I ain’t no coach
The 15-man Laker roster is set, well not quite. I haven’t replaced Mike D’Antoni as coach however I have insight into what I believe will be the roster after viewing the first two exhibition games. Be aware Kobe Bryant and rookie draft pick Ryan Kelly are guaranteed spots. In addition Steve Nash and Pau Gasol are keepers; free-agent rookie Elias Harris will gain a spot, he’s signed a two-year contract. Veteran Jordan Farmar returning from Turkey also earns a position, the same for veteran big man Chris Kaman.
Hold-over’s Steve Blake, Jody Meeks, Robert Sacre and Jordan Hill will also be included. The remainder of the roster will be comprised of Nick Young, Xavier Henry, Shawne Williams, and Wesley Johnson. I’m going to check back at the end of training camp to determine the accuracy of my best guess. Reports indicate there is less tension at training camp this time versus last year. No one is saying out loud however part of it might be the drama that existed between Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant. This Laker team will not win a championship but it certainly will be more cohesive than last season that I guarantee.
He decided when he would return
I was in the chorus questioning why Derrick Rose didn’t play last season. He’d been medically cleared by the Bulls medical staff, coach Tom Thibodeau thought he was ready to play and said as much---with all said Rose didn’t play. I only saw highlights of his first game back, “Dr.” Rose might have been the best physician for athlete Rose. He played limited minutes in the Bulls first exhibition good but looked first-rate.
Parallel lives
"The Blindside” was a semi-biographical movie based on the life of Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher. Sandra Bullock won the 2010 Oscar as Best Actress portraying Sue Anne Tuohey the adopted mother Ohers.’ No one has decided to write a screenplay however Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler and Ohers’ youth mirror one another. Butler’s father abandoned the family when he was an infant and his mother later kicked him out of the house at age 13.
Butler lived with a number of friends during his teen years moving frequently. He played a year at Tyler Junior College before landing at Marquette University for the next three years. In 2011 Butler became the 30th pick in the NBA draft during the 2013 NBA playoffs Butler came into his own assuming a leadership role with the absence of Derrick Rose. This season the 6-7 220 pound shooting guard just might become the starting guard.
Good-Luck
Might be the term applied for UNLV basketball, Goodluck Okonoboh 6-9 220 pound center and Class of 2014 prospect announced his college choice last week. ESPNU awards him 5-stars and rates him number 21 in the nation. He’s a Rivals 4-star and number 32 on their list. A few months back I held out hope he’d choose Mizzou over the others, Haith and Mizzou made an offer to him.
Moving day
Three significant moves for one of the colleges in Kansas City. In the off-season Missouri-Kansas City dropped the Mid-Continent League and moved to the Western Athletic Conference, number one move. The school hired a new coach Kareem Richardson, his hire was based on his past Kansas City connections. Richardson served under a previous head coach and is acquainted with a number of high school coaches. It also should be noteworthy he’d served as an assistant to Rick Pitino, this was move number two.
Missouri-Kansas City games are being moved from tiny Swinney Gymnasium on the campus to the downtown Municipal Auditorium, move number three. By today’s standards Municipal is a dinosaur having been built in 1935. The arena seating 10,721 patrons was renovated in 2007. The Auditorium had served as host for more NCAA Championship Games than any other in the nation until last season. Prior to the season the city and the college will split a $5 million dollar tab in additional enhancements which should be enough for the present. Once the Kangaroos begin winning and drawing larger crowds a move could be considered to Kemper Arena (19,500) or the Sprint Center (17,500).
