Dr. Jack
A sports news bulletin early Monday morning announced Dr. Jack Ramsey had died at age 89. For your information in this instance the doctor attached to his name was not a nickname, he actually held a PhD. Ramsey will forever be remembered by Blazer fans, he coached the 1977 NBA Championship team the only in Portland’s history. After a successful college career at St. Joseph’s he coached three other NBA teams besides the Blazers. Younger people most likely associate Ramsey’s name with the NBA on television and radio as a game analyst. Dr. Jack was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992, R.I.P.
Mizzou coach
I’m initiating this story by admitting I was wrong----I had no clue Mizzou would hire Kim Anderson. I formulated my belief since Anderson was connected to Norm Stewart having played for the former Mizzou coach. Rumors have circulated for years hostility existed between AD Mike Alden and Coach Norm Stewart, real or imagined they were there. Another issue Central Missouri basketball is a Division II program, we can count on one hand the number of successful coaches that have moved from D-II to D-I basketball. As for Anderson’s career coaching record it’s fine however it was Division II basketball. As for the recruiting question can Anderson make the transition competing against Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky or UCLA for athletes? Can Anderson walk into the family room of a California or Texas kid and convince him Mizzou is the best offering?
These and other questions will only be answered in time. Mizzou’s roster is comprised of players Anderson didn’t recruit; there are two or three scholarships available so he could add a few athletes of his choosing to the roster immediately. Bottom line the Anderson hire is a safe one on several levels. Anderson arrives with no baggage (Ben Howland, Tim Floyd) or background questions (Frank Haith). In addition this becomes a cheap hire compared to several high profile candidates (Michael White, Louisiana Tech) available. Finally comes word Greg Marshall’s Wichita State was contacted. From Marshall's perspective the timing was right not the money---surprise. Sports talk radio in Kansas City appears to love the Anderson hire; I remain a faithful Mizzou fan however I will reserve judgment. Consider the fact “I’m from Missouri you’ve got to show me.”
Can we say free fall
Question, who’s fallen furthest this year to date the sky diver or the Indiana Pacers? I realize many will not approve of my humor however I pose the question because nobody not even Frank Vogel can figure out exactly what’s wrong with the Pacers. This might appear I’m trashing the Hawks far from it, I believe the Hawks are a very good team. Most of the experts believed the Pacers to be the better team; they were supposed to win this series.
A friend asked me recently what I thought of the Pacers. I said; “In January I would have said the Pacers were the best team in the NBA now I don‘t know.” I suppose the staunchest Pacer fan would not disagree with me at this point. They could still win this series but they certainly must show more than what we witnessed to date. Roy Hibbert and I are the same height, not really he’s 7-2 but is rebounding and shooting as if he’s 5-7 (my height).
We use the term too frequently
My daughter has heard me express negative comments about Stephen A. Smith. I think she believes (incorrectly) I don’t like Smith which is not the case. I have difficulties with several opinions he expresses but I don‘t dislike him. Recently actor Michael Rapaport and long-time NBA fan along with Skip Bayless bested Stephen A Smith on ESPN First Take. Smith is often guilty of attaching “super-star” to a number of very good athletes--in this instance the discussion centered on the Clippers Chris Paul.
The Rappaport-Bayless tag team debated Smith; they posed the question to Smith--”what has he (Paul) won?” In fairness to Paul he’s played on some poor teams in his New Orleans days. No argument here Paul is the best point guard in the NBA currently, that doesn‘t necessarily equate to super star status. Kevin Durant’s name also came up in the discussion, in his defense we can argue he’s played for an NBA Championship. We can debate if Durant can be elevated to star status; I’ve argued previously winning a championship is not the only consideration to consider however it enters into every discussion
Monday, April 28, 2014
So far
The only playoff series probably over is the Heat and Bobcats, the Heat lead 3-0. As for the other series the results are mixed with a few surprises for me. The Mavs lead the Spurs 2 games to 1 in their series, the Grizz tied with the Thunder 2-2. This is a super surprise, the Wizards of Washington leading the Bulls of Chicago 3 games to 1.
“It’s good to be the King”
The above line was uttered by Mel Brooks in his 1981 movie History of the World, Part I. Jimmy Buss owner of the Lakers is probably repeating that same line. Despite the tact this Laker team finished the season with the worst in team history Buss has made the decision to retain D’Antoni. It’s good to be the king----opps owner. Individually the only positive I’ve heard from a player regarding the coach has come from Jodie Meeks. Both Chris Kaman and Jordan Hill have voiced concerns about D’Antoni’s offense and we know Pau Gasol‘s issues with it.
As for positives Kobe’s return should help next season but how much does he have left in the tank? Kobe will turn 36 prior to the season; in addition he will return from two devastating injuries. Will his legs give out in the “Run n Gun” offense we witnessed last season? Nolan Richardson’s Arkansas teams played a similar style of basketball however they played defense, how about the Showtime Lakers of the ‘80’s? Folks tend to forget those Laker teams ran, ran and ran so more. They had a Michael Cooper and others who played lock down defense.
Dinosaur rules in effect
I am not advocating marijuana use; I am advocating regulations that are fair in dispensation. The NCAA has proven once again it’s a body that has failed to evolve. They continue to provide us evidence they never, ever change regulations. Well that’s not exactly true its just the NCAA moves at a ridiculously slow pace making policy change. Mitch McGary spent most of the season on the injury list; he was preparing to return next season for Michigan. The NCAA says an emphatic no, McGary given a random drug test posted positive for marijuana. NCAA regulations require a player be suspended for 1-year if they test positive for drug usage. We realize the NBA is pay for play
I trust his thoughts more than others in the media
The vast majority of sports media are not idiots. Readers might tend to believe I view the media in that light based on my commentary at times. I can point to Doug Gottlieb of CBS Sports as a media member with credibility. There are several reasons, he played college ball at Oklahoma State, and he also played professionally in Europe for several years. Eventually he moved into the broadcast media field after his playing days concluded.
He made a statement that caused me to change my judgment regarding Dwight Howard. Gottlieb said (I’m paraphrasing his comment) “Howard is not a scorer; he rebounds the ball well and is a shot blocker. He has few moves around the basket.” That’s the dilemma for us, we expected Howard to be a consistent 30 point game a scorer in the style of Wilt, Abdul Jabbar or even Shaq. It’s Gottlieb’s belief the talented Howard doesn’t have the gift of a scorer, could he be correct?
Well Phil has done it again
Phil Jackson has been on the sidelines for awhile. The print and electronic media have missed his commentary. They believe PJ is always good to open a “wound and cause blood loss.” He’s always managed to endear himself to opponents with his barbed tongue. Well he did it again, I’m unsure of how it started but his comments to Newsday will cause many a Spurs fan to “love” him.
“Tim Duncan making the salary he’s making after being part of a dynasty – not a dynasty, I wouldn’t call San Antonio a dynasty — a force, a great force,” Jackson said. “They haven’t been able to win consecutive championships but they’ve always been there. San Antonio has had a wonderful run through Tim’s tenure there as a player. He’s agreed to take a salary cut so other players can play with him so they can be this good. And that’s the beginning of team play”. All I can say is PJ loves to provoke controversy.
The only playoff series probably over is the Heat and Bobcats, the Heat lead 3-0. As for the other series the results are mixed with a few surprises for me. The Mavs lead the Spurs 2 games to 1 in their series, the Grizz tied with the Thunder 2-2. This is a super surprise, the Wizards of Washington leading the Bulls of Chicago 3 games to 1.
“It’s good to be the King”
The above line was uttered by Mel Brooks in his 1981 movie History of the World, Part I. Jimmy Buss owner of the Lakers is probably repeating that same line. Despite the tact this Laker team finished the season with the worst in team history Buss has made the decision to retain D’Antoni. It’s good to be the king----opps owner. Individually the only positive I’ve heard from a player regarding the coach has come from Jodie Meeks. Both Chris Kaman and Jordan Hill have voiced concerns about D’Antoni’s offense and we know Pau Gasol‘s issues with it.
As for positives Kobe’s return should help next season but how much does he have left in the tank? Kobe will turn 36 prior to the season; in addition he will return from two devastating injuries. Will his legs give out in the “Run n Gun” offense we witnessed last season? Nolan Richardson’s Arkansas teams played a similar style of basketball however they played defense, how about the Showtime Lakers of the ‘80’s? Folks tend to forget those Laker teams ran, ran and ran so more. They had a Michael Cooper and others who played lock down defense.
Dinosaur rules in effect
I am not advocating marijuana use; I am advocating regulations that are fair in dispensation. The NCAA has proven once again it’s a body that has failed to evolve. They continue to provide us evidence they never, ever change regulations. Well that’s not exactly true its just the NCAA moves at a ridiculously slow pace making policy change. Mitch McGary spent most of the season on the injury list; he was preparing to return next season for Michigan. The NCAA says an emphatic no, McGary given a random drug test posted positive for marijuana. NCAA regulations require a player be suspended for 1-year if they test positive for drug usage. We realize the NBA is pay for play
I trust his thoughts more than others in the media
The vast majority of sports media are not idiots. Readers might tend to believe I view the media in that light based on my commentary at times. I can point to Doug Gottlieb of CBS Sports as a media member with credibility. There are several reasons, he played college ball at Oklahoma State, and he also played professionally in Europe for several years. Eventually he moved into the broadcast media field after his playing days concluded.
He made a statement that caused me to change my judgment regarding Dwight Howard. Gottlieb said (I’m paraphrasing his comment) “Howard is not a scorer; he rebounds the ball well and is a shot blocker. He has few moves around the basket.” That’s the dilemma for us, we expected Howard to be a consistent 30 point game a scorer in the style of Wilt, Abdul Jabbar or even Shaq. It’s Gottlieb’s belief the talented Howard doesn’t have the gift of a scorer, could he be correct?
Well Phil has done it again
Phil Jackson has been on the sidelines for awhile. The print and electronic media have missed his commentary. They believe PJ is always good to open a “wound and cause blood loss.” He’s always managed to endear himself to opponents with his barbed tongue. Well he did it again, I’m unsure of how it started but his comments to Newsday will cause many a Spurs fan to “love” him.
“Tim Duncan making the salary he’s making after being part of a dynasty – not a dynasty, I wouldn’t call San Antonio a dynasty — a force, a great force,” Jackson said. “They haven’t been able to win consecutive championships but they’ve always been there. San Antonio has had a wonderful run through Tim’s tenure there as a player. He’s agreed to take a salary cut so other players can play with him so they can be this good. And that’s the beginning of team play”. All I can say is PJ loves to provoke controversy.
Friday, April 25, 2014
You’ve got to be kidding
The game was played in 1970 and you are just now revealing facts the game was rigged. That’s a theme expressed in a book written by a former Jacksonville assistant coach. This coach provides details such as the discrepancies in the number of free throws UCLA shot versus Jacksonville. The free-throws plus Jacksonville dunk the basketball during the warm up period before the game. A point of clarification colleges had banned the dunk shot which was later repealed. He uses this explanation and several others to provide “proof” officials favored UCLA in the 1970 NCAA Championship finale. Jacksonville was taller than UCLA; they had 7-2 Artis Gilmore at center and 7-0 Pembrooke Burrows. UCLA's tallest player was Steve Patterson at 6-10, Sidney Wicks at 6-8 spent most of the evening guarding Gilmore. Giving up 5-6 inches he managed to force limit the number of effective shots taken by Gilmore. Question, why a 44 year wait to release this information? Could it be the coach is more interested in creating controversy thus increasing sales for his book?
Two enormous basketball programs
I’ve traveled through Kentucky on several occasions however I’ve spent little time in the State. I was always on my way from one point to another driving through Kentucky. Every time my travels take me there two standards come to mind, the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky basketball. I could easily include Louisville basketball too. There are probably other areas of the nation that contain two high profile basketball programs but I don’t believe any exist on the level of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky and Louisville University have endured few down years in their basketball programs over the generations. No major league sports teams exist in the state and football is an after thought for the most part. Kentucky is the all-time NCAA leader in wins with 2,111 victories over 110 seasons.
Louisville has competed for a lesser time period (99); they sit in sixth place with 1,697 victories. I tried to consider other successful basketball programs in the nation. We could look next door at the University of Kansas; their program has been successful over a number of years as for Kansas State we cannot make the same statement. The K-State program has been up and down, the same for Georgia and Georgia Tech. We could consider UCLA-USC although UCLA has certainly been the more dominate program. This is done without research so bare with me if I missed your choice or omitted others. We read and hear how football is a fan favorite across the country. I’m sure that might be true in 48 States, the exceptions are Kentucky and Indiana.
I’m a little skeptical
On a number of occasions a sports story is reported as part of a regular news report. On occasion I hear a story that makes me go ----hmmmmmm! This was a story reported by the local broadcast station. The reporter detailed the story and then video was provided, the report “claimed” youth basketball contributed to a large number of injuries. I have no medical expertise but I found the story to be a little suspicious. A portion might be true, elementary and middle school athletes probably don’t warm up properly, we could see the possibility of pulled muscles and other types of injuries.
Sorry local channel I have a difficult time believing the entire report. Have you ever seen 8-10 year olds playing soccer or football? I’d much rather see a report on all emergency room visits divided by the sport. I decided to do some research on my own, I uncovered some interesting facts. One website only compiled figures through 2012; the others didn’t provide a year figure. Guess what, none of the information I located confirmed the news story. In one instance football was the injury leader followed by basketball; in others the totals were mixed. I found nothing to confirm the facts this news report provided.
He could be correct
I pay half attention to coaches at times when discussing their players. I read the Doc Rivers headline (didn’t read the story) but thought, another case of a coach coming to the aid of his player. In this instance if we just checked the numbers Rivers might be somewhat correct. The coach said he thought his man DeAndre Jordan should have been received more consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. Noah won with 555 votes, Pacer Roy Hibbert finished second with 166 votes and Jordan a distant third with 121 votes.
Jordan suffers the same fate as a number of Big Men, shooting free throws. It’s become an adventure shooting a sizzling 43% from the line. As for other aspects of his game he matches up well against both of his competitors. During the regular season Jordan scored 10.4 ppg versus 12.6 for Noah and 10.8 for Hibbert. How about rebounds, Jordan leads with 13.6 rebounds 11.3 for Noah and 6.6 for Hibbert. As for blocked shots Jordan leads the way with 2.5 blocked shots versus 1.5 for Noah and 2.2 for Hibbert. Calm down Bulls fans I happen to love Noah’s game I do believe Rivers observation may be valid.
The game was played in 1970 and you are just now revealing facts the game was rigged. That’s a theme expressed in a book written by a former Jacksonville assistant coach. This coach provides details such as the discrepancies in the number of free throws UCLA shot versus Jacksonville. The free-throws plus Jacksonville dunk the basketball during the warm up period before the game. A point of clarification colleges had banned the dunk shot which was later repealed. He uses this explanation and several others to provide “proof” officials favored UCLA in the 1970 NCAA Championship finale. Jacksonville was taller than UCLA; they had 7-2 Artis Gilmore at center and 7-0 Pembrooke Burrows. UCLA's tallest player was Steve Patterson at 6-10, Sidney Wicks at 6-8 spent most of the evening guarding Gilmore. Giving up 5-6 inches he managed to force limit the number of effective shots taken by Gilmore. Question, why a 44 year wait to release this information? Could it be the coach is more interested in creating controversy thus increasing sales for his book?
Two enormous basketball programs
I’ve traveled through Kentucky on several occasions however I’ve spent little time in the State. I was always on my way from one point to another driving through Kentucky. Every time my travels take me there two standards come to mind, the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky basketball. I could easily include Louisville basketball too. There are probably other areas of the nation that contain two high profile basketball programs but I don’t believe any exist on the level of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky and Louisville University have endured few down years in their basketball programs over the generations. No major league sports teams exist in the state and football is an after thought for the most part. Kentucky is the all-time NCAA leader in wins with 2,111 victories over 110 seasons.
Louisville has competed for a lesser time period (99); they sit in sixth place with 1,697 victories. I tried to consider other successful basketball programs in the nation. We could look next door at the University of Kansas; their program has been successful over a number of years as for Kansas State we cannot make the same statement. The K-State program has been up and down, the same for Georgia and Georgia Tech. We could consider UCLA-USC although UCLA has certainly been the more dominate program. This is done without research so bare with me if I missed your choice or omitted others. We read and hear how football is a fan favorite across the country. I’m sure that might be true in 48 States, the exceptions are Kentucky and Indiana.
I’m a little skeptical
On a number of occasions a sports story is reported as part of a regular news report. On occasion I hear a story that makes me go ----hmmmmmm! This was a story reported by the local broadcast station. The reporter detailed the story and then video was provided, the report “claimed” youth basketball contributed to a large number of injuries. I have no medical expertise but I found the story to be a little suspicious. A portion might be true, elementary and middle school athletes probably don’t warm up properly, we could see the possibility of pulled muscles and other types of injuries.
Sorry local channel I have a difficult time believing the entire report. Have you ever seen 8-10 year olds playing soccer or football? I’d much rather see a report on all emergency room visits divided by the sport. I decided to do some research on my own, I uncovered some interesting facts. One website only compiled figures through 2012; the others didn’t provide a year figure. Guess what, none of the information I located confirmed the news story. In one instance football was the injury leader followed by basketball; in others the totals were mixed. I found nothing to confirm the facts this news report provided.
He could be correct
I pay half attention to coaches at times when discussing their players. I read the Doc Rivers headline (didn’t read the story) but thought, another case of a coach coming to the aid of his player. In this instance if we just checked the numbers Rivers might be somewhat correct. The coach said he thought his man DeAndre Jordan should have been received more consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. Noah won with 555 votes, Pacer Roy Hibbert finished second with 166 votes and Jordan a distant third with 121 votes.
Jordan suffers the same fate as a number of Big Men, shooting free throws. It’s become an adventure shooting a sizzling 43% from the line. As for other aspects of his game he matches up well against both of his competitors. During the regular season Jordan scored 10.4 ppg versus 12.6 for Noah and 10.8 for Hibbert. How about rebounds, Jordan leads with 13.6 rebounds 11.3 for Noah and 6.6 for Hibbert. As for blocked shots Jordan leads the way with 2.5 blocked shots versus 1.5 for Noah and 2.2 for Hibbert. Calm down Bulls fans I happen to love Noah’s game I do believe Rivers observation may be valid.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
He said what?
The quote jumped off the page at me; *"I have to demand the ball, get it and go to work." I searched and located this; **“I don’t have to say, ‘I need the ball. The guys here know what we have to do to be successful, to play inside out" The first quote is Dwight Howard in February and the later is Dwight Howard after the teams April playoff loss.
*Houston Chronicle and **Real GM
Speak the truth even if it hurts
I believe Central Missouri alum and fans might be displeased with this pronouncement. Kim Anderson’s name was omitted by me as a candidate for the Mizzou job. I did this because I believe Athletic Director Mike Alden who reached out to him will probably not hire him. The positives, Anderson’s Central Missouri team won the NCAA Division II Championship last month. Anderson is alum of Mizzou having played for long-time Coach Norm Stewart; in addition he served as an assistant on Stewart’s staff for a number of years. Anderson’s coaching career is exceptional, 274-94 (.745) overall and 158-67 (.702) in the MIAA Conference.
Now the negatives, Anderson is 58 years old hardly an age AD Alden might desire for a long-term hire, he‘s ten years older than the departed Frank Haith. As for the coaching philosophy it was pointed out X’s and O’s are no different in Division I than in Division II, that could be correct do you take the chance and hire Anderson? The next question revolves around recruiting; Anderson might be more readily identified in the State of Missouri than elsewhere. The roster of his team is a mixture of junior college and former high school athletes from the State of Missouri. His age and connection to Norm Stewart may be the only factors working against him.
Bits n Pieces
Is there an advantage in playing games in a home arena? No doubt the advantage certainly goes to the home team in college, as for NBA teams the conclusion sometimes might be different. The first eight playoff games over the weekend the visitor won five. The Spurs, Heat and Thunder were the only home court winners.
The Lakers Jim Buss; *“I was laying myself on the line by saying, if this doesn’t work in three to four years, if we’re not back on the top — and the definition of top means contending for the Western Conference, contending for a championship — then I will step down because that means I have failed.” For me three or four years are too long a time-period. *Los Angeles Times
LeMarcus Aldridge had a monster game Sunday night against the Rockets. In an OT match he led his Blazer team to a playoff victory. Aldridge fouled out, but managed to score 46 points snatched down 18 rebounds and shot .548 from the floor. His box score also included two blocks shots and two assists, pretty good for the 6-11 240 pound power forward.
Members of the media always seem to uncover aspects of Kobe Bryant to criticize. Stop reading this you’ve heard the vacation story. It was mentioned by some in the media it was inappropriate for Kobe to leave for Europe a day before the Lakers season ended. They must believe Kobe sitting behind the bench would provide inspiration to his team. Interesting that Kobe was in place for most of the 27-55 season.
Some of these guys are unbelievable
Sports radio is interesting around here---they are either haters or rating hounds. One guy says; “how does Haith rate an increase in salary over Mizzou?” Another said this about Haith’s announcement; “he mentioned all the coaches that have gone through Tulsa except Bill Self.” The next day someone may have pointed out Haith’s oversight and he included Self in a later comment. The hate even extends to televised sports news.
This morning a reporter questioned Haith’s integrity, it was reported Haith sent a text message to the AD announcing he was taking the Tulsa position. This reporter failed to report the truth; I witnessed Haith video indicating he’d attempted to contact Mike Alden by phone that evening. Unable to reach Alden he sent him a text message, I’m not defending the text story I’m defending the truth. Why didn’t this long-time media person report the truth
The quote jumped off the page at me; *"I have to demand the ball, get it and go to work." I searched and located this; **“I don’t have to say, ‘I need the ball. The guys here know what we have to do to be successful, to play inside out" The first quote is Dwight Howard in February and the later is Dwight Howard after the teams April playoff loss.
*Houston Chronicle and **Real GM
Speak the truth even if it hurts
I believe Central Missouri alum and fans might be displeased with this pronouncement. Kim Anderson’s name was omitted by me as a candidate for the Mizzou job. I did this because I believe Athletic Director Mike Alden who reached out to him will probably not hire him. The positives, Anderson’s Central Missouri team won the NCAA Division II Championship last month. Anderson is alum of Mizzou having played for long-time Coach Norm Stewart; in addition he served as an assistant on Stewart’s staff for a number of years. Anderson’s coaching career is exceptional, 274-94 (.745) overall and 158-67 (.702) in the MIAA Conference.
Now the negatives, Anderson is 58 years old hardly an age AD Alden might desire for a long-term hire, he‘s ten years older than the departed Frank Haith. As for the coaching philosophy it was pointed out X’s and O’s are no different in Division I than in Division II, that could be correct do you take the chance and hire Anderson? The next question revolves around recruiting; Anderson might be more readily identified in the State of Missouri than elsewhere. The roster of his team is a mixture of junior college and former high school athletes from the State of Missouri. His age and connection to Norm Stewart may be the only factors working against him.
Bits n Pieces
Is there an advantage in playing games in a home arena? No doubt the advantage certainly goes to the home team in college, as for NBA teams the conclusion sometimes might be different. The first eight playoff games over the weekend the visitor won five. The Spurs, Heat and Thunder were the only home court winners.
The Lakers Jim Buss; *“I was laying myself on the line by saying, if this doesn’t work in three to four years, if we’re not back on the top — and the definition of top means contending for the Western Conference, contending for a championship — then I will step down because that means I have failed.” For me three or four years are too long a time-period. *Los Angeles Times
LeMarcus Aldridge had a monster game Sunday night against the Rockets. In an OT match he led his Blazer team to a playoff victory. Aldridge fouled out, but managed to score 46 points snatched down 18 rebounds and shot .548 from the floor. His box score also included two blocks shots and two assists, pretty good for the 6-11 240 pound power forward.
Members of the media always seem to uncover aspects of Kobe Bryant to criticize. Stop reading this you’ve heard the vacation story. It was mentioned by some in the media it was inappropriate for Kobe to leave for Europe a day before the Lakers season ended. They must believe Kobe sitting behind the bench would provide inspiration to his team. Interesting that Kobe was in place for most of the 27-55 season.
Some of these guys are unbelievable
Sports radio is interesting around here---they are either haters or rating hounds. One guy says; “how does Haith rate an increase in salary over Mizzou?” Another said this about Haith’s announcement; “he mentioned all the coaches that have gone through Tulsa except Bill Self.” The next day someone may have pointed out Haith’s oversight and he included Self in a later comment. The hate even extends to televised sports news.
This morning a reporter questioned Haith’s integrity, it was reported Haith sent a text message to the AD announcing he was taking the Tulsa position. This reporter failed to report the truth; I witnessed Haith video indicating he’d attempted to contact Mike Alden by phone that evening. Unable to reach Alden he sent him a text message, I’m not defending the text story I’m defending the truth. Why didn’t this long-time media person report the truth
Monday, April 21, 2014
NO……PLEASE NO
I saw the report on SportsCenter and later on TWC Sportsnet. I almost screamed out loud when I saw it-----NO, PLEASE NO! What prompted my response you ask? The report indicated the Lakers had a 6.3% chance of acquiring the number one pick in the 2014 draft. If that should occur memories of the first lottery in 1985 came to me. The Knicks were one of the teams which qualified based on their won-loss record. There were a number of quality athletes in the 1985 draft however Ewing was considered best of all. New York fans had become familiar with Ewing, his Georgetown team played in the Garden on several occasions during his tenure in college. Former Knick and then director of basketball operations Dave DeBusschere was assigned to represent his team at the lottery.
The NBA desiring a successful team in New York City placed one of the cards in the hopper slightly bent. DeBusschere reaching into the hopper was able to easily locate the card. The following month the Knicks with the first pick drafted Ewing, does that really make sense? There were seven cards placed in the hopper which was turned several times. How could DeBusschere have been able to locate the “correct card?” Conspiracy theorists have been busy with this tale since 1985. No way do I wish to see the Lakers be fortunate enough to win the pick, we’d be witness to the the beginning of another “NBA conspiracy?” The NBA office determines the Lakers return to glory. In addition I’d never hear the last of it from friends and acquaintances of mine.
Faith in Haith
Reports indicate Tulsa approached Frank Haith not the other way around. He is still a winning coach despite an average 2013-14 SEC season; his overall record is still good. Haith was 76-28 and 34-19 in one Big XII and two SEC seasons. He stands 205-129 and a career .614 winning percentage. I believe the Miami mess worked against Haith with many of the Mizzou faithful. I suppose a certain bunch thought Haith was not a good X and O coach. I’ve mentioned this previously a number of Mizzou fans think this program is Duke, North Carolina or Kansas. As a Mizzou fan I must tell the truth even if it hurts, nobody is gonna bust down the door for this job. Who replaces Frank Haith is the next big question. Kansas City talk radio tossed out several number of names, names I’m unsure are looking in the direction of Columbia Missouri. The names are worthy but would they be interested in the job?
Greg Marshall Wichita State and Shaka Smart VCU are the top names mentioned. Ben Howland successful at Pitt and later UCLA was another name. AD Mike Alden has quite a task in front of him, he must open the Mizzou coffers and write a check with a large number of zeros. The next sentence might sound mean spirited, that is not the intent just the truth. Alden cannot choose an assistant coach whose desire is to become a head coach, he cannot hire a head coach from an obscure program. Whomever AD Alden chooses hopefully he doesn’t make the decision alone. It would be wise to use a team of consultants to aid him in choosing the next coach. Finally it was refreshing to hear the radio interview with former player Kim English. English defended Haith despite the fact he was not one of the coaches recruits. .
They played beyond expectations
Phoenix Suns and Coach Jeff Hornacek should be congratulated for their regular season winning record. It’s noteworthy because the Suns were supposed to be one of the teams tanking. They were supposed to lose games in order to enhance their 2014 draft position. A funny thing occurred, somebody forget to inform the Suns, and instead of bottoming out they barely missed the playoffs. To give you an idea how well they played they finished the season with a 48-34 record barely missing the Western Conference playoffs. In the Eastern Conference the Nets made the playoffs finishing in the 6th slot, their record 48-34.
Only a report
His father is Arvydas Sabonis former Euro player and TrailBlazer. The political climate of the era did not allow the elder Sabonis to play in the NBA, he began play as a 31-year old rookie. In the time Arvydas played he proved to be especially skilled as a passer. Did I mention dad was elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2010. His son is not as tall (dad is 7-3), and dad played at 292 pounds. 6-11 230 pound Domantas Sabonis has enrolled at Gonzaga and will be in action this fall, he played for Unicaja of the Spanish ACB league but didn’t sign a pro contract.
He’s now a star
The Blazers Damian Lillard was already under contract to Adidas recently he signed an extension to the agreement. I’m not going to discuss the $$$ I’d rather talk about the why of the extension. Adidas has a significant number of NBA players under contract but no one whose on-court game is on the rise, say what? The Rockets Dwight Howard doesn’t have star power, how about the Bulls Derrick Rose or Tim Duncan?
Lillard’s game has risen significantly in the eyes of many NBA fans. A virtual unknown he emerged from Weber State to become the 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year, this year he’s led his Blazer team into the playoffs. As for the athletes mentioned I don’t believe Adidas is thrashing any of them or any others wearing their shoe brand. Consider this tidbit the players mentioned have peaked their game is not ascending, as for Rose his injuries has tarnished his star power. See his “No Rings” commercial for Adidas, it’s really funny.
I saw the report on SportsCenter and later on TWC Sportsnet. I almost screamed out loud when I saw it-----NO, PLEASE NO! What prompted my response you ask? The report indicated the Lakers had a 6.3% chance of acquiring the number one pick in the 2014 draft. If that should occur memories of the first lottery in 1985 came to me. The Knicks were one of the teams which qualified based on their won-loss record. There were a number of quality athletes in the 1985 draft however Ewing was considered best of all. New York fans had become familiar with Ewing, his Georgetown team played in the Garden on several occasions during his tenure in college. Former Knick and then director of basketball operations Dave DeBusschere was assigned to represent his team at the lottery.
The NBA desiring a successful team in New York City placed one of the cards in the hopper slightly bent. DeBusschere reaching into the hopper was able to easily locate the card. The following month the Knicks with the first pick drafted Ewing, does that really make sense? There were seven cards placed in the hopper which was turned several times. How could DeBusschere have been able to locate the “correct card?” Conspiracy theorists have been busy with this tale since 1985. No way do I wish to see the Lakers be fortunate enough to win the pick, we’d be witness to the the beginning of another “NBA conspiracy?” The NBA office determines the Lakers return to glory. In addition I’d never hear the last of it from friends and acquaintances of mine.
Faith in Haith
Reports indicate Tulsa approached Frank Haith not the other way around. He is still a winning coach despite an average 2013-14 SEC season; his overall record is still good. Haith was 76-28 and 34-19 in one Big XII and two SEC seasons. He stands 205-129 and a career .614 winning percentage. I believe the Miami mess worked against Haith with many of the Mizzou faithful. I suppose a certain bunch thought Haith was not a good X and O coach. I’ve mentioned this previously a number of Mizzou fans think this program is Duke, North Carolina or Kansas. As a Mizzou fan I must tell the truth even if it hurts, nobody is gonna bust down the door for this job. Who replaces Frank Haith is the next big question. Kansas City talk radio tossed out several number of names, names I’m unsure are looking in the direction of Columbia Missouri. The names are worthy but would they be interested in the job?
Greg Marshall Wichita State and Shaka Smart VCU are the top names mentioned. Ben Howland successful at Pitt and later UCLA was another name. AD Mike Alden has quite a task in front of him, he must open the Mizzou coffers and write a check with a large number of zeros. The next sentence might sound mean spirited, that is not the intent just the truth. Alden cannot choose an assistant coach whose desire is to become a head coach, he cannot hire a head coach from an obscure program. Whomever AD Alden chooses hopefully he doesn’t make the decision alone. It would be wise to use a team of consultants to aid him in choosing the next coach. Finally it was refreshing to hear the radio interview with former player Kim English. English defended Haith despite the fact he was not one of the coaches recruits. .
They played beyond expectations
Phoenix Suns and Coach Jeff Hornacek should be congratulated for their regular season winning record. It’s noteworthy because the Suns were supposed to be one of the teams tanking. They were supposed to lose games in order to enhance their 2014 draft position. A funny thing occurred, somebody forget to inform the Suns, and instead of bottoming out they barely missed the playoffs. To give you an idea how well they played they finished the season with a 48-34 record barely missing the Western Conference playoffs. In the Eastern Conference the Nets made the playoffs finishing in the 6th slot, their record 48-34.
Only a report
His father is Arvydas Sabonis former Euro player and TrailBlazer. The political climate of the era did not allow the elder Sabonis to play in the NBA, he began play as a 31-year old rookie. In the time Arvydas played he proved to be especially skilled as a passer. Did I mention dad was elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2010. His son is not as tall (dad is 7-3), and dad played at 292 pounds. 6-11 230 pound Domantas Sabonis has enrolled at Gonzaga and will be in action this fall, he played for Unicaja of the Spanish ACB league but didn’t sign a pro contract.
He’s now a star
The Blazers Damian Lillard was already under contract to Adidas recently he signed an extension to the agreement. I’m not going to discuss the $$$ I’d rather talk about the why of the extension. Adidas has a significant number of NBA players under contract but no one whose on-court game is on the rise, say what? The Rockets Dwight Howard doesn’t have star power, how about the Bulls Derrick Rose or Tim Duncan?
Lillard’s game has risen significantly in the eyes of many NBA fans. A virtual unknown he emerged from Weber State to become the 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year, this year he’s led his Blazer team into the playoffs. As for the athletes mentioned I don’t believe Adidas is thrashing any of them or any others wearing their shoe brand. Consider this tidbit the players mentioned have peaked their game is not ascending, as for Rose his injuries has tarnished his star power. See his “No Rings” commercial for Adidas, it’s really funny.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Blindsided
It’s not official but late this afternoon came word Frank Haith was leaving Mizzou, he's headed to Tulsa replacing Danny Manning. Manning was recently hired at Wake Forest replacing Jeff Bzdelik who resigned after four seasons. As additional details are provided I’ll update you.
Duke will survive
Jabari Parker was the one freshman I believed might return for his sophomore year. He’s made his decision and is headed the other direction, he’s headed for a large payday instead. The 6-8 235 forward decided on the NBA rather than Duke. Duke has an outcoming incoming class headed to Durham in the Fall. It would have been good to blend power forward Jahlil Okafor and point guard Tyus Jones with Parker now its only “what might have been."
They didn’t mail it in
We might assume the Lakers would take it easy the last two games of the season. Playing for nothing they could decrease their lottery position by winning. What did they do they beat the Jazz and the Spurs on the road. Coach Pop was resting his starters for the playoffs so the Laker win might be somewhat tainted. In any event I’m looking at team stats and certainly two areas screaming for an upgrade. The Lakers finished 29th in rebounding and 29th in points allowed, if those two numbers were only slightly improved who knows what their record might have been. They finished 11th in points scored (decent) and 4th in assists (very good) in the NBA, the next move is yours Mr. Buss.
Open under new management
Bucks fans were probably a little nervous long-time owner Herb Kohl indicated he’s wanted to sell the team for quite awhile. The only condition (other than financial) made by Kohl was team must remain in Milwaukee. Two hedge-fund billionaires from New York Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry have purchased the team for $550 million dollars pending league approval. Kohl purchased the team in 1985 for $18 million dollars. A new arena may be in the future for the Bucks, Kohl and the new owners have pledged $200 million toward this effort. In the day of billion dollar arenas (Barclays) maybe the difficulty might be locating the balance of financing.
"I'm leaving but you've got to stay"
The above statement might apply to any number of college coaches. sometimes sports radio discussions encounter an issue worth further discussion, this is one of those. The topic was Cuonzo Martin who could have been recruiting for Tennessee all while headed someplace other than Tennessee. The host said; “why are players often forced to sit out a year yet a coach can leave a school and immediately begin coaching?”
I don’t believe the conversation was aimed as criticism of Martin rather it was a criticism of the system. This system allows a coach to move from school to school yet the players they coach are held to a different standard. Keep in mind the NCAA has no enforcement policy regarding coaches, it details for us a portion of the system is broken and will never be mended. One issue we have not considered. I’ve read the Martin hire was not popular with the Tennessee faithful. Although he was compensated adequately he may have been searching for another school a few years back
It’s not official but late this afternoon came word Frank Haith was leaving Mizzou, he's headed to Tulsa replacing Danny Manning. Manning was recently hired at Wake Forest replacing Jeff Bzdelik who resigned after four seasons. As additional details are provided I’ll update you.
Duke will survive
Jabari Parker was the one freshman I believed might return for his sophomore year. He’s made his decision and is headed the other direction, he’s headed for a large payday instead. The 6-8 235 forward decided on the NBA rather than Duke. Duke has an outcoming incoming class headed to Durham in the Fall. It would have been good to blend power forward Jahlil Okafor and point guard Tyus Jones with Parker now its only “what might have been."
They didn’t mail it in
We might assume the Lakers would take it easy the last two games of the season. Playing for nothing they could decrease their lottery position by winning. What did they do they beat the Jazz and the Spurs on the road. Coach Pop was resting his starters for the playoffs so the Laker win might be somewhat tainted. In any event I’m looking at team stats and certainly two areas screaming for an upgrade. The Lakers finished 29th in rebounding and 29th in points allowed, if those two numbers were only slightly improved who knows what their record might have been. They finished 11th in points scored (decent) and 4th in assists (very good) in the NBA, the next move is yours Mr. Buss.
Open under new management
Bucks fans were probably a little nervous long-time owner Herb Kohl indicated he’s wanted to sell the team for quite awhile. The only condition (other than financial) made by Kohl was team must remain in Milwaukee. Two hedge-fund billionaires from New York Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry have purchased the team for $550 million dollars pending league approval. Kohl purchased the team in 1985 for $18 million dollars. A new arena may be in the future for the Bucks, Kohl and the new owners have pledged $200 million toward this effort. In the day of billion dollar arenas (Barclays) maybe the difficulty might be locating the balance of financing.
"I'm leaving but you've got to stay"
The above statement might apply to any number of college coaches. sometimes sports radio discussions encounter an issue worth further discussion, this is one of those. The topic was Cuonzo Martin who could have been recruiting for Tennessee all while headed someplace other than Tennessee. The host said; “why are players often forced to sit out a year yet a coach can leave a school and immediately begin coaching?”
I don’t believe the conversation was aimed as criticism of Martin rather it was a criticism of the system. This system allows a coach to move from school to school yet the players they coach are held to a different standard. Keep in mind the NCAA has no enforcement policy regarding coaches, it details for us a portion of the system is broken and will never be mended. One issue we have not considered. I’ve read the Martin hire was not popular with the Tennessee faithful. Although he was compensated adequately he may have been searching for another school a few years back
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Mike (no) D‘Antoni
For the final time tonight will be his last game as head coach. He’s probably not bad guy however he always seemed to be on the wrong side of most Laker fans. It’s also been mentioned the number of devastating injuries suffered by the team. An elementary basketball fan could access the Lakers in a short period and discover the key problem was little if any defense. D’Antoni teams with little emphasis on defense forced me to provide him a nickname. I‘ve placed a NO in front of Antoni because there is NO before the Dee Antoni with any of his teams.
Was the appalling season all the coaches’ fault---of course not he wasn’t on the floor playing defense? In the NBA scoring the ball is secondary to playing good team defense. Several teams demonstrate this conclusively for us, the Bulls, Pacers, Spurs and Heat are just a few that come to mind. D’Antoni has always been credited with having a great offensive mind, has he ever had a coach on his staff responsible for team defense? Whoever that might be should be given his pink slip ahead of no D’Antoni.
“Damn if you do, damn if you don’t”
Jabari Parker will meet with Coach K. soon to decide his future course. Players in similar situations are often criticized whatever decision they make. Remember Marcus Smart don’t you? Everyone and their brother questioned his decision to return to Oklahoma State for his sophomore year. We are well aware of the suspension and other issues he faced this past season. The same cynics who were critical of Smart remaining in school now say; “it didn’t do him any good to return.” To that group of people Smart and Parker have/will decide on the future with THEIR best interests taken into consideration not ours.
Its still history
The possibility of this event occurring was mentioned with a little over a month left in the season. Playoff positions have been finalized and it's come to fruition. For the first time in NBA history the Celtics, Knicks and Lakers all failed to make the playoffs. Life-long Knicks fan and Brooklyn native Spike Lee may be forced to admit the playoff Nets are the cities best NBA team.
Surely he’s joking---isn’t he?
I’m convinced more than ever ESPN’s Mike Greenberg is an idiot. On second thought he may not be an idiot but he provides us proof of his idiotic views. Much has been written regarding NBA teams losing on purpose to improve their draft position. This is the Greenberg solution; he would award the team missing the playoffs the top draft choice. His requirement, the team must have the best won-loss percentage but misses the playoffs.
If the NBA had adopted his proposal the 2014 1s round pick would belong to the Suns. The downside to his proposal the Milwaukee Bucks (unlike the 76ers) appear to be a really bad team. They receive no reward for finishing in last place. Under the Greenberg proposal they get no love, that first pick would be awarded to the Suns. Why do I believe Greenberg is a baseball fan first and NFL fan second? He attempts to remain topical by discussing NBA and collegiate basketball issues during the season.
25,000 points
The club is an exclusive one; only 17 players in the history of the NBA have surpassed 25,000 career points. One additional member was added to the club----the Nets Paul Pierce. The majority of the points scored by Pierce were done while he was a member of the Celtics; he now has become the clubs 18th member. The Top 50 scorers in NBA history contain a number of names that might surprise you, players you thought for sure had top the mark. Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing are just a few of the NBA’s outstanding players who missed the mark.
Scoring 25,000 points requires consistent marksmen ship and avoidance of injury during a player’s career. Knocking on the door and prepared to become the number 19 player is Tim Duncan. He’ll make it with plenty to spare, Duncan should eclipse the mark early next season. Ray Allen is only 519 points beneath the mark but certainly is not at the level he once held. He could be next to make it but he could miss. The player most likely to accomplish the feat next is LeBron James he’s in 27th place at the current time.
For the final time tonight will be his last game as head coach. He’s probably not bad guy however he always seemed to be on the wrong side of most Laker fans. It’s also been mentioned the number of devastating injuries suffered by the team. An elementary basketball fan could access the Lakers in a short period and discover the key problem was little if any defense. D’Antoni teams with little emphasis on defense forced me to provide him a nickname. I‘ve placed a NO in front of Antoni because there is NO before the Dee Antoni with any of his teams.
Was the appalling season all the coaches’ fault---of course not he wasn’t on the floor playing defense? In the NBA scoring the ball is secondary to playing good team defense. Several teams demonstrate this conclusively for us, the Bulls, Pacers, Spurs and Heat are just a few that come to mind. D’Antoni has always been credited with having a great offensive mind, has he ever had a coach on his staff responsible for team defense? Whoever that might be should be given his pink slip ahead of no D’Antoni.
“Damn if you do, damn if you don’t”
Jabari Parker will meet with Coach K. soon to decide his future course. Players in similar situations are often criticized whatever decision they make. Remember Marcus Smart don’t you? Everyone and their brother questioned his decision to return to Oklahoma State for his sophomore year. We are well aware of the suspension and other issues he faced this past season. The same cynics who were critical of Smart remaining in school now say; “it didn’t do him any good to return.” To that group of people Smart and Parker have/will decide on the future with THEIR best interests taken into consideration not ours.
Its still history
The possibility of this event occurring was mentioned with a little over a month left in the season. Playoff positions have been finalized and it's come to fruition. For the first time in NBA history the Celtics, Knicks and Lakers all failed to make the playoffs. Life-long Knicks fan and Brooklyn native Spike Lee may be forced to admit the playoff Nets are the cities best NBA team.
Surely he’s joking---isn’t he?
I’m convinced more than ever ESPN’s Mike Greenberg is an idiot. On second thought he may not be an idiot but he provides us proof of his idiotic views. Much has been written regarding NBA teams losing on purpose to improve their draft position. This is the Greenberg solution; he would award the team missing the playoffs the top draft choice. His requirement, the team must have the best won-loss percentage but misses the playoffs.
If the NBA had adopted his proposal the 2014 1s round pick would belong to the Suns. The downside to his proposal the Milwaukee Bucks (unlike the 76ers) appear to be a really bad team. They receive no reward for finishing in last place. Under the Greenberg proposal they get no love, that first pick would be awarded to the Suns. Why do I believe Greenberg is a baseball fan first and NFL fan second? He attempts to remain topical by discussing NBA and collegiate basketball issues during the season.
25,000 points
The club is an exclusive one; only 17 players in the history of the NBA have surpassed 25,000 career points. One additional member was added to the club----the Nets Paul Pierce. The majority of the points scored by Pierce were done while he was a member of the Celtics; he now has become the clubs 18th member. The Top 50 scorers in NBA history contain a number of names that might surprise you, players you thought for sure had top the mark. Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing are just a few of the NBA’s outstanding players who missed the mark.
Scoring 25,000 points requires consistent marksmen ship and avoidance of injury during a player’s career. Knocking on the door and prepared to become the number 19 player is Tim Duncan. He’ll make it with plenty to spare, Duncan should eclipse the mark early next season. Ray Allen is only 519 points beneath the mark but certainly is not at the level he once held. He could be next to make it but he could miss. The player most likely to accomplish the feat next is LeBron James he’s in 27th place at the current time.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Time‘s up
I admit upfront I stole this from one of the Laker fan websites. “Three games left in the season and three games left for D’Antoni.” I admit this is rare for me, in all my years following all sorts of sports I can only remember four other occasions when I badly wanted a coach replaced. .
“Sweet Lou”
Friday afternoon came word former Hawk and Laker Lou Hudson had died. The vast majority of readers probably are unsure of his name; I’d like to state he played in the NBA during its “Dark Age” period. The Hawks were on local television and occasionally on the Sunday Game of the Week. The Hawks had assembled a good team later adding Pete Maravich but were never good enough to play for an NBA Championship. As mentioned previously no ESPN, no TNT, no NBA TV during this period limited broadcast television only.
The 1980 NBA Championship was tape-delayed to a great deal of the nation. That‘s a partial explanation why Hudson’s name might not be well known. This shooting guard was nicknamed “Sweet Lou” due to his smooth shooting; he finished his 13-year career in 1979 scoring 17,940 points (20.2 ppg). Why this 6 time All-Star is not in the Basketball Hall of Fame is a mystery to those who witnessed him in action. Hudson died after suffering a second stroke in Atlanta, he was 69 years old.
“You’re fired”
The term is not imaginative or original; it’s been used since the first employee was informed they no longer had a job. Donald Trump has become well known for using the term on his television program. We could say Mizzou Coach Frank Haith has used the term too as it relates to Zac Price. Price found himself on the opposite side of the law, arrested twice in the same day. Haith first suspended the player when the news first broke, later he was dismissed from the team. Louisville transfer Price at 6-10 was expected to add depth to Mizzou’s frontcourt; he never played having sat out the 2013-14 season. The basketball career of Price at Mizzou was over before it ever began.
You think he’s stayin’?
Do we know where LeBron James is headed after the 2014-15 season is complete? Nobody really knows LeBron doesn’t know himself. We must wait until July 2015 for action on his part, we do understand the Heat have grown older and at the end of next season will be even older. Chris Bosh will be 31 at the end of next season, Dwayne Wade who’s suffered a variety of injury issues this season will be 33, as for LeBron he will be 30. Certainly none of the three is ready to sign up for AARP but you see the direction we are headed. As for other key members Ray Allen will be 39, Shane Battier 36 and Udonis Haslem 34.
Chris Anderson and Rashard Lewis both will have turned 35; the only youthful presence is Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole. Remember the bravado expressed when LeBron and Bosh joined Wade in South Beach. Based on the team struggles this season and an ageing team I believe the “not 2 not 3, not 4 not 5, not 6 championships” talk was just that------talk. The wear and tear on playing deep into June eventually takes its toil on all. For those who think I’m hatin’ on the Heat that’s not the case, they are two-time NBA Champs it’s yet to be determined if there is a third championship this year. Close only counts in horseshoes, Heat fans forget how Coach Pop’s player moves cost his team a championship last season. .
I admit upfront I stole this from one of the Laker fan websites. “Three games left in the season and three games left for D’Antoni.” I admit this is rare for me, in all my years following all sorts of sports I can only remember four other occasions when I badly wanted a coach replaced. .
“Sweet Lou”
Friday afternoon came word former Hawk and Laker Lou Hudson had died. The vast majority of readers probably are unsure of his name; I’d like to state he played in the NBA during its “Dark Age” period. The Hawks were on local television and occasionally on the Sunday Game of the Week. The Hawks had assembled a good team later adding Pete Maravich but were never good enough to play for an NBA Championship. As mentioned previously no ESPN, no TNT, no NBA TV during this period limited broadcast television only.
The 1980 NBA Championship was tape-delayed to a great deal of the nation. That‘s a partial explanation why Hudson’s name might not be well known. This shooting guard was nicknamed “Sweet Lou” due to his smooth shooting; he finished his 13-year career in 1979 scoring 17,940 points (20.2 ppg). Why this 6 time All-Star is not in the Basketball Hall of Fame is a mystery to those who witnessed him in action. Hudson died after suffering a second stroke in Atlanta, he was 69 years old.
“You’re fired”
The term is not imaginative or original; it’s been used since the first employee was informed they no longer had a job. Donald Trump has become well known for using the term on his television program. We could say Mizzou Coach Frank Haith has used the term too as it relates to Zac Price. Price found himself on the opposite side of the law, arrested twice in the same day. Haith first suspended the player when the news first broke, later he was dismissed from the team. Louisville transfer Price at 6-10 was expected to add depth to Mizzou’s frontcourt; he never played having sat out the 2013-14 season. The basketball career of Price at Mizzou was over before it ever began.
You think he’s stayin’?
Do we know where LeBron James is headed after the 2014-15 season is complete? Nobody really knows LeBron doesn’t know himself. We must wait until July 2015 for action on his part, we do understand the Heat have grown older and at the end of next season will be even older. Chris Bosh will be 31 at the end of next season, Dwayne Wade who’s suffered a variety of injury issues this season will be 33, as for LeBron he will be 30. Certainly none of the three is ready to sign up for AARP but you see the direction we are headed. As for other key members Ray Allen will be 39, Shane Battier 36 and Udonis Haslem 34.
Chris Anderson and Rashard Lewis both will have turned 35; the only youthful presence is Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole. Remember the bravado expressed when LeBron and Bosh joined Wade in South Beach. Based on the team struggles this season and an ageing team I believe the “not 2 not 3, not 4 not 5, not 6 championships” talk was just that------talk. The wear and tear on playing deep into June eventually takes its toil on all. For those who think I’m hatin’ on the Heat that’s not the case, they are two-time NBA Champs it’s yet to be determined if there is a third championship this year. Close only counts in horseshoes, Heat fans forget how Coach Pop’s player moves cost his team a championship last season. .
Friday, April 11, 2014
An announcement that surprised few
At the press conference on Wednesday Joel Embiid announced he was leaving Kansas to enter the 2014 NBA Draft. There were probably three or four people who believed Embiid would return for his sophomore year, I have serious doubts if the number was any larger than four. If you remember I wrote of his rapid rise on a number of mock draft sites. Early on most have him projected in the 20’s, after he took over the starting job and demonstrated his prowess his draft stock rose swiftly. He’s listed anywhere from one to five depending on the site. Embiid is still raw, he’s only played basketball for three years a shorter time period than most of his contemporaries.
More interesting his numbers projected over 40 minutes are superior to those of Hakeem Olajuwon in his freshman year. Estimated over the time mentioned they are 19.4 points per game, 14 rebounds and .626 from the floor. Embiid is satisfactory at the free throw line hitting close to 70 percent from the line. Embiid has proven he’s not one-dimensional, his block shot numbers and defense in the paint are outstanding. Its unfair to seriously compare players of different eras however sometimes that‘s the only method we have to access talent. Check it out for your own satisfaction, below is the website. http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/
Plausible deniability
The term used by the NBA at certain points. A definition of the word; *“The term most often refers to the capacity of senior officials in a formal or informal chain of command to deny knowledge of and/or responsibility for any damnable actions committed by the lower ranks because of a lack of evidence that can confirm their participation, even if they were personally involved or at least willfully ignorant said actions.” I’m referring to the NBA logo; hopefully it is familiar to you. Someone questioned if the image reflected former NBA great Jerry West. The NBA office “claims” there is no connection between the logo and a photo of Jerry West. Why not formulate your own opinion, Google the Jerry West photograph next to the NBA logo and see what you think. *Wikipedia
Replacement team Mizzou’s back court is now in state of flux, Jordan Clarkson has declared for the NBA Draft; next to declare was Jabari Brown. The two mentioned plus senior Ernest Ross provided the bulk of Mizzou scoring. Haith has a major job replacing the scoring (and leadership) the trio will have left behind. Sorry newspaper guys I’m a “half-full glass” person rather than “half-empty.” The Mizzou roster still holds a number of potential talented athletes; in addition there are transfer players who will be eligible in the fall. There are incoming freshman but they will be freshman which means there must be an adjustment to the college game. Will this team compete for the SEC Championship I doubt it, will the 2014-15 Tigers play better? That question and others will be answered over the course of next season.
The offense suffered at times without a true point guard. Shane Rector or Wes Clark two point guards should aid the Tigers offense next season; they will be sophomores and hopefully better adjusted to Division I play. The Tigers have added 6-4 shooting guard Kevin Punter from State Fair Community College (Sedalia MO). Punter averaged almost 21 points a game however that was junior college hopefully he can score 12-15 points a game. There are two freshman shooting guards headed to Columbia, Ronnie Suggs at 6-4 and 6-5 Namon Wright. The back court should be okay my worry is front court scoring and defense.
Nowhere did Mizzou suffer more than in the front court both offensively and defensively. 6-7 Notre Dame transfer Cameron Biedscheid should add scoring ability and defense to the front court. The defense especially in the front court suffered all season especially at the rim. 6-10 Louisville transfer Zach Price will add front court depth (NOTE: Price was arrested and has been suspended pending the outcome of a possible trial). It’s hoped 6-11 Kenau Post a year under his belt at Division I will come close to his Southwestern Illinois College numbers. 6-9 223 pound Jonathan Williams III played more minutes than any other freshman on the roster, he should be improved as a sophomore. 6-8 234 pound freshmen Torren Jones was a spark off the bench when given the opportunity to play. This is written in late March and certainly it’s not intended to be complete. Because there are questions we have no idea if departures will make additional scholarships available.
An addendum
Last Wednesday I provided you my 10-point plan to “fix” the Lakers. I’m unsure if I should have made it 11-points or simply add an A. to one of the existing points. Oh well here goes, if for some reason 7-foot Joel Embiid “falls” to the Lakers in my view he rates above Smart and Exum. In fact by a small margin (injury and limited game experience) I would rate him above Wiggins and Parker.
At the press conference on Wednesday Joel Embiid announced he was leaving Kansas to enter the 2014 NBA Draft. There were probably three or four people who believed Embiid would return for his sophomore year, I have serious doubts if the number was any larger than four. If you remember I wrote of his rapid rise on a number of mock draft sites. Early on most have him projected in the 20’s, after he took over the starting job and demonstrated his prowess his draft stock rose swiftly. He’s listed anywhere from one to five depending on the site. Embiid is still raw, he’s only played basketball for three years a shorter time period than most of his contemporaries.
More interesting his numbers projected over 40 minutes are superior to those of Hakeem Olajuwon in his freshman year. Estimated over the time mentioned they are 19.4 points per game, 14 rebounds and .626 from the floor. Embiid is satisfactory at the free throw line hitting close to 70 percent from the line. Embiid has proven he’s not one-dimensional, his block shot numbers and defense in the paint are outstanding. Its unfair to seriously compare players of different eras however sometimes that‘s the only method we have to access talent. Check it out for your own satisfaction, below is the website. http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/
Plausible deniability
The term used by the NBA at certain points. A definition of the word; *“The term most often refers to the capacity of senior officials in a formal or informal chain of command to deny knowledge of and/or responsibility for any damnable actions committed by the lower ranks because of a lack of evidence that can confirm their participation, even if they were personally involved or at least willfully ignorant said actions.” I’m referring to the NBA logo; hopefully it is familiar to you. Someone questioned if the image reflected former NBA great Jerry West. The NBA office “claims” there is no connection between the logo and a photo of Jerry West. Why not formulate your own opinion, Google the Jerry West photograph next to the NBA logo and see what you think. *Wikipedia
Replacement team Mizzou’s back court is now in state of flux, Jordan Clarkson has declared for the NBA Draft; next to declare was Jabari Brown. The two mentioned plus senior Ernest Ross provided the bulk of Mizzou scoring. Haith has a major job replacing the scoring (and leadership) the trio will have left behind. Sorry newspaper guys I’m a “half-full glass” person rather than “half-empty.” The Mizzou roster still holds a number of potential talented athletes; in addition there are transfer players who will be eligible in the fall. There are incoming freshman but they will be freshman which means there must be an adjustment to the college game. Will this team compete for the SEC Championship I doubt it, will the 2014-15 Tigers play better? That question and others will be answered over the course of next season.
The offense suffered at times without a true point guard. Shane Rector or Wes Clark two point guards should aid the Tigers offense next season; they will be sophomores and hopefully better adjusted to Division I play. The Tigers have added 6-4 shooting guard Kevin Punter from State Fair Community College (Sedalia MO). Punter averaged almost 21 points a game however that was junior college hopefully he can score 12-15 points a game. There are two freshman shooting guards headed to Columbia, Ronnie Suggs at 6-4 and 6-5 Namon Wright. The back court should be okay my worry is front court scoring and defense.
Nowhere did Mizzou suffer more than in the front court both offensively and defensively. 6-7 Notre Dame transfer Cameron Biedscheid should add scoring ability and defense to the front court. The defense especially in the front court suffered all season especially at the rim. 6-10 Louisville transfer Zach Price will add front court depth (NOTE: Price was arrested and has been suspended pending the outcome of a possible trial). It’s hoped 6-11 Kenau Post a year under his belt at Division I will come close to his Southwestern Illinois College numbers. 6-9 223 pound Jonathan Williams III played more minutes than any other freshman on the roster, he should be improved as a sophomore. 6-8 234 pound freshmen Torren Jones was a spark off the bench when given the opportunity to play. This is written in late March and certainly it’s not intended to be complete. Because there are questions we have no idea if departures will make additional scholarships available.
An addendum
Last Wednesday I provided you my 10-point plan to “fix” the Lakers. I’m unsure if I should have made it 11-points or simply add an A. to one of the existing points. Oh well here goes, if for some reason 7-foot Joel Embiid “falls” to the Lakers in my view he rates above Smart and Exum. In fact by a small margin (injury and limited game experience) I would rate him above Wiggins and Parker.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Congratulations
Kevin Ollie and the UConn men did a masterful job on Monday night. They overcame (in my opinion) a more talented Kentucky team 60-54. All evening long UConn appeared to be quicker and certainly was a better shooting free throw team. To repeat my earlier commentary nobody but nobody had this team (and Kentucky too) playing for a national championship. The game closed out the 2013-14 collegiate season, I’ll shed a tear no more college ball for awhile. .
Forget about it
The Lakers will change coaches at the end of the season, there will be a new coach in place when training camp opens in October. I have no idea of that persons name however I don't believe the name will be John Calipari. Will Calipari remain in the Bluegrass State until the day he retires---I doubt that too.
Addressing the Lakers in 10 moves
These moves I believe would address many issues this Laker team experienced. Personnel issues are tricky to project; the final roster is omitted less the players mentioned.
1. Fire Mike D’Antoni (despite reports he wants to remain)
2. Hire a defensive minded head coach-Lionel Hollins???
3. Return of a healthy Kobe Bryant (playing limited minutes)
4. Possible trade of Pau Gasol
5. Draft either point guards Dante Exum or Marcus Smart
6. Improve team defense
7. Release/retirement of Steve Nash
8. Sign free agent(s) Luol Deng or Zach Randolph*
9. Jeannie Buss sharing in team decisions with brother Jim
10. Untie General Manager Mitch Kupchak’s hands
*I don’t work for the NBA; I cannot be accused of tampering.
“Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke”
I have heard the above adage or off-shoots of it since I can remember. Change is enviable in most endeavors; I certainly am not opposed to change. Over the past several years more than one party has indicated the NCAA Tournament should be “re-seeded.” There are seeding mistakes in our estimation, teams seeded too low or too high. In some instances a team might be placed in the wrong regional. Those are our views; anytime human beings are involved in decision making the instance of disagreement will almost always occur. Get over it, there is no need for the NCAA to revise that portion of the tournament.
Did you see it?
This is old now, the Sports Illustrated cover with Doug McDermott and two cheerleaders. What I thought funny it duplicated a November 1977 cover of Larry Bird when he was at Indiana State. They say; “records are made to be broken” however several will never be eclipsed. No collegiate team will ever win seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments as John Wooden’s UCLA teams did. No player will ever average more than the 44.2 ppg of Pete Maravich. Doug McDermott ended his college career with 3,150 points scored. The names he passed are a who’s who of basketball, Oscar Robertson, Danny Manning and Larry Bird to name a few. To be fair one of the reasons we’ll never witness a Maravich or McDermott player leave school after their freshman or sophomore year. The aforementioned two were at LSU and Creighton for four years.
Kevin Ollie and the UConn men did a masterful job on Monday night. They overcame (in my opinion) a more talented Kentucky team 60-54. All evening long UConn appeared to be quicker and certainly was a better shooting free throw team. To repeat my earlier commentary nobody but nobody had this team (and Kentucky too) playing for a national championship. The game closed out the 2013-14 collegiate season, I’ll shed a tear no more college ball for awhile. .
Forget about it
The Lakers will change coaches at the end of the season, there will be a new coach in place when training camp opens in October. I have no idea of that persons name however I don't believe the name will be John Calipari. Will Calipari remain in the Bluegrass State until the day he retires---I doubt that too.
Addressing the Lakers in 10 moves
These moves I believe would address many issues this Laker team experienced. Personnel issues are tricky to project; the final roster is omitted less the players mentioned.
1. Fire Mike D’Antoni (despite reports he wants to remain)
2. Hire a defensive minded head coach-Lionel Hollins???
3. Return of a healthy Kobe Bryant (playing limited minutes)
4. Possible trade of Pau Gasol
5. Draft either point guards Dante Exum or Marcus Smart
6. Improve team defense
7. Release/retirement of Steve Nash
8. Sign free agent(s) Luol Deng or Zach Randolph*
9. Jeannie Buss sharing in team decisions with brother Jim
10. Untie General Manager Mitch Kupchak’s hands
*I don’t work for the NBA; I cannot be accused of tampering.
“Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke”
I have heard the above adage or off-shoots of it since I can remember. Change is enviable in most endeavors; I certainly am not opposed to change. Over the past several years more than one party has indicated the NCAA Tournament should be “re-seeded.” There are seeding mistakes in our estimation, teams seeded too low or too high. In some instances a team might be placed in the wrong regional. Those are our views; anytime human beings are involved in decision making the instance of disagreement will almost always occur. Get over it, there is no need for the NCAA to revise that portion of the tournament.
Did you see it?
This is old now, the Sports Illustrated cover with Doug McDermott and two cheerleaders. What I thought funny it duplicated a November 1977 cover of Larry Bird when he was at Indiana State. They say; “records are made to be broken” however several will never be eclipsed. No collegiate team will ever win seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments as John Wooden’s UCLA teams did. No player will ever average more than the 44.2 ppg of Pete Maravich. Doug McDermott ended his college career with 3,150 points scored. The names he passed are a who’s who of basketball, Oscar Robertson, Danny Manning and Larry Bird to name a few. To be fair one of the reasons we’ll never witness a Maravich or McDermott player leave school after their freshman or sophomore year. The aforementioned two were at LSU and Creighton for four years.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Back in November
I had no idea I’d be watching UConn play Kentucky for the NCAA Championship tonight. As for Connecticut the school had come from back in the pack, as for Kentucky they were the pre-season number one team. During the regular season Kentucky failed to live up to expectations as most believed. As they say “all that’s required is to win six games in a row.” Wichita State won their first 35 games so six in a row no bid deal---right? That’s the beauty of this tournament, we make all sorts of predictions and the athletes blow them up.
All the coaches deserve congratulations but I believe Kevin Ollie deserves the largest shout-out. I think Ollie out-coached Billy Donovan which certainly surprised this basketball fan. Its funny listening to sport media comments, a local sports radio host informed us John Calipari “wasn’t a very good X and O coach.” All I can say is Calipari may not be that good but he knows how to win. What you think of my comment Mr. Radio Guy? It’s my belief Calipari is more than just a recruiter.
I’m disappointed
Bad behavior cannot be tolerated at any level even for my favorite team. Mizzou made the news recently and it was for the wrong reasons. It had nothing to do with action on the basketball court; it will be resolved in the criminal court. Zac Price 6-10 250 pound center was arrested twice in one day by the Columbia (MO) Police. Price is yet to suit up for a game having transferred from Louisville and sitting out the season. Price had an altercation with a roommate on two separate occasions thus two arrests. It’s always been my belief athletes are held to a higher behavioral standard than a schools student body.
Athletes are visible to the public more so than the general student body any criminal activity reflects poorly on the university, the athletic department and the coaching staff. This might appear unfair and it is to a degree, a non athlete may have rated a small byline in the Columbia Tribune. Most likely the incident wouldn’t rate a headline in the Kansas City Star or St. Louis Post-Dispatch. An altercation of this type would not be reported on the 10:00 p.m. news. Coach Haith acted immediately and decisively suspending Price indefinitely. It’s my belief if Price is criminally charged Mizzou should revoke his scholarship and expel him.
Training Ground
Tulsa University has become training ground for a number of basketball coaches. Several present day and former coaches “cut their teeth” at this Oklahoma school and moved on to other more lucrative positions. A common theme exists among the as well, several have won NCAA Championships. This is a short list of successful coaches who once called Tulsa home. Nolan Richardson was a successful coach at Arkansas but received his first head coaching responsibility at Tulsa. Richardson won an NCAA Championship while coaching Arkansas. Tubby Smith is now coaching at Texas Tech; Smith had a couple of stops before landing at Kentucky.
Smith won an NCAA Championship while coaching at Kentucky. Bill Self made at stop at Tulsa and later moved to Illinois. He would later be hired at Kansas where he also won an NCAA Championship. Doug Wojcik coached at Tulsa for seven years before he was hired at College of Charleston. Wojcik was replaced by Danny Manning who is leaving after a brief two years, Manning is headed to coach at ACC Wake Forest. Its unfortunate Tulsa is unable to maintain long-term relationships with most of the basketball coaches the school hires. Even when the hire is complete they might be looking over their shoulder fearing another school might swoop in and hire “their” coach.
Bits n Pieces
A term has come into broadcast usage in recent years, it’s the Euro step. My belief was incorrect I believed Manu Ginobili was responsible. * “Developed in European basketball, the move is generally accepted to have been brought to the NBA by Lithuanian Sarunas Marciulionis, and was popularized in North America by Manu Ginobili, an Argentine who arrived in the NBA from the Italian league. It has since been adopted by many American-born players, among them James Harden, Dwayne Wade and Rajon Rondo, as well as Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic. Noted college coach John Calipari is also known for teaching the move; among his former players who frequently use the move in the NBA are Tyreke Evans, Derrick Rose, and John Wall.“ *Wikipedia
In January I was viewing a high school game on ESPN and one of the players’ dives on the floor for a loose ball. The problem he’s sliding while grasping the ball which I’ve often believed to be traveling. I’m not picking on this youngster because I’ve noticed it sometimes occurs in college games and the NBA. Officials continue to whistle travels but sometimes sliding is ignored, it’s just me I suppose.
The NBA needs to conduct an investigation; I believe there is no other professional sport where a team might become better by becoming worst. That’s what “tanking.” is all about. The NBA team is losing games on purpose, losing to increase their draft position. That has become the case for the Philadelphia 76ers, the last time this team won a game was in January, we are days short of April. I don’t believe the coach nor the players are pleased losing games, this is strictly a front-office decision.
The Celtics Danny Ainge said, “There are no game-changers but several nice players.” I’ve got news for Ainge; it’s been quite awhile since a collegiate player arrived in the NBA and managed to turn his team around. Off the top of my head I believe Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) and Shaquille O’Neal might be the only two that come to mind. I wonder what Ainge’s definition of game changer, a 10 or 20 game improvement over the prior season?
I like CBS “farming” out games to cable networks, Tru TV, TBSand TNT. This type of telecast gave us the opportunity to choose the game or games of our choice. Remember back in the “old days,” you lived in California you may have been forced to miss your favorite team because the game wasn’t available in your area.
I had no idea I’d be watching UConn play Kentucky for the NCAA Championship tonight. As for Connecticut the school had come from back in the pack, as for Kentucky they were the pre-season number one team. During the regular season Kentucky failed to live up to expectations as most believed. As they say “all that’s required is to win six games in a row.” Wichita State won their first 35 games so six in a row no bid deal---right? That’s the beauty of this tournament, we make all sorts of predictions and the athletes blow them up.
All the coaches deserve congratulations but I believe Kevin Ollie deserves the largest shout-out. I think Ollie out-coached Billy Donovan which certainly surprised this basketball fan. Its funny listening to sport media comments, a local sports radio host informed us John Calipari “wasn’t a very good X and O coach.” All I can say is Calipari may not be that good but he knows how to win. What you think of my comment Mr. Radio Guy? It’s my belief Calipari is more than just a recruiter.
I’m disappointed
Bad behavior cannot be tolerated at any level even for my favorite team. Mizzou made the news recently and it was for the wrong reasons. It had nothing to do with action on the basketball court; it will be resolved in the criminal court. Zac Price 6-10 250 pound center was arrested twice in one day by the Columbia (MO) Police. Price is yet to suit up for a game having transferred from Louisville and sitting out the season. Price had an altercation with a roommate on two separate occasions thus two arrests. It’s always been my belief athletes are held to a higher behavioral standard than a schools student body.
Athletes are visible to the public more so than the general student body any criminal activity reflects poorly on the university, the athletic department and the coaching staff. This might appear unfair and it is to a degree, a non athlete may have rated a small byline in the Columbia Tribune. Most likely the incident wouldn’t rate a headline in the Kansas City Star or St. Louis Post-Dispatch. An altercation of this type would not be reported on the 10:00 p.m. news. Coach Haith acted immediately and decisively suspending Price indefinitely. It’s my belief if Price is criminally charged Mizzou should revoke his scholarship and expel him.
Training Ground
Tulsa University has become training ground for a number of basketball coaches. Several present day and former coaches “cut their teeth” at this Oklahoma school and moved on to other more lucrative positions. A common theme exists among the as well, several have won NCAA Championships. This is a short list of successful coaches who once called Tulsa home. Nolan Richardson was a successful coach at Arkansas but received his first head coaching responsibility at Tulsa. Richardson won an NCAA Championship while coaching Arkansas. Tubby Smith is now coaching at Texas Tech; Smith had a couple of stops before landing at Kentucky.
Smith won an NCAA Championship while coaching at Kentucky. Bill Self made at stop at Tulsa and later moved to Illinois. He would later be hired at Kansas where he also won an NCAA Championship. Doug Wojcik coached at Tulsa for seven years before he was hired at College of Charleston. Wojcik was replaced by Danny Manning who is leaving after a brief two years, Manning is headed to coach at ACC Wake Forest. Its unfortunate Tulsa is unable to maintain long-term relationships with most of the basketball coaches the school hires. Even when the hire is complete they might be looking over their shoulder fearing another school might swoop in and hire “their” coach.
Bits n Pieces
A term has come into broadcast usage in recent years, it’s the Euro step. My belief was incorrect I believed Manu Ginobili was responsible. * “Developed in European basketball, the move is generally accepted to have been brought to the NBA by Lithuanian Sarunas Marciulionis, and was popularized in North America by Manu Ginobili, an Argentine who arrived in the NBA from the Italian league. It has since been adopted by many American-born players, among them James Harden, Dwayne Wade and Rajon Rondo, as well as Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic. Noted college coach John Calipari is also known for teaching the move; among his former players who frequently use the move in the NBA are Tyreke Evans, Derrick Rose, and John Wall.“ *Wikipedia
In January I was viewing a high school game on ESPN and one of the players’ dives on the floor for a loose ball. The problem he’s sliding while grasping the ball which I’ve often believed to be traveling. I’m not picking on this youngster because I’ve noticed it sometimes occurs in college games and the NBA. Officials continue to whistle travels but sometimes sliding is ignored, it’s just me I suppose.
The NBA needs to conduct an investigation; I believe there is no other professional sport where a team might become better by becoming worst. That’s what “tanking.” is all about. The NBA team is losing games on purpose, losing to increase their draft position. That has become the case for the Philadelphia 76ers, the last time this team won a game was in January, we are days short of April. I don’t believe the coach nor the players are pleased losing games, this is strictly a front-office decision.
The Celtics Danny Ainge said, “There are no game-changers but several nice players.” I’ve got news for Ainge; it’s been quite awhile since a collegiate player arrived in the NBA and managed to turn his team around. Off the top of my head I believe Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) and Shaquille O’Neal might be the only two that come to mind. I wonder what Ainge’s definition of game changer, a 10 or 20 game improvement over the prior season?
I like CBS “farming” out games to cable networks, Tru TV, TBSand TNT. This type of telecast gave us the opportunity to choose the game or games of our choice. Remember back in the “old days,” you lived in California you may have been forced to miss your favorite team because the game wasn’t available in your area.
Friday, April 4, 2014
"I'm back"
Michael Jordan had retired from the Bulls; he wanted to try his hand at baseball. It had been years since he played the sport but only he knows why. Jordan certainly proved more successful playing basketball than baseball. Rumors began circulating in 1995 he was returning to the Bulls, prior to his return two words were uttered; I'm back. This is not the same story but it bears some similarity. Jordan had proved he chose the wrong game and returned to basketball. On the other hand after a successful coaching career Brown was fired by the Bobcats in 2010. It’s my belief Brown was “lost” with no basketball in his life.
Early in 2012 Brown was hired at SMU to turn around a bad basketball program. Brown the only coach in history to win an NCAA and NBA Championship was in his element as the “teacher” began retuning the Mustangs. His first team finished 15-17, this years team barely missed being selected for the NCAA Tournament. The NIT selection committee chose his Mustang team and continued molding this team. Last night Brown‘s team lost the NIT Championship 65-63, they finished the season with a 27-10 record. This AARP coach will be 74 years old by the time the season rolls around in the fall. He still has the desire to teach and coach the game he loves after all these years.
He’s yet to make a decision
The high school basketball season is complete and yet Myles Turner remains uncommitted. The majority of high profile athletes announced in 2013 or earlier this year to the school of their choice. For those unfamiliar with Turner he’s a 7 foot 225 pound center who hails from Bedford (TX). Turner is one of a wealth of talent produced in recent years from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro. ESPN Top 100 2014 list him as the number two prospect in the nation, Rivals list him number 6. Very few high profile prospects remain uncommitted this late in the year. 6-9 Cliff Alexander (Rivals number 9) contacted Turner in an attempt to persuade him to join him, Alexander committed earlier this year to Kansas. This late in the year any number of schools would make room for this talented 7 foot prospect once he makes his decision.
No second guessing from me
Several in the media and a number of fans question Wiggins leaving early for the NBA, the same holds true for Parker and Embiid should they declare. It would benefit all parties if they remained in school and enhanced their game. It’s probably not going to happen due to these considerations and maybe some I might have overlooked.
The first of course is financial reward. Few college students leave school with a multi-million dollar contract in hand. A shoe deal is a secondary financial reward to the NBA salary. An athlete returning to school may not play at the same level exhibited the previous season. Poor play might cause a player to slide into the second round meaning a non-guaranteed contract. Of course the very worst fate the athlete could suffer returning to school is an injury which excludes him for draft consideration or ends his basketball career.
RPI
I’m similar to a number of basketball fans; I often get caught up in the numbers. As we all know numbers don’t translate to anything except other numbers. We look at the Top 25 or RPI to demonstrate the value of our team. Florida is the RPI leader no surprise but exactly what is RPI? *“The current and commonly used formula for determining the RPI of a college basketball team at any given time is as follows.RPI = (WP * 0.25) + (OWP * 0.50) + (OOWP * 0.25) where WP is Winning Percentage, OWP is Opponents' Winning Percentage and OOWP is Opponents' Opponents' Winning Percentage.
The WP is calculated by taking a team's wins divided by the number of games it has played (i.e. wins plus losses).” The second place team (Arizona) and third place team (Kansas) have been eliminated. Sitting at number six is the Wisconsin Badgers, where does Wichita State sit? The Shockers are number 16, how about UConn they finished number 23. The NCAA must have a method to determine the effectiveness of a team and this is the method utilized. The above cannot be considered the only evidence of a team’s strength it’s just a barometer. The main reason its value is questionable it’s based on teams non-conference won-loss record. Ask Kentucky, UConn, Wisconsin and Florida their view of RPI. *Wikipedia
Michael Jordan had retired from the Bulls; he wanted to try his hand at baseball. It had been years since he played the sport but only he knows why. Jordan certainly proved more successful playing basketball than baseball. Rumors began circulating in 1995 he was returning to the Bulls, prior to his return two words were uttered; I'm back. This is not the same story but it bears some similarity. Jordan had proved he chose the wrong game and returned to basketball. On the other hand after a successful coaching career Brown was fired by the Bobcats in 2010. It’s my belief Brown was “lost” with no basketball in his life.
Early in 2012 Brown was hired at SMU to turn around a bad basketball program. Brown the only coach in history to win an NCAA and NBA Championship was in his element as the “teacher” began retuning the Mustangs. His first team finished 15-17, this years team barely missed being selected for the NCAA Tournament. The NIT selection committee chose his Mustang team and continued molding this team. Last night Brown‘s team lost the NIT Championship 65-63, they finished the season with a 27-10 record. This AARP coach will be 74 years old by the time the season rolls around in the fall. He still has the desire to teach and coach the game he loves after all these years.
He’s yet to make a decision
The high school basketball season is complete and yet Myles Turner remains uncommitted. The majority of high profile athletes announced in 2013 or earlier this year to the school of their choice. For those unfamiliar with Turner he’s a 7 foot 225 pound center who hails from Bedford (TX). Turner is one of a wealth of talent produced in recent years from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro. ESPN Top 100 2014 list him as the number two prospect in the nation, Rivals list him number 6. Very few high profile prospects remain uncommitted this late in the year. 6-9 Cliff Alexander (Rivals number 9) contacted Turner in an attempt to persuade him to join him, Alexander committed earlier this year to Kansas. This late in the year any number of schools would make room for this talented 7 foot prospect once he makes his decision.
No second guessing from me
Several in the media and a number of fans question Wiggins leaving early for the NBA, the same holds true for Parker and Embiid should they declare. It would benefit all parties if they remained in school and enhanced their game. It’s probably not going to happen due to these considerations and maybe some I might have overlooked.
The first of course is financial reward. Few college students leave school with a multi-million dollar contract in hand. A shoe deal is a secondary financial reward to the NBA salary. An athlete returning to school may not play at the same level exhibited the previous season. Poor play might cause a player to slide into the second round meaning a non-guaranteed contract. Of course the very worst fate the athlete could suffer returning to school is an injury which excludes him for draft consideration or ends his basketball career.
RPI
I’m similar to a number of basketball fans; I often get caught up in the numbers. As we all know numbers don’t translate to anything except other numbers. We look at the Top 25 or RPI to demonstrate the value of our team. Florida is the RPI leader no surprise but exactly what is RPI? *“The current and commonly used formula for determining the RPI of a college basketball team at any given time is as follows.RPI = (WP * 0.25) + (OWP * 0.50) + (OOWP * 0.25) where WP is Winning Percentage, OWP is Opponents' Winning Percentage and OOWP is Opponents' Opponents' Winning Percentage.
The WP is calculated by taking a team's wins divided by the number of games it has played (i.e. wins plus losses).” The second place team (Arizona) and third place team (Kansas) have been eliminated. Sitting at number six is the Wisconsin Badgers, where does Wichita State sit? The Shockers are number 16, how about UConn they finished number 23. The NCAA must have a method to determine the effectiveness of a team and this is the method utilized. The above cannot be considered the only evidence of a team’s strength it’s just a barometer. The main reason its value is questionable it’s based on teams non-conference won-loss record. Ask Kentucky, UConn, Wisconsin and Florida their view of RPI. *Wikipedia
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Talk about dumb questions
Please engage brain prior to asking a question at the press conference. The Andrew Wiggins announcement brought forth the usual dumb questions. One stood out over others in my view, a reporter ask Wiggins; “Did you reach out to any NBA players before making your decision?” If I’d been there I would have answered for Wiggins, I would have told the inquisitor; “Dude Andrew’s dad played in the NBA, why would it be required to go outside his family for a question of this magnitude?”
I wondered how soon
Monday evening during the 10:00 p.m. sports news the reporter pronounced Kim Anderson “the best basketball coach in the State of Missouri.” A morning sports talk program the host said; “when is Missouri going to wake up and hire Anderson?” Maybe they are too young to remember or simply don’t know the facts on the other hand maybe they intend to stir up controversy. Anderson’s Central Missouri team has just won the 2014 NCAA Division II Championship. Anderson has become a good coach but probably wasn’t seriously considered for the head coaching position in 1999. That was the year Norm Stewart was forced into retirement after 32 years at the helm.
In addition to playing for Stewart he was serving as an assistant coach for his mentor. A very well-healed “friend” of the program wanted Stewart and anything and anybody history. The amount of money he was donating to the athletic department provided input into the next coach Mizzou would hire. Input from this financially sound “friend” of the program may have forced Mizzou’s hand. It was widely perceived the “friend” was not a fan of Norm Stewart and possibly wanted every vestige of him gone. The school hired Quin Snyder over Bill Self then at Tulsa and Anderson serving as Mizzou assistant coach. Anderson has served as head coach at Central Missouri since the 2002-03 season. The 2014 NCAA Championship was his first however his coaching resume is outstanding. This years team finished with a 30-5 record and he’s 274-94 over his career (.741).
Say what?
Often you tear down somebody or something it turns out it reflects poorly on you. I believe that is the case with SEC basketball and the media in this part of the country. We were overwhelmed by media reports on the superiority of Big XII basketball. BAM----then comes the NCAA Tournament and the conference has seven teams selected. The “football” SEC Conference had only three teams chosen. Local media critical all season long of the SEC proudly pointed to the 10 consecutive conference championships of Kansas.
The conference from the southern portion of the nation only had three teams entered in the contest. We are down to the Final Four teams, where does the SEC stand? The football conference has two teams contending for an NCAA Championship, where is the Big XII well let’s just say maybe next season? Truth is SEC Tennessee lasted longer than Big XII Kansas with its 10 game winning streak. The Big XII has several very good teams but to anoint the conference as the best falls a little short.
Rumors
As I stated previously I don’t often print rumors, we’ll entertain this one due to its possible domino effect. Wolves Coach Rick Adelman has been dealing with his wife’s ill health for at least the last year; it’s possible he will not return next season to the helm. His replacement could be Fred Hoiberg presently serving as head coach at Iowa State. After an NBA career first as a player he later was hired and worked in the front office of the Wolves.
All sorts of stories circulate that power forward Kevin Love is unhappy and wants to leave the Wolves. A report surfaced indicating the Lakers were willing to trade their lottery pick for Love. Of course if this trade should occur the Lakers would include several warm bodies as well. The Lakers have a number of players working with one year contracts so a package is not beyond the realm of possibility. A better question might be why make the trade if Love is to become a free agent anyway?
Please engage brain prior to asking a question at the press conference. The Andrew Wiggins announcement brought forth the usual dumb questions. One stood out over others in my view, a reporter ask Wiggins; “Did you reach out to any NBA players before making your decision?” If I’d been there I would have answered for Wiggins, I would have told the inquisitor; “Dude Andrew’s dad played in the NBA, why would it be required to go outside his family for a question of this magnitude?”
I wondered how soon
Monday evening during the 10:00 p.m. sports news the reporter pronounced Kim Anderson “the best basketball coach in the State of Missouri.” A morning sports talk program the host said; “when is Missouri going to wake up and hire Anderson?” Maybe they are too young to remember or simply don’t know the facts on the other hand maybe they intend to stir up controversy. Anderson’s Central Missouri team has just won the 2014 NCAA Division II Championship. Anderson has become a good coach but probably wasn’t seriously considered for the head coaching position in 1999. That was the year Norm Stewart was forced into retirement after 32 years at the helm.
In addition to playing for Stewart he was serving as an assistant coach for his mentor. A very well-healed “friend” of the program wanted Stewart and anything and anybody history. The amount of money he was donating to the athletic department provided input into the next coach Mizzou would hire. Input from this financially sound “friend” of the program may have forced Mizzou’s hand. It was widely perceived the “friend” was not a fan of Norm Stewart and possibly wanted every vestige of him gone. The school hired Quin Snyder over Bill Self then at Tulsa and Anderson serving as Mizzou assistant coach. Anderson has served as head coach at Central Missouri since the 2002-03 season. The 2014 NCAA Championship was his first however his coaching resume is outstanding. This years team finished with a 30-5 record and he’s 274-94 over his career (.741).
Say what?
Often you tear down somebody or something it turns out it reflects poorly on you. I believe that is the case with SEC basketball and the media in this part of the country. We were overwhelmed by media reports on the superiority of Big XII basketball. BAM----then comes the NCAA Tournament and the conference has seven teams selected. The “football” SEC Conference had only three teams chosen. Local media critical all season long of the SEC proudly pointed to the 10 consecutive conference championships of Kansas.
The conference from the southern portion of the nation only had three teams entered in the contest. We are down to the Final Four teams, where does the SEC stand? The football conference has two teams contending for an NCAA Championship, where is the Big XII well let’s just say maybe next season? Truth is SEC Tennessee lasted longer than Big XII Kansas with its 10 game winning streak. The Big XII has several very good teams but to anoint the conference as the best falls a little short.
Rumors
As I stated previously I don’t often print rumors, we’ll entertain this one due to its possible domino effect. Wolves Coach Rick Adelman has been dealing with his wife’s ill health for at least the last year; it’s possible he will not return next season to the helm. His replacement could be Fred Hoiberg presently serving as head coach at Iowa State. After an NBA career first as a player he later was hired and worked in the front office of the Wolves.
All sorts of stories circulate that power forward Kevin Love is unhappy and wants to leave the Wolves. A report surfaced indicating the Lakers were willing to trade their lottery pick for Love. Of course if this trade should occur the Lakers would include several warm bodies as well. The Lakers have a number of players working with one year contracts so a package is not beyond the realm of possibility. A better question might be why make the trade if Love is to become a free agent anyway?
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