CORRECTION
October 9th I gave you what I believed was the 15-man Laker roster. I failed to take into account Duke rookie Ryan Kelly, he was a 2nd round pick and those contracts are not guaranteed. He could possibly be cut too.
Interesting observation
Just a short note, it’s always difficult to compare players of different eras. We can only speculate how they could have match up against one another. That’s the case with the LeBron “is the best ever” discussion which has been a source of media talk for the last few years. Kareem Abdul Jabbar provided us his evaluation; he identified a player most of us overlook. He named Bucks teammate Oscar Robertson; a number of you might be unfamiliar with Robertson. He was a 6-5 220 pound point guard who played his way into the Naismith Hall of Fame. Robertson was bigger than a number of shooting guards of the era (1960-1974). We could use Laker great Jerry West; he stood 6-2 and weighed 185 pounds. Robertson was able to hold his own when guarding small forwards too. The only question that could be debated might be Robertson’s athleticism, he wasn‘t as athletic as many of today’s players.
Air Jordan
Last Monday I wrote a column on basketball shoes, the Air Jordan shoe was mentioned. I forgot to point out what I believe is an interesting note for the under 25 age. In 1985 the iconic red and white Air Jordan I with the black swoosh was banned by the NBA. I’m sure that certainly sounds bizarre to younger readers. In today’s NBA (and college) there are all varieties of colors available, often they match the uniforms sometimes not. Shoes prior to 1985 were generally either solid black or solid white with a splash of another color. Shoes had to match the team uniforms and the Air Jordan I’s didn’t complement. *“Commissioner David Stern began fining Michael Jordan $5,000 every time he wore the Air Jordan I's on the court. Nike paid the fine and continued to have Michael wear the shoes.”
*wiki.answers.com
Don’t know if this is really true
Did you happen to read the recent Kyrie Irving story circulating? I have no idea if the account is true however just in case you were unfamiliar it follows. A child was supposed to have asked the Cavs 21-year young point guard if he would be leaving. I don’t think even Irving knows what he intends to do at this point once he becomes a free agent. If the report is true we guess this was intended to point out a possible “LeBron part deux.” I’m not going to speculate on Irving this is a LeBron story.
I was one of the many who complained on the whole South Beach contrived television special, I since have tempered my view. Looking back there might have been frustration on LeBron’s part his main complaint little if any help in winning. I know Cavs fans are going to disagree with my statement however looking back I’m unsure that roster (and maybe the coaching staff) was prepared to win. I’m not excusing LeBron for leaving I believe time has allowed me to comprehend why.
You don’t say
Adidas is prepared to open it’s checkbook to Andrew Wiggins. Nothing can be consummated at this point Wiggins is still an “amateur” should he leave Kansas after his freshman year well. The report says $180 million over 10 years or $18 million a year. Wiggins would be paid prior to setting foot on an NBA court or even playing a game.
