How about some perspective
I certainly have my share of complaints regarding basketball fans. A number have a firm grip on reality sometimes better than those working in the media. This particular fan called one of the CBSSports radio programs. He said (and I paraphrase) “We seem to get too caught up with players attempting to equal Michael Jordan and his six championships. One day maybe someone will come along but let’s appreciate an athlete for what he’s able to accomplish.” Well stated by this fan and certainly true, why do so many of today’s NBA players appear to get caught up in MJ hysteria?
I believe a large portion of it we can lie squarely at the feet of the broadcast and print media. This fan went on to state “so much of the NBA today is a reflection of the player rather than the team.” Again he hit the head on the nail, it was refreshing to see a Spurs team exhibit “team” basketball as they won the 2014 NBA Championship. I know what you are saying the Celtics of the ‘50s and ‘60’s, the Showtime Lakers and the Bulls of the ‘90’s all had exceptional athletes. That is certainly true however the players didn’t appear to eclipse the team which often appears to be the case today.
NBA draft notes
As usual there were a number of surprises in the 2014 NBA draft. I echo the comments of the media by stating the injury to Joel Embiid did impact the early direction of the draft. There is no doubt if not for surgery there would have been Kansas one (Embiid) and Kansas two (Wiggins). With the 6th pick the Celtics selected Marcus Smart, does that move signal the end of the Rondo era in Boston? I’m not disputing the potential of Dante Exum however I was surprised he was the 5th pick by the Jazz, I didn’t believe he’d fall out of the lottery but drafted that early surprised me. After listening to Mitch Kupchak the Lakers got the man they wanted. There were several prospects on the board when they selected power forward Julius Randle.
C.J. Wilcox is a talent however do the Clippers need another shooter? They have the Sixth Man of the Year in Jamal Crawford, besides the fact a portion of their issues lie on the defensive end. Although he was the last player in the first round I believe the Spurs drafted a sleeper. An analyst said; “Kyle Anderson (UCLA) is not going to wow you however he does a bunch of things well.” I could see him in the Boris Diaw role but a slightly better shooter. I wasn’t surprised Mizzou point guard Jordan Clarkson was drafted; he was projected to be better than his backcourt mate Jabari Brown. As for Brown his name was never called, perhaps he can pull a “Phil Pressey,” gain an NBA spot playing in the NBA Summer League.
This was not a surprise but certainly might be the highlight of the evening. News broke earlier in the week a medical condition would prohibit Baylor’s Isaiah Austin from ever playing in the NBA. Austin was projected to be late first round pick however his dream of hearing his name announced to the gathering would never occur----or would it? Commissioner Silver paused during a portion of the draft to introduce Austin to the gathering at Barclays Center and world-wide television audience. With the negative NBA news (Sterling) wasn’t it a classy move by Silver and the NBA?
I’m impressed so far
I admit I was somewhat concerned with the Kim Anderson hire at Mizzou. His team is yet to hit the court however I’m impressed so far with the major portion of his effort---the recruiting portion. Anderson and staff have hit the ground running affirming the Haith commits and gaining others. Haith recruit Namon Wright a 6-4 shooting guard
de-committed but the shooting guard decided in favor of Mizzou after meeting with Anderson. As for 6-8 power forward and 4-star prospect Jakeenan Gant recruited by Haith remained in the fold. 6-6 small forward and 3-star prospect D’Angelo Allen made his commitment after the coaching change.
Point guard and 3-star prospect Tramaine Isabell announced he was headed to Columbia. There is also a veteran presence at the point despite losing Jordan Clarkson; Hawaii transfer Keith Shamburger will be eligible immediately. The only losses other than Clarkson and Jabari Brown are walk-on Danny Feldman and Cory Haith (coach’s son) and Shane Rector. The cupboard was pretty much bare the last time Mizzou changed a coach, that’s not the case this time Mizzou has incoming talent. They are only lacking a center in the four incoming freshmen. We have no idea how well this Mizzou team will compete against the SEC with a mix of incoming talent plus returnees. Hopefully they should be a plus .500 team.
Bits n Pieces
Kansas City being in the Midwest Time Zone causes a surprise again. The NBA Draft concluded at 11:00 p.m. locale time. This morning I opened the Kansas City Star sports page and discovered Mizzou’s Jordan Clarkson had been traded to my Lakers. This was the third time an area player would be traded to the Lakers. I went to bed in 1998 with knowledge the Nuggets had drafted Tyronn Lue from Kansas City suburb Raytown. The next morning I was shocked to see he’d been traded to the Lakers. This same scenario would play out again in 2002. Mizzou’s Kareem Rush was drafted by the Raptors and the next morning he’d been traded to the Lakers after I went to bed.
A morning radio host provided this tidbit which I’ll share with you. Andrew Wiggins was drafted number one allowing Bill Self to join an exclusive club. Only three coaches can lay claim to having the number one pick play for them, can you name the coaches? Think about it a moment before reading below. .
John Calipari - Kentucky
Larry Brown - SMU
Mike Krzyzewski - Duke
It bothers me once again the conversation hinting the 76ers “tanking” next season. The third pick in the draft Joel Embiid is likely to miss the season due to his surgically repaired foot. The Sixers then drafted point guard Elfrid Payton with the 10th pick but traded him to the Magic for forward Dario Saric who will remain in Europe. No worry we might suppose compiling draft picks they drafted three additional players in the second round.
I’ve indicated previously we have one local radio host who is either clueless or loves to stir up controversy. Here is an example of what he said prior to the conclusion of the collegiate season. “Returning to school didn’t prove to be beneficial for Marcus Smart.” Since I wasn’t sure where his comment was coming come I decided to research his draft position. Because Smart chose to remain in school we have no idea how accurate this bleacherreport.com reflects his draft stock. They listed him as the 8th pick in February 2013 and he was drafted 6th by the Celtics in 2014.
Friday, June 27, 2014
“Don’t shoot the messenger”
Many of you are familiar with the headline; I’m only reporting the news. A former player turned NBA analyst discussing Carmelo Anthony joining the Rockets. “Instead of four guys in the lineup playing defense there will be only three,” the reference was Anthony joining James Harden. Another former player stated it this way; “It‘s easy to drive the lane on Harden he simply steps out of your way.” Could this be a portion of the Thunder’s basis for trading Harden rather than pay him? I ’m paraphrasing the statements but I hope you get the idea, this is not me hatin.’
Who replaces Coach K?
Mike Krzyzewski has indicated he wants to stay at the helm five more years. The years pass more rapidly than we sometimes realize, with that said it’s not too early to explore possible successors. Duke is one of the high profile programs that demand a national search for a new head coach. The school is fortunate in one aspect the coaching tree for Coach K. extends coast to coast. First up might be Tommy Amaker, he played for the coach and has remolded Ivy League Harvard into an annual NCAA Tournament team. There is Doug’s son Chris Collins coaching at Northwestern, he too played for the coach.
On Coach K’s staff serving as an associate head coach is Jeff Capel, he’s served as head coach at VCU at one point. Also on staff as assistants are Nate James and Jon Scheyer who like Capel played for Coach K. The jury is out on former Dukee Steve Wojciechowki, he’s just been hired as head coach at Marquette. He needs to get his feet wet first to determine his status as a possible Coach K. replacement. I’m sure the coaching tentacles reach out much further than listed, as you can see there are a number of former Duke players who could be hired. So you can see there are a number of names to consider once Coach K. decides to step down.
Bits n Pieces
I wonder if the Kansas fan bragging about the Big XII happened to see the attendance numbers? Just in case he didn‘t see the article the Big XII averaged 10,489 per game, the “football” SEC averaged 10,353. The Big 10 led all of the conferences with 13,534 fans per game.
The plan for Words eye view is to provide you basketball news. A reporter said; “The FIFA World Cup audience has outdrawn the NBA Finals on television.” I thought for a moment on his statement, the NBA has a growing world-wide audience but is secondary to football (soccer) in the minds of most of the world’s populace. A sports novice realizes the fact this reporter indicated was “news.”
Nike is the world-wide leader in basketball shoe sales, what about NBA players? They are still the leader with 284 NBA players under contract. It was interesting to note the others. Adidas was in second place with 79 players sporting the brand. The surprise brand was Peak at number four and Under Armour number five.
Thunder basketball
An acquaintance of mine is a huge Thunder fan; naturally he was disappointed when they missed the cut again. I patted him on the shoulder but thought “I’m unsure where his team is headed.” The Thunder is talented but there are questions regarding their roster. Kevin Durant is pure talent and a heavyweight pro as for Russell Westbrook questions l remain on my part. I repeat myself once again, Westbrook is just as liable to lead the team to victory as to take an ill advised shot at a crucial point of the game. It’s clear to me (an amateur) the team runs smoother with Westbrook as the two guard. I cannot see why this problem is not evident to Coach Brooks.
I can hope can’t I?
Three coaches have come and gone since Norm Stewart left the helm at Mizzou and still no “aircraft carrier. “ The term aircraft carrier was coined by veteran ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale. He used it to apply to any collegiate athlete 7 feet and taller. Former Coach Quin Snyder didn’t do it, Mike Anderson’s style of offense didn’t lean itself to big man play. I thought eventually Frank Haith would lure a big man to Mizzou however it never occurred. This past Tuesday for the first time in memory a legitimate 7-footer was visiting Mizzou, in addition he’s been offered a scholarship.
Thon Maker is certainly not new to many of you we’ve covered him previously but this time it’s different. Maker is 7-1 and a skinny 210 pounds, he attends Carlisle School in Martinsville (VA). Martinsville is located some 60 miles south of Roanoke. Although he attends school here Maker is from the African nation of Sudan by way of Australia. As for Mizzou the school faces stiff competition for Maker’s services, Duke, Kansas and Kentucky are just a few of the schools interested in securing his services. Maker (through his guardian) is a Class of 2016 prospect however he’s going to be re-classified to the Class of 2015 hence the early campus visits.
Kim Anderson hired Rob Fulford and the coaching staff is now complete. Fulford has coached Huntington Prep the last five years. Huntington has been in the national spotlight as one of the best programs in the nation. This West Virginia school has sent a number of players to colleges throughout the nation. With Fulford on board and holdover and chief recruiter Tim Fuller this is a good signal. Anderson is addressing the issue voiced by me and others, as a long-time Division II coach (Anderson) we believed there might be recruiting issues.
Many of you are familiar with the headline; I’m only reporting the news. A former player turned NBA analyst discussing Carmelo Anthony joining the Rockets. “Instead of four guys in the lineup playing defense there will be only three,” the reference was Anthony joining James Harden. Another former player stated it this way; “It‘s easy to drive the lane on Harden he simply steps out of your way.” Could this be a portion of the Thunder’s basis for trading Harden rather than pay him? I ’m paraphrasing the statements but I hope you get the idea, this is not me hatin.’
Who replaces Coach K?
Mike Krzyzewski has indicated he wants to stay at the helm five more years. The years pass more rapidly than we sometimes realize, with that said it’s not too early to explore possible successors. Duke is one of the high profile programs that demand a national search for a new head coach. The school is fortunate in one aspect the coaching tree for Coach K. extends coast to coast. First up might be Tommy Amaker, he played for the coach and has remolded Ivy League Harvard into an annual NCAA Tournament team. There is Doug’s son Chris Collins coaching at Northwestern, he too played for the coach.
On Coach K’s staff serving as an associate head coach is Jeff Capel, he’s served as head coach at VCU at one point. Also on staff as assistants are Nate James and Jon Scheyer who like Capel played for Coach K. The jury is out on former Dukee Steve Wojciechowki, he’s just been hired as head coach at Marquette. He needs to get his feet wet first to determine his status as a possible Coach K. replacement. I’m sure the coaching tentacles reach out much further than listed, as you can see there are a number of former Duke players who could be hired. So you can see there are a number of names to consider once Coach K. decides to step down.
Bits n Pieces
I wonder if the Kansas fan bragging about the Big XII happened to see the attendance numbers? Just in case he didn‘t see the article the Big XII averaged 10,489 per game, the “football” SEC averaged 10,353. The Big 10 led all of the conferences with 13,534 fans per game.
The plan for Words eye view is to provide you basketball news. A reporter said; “The FIFA World Cup audience has outdrawn the NBA Finals on television.” I thought for a moment on his statement, the NBA has a growing world-wide audience but is secondary to football (soccer) in the minds of most of the world’s populace. A sports novice realizes the fact this reporter indicated was “news.”
Nike is the world-wide leader in basketball shoe sales, what about NBA players? They are still the leader with 284 NBA players under contract. It was interesting to note the others. Adidas was in second place with 79 players sporting the brand. The surprise brand was Peak at number four and Under Armour number five.
Thunder basketball
An acquaintance of mine is a huge Thunder fan; naturally he was disappointed when they missed the cut again. I patted him on the shoulder but thought “I’m unsure where his team is headed.” The Thunder is talented but there are questions regarding their roster. Kevin Durant is pure talent and a heavyweight pro as for Russell Westbrook questions l remain on my part. I repeat myself once again, Westbrook is just as liable to lead the team to victory as to take an ill advised shot at a crucial point of the game. It’s clear to me (an amateur) the team runs smoother with Westbrook as the two guard. I cannot see why this problem is not evident to Coach Brooks.
I can hope can’t I?
Three coaches have come and gone since Norm Stewart left the helm at Mizzou and still no “aircraft carrier. “ The term aircraft carrier was coined by veteran ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale. He used it to apply to any collegiate athlete 7 feet and taller. Former Coach Quin Snyder didn’t do it, Mike Anderson’s style of offense didn’t lean itself to big man play. I thought eventually Frank Haith would lure a big man to Mizzou however it never occurred. This past Tuesday for the first time in memory a legitimate 7-footer was visiting Mizzou, in addition he’s been offered a scholarship.
Thon Maker is certainly not new to many of you we’ve covered him previously but this time it’s different. Maker is 7-1 and a skinny 210 pounds, he attends Carlisle School in Martinsville (VA). Martinsville is located some 60 miles south of Roanoke. Although he attends school here Maker is from the African nation of Sudan by way of Australia. As for Mizzou the school faces stiff competition for Maker’s services, Duke, Kansas and Kentucky are just a few of the schools interested in securing his services. Maker (through his guardian) is a Class of 2016 prospect however he’s going to be re-classified to the Class of 2015 hence the early campus visits.
Kim Anderson hired Rob Fulford and the coaching staff is now complete. Fulford has coached Huntington Prep the last five years. Huntington has been in the national spotlight as one of the best programs in the nation. This West Virginia school has sent a number of players to colleges throughout the nation. With Fulford on board and holdover and chief recruiter Tim Fuller this is a good signal. Anderson is addressing the issue voiced by me and others, as a long-time Division II coach (Anderson) we believed there might be recruiting issues.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
“How ya like me now”
Celtics broadcaster (and former player) Tommy Heinshon would often state over the airways; “I love Walter” after former Celtic Walter McCarty would made an outstanding play. Viewing Kawhi Leonard’s play in the 2014 NBA Championships I could echo the same statement. After scoring but 18 points and grabbing 4 rebounds in the first two games of the series I heard; “I’m not impressed with his game.” In the next three games the 6-7 small forward scored 71 points and pulled down 28 rebounds. Leonard wasn’t one dimensional he wasn’t just offense. Leonard excelled on defense and at times defended LeBron successfully.
Bits n Pieces
It’s not exactly surprising Carmelo Anthony opted out of his contract and has become a
free-agent. The question, where is Anthony headed next season? A number of teams have been mentioned as possible destinations. It could be Houston, Chicago, Miami or maybe a return to the Knicks, stay tuned.
Baylor’s Isaiah Austin has been medically eliminated from Thursday’s draft. The 7-1 Austin had been projected to be a late first round choice. An EKG at the NBA Draft Combine revealed a medical condition known as Marfan syndrome. Simply stated overworking the heart could cause it to rupture. This is devastating news for Austin but not the end it could have been far worst if he died on the basketball court.
Anybody out there questioned the whereabouts of Cheryl Miller? Miller sideline reporter for TNT on its NBA broadcasts has a new job. In April she was hired as women’s basketball coach at Langston University, Langston (OK). Langston is NAIA affiliated and competes in the River Athletic Conference.
One of the names most likely announced on Thursday will be Elfrid Payton Louisiana Lafayette point guard. The 6-4 Payton may follow in the footsteps of point guard Damian Lillard being virtually an unknown. If you remember Lillard who emerged from Weber State became 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year playing for the Blazers.
Did you see the report ESPN’s Kenny Mayne conducted on Canadian basketball? The camera followed him questioning several Canadians asking if they could identify Dr. James A. Naismith. Mayne’s Person in the Street interviews only uncovered one person who was aware of Naismith and the fact this Canadian invented American basketball.
He’s the Man
The Lakers will have conducted the draft without a head coach. As I indicated earlier GM Mitch Kupchak indicated it wasn’t a necessity a coach had to be in place. As for the coach I’m going to take a chance here and report a story yet to be confirmed. I believe Byron Scott will be named head coach of the Lakers. This is not me say “I would be satisfied with any of the number interviewed;” I saw no “Mike Brown” in any of the names the media mentioned. Scott’s had a number of stops over the course of coaching career some more successful than others.
He coached the Nets team that played for an NBA Championship but lost against the Lakers. Scott has purple and gold running through his blood stream, he was drafted by the Clippers but spent his rookie year a Laker thanks to a trade. Scott and Magic Johnson were the backcourt combo on the Laker Showtime teams of the ‘80’s. Scott tutored the 18-year old Kobe Bryant in his second tour of duty with the Lakers. Kobe and Scott have a long relationship so I wouldn’t anticipate any drama between player and coach. Scott (with front office help) must re-build the Laker franchise to it’s previous heights.
There is no off-season
Last year I debated if I should continue publishing Words eye view during the summer months. I held the belief after the NBA Draft and free agent signings there was very little off season news. Maybe my view was off-base is there really any off-season for any sport? I’ll provide you examples, in late February I tune into local sports talk radio and the topic of conversation is Royals baseball. The major league season doesn’t begin until April and only pitchers and catchers are in spring training as that was written. It’s the same for the NFL, TWC Sports Channel here continues to run Red Zone a program focused on the Chiefs.
It’s the same nationally too, a Derek Jeter’s retirement press conference was also telecast over several cable channels. 2014 is the last season for Jeter my question was it necessary to telecast this press conference in February? In the middle of the NBA and college basketball season other professional (and amateur) sports compete for coverage too. I’ve concluded there is no off-season, if you chose to read basketball stories in July that’s okay. You are just as liable to read a baseball account in December or a football story in April.
Celtics broadcaster (and former player) Tommy Heinshon would often state over the airways; “I love Walter” after former Celtic Walter McCarty would made an outstanding play. Viewing Kawhi Leonard’s play in the 2014 NBA Championships I could echo the same statement. After scoring but 18 points and grabbing 4 rebounds in the first two games of the series I heard; “I’m not impressed with his game.” In the next three games the 6-7 small forward scored 71 points and pulled down 28 rebounds. Leonard wasn’t one dimensional he wasn’t just offense. Leonard excelled on defense and at times defended LeBron successfully.
Bits n Pieces
It’s not exactly surprising Carmelo Anthony opted out of his contract and has become a
free-agent. The question, where is Anthony headed next season? A number of teams have been mentioned as possible destinations. It could be Houston, Chicago, Miami or maybe a return to the Knicks, stay tuned.
Baylor’s Isaiah Austin has been medically eliminated from Thursday’s draft. The 7-1 Austin had been projected to be a late first round choice. An EKG at the NBA Draft Combine revealed a medical condition known as Marfan syndrome. Simply stated overworking the heart could cause it to rupture. This is devastating news for Austin but not the end it could have been far worst if he died on the basketball court.
Anybody out there questioned the whereabouts of Cheryl Miller? Miller sideline reporter for TNT on its NBA broadcasts has a new job. In April she was hired as women’s basketball coach at Langston University, Langston (OK). Langston is NAIA affiliated and competes in the River Athletic Conference.
One of the names most likely announced on Thursday will be Elfrid Payton Louisiana Lafayette point guard. The 6-4 Payton may follow in the footsteps of point guard Damian Lillard being virtually an unknown. If you remember Lillard who emerged from Weber State became 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year playing for the Blazers.
Did you see the report ESPN’s Kenny Mayne conducted on Canadian basketball? The camera followed him questioning several Canadians asking if they could identify Dr. James A. Naismith. Mayne’s Person in the Street interviews only uncovered one person who was aware of Naismith and the fact this Canadian invented American basketball.
He’s the Man
The Lakers will have conducted the draft without a head coach. As I indicated earlier GM Mitch Kupchak indicated it wasn’t a necessity a coach had to be in place. As for the coach I’m going to take a chance here and report a story yet to be confirmed. I believe Byron Scott will be named head coach of the Lakers. This is not me say “I would be satisfied with any of the number interviewed;” I saw no “Mike Brown” in any of the names the media mentioned. Scott’s had a number of stops over the course of coaching career some more successful than others.
He coached the Nets team that played for an NBA Championship but lost against the Lakers. Scott has purple and gold running through his blood stream, he was drafted by the Clippers but spent his rookie year a Laker thanks to a trade. Scott and Magic Johnson were the backcourt combo on the Laker Showtime teams of the ‘80’s. Scott tutored the 18-year old Kobe Bryant in his second tour of duty with the Lakers. Kobe and Scott have a long relationship so I wouldn’t anticipate any drama between player and coach. Scott (with front office help) must re-build the Laker franchise to it’s previous heights.
There is no off-season
Last year I debated if I should continue publishing Words eye view during the summer months. I held the belief after the NBA Draft and free agent signings there was very little off season news. Maybe my view was off-base is there really any off-season for any sport? I’ll provide you examples, in late February I tune into local sports talk radio and the topic of conversation is Royals baseball. The major league season doesn’t begin until April and only pitchers and catchers are in spring training as that was written. It’s the same for the NFL, TWC Sports Channel here continues to run Red Zone a program focused on the Chiefs.
It’s the same nationally too, a Derek Jeter’s retirement press conference was also telecast over several cable channels. 2014 is the last season for Jeter my question was it necessary to telecast this press conference in February? In the middle of the NBA and college basketball season other professional (and amateur) sports compete for coverage too. I’ve concluded there is no off-season, if you chose to read basketball stories in July that’s okay. You are just as liable to read a baseball account in December or a football story in April.
Monday, June 23, 2014
I‘m defending Pat Riley
Several in the media have been critical of Pat Riley’s post-championship speech on Thursday. He said nothing disparaging in my view; he was stating what he believed the future of the Heat franchise. I claim no allegiance to the Heat as for Riley that’s a different story. Success has always been part of Riley’s DNA and I believe one of his life desires is for teams he’s associated with to accomplish lofty goals. If we look back to the past Riley was architect of Laker Showtime, successful coach of the Knicks. Later as coach he would lead the Heat to an NBA Championship before moving into the front office. Riley’s done it all, championship player, and assistant coach, head coach and team president. Reading between the lines I think he wasn’t just addressing Heat players as much as “bandwagon” fans.
You know who you are, you became a Heat fan only after LeBron James and Chris Bosh arrived. I’ve read several critical remarks after the team was a loser against the Spurs; many are searching for another NBA team to replace the Heat. A number of fan criticism is aimed at Heat owner Mickey Arison and the apparent lack of spending to acquire players. Riley is stating clearly “trust me to re-tool” this team, I will do the best I can for the Heat to remain competitive. His “re-build re-tool” speech is a classic, is it abrasive, it might be depending on your perspective. As a Laker fan whose team missed the playoffs shame on the bandwagon Heat fans, this team’s won two of the last four NBA Championships.
Wait before deciding
Surgery for Joel Embiid was successful according to the latest report. He’s expected to be sidelined 4-6 months, it wouldn‘t hurt if he sat out the season. The injury although serious will delay his NBA career but it’s not always career ending. This from the Kansas City Star; *Former NBA centers Bill Walton and Yao Ming both suffered the same injury and faced shortened NBA careers; other players, such as former Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Michael Jordan fractured the navicular bone and went on to long, injury-free careers.” As for which NBA team drafts him that won’t be decided until Thursday. In conclusion I’m constantly amazed at the number of basketball fans with medical knowledge. They have the ability to access a patient’s condition without vesting them. A reader implied; “he’s another Greg Oden,” why not wait and determine when he returns to the court to decide if he’s a bust. *Kansas City Star
Walter Tavares
Last month we introduced you to Walter Tavares from the Cape Verde Islands. Tavares headed here to workout for a number of NBA teams. The 7-3 265 pound Tavares is extremely raw, although he’s 22 he first picked up a basketball in 2010. At this point there is no guarantee he will be drafted because he’s strictly a project at the point, he might be worth a team signing and sending him to the D-League. He could wind up like several Euro players, a number have been drafted but remained in Europe continuing to develop their game. NOTE: According to late news reports Tavares has re-signed with Gran Canaria, he will remain in the 2014 draft. An NBA team choosing him would be required to buy out his Gran Canaria contract.
Bits n Pieces
It’s been my belief humans don’t adapt easily to change. Most change I believe I adapt even if it’s reluctantly. A change I don’t like is the elimination of center play in the NBA. For the first time there were no centers starting in the 2014 All-Star game. Teams now play small ball, 7-footers are now power forwards, a decade or so ago they played center. They have become jump shooters unwilling to shoot even a jump hook.
“I need the money” was the comment made by Steve Nash. We all realize NBA and athletes in general earn loads of money. Large sums of money earned entails large sums of money spent by the athlete. Personally I have no issue with the money until you reach a point of decreased returns. My Lakers are there, they are paying Nash far more than the value they are receiving.
For the fifth straight year Kansas City will see the Miami Heat, they will face the Warriors on October 17 in a pre-season game at the Sprint Center. I guess four consecutive sale outs are the basis for their continued presence here; an appearance by LeBron James doesn’t hurt either.
Surprise I come to his defense. This is a brief account of a discussion on local sports talk radio, the subject matter; “Bill Self was not good at developing NBA talent.” The host indicated two NBA writers claimed information from NBA scouts made this assessment of Self. My initial response might be it’s not Self’s responsibility or any other coach to develop talent for the NBA.
One had submitted his retirement papers earlier the other needs too follow the lead. We knew prior to the start of the championship series Shane Battier was retiring. Battier will be working for ESPN’s college basketball coverage. Ray Allen announced he is considering retirement; I hate to say this Ray your best days are behind you. .413 from the floor for a “shooter” ain’t gonna cut it.
Several in the media have been critical of Pat Riley’s post-championship speech on Thursday. He said nothing disparaging in my view; he was stating what he believed the future of the Heat franchise. I claim no allegiance to the Heat as for Riley that’s a different story. Success has always been part of Riley’s DNA and I believe one of his life desires is for teams he’s associated with to accomplish lofty goals. If we look back to the past Riley was architect of Laker Showtime, successful coach of the Knicks. Later as coach he would lead the Heat to an NBA Championship before moving into the front office. Riley’s done it all, championship player, and assistant coach, head coach and team president. Reading between the lines I think he wasn’t just addressing Heat players as much as “bandwagon” fans.
You know who you are, you became a Heat fan only after LeBron James and Chris Bosh arrived. I’ve read several critical remarks after the team was a loser against the Spurs; many are searching for another NBA team to replace the Heat. A number of fan criticism is aimed at Heat owner Mickey Arison and the apparent lack of spending to acquire players. Riley is stating clearly “trust me to re-tool” this team, I will do the best I can for the Heat to remain competitive. His “re-build re-tool” speech is a classic, is it abrasive, it might be depending on your perspective. As a Laker fan whose team missed the playoffs shame on the bandwagon Heat fans, this team’s won two of the last four NBA Championships.
Wait before deciding
Surgery for Joel Embiid was successful according to the latest report. He’s expected to be sidelined 4-6 months, it wouldn‘t hurt if he sat out the season. The injury although serious will delay his NBA career but it’s not always career ending. This from the Kansas City Star; *Former NBA centers Bill Walton and Yao Ming both suffered the same injury and faced shortened NBA careers; other players, such as former Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Michael Jordan fractured the navicular bone and went on to long, injury-free careers.” As for which NBA team drafts him that won’t be decided until Thursday. In conclusion I’m constantly amazed at the number of basketball fans with medical knowledge. They have the ability to access a patient’s condition without vesting them. A reader implied; “he’s another Greg Oden,” why not wait and determine when he returns to the court to decide if he’s a bust. *Kansas City Star
Walter Tavares
Last month we introduced you to Walter Tavares from the Cape Verde Islands. Tavares headed here to workout for a number of NBA teams. The 7-3 265 pound Tavares is extremely raw, although he’s 22 he first picked up a basketball in 2010. At this point there is no guarantee he will be drafted because he’s strictly a project at the point, he might be worth a team signing and sending him to the D-League. He could wind up like several Euro players, a number have been drafted but remained in Europe continuing to develop their game. NOTE: According to late news reports Tavares has re-signed with Gran Canaria, he will remain in the 2014 draft. An NBA team choosing him would be required to buy out his Gran Canaria contract.
Bits n Pieces
It’s been my belief humans don’t adapt easily to change. Most change I believe I adapt even if it’s reluctantly. A change I don’t like is the elimination of center play in the NBA. For the first time there were no centers starting in the 2014 All-Star game. Teams now play small ball, 7-footers are now power forwards, a decade or so ago they played center. They have become jump shooters unwilling to shoot even a jump hook.
“I need the money” was the comment made by Steve Nash. We all realize NBA and athletes in general earn loads of money. Large sums of money earned entails large sums of money spent by the athlete. Personally I have no issue with the money until you reach a point of decreased returns. My Lakers are there, they are paying Nash far more than the value they are receiving.
For the fifth straight year Kansas City will see the Miami Heat, they will face the Warriors on October 17 in a pre-season game at the Sprint Center. I guess four consecutive sale outs are the basis for their continued presence here; an appearance by LeBron James doesn’t hurt either.
Surprise I come to his defense. This is a brief account of a discussion on local sports talk radio, the subject matter; “Bill Self was not good at developing NBA talent.” The host indicated two NBA writers claimed information from NBA scouts made this assessment of Self. My initial response might be it’s not Self’s responsibility or any other coach to develop talent for the NBA.
One had submitted his retirement papers earlier the other needs too follow the lead. We knew prior to the start of the championship series Shane Battier was retiring. Battier will be working for ESPN’s college basketball coverage. Ray Allen announced he is considering retirement; I hate to say this Ray your best days are behind you. .413 from the floor for a “shooter” ain’t gonna cut it.
Friday, June 20, 2014
This will occur
Allow me to correct the headline, I think it will happen. First of all I have enough trouble running my own life without attempting to run LeBron’s. Everybody and their brother (sister) is suggesting a possible destination for the soon to be free-agent. I believe LeBron might head for Chicago or Los Angeles (Lakers) before heading back to Cleveland. I believe owner Dan Gilbert has burned that bridge and I doubt it can be re-built. LeBron is attempting to secure his legacy chasing championship rings? Shaq will be inducted into the Collegiate Hall of Fame this fall; he will be enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame at a future date. Shaq was traded by the Lakers to the Heat we all understand that move; the other moves “appeared” to be chasing rings. Shaq moved from the Suns to the Cavs and finally retired a Celtic.
A portion of LeBron’s legacy is already secure; few have been able to lead their teams to successive NBA Championships. Few players have four consecutive appearances in an NBA Final Series. Four regular season MVP awards, two Finals MVP’s and ten time All-Star to date. LeBron was the glue to the championships however the architect of assembling this team was Pat Riley. Hey LeBron the Heat can still pay you more than any other NBA in addition the architect is still in place. Trust Riley to re-build the Heat pieces and its quite possible there may be three or four championships in the future before LeBron might retire. If you heard any portion of Riley‘s press conference he said essentially “trust me if you believe we‘ll re-tool and not rebuild.” That‘s exactly the type of statement expected from Riley--no retreat.
This is a change
An operation will be performed on Joel Embiid to repair a stress fracture in his foot today. The original story I wrote hinted the Cavs could not afford to pass on him in the draft next Thursday. This late injury changes the first round and my original story, Embiid will be drafted but he will not be the number one pick. Unless the Cavs fool us similar to last year, you remember to the surprise of everyone they made UNLV’s Anthony Bennett the number one pick. This time we are sure the choice will be Andrew Wiggins of Kansas unless they decide to fool us again. The question remains who drafts Embiid, for that answer we must wait until next week to determine the outcome.
Did you feel the earthquake?
Excuse me I exaggerate but this is earth shaking news. Mizzou will play Oklahoma on the road December 5 in the Big XII/SEC Challenge. Then on December 30 Mizzou will play Oklahoma State, these matches are significant on several levels. For the first time since Mizzou left for the SEC they will compete against former Big XII rivals. Mizzou will also play in the Maui Classic along with Kansas State and others; it’s possible these former Big XII rivals might also play one another. On the other hand I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for a Kansas-Mizzou match.
“The apple doesn’t fall from the tree”
Refers to the fact off-spring often follow the same life pursuit of their parent(s). Ryan West did just that; he dad is Jerry “the logo” West. The younger West is assistant director of scouting for the Lakers which he’s held since 2009. The elder West was key in drafting Kobe Bryant, signing free agent Shaquille O’Neal and numerous other significant events in the life of the Lakers. For Ryan West the upcoming draft will prove (or disprove) how sharp his eye is for talent. The Lakers have the lottery pick but no second round choice. With a limited number of players on the active roster its imperative talent is added to the team. I’m hiring myself as a scout, if Walter Tavares is not drafted it might be a good idea Mr. West to sign him has a free-agent. One more point I like how R.C. Buford and Greg Popovich has built and maintained the Spurs.
NBA centers
If you’ve read Words any length of time this is a sore subject for me lack of any pure centers in the NBA. I tire of 7-footers standing at the 3-point line jacking up shots (sorry Dirk). The retirement of Shaquille O’Neal left the NBA with no center capable of dominating a game. We just witnessed the up and down play of Pacer Roy Hibbert. Larry Bird has gone on record indicating he’s going to have a Hall of Fame center work with Hibbert in the off-season. NBA Draft.net listed the Top 10 centers in the 2014 draft.
We knew despite his limited playing time Joel Embiid would be number one, number two was a surprise. Keep in mind I had no opportunity to see 6-11 280 pound Jusu Nurkic play. Nurkic and international prospect hails from Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina. The scouting report indicates Nurkic has shortcomings but potential. I’ll repeat an often used statement; “a little man must prove he can play a big man must prove he can’t.” Has the game changed whereby we no longer have center match ups? The problem we no longer teach big men to play the position. As I’ve preached over and over we allow 7 foot players to play power forward or shot the 3-point shot.
Allow me to correct the headline, I think it will happen. First of all I have enough trouble running my own life without attempting to run LeBron’s. Everybody and their brother (sister) is suggesting a possible destination for the soon to be free-agent. I believe LeBron might head for Chicago or Los Angeles (Lakers) before heading back to Cleveland. I believe owner Dan Gilbert has burned that bridge and I doubt it can be re-built. LeBron is attempting to secure his legacy chasing championship rings? Shaq will be inducted into the Collegiate Hall of Fame this fall; he will be enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame at a future date. Shaq was traded by the Lakers to the Heat we all understand that move; the other moves “appeared” to be chasing rings. Shaq moved from the Suns to the Cavs and finally retired a Celtic.
A portion of LeBron’s legacy is already secure; few have been able to lead their teams to successive NBA Championships. Few players have four consecutive appearances in an NBA Final Series. Four regular season MVP awards, two Finals MVP’s and ten time All-Star to date. LeBron was the glue to the championships however the architect of assembling this team was Pat Riley. Hey LeBron the Heat can still pay you more than any other NBA in addition the architect is still in place. Trust Riley to re-build the Heat pieces and its quite possible there may be three or four championships in the future before LeBron might retire. If you heard any portion of Riley‘s press conference he said essentially “trust me if you believe we‘ll re-tool and not rebuild.” That‘s exactly the type of statement expected from Riley--no retreat.
This is a change
An operation will be performed on Joel Embiid to repair a stress fracture in his foot today. The original story I wrote hinted the Cavs could not afford to pass on him in the draft next Thursday. This late injury changes the first round and my original story, Embiid will be drafted but he will not be the number one pick. Unless the Cavs fool us similar to last year, you remember to the surprise of everyone they made UNLV’s Anthony Bennett the number one pick. This time we are sure the choice will be Andrew Wiggins of Kansas unless they decide to fool us again. The question remains who drafts Embiid, for that answer we must wait until next week to determine the outcome.
Did you feel the earthquake?
Excuse me I exaggerate but this is earth shaking news. Mizzou will play Oklahoma on the road December 5 in the Big XII/SEC Challenge. Then on December 30 Mizzou will play Oklahoma State, these matches are significant on several levels. For the first time since Mizzou left for the SEC they will compete against former Big XII rivals. Mizzou will also play in the Maui Classic along with Kansas State and others; it’s possible these former Big XII rivals might also play one another. On the other hand I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for a Kansas-Mizzou match.
“The apple doesn’t fall from the tree”
Refers to the fact off-spring often follow the same life pursuit of their parent(s). Ryan West did just that; he dad is Jerry “the logo” West. The younger West is assistant director of scouting for the Lakers which he’s held since 2009. The elder West was key in drafting Kobe Bryant, signing free agent Shaquille O’Neal and numerous other significant events in the life of the Lakers. For Ryan West the upcoming draft will prove (or disprove) how sharp his eye is for talent. The Lakers have the lottery pick but no second round choice. With a limited number of players on the active roster its imperative talent is added to the team. I’m hiring myself as a scout, if Walter Tavares is not drafted it might be a good idea Mr. West to sign him has a free-agent. One more point I like how R.C. Buford and Greg Popovich has built and maintained the Spurs.
NBA centers
If you’ve read Words any length of time this is a sore subject for me lack of any pure centers in the NBA. I tire of 7-footers standing at the 3-point line jacking up shots (sorry Dirk). The retirement of Shaquille O’Neal left the NBA with no center capable of dominating a game. We just witnessed the up and down play of Pacer Roy Hibbert. Larry Bird has gone on record indicating he’s going to have a Hall of Fame center work with Hibbert in the off-season. NBA Draft.net listed the Top 10 centers in the 2014 draft.
We knew despite his limited playing time Joel Embiid would be number one, number two was a surprise. Keep in mind I had no opportunity to see 6-11 280 pound Jusu Nurkic play. Nurkic and international prospect hails from Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina. The scouting report indicates Nurkic has shortcomings but potential. I’ll repeat an often used statement; “a little man must prove he can play a big man must prove he can’t.” Has the game changed whereby we no longer have center match ups? The problem we no longer teach big men to play the position. As I’ve preached over and over we allow 7 foot players to play power forward or shot the 3-point shot.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Conspiracy theory
I heard this account prior to the conclusion of the 2014 NBA Championship and thought it was worth sharing with you. “The Heat can’t be playing this bad; the NBA has fixed the finals in order for Tim Duncan (insert Parker or Ginóbili) to win another ring. “ I’d like to remind these same folks Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals. The Spurs leading in the series 3 games to 2 were about to close the door on the Heat with a win. Late in the game with little time remaining Ray Allen hit a 3-point basket which tied the game. Coach Pop substituting elected to take one of his best defenders Tim Duncan out of the lineup; he mistakenly believed the Spurs had won the game.
The Heat would win the game in overtime forcing a Game 7. Of course we know the results; a Game 7 victory led the Heat to their second consecutive NBA Championship. Conspiracy I don’t remember any of the Spurs fans making that comment last year. These types of stories only exist in the minds of fickle fans that often have difficulty excepting the truth. Consider this little jewel I picked up from ESPN.com, the factor might be FATIGUE. “The Heat has played in four consecutive championships the first team to do this in 25 years.” Interesting immediately after the game several Heat fans are already referring to us as haters. We are haters simply because we didn’t root for “their” team.
DeCoursey’s grading system
This is connected with the above account. The Sporting News Mike DeCoursey is a scribe I respect. He knows college basketball inside and out and doesn’t just cover it during its season run. For that explanation alone I respect his view although I admit I don’t agree with everything he writes. DeCoursey awarded grades to college teams based on their hires I was curious about the Mizzou hire. DeCoursey awarded Mizzou a B- in it’s of hiring Kim Anderson. He provided us evidence for the grade he gave the athletic department. DeCoursey didn’t make this statement but I will Anderson was a safe-hire for many of the Mizzou faithful.
And why not?
SEC schools are just as the first letter states--Southeastern. We know conference schools are Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and others. The conference admitted Texas A&M and Mizzou a few years ago. Where am I going with this story you ask? It was decided the conference post-season tournament would be established permanently in Nashville (TN). Wait up a moment it was later decided the 2018 tournament would be held in St Louis and Tampa (FL) in 2022.
“With the 7th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft the Lakers select _________”
I have no idea; the Lakers had the following players in for a workout. Indiana’s Noah Vonlech, Marcus Smart Oklahoma State, Zach LaVine UCLA, Michigan State’s Gary Harris and Tyler Ennis Syracuse. So we have one power forward, two point guards, one combo and one shooting guard. That should provide us a clue who the team plans on drafting. On the other hand this could be a smoke screen; they could be looking at someone totally different.
Land down under
Dante Exum will soon be a lottery pick in the NBA. Few realize he will be added to the number of Australian basketball players who played in the NBA. We saw Spurs point guard Patty Mills have a terrific playoff series against the Heat. Coach Pop spoke in glowing terms of Mills and the intangibles he brought to the Spurs. Warriors Andrew Bogut is from Melbourne and like Mills played college ball in the US, Bogut at Utah and Mills at St. Mary’s. As for the Australian history connection who could forget Luc Longley. Longley from Melbourne too played at New Mexico. He had a 10-year NBA career anchoring the center position for the Bulls during their championship runs. We might forget Kyrie Irving; he like the other played his college ball (Duke) in the U.S. but was actually born in Australia. There are others from Australia who were overlooked it’s strictly unemotional.
A different take
This was a different view expressed by Spurs guard Danny Green. When asked about the turning point of the series. We’ve heard players (and coaches) since the beginning of time say; “steal one on the road.” Of course they are speaking of the visiting winning on the opponents’ court. Green said confidently “we went to Miami intending to win two games.” NOTE: did you see the play where 36-year old Manu Ginobili dunked over Chris Bosh?
He’s unemployed and searching
Former Mizzou and NBA guard Anthony Peeler is searching for a job. Peeler a 13-year NBA veteran has been an assistant coach at Virginia Union the last six seasons. Peeler submitted his resume for the head coaching position which went to another coach. Not being hired Peeler headed home to Kansas City unemployed and searching for a coaching position. AD Mike Alden appears to have mellowed regarding former Coach Norm Stewart and his players after all he hired Kim Anderson after bypassing him three times. Peeler’s Mizzou connection runs deep, he’s the third leading scorer in Mizzou history in addition he needs a job.
Monday, June 16, 2014
This is the 500th edition of Words eye view, if you have been reading the blog for awhile or new I want to thank you. Thank you for choosing this site for all elements of basketball coverage, I hope you realize Words has been a labor of love for me. I write about all facets of the game I discovered as a child. I hope I’ve never conveyed the view mine is the only correct outlook. Hopefully I’ve caused you to look at a subject and say, “hmmmmm I didn’t see that or I didn’t know that.” Enjoy and continue to read Words, I’ll try and provide as much basketball information and stories as possible.
School is (was) in session
Prior to the Championship round I believed (along with the media who are actually paid) were thinking 3-Peat. Many believed the Pacers would challenge the Heat this season; we discovered they were clearly a “head-case.” In January we believed they were the best team in the East, February through their playoff elimination was a different story. The loss of course means one thing for surer there is no 3-Peat. Over the years I have been one of the biggest critics of the Spurs not because they won because I believed they played boring basketball. All of us have witnessed the Spurs “schooling” the Heat, the bell has rung and school is out. We believed (incorrectly) this team was Duncan, Ginobili and Parker but they are also Leonard, Green, Splitter and they ain’t boring.
A friend of mine wrote; “You can't play for Gregg Popovich unless you can dribble, pass, & shoot. Any given time, ALL five guys on the floor for the Spurs can DRIBBLE, PASS, AND SHOOT!!! Beautiful basketball." Consider this little tidbit if the Spurs hit the free-throws they missed in Game 2 we may have witnessed a Spurs sweep. Once again I will never ever refer to the Spurs as boring with Greg Popovich continuing to call the shots. We can maintain Popovich is a little strange even unorthodox and maybe even quirky at times. The other adjective that describes Popovich is he’s a winner. A salute to the San Antonio Spurs who beat the Miami Heat 104-87 and are 2014 NBA Champions.
Fish
To nobody’s surprise Phil Jackson hired Derek Fisher as Knicks coach. This hire will cause two events to occur, one a certainty the other uncertain. The triangle offense will be run by the Knicks next season---that’s the certain. The uncertain is the future of Carmelo Anthony; if we believe his comments he wants to win a championship. Is Anthony willing to sacrifice his game in order to accomplish the feat? Derek Fisher the coach will require a fine-tuning process; we’ll nickname it the “Jason Kidd” effect. Remember last season and the adjustments Kidd made in order to understand all aspects of the job. Fisher‘s played in the NBA for 18 years, moving from a players’ role to a bench coach requires an adjustment period. Fish must assemble a veteran coaching staff which will aid him to gain coaching knowledge. We could foresee Kurt Rambis or another coach familiar with the triangle being hired.
Unbelievable
43 is the number of collegiate coaches fired, resigned or retired since the end of the season. I found the number surprising and considerably higher than I would have expected. Danny Manning Tulsa, Craig Robinson Oregon State, Mizzou’s Frank Haith and Cuozo Martin at Tennessee are just a few of the coaches no longer at the schools behind their names. Collegiate coaches are under the same amount of pressure I believe of their NBA brethren. The differences are slight however; college colleges are generally allowed a little more time to turn a program around. In addition NBA coaches can and often are terminated in the middle of a season not so much at the college level. I guess the old adage applies at both levels; “You are hired (too possibly) be fired.
Where do these stories originate?
“The Cavs might pass on Embiid do to back issues; Julius Randle’s foot broken in high school might require surgery.” How do these stories start and how could this information become public knowledge prior to the draft in about two weeks? Is it a positioning issue, team A wants to draft player A, he might not be available because Team B is reported to have him under consideration. In the case of Joel Embiid it was public knowledge a back issue keep him in civilian clothes for the last portion of his season. As for Randle he claims the story is pure fiction, he says his foot is fine.
Friday, June 13, 2014
“I’m a hater? “
Superstar players make mistakes; superstar players occasionally have average games. Often specialized defenses are set up to disrupt play, sometimes they work. Superstars at times don’t respond to post-game questions in the manner we expect. They are given a “free pass” the majority of time. How come if you offer critical remarks regarding LeBron James you are considered a hater? Sorry basketball fans I believe James is extremely talented in fact I would use the tag superstar.
Offering critical remarks on James does not make me or anybody else a hater. I have noted an unusual trend here, these same folks have been highly critical of Kobe Bryant almost to the point I could refer to them as haters. These remarks have not centered on the 36-year old Kobe, they centered on the 30-year old and 25-year old Kobe. In other words the hatred has extended throughout Kobe’s career, is there any reason LeBron receives a complimentary pass and Kobe suffers hatred? .
Bits n Pieces
A major portion of the Heat problems lie squarely on the shoulder of their point guards. I know you are going to say LeBron is the de-facto point and I can agree with that view. Do you remember back to a point last season when Mario Chalmers pointed out he was “One of the best point guards in the NBA.” Up to the present I certainly couldn’t sign off on the Chalmers’ statement. The numbers will change by the time you read this, the teams played last night. The first three games Mario Chalmers has shot .366 from the floor and has almost as many TO’s (9) as total points 10. As for his backup Norris Cole he’s shooting .266 from the floor he‘s scored 10 points and had 6 TO’s.
Despite my explanation on Wednesday I do care who the Lakers chose as their next head coach. It appears the slow response to the hire indicates the front office is taking its time. The names mentioned and my preferences in order are Lionel Hollins, Byron Scott, George Karl or Kurt Rambis. If a Nate McMillian was hired I’d be okay with that as well. I actually agree with the delay in hiring, there is no need to rush the process. Take that back the guys interviewed might not like “twisting in the wind” waiting on a front office decision.
A fan pointed out a fact I wanted to share with you, the subject was 7-footer Joel Embiid and the possibility of him becoming the number one draft pick. One writer claimed his 11 point a game freshman average wasn’t that impressive. Another pointed to the example of the Spurs Tim Duncan. Duncan was in college for four years however his freshman numbers at Wake Forest were unimpressive. Duncan scored at a 9.8 point per game clip while snatching down 9.6 rebounds. This is certainly no intent to equate Embiid with Duncan simply stated we should not become caught up in in numbers. The key for Embiid and anyone else attempting an NBA career is to maintain health and avoid injury if possible.
I don’t remember this history version however Quin Snyder was closer to the subject than me, I‘ll just take his word. Wednesday we discussed the Jazz hiring Snyder as head and my reservations with the hire. I implied I was upset with the former Mizzou coach when he resigned in February rather than finish the season. He claims in a recent Columbia (Mo) Tribune article he was fired and didn’t resign. If Snyder is correct in his view the school certainly had a valid reason for terminating his contract.
Rivalries
Schools changing conferences have down away with a number of former rivalries. Around here it was the Kansas-Mizzou “Border War. “ As a reminder Bill Self flat out refused to play Mizzou and the Kansas chancellor affirmed the position taken by the coach. Just in case you’ve forgotten Mizzou left the Big XII Conference for the Southeastern Conference three years ago. It should be noted a number of schools disregarded the fact they were in different conferences. Their desire was to maintain the rivalry the two had in effect for a number of years. As an example Rutgers and Seton Hall may be among the first to renew a rivalry.
Both teams now play in separate conferences however they will begin a home and home series. Georgetown and Syracuse two former Big East Conference rivals will also meet in a home and home series beginning in 2015. The two schools will play one another for the next 4-years; Georgetown remained in the “new” Big East while Syracuse moved to the ACC. We must assume geography plays a role in the Kansas animosity. Colorado, Texas A&M and Nebraska all former Big XII schools receive a free pass from Kansas, their anger continues to be aimed at Mezzo alone. .
He wears a size 20 shoe
I remember Shaquille O’Neal’s signed with Reebok at the time he arrived in the NBA. I don’t remember if his shoe was the largest the company ever manufactured it was huge. One of the shoe stores her had a display model and I couldn’t believe the size or weight of the shoe when I picked it up. That was then this is now, Kentucky had to order a size 20 for one of its incoming basketball player. He’s not as gigantic as Shaq however freshman Karl Towns Jr. stands 6-11 and weighs 248 pounds. We have no idea at this point how this freshman will impact the Kentucky program one thing for sure we know he’s got big feet. I’d mentioned previously the Wildcats will certainly be the tallest collegiate team in the nation. All three cannot play at the same time but Kentucky’s’ front court could be quite imposing. In addition to Towns Jr. fellow freshman Trey Lyles is 6-10 and 255 pounds. Returning from last season is Willie Cauley-Stein who stands 7-0 tall and weighs in at 244 pounds.
Superstar players make mistakes; superstar players occasionally have average games. Often specialized defenses are set up to disrupt play, sometimes they work. Superstars at times don’t respond to post-game questions in the manner we expect. They are given a “free pass” the majority of time. How come if you offer critical remarks regarding LeBron James you are considered a hater? Sorry basketball fans I believe James is extremely talented in fact I would use the tag superstar.
Offering critical remarks on James does not make me or anybody else a hater. I have noted an unusual trend here, these same folks have been highly critical of Kobe Bryant almost to the point I could refer to them as haters. These remarks have not centered on the 36-year old Kobe, they centered on the 30-year old and 25-year old Kobe. In other words the hatred has extended throughout Kobe’s career, is there any reason LeBron receives a complimentary pass and Kobe suffers hatred? .
Bits n Pieces
A major portion of the Heat problems lie squarely on the shoulder of their point guards. I know you are going to say LeBron is the de-facto point and I can agree with that view. Do you remember back to a point last season when Mario Chalmers pointed out he was “One of the best point guards in the NBA.” Up to the present I certainly couldn’t sign off on the Chalmers’ statement. The numbers will change by the time you read this, the teams played last night. The first three games Mario Chalmers has shot .366 from the floor and has almost as many TO’s (9) as total points 10. As for his backup Norris Cole he’s shooting .266 from the floor he‘s scored 10 points and had 6 TO’s.
Despite my explanation on Wednesday I do care who the Lakers chose as their next head coach. It appears the slow response to the hire indicates the front office is taking its time. The names mentioned and my preferences in order are Lionel Hollins, Byron Scott, George Karl or Kurt Rambis. If a Nate McMillian was hired I’d be okay with that as well. I actually agree with the delay in hiring, there is no need to rush the process. Take that back the guys interviewed might not like “twisting in the wind” waiting on a front office decision.
A fan pointed out a fact I wanted to share with you, the subject was 7-footer Joel Embiid and the possibility of him becoming the number one draft pick. One writer claimed his 11 point a game freshman average wasn’t that impressive. Another pointed to the example of the Spurs Tim Duncan. Duncan was in college for four years however his freshman numbers at Wake Forest were unimpressive. Duncan scored at a 9.8 point per game clip while snatching down 9.6 rebounds. This is certainly no intent to equate Embiid with Duncan simply stated we should not become caught up in in numbers. The key for Embiid and anyone else attempting an NBA career is to maintain health and avoid injury if possible.
I don’t remember this history version however Quin Snyder was closer to the subject than me, I‘ll just take his word. Wednesday we discussed the Jazz hiring Snyder as head and my reservations with the hire. I implied I was upset with the former Mizzou coach when he resigned in February rather than finish the season. He claims in a recent Columbia (Mo) Tribune article he was fired and didn’t resign. If Snyder is correct in his view the school certainly had a valid reason for terminating his contract.
Rivalries
Schools changing conferences have down away with a number of former rivalries. Around here it was the Kansas-Mizzou “Border War. “ As a reminder Bill Self flat out refused to play Mizzou and the Kansas chancellor affirmed the position taken by the coach. Just in case you’ve forgotten Mizzou left the Big XII Conference for the Southeastern Conference three years ago. It should be noted a number of schools disregarded the fact they were in different conferences. Their desire was to maintain the rivalry the two had in effect for a number of years. As an example Rutgers and Seton Hall may be among the first to renew a rivalry.
Both teams now play in separate conferences however they will begin a home and home series. Georgetown and Syracuse two former Big East Conference rivals will also meet in a home and home series beginning in 2015. The two schools will play one another for the next 4-years; Georgetown remained in the “new” Big East while Syracuse moved to the ACC. We must assume geography plays a role in the Kansas animosity. Colorado, Texas A&M and Nebraska all former Big XII schools receive a free pass from Kansas, their anger continues to be aimed at Mezzo alone. .
He wears a size 20 shoe
I remember Shaquille O’Neal’s signed with Reebok at the time he arrived in the NBA. I don’t remember if his shoe was the largest the company ever manufactured it was huge. One of the shoe stores her had a display model and I couldn’t believe the size or weight of the shoe when I picked it up. That was then this is now, Kentucky had to order a size 20 for one of its incoming basketball player. He’s not as gigantic as Shaq however freshman Karl Towns Jr. stands 6-11 and weighs 248 pounds. We have no idea at this point how this freshman will impact the Kentucky program one thing for sure we know he’s got big feet. I’d mentioned previously the Wildcats will certainly be the tallest collegiate team in the nation. All three cannot play at the same time but Kentucky’s’ front court could be quite imposing. In addition to Towns Jr. fellow freshman Trey Lyles is 6-10 and 255 pounds. Returning from last season is Willie Cauley-Stein who stands 7-0 tall and weighs in at 244 pounds.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
“Show me the money”
You remember the line Rod (Cuba Gooding Jr.) Tidwell screamed over the telephone at Jerry (Tom Cruise) Maguire. Sports agent Maguire was attempting to persuade NFL receiver Tidwell to sign with his agency. “Show me the money” became a popular catch phrase anytime money became part of the discussion. Several Big XII fans (especially those in Kansas) were upset at the time Mizzou left the conference. The move was made for one reason alone---financial compensation. Recently the SEC announced it was issuing $22 million to each of its member teams. As for the Big XII the number was $18.3 million to its conference schools. I know a $2 million dollar difference isn’t that big a deal right? An individual with a net worth of $999,000 dollars is rich, millionaire sounds richer.
Bits n Pieces
I’m no Carolina fan so I have no vested interest in this report. I’ll just say I’m unsure if I believe the entire content of Rashad McCants account. Roy Williams was aware of the academic fraud that existed? Confession must be good for the soul McCants is coming forward with his “confession” after nearly 10 years.
After the Spurs Game 1 victory I read few Facebook comments from Heat fans. After their team won Game 2 98-96 they returned en mass. Good for them I’m happy they are still here, I wasn’t sure where they had disappeared just sayin.’
The Jazz announced Quin Snyder would replace Ty Corbin as head coach. I refuse to state this is a bad hire however I still resent the manner he left Mizzou. The coach was going to be to be terminated at the end of the 2006 season. How did Snyder conduct himself---he resigned in February forcing the program into further turmoil. Mizzou fans might be displeased with Frank Haith I remain more displeased with Snyder.
I guess my recent account regarding sale of the Clippers was premature. Although he’d agreed to the sale Donald Sterling has now backed out. You can read the basis for his reasoning on several websites. The silly part of this story the NBA has built in protection regarding a possible lawsuit. This becomes Sterling versus Sterling, how about that kinda like poking your finger in your own eye.
Speaking of money
An area that’s concerned me for a number of years is salaries (athletes and coaches). I feel silly even discussing it, salaries have long been over the top and there is nothing any of us can do about it. In business sometimes the person(s) hired behind you might be employed at a higher pay scale than you. Your salary is still higher however 4 or 5 years later they are being paid more than you were when you were first hired. Here’s where I’m going, a Kansas City Star reporter was comparing the raise Kentucky gave John Calipari to the salary Kansas is paying Bill Self. Can I state upfront neither man’s family should ever have a worry about financial freedom? Both coaches have an NCAA Championship on their resume; both coaches have been highly successful on the basketball court, I’m unsure the basis for the story. Calipari earning a larger salary than Self it’s strictly timing’ baby. You remember at the beginning I mentioned the later hire receives more compensation? Calipari isn’t a later hire however his extension comes at a later time-frame. If Kansas fans have a problem with the issue they just need to get over it.
Speaking of coaches
An acquaintance knowing my allegiance to the Lakers asked; “Who do you think will be the Lakers next coach?” I responded saying; “I really don’t know I only hope it’s not another Mike.” I was half joking however both Mikes (Brown & D’Antoni) were a huge mistake I believe. As Mitch Kupchek stated earlier “there is was no requirement to rush into hiring another coach.” The Lakers are in need of a re-build (only 3 players under contract) whoever is hired as coach will have quite a job on their hands. The key in addition to a coach is Kobe Bryant; he’s in a hurry to win. Bryant has made it known he wants another championship and I’m unsure if that’s possible as soon as Bryant desires.
.
You remember the line Rod (Cuba Gooding Jr.) Tidwell screamed over the telephone at Jerry (Tom Cruise) Maguire. Sports agent Maguire was attempting to persuade NFL receiver Tidwell to sign with his agency. “Show me the money” became a popular catch phrase anytime money became part of the discussion. Several Big XII fans (especially those in Kansas) were upset at the time Mizzou left the conference. The move was made for one reason alone---financial compensation. Recently the SEC announced it was issuing $22 million to each of its member teams. As for the Big XII the number was $18.3 million to its conference schools. I know a $2 million dollar difference isn’t that big a deal right? An individual with a net worth of $999,000 dollars is rich, millionaire sounds richer.
Bits n Pieces
I’m no Carolina fan so I have no vested interest in this report. I’ll just say I’m unsure if I believe the entire content of Rashad McCants account. Roy Williams was aware of the academic fraud that existed? Confession must be good for the soul McCants is coming forward with his “confession” after nearly 10 years.
After the Spurs Game 1 victory I read few Facebook comments from Heat fans. After their team won Game 2 98-96 they returned en mass. Good for them I’m happy they are still here, I wasn’t sure where they had disappeared just sayin.’
The Jazz announced Quin Snyder would replace Ty Corbin as head coach. I refuse to state this is a bad hire however I still resent the manner he left Mizzou. The coach was going to be to be terminated at the end of the 2006 season. How did Snyder conduct himself---he resigned in February forcing the program into further turmoil. Mizzou fans might be displeased with Frank Haith I remain more displeased with Snyder.
I guess my recent account regarding sale of the Clippers was premature. Although he’d agreed to the sale Donald Sterling has now backed out. You can read the basis for his reasoning on several websites. The silly part of this story the NBA has built in protection regarding a possible lawsuit. This becomes Sterling versus Sterling, how about that kinda like poking your finger in your own eye.
Speaking of money
An area that’s concerned me for a number of years is salaries (athletes and coaches). I feel silly even discussing it, salaries have long been over the top and there is nothing any of us can do about it. In business sometimes the person(s) hired behind you might be employed at a higher pay scale than you. Your salary is still higher however 4 or 5 years later they are being paid more than you were when you were first hired. Here’s where I’m going, a Kansas City Star reporter was comparing the raise Kentucky gave John Calipari to the salary Kansas is paying Bill Self. Can I state upfront neither man’s family should ever have a worry about financial freedom? Both coaches have an NCAA Championship on their resume; both coaches have been highly successful on the basketball court, I’m unsure the basis for the story. Calipari earning a larger salary than Self it’s strictly timing’ baby. You remember at the beginning I mentioned the later hire receives more compensation? Calipari isn’t a later hire however his extension comes at a later time-frame. If Kansas fans have a problem with the issue they just need to get over it.
Speaking of coaches
An acquaintance knowing my allegiance to the Lakers asked; “Who do you think will be the Lakers next coach?” I responded saying; “I really don’t know I only hope it’s not another Mike.” I was half joking however both Mikes (Brown & D’Antoni) were a huge mistake I believe. As Mitch Kupchek stated earlier “there is was no requirement to rush into hiring another coach.” The Lakers are in need of a re-build (only 3 players under contract) whoever is hired as coach will have quite a job on their hands. The key in addition to a coach is Kobe Bryant; he’s in a hurry to win. Bryant has made it known he wants another championship and I’m unsure if that’s possible as soon as Bryant desires.
.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Closing the page
I read a number of emails questioning the business operation of the NBA. Several letters must have been written by attorneys or someone in the legal profession, they stated in simple terms “The NBA cannot force Sterling to sale his team.” I’ve got news for them----they are wrong. The commissioner stately clearly at the beginning Donald Sterling had conducted himself in a manner that indicated a “violation of the NBA Charter.” I seriously doubt if any of the defenders have even seen the NBA Charter. They must believe the Clippers were operated in the same manner of Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola or Ford Motor Company.
I’ve got news for them and others it ain’t the same type of business operation. The NBA and any other sports organization cannot violate the law however don’t believe their business practices are typical. NBA owners don‘t operate their businesses in the same manner you probably believe. If you don’t agree with the manner the NBA conducted the Sterling’s issues you certainly are entitled to your opinion. To state the NBA can’t conduct business in the manner it chooses is not your call or mine. We can boycott the NBA in person on television or refuse to purchase NBA gear if that’s our desire that’s about all we can do.
The injury game
NBA fans have witnessed a number of injury or illness playoff games over the years, a few may possibly standout over others. In my opinion far too much media emphasis was paid to the LeBron heat cramp Game 1. The air-conditioning malfunctioned and it’s been repaired. This series is just beginning, the Heat still have plenty of opportunities to win the series. That was not the case for the 1989 Lakers who were attempting a 3-peat.
Shooting guard Byron Scott pulled his hamstring prior to Game 1 and was forced to miss the series. Point guard Magic Johnson would also suffer the same injury as Scott in Game 2, he managed to play 5 minutes in Game 3 but that was all he could handle. With both starters missing for the series the Lakers were forced to play reserves. The Pistons winning the first two games went on to sweep the Lakers 4-0. Hey media guys slow down a bit this series is far from over, besides the fact the “sky is not falling.”
The 1984 draft
It’s long been noted the 1984 NBA Draft was the greatest in NBA history. The draft would produce five future Hall of Fame players, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, John Stockton and Oscar Schmidt. Brazil’s Schmidt never played in the NBA however his Hall of Fame admission provides us proof how good a player he was. There were a couple of other picks that could be considered noteworthy. The 76ers drafted Leon Wood with the 10th pick, he didn’t turn out to be much of an NBA player, and he decided to change careers.
Wood would become an NBA official perhaps the first ever to move from a player to a referee. In the third round (the draft contained more rounds at that time) the Celtics drafted Rick Carlisle who also had an undistinguished NBA career. Carlisle changed careers to would become an assistant coach for a number of teams. Later he would become head coach for the Pistons and Pacers; he’s been the head coach for the Mavs since 2008. In the fourth round the Kansas City Kings drafted Carl Henry who also had an undistinguished NBA career. His son Xavier was the 10th pick in the 2010 draft and played last season for the Lakers.
“Well isn’t that special?
Anyone out there remember Dana Carvey as the Church Lady? He created this character for Saturday Night Live and the skit would last over the time period Carvey was a member of the cast. The Church Lady would ask tough questions of a guest and depending on the response would look into the television camera and state; “Well isn’t that special?” We could certainly use that line on Flip Saunders Wolves President of Basketball Operations. Saunders searched extensively in an effort to hire a replacement coach for Rick Adelman. Saunders located his coach, he hired himself! Saunders will assume Wolves coaching duties for the second time this upcoming season.
There is a cut-off point
Oprah Winfrey’s net worth is reported to be $2.9 billion dollars however even she has a limit on the amount she is willing to spend. Oprah was among the first in the number to bid on purchasing the Clippers. She was in the bidding process until the charge reached her cut-off point. Oprah claims she’s a basketball fan but admitted there might have problems attending owner meetings if she had won the bid. At the rate NBA franchises are going on the market Oprah will probably have another opportunity.
I read a number of emails questioning the business operation of the NBA. Several letters must have been written by attorneys or someone in the legal profession, they stated in simple terms “The NBA cannot force Sterling to sale his team.” I’ve got news for them----they are wrong. The commissioner stately clearly at the beginning Donald Sterling had conducted himself in a manner that indicated a “violation of the NBA Charter.” I seriously doubt if any of the defenders have even seen the NBA Charter. They must believe the Clippers were operated in the same manner of Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola or Ford Motor Company.
I’ve got news for them and others it ain’t the same type of business operation. The NBA and any other sports organization cannot violate the law however don’t believe their business practices are typical. NBA owners don‘t operate their businesses in the same manner you probably believe. If you don’t agree with the manner the NBA conducted the Sterling’s issues you certainly are entitled to your opinion. To state the NBA can’t conduct business in the manner it chooses is not your call or mine. We can boycott the NBA in person on television or refuse to purchase NBA gear if that’s our desire that’s about all we can do.
The injury game
NBA fans have witnessed a number of injury or illness playoff games over the years, a few may possibly standout over others. In my opinion far too much media emphasis was paid to the LeBron heat cramp Game 1. The air-conditioning malfunctioned and it’s been repaired. This series is just beginning, the Heat still have plenty of opportunities to win the series. That was not the case for the 1989 Lakers who were attempting a 3-peat.
Shooting guard Byron Scott pulled his hamstring prior to Game 1 and was forced to miss the series. Point guard Magic Johnson would also suffer the same injury as Scott in Game 2, he managed to play 5 minutes in Game 3 but that was all he could handle. With both starters missing for the series the Lakers were forced to play reserves. The Pistons winning the first two games went on to sweep the Lakers 4-0. Hey media guys slow down a bit this series is far from over, besides the fact the “sky is not falling.”
The 1984 draft
It’s long been noted the 1984 NBA Draft was the greatest in NBA history. The draft would produce five future Hall of Fame players, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, John Stockton and Oscar Schmidt. Brazil’s Schmidt never played in the NBA however his Hall of Fame admission provides us proof how good a player he was. There were a couple of other picks that could be considered noteworthy. The 76ers drafted Leon Wood with the 10th pick, he didn’t turn out to be much of an NBA player, and he decided to change careers.
Wood would become an NBA official perhaps the first ever to move from a player to a referee. In the third round (the draft contained more rounds at that time) the Celtics drafted Rick Carlisle who also had an undistinguished NBA career. Carlisle changed careers to would become an assistant coach for a number of teams. Later he would become head coach for the Pistons and Pacers; he’s been the head coach for the Mavs since 2008. In the fourth round the Kansas City Kings drafted Carl Henry who also had an undistinguished NBA career. His son Xavier was the 10th pick in the 2010 draft and played last season for the Lakers.
“Well isn’t that special?
Anyone out there remember Dana Carvey as the Church Lady? He created this character for Saturday Night Live and the skit would last over the time period Carvey was a member of the cast. The Church Lady would ask tough questions of a guest and depending on the response would look into the television camera and state; “Well isn’t that special?” We could certainly use that line on Flip Saunders Wolves President of Basketball Operations. Saunders searched extensively in an effort to hire a replacement coach for Rick Adelman. Saunders located his coach, he hired himself! Saunders will assume Wolves coaching duties for the second time this upcoming season.
There is a cut-off point
Oprah Winfrey’s net worth is reported to be $2.9 billion dollars however even she has a limit on the amount she is willing to spend. Oprah was among the first in the number to bid on purchasing the Clippers. She was in the bidding process until the charge reached her cut-off point. Oprah claims she’s a basketball fan but admitted there might have problems attending owner meetings if she had won the bid. At the rate NBA franchises are going on the market Oprah will probably have another opportunity.
Friday, June 6, 2014
The soap opera is over
Steve Ballmer will officially become the owner of the Clippers. The team will continue to operate in Los Angeles, sorry Seattle. Wife Shirley Sterling indicated she’d reached an agreement to sale the team to him. Estranged husband Donald indicated no such deal had been struck; in addition he filed a $1 billion dollar law suit against the NBA. Wednesday afternoon Donald Sterling indicated he was dropping the suit and approved the sale of the team. The “black-eye” this issue would become for the NBA is now basically concluded. I don’t wish to focus on morality issues that played a role in the downfall of the Sterling’s, my preference is to discuss the previous years.
We can peer at the Clippers record the past three seasons and we witnessed a successful team on the court. Beginning in 1981 (Sterling purchase) up till recently the Clippers were one of the poorest run franchises in professional sports. We just discovered the NBA was going to step in to manage this franchise at one point it was run so inept. For defenders of Donald and Shirley Sterling remember the 1981-2011 Clippers. During this 30-year period the Clippers finished at .500 or above a total of three times. Finally let’s check out the financial conclusion. Donald Sterling purchased the Clippers for $12 million dollars and will sell it for $2 billion dollars. Figure the math if you care that’s still a huge profit after taxes.
The best ever?
In the past I’ve mentioned how difficult it is to compare players from different eras certainly true of Tim Duncan. Mention the name Elgin Baylor or Karl Malone we immediately envision Hall of Fame power forwards. Perhaps the “quiet” demeanor of Tim Duncan causes us to look elsewhere. Duncan is the best power forward in NBA history and I make the statement with no hesitation. That’s a bold statement however its true, Barkley, Baylor and other power forwards might have had better numbers but who was the true winner?
Talk about being in the right place at the right time we could certainly play what if? The Celtics were salivating in 1997 believing they had an opportunity to draft Duncan finishing with the second worst record in the NBA, the Spurs finished with the third worst record. As history details the lottery has proven the worst team is not always awarded the number one pick and that‘s what occurred with the Spurs. We can only speculate what Celtic history might have been if Duncan had become a Celtic rather than a Spur. In addition Duncan will accomplish a feat few have done he will retire a Spur the only NBA team he ever played for.
He’s on his way to the NBA----maybe
I’ve stated previously how I believe its extremely complicated accessing a 7-foot high school basketball player. The chief reason, the majority of opposing players may be anywhere from 5-7 inches shorter. In this account the height and weight difference might be even greater, the prospect we are discussing is 7-5 and weighs 250 pounds. Adding a 22 shoe and an 8-foot wingspan you can see he could cause fear in the heart of an opposing player. His full name is Elhadji Serigne Tacko Diop Fall; it’s been shortened to Tacko Fall nicknamed “Taco.” Fall will be a senior in August at Liberty Christian Prep in Tavares (FL); the school is located about 45 miles from Orlando.
Fall is from Daker Senegal in West Africa and he with a number of prospects emerging from the African continent is raw. Does he have the talent to play at the next level; a college will take a chance strictly due to his height. As for the NBA or another pro league that’s up to him and the growth of his game. Most interesting to me fans want to weigh in on the ability of a player without much to back them up except their opinion. A fan wrote; “He has no leaping ability” after seeing video of Fall in action. After reading his email I thought; “At 7-4 is it really necessary that Fall have great leaping ability?” At his height he should develop into an adequate rebounded, if he really works at it he could become excellent.
Another Glove
Gary (aka The Glove) Payton had an outstanding NBA career most of it spent as a member of the Seattle Sonics. There is another Payton headed to the NBA, we don’t know if he’s related to “The Glove“ nor do we know if he’ll be a quality point guard at this level. This we do know at 6-4 and 190 pounds his height and weight parallel that of the Gary. Don’t worry if you have never heard of Elfrid Payton of Louisiana-Lafayette. His story might become similar to that of Damian Lillard, you remember him don‘t you? Lillard came into the NBA a relatively unknown from Weber State. Lillard went on to become the 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year. NBADraft.net and draftexpress.com list the Gretna (LA) native as the number 27 prospect in the 2014 draft. Don’t be shocked or surprised when Commissioner Silver announces “with the ________pick in the 2014 NBA the ________ select Elfrid Payton from Louisiana-Lafayette.”
Steve Ballmer will officially become the owner of the Clippers. The team will continue to operate in Los Angeles, sorry Seattle. Wife Shirley Sterling indicated she’d reached an agreement to sale the team to him. Estranged husband Donald indicated no such deal had been struck; in addition he filed a $1 billion dollar law suit against the NBA. Wednesday afternoon Donald Sterling indicated he was dropping the suit and approved the sale of the team. The “black-eye” this issue would become for the NBA is now basically concluded. I don’t wish to focus on morality issues that played a role in the downfall of the Sterling’s, my preference is to discuss the previous years.
We can peer at the Clippers record the past three seasons and we witnessed a successful team on the court. Beginning in 1981 (Sterling purchase) up till recently the Clippers were one of the poorest run franchises in professional sports. We just discovered the NBA was going to step in to manage this franchise at one point it was run so inept. For defenders of Donald and Shirley Sterling remember the 1981-2011 Clippers. During this 30-year period the Clippers finished at .500 or above a total of three times. Finally let’s check out the financial conclusion. Donald Sterling purchased the Clippers for $12 million dollars and will sell it for $2 billion dollars. Figure the math if you care that’s still a huge profit after taxes.
The best ever?
In the past I’ve mentioned how difficult it is to compare players from different eras certainly true of Tim Duncan. Mention the name Elgin Baylor or Karl Malone we immediately envision Hall of Fame power forwards. Perhaps the “quiet” demeanor of Tim Duncan causes us to look elsewhere. Duncan is the best power forward in NBA history and I make the statement with no hesitation. That’s a bold statement however its true, Barkley, Baylor and other power forwards might have had better numbers but who was the true winner?
Talk about being in the right place at the right time we could certainly play what if? The Celtics were salivating in 1997 believing they had an opportunity to draft Duncan finishing with the second worst record in the NBA, the Spurs finished with the third worst record. As history details the lottery has proven the worst team is not always awarded the number one pick and that‘s what occurred with the Spurs. We can only speculate what Celtic history might have been if Duncan had become a Celtic rather than a Spur. In addition Duncan will accomplish a feat few have done he will retire a Spur the only NBA team he ever played for.
He’s on his way to the NBA----maybe
I’ve stated previously how I believe its extremely complicated accessing a 7-foot high school basketball player. The chief reason, the majority of opposing players may be anywhere from 5-7 inches shorter. In this account the height and weight difference might be even greater, the prospect we are discussing is 7-5 and weighs 250 pounds. Adding a 22 shoe and an 8-foot wingspan you can see he could cause fear in the heart of an opposing player. His full name is Elhadji Serigne Tacko Diop Fall; it’s been shortened to Tacko Fall nicknamed “Taco.” Fall will be a senior in August at Liberty Christian Prep in Tavares (FL); the school is located about 45 miles from Orlando.
Fall is from Daker Senegal in West Africa and he with a number of prospects emerging from the African continent is raw. Does he have the talent to play at the next level; a college will take a chance strictly due to his height. As for the NBA or another pro league that’s up to him and the growth of his game. Most interesting to me fans want to weigh in on the ability of a player without much to back them up except their opinion. A fan wrote; “He has no leaping ability” after seeing video of Fall in action. After reading his email I thought; “At 7-4 is it really necessary that Fall have great leaping ability?” At his height he should develop into an adequate rebounded, if he really works at it he could become excellent.
Another Glove
Gary (aka The Glove) Payton had an outstanding NBA career most of it spent as a member of the Seattle Sonics. There is another Payton headed to the NBA, we don’t know if he’s related to “The Glove“ nor do we know if he’ll be a quality point guard at this level. This we do know at 6-4 and 190 pounds his height and weight parallel that of the Gary. Don’t worry if you have never heard of Elfrid Payton of Louisiana-Lafayette. His story might become similar to that of Damian Lillard, you remember him don‘t you? Lillard came into the NBA a relatively unknown from Weber State. Lillard went on to become the 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year. NBADraft.net and draftexpress.com list the Gretna (LA) native as the number 27 prospect in the 2014 draft. Don’t be shocked or surprised when Commissioner Silver announces “with the ________pick in the 2014 NBA the ________ select Elfrid Payton from Louisiana-Lafayette.”
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Climbing the mountain
For the third year the Heat has eliminated the Pacers. All season long the Indiana team worked to gain home court advantage; it was believed home court would be the key to victory. Once again the Pacers managed to fall short of the goal. The Pacers are a good dysfunctional team, talent is good attitude is dysfunctional. Coach Vogel deserves some of the blame too. An NBA coach must provide leadership, we are unsure how much Vogel was able to supply.
The Pistons were finally able to climb the mountain; they overcame the Celtics and won an NBA Championship. We could make the same statement for Michael Jordan’s Bulls. The Pistons blocked the door to success year after year. The Bulls too were able to overcome the Pistons; they climbed to the top of the mountain winning NBA Championships. Will the Pacers ever be able to beat the Heat and climb that mountain? The question remains unanswered at this point only the Pacers can truly answer that question.
Continued Growth of the international game
Basketball continues to grow internationally and this account provides proof in but one conference the Big XII. Kansas has recruited 6-8 195 pound Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk; he’s from Cherkassy in the Ukraine. He participated in the Nike Hoop Summit last month in Oregon and it‘s reported he can play either guard position. Based on the Kansas point guard problems last season it will be interesting to see if wins the job. Iowa State announced the signing of 7-1 Georgios Tsalmpouris (sal-BORE-us) from Greece; he’s an 18-year old prospect. Questions remain if he plays as a freshman or is red-shirted. The red-shirt possibility may indicate he’s not yet ready to play at this level.
This is interesting
Kansas City might well become the Collegiate Basketball Capital of the nation if this should come to fruition. It should be noted the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame is located here in Kansas City. The city serves as host for the NAIA Basketball Tournament; in addition the Big XII Tournament is held here on a rotating basis and will continue through 2016. An extension could be implemented or the tourney could be moved to Dallas or Oklahoma City. I’m not sure about Oklahoma City but the tourney was far from successful in Dallas--low attendance. My point, the Missouri Valley has asked the city along with three others to submit a bid to serve as host for its tournament.
The Missouri Valley Tourney has been held in St. Louis now for a number of years but there appear to be issues not detailed. Just in case there might be a question regarding conflicts the Missouri Valley Tourney is held a week ahead of the Big XII while the NAIA is held immediately after the Big XII. Kansas City could accommodate all three without difficulty. The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce would be ecstatic if all three tournaments would ever be held in the city. If all these moves occur Kansas City might indeed become the Capital of Collegiate Basketball. As for the SEC Tourney it’s headed to St. Louis although not on a permanent basis.
“Put up or Shut up”
If you are old enough you remember reading or hearing someone make the statement “put up or shut up. “ The net and newspapers were full of commentary by several Pacers; often they were more bravado than action. Lance Stephenson, Paul George even Roy Hibbert talk better than their game. We witnessed the final results of the bluster, the Heat were series winner.
Did you hear this?
Regardless of the outcome of the NBA Championships the Heats’ Shane Battier is retiring, he‘s going to work for ESPN as a collegiate analyst. He may not have had the NBA career envisioned by many but used his savvy to carve out a 13-year career. Battier would transform himself into a defensive specialist for four different NBA teams. As for his retirement going to work for ESPN why should we be surprised? Battier was a two-time Academic All American while enrolled at Duke.
Bits n Pieces
We sometimes receive misleading financial information on the value of sports franchises. Many of us have been led to believe the NFL and MLB were the only financially sound sports franchises. We were led to believe the Knicks, Lakers and Bulls were sound financially the balance of NBA teams were border line. According to Forbes the NBA might have had issues at one point there are only four franchises losing money. The recent sale of the Clippers places the franchise at the same dollar level of the Dodgers.
You might remember I once wrote of the number of strange corporate names attached to stadiums and arenas. Add Dunkin’ Donuts Center to the list, the arena once known as the Providence Civic Center. The arena is the home of the Providence Friars basketball team and several other sports teams.
I’m okay with one but the other is questionable. Did you read or hear the NBA is discussing a larger court and a 4-point basket. For years the argument has been players have gotten bigger and bigger so more room on the court is understandable. As for the 4-point basket that’s downright silly, doesn’t make much sense to me. Maybe you are okay with the proposal.
Could Derek Fisher become “Jason Kidd II”, I’m referring to Fisher possibly duplicating the Kidd move, player to coach without missing a beat. Many have said Fisher should have retired six or seven years ago. After Steve Kerr turned down Phil Jackson Fisher’s name has been mentioned with the number of coaching jobs open.
For the third year the Heat has eliminated the Pacers. All season long the Indiana team worked to gain home court advantage; it was believed home court would be the key to victory. Once again the Pacers managed to fall short of the goal. The Pacers are a good dysfunctional team, talent is good attitude is dysfunctional. Coach Vogel deserves some of the blame too. An NBA coach must provide leadership, we are unsure how much Vogel was able to supply.
The Pistons were finally able to climb the mountain; they overcame the Celtics and won an NBA Championship. We could make the same statement for Michael Jordan’s Bulls. The Pistons blocked the door to success year after year. The Bulls too were able to overcome the Pistons; they climbed to the top of the mountain winning NBA Championships. Will the Pacers ever be able to beat the Heat and climb that mountain? The question remains unanswered at this point only the Pacers can truly answer that question.
Continued Growth of the international game
Basketball continues to grow internationally and this account provides proof in but one conference the Big XII. Kansas has recruited 6-8 195 pound Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk; he’s from Cherkassy in the Ukraine. He participated in the Nike Hoop Summit last month in Oregon and it‘s reported he can play either guard position. Based on the Kansas point guard problems last season it will be interesting to see if wins the job. Iowa State announced the signing of 7-1 Georgios Tsalmpouris (sal-BORE-us) from Greece; he’s an 18-year old prospect. Questions remain if he plays as a freshman or is red-shirted. The red-shirt possibility may indicate he’s not yet ready to play at this level.
This is interesting
Kansas City might well become the Collegiate Basketball Capital of the nation if this should come to fruition. It should be noted the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame is located here in Kansas City. The city serves as host for the NAIA Basketball Tournament; in addition the Big XII Tournament is held here on a rotating basis and will continue through 2016. An extension could be implemented or the tourney could be moved to Dallas or Oklahoma City. I’m not sure about Oklahoma City but the tourney was far from successful in Dallas--low attendance. My point, the Missouri Valley has asked the city along with three others to submit a bid to serve as host for its tournament.
The Missouri Valley Tourney has been held in St. Louis now for a number of years but there appear to be issues not detailed. Just in case there might be a question regarding conflicts the Missouri Valley Tourney is held a week ahead of the Big XII while the NAIA is held immediately after the Big XII. Kansas City could accommodate all three without difficulty. The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce would be ecstatic if all three tournaments would ever be held in the city. If all these moves occur Kansas City might indeed become the Capital of Collegiate Basketball. As for the SEC Tourney it’s headed to St. Louis although not on a permanent basis.
“Put up or Shut up”
If you are old enough you remember reading or hearing someone make the statement “put up or shut up. “ The net and newspapers were full of commentary by several Pacers; often they were more bravado than action. Lance Stephenson, Paul George even Roy Hibbert talk better than their game. We witnessed the final results of the bluster, the Heat were series winner.
Did you hear this?
Regardless of the outcome of the NBA Championships the Heats’ Shane Battier is retiring, he‘s going to work for ESPN as a collegiate analyst. He may not have had the NBA career envisioned by many but used his savvy to carve out a 13-year career. Battier would transform himself into a defensive specialist for four different NBA teams. As for his retirement going to work for ESPN why should we be surprised? Battier was a two-time Academic All American while enrolled at Duke.
Bits n Pieces
We sometimes receive misleading financial information on the value of sports franchises. Many of us have been led to believe the NFL and MLB were the only financially sound sports franchises. We were led to believe the Knicks, Lakers and Bulls were sound financially the balance of NBA teams were border line. According to Forbes the NBA might have had issues at one point there are only four franchises losing money. The recent sale of the Clippers places the franchise at the same dollar level of the Dodgers.
You might remember I once wrote of the number of strange corporate names attached to stadiums and arenas. Add Dunkin’ Donuts Center to the list, the arena once known as the Providence Civic Center. The arena is the home of the Providence Friars basketball team and several other sports teams.
I’m okay with one but the other is questionable. Did you read or hear the NBA is discussing a larger court and a 4-point basket. For years the argument has been players have gotten bigger and bigger so more room on the court is understandable. As for the 4-point basket that’s downright silly, doesn’t make much sense to me. Maybe you are okay with the proposal.
Could Derek Fisher become “Jason Kidd II”, I’m referring to Fisher possibly duplicating the Kidd move, player to coach without missing a beat. Many have said Fisher should have retired six or seven years ago. After Steve Kerr turned down Phil Jackson Fisher’s name has been mentioned with the number of coaching jobs open.
Monday, June 2, 2014
“Who’s on First?”
Many of you might be familiar with the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. The popular duo was popular in movies and television in the late 1940’s and 1950’s. They originated a comedy skit that became so renowned it’s now in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The brief explanation straight man Bud Abbott is attempting to explain a teams’ lineup to partner Lou Costello. Player names are the basis of the routine, one player is named “who”, another “what” and a third “I don’t know.” Of course with those types of names Costello couldn’t figure out who was playing what position. Copy and paste the link below and enjoy, some might believe it’s aged by today‘s comedy routines. Costello couldn’t figure out “Who’s on First” and we can’t figure out “Who’s in Charge" of the Clippers.
Initially Shirley Sterling issues a press release claiming “she’d reached an agreement to sale the Clippers to Steve Ballmer.” Later Ballmer issues a release confirming the sale. Much later Donald Sterling’s attorneys claim no such agreement has been reached. Rather than “who’s on first” the line might be changed to “who’s in charge“? As this account was being completed comes word Donald Sterling has been declared “mentally incompetent to dispute the sale.” I believe all of us could question at what point was it determined Sterling wasn’t competent. To continue this soap opera Friday afternoon it was reported Donald Sterling would sue the NBA for are you ready for this----- $1 billion dollars. The drama is not complete there is still far more story forthcoming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=airT-m9LcoY
Andrew Wiggins
It’s my belief most sports arguments are never fully resolved. They are not resolved due to the parties seeing an issue or issues from two (or three) perspectives. I’ll give you an example of a recent discussion. One of the barbers (who claims he is a Kansas fan) said; “Andrew Wiggins played to not get hurt.” He went on to state; “Wiggins was looking out for his NBA future.” I didn’t argue with him over his observation however I didn’t agree. The issue with this type of disagreement neither of us could provide the other any proof of who is correct. Oh well, glass half empty half full.
A televised event
If you are a certain age this next statement might not surprise you. CBS Sports was telecasting college basketball long before ESPN ever came into existence. Because CBS was a broadcast network the number of games was always limited. I believe the growth of ESPN can be directly attributed to the fact it was a cable network, ESPN had no network broadcast responsibilities. CBS launched its own cable sports network increasing their telecast footprint substantially. The network announced the CBS Sports Classic will debut this winter; inaugural teams are Ohio State, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA.
In other television news
Jeff Van Gundy’s name has been mentioned once again as a potential NBA head coach. I seriously doubt if he takes any coaching job, why do I come to this conclusion? Van Gundy has been an analyst for ESPN since 2007. It is far easier (and less pressure) for him to provide commentary rather than drawing up plays. Van Gundy is following the lead provided by other coaches. I’d written awhile back a number of young adults don’t realize Dick Vitale once served as coach of the University of Detroit and the NBA Pistons. He’s been employed by ESPN/ABC since the early ‘80’s.
We could make the same statement for ESPN’s Digger Phelps. Phelps hasn’t coach a game since he left Notre Dame in 1991. There exist a number of former collegiate and NBA coaches serving in a television role. They are not included due my belief they might one day return as a head coach. Former coaches as analyst extend to the NFL and other sports as well. Those who follow the NFL believed Jon Gruden and Bill Cower would return to the sidelines one day. Although their names have been mentioned too neither has made it known they desire to become an NFL coach again.
NFL versus the NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver in a radio interview indicated he’d like the NBA to one day rival the NFL. Members of the media questioned his sanity for the statement, they said; “it was ridiculous to suggest the NBA could rival the NFL for fans." The NFL has one clear advantage 16 games played mostly on Sunday, on the other hand the NBA plays 82 games scheduled seven days of the week. Mike Wilbon of ESPN was the only member of the media I observed appeared to view Silver’s proposal in a positive light.
As for Wilbon he believed it might be difficult to pass the NFL but he provided us food for thought. I’m paraphrasing most of his commentary; “the NFL reins supreme now with fans but that’s not always been the case. 40 years ago major league baseball and championship boxing were on a higher scale with fans than the NFL.” There is no argument with anyone claiming NFL football is the most popular American sport. I believe any sport NFL included must adapt and make changes to how the game is played otherwise they too will lose fans.
Many of you might be familiar with the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. The popular duo was popular in movies and television in the late 1940’s and 1950’s. They originated a comedy skit that became so renowned it’s now in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The brief explanation straight man Bud Abbott is attempting to explain a teams’ lineup to partner Lou Costello. Player names are the basis of the routine, one player is named “who”, another “what” and a third “I don’t know.” Of course with those types of names Costello couldn’t figure out who was playing what position. Copy and paste the link below and enjoy, some might believe it’s aged by today‘s comedy routines. Costello couldn’t figure out “Who’s on First” and we can’t figure out “Who’s in Charge" of the Clippers.
Initially Shirley Sterling issues a press release claiming “she’d reached an agreement to sale the Clippers to Steve Ballmer.” Later Ballmer issues a release confirming the sale. Much later Donald Sterling’s attorneys claim no such agreement has been reached. Rather than “who’s on first” the line might be changed to “who’s in charge“? As this account was being completed comes word Donald Sterling has been declared “mentally incompetent to dispute the sale.” I believe all of us could question at what point was it determined Sterling wasn’t competent. To continue this soap opera Friday afternoon it was reported Donald Sterling would sue the NBA for are you ready for this----- $1 billion dollars. The drama is not complete there is still far more story forthcoming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=airT-m9LcoY
Andrew Wiggins
It’s my belief most sports arguments are never fully resolved. They are not resolved due to the parties seeing an issue or issues from two (or three) perspectives. I’ll give you an example of a recent discussion. One of the barbers (who claims he is a Kansas fan) said; “Andrew Wiggins played to not get hurt.” He went on to state; “Wiggins was looking out for his NBA future.” I didn’t argue with him over his observation however I didn’t agree. The issue with this type of disagreement neither of us could provide the other any proof of who is correct. Oh well, glass half empty half full.
A televised event
If you are a certain age this next statement might not surprise you. CBS Sports was telecasting college basketball long before ESPN ever came into existence. Because CBS was a broadcast network the number of games was always limited. I believe the growth of ESPN can be directly attributed to the fact it was a cable network, ESPN had no network broadcast responsibilities. CBS launched its own cable sports network increasing their telecast footprint substantially. The network announced the CBS Sports Classic will debut this winter; inaugural teams are Ohio State, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA.
In other television news
Jeff Van Gundy’s name has been mentioned once again as a potential NBA head coach. I seriously doubt if he takes any coaching job, why do I come to this conclusion? Van Gundy has been an analyst for ESPN since 2007. It is far easier (and less pressure) for him to provide commentary rather than drawing up plays. Van Gundy is following the lead provided by other coaches. I’d written awhile back a number of young adults don’t realize Dick Vitale once served as coach of the University of Detroit and the NBA Pistons. He’s been employed by ESPN/ABC since the early ‘80’s.
We could make the same statement for ESPN’s Digger Phelps. Phelps hasn’t coach a game since he left Notre Dame in 1991. There exist a number of former collegiate and NBA coaches serving in a television role. They are not included due my belief they might one day return as a head coach. Former coaches as analyst extend to the NFL and other sports as well. Those who follow the NFL believed Jon Gruden and Bill Cower would return to the sidelines one day. Although their names have been mentioned too neither has made it known they desire to become an NFL coach again.
NFL versus the NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver in a radio interview indicated he’d like the NBA to one day rival the NFL. Members of the media questioned his sanity for the statement, they said; “it was ridiculous to suggest the NBA could rival the NFL for fans." The NFL has one clear advantage 16 games played mostly on Sunday, on the other hand the NBA plays 82 games scheduled seven days of the week. Mike Wilbon of ESPN was the only member of the media I observed appeared to view Silver’s proposal in a positive light.
As for Wilbon he believed it might be difficult to pass the NFL but he provided us food for thought. I’m paraphrasing most of his commentary; “the NFL reins supreme now with fans but that’s not always been the case. 40 years ago major league baseball and championship boxing were on a higher scale with fans than the NFL.” There is no argument with anyone claiming NFL football is the most popular American sport. I believe any sport NFL included must adapt and make changes to how the game is played otherwise they too will lose fans.
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