his teams advance to the crown jewel the NBA Championships I'm unsure what happens in his mind. I'm reminded of the story Bill Russell detailed in his autobiography, "we had guys who were always complaining about the number of shots they received during a game." Russell went on to say this "the desire to have the ball in their hands ceased once the team was in the playoffs." That basketball became a hot potato, shot and score you are a hero, shot and miss you become the goat! If you don't have the ball you can't shoot so "don't pass me the ball" in my Kwame Brown voice. I think we all understood what Larry Bird meant when he was asked about LeBron and Kobe, he said "you want to have fun, play with LeBron James. You want a ring, play with Kobe Bryant." In this instance it doesn't really matter if you like Kobe or not he has the spirit that says "you can't beat me!" Perhaps this year LeBron will full comprehend this warrior mentality Kobe has and help raise a championship banner in Miami.

Over before it starts

I would guess the Seattle deal and Christopher Hansen are dead in the water now. The commish says no more NBA expansion and for once I can agree with Stern, the product is diluted too much. There is work to be done, the NBA Board of Governors should insist all franchises are financially solvent. The Hornets should be at the top of the list. For reasons I'm sure based on Hurricane Katrina Stern feels angst about leaving The Crescent City. Another team in trouble Michael Jordan's Bobcats, they are barely hanging on. Even more interesting his buddy Charles Barkley took a swipe at him. He said "Michael Jordan is a bad owner, he's surrounded himself with too many yes men." Barkley's words not mine, to bad Michael cannot un-retire himself and become relevant on the court. We might include the Kings in this discussion however their situation might change drastically if the planned arena financing and associated actions are completed.