There is a distinction between lack of talent and lack of effort!
I only read the headline
It read “Torn Rotator Cuff” or at least that’s what we believe. I have been solidly behind Kobe Bryant and his attempt at a return from injury. This latest setback says he should retire, I realize that’s shocking for me to say but it’s the truth as I see it.
Forbes says
They may be in the bottom of the NBA standings elsewhere they are number one. Number one in what area you might inquire? Franchise value, as for the figure Forbes sets the value of the Lakers at $2.6 billion dollars. The Knicks are in second place with a net worth of $2.5 billion. The Clippers purchased last year by Steve Ballmer are valued at $1.6 billion placing them in fifth place. Despite their shortcomings on the court the Lakers and Knicks franchise are still highly valued in the eyes of Forbes.
Dishing the rock
I'm guilty of placing far too much emphasis on scoring baskets. True if you can’t out score the other guy you lose however there is more to the game than simply scoring. The Pistons Brandon Jennings had a 21-assist game against the Magic. This is the first time in two years the NBA had a player with 20 or more assists. You think 21 assists is a lofty number for a single game? It is outstanding however it only places Jennings in 35th place. The all-time single game record for assist is held by Scott Skiles while a member of the Magic. He dished out 30 assists in a December 1990 game.
He belongs in the group too
I saw a promo the other day on the history of Kansas basketball, in the television ad several coaches were mentioned however one name was excluded. The missing name was that of Ted Owens who served as head coach from 1964 through 1983. Owens became head coach after serving as an assistant for Dick Harp. We could state with a degree of certainty Owens have been the forgotten men in relation to Kansas basketball.
We might make the same statement about Harp except he resigned after eight years on the job. Owens won almost 400 games (348) while he was head of the program in addition he is the fourth all-time winning coach at the school. I believe few know of Owens because he was fired. The last four years Owens was at the helm the Jayhawks finished 15-14, 24-8, 13-14 and 13-16. Succeeding coaches Larry Brown, Roy Williams and Bill Self never experienced losing records. Of course Brown and Self turned out NCAA Championship teams.
Where are they now
The Eastern Michigan Eagles upset the Michigan Wolverines 45-42 recently. I thought for a moment; “didn’t George Gervin attend Eastern?” My research confirmed George Gervin did indeed attend the school. He left school to play for the Virginia Squires but the time was short lived, few teams no longer in existence can claim to of its player in the Hall of Fame. Yes Virginia, the Squires at one point in time had Julius “Dr J. “Erving and George “Iceman” Gervin on their roster. You know the Dr. J. history as for Gervin he was traded to the ABA Spurs and remained with the team as it entered the NBA. Today Gervin continues to live and work in the San Antonio community; he’s involved with seven organizations dealing with high risk children. Gervin was also selected to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
The NBA in Europe
I’m viewing the game between the Knicks and Bucks played in England. The thought of NBA in Europe crossed my mind once again. The lower portion of the arena appears quite full so there are certainly NBA fans in attendance. One of the complaints I read on the NBA in Europe was not travel but lack of NBA ready arenas in Europe. That certainly appears to not be the case with the O2 Arena in London. According to information I was able to gather O2 seats 20,000 for basketball. The arena served as the basketball venue during the London Olympics.
One other note the architect firm that designed the building is Populus (now HOK) a Kansas City based firm. Commissioner Silver indicates rather than one or two teams “A (European) Division must be created rather than one or two teams, the travel time and adequate rest must be taken into consideration.”’ Just in case you wondered about my position I agree with the commissioner. An NBA team in London, Berlin, Madrid and Moscow and a couple of other locations could work.
