We have about eight (8) weeks left until NBA training camps open and approximately ten (10) weeks till Midnight Madness. The NBA, collegiate and high school season is almost ready to commence again, it seems such a short time ago we concluded the basketball season---well kind of. The NBA championship, draft, free agent signing, AAU and finally the Olympics, many of us have actually had almost a full summer of basketball.

　
I wonder if you agree with me, agree that sometimes polls serve no useful purpose? They reflect the views and opinions of a small percentage of the populace. I often wonder who these folks poll, I‘ve never been contacted for any type of poll. The latest poll I’m questioning is one commissioned by cbssports.com regarding collegiate coaches. In this poll North Carolina’s Roy Williams was chosen the most overrated coach in the nation. How can you refer to a coach as overrated with two NCAA championships on his resume? William’s won-lost record is 675-169 and at Carolina 257-68 however a critic said “it’s easy when you coach at Kansas at UNC.” A coach must secure talent but he must also know how to coach, that type of statement is ridiculous.

Rick Barnes at Texas finished second in this poll, Barnes has never won an NCAA championship however his coaching numbers are outstanding. Over his 25 year coaching career he’s only had one losing season, ‘91-’92 his Providence team finished the season 14-17. Barnes coached teams have won 533 and lost 262 games, at Texas he’s 333-130. I was surprised Duke’s coach K. was no place on the survey; I have come in contact with a significant number of folks who claim they hate Duke basketball and especially coach K., don’t count me in with that group. A secondary poll was conducted, it consisted of coaches who were considered underrated; in a real shocker (at least to me) Bill Self was named. Self wasn’t at the top of the list however please explain how a coach with an NCAA championship is underrated? At the same time ESPN’s Dick Vitale has been singing the praises of Self for years now, once you make Dickey V’s list it’s difficult to imagine him being grouped with a bunch of underrated coaches. Thanks to Dick Vitale the nation----take that back the world knows who Bill Self is, underrated I seriously doubt it.

　
The date Dwight Howard returns to the court varies based on your sources. I’ve read anywhere between November 1, 2012 up through January 2013. I claim no medical knowledge however one source with a medical background made this statement, “I’d rather deal with Howard’s back surgery than Bynum’s knee issues.” I hope your not thinking I’m glossing over the seriousness of Howard’s back. Whatever date Howard returns to the court he will need an adjustment period. New point guard (Nash) feeding him the ball, new players located on the perimeter, Kobe, Meeks, Jamison etc. I hope Laker fans don’t think Howard is really Superman, please allow him ample time to heal.

The Lakers should be able to make due with Gasol, Jordan Hill or rookie Robert Sacre sharing the center position until Howard returns. On a related note I hope you had an opportunity to hear or read the comments from former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. He said briefly, “Howard was not responsible for me being fired!” He went on to state the Magic front office failed to follow through on some of the promises they made to Howard. So let’s see if we can understand this, Van Gundy once stated Dwight Howard wanted him fired; now he says Howard didn’t have anything to do with the firing. It’s a moot point at this late date; we can only conclude this is the final chapter on a rather strange and bizarre situation in Orlando.

　
Do you have a secondary team? I would guess most of you have a favorite NBA or collegiate team. A secondary team is one you casually follow however it’s never your main focus, you might even know the teams won-lost record the coach and several of the players. Sometimes your secondary team might even change from year to year; loyalty is almost never everlasting for a secondary team. I’ll provide you an example; at one point the Wizards were my secondary NBA team. They were not very good but I begin following them after they drafted John Wall. I enjoyed watching him orchestrate the offense for the Wiz. I’m unsure if I’m correct or not but Wall must be one of the fastest players in the NBA baseline to baseline. Prior to the Wizards it was the LeBron James Cavs, I followed them closely at every opportunity until Wall arrived in Washington.

A time ago when the Kings were still headquartered in Kansas City I had two secondary teams, the Milwaukee Bucks (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) and Lakers (Chamberlain). Once Abdul Jabbar was traded to the Lakers I ceased rooting for the Bucks. It was easy for me to attend games and root for my Kings, Bucks and Lakers at the same time. I think I mentioned this before it was easy because there was never a loser, it the Kings won I was okay, if either the Bucks or Lakers won I was still okay. I don’t have a secondary team however there are two teams I will almost always watch. The Warriors (always been a Mark Jackson fan) and the Knicks (cause they are the Knicks). I don‘t have a secondary college team although I have a casual interest in the Kentucky Wildcats. That‘s got to change now with Mizzou in the SEC too. As for the NBA do I need to provide you the name of my primary NBA, didn’t think so.

Derek Fisher should retire; I know without checking he wants to play at least another year and I’m unsure if that’s possible. He’s not presently listed on the Thunder or any other NBA teams’ roster. Fish just turned 38, never blessed with speed as a youth he’s slowed down even more. If he retired he could then be hired by the Lakers as an assistant coach or in some sort of front office position. I once wrote there were several Lakers I was happy to see leave Fish was not one of them. All of us who followed his career realize his game had limitations, like him or not we know he could always be counted on to give 100% on the court. Burned into my memory banks is the miracle three-point basket he scored against the Spurs in the playoffs. There was no time left on the clock but probably paramount in the mind of Fish, “get off the court as quickly as possible. “ Why give officials time to review game tape?