I read a recent Kansas City Star article on Tyshawn Taylor. For those who might be unfamiliar with his name Taylor is a Nets rookie and former Kansas point guard. I thought it interesting he was drafted by the Nets; he grew up in Hoboken (NJ) about 20 miles from downtown Brooklyn. We might consider this second round draft choice a “home-grown” pick. In any event I managed to view a number of Nets Summer League games and Taylor was quite impressive. This was Summer League so that fact alone must be taken into consideration; in addition this is no claim by me Taylor will become a star. The Nets depth chart has Deron Williams as the starter backed up by C.J. Watson and then Taylor. Playing time most likely will be limited his rookie year however his future could be bright with the Nets or some other NBA team.

New York City is beset with panic; citizens were spotted running through the streets running amok screaming “NO, NO, not again please NO!”  Have any idea what might have created panic in the streets? It wasn’t a Wall Street collapse or any other natural catastrophe. The panic was brought on by an Isiah Thomas sighting in Manhattan. Not only was he spotted he and Knicks owner James Dolan were seen eating lunch. For reasons truly unknown Dolan has remained friendly toward Thomas despite the train wreck the team became under the leadership of Thomas. In 2010 Dolan had attempted to hire Thomas as a “consultant” while he was still head coach at Florida International. The NBA stepped in and informed Dolan he couldn’t hire him. Earlier this year FIU fired Thomas after a 26-65 record in three seasons. Thomas has gone on record on several occasions stating his desire to get back in basketball. Its public knowledge Scott O’ Neil was stepping down as president of MSG, the position most likely covers all aspects of operations at the Garden. I would guess it has no impact on the day to day operations of the Knicks. If that is indeed the case I’m sure the vast majority of Knick fans would have no problem with the hire. The minute Thomas ventures into basketball operations all hell could break loose. “Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats, living together! Mass hysteria!” My apologies I’ve always wanted to use that Bill Murray line from Ghostbusters, we are talking New York City here.

I’m unsure the origin of the Isiah Thomas story, the account of his exclusion from the 1992 Dream Team. Jack McCallum former SI NBA writer had to school this certain national reporter once again. A couple of articles back I mentioned McCallum had written a book on the 1992 Dream Team. Prior to interviewing McCallum the reporter went on record indicating his friendship with Thomas. The friend has unusual logic applied here; he claims to be the defender of Magic and his Laker legacy. The flip side he is critical of Magic and especially Michael Jordan for requesting Thomas be excluded from the team. I will offer a view the friend of Isiah hadn’t considered. The late Chuck Daley served as head coach for the Dream Team and was Isiah’s Pistons coach; Daley might have been left with only two choices. Option one, Daley could have insisted Thomas be added to the roster and face the resentment of Magic and Michael. Option two leave Thomas off the team and deal with it later as the Piston coach. One other concern to point out, team USA had been embarrassed in the 1988 Olympics winning bronze and a 3^rd place finish. Although he never expressed an view to my knowledge Daley might have felt extreme pressure to return USA basketball to the prominence many in this nation thought. Isiah Thomas was the superior all-around athlete over John Stockton, but Stockton was the choice. Do you wonder why Stockton over Thomas? Daley died in 2009 so his portion of the story will remain forever unanswered. This is my belief; if coach Daley truly wanted Thomas on the team he would have insisted his name be included.

If you’re a certain age the name Jamaal “Silk” Wilkes is probably unknown to most of you. He was nicknamed silk because he was so smooth on the court, 2012 is a monumental year for this former Laker. The team will retire his jersey 52 and raise it to the rafters at Staples Center on December 28. On September 7 he was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2012. Often numbers don’t paint a clear picture of a players worth, so it is with Wilkes. The Warriors made him the 11^th pick in the first round of the 1974 NBA draft. This UCLA product became the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 1975. He would play two more seasons for the Warriors prior to signing a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. He would play nine more years as a member of the Lakers a defensive and offensive stalwart for them. The 6-6 190 forward/guard was a four-time NBA champion and three-time NBA All-Star. Wilkes had one of the most unorthodox shots I‘ve ever seen. He would shoot the ball over his head, it was nearly impossible to block. His explanation for the shot was simple, as a youngster he played against taller and older players. They would block his shot, shooting the ball in this manner avoided the fate of a blocked shot. See if you can locate game tape of him on YouTube. Wilkes ended his career scoring 14,644 points and a 17.7 point per game average. The late Chick Hearn long-time Laker broadcaster would refer to Wilkes shot from the corner as a “20-foot lay-up.” Wilkes was a distance shooter who managed a .499 lifetime shooting percentage.