Bits n Pieces
Chris Webber NBA TV analyst on the Hornet name change.  "After I saw what a pelican did to a pigeon I’ll never disrespect one again.” It appears Webber is now aware pelicans are not as docile as people might perceive. I think we all have far too many cartoon pelicans in mind.

Sometimes I wonder what folks really want. Around here I’m listening to complaints because there are no “super” collegiate teams this year. Call me silly if you wish no super teams indicate there are possibly 10 teams that could win the NCAA Championship this year.

I made this statement previously and I echo it once again, Vince Carter is a talent. Is he Hall of Fame worthy? He thinks he should be given consideration for the honor. The NBA career of Carter certainly began on a high note however the numbers of NBA teams, his “average” play at points call into question his inclusion in the HOF.

Basketball talent from our northern neighbor continues to migrate southward. The latest name is Class of 2014 prospect Ray Kasongo. Kasongo plays at East Ridge High School in Lick Creek (KY). He’s a 6-8 230 pound forward; Scarborough Ontario is home for this Rivals 3-star prospect.

The Rooney Rule
If you are unfamiliar with the Rooney Rule briefly it states minority candidates must be interviewed at the time NFL positions become open. Longtime Steelers owner Art Rooney was the architect for this rule which was adopted by the NFL several years ago. Yesterday Fox Sports columnist Jen Floyd Engel wrote regarding the Rooney Rule and her belief it now fails to produce the results intended. She wrote; “eight coaches and seven general managers were hired and none were minorities.” I’ve come to the same conclusion she has, this has nothing to do with affirmative action it’s doing what you said you were going to do. I haven‘t verified her numbers but if I were to guess I assume they might be close, she indicates 70% of the athletes in the NFL are minorities. I can offer no clear definitive reasoning why one sports hiring practices is superior to another’s. Certainly there have sometimes been bumps in the road they will occur, one thing for sure my sport never had to implement any type of “Rooney Rule."

Colleges and the NBA contain a significant number of African American and minority coach hires. Basketball especially at the NBA level has been in the forefront of change in its hiring practices. The hiring practices extend into the front offices of many NBA teams and the Athletic Directors at many institutions of higher learning. A history note, many assume at the time  Red Auerbach turned over the reins of the Celtics to Bill Russell he became the first African American coach in a major sport.

Not true, Russell became player-coach in 1966 he was eclipsed by four years with an earlier hire. The Cleveland Pipers of the ABL (a predecessor to the ABA) hired John McLendon in 1962. McLendon quit or was fired half-way through the season, it should be mentioned McLendon is in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield (MA) and the National Collegiate Hall of Fame in Kansas City (MO). I failed to mention the Pipers were owned by George Steinbrenner (yes, that Steinbrenner). It’s become common place at the collegiate and NBA level to see African American and other minority coaches prowling the sidelines. It’s become so common at the time Alvin Gentry stepped down as coach of the Suns he was replaced by interim coach and African American Lindsey Hunter. Not a mention was made other than Hunter was assuming head coaching duties. The NFL needs to abide by the agreement it stated would be implemented.

The coach of influence
Over the course of his 19-year NBA career Shaquille O’ Neal played for a number of coaches. He and several other former players were questioned on their favorite NBA coach. I thought it interesting Shaq mentioned two coaches with Laker connections, Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. Of course we realize Shaq never played for the Lakers under Riley but he did at Miami. Where did Riley get his coaching start, he began it with the Lakers. Riley was hired and helped institute “Showtime” basketball with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and James Worthy. Missing from Shaq‘s list are several coaches who certainly have winning records. Evidently they failed to with the heart of Shaquille O‘Neal.

I have been critical of a number of coaches in the past but it’s never about the X’s and O’s of the game. There is no problem with expressing your view or opinion but media guys are often guilty of “Monday morning quarterbacking.” That next day they always want to detail for us “what they would have done in a similar situation.” This often bothers me; you must be in the middle of the situation to detail what you might do. With that you still might make the wrong call but that’s the human part of us. I’d love for Whitlock and others to change places with Doc Rivers are some other coach for just one game. I think he and others might discover the decision making portion of the job is far more difficult than imagined.

Dominate the game
An athlete can often have an impressive game without scoring points. A point guard could dish out a record number of assists; a big man could grab 20 plus rebounds. Those are examples of dominating the game, what about blocked shots? Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel had a game reminiscent of his predecessor Anthony Davis. Noel had a game for the ages against Ole Miss aiding Kentucky to an 87-74 win. What did Noel do in the game; he took a single shot from the field which he missed. In addition he was 2 for 8 from the free-throw line. As for the balance of his game outstanding, he set a Kentucky record with 12 blocked shots while pulling down 7 rebounds. Folks continue to make comparisons between his game and Anthony Davis as freshman. I did not have the opportunity to view Davis’s first few games I have with Noel. I’d just state Noel’s collegiate game is growing.