“Bells”
Ken Norton was explosive in the ring; Norton once broke Muhammad Ali’s jaw in a sparing match. Many boxing historians believe he was one of the all-time greats, the difficulty his career overlapped a number of greats. His career covered the time period of Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and others I might have omitted. Norton was never mentioned in the same breath as the other boxers, that might be the same circumstances for Walt Bellamy an NBA Hall of Fame athlete. 74-year old Walt Bellamy died over the weekend; few of you probably remember this former NBA center.

Bellamy left Indiana University and went on to a Hall of Fame career in the NBA. “Bells” as he was nicknamed was often matched against other Hall of Fame centers. Nightly he would battle against Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar or Nate Thurmond. Bellamy played for 5 NBA teams however that is no reflection on his ability. Life-time numbers for this 6-11 225 pound center were a sparkling 20.1 points per game and 13.7 rebounds over his 14 NBA seasons. A small number of NBA players have been 20,000 point scorers; you can add Bells to that list. Rest in peace Walter Jones Bellamy.

The process to develop is different
A friend sent me an article detailing a number of NBA draft busts. I informed him I excluded Greg Oden because he’s been injury prone which I don’t think reflects on his basketball ability. I don’t intend to detail the list however the others came into the NBA with far more fanfare than they were able to produce. As for the other major league sports it’s probably a slightly different story. I don’t follow the NFL, MLB or the NHL as closely as I do the NBA, I believe the criteria for evaluation of talent is far different. As I’ve stated from time to time players are sometimes drafted in the NBA strictly on potential.

I don’t hear the term potential utilized by NFL general managers and they too have suffered a few high profile players who didn’t make it. Tim Tebow is probably the most recent example. As for baseball they have a built in farm system, it sets the stage whether the guy can play or not. If he can’t hit a curve or slider in AA baseball chances are real good he will be unable at the major league level. The same for hockey players who begin developing their skill at the junior level, by the time they are drafted in the NHL management and coaches have an idea if he can play. Just a few thoughts to consider.

“Be afraid, be very afraid”
The above quote is the Jeff Goldblum line from in the 1986 horror film The Fly. The Fly was terrifying in that movie however real life pelicans can be terrifying too (at least for fish). The New Orleans Pelicans mascot made his first appearance last Wednesday, Pierre the Pelican is very scary looking. Do you remember all the jokes last spring when it was announced the Hornets would become the Pelicans. I’ve done a little research; the pelican is a bird to be feared, not in the same manner of a hawk or eagle but they probably should be. There are a number of different species of pelicans living throughout the world.

As for the State of Louisiana it’s the brown pelican which is the official state bird. The brown pelican (and others ) is certainly no seed eating bird, *“when foraging, pelicans may fly a few feet or a considerable height over a school of fish and dive at high speed into the water, often submerging completely below the surface momentarily as they snap up prey. Although the Brown Pelican eats mostly fish, an occasional amphibian or crustacean supplement the diet.” I think a number of people have seen too many cartoon pelicans; they fail to realize the ravenous nature of this bird. Be afraid (of the pelican), be very afraid. *Wikipedia

A new player might enter the picture
The Warriors intend to move across the Bay to a new arena in San Francisco. Near the time of the announcement a 2017 opening was the target date. All was quiet on the east side of the Bay until recently when the mayor of Oakland made an announcement. She hoped a development plan to replace Oracle Arena along with the Oakland Coliseum would come into fruition. According to my research information the Warriors have played in Oracle since it opened in 1968, it was renovated in 1996. The Coliseum where the football Raiders and baseball A’s play opened in 1966. The stadium was renovated in 1995-1998. There was no dollar figure attached I could determine, even more interesting because the Warriors are the only threat might an arena only build be accomplished? Evidently the revenue produced by the Warriors must be significant to the city of Oakland and Alameda County. In the meantime I sent an article to a friend who once lived in the Bay area. He expressed doubts the San Francisco arena will be built.

He left school too early
Xavier Henry arrived on the campus at Kansas with a great deal of hype (similar to Andrew Wiggins). He left after his freshman year for the NBA many thought it was a premature move. I didn’t follow his NBA career closely so I have no idea if he had an opportunity to play; he drifted from Memphis to New Orleans to the D-League. When he signed to play on the Lakers Summer League team I said “okay.” After impressing management over the summer Henry was signed to a 1-year contract.

Two games fail to make a season but so far his totals have been noteworthy.  He’s leading the team in scoring with an 18.0 ppg average and .500 from the field. Off the Laker bench Henry scored 22 points in a win against the Clippers and 14 in the teams loss the following night versus the Warriors. This is no indication Henry has “made it” in the NBA but this I believe, he may have left Kansas too early the same as a number of other lottery picks? Even more enticing Henry is only 22-years old he may never fulfill the promise as a high lottery pick but could become a dependable everyday player.