A departure
Words eye view is 99 and ¾ basketball in its various components; this is a departure from the norm. Wednesday evening media sites announced actor James Gandofini died of a heart attack while vacationing in Italy. For millions of fans he will be remembered forever as mob boss Tony Soprano on the HBO series “The Sopranos.” Tony Soprano was a ruthless driven boss of a crime family, Gandofini allowed us to witness the often conflicted side of Tony Soprano. For that reason alone we rooted for Tony although we knew he was an unscrupulous criminal. Many of us felt a loss with the concluding episode of the series. Once upon a time there was discussion of a Sopranos movie it certainly will not occur with the death of Gandolfini. James Gandofini is the only person who was and forever will remain Tony Soprano--gone far too soon at age 51.
Surprising if it becomes true
To be chosen the number one pick in any draft is certainly a mark of distinction. This certainly applies to the upcoming NBA Draft to be held June 27. The June 19 edition of NBADraft.net and DraftExpress.com contains different names. NBADraft.net placed Maryland’s Alex Len in the number one position while Nerlens Noel of Kentucky remains a solid number one on DraftExpress. Reports indicate the 7-1 255 pound Len’s prospects have risen after workouts for teams. In addition this Antratsit, Ukraine native possess offensive skills Noel lacks. At 225 pounds Len should be able to hold his own in the middle while bulking up. As for Noel he’s got work to do in the weight room varying between 208 to 215 pounds. Will the Cavs chose Len over Noel June 27, we can only guess at this time. In addition there is always the possibility of the Cavs trading the pick.
Totally stupid discussion
I turned on my television late this morning near the end of an amnesty discussion on Mike & Mike. The discussion I heard centered on NBA amnesty and I heard Kobe Bryant’s name mentioned. It’s my belief there are two words that don’t belong in the same sentence, amnesty and Kobe. We all realize he‘s injured and likely to not play until December. Kobe is the face of the Laker franchise it’s silly to me for his name to even be mentioned, below are basics of the clause I was able to locate:
*Amnesty Clause Basics
- Each team is permitted to waive 1 player and have 100% of the player’s salary removed for Cap and Tax purposes
- Once a player is waived under the Amnesty Clause, they are placed in a modified waiver process available only to teams under the Salary Cap.
- Teams with room under the cap can then submit a claim on players by bidding to pay a portion of the player’s previous salary
- Once part of a player’s salary is claimed by a new team, the old team will continue to pay the remaining amount (though it won’t count against the Cap or Tax).
If I understand the clause and I claim no legal knowledge it would set up this potential scenario. The Lakers amnesty Kobe and Team A under the salary cap claims him. If Kobe wants to play he signs with Team A which pays a portion of his salary while the Lakers play the remaining amount. Do you believe pigs can fly? The purpose of amnesty is to clear cap space; it’s utilized for inflated contracts. It is utilized for players who provide limited capability to their team. I could be wrong, it might be December or January but Kobe will return. Some of his skills will have eroded (some due to age) but the “fire” will still burn in him. *(http://www.faniq.com/blog/Explaining-the-NBAs-New-Amnesty-Clause-Blog-42532)
Bits n Pieces
Marvin Bagley III could be described as a project, he‘s a 6-7 (or 6-8) 175 pound talent from Arizona. To date he’s received a scholarship offer from Northern Arizona and is likely to receive one from Arizona State his grandfathers’ alma mater. Oh, I forgot to mention Bagley is 13-years old and in the 7th grade, Class of 2018.
Did you hear this? ESPN’s Paul Biancardi claims Glen “Doc” Rivers picked up his nickname at Marquette, he arrived at camp wearing a Doctor J. t-shirt.
Another son following in his father‘s footsteps. Reggie Theus Jr. a 6-6 180 pound guard has signed with South Carolina. His dad played in the NBA from 1978 through 1991 including the Kansas City Kings. Reggie Theus Sr. has served as a broadcaster, in addition he’s had collegiate and NBA stops. He will assume the role of head coach at Cal State Northridge in the fall.
Mizzou made an offer to Malek Harris a 6-7 190 pound forward. Harris is from Orland Park (IL) a Chicago suburb and a Class of 2014 prospect. Both Rivals and ESPN rate him a 4-star prospect.
I wish I had learned to talk smack. For those who might be unfamiliar with the term this is one of the definitions according to the Urban Dictionary. “Disrespectful comments made toward or about someone” The comments are always directed at the teams I root it’s never personal. I listen patiently to the individual state their case, I state mine and it ends. No jockeying back and forth trading insults on the others team.
