Basketball from a fans perspective
NBA DRAFT 2015
I checked several mock draft sites and none were anywhere near the actual events of last Thursday night.
*The Lakers completely fooled me. I have believed for weeks they would chose either
Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor. I almost fell off my chair when the commissioner said; D'Angello Russell. I’ve read a number of stories indicating Russell might be the best talent in this draft. The Lakers passing a Big Man over a smaller player might be a throwback. I’ve often mentioned the Tom Landry Dallas Cowboys would draft the best talent available. They would draft a player even having one (Jordan Clarkson) playing the same position. No Big Man are they looking ahead toward free agency which begins next week?
*Speaking of Jahlil Okafor the 76ers and Sam Henke chose another center. They have chosen Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and now Jahlil Okafor, three centers in three years. Embiid’s health might be a concern but let’s assume he’s okay. As mentioned previously Henke owned the second round as he continues to stockpile draft choices. It would appear at some point Philly fans are going to ask what’s going on. Stockpiling draft choices, trading away rookie of the year does Henke really have a clue what he’s trying to accomplish? Having bunches of players without an improved team certainly serves no purpose.
*Knick fans are upset with the team for the Kristaps Porzingis selection at four. The 7-1
(or 7-3) Latvian is extremely skinny and by all accounts needs two or three years to develop his game. That’s not pleasing for fans who suffered through the Knicks worst season ever. Carmelo Anthony is or will soon turn 31, that’s not exactly ancient but does he have the time left to help improve the Knicks. *Frank Isola of the New York Daily News made a statement which holds true. I’m paraphrasing his comment. “Folks watch 3 minutes of figure skating in the Olympics or 3 Final Four games and figure they have all the information needed to decide who the best draft pick is." Maybe the Zen Master will prove correct with this pick in the future.
*If you are a talent and want to play in the NBA you should hope Kentucky recruits you. Coach Cal almost guarantees your name will be circulated among NBA scouts and front office staff. Kentucky managed to tie its previous record with six (6) players being drafted in the first and second round. Aaron Harrison’s brother was drafted however the NBA passed on selecting him. He might be picked up as a free agent however.
*The NBA in a continuing effort to market NBA basketball set it sites on Asia special ally India. Last season Sim Bhullar (Canadian whose parents emigrated from India) was signed and appeared in a Kings game. Technically we could say he was the first but not really. The Mavs made Satnam Singh Bhamara the 22nd pick in the second round. The 7-1 290 pound Bhamara becomes the first player from India to be drafted. All reports indicate he’s headed for the D-League but eventually make an NBA roster.
*I wonder if ESPN’s Mike Greenberg believes what he says sometimes. “The Lakers passing over Okafor for Russell has signaled a change in the NBA. The success of the Warriors with small ball is why” Even more interesting he ask guest Chris Broussard and his view of the situation was totally different. Broussard said; “Half the NBA general managers would have chosen Okafor.” Certainly the NBA landscape has changed but not to the extent Greenberg seems to continually express, he's a party of one with his take. For someone with a long history in sports media he certainly expresses strange ideas at times.
*I have but one question for Stephen A. Smith, Mr. Smith in your most bombastic style you were critical of Phil Jackson and the Knicks for their pick of Kristaps Porzingis. Who where the Knicks going to choose talented enough to turn this team around next season? You provided us several names but in your heart of hearts do you really believe they could lead the Knicks into the playoffs?
*Not connected but the story broke during the draft. I’d reported earlier George Karl’s desire to trade Boogie Cousins. Further it was indicated the Kings owner had voiced opposition to trading his star player. Now Chris Broussard of ESPN is reporting the Kings might fire Karl. Come on that can't be true the guy has only been on the job since February would they fire him? As dysfunctional as the Kings front office has been I guess it's possible.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Basketball from a fans perspective
NBA Draft assement
Commentary on the June 25th draft will be provided on Monday.
Bits n Pieces
Few might have thought of Milt Newton as general manager while he was playing ball. His bio indicates he was the starting forward on the 1988 NCAA Championship Kansas team. Newton was the starting forward for that Kansas team. After college Newton played in Europe and the Continental Basketball Association before turning to the business side of basketball. The Wolves hired Newton to run their front office in September 2013.
At the time the Celtics had Walter McCarty every time he’d make an outstanding play Celtic broadcaster Tom Heinsohn would proclaim; “I love Walter.” I could substitute the name Adam in place of Walter; Adam Silver has been NBA Commissioner since February 1, 2014. His bland manner and approach to subjects is a sharp contrast to David Stern. Stern sometimes expressed an abrasive and condescending attitude. Don’t get me wrong Silver is all business he just conducts himself differently than his predecessor.
A proposal is on the table by the NCAA which could change the early entry process considerably. A college player could attend the NBA Combine held annually in May to determine their draft eligibility. The athlete can determine his draft status and provided he fails to sign with an agent he could return to school. Here’s hoping the policy is implemented for a variety of reasons.
Despite losing a record number of athletes to the NBA Kentucky has re-loaded once again. On Wednesday the school received a commitment from Jamal Murray a 6-4 193 pound shooting guard. Murray from Kitchener, Ontario Canada is a 5-star prospect who reclassified into the Class of 2015. Murray joins two other 5-star recruits’ 6-11 center Skal Labissiere and 6-3 guard Isaiah Briscoe. Anybody believe Cal is leaving Big Blue Nation?
What the *&%#@
George Karl was hired as head coach of the Kings in February 2015. News reports indicate the coach is the driving force in an attempt to trade DeMarcus Cousins. It’s been reported previously maturity issues delayed Cousins more than his ability since his arrival in the NBA. He finally had a coach he trusted (Mike Malone) and the Kings believing there were issues fired him. Karl becomes coach number five in the five years Cousins has played in the NBA.
The Kings were bad however Cousins had a break-out 2014-15 season. Cousins scored at 24 points per game clips and pulled down nearly 13 rebounds plus he played decent defense. Even more interesting there seems to be a divided house regarding Cousins, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has publicly stated “no way” are we trading him. Is the coach attempting to flex his authority over Cousins? If we look closely at Karl’s bio it details a history of run-ins with star players at every coaching stop. Who eventually wins this match the coach or the owner?
He’s not right all the time
I have no method of documenting this story but thought it interesting if true. I might add we cannot be correct all of the time same for Stephen A. Smith. I just find it interesting sometimes folks who get “paid” fail to often get it right too. ESPN’s Smith has been incorrect numerous times predicting an NBA Champion at the beginning of a series. Below are his choices and in parenthesis are the actual series winners.
2011 Heat (Mavs)
2012 Thunder (Heat)
2013 Spurs (Heat)
2014 Heat (Spurs)
2015 Cavs (Warriors)
NBA Draft assement
Commentary on the June 25th draft will be provided on Monday.
Bits n Pieces
Few might have thought of Milt Newton as general manager while he was playing ball. His bio indicates he was the starting forward on the 1988 NCAA Championship Kansas team. Newton was the starting forward for that Kansas team. After college Newton played in Europe and the Continental Basketball Association before turning to the business side of basketball. The Wolves hired Newton to run their front office in September 2013.
At the time the Celtics had Walter McCarty every time he’d make an outstanding play Celtic broadcaster Tom Heinsohn would proclaim; “I love Walter.” I could substitute the name Adam in place of Walter; Adam Silver has been NBA Commissioner since February 1, 2014. His bland manner and approach to subjects is a sharp contrast to David Stern. Stern sometimes expressed an abrasive and condescending attitude. Don’t get me wrong Silver is all business he just conducts himself differently than his predecessor.
A proposal is on the table by the NCAA which could change the early entry process considerably. A college player could attend the NBA Combine held annually in May to determine their draft eligibility. The athlete can determine his draft status and provided he fails to sign with an agent he could return to school. Here’s hoping the policy is implemented for a variety of reasons.
Despite losing a record number of athletes to the NBA Kentucky has re-loaded once again. On Wednesday the school received a commitment from Jamal Murray a 6-4 193 pound shooting guard. Murray from Kitchener, Ontario Canada is a 5-star prospect who reclassified into the Class of 2015. Murray joins two other 5-star recruits’ 6-11 center Skal Labissiere and 6-3 guard Isaiah Briscoe. Anybody believe Cal is leaving Big Blue Nation?
What the *&%#@
George Karl was hired as head coach of the Kings in February 2015. News reports indicate the coach is the driving force in an attempt to trade DeMarcus Cousins. It’s been reported previously maturity issues delayed Cousins more than his ability since his arrival in the NBA. He finally had a coach he trusted (Mike Malone) and the Kings believing there were issues fired him. Karl becomes coach number five in the five years Cousins has played in the NBA.
The Kings were bad however Cousins had a break-out 2014-15 season. Cousins scored at 24 points per game clips and pulled down nearly 13 rebounds plus he played decent defense. Even more interesting there seems to be a divided house regarding Cousins, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has publicly stated “no way” are we trading him. Is the coach attempting to flex his authority over Cousins? If we look closely at Karl’s bio it details a history of run-ins with star players at every coaching stop. Who eventually wins this match the coach or the owner?
He’s not right all the time
I have no method of documenting this story but thought it interesting if true. I might add we cannot be correct all of the time same for Stephen A. Smith. I just find it interesting sometimes folks who get “paid” fail to often get it right too. ESPN’s Smith has been incorrect numerous times predicting an NBA Champion at the beginning of a series. Below are his choices and in parenthesis are the actual series winners.
2011 Heat (Mavs)
2012 Thunder (Heat)
2013 Spurs (Heat)
2014 Heat (Spurs)
2015 Cavs (Warriors)
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Basketball from a fans perspective
I didn’t read it
Just read the headline and not the story. NBADraft.net ran a story by DeAngelo Russell where he made the case for the Lakers to draft him with the number two pick tomorrow. From all reports I’ve read and heard most basketball folks believe he’s got a real good chance to become an NBA superstar. Russell is 6-4 195 pounds and can play either guard position. Sorry DeAngelo but Larry Laker figures the number two pick should be either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor. Draft the Big Man, draft the Big Man, I’ll say it for the last time draft a Big Man.
This is different
The football school (Alabama) beat out the basketball school (Kansas) for a prospect. Even more interesting Coach Avery Johnson has been on the job about 3 months; although he’s served as head coach at NBA stops he’s got no college coaching experience. Contrast that with Bill Self coach at Kansas since 2003 in addition to tasting success at the college level he‘s got an NCAA Championship on his resume. As for the prospect I speak of 6-5 215 pound shooting guard Kobie Eubanks, he’s a Rivals 4-star talent in the Class of 2015.
Don’t expect a Christmas card
Knicks President Phil Jackson shouldn’t expect a Christmas card or anything else from LeBron James, the Zen Master made news once again. “He (LeBron) might travel every other time he catches the ball.” This is right up there with his comment about the Warriors early in the 2015 playoffs. You might remember he voiced critical remarks about jump shooting teams of course it was a slam at the Warriors. After they won the NBA Championship he was forced to congratulate them. If you know the Zen Masters history it’s really Phil Jackson being Phil Jackson. He revels in making outstanding statements and comments at time. While coaching the Lakers he once said; “Sacramento is like a cow two or something similar.” Kings fans begin bringing cow bells to Lakers-Kings games to ring during lulls in the game. On the other hand despite his congratulatory effort he shouldn’t expect anything from the Warriors either.
On second thought
I’m intrigue by Kristaps Porzingis, first he’s only 19-years old, and second he’s 7-2 and 230 pounds. Third and probably most important this youngster from Latvia is talented. Looking at the 2015 draft we knew he would be drafted but consider his movement. Once he was projected to be drafted somewhere in the middle of the first round. He’s seen his draft stock steadily rise as he’s worked out for a number of NBA teams.
A few weeks back he moved into the lottery now it’s reported he could be drafted as high as number three. I hate to do this (make comparisons) but his game reminds me of Dirk Nowatski. Maybe part of my belief is based on his ability to shot from the 3-point line. Let’s see the Lakers could draft Porzingis and move Julius Randle to small forward. The Lakers pick is still based on the Wolves choice.
I was mesmerized
Listening to former ABA/NBA and ESPN analyst Hubie Brown is mesmerizing. First off it’s difficult to believe he’s 81-years old, I listened intently as the coach discussed various aspects of the game. The OG (old guy) with his vast background is knowledgeable and can discuss Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell in the same breath as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Brown has coached, scouted or broadcast games of literally thousands of NBA players over the course of his career.
Interesting Brown might not be held in the same high esteem I do, I once held a discussion with a co-worker with Brown the subject. The acquaintance was critical of Brown because of his gift of gab. I defended Brown by stating “he knows the game.” I’m not sure if the co-worker accepted my explanation however he never mentioned Brown’s name to me again. One more worthy note in 2005 Brown was honored with a selection to the Naismith Hall of Fame as a game contributor.
I didn’t read it
Just read the headline and not the story. NBADraft.net ran a story by DeAngelo Russell where he made the case for the Lakers to draft him with the number two pick tomorrow. From all reports I’ve read and heard most basketball folks believe he’s got a real good chance to become an NBA superstar. Russell is 6-4 195 pounds and can play either guard position. Sorry DeAngelo but Larry Laker figures the number two pick should be either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor. Draft the Big Man, draft the Big Man, I’ll say it for the last time draft a Big Man.
This is different
The football school (Alabama) beat out the basketball school (Kansas) for a prospect. Even more interesting Coach Avery Johnson has been on the job about 3 months; although he’s served as head coach at NBA stops he’s got no college coaching experience. Contrast that with Bill Self coach at Kansas since 2003 in addition to tasting success at the college level he‘s got an NCAA Championship on his resume. As for the prospect I speak of 6-5 215 pound shooting guard Kobie Eubanks, he’s a Rivals 4-star talent in the Class of 2015.
Don’t expect a Christmas card
Knicks President Phil Jackson shouldn’t expect a Christmas card or anything else from LeBron James, the Zen Master made news once again. “He (LeBron) might travel every other time he catches the ball.” This is right up there with his comment about the Warriors early in the 2015 playoffs. You might remember he voiced critical remarks about jump shooting teams of course it was a slam at the Warriors. After they won the NBA Championship he was forced to congratulate them. If you know the Zen Masters history it’s really Phil Jackson being Phil Jackson. He revels in making outstanding statements and comments at time. While coaching the Lakers he once said; “Sacramento is like a cow two or something similar.” Kings fans begin bringing cow bells to Lakers-Kings games to ring during lulls in the game. On the other hand despite his congratulatory effort he shouldn’t expect anything from the Warriors either.
On second thought
I’m intrigue by Kristaps Porzingis, first he’s only 19-years old, and second he’s 7-2 and 230 pounds. Third and probably most important this youngster from Latvia is talented. Looking at the 2015 draft we knew he would be drafted but consider his movement. Once he was projected to be drafted somewhere in the middle of the first round. He’s seen his draft stock steadily rise as he’s worked out for a number of NBA teams.
A few weeks back he moved into the lottery now it’s reported he could be drafted as high as number three. I hate to do this (make comparisons) but his game reminds me of Dirk Nowatski. Maybe part of my belief is based on his ability to shot from the 3-point line. Let’s see the Lakers could draft Porzingis and move Julius Randle to small forward. The Lakers pick is still based on the Wolves choice.
I was mesmerized
Listening to former ABA/NBA and ESPN analyst Hubie Brown is mesmerizing. First off it’s difficult to believe he’s 81-years old, I listened intently as the coach discussed various aspects of the game. The OG (old guy) with his vast background is knowledgeable and can discuss Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell in the same breath as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Brown has coached, scouted or broadcast games of literally thousands of NBA players over the course of his career.
Interesting Brown might not be held in the same high esteem I do, I once held a discussion with a co-worker with Brown the subject. The acquaintance was critical of Brown because of his gift of gab. I defended Brown by stating “he knows the game.” I’m not sure if the co-worker accepted my explanation however he never mentioned Brown’s name to me again. One more worthy note in 2005 Brown was honored with a selection to the Naismith Hall of Fame as a game contributor.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Basketball from a fans perspective
I’m okay with it
What to do, what to do? There are rumors floating about regarding Thursdays NBA Draft and the Lakers. With three draft choices (2, 27 and 34) I wouldn’t be opposed to a trade. Trade the 27th and 34th pick along with Nick Young for an NBA veteran. The Lakers are in a full-scale rebuilding mode however I cannot see them adding three rookies to the roster at one time. Is that veteran the Heat's Dwayne Wade, he's a free agent and rumors are circulating he is interested in the Lakers. On the other hand they might avoid a veteran and draft three rookies, what ever occurs I’m okay with it.
My response
Skip Bayless-Tweet
“I love Steph but GSt had a fortuitous run to title. Avoided OKC, Clips, Spurs and 4 straight injured starting PGs. Needs to validate next yr”
Steph Curry-Tweet response
“Love you too Skip!”
The Curry response is so much nicer than the one I would have made, this is mine. Question; “When and what level of competitive sports did you play Skip Bayless? If you bothered to check facts you would discover your comments while partially correct are off base. How were the Warriors to defend themselves against a team (the Thunder) who didn’t make the playoffs? In addition the entire world knows the Clippers holding a 3-1 game series lead self-destructed in losing to the Rockets. As for your Spurs, they were losers as well against those Clippers as I stated early imploded.“
On the other hand
In Thon Maker news the acknowledged number one prospect in the Class of ______is making news once again, read on you’ll see why I left the space above blank. The acknowledged number one prospect in 2016 last winter indicated he was re-classifying and would graduate in 2015. Most recruiting sites moved him to one or two for the Class of 2015. Maker said; “Things didn’t work out and I’ll remain in high school another year.” The strange and unusual journey continues for this youngster born in South Sudan. He and his family immigrated to Australia and later to the United States.
Once in the states he enrolled in a school in Louisiana but later moved to Virginia and last year left for the Basketball Academy at the Athletic Institute in Metro Toronto Canada. I’ve seen plenty of video on the 7-foot youngster and he certainly looks talented. A large number of schools are still waiting patiently in line waiting on Maker’s college decision. It should be noted Thon has a “little” brother who is a highly rated Class of 2017 prospect. Brother Matur Maker is a 6-10 200 pound center.
We can’t blame the Kings
I’m sure in some circles I’m sure there are fingers pointed at the Kings. The question might be how in the world could the Kings have given up on Hassan Whiteside? After remaining on the Kings roster for 2 seasons they released him and after several basketball stops he arrived in Miami and experienced a break-out year. Some of that background information that led him to the Heat. The Kings originally chose Demarcus Cousins and Whiteside in the same 2010 draft, Cousins the 5th pick in the first round and Whiteside the 33rd pick in the second round. After some early maturity issues Cousins has settled down, he’s become one of the building blocks as the Kings attempt to rebuild the franchise.
Whiteside’s development was also delayed by maturity issues in addition he was less skilled offensively and defensively than Cousins. Whiteside was not ready to play at the NBA level however there was another factor in his decision to leave Marshall. His then coach at Marshall Donnie Jones left to take the UCF head coaching job after Whiteside’s freshman year. He probably wasn’t ready to play at the NBA level due to skill and more importantly maturity issues. The Kings can’t be blamed for giving up on Whiteside after all Cousins was ahead of him on the depth chart. Although his NBA career was delayed it appears with hard work Whiteside has proven he’s finally ready. It’s up to Whiteside to continue developing his game.
My hope
I’m passionate about my teams, I hate when they lose. It’s even worst when they lose a game or games I believe they could have or should have won. Despite my passion my hope is to never make excuses for my team(s) losing. A relative who loves LeBron said after the series was completed; “The refs had it in for the Cavs, there were so many fouls on LeBron that weren’t called.” Sometimes there are a disproportionate number of calls against one team over another however I refuse to believe it’s on purpose, my team loses they lose.
I’d mentioned this story previously it was 1989 my Lakers won two NBA Championships in a row and were headed for their third. Guard Byron Scott went out with a hamstring before the first game. Magic Johnson suffered the same injury in Game Two.; neither was able to play in the series. The final result the Pistons swept the Lakers 4-0 much to my dismay. I knew why the outcome but to mention the injuries to vital starters sounded like an excuse. From that point on I made up my mind I wouldn’t make excuses just simply state “My team didn’t win.”
I’m okay with it
What to do, what to do? There are rumors floating about regarding Thursdays NBA Draft and the Lakers. With three draft choices (2, 27 and 34) I wouldn’t be opposed to a trade. Trade the 27th and 34th pick along with Nick Young for an NBA veteran. The Lakers are in a full-scale rebuilding mode however I cannot see them adding three rookies to the roster at one time. Is that veteran the Heat's Dwayne Wade, he's a free agent and rumors are circulating he is interested in the Lakers. On the other hand they might avoid a veteran and draft three rookies, what ever occurs I’m okay with it.
My response
Skip Bayless-Tweet
“I love Steph but GSt had a fortuitous run to title. Avoided OKC, Clips, Spurs and 4 straight injured starting PGs. Needs to validate next yr”
Steph Curry-Tweet response
“Love you too Skip!”
The Curry response is so much nicer than the one I would have made, this is mine. Question; “When and what level of competitive sports did you play Skip Bayless? If you bothered to check facts you would discover your comments while partially correct are off base. How were the Warriors to defend themselves against a team (the Thunder) who didn’t make the playoffs? In addition the entire world knows the Clippers holding a 3-1 game series lead self-destructed in losing to the Rockets. As for your Spurs, they were losers as well against those Clippers as I stated early imploded.“
On the other hand
In Thon Maker news the acknowledged number one prospect in the Class of ______is making news once again, read on you’ll see why I left the space above blank. The acknowledged number one prospect in 2016 last winter indicated he was re-classifying and would graduate in 2015. Most recruiting sites moved him to one or two for the Class of 2015. Maker said; “Things didn’t work out and I’ll remain in high school another year.” The strange and unusual journey continues for this youngster born in South Sudan. He and his family immigrated to Australia and later to the United States.
Once in the states he enrolled in a school in Louisiana but later moved to Virginia and last year left for the Basketball Academy at the Athletic Institute in Metro Toronto Canada. I’ve seen plenty of video on the 7-foot youngster and he certainly looks talented. A large number of schools are still waiting patiently in line waiting on Maker’s college decision. It should be noted Thon has a “little” brother who is a highly rated Class of 2017 prospect. Brother Matur Maker is a 6-10 200 pound center.
We can’t blame the Kings
I’m sure in some circles I’m sure there are fingers pointed at the Kings. The question might be how in the world could the Kings have given up on Hassan Whiteside? After remaining on the Kings roster for 2 seasons they released him and after several basketball stops he arrived in Miami and experienced a break-out year. Some of that background information that led him to the Heat. The Kings originally chose Demarcus Cousins and Whiteside in the same 2010 draft, Cousins the 5th pick in the first round and Whiteside the 33rd pick in the second round. After some early maturity issues Cousins has settled down, he’s become one of the building blocks as the Kings attempt to rebuild the franchise.
Whiteside’s development was also delayed by maturity issues in addition he was less skilled offensively and defensively than Cousins. Whiteside was not ready to play at the NBA level however there was another factor in his decision to leave Marshall. His then coach at Marshall Donnie Jones left to take the UCF head coaching job after Whiteside’s freshman year. He probably wasn’t ready to play at the NBA level due to skill and more importantly maturity issues. The Kings can’t be blamed for giving up on Whiteside after all Cousins was ahead of him on the depth chart. Although his NBA career was delayed it appears with hard work Whiteside has proven he’s finally ready. It’s up to Whiteside to continue developing his game.
My hope
I’m passionate about my teams, I hate when they lose. It’s even worst when they lose a game or games I believe they could have or should have won. Despite my passion my hope is to never make excuses for my team(s) losing. A relative who loves LeBron said after the series was completed; “The refs had it in for the Cavs, there were so many fouls on LeBron that weren’t called.” Sometimes there are a disproportionate number of calls against one team over another however I refuse to believe it’s on purpose, my team loses they lose.
I’d mentioned this story previously it was 1989 my Lakers won two NBA Championships in a row and were headed for their third. Guard Byron Scott went out with a hamstring before the first game. Magic Johnson suffered the same injury in Game Two.; neither was able to play in the series. The final result the Pistons swept the Lakers 4-0 much to my dismay. I knew why the outcome but to mention the injuries to vital starters sounded like an excuse. From that point on I made up my mind I wouldn’t make excuses just simply state “My team didn’t win.”
Friday, June 19, 2015
Basketball from a fans perspective
Congratulations
Andre Iguodala was named MVP of the 2015 NBA Championship. Going into the series most of the experts believed Steph Curry would be accorded the honor. As late as the morning of Game 6 many in the media were stating win or loss LeBron James could be considered for MVP. The only sour note is the LeBron contingent which includes Mike Greenberg of ESPN; he’s sticking to his original thought. We realize Iguodala only started the last three games, does that really matter? Iguodala scored he defended and in the end he won. Greenberg is looking strictly at LeBron’s numbers which were outstanding. The fact is LeBron’s team won 2 games Iguodala’s won 4.
Can we wait a little bit?
This time I have no particular host at ESPN to aim my slings and arrows. This subject was discussed on three different programs by the network the day after the championship series concluded. This is not exactly worded as listed but close; “Is this Warriors team one of the all time best teams.” I didn’t bother with listening to anyone’s response because I didn’t believe the question to be valid. Why the rush can we simply reflect on the victory and leave it at that?
The Warriors have won-------hmmmmm let me think for a moment one championship.
I certainly have no desire to take anything away from the Warriors so I hope fans realize I‘m not attempting to trash their team. From October 2014 through June 16 the Warriors were the best team in the NBA. Can they or rather should they be discussed in the same breath as those Championship Celtic, Laker and Bulls teams of the past? We might include the Olajuwon Rockets who managed to repeat as NBA Champions.
You figure it out
I’m a fan; you must leave me and several others out of the equation. Reports are the NBA Championship ratings were outstanding according to the ABC Network. How outstanding you might ask? The television numbers were the highest for an NBA Championship since the Jordan Bulls in 1998.
Marketing the product
Does the NBA know how to market itself, you better bet they do. The kick off Summer League game in Las Vegas has the Wolves facing the Lakers. This July 10 game is likely to see Jahlil Okafor matched against Karl-Anthony Towns. Two weeks prior to the draft we believe we know (mock draft sites) which jersey each will slip on however nothing is assured as this is written.
Kansas basketball
The 2014-15 season was disappointing for most Kansas fans. Sure they won the Big 12 Conference for the umpteen time but the post-season was a far different matter. They were eliminated by their state rival the Wichita State Shockers. The Jayhawks planned in the off-season is to re-tool after losing Kelly Oubre and Cliff Alexander to the NBA. It’s good to have a national reputation (Kansas) and a nationally recognized coach (Bill Self) to aid in recruiting. LaGerald Vick a 6-5 shooting guard from Memphis may be the last piece of the puzzle. Earlier 6-9 225 pound forward Cheick Diallo and Carlton Bragg with similar height and weight committed to Kansas.
These high profile recruits will join point guard Frank Mason III, shooting guard Wayne Selden Jr. and small forward Perry Ellis and remaining letterman. There is no method to predict the impact of these freshman and others. Last season Kelly Oubre Jr. had an up and down season before declaring for the NBA draft. We could make the same statement regarding Cliff Alexander who played sparingly and then the NCAA forced him to the bench while investigating improprieties in his recruiting. Alexander also decided in favor of the NBA. Both Diallo and Bragg will provide the Jayhawks help in a missing element last season an inside game.
Not for me
The Clippers unveiled new uniforms for next season. See them for yourself, I’m not impressed but that might be intended. A talk program host said; “They are designed to appeal to kids not the older generation.” I am far removed from my youth days so I understand (and appreciate) what this host said. As I stated above check them out for yourself and make your own judgment.
Congratulations
Andre Iguodala was named MVP of the 2015 NBA Championship. Going into the series most of the experts believed Steph Curry would be accorded the honor. As late as the morning of Game 6 many in the media were stating win or loss LeBron James could be considered for MVP. The only sour note is the LeBron contingent which includes Mike Greenberg of ESPN; he’s sticking to his original thought. We realize Iguodala only started the last three games, does that really matter? Iguodala scored he defended and in the end he won. Greenberg is looking strictly at LeBron’s numbers which were outstanding. The fact is LeBron’s team won 2 games Iguodala’s won 4.
Can we wait a little bit?
This time I have no particular host at ESPN to aim my slings and arrows. This subject was discussed on three different programs by the network the day after the championship series concluded. This is not exactly worded as listed but close; “Is this Warriors team one of the all time best teams.” I didn’t bother with listening to anyone’s response because I didn’t believe the question to be valid. Why the rush can we simply reflect on the victory and leave it at that?
The Warriors have won-------hmmmmm let me think for a moment one championship.
I certainly have no desire to take anything away from the Warriors so I hope fans realize I‘m not attempting to trash their team. From October 2014 through June 16 the Warriors were the best team in the NBA. Can they or rather should they be discussed in the same breath as those Championship Celtic, Laker and Bulls teams of the past? We might include the Olajuwon Rockets who managed to repeat as NBA Champions.
You figure it out
I’m a fan; you must leave me and several others out of the equation. Reports are the NBA Championship ratings were outstanding according to the ABC Network. How outstanding you might ask? The television numbers were the highest for an NBA Championship since the Jordan Bulls in 1998.
Marketing the product
Does the NBA know how to market itself, you better bet they do. The kick off Summer League game in Las Vegas has the Wolves facing the Lakers. This July 10 game is likely to see Jahlil Okafor matched against Karl-Anthony Towns. Two weeks prior to the draft we believe we know (mock draft sites) which jersey each will slip on however nothing is assured as this is written.
Kansas basketball
The 2014-15 season was disappointing for most Kansas fans. Sure they won the Big 12 Conference for the umpteen time but the post-season was a far different matter. They were eliminated by their state rival the Wichita State Shockers. The Jayhawks planned in the off-season is to re-tool after losing Kelly Oubre and Cliff Alexander to the NBA. It’s good to have a national reputation (Kansas) and a nationally recognized coach (Bill Self) to aid in recruiting. LaGerald Vick a 6-5 shooting guard from Memphis may be the last piece of the puzzle. Earlier 6-9 225 pound forward Cheick Diallo and Carlton Bragg with similar height and weight committed to Kansas.
These high profile recruits will join point guard Frank Mason III, shooting guard Wayne Selden Jr. and small forward Perry Ellis and remaining letterman. There is no method to predict the impact of these freshman and others. Last season Kelly Oubre Jr. had an up and down season before declaring for the NBA draft. We could make the same statement regarding Cliff Alexander who played sparingly and then the NCAA forced him to the bench while investigating improprieties in his recruiting. Alexander also decided in favor of the NBA. Both Diallo and Bragg will provide the Jayhawks help in a missing element last season an inside game.
Not for me
The Clippers unveiled new uniforms for next season. See them for yourself, I’m not impressed but that might be intended. A talk program host said; “They are designed to appeal to kids not the older generation.” I am far removed from my youth days so I understand (and appreciate) what this host said. As I stated above check them out for yourself and make your own judgment.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Basketball from a fans perspective
It's over
Congratulations are extended to the Golden State Warriors. They become the 2015 NBA Champions beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-97 and winning the series 4 games to 2. LeBron James had an outstanding series considering both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were missing due to injury. Cleveland fans believed the return of LeBron James would provide the city it's first championship since 1964. Losing hurts for awhile Cleveland rest assured your Cavs will be the Eastern Conference favorites next season.
Inquiring minds
Today’s question to consider, why does the NBA measure basketball players’ height without shoes? Consider this fact a man’s dress shoe with a heel generally adds a little less than 2 inches to ones’ height. The bottom portion of a basketball shoe is virtually flat and cannot add much above ½ inch to anybodies height. I’m unsure if high schools or colleges’ measure without shoes but the NBA has long adopted this policy. The NBA Draft Combine held last month always utilizes the no shoes height measurement.
I was curious why the NBA adopted this procedure therefore I checked four basketball sites on the World Wide Web. I discovered none were able to offer an explanation how the process came about or its ‘purpose. I stopped searching believing I’d located as much information as possible and none were able to offer enlightenment. One site even claimed the NBA was the only professional league that practiced this process. So there you have the answer for inquiring minds who want to know, there is no explanation.
Arrogance--your opinion
Much has been made by Kobe Bryant’s arrogance by his critics. I held a conversation with a friend the other day, I told him the difference I believed in Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Kobe plain doesn’t care what you say about him while LeBron seems to be affected by negative commentary. I’d mentioned Jared Dudley and the entertainer Nelly both claimed “nobody wants to play with Kobe.” You have an idea how Kobe feels regarding his arrogance. He tweeted out; “People who call me arrogant should count to 5“ a reference to his 5 NBA Championships. It’s likely there will be no more championships for Kobe as a player, how many athletes should we suppose can count even one championship on their bio. We could begin our count with Charles Barkley’s name, a number of former NBA greats living and deceased retired ring less.
Bits n Pieces
If you have this information already that’s good I didn’t. I believe all of us were knowledgeable college coaches couldn’t contact prospects before a certain date. The date probably changes on a year to year basis. For the Class of 2017 the contact date is June 15, 2015. Prospects should be prepared for a bombardment of phone calls and text messages.
Benjamin Franklin was an “author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman and diplomat” Wikipedia. Franklin lived from 1706-1790 roughly 200 some years before basketball was invented. The 76ers Franklin’s home town unveiled their new logo for next season. Ben dressed in clothing of the era is shown dribbling a basketball. Okay Philadelphia, Liberty Bell, and Ben Franklin we get it but basketball?
An arena is in the works for Seattle, even more interesting the NHL might play in the arena before an NBA basketball team. The multi-purpose Seattle Arena will accommodate 18,000-20,000 spectators for sporting events. The NBA has expressed no interest in expansion at the present time in Seattle or anywhere else. Unlike his predecessor Adam Silver has made no mention of Euro NBA expansion. Apparently the NHL is anxious to have a presence in the Emerald City.
This is bothersome on several levels, remember 76er Joel Embiid? He was the third pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft. He’d miss the season due to injury; despite this fact the 76ers still chose the 7-footer believing he was a top prospect. Now comes words his foot has not sufficiently healed. He’s going to miss NBA Summer League will he be ready for the 2015-16 season? His former college coach Bill Self says “He hasn’t re-injured anything.”
The draft
I fell into the trap as usual so I guess I’m the dummy. I mentioned previously Mike Greenberg’s proposed “fix” for the NBA Draft. This ESPN host seems to believe (as do others) the draft lottery is out-dated. Don’t misunderstand my intent if there is a method of addressing change that’s credible it should be accomplished. Change for change sakes without providing a reason I fail to understand. Greenberg proposes the top team failing to make the playoffs would receive the number one draft pick. As the draft is structured currently the team with the poorest record doesn’t always win the pick but generally finishes in the top five. If Greenberg would offer research rather than just offer his opinion he might discover interesting facts. As an example NBA TV recently profiled this years Warriors team.
Keep in mind as this is written they haven’t won anything but they are playing for an NBA Championship. Let’s check them out, with the exception of reserves Andre Iguodala and Leandro Barbosa and starter Andrew Bogut the Warriors have been built almost exclusively through the draft. As for the Warriors Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and reserve Fetus Ezeli are all draft choices. How bout last seasons Spurs champion team you ask. Tim Duncan was a number one pick however Khawi Leonard was 15, Tony Parker 28. Manu Ginobili who was a key participant last year and in the past was a number 57 pick. Building a successful team is often slow and uncertain but don’t tell me a team cannot be built or re-built through the draft as it‘s currently structured.
It's over
Congratulations are extended to the Golden State Warriors. They become the 2015 NBA Champions beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-97 and winning the series 4 games to 2. LeBron James had an outstanding series considering both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were missing due to injury. Cleveland fans believed the return of LeBron James would provide the city it's first championship since 1964. Losing hurts for awhile Cleveland rest assured your Cavs will be the Eastern Conference favorites next season.
Inquiring minds
Today’s question to consider, why does the NBA measure basketball players’ height without shoes? Consider this fact a man’s dress shoe with a heel generally adds a little less than 2 inches to ones’ height. The bottom portion of a basketball shoe is virtually flat and cannot add much above ½ inch to anybodies height. I’m unsure if high schools or colleges’ measure without shoes but the NBA has long adopted this policy. The NBA Draft Combine held last month always utilizes the no shoes height measurement.
I was curious why the NBA adopted this procedure therefore I checked four basketball sites on the World Wide Web. I discovered none were able to offer an explanation how the process came about or its ‘purpose. I stopped searching believing I’d located as much information as possible and none were able to offer enlightenment. One site even claimed the NBA was the only professional league that practiced this process. So there you have the answer for inquiring minds who want to know, there is no explanation.
Arrogance--your opinion
Much has been made by Kobe Bryant’s arrogance by his critics. I held a conversation with a friend the other day, I told him the difference I believed in Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Kobe plain doesn’t care what you say about him while LeBron seems to be affected by negative commentary. I’d mentioned Jared Dudley and the entertainer Nelly both claimed “nobody wants to play with Kobe.” You have an idea how Kobe feels regarding his arrogance. He tweeted out; “People who call me arrogant should count to 5“ a reference to his 5 NBA Championships. It’s likely there will be no more championships for Kobe as a player, how many athletes should we suppose can count even one championship on their bio. We could begin our count with Charles Barkley’s name, a number of former NBA greats living and deceased retired ring less.
Bits n Pieces
If you have this information already that’s good I didn’t. I believe all of us were knowledgeable college coaches couldn’t contact prospects before a certain date. The date probably changes on a year to year basis. For the Class of 2017 the contact date is June 15, 2015. Prospects should be prepared for a bombardment of phone calls and text messages.
Benjamin Franklin was an “author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman and diplomat” Wikipedia. Franklin lived from 1706-1790 roughly 200 some years before basketball was invented. The 76ers Franklin’s home town unveiled their new logo for next season. Ben dressed in clothing of the era is shown dribbling a basketball. Okay Philadelphia, Liberty Bell, and Ben Franklin we get it but basketball?
An arena is in the works for Seattle, even more interesting the NHL might play in the arena before an NBA basketball team. The multi-purpose Seattle Arena will accommodate 18,000-20,000 spectators for sporting events. The NBA has expressed no interest in expansion at the present time in Seattle or anywhere else. Unlike his predecessor Adam Silver has made no mention of Euro NBA expansion. Apparently the NHL is anxious to have a presence in the Emerald City.
This is bothersome on several levels, remember 76er Joel Embiid? He was the third pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft. He’d miss the season due to injury; despite this fact the 76ers still chose the 7-footer believing he was a top prospect. Now comes words his foot has not sufficiently healed. He’s going to miss NBA Summer League will he be ready for the 2015-16 season? His former college coach Bill Self says “He hasn’t re-injured anything.”
The draft
I fell into the trap as usual so I guess I’m the dummy. I mentioned previously Mike Greenberg’s proposed “fix” for the NBA Draft. This ESPN host seems to believe (as do others) the draft lottery is out-dated. Don’t misunderstand my intent if there is a method of addressing change that’s credible it should be accomplished. Change for change sakes without providing a reason I fail to understand. Greenberg proposes the top team failing to make the playoffs would receive the number one draft pick. As the draft is structured currently the team with the poorest record doesn’t always win the pick but generally finishes in the top five. If Greenberg would offer research rather than just offer his opinion he might discover interesting facts. As an example NBA TV recently profiled this years Warriors team.
Keep in mind as this is written they haven’t won anything but they are playing for an NBA Championship. Let’s check them out, with the exception of reserves Andre Iguodala and Leandro Barbosa and starter Andrew Bogut the Warriors have been built almost exclusively through the draft. As for the Warriors Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and reserve Fetus Ezeli are all draft choices. How bout last seasons Spurs champion team you ask. Tim Duncan was a number one pick however Khawi Leonard was 15, Tony Parker 28. Manu Ginobili who was a key participant last year and in the past was a number 57 pick. Building a successful team is often slow and uncertain but don’t tell me a team cannot be built or re-built through the draft as it‘s currently structured.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Basketball from a fans perspective
The Media
It’s funny to me and maybe only me. Have you noticed those in the media that have swung back and forth? After the Warriors win they declare almost in the same voice; “The Cavs are done, Warriors win the championship.” The next game the Cavs win and then we hear this; “LeBron, Shumpert and J.R. have the Warriors number.” Those are not the exact words we’ve heard but certainly something quite similar. I’m just going to continue viewing the series whether it goes six or seven games. I declare the winner to be _____________.
Which one to chose
As a Laker fan I can hardly wait for the next two weeks, will my team chose Towns or Okafor? One mock draft site indicates the Lakers will choose Ohio State’s DeAngelo Russell. That sounds totally insane to me, how do you chose a 6-4 guard when you have an opportunity to chose a 6-10 (or 11) center? This is no knock on Russell whom I believe is talented nor is there a guarantee Okafor is the real deal. The question who is chosen will soon be answered. Should I base my preference on the player they should chose based on a work-out or potential? Of the two Okafor is the only one who’s managed a workout for the Lakers.
This next statement I found interesting for the legion of Kobe haters. “Hopefully (Kobe) He’d be Super Hard On Me’” Okafor indicated if the Lakers chose to draft him. We realize there have been a significant number of draft bust Michael Olowokandi, Adam Morrison, Kwame Brown to name just a few. They were drafted with the belief they were diamonds in the rough. Unfortunately ability and in some instance injury prevented them from reaching the potential envisioned by many. We all could be surprised but I believe Commissioner Silver will march to the podium and say; “With the second pick in the 2015 draft the Los Angeles Lakers chose Jahlil Okafor of Duke University.”
Deja vu all over again
As Yogi Berra might say the Kyrie injury may have caused me and ESPN to say; its “Déjà vu all over again.” The headline read;”It will be the fourth game in NBA Finals history where a team is playing without 2 of its top 3 scorers. Each of the previous 3 teams lost the game, and the series.” One of those times was the 1989 NBA Finals; the Pistons were matched against the Lakers. Shooting guard Byron Scott suffered a severe hamstring in practice; he would be unable to play in game one Pistons 109 Lakers 97. Missing Scott the Lakers managed to play better in game two until minutes left in the third quarter.
Magic Johnson suffered a hamstring injury and was unable to finish the game Pistons 108 Lakers 105. Magic attempted to play in Game Three but could not make a go of it. Pistons 114 Lakers 110. The Laker backcourt in Game Four consisted of reserves backing other reserves, Piston 105, Lakers 97. A 4-game sweep by the Pistons, they may have beaten the Lakers anyway but fans would like to believe a healthy backcourt would have made a difference. This is not intended as a doom and gloom report, just to state it’s difficult for a team to win at this level without being 100% healthy.
Second guessing
I wonder if those folks critical of David Blatt truly understand the game, they complain about Blatt’s player rotation. They point to the fact LeBron and other starters have been forced to play heavy minutes. Perhaps James Jones, Shawn Marion and Mike Miller no longer have it. The three veterans are likely to retire after the season regardless of the series outcome. Jones is 34-years old with 12 NBA seasons under his belt. Marion is 37-years old with 16 years while Miller is 35 and 15 years, Kendrick Perkins is only 30 years old but rarely plays. The injury to Kevin Love and later Kyrie Irving has impacted this series in a negative manner for the Cavs.
A health issue
7-footer Robert Upshaw was projected to be a first round draft choice. He would come into the NBA with “baggage” having been shown the door at Fresno State and then Washington. Many were salivating with what they believed was the NBA potential of Upshaw. In addition to the maturity issues a more serious issue is health. NBA workouts have detected a heart issue. My thought immediately went back to the 2014 draft and Isaiah Austin.
Austin a highly touted player from Baylor also had high aspirations until it was discovered a heart problem meant the end of his potential NBA career. As for Upshaw his agent indicates the family has known about his heart problems for years. I have no medical training or background so I’ll pose the question. Hank Gaithers and Reggie Lewis with heart problems, both would die before their time. Will Upshaw be drafted with the prospect of a lingering health issue? We shall wait and see.
Series final MVP
No one can deny LeBron James play has been outstanding during his teams play against the Warriors. Several in the media have suggested LeBron should be named series MVP regardless of the outcome. Let’s study this question from a historical perspective. In 1958 and 1959 the late Ernie Banks of the Cubs was named MVP despite the fact his team never came close to qualifying for post-season play. The Lakers Jerry West was named series MVP in 1969; he the winner despite the Celtics had beaten the Lakers four games to three to win the NBA Championship. I’m sorry LeBron fans it’s my belief the only way he wins is to lead the Cavs to the championship. If the Cavs win no argument from me it belongs to LeBron, no way he wins if they lose.
The Media
It’s funny to me and maybe only me. Have you noticed those in the media that have swung back and forth? After the Warriors win they declare almost in the same voice; “The Cavs are done, Warriors win the championship.” The next game the Cavs win and then we hear this; “LeBron, Shumpert and J.R. have the Warriors number.” Those are not the exact words we’ve heard but certainly something quite similar. I’m just going to continue viewing the series whether it goes six or seven games. I declare the winner to be _____________.
Which one to chose
As a Laker fan I can hardly wait for the next two weeks, will my team chose Towns or Okafor? One mock draft site indicates the Lakers will choose Ohio State’s DeAngelo Russell. That sounds totally insane to me, how do you chose a 6-4 guard when you have an opportunity to chose a 6-10 (or 11) center? This is no knock on Russell whom I believe is talented nor is there a guarantee Okafor is the real deal. The question who is chosen will soon be answered. Should I base my preference on the player they should chose based on a work-out or potential? Of the two Okafor is the only one who’s managed a workout for the Lakers.
This next statement I found interesting for the legion of Kobe haters. “Hopefully (Kobe) He’d be Super Hard On Me’” Okafor indicated if the Lakers chose to draft him. We realize there have been a significant number of draft bust Michael Olowokandi, Adam Morrison, Kwame Brown to name just a few. They were drafted with the belief they were diamonds in the rough. Unfortunately ability and in some instance injury prevented them from reaching the potential envisioned by many. We all could be surprised but I believe Commissioner Silver will march to the podium and say; “With the second pick in the 2015 draft the Los Angeles Lakers chose Jahlil Okafor of Duke University.”
Deja vu all over again
As Yogi Berra might say the Kyrie injury may have caused me and ESPN to say; its “Déjà vu all over again.” The headline read;”It will be the fourth game in NBA Finals history where a team is playing without 2 of its top 3 scorers. Each of the previous 3 teams lost the game, and the series.” One of those times was the 1989 NBA Finals; the Pistons were matched against the Lakers. Shooting guard Byron Scott suffered a severe hamstring in practice; he would be unable to play in game one Pistons 109 Lakers 97. Missing Scott the Lakers managed to play better in game two until minutes left in the third quarter.
Magic Johnson suffered a hamstring injury and was unable to finish the game Pistons 108 Lakers 105. Magic attempted to play in Game Three but could not make a go of it. Pistons 114 Lakers 110. The Laker backcourt in Game Four consisted of reserves backing other reserves, Piston 105, Lakers 97. A 4-game sweep by the Pistons, they may have beaten the Lakers anyway but fans would like to believe a healthy backcourt would have made a difference. This is not intended as a doom and gloom report, just to state it’s difficult for a team to win at this level without being 100% healthy.
Second guessing
I wonder if those folks critical of David Blatt truly understand the game, they complain about Blatt’s player rotation. They point to the fact LeBron and other starters have been forced to play heavy minutes. Perhaps James Jones, Shawn Marion and Mike Miller no longer have it. The three veterans are likely to retire after the season regardless of the series outcome. Jones is 34-years old with 12 NBA seasons under his belt. Marion is 37-years old with 16 years while Miller is 35 and 15 years, Kendrick Perkins is only 30 years old but rarely plays. The injury to Kevin Love and later Kyrie Irving has impacted this series in a negative manner for the Cavs.
A health issue
7-footer Robert Upshaw was projected to be a first round draft choice. He would come into the NBA with “baggage” having been shown the door at Fresno State and then Washington. Many were salivating with what they believed was the NBA potential of Upshaw. In addition to the maturity issues a more serious issue is health. NBA workouts have detected a heart issue. My thought immediately went back to the 2014 draft and Isaiah Austin.
Austin a highly touted player from Baylor also had high aspirations until it was discovered a heart problem meant the end of his potential NBA career. As for Upshaw his agent indicates the family has known about his heart problems for years. I have no medical training or background so I’ll pose the question. Hank Gaithers and Reggie Lewis with heart problems, both would die before their time. Will Upshaw be drafted with the prospect of a lingering health issue? We shall wait and see.
Series final MVP
No one can deny LeBron James play has been outstanding during his teams play against the Warriors. Several in the media have suggested LeBron should be named series MVP regardless of the outcome. Let’s study this question from a historical perspective. In 1958 and 1959 the late Ernie Banks of the Cubs was named MVP despite the fact his team never came close to qualifying for post-season play. The Lakers Jerry West was named series MVP in 1969; he the winner despite the Celtics had beaten the Lakers four games to three to win the NBA Championship. I’m sorry LeBron fans it’s my belief the only way he wins is to lead the Cavs to the championship. If the Cavs win no argument from me it belongs to LeBron, no way he wins if they lose.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Basketball from a fans perspective
Huge news
Adidas is out Nike is in, the NBA and Nike announced Nike will become the exclusive clothing line utilized by NBA teams in 2017-18. I have no idea the amount of revenue coup will generate, it certainly will maintain Nike’s lead role in sales of athletic apparel in the world. Hopefully they will continue working on improving the corporations negative image regarding third world workers.
This is interesting
Immediately after Sprint Center was completed some years ago almost immediately talk of an NBA or NHL team began. Which works better NBA basketball or NHL hockey? A group of NHL fans formed a fan committee, NHL 21 was not intended to provide financing for a team. This group even attracted the attention of the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission. The president of the commission and I exchanged emails as I attempted to explain I believed the NBA would be a better fit based on the basketball history of Kansas City. Our emails became a point-counterpoint but never did they become volatile. In conclusion the president invited me to serve as a volunteer with the sports commission.
Where am I going with this story you ask? I don’t know if there was a Stanley Cup game on Sunday but I found this next bit of information interesting. The baseball Royals were playing Sunday evening, the Royals in first place for much of the season have played outstanding baseball. Game 2 of the Cavs-Warriors playoffs was also on television that evening. I have no documentation to provide proof however a local sports radio host claimed the overnight ratings in Kansas City saw a greater number of televisions turned to the playoff game versus the home town Royals. Will this trend continue through the balance of the playoffs we have no idea I just thought this was an interesting trend.
I’ll help him
Stephen A. Smith of ESPN would have us believe only point guards Emmanuel Mudiay and DeAngelo Russell are available to his Knicks. There are a number of other players the Knicks could make the fourth pick in the draft. If Smith is thinking the Knicks need big men I can provide him the names of at least two. Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein might be the first name; he could be the second coming of Tyson Chandler. Chandler with a limited offensive game has managed to be a valuable contributor to the Mavs and Knicks and he‘s endured a fruitful and long NBA career. His defensive proficiency was key to the Mavs only championship. Can Cauley-Stein turn into the second coming of Chandler? He’s got one attribute at the college level that bears a resemblance to Chandler he loves playing defense and he’s got speed up and down on the court.
Remember back to those Championship Bulls teams? They had Bill Weddington and Luc Longley at center neither player was much of an offensive threat. Both were keys in the triangle offense for the Jordan-Pippen led Bulls. They became adept passers clogged the lane and scored occasionally. The Knicks could also choose another Kentucky player Trey Lyles. Lyles while not quite the defensive prowess of his teammate has plenty of upside. At 6-10 he’s got a 7 foot wing span on a 240 pound body. As I’ve often stated there is no guarantee that any prospect wiill become an outstanding player. History indicates we’ve had players’ drafted one through five having little success. My grip with Smith he appears to believe there are only two players in the draft, Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Second coming
Mizzou made an offer to Jordan McCabe is a 5-11 150 pound point guard. His bio says he’s a point guard although I would categorize him as a combo guard. McCabe is from Kaukauna (WI) about 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Mizzou made him an offer despite the fact McCabe just completed his freshman year in high school. A YouTube video is titled; “9th Grader Jordan McCabe aka “Next White Chocolate.” If you’ve followed the game any length of time you might remember the name Jason Williams. Williams played his college ball at Marshall and Florida. Later he would make it to the NBA and likely had his best years playing for the Sacramento Kings where he was first dubbed; “White Chocolate.”
1. Early in his career, Williams built a reputation for an unorthodox “street“style” of play. He became a regular on SportsCenter his spectacular passes and dazzling assists. He regularly attempted, and mostly completed passes such as behind-the back, no-look and half-court.” Think McCabe might be too young to receive an offer, Bobby Knight coaching Indiana once made an offer to an 8th grade player. Although an athlete might show promise basketball, hockey, football (soccer) are just a few of the sports that might make an offer at such a young age. I’ve never read of a high school player football playing receiving a similar offer from Ohio State or Notre Dame.
1. Wikipedia
Huge news
Adidas is out Nike is in, the NBA and Nike announced Nike will become the exclusive clothing line utilized by NBA teams in 2017-18. I have no idea the amount of revenue coup will generate, it certainly will maintain Nike’s lead role in sales of athletic apparel in the world. Hopefully they will continue working on improving the corporations negative image regarding third world workers.
This is interesting
Immediately after Sprint Center was completed some years ago almost immediately talk of an NBA or NHL team began. Which works better NBA basketball or NHL hockey? A group of NHL fans formed a fan committee, NHL 21 was not intended to provide financing for a team. This group even attracted the attention of the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission. The president of the commission and I exchanged emails as I attempted to explain I believed the NBA would be a better fit based on the basketball history of Kansas City. Our emails became a point-counterpoint but never did they become volatile. In conclusion the president invited me to serve as a volunteer with the sports commission.
Where am I going with this story you ask? I don’t know if there was a Stanley Cup game on Sunday but I found this next bit of information interesting. The baseball Royals were playing Sunday evening, the Royals in first place for much of the season have played outstanding baseball. Game 2 of the Cavs-Warriors playoffs was also on television that evening. I have no documentation to provide proof however a local sports radio host claimed the overnight ratings in Kansas City saw a greater number of televisions turned to the playoff game versus the home town Royals. Will this trend continue through the balance of the playoffs we have no idea I just thought this was an interesting trend.
I’ll help him
Stephen A. Smith of ESPN would have us believe only point guards Emmanuel Mudiay and DeAngelo Russell are available to his Knicks. There are a number of other players the Knicks could make the fourth pick in the draft. If Smith is thinking the Knicks need big men I can provide him the names of at least two. Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein might be the first name; he could be the second coming of Tyson Chandler. Chandler with a limited offensive game has managed to be a valuable contributor to the Mavs and Knicks and he‘s endured a fruitful and long NBA career. His defensive proficiency was key to the Mavs only championship. Can Cauley-Stein turn into the second coming of Chandler? He’s got one attribute at the college level that bears a resemblance to Chandler he loves playing defense and he’s got speed up and down on the court.
Remember back to those Championship Bulls teams? They had Bill Weddington and Luc Longley at center neither player was much of an offensive threat. Both were keys in the triangle offense for the Jordan-Pippen led Bulls. They became adept passers clogged the lane and scored occasionally. The Knicks could also choose another Kentucky player Trey Lyles. Lyles while not quite the defensive prowess of his teammate has plenty of upside. At 6-10 he’s got a 7 foot wing span on a 240 pound body. As I’ve often stated there is no guarantee that any prospect wiill become an outstanding player. History indicates we’ve had players’ drafted one through five having little success. My grip with Smith he appears to believe there are only two players in the draft, Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Second coming
Mizzou made an offer to Jordan McCabe is a 5-11 150 pound point guard. His bio says he’s a point guard although I would categorize him as a combo guard. McCabe is from Kaukauna (WI) about 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Mizzou made him an offer despite the fact McCabe just completed his freshman year in high school. A YouTube video is titled; “9th Grader Jordan McCabe aka “Next White Chocolate.” If you’ve followed the game any length of time you might remember the name Jason Williams. Williams played his college ball at Marshall and Florida. Later he would make it to the NBA and likely had his best years playing for the Sacramento Kings where he was first dubbed; “White Chocolate.”
1. Early in his career, Williams built a reputation for an unorthodox “street“style” of play. He became a regular on SportsCenter his spectacular passes and dazzling assists. He regularly attempted, and mostly completed passes such as behind-the back, no-look and half-court.” Think McCabe might be too young to receive an offer, Bobby Knight coaching Indiana once made an offer to an 8th grade player. Although an athlete might show promise basketball, hockey, football (soccer) are just a few of the sports that might make an offer at such a young age. I’ve never read of a high school player football playing receiving a similar offer from Ohio State or Notre Dame.
1. Wikipedia
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Basketball from a fans perspective
Bits and Pieces
Where are the idiots always claiming nobody is watching NBA basketball? Game 1 of the 2015 Finals was the highest rated ever for ABC and was 24% higher than last years
Heat-Spurs opener. If you don’t appreciate NBA basketball that’s okay don’t make statements or post stuff that’s totally untrue or exaggerations. Opinions whether we agree or not are okay making erroneous statements at a time facts are available are plain stupid.
He stands 7-3 and weighs 216 pounds skinny for his height keep in mind he’s only
14-years old. Yes, he’s 14-years old; allow me to introduce to most of you Choi Marial currently enrolled at West Oaks Academy in Orlando (FL). Marial joins a growing list of players from South Sudan who play basketball. As for the other measurements this youngster has a 7 foot 11 inch wingspan which allows him to dominate play offensively and defensively. Although in the 8th grade he played on the varsity team, it will be interesting to follow his progress over the next few years to see if his game (height & weight) continue to elevate.
We are full of questions on the 2015 draft specifically the Wolves and Lakers. Would the Wolves pick Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor? The Lakers with the second pick choose one of the remaining. The 76ers will likely chose point guards DeAngelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay or perhaps somebody else with the 3rd pick. The second round is almost exclusively the 76ers from the 35th pick on. Number 35, 37, 47, 58 and 60 all belong to Philly. I would guess no NBA team has ever had such a large number of choices prior to a draft.
Looks good
On Monday Iowa State announced Steve Prohm had been hired to replace Fred Hoiberg who left for the NBA Bulls. I admit I didn’t know a great deal about Prohm so I conducted a brief search. He’s 40 years old so he certainly adds a youth aspect to this hire. He first served as an assistant coach for Murray State (KY) later he was named head coach when Billy Kennedy left for Texas A&M. In 4-years at the helm his teams compiled a .780 winning percentage (104-29). Murray State won 20+ games during his tenure. Cyclone fans hope he’ll continue the winning ways of Hoiberg.
“The Answer”
I’m changing slightly an old adage; “Your truth, my truth and the actual truth.” We sometimes tend to believe what we hear and read often without offering proof. This is where I’m headed, a few weeks back during a Showtime documentary Allen Iverson revealed his “hidden” side. A number of you might remember the press conference made famous where Iverson mentioned practice more than 22 times. During a portion of the Showtime documentary Allen Iverson aka “The Answer” offered an explanation for the rambling press conference. He claimed he’d been dealing with the death of a close friend in addition there were rumors the 76ers were exploring a trade. Recently a Kent Babb publication on Iverson was released, the author claims Iverson was drunk when he met with the media.
This is the who do you believe portion of this account. Iverson calls Stephen A. Smith who claims he knows Iverson personally said “this is a flat out lie.” Smith went on to offer his explanation of the player and the event. He also was critical of the account while admitting Iverson made mistakes. Who do we believe Iverson, Babb or Stephen A.? I believe Iverson was his own worst enemy at times during his playing career; I’ve certainly had my share of disagreements with Stephen A. over the years regarding his take on issues. As for Babb I’ve never read of or heard of him, would he lie to increase book sales? Who’s telling the truth and do we have “The Answer?”
A name hire
St. John’s hired Chris Mullen as head coach; he’s served as general manager of an NBA team and in other NBA capacities. What he hasn’t done since he’s retired is serve as head coach at any level. That fact didn’t hinder Mark Jackson, Steve Kerr or Derek Fisher. Was this a name hire hoping the Mullin name would work magic? If we discussed the glory days of St Johns basketball Mullen’s name is certainly part of that conversation. The larger problem St. John’s is a New York City school; the talent emerging from the Big Apple these days leaves the city. The boroughs once served as fertile basketball ground for New York City Universities and colleges but no longer. In recent years it’s been Kemba Walker (UConn), Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) Elton Brand (Duke), Lance Stephenson (Cincinnati) and Andre Drummond (UConn) who left the city for schools other than St. John’s. Those are just a few of the most recent products of the city. Basketball Reference.com indicates more than 300 athletes have played in the NBA and ABA from New York City. Mullin must determine a process to hang on to the dwindling pool of talent from escaping city boundaries.
Bits and Pieces
Where are the idiots always claiming nobody is watching NBA basketball? Game 1 of the 2015 Finals was the highest rated ever for ABC and was 24% higher than last years
Heat-Spurs opener. If you don’t appreciate NBA basketball that’s okay don’t make statements or post stuff that’s totally untrue or exaggerations. Opinions whether we agree or not are okay making erroneous statements at a time facts are available are plain stupid.
He stands 7-3 and weighs 216 pounds skinny for his height keep in mind he’s only
14-years old. Yes, he’s 14-years old; allow me to introduce to most of you Choi Marial currently enrolled at West Oaks Academy in Orlando (FL). Marial joins a growing list of players from South Sudan who play basketball. As for the other measurements this youngster has a 7 foot 11 inch wingspan which allows him to dominate play offensively and defensively. Although in the 8th grade he played on the varsity team, it will be interesting to follow his progress over the next few years to see if his game (height & weight) continue to elevate.
We are full of questions on the 2015 draft specifically the Wolves and Lakers. Would the Wolves pick Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor? The Lakers with the second pick choose one of the remaining. The 76ers will likely chose point guards DeAngelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay or perhaps somebody else with the 3rd pick. The second round is almost exclusively the 76ers from the 35th pick on. Number 35, 37, 47, 58 and 60 all belong to Philly. I would guess no NBA team has ever had such a large number of choices prior to a draft.
Looks good
On Monday Iowa State announced Steve Prohm had been hired to replace Fred Hoiberg who left for the NBA Bulls. I admit I didn’t know a great deal about Prohm so I conducted a brief search. He’s 40 years old so he certainly adds a youth aspect to this hire. He first served as an assistant coach for Murray State (KY) later he was named head coach when Billy Kennedy left for Texas A&M. In 4-years at the helm his teams compiled a .780 winning percentage (104-29). Murray State won 20+ games during his tenure. Cyclone fans hope he’ll continue the winning ways of Hoiberg.
“The Answer”
I’m changing slightly an old adage; “Your truth, my truth and the actual truth.” We sometimes tend to believe what we hear and read often without offering proof. This is where I’m headed, a few weeks back during a Showtime documentary Allen Iverson revealed his “hidden” side. A number of you might remember the press conference made famous where Iverson mentioned practice more than 22 times. During a portion of the Showtime documentary Allen Iverson aka “The Answer” offered an explanation for the rambling press conference. He claimed he’d been dealing with the death of a close friend in addition there were rumors the 76ers were exploring a trade. Recently a Kent Babb publication on Iverson was released, the author claims Iverson was drunk when he met with the media.
This is the who do you believe portion of this account. Iverson calls Stephen A. Smith who claims he knows Iverson personally said “this is a flat out lie.” Smith went on to offer his explanation of the player and the event. He also was critical of the account while admitting Iverson made mistakes. Who do we believe Iverson, Babb or Stephen A.? I believe Iverson was his own worst enemy at times during his playing career; I’ve certainly had my share of disagreements with Stephen A. over the years regarding his take on issues. As for Babb I’ve never read of or heard of him, would he lie to increase book sales? Who’s telling the truth and do we have “The Answer?”
A name hire
St. John’s hired Chris Mullen as head coach; he’s served as general manager of an NBA team and in other NBA capacities. What he hasn’t done since he’s retired is serve as head coach at any level. That fact didn’t hinder Mark Jackson, Steve Kerr or Derek Fisher. Was this a name hire hoping the Mullin name would work magic? If we discussed the glory days of St Johns basketball Mullen’s name is certainly part of that conversation. The larger problem St. John’s is a New York City school; the talent emerging from the Big Apple these days leaves the city. The boroughs once served as fertile basketball ground for New York City Universities and colleges but no longer. In recent years it’s been Kemba Walker (UConn), Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) Elton Brand (Duke), Lance Stephenson (Cincinnati) and Andre Drummond (UConn) who left the city for schools other than St. John’s. Those are just a few of the most recent products of the city. Basketball Reference.com indicates more than 300 athletes have played in the NBA and ABA from New York City. Mullin must determine a process to hang on to the dwindling pool of talent from escaping city boundaries.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Basketball from a fans perspective
Damn if you do, Damn if you don’t!
Media folks please get off LeBron’s back, by the time you read this it’s Monday and Game 2 was played yesterday. I don’t know who won the game, I’m not pulling for either side I just want a competitive NBA Championship. Last Friday morning everybody and their brother offered critical remark after critical remark about LeBron taking a difficult shot at the end of regulation.
No doubt in my mind he could have taken a better shot but those in the media resonate in a manner similar to the adults in those Charlie Brown Peanuts cartoons, wha, wha, wha, wha, wha. Game one was a throw-back to the Pistons-Bulls series of the ‘90’s. The Pistons (Warriors) allowed Michael Jordan (LeBron in this instance) to score his points (44) and they shut down other members of the (Bulls) Cavs.
It’s the coach man
For those who agree it’s the coach rather than the school I offer further proof. Noah Dickerson 6-8 power forward was the last high profile uncommitted athlete in the Class of 2015. Dickerson first committed to Georgetown changed his mind and decided instead on Florida. Of course later Billy Donovan announced he was leaving for the NBA Thunder are you still following the story? Dickerson de-committed and began his search for a new school once again. He’s made his decision; he’s headed to Washington to play for Coach Lorenzo Romar.
Don’t sleep on him
Every draft year a name is announced that causes fans to say; “Who,” these are athletes from smaller schools with little national fanfare. It could have been Central Arkansas’s Scottie Pippen or maybe Damian Lillard of Weber State. These two are but a number who arrived in the NBA from smaller schools yet became stars in the associaton. We might not be familiar with the players name but an NBA scout will locate talent beneath a rock if necessary, nobody escapes their view.
That’s not to say they don’t miss on occasion but they uncover talent most of us miss. Cameron Payne a 6-2 point guard is one of those talents. Payne attended Murray State (KY) a school located about 250 miles southwest of Louisville. His numbers this past season 20.3 ppg, nearly 4 rebounds and 6 assists. As usual this report contains the usual disclaimer this is no guarantee of future NBA success for this young man its’ a name you should just store in your memory bank.
Cultural change
If we think of Canadian sports hockey comes to mind first and possibly soccer. The sport rising significantly with younger Canadians is basketball. According to several sources immigration is one of the chief reasons for increased interest in basketball. This from the Globe and Mail October 31, 2014. “Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., CEO Tim Leiweke. In 10 years, he said, as demographic change chisels away at our collective tastes, the Raptors will be more popular than the Maple Leafs.” Was Leiweke bonkers for making such a statement? It’s been awhile since I visited Canada and I was there for a vacation not to check out basketball. According to that same article there are 12 NBA players from Canada that might not seem a large number however it is.
We’ve seen the rise in Euro and African players however no nation other than the U.S. comes close to Canada. The sport is played throughout the nation however in recent years Metro Toronto has become a hotbed for basketball. Need further proof, the first pick in the 2013 NBA Draft Anthony Bennett is Canadian so is Andrew Wiggins first pick in the 2014 draft (NBA Rookie of the Year). Recently Wiggins was selected NBA Rookie of the Year. Checking northpolehoops.com I discovered the top 5 high school basketball players in the nation are all headed to U.S. colleges to play ball. Might former CEO Lieweke’s statement come to fruition?
Stay at Home
If I were coaching at Texas, Baylor or A&M I’d never have to leave the state to recruit.
(Hope Shaka Smart is reading me). I realize that’s a bold statement but consider how much talent makes its way to the NBA from the state. Kevin Durant might be the rare exception (Washington D.C. area) who played in Texas but didn’t attend high school in the state. According to basketball-reference.com there are 140 athletes who managed to play one or more games in the ABA or NBA. The Bulls Jimmy Butler, Heat forward Chris Bosh, Clipper DeAndre Jordan and LaMarcus Aldridge are just a few of the present day players as for the past.
Recognize the names of Larry Johnson, Grant Hill, Bill Sharman or Michael Ray Richardson? Truth is there is so much talent all of it fails to enroll at Texas schools. Phil Pressey, Mizzou (Celtics), Julius Randle, Kentucky (Lakers), Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State (Celtics) and Emeka Okafor UConn (several NBA teams) are Texans who left the state. Football reigns supreme in the State of Texas and will probably always be number one in the hearts of the residents. There was an old adage that stated “there are two seasons in the state football season and spring football.” That is no longer the case basketball has made tremendous inroads in this football happy state.
Damn if you do, Damn if you don’t!
Media folks please get off LeBron’s back, by the time you read this it’s Monday and Game 2 was played yesterday. I don’t know who won the game, I’m not pulling for either side I just want a competitive NBA Championship. Last Friday morning everybody and their brother offered critical remark after critical remark about LeBron taking a difficult shot at the end of regulation.
No doubt in my mind he could have taken a better shot but those in the media resonate in a manner similar to the adults in those Charlie Brown Peanuts cartoons, wha, wha, wha, wha, wha. Game one was a throw-back to the Pistons-Bulls series of the ‘90’s. The Pistons (Warriors) allowed Michael Jordan (LeBron in this instance) to score his points (44) and they shut down other members of the (Bulls) Cavs.
It’s the coach man
For those who agree it’s the coach rather than the school I offer further proof. Noah Dickerson 6-8 power forward was the last high profile uncommitted athlete in the Class of 2015. Dickerson first committed to Georgetown changed his mind and decided instead on Florida. Of course later Billy Donovan announced he was leaving for the NBA Thunder are you still following the story? Dickerson de-committed and began his search for a new school once again. He’s made his decision; he’s headed to Washington to play for Coach Lorenzo Romar.
Don’t sleep on him
Every draft year a name is announced that causes fans to say; “Who,” these are athletes from smaller schools with little national fanfare. It could have been Central Arkansas’s Scottie Pippen or maybe Damian Lillard of Weber State. These two are but a number who arrived in the NBA from smaller schools yet became stars in the associaton. We might not be familiar with the players name but an NBA scout will locate talent beneath a rock if necessary, nobody escapes their view.
That’s not to say they don’t miss on occasion but they uncover talent most of us miss. Cameron Payne a 6-2 point guard is one of those talents. Payne attended Murray State (KY) a school located about 250 miles southwest of Louisville. His numbers this past season 20.3 ppg, nearly 4 rebounds and 6 assists. As usual this report contains the usual disclaimer this is no guarantee of future NBA success for this young man its’ a name you should just store in your memory bank.
Cultural change
If we think of Canadian sports hockey comes to mind first and possibly soccer. The sport rising significantly with younger Canadians is basketball. According to several sources immigration is one of the chief reasons for increased interest in basketball. This from the Globe and Mail October 31, 2014. “Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., CEO Tim Leiweke. In 10 years, he said, as demographic change chisels away at our collective tastes, the Raptors will be more popular than the Maple Leafs.” Was Leiweke bonkers for making such a statement? It’s been awhile since I visited Canada and I was there for a vacation not to check out basketball. According to that same article there are 12 NBA players from Canada that might not seem a large number however it is.
We’ve seen the rise in Euro and African players however no nation other than the U.S. comes close to Canada. The sport is played throughout the nation however in recent years Metro Toronto has become a hotbed for basketball. Need further proof, the first pick in the 2013 NBA Draft Anthony Bennett is Canadian so is Andrew Wiggins first pick in the 2014 draft (NBA Rookie of the Year). Recently Wiggins was selected NBA Rookie of the Year. Checking northpolehoops.com I discovered the top 5 high school basketball players in the nation are all headed to U.S. colleges to play ball. Might former CEO Lieweke’s statement come to fruition?
Stay at Home
If I were coaching at Texas, Baylor or A&M I’d never have to leave the state to recruit.
(Hope Shaka Smart is reading me). I realize that’s a bold statement but consider how much talent makes its way to the NBA from the state. Kevin Durant might be the rare exception (Washington D.C. area) who played in Texas but didn’t attend high school in the state. According to basketball-reference.com there are 140 athletes who managed to play one or more games in the ABA or NBA. The Bulls Jimmy Butler, Heat forward Chris Bosh, Clipper DeAndre Jordan and LaMarcus Aldridge are just a few of the present day players as for the past.
Recognize the names of Larry Johnson, Grant Hill, Bill Sharman or Michael Ray Richardson? Truth is there is so much talent all of it fails to enroll at Texas schools. Phil Pressey, Mizzou (Celtics), Julius Randle, Kentucky (Lakers), Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State (Celtics) and Emeka Okafor UConn (several NBA teams) are Texans who left the state. Football reigns supreme in the State of Texas and will probably always be number one in the hearts of the residents. There was an old adage that stated “there are two seasons in the state football season and spring football.” That is no longer the case basketball has made tremendous inroads in this football happy state.
Friday, June 5, 2015
Basketball from a fans perspective
One of two things
I am going to quit listening to Mike & Mike or cease writing about the duo especially Greenberg. Greenberg is always proposing something idiotic this time he’s complaining about the late start time for the NBA Finals. He states; “We should all have one time zone, why is there a need for more than one time zone?” I’m not going to discuss the science facts. ESPN headquarters are located on the east coast hence a four hour difference. The game will start at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time which means the game would end at 11:30 or possibly 11:45 p.m. Overtime would entail an after midnight completion.
A Central and Eastern Time weeknight start affects a number of persons who might have to work on Friday. This is the problem for Greenberg and Golic once again they take an issue from a micro view rather than a macro view. This duo appears to only explore time zones as it relates to the U.S. Let’s play along with their stupidity and say the U.S. has a single time zone unless the world’s nations change people in Paris France must continue to rise at 2:00 a.m. to view the series when its played on the west coast.
Walking on hot coals
Okay let me see if I understand the big picture; a coach has a playoff caliber team and at least three All Pros. With that you might ask how the coach of that team could be walking on hot coals. It would appear the coach has a number of positives working for him but. The coach could be walking on hot coals if his name is Fred Hoiberg. Can I say with conviction Bulls fans are well under whelmed with the hire of the Iowa State coach? The Iowa State-Bulls connection rears its head once again. Former GM Jerry Krause and former Iowa State Coach Tim Floyd, in fairness to Floyd he inherited a Bulls team minus MJ.
We know the Krause-Phil Jackson drama that existed, bottom line it turned out Krause and Floyd were buddies. Believe it or not it’s occurred once again. When Fred Hoiberg sold his Chicago home it was so to------you guessed it Gar Forman GM of the Bulls. Remember the Yogi Berra quota; “Deja vu all over again.” This might sound as if it’s an indictment against Hoiberg far from it. Hoiberg has already won over his friend Gar Foreman, the more difficult job is winning over the team and most all Bulls fans who among the most loyal in the NBA.
No longer funny
Jokes about Cleveland have been prevalent for several years; I certainly have no intention to repeat any of them. Perhaps some of the negativity aimed at Cleveland might also reflect on its sports teams. The Indians have fielded a baseball team in the American League since 1901; they won the 1920 and 1948 World Series that’s it. In more recent years they competed in the 1954 series but were losers against the New York (San Francisco) Giants. The 1997 Indians were primed to win in spite of this they suffered a 7th game loss to the Marlins. As for the NFL Browns their story has been quite different. These Browns are not descendents of the 1946 founders, those Browns moved to Baltimore changed their name to the Ravens. The name Browns remained in Cleveland same as Seattle and the Sonics name. These new Browns came into existence in 1999 as an expansion team. The original Browns were winners; they won the 1964 NFL Championship against the Baltimore Colts 27-0. The Browns would continue to play football at a high level; they almost beat the John Elway Broncos who would go on to win a Super Bowl. A Browns fumble in the end zone cost them the game.
Now it the Cavs turn on the championship run for the city. The basketball team founded in 1970 as an expansion team first tasted playoff success in the ‘80’s. The only problem there was a certain guy and a certain team that always dashed the hopes of the Cavs and their fans. You might remember the Michael Jordan shot over Craig Ehlo in the ‘89 playoffs with seconds left. The shot stunned the Cavs crowd as the Bulls won 101-100. The video has been shown over and over and over again, too many times if you are a Cavs fan. After a number of sub par years the Cavs were able to win the lottery in 2003, in June they drafted LeBron James of nearby Akron (OH). LeBron was supposed to lead the Cavs to the Promised Land an NBA Championship. With so much negative sports history imagine the anger when LeBron left in 2010 for the Heat. His leaving was compounded by winning two championships for the Heat. Last summer free agency would allow him to “return home.” A new coach, a new Cavs team and an older more mature LeBron would renew his leadership. Will the Cavs win a championship and allow long suffering Cleveland fans to rejoice? That and other questions will soon be answered, regardless of the outcome Cleveland and Northern Ohio are still winners.
Bits n Pieces
I have two cousins playing at the Division II level. The eldest brother is a 6-11 235 pound power forward in Tennessee. The younger brother is a 6-3 175 pound point guard; he’ll begin play at a Division II program in the fall. I admit live a portion of my life vicariously through my relatives basketball exploits.
Two teams from the Big 10, one from the ACC and one from the SEC. That comprised the Final Four for 2015. If we use the RPI as our reference the strongest conference in the nation is the Big 12 which was no place to be seen. Kansas beat Michigan State during the non-conference portion of the season; Michigan State played in the Final Four while Kansas sat at home.
The world has certainly changed on the recruiting process. I just read a player announced he was attending a school via twitter. In another instance the athlete announced he was transferring to a new school by instagram. In this day of social media it’s become more and more common for players to utilize social media as their announcing tool. Methods of the past have become dinosaur means of communicating.
Johnathan Williams III former Mizzou forward announced he’s transferring to Gonzaga. He led the Tigers in scoring (11.9 ppg) and rebounds (7.0) in the worst season in school history. JWIII must sit out next season but will have two remaining seasons. Gonzaga should be good fit for him; he chooses the coach (Mark Few) rather than the other way around.
One of two things
I am going to quit listening to Mike & Mike or cease writing about the duo especially Greenberg. Greenberg is always proposing something idiotic this time he’s complaining about the late start time for the NBA Finals. He states; “We should all have one time zone, why is there a need for more than one time zone?” I’m not going to discuss the science facts. ESPN headquarters are located on the east coast hence a four hour difference. The game will start at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time which means the game would end at 11:30 or possibly 11:45 p.m. Overtime would entail an after midnight completion.
A Central and Eastern Time weeknight start affects a number of persons who might have to work on Friday. This is the problem for Greenberg and Golic once again they take an issue from a micro view rather than a macro view. This duo appears to only explore time zones as it relates to the U.S. Let’s play along with their stupidity and say the U.S. has a single time zone unless the world’s nations change people in Paris France must continue to rise at 2:00 a.m. to view the series when its played on the west coast.
Walking on hot coals
Okay let me see if I understand the big picture; a coach has a playoff caliber team and at least three All Pros. With that you might ask how the coach of that team could be walking on hot coals. It would appear the coach has a number of positives working for him but. The coach could be walking on hot coals if his name is Fred Hoiberg. Can I say with conviction Bulls fans are well under whelmed with the hire of the Iowa State coach? The Iowa State-Bulls connection rears its head once again. Former GM Jerry Krause and former Iowa State Coach Tim Floyd, in fairness to Floyd he inherited a Bulls team minus MJ.
We know the Krause-Phil Jackson drama that existed, bottom line it turned out Krause and Floyd were buddies. Believe it or not it’s occurred once again. When Fred Hoiberg sold his Chicago home it was so to------you guessed it Gar Forman GM of the Bulls. Remember the Yogi Berra quota; “Deja vu all over again.” This might sound as if it’s an indictment against Hoiberg far from it. Hoiberg has already won over his friend Gar Foreman, the more difficult job is winning over the team and most all Bulls fans who among the most loyal in the NBA.
No longer funny
Jokes about Cleveland have been prevalent for several years; I certainly have no intention to repeat any of them. Perhaps some of the negativity aimed at Cleveland might also reflect on its sports teams. The Indians have fielded a baseball team in the American League since 1901; they won the 1920 and 1948 World Series that’s it. In more recent years they competed in the 1954 series but were losers against the New York (San Francisco) Giants. The 1997 Indians were primed to win in spite of this they suffered a 7th game loss to the Marlins. As for the NFL Browns their story has been quite different. These Browns are not descendents of the 1946 founders, those Browns moved to Baltimore changed their name to the Ravens. The name Browns remained in Cleveland same as Seattle and the Sonics name. These new Browns came into existence in 1999 as an expansion team. The original Browns were winners; they won the 1964 NFL Championship against the Baltimore Colts 27-0. The Browns would continue to play football at a high level; they almost beat the John Elway Broncos who would go on to win a Super Bowl. A Browns fumble in the end zone cost them the game.
Now it the Cavs turn on the championship run for the city. The basketball team founded in 1970 as an expansion team first tasted playoff success in the ‘80’s. The only problem there was a certain guy and a certain team that always dashed the hopes of the Cavs and their fans. You might remember the Michael Jordan shot over Craig Ehlo in the ‘89 playoffs with seconds left. The shot stunned the Cavs crowd as the Bulls won 101-100. The video has been shown over and over and over again, too many times if you are a Cavs fan. After a number of sub par years the Cavs were able to win the lottery in 2003, in June they drafted LeBron James of nearby Akron (OH). LeBron was supposed to lead the Cavs to the Promised Land an NBA Championship. With so much negative sports history imagine the anger when LeBron left in 2010 for the Heat. His leaving was compounded by winning two championships for the Heat. Last summer free agency would allow him to “return home.” A new coach, a new Cavs team and an older more mature LeBron would renew his leadership. Will the Cavs win a championship and allow long suffering Cleveland fans to rejoice? That and other questions will soon be answered, regardless of the outcome Cleveland and Northern Ohio are still winners.
Bits n Pieces
I have two cousins playing at the Division II level. The eldest brother is a 6-11 235 pound power forward in Tennessee. The younger brother is a 6-3 175 pound point guard; he’ll begin play at a Division II program in the fall. I admit live a portion of my life vicariously through my relatives basketball exploits.
Two teams from the Big 10, one from the ACC and one from the SEC. That comprised the Final Four for 2015. If we use the RPI as our reference the strongest conference in the nation is the Big 12 which was no place to be seen. Kansas beat Michigan State during the non-conference portion of the season; Michigan State played in the Final Four while Kansas sat at home.
The world has certainly changed on the recruiting process. I just read a player announced he was attending a school via twitter. In another instance the athlete announced he was transferring to a new school by instagram. In this day of social media it’s become more and more common for players to utilize social media as their announcing tool. Methods of the past have become dinosaur means of communicating.
Johnathan Williams III former Mizzou forward announced he’s transferring to Gonzaga. He led the Tigers in scoring (11.9 ppg) and rebounds (7.0) in the worst season in school history. JWIII must sit out next season but will have two remaining seasons. Gonzaga should be good fit for him; he chooses the coach (Mark Few) rather than the other way around.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Basketball from a fans perspective
How about a job
If you are over 6-7 forget about becoming an NBA coach even with the recent hires Kevin McHale (6-10) is the only coach over 6-5. How about history, well Bill Russell was 6-9 as a player-coach, as a bench coach Russell wasn’t very good. The same story could be said for Knick great Willis Reed also 6-9, great player average bench coach. Magic Johnson (6-9) returned from player retirement to coach the Lakers but was overmatched and realized it. 6-9 Larry Bird had a decent record as head coach of the Pacers for several years.
Bird never seemed to be comfortable in the role of coach it appears he prefers the front office. For the most part most NBA coaches that played in the association was likely a point guard, Jason Kidd, Doc Rivers and Derek Fisher to name a few. The Lakers Byron Scott and the Suns Jeff Hornacek were shooting guards both 6-4 in stature. 7-foot Patrick Ewing has sought employment for nearly 10 years and nobody will hire him. What’s the deal, do big guys lack high basketball I.Q’s? Once upon a time 7-foot Bill Cartwright and 6-11 Kim Hughes 6-11 served a time period as head coaches.
Speaking of
I have no method of reading Jeff Van Gundy’s mind, I make this statement for a specific reason. It seems every single time a coaching job opens his name is one of those mentioned. One by one the teams hire a coach and once again he returns to television. Same for this year, after the hires Denver is the only coaching position open. I seriously doubt if Van Gundy is headed there and it has nothing to do with the city or team. He’s not headed there because he’s Van Gundy. He’s served as an NBA analyst for ESPN since 2007 why put up with the headaches of coaching 15 personalities. Everybody wants to be wanted I believe that’s Van Gundy. He or his agent floats his name about to determine interest. I’ve been wrong before and I might be in this instance but I cannot see him coaching again in the NBA unless it’s a super opportunity such as an ownership piece.
Fred Hoiberg
The Bulls have made their decision; they have hired Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg. We in Kansas City smack in the middle of Big 12 country are familiar with Hoiberg. We first became familiar with his name while he played guard for Iowa State. He was so popular at the school they nicknamed him “The Mayor.” He had a 10-year NBA career playing for the Pacers, Bulls and Wolves. A heart problem forced Hoiberg to retire in 2006, in 2010 without any coaching experience he took over at Iowa State. His first team finished 16-16, the next four years would all be winning seasons although Iowa State was never crowned regular season Big 12 champions.
Pay the man
Dwayne Wade has made his intentions known early he’ll explore free agency. Wade is 33 years old and will have another birthday in January so we might question his timing. No argument regarding talent when healthy but that’s been Wade’s issue in recent years remaining healthy. Despite this issue Wade might be sayin’ “It’s time for the Heat to pay me similar to what the Lakers did with Kobe Bryant. I helped win three NBA Championships, I‘ve sacrificed a portion of my salary to allow them to sign LeBron and Bosh.”
Fixes for the college game
We heard plenty of negative complaints about the college game this past season. The rules committee has proposed changes which are likely to be implemented for the 2015-16 season. This account is not going to detail all the proposed changes however just a few which will greatly impact the game. The shot clock will be reduced from 35 to 30 seconds which should improve shooting accuracy. The number of timeouts will be reduced and the restricted arc reduced from 3 to 4 feet. We shall see if these changes aid the game going forward.
Hey Kobe haters
Is GM Mitch Kupchak stubborn, brain-damaged or something else? Dwight Howard left the Lakers and a number in the media hinted it was due to Kobe. We are aware of one instance Kobe called out Howard regarding his injury. Howard reacted self-righteously and it may have been one the keys for his eventual departures to Houston. During the summer of 2014 the Lakers were unsuccessful in signing any high profile free agents.
The Lakers were limited due to salary cap issues however the Kobe haters claimed “Nobody wanted to play with him (Kobe).” In a recent satellite radio interview Kupchak announced the 2015-16 season is likely Kobe’s last. In the next portion of his statement he said; “We don’t want anybody here who doesn’t want to play with Kobe Bryant.” I doubt if journeyman Jared Dudley ever receives a call from Kupchak at least in the next two years.
How about a job
If you are over 6-7 forget about becoming an NBA coach even with the recent hires Kevin McHale (6-10) is the only coach over 6-5. How about history, well Bill Russell was 6-9 as a player-coach, as a bench coach Russell wasn’t very good. The same story could be said for Knick great Willis Reed also 6-9, great player average bench coach. Magic Johnson (6-9) returned from player retirement to coach the Lakers but was overmatched and realized it. 6-9 Larry Bird had a decent record as head coach of the Pacers for several years.
Bird never seemed to be comfortable in the role of coach it appears he prefers the front office. For the most part most NBA coaches that played in the association was likely a point guard, Jason Kidd, Doc Rivers and Derek Fisher to name a few. The Lakers Byron Scott and the Suns Jeff Hornacek were shooting guards both 6-4 in stature. 7-foot Patrick Ewing has sought employment for nearly 10 years and nobody will hire him. What’s the deal, do big guys lack high basketball I.Q’s? Once upon a time 7-foot Bill Cartwright and 6-11 Kim Hughes 6-11 served a time period as head coaches.
Speaking of
I have no method of reading Jeff Van Gundy’s mind, I make this statement for a specific reason. It seems every single time a coaching job opens his name is one of those mentioned. One by one the teams hire a coach and once again he returns to television. Same for this year, after the hires Denver is the only coaching position open. I seriously doubt if Van Gundy is headed there and it has nothing to do with the city or team. He’s not headed there because he’s Van Gundy. He’s served as an NBA analyst for ESPN since 2007 why put up with the headaches of coaching 15 personalities. Everybody wants to be wanted I believe that’s Van Gundy. He or his agent floats his name about to determine interest. I’ve been wrong before and I might be in this instance but I cannot see him coaching again in the NBA unless it’s a super opportunity such as an ownership piece.
Fred Hoiberg
The Bulls have made their decision; they have hired Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg. We in Kansas City smack in the middle of Big 12 country are familiar with Hoiberg. We first became familiar with his name while he played guard for Iowa State. He was so popular at the school they nicknamed him “The Mayor.” He had a 10-year NBA career playing for the Pacers, Bulls and Wolves. A heart problem forced Hoiberg to retire in 2006, in 2010 without any coaching experience he took over at Iowa State. His first team finished 16-16, the next four years would all be winning seasons although Iowa State was never crowned regular season Big 12 champions.
Pay the man
Dwayne Wade has made his intentions known early he’ll explore free agency. Wade is 33 years old and will have another birthday in January so we might question his timing. No argument regarding talent when healthy but that’s been Wade’s issue in recent years remaining healthy. Despite this issue Wade might be sayin’ “It’s time for the Heat to pay me similar to what the Lakers did with Kobe Bryant. I helped win three NBA Championships, I‘ve sacrificed a portion of my salary to allow them to sign LeBron and Bosh.”
Fixes for the college game
We heard plenty of negative complaints about the college game this past season. The rules committee has proposed changes which are likely to be implemented for the 2015-16 season. This account is not going to detail all the proposed changes however just a few which will greatly impact the game. The shot clock will be reduced from 35 to 30 seconds which should improve shooting accuracy. The number of timeouts will be reduced and the restricted arc reduced from 3 to 4 feet. We shall see if these changes aid the game going forward.
Hey Kobe haters
Is GM Mitch Kupchak stubborn, brain-damaged or something else? Dwight Howard left the Lakers and a number in the media hinted it was due to Kobe. We are aware of one instance Kobe called out Howard regarding his injury. Howard reacted self-righteously and it may have been one the keys for his eventual departures to Houston. During the summer of 2014 the Lakers were unsuccessful in signing any high profile free agents.
The Lakers were limited due to salary cap issues however the Kobe haters claimed “Nobody wanted to play with him (Kobe).” In a recent satellite radio interview Kupchak announced the 2015-16 season is likely Kobe’s last. In the next portion of his statement he said; “We don’t want anybody here who doesn’t want to play with Kobe Bryant.” I doubt if journeyman Jared Dudley ever receives a call from Kupchak at least in the next two years.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Basketball from a fans perspective
New Orleans, Denver, Orlando + Chicago
The sign might read; NBA coach needed, submit your resume. All of the teams mentioned require a head coach. Melvin Hunt, Alvin Gentry, Jeff Van Gundy, Fred Hoiberg, Scott Skiles and add Tom Thibodeau’s to the list of name mentioned. Hunt served as an assistant with the Nuggets and then interim head coach after Brian Shaw was fired, expect the interim tag to be removed. This just might be a financial move by the Nuggets who may perhaps save money with the hire.
Gentry an assistant with the Warriors once served as head coach for the Suns. Does Van Gundy want the daily grind of NBA coaching again; it’s much safer broadcasting games. Hoiberg has been successfully coaching at Iowa State for a number of years. The Bulls seem to have a connection with the Iowa school remember Tim Floyd? Skiles has held a number of NBA head coaching positions. Should we suppose Thibodeau is ready to begin coaching again? NOTE: Immediately after completion of this story the Magic announce the hire of Skiles. Gentry would later be named head coach of the Pelicans.
“Show me the money”
The line is from the movie Jerry Maguire, sports agent Jerry Maguire was attempting to sign football player Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding). Talking on the telephone Tidwell screams through the telephone at Maguire; “Show me the money.” At the time Mizzou left the Big 12 for the SEC it might have been a case of “Show me the money.” The NCAA announced revenues for the conferences and it was certainly noteworthy. With a small number of exceptions most Big 12 schools would receive $25.6 million each. As for Mizzou they and each SEC school will receive $31.2 million.
I’m surprised
Kansas City received word the Big 12 basketball tournament was awarded to Kansas City for the next five years. The city does an outstanding effort serving as host for the tourney seeing as Sprint Center and the Power and Light District were completed several years ago. For those who might be unfamiliar the arena sits in the middle of one of Kansas City’s entertainment districts. Naturally such an event as the Big 12 Tournament greatly enhances the area economy.
It was reported revenue generated from the tourney amounts to $9 million a year and over the five year period would total about $45 million. The surprises for me, the tourney continues its run in Missouri despite the fact not a single school from the state competes in the Big 12. I assumed Dallas, Oklahoma City or Tulsa would have superior proposals on the table. Five years from now one of the three cities mentioned will gain the series. The fact that Kansas dominates the tournament has nothing to do with Lawrence (KS) being located close by.
Thibs
The Bulls must have wanted Tom Thibodeau gone badly; I believed he only had one year left on his contract. I was wrong he’s got 2-years at $9 million over that time frame. The news release said; “Departure of culture” which details exactly what? I don’t often do this but I’m going inside the minds of Bulls management. “He’s (Thibodeau) a winning coach surely Orlando, New Orleans or Denver will reach out to him quickly. We might only be responsible for a portion of his salary rather than the entire amount.” In the five years he was at the helm only one other Bulls coach won more games than Thibs------do I need to provide you a hint or do you know his name. Just to set the record straight I am sure Thibodeau had his faults with players and management. The Bulls organization went out of the way to assassinate his character which was over the top from my perspective.
Building a team
If you are a Wolves fan it’s been a rough few years to remain faithful. With few exceptions the team has not been very good even when Kevin Garnett was “The Kid. “ That might be thing of the past; change has been in the air since last season. Kevin Love indicated he wanted out and because he would become a free-agent the Wolves made the decision to trade him. If helped that LeBron James indicated he needed a power forward for his return to Cleveland. The Wolves and Cavs concluded a trade the Wolves acquired future Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins and the number one draft pick in the 2013 draft Anthony Bennett. Injuries impacted the Wolves as point guard Ricky Rubio missed the bulk of the season only playing in 22 games.
Center Nikola Pekovic also suffered an injury and only appeared in a limited number of games during the season. Reports have also circulated Rubio has requested a trade and though talented that might not be as terrible as it sounds. High flyer Zach LaVine is very raw however he is a 6-5 point guard who just might replace Rubio. As for center Pekovic the Wolves might entertain a trade shoring up another area. Replacing the center would be number one draft pick Jahlil Okakor or Karl-Anthony Towns. Although his game is no longer stellar Kevin Garnett has returned “home” for a last run before he retires. His return gives this young team a veteran presence. The Wolves will be young and will continue to struggle at times, be patient Wolves fans.
Bits n Pieces
I like Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg, there are reports circulating Hoiberg has the inside track to become the next Bulls coach. Must I spell it out; “danger, danger Will Robinson.” Hoiberg had a brief NBA playing career and his Iowa State teams play an NBA style offense. The question is he the right guy for the difficult job of coaching at the next level? For some reason Bulls management seem to be stuck on Iowa State coaches, remember Tim Floyd?
John Calipari’s recruiting extends around the world and across the ocean. The Kentucky Wildcats received a commitment from the Pacific Island nation of New Zealand. Tai Wynyard a 6-9 256 pound power/forward/center verbally committed to Kentucky last January. Big Blue Nation please don’t hold your breath waiting to see Wynyard he’s not due to arrive in Lexington until 2016 prospect.
Many in the media have continued to point out the NBA Finals had two rookie coaches. That’s only partially correct; the Cavs David Blatt is new to the NBA but has over 30 years coaching experience. The road has been rocky for Blatt, he didn’t know the NBA. We can say for sure he knows coaching he just didn’t know the NBA. He’s adjusted on the job and after reports circulated of his firing he’s a keeper.
The thought might exist NBA fans in the metro area should be rooting for the Cavs rather than Warriors. The coaching staff has a Kansas City connection. Associate head coach Tyronn Lue was an outstanding member of his Raytown (Mo) high school basketball team, later he attended the University of Nebraska. Assistant coach Larry Drew was exceptional athlete at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City (KS) and then Mizzou. Both coaches had NBA careers as players.
New Orleans, Denver, Orlando + Chicago
The sign might read; NBA coach needed, submit your resume. All of the teams mentioned require a head coach. Melvin Hunt, Alvin Gentry, Jeff Van Gundy, Fred Hoiberg, Scott Skiles and add Tom Thibodeau’s to the list of name mentioned. Hunt served as an assistant with the Nuggets and then interim head coach after Brian Shaw was fired, expect the interim tag to be removed. This just might be a financial move by the Nuggets who may perhaps save money with the hire.
Gentry an assistant with the Warriors once served as head coach for the Suns. Does Van Gundy want the daily grind of NBA coaching again; it’s much safer broadcasting games. Hoiberg has been successfully coaching at Iowa State for a number of years. The Bulls seem to have a connection with the Iowa school remember Tim Floyd? Skiles has held a number of NBA head coaching positions. Should we suppose Thibodeau is ready to begin coaching again? NOTE: Immediately after completion of this story the Magic announce the hire of Skiles. Gentry would later be named head coach of the Pelicans.
“Show me the money”
The line is from the movie Jerry Maguire, sports agent Jerry Maguire was attempting to sign football player Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding). Talking on the telephone Tidwell screams through the telephone at Maguire; “Show me the money.” At the time Mizzou left the Big 12 for the SEC it might have been a case of “Show me the money.” The NCAA announced revenues for the conferences and it was certainly noteworthy. With a small number of exceptions most Big 12 schools would receive $25.6 million each. As for Mizzou they and each SEC school will receive $31.2 million.
I’m surprised
Kansas City received word the Big 12 basketball tournament was awarded to Kansas City for the next five years. The city does an outstanding effort serving as host for the tourney seeing as Sprint Center and the Power and Light District were completed several years ago. For those who might be unfamiliar the arena sits in the middle of one of Kansas City’s entertainment districts. Naturally such an event as the Big 12 Tournament greatly enhances the area economy.
It was reported revenue generated from the tourney amounts to $9 million a year and over the five year period would total about $45 million. The surprises for me, the tourney continues its run in Missouri despite the fact not a single school from the state competes in the Big 12. I assumed Dallas, Oklahoma City or Tulsa would have superior proposals on the table. Five years from now one of the three cities mentioned will gain the series. The fact that Kansas dominates the tournament has nothing to do with Lawrence (KS) being located close by.
Thibs
The Bulls must have wanted Tom Thibodeau gone badly; I believed he only had one year left on his contract. I was wrong he’s got 2-years at $9 million over that time frame. The news release said; “Departure of culture” which details exactly what? I don’t often do this but I’m going inside the minds of Bulls management. “He’s (Thibodeau) a winning coach surely Orlando, New Orleans or Denver will reach out to him quickly. We might only be responsible for a portion of his salary rather than the entire amount.” In the five years he was at the helm only one other Bulls coach won more games than Thibs------do I need to provide you a hint or do you know his name. Just to set the record straight I am sure Thibodeau had his faults with players and management. The Bulls organization went out of the way to assassinate his character which was over the top from my perspective.
Building a team
If you are a Wolves fan it’s been a rough few years to remain faithful. With few exceptions the team has not been very good even when Kevin Garnett was “The Kid. “ That might be thing of the past; change has been in the air since last season. Kevin Love indicated he wanted out and because he would become a free-agent the Wolves made the decision to trade him. If helped that LeBron James indicated he needed a power forward for his return to Cleveland. The Wolves and Cavs concluded a trade the Wolves acquired future Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins and the number one draft pick in the 2013 draft Anthony Bennett. Injuries impacted the Wolves as point guard Ricky Rubio missed the bulk of the season only playing in 22 games.
Center Nikola Pekovic also suffered an injury and only appeared in a limited number of games during the season. Reports have also circulated Rubio has requested a trade and though talented that might not be as terrible as it sounds. High flyer Zach LaVine is very raw however he is a 6-5 point guard who just might replace Rubio. As for center Pekovic the Wolves might entertain a trade shoring up another area. Replacing the center would be number one draft pick Jahlil Okakor or Karl-Anthony Towns. Although his game is no longer stellar Kevin Garnett has returned “home” for a last run before he retires. His return gives this young team a veteran presence. The Wolves will be young and will continue to struggle at times, be patient Wolves fans.
Bits n Pieces
I like Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg, there are reports circulating Hoiberg has the inside track to become the next Bulls coach. Must I spell it out; “danger, danger Will Robinson.” Hoiberg had a brief NBA playing career and his Iowa State teams play an NBA style offense. The question is he the right guy for the difficult job of coaching at the next level? For some reason Bulls management seem to be stuck on Iowa State coaches, remember Tim Floyd?
John Calipari’s recruiting extends around the world and across the ocean. The Kentucky Wildcats received a commitment from the Pacific Island nation of New Zealand. Tai Wynyard a 6-9 256 pound power/forward/center verbally committed to Kentucky last January. Big Blue Nation please don’t hold your breath waiting to see Wynyard he’s not due to arrive in Lexington until 2016 prospect.
Many in the media have continued to point out the NBA Finals had two rookie coaches. That’s only partially correct; the Cavs David Blatt is new to the NBA but has over 30 years coaching experience. The road has been rocky for Blatt, he didn’t know the NBA. We can say for sure he knows coaching he just didn’t know the NBA. He’s adjusted on the job and after reports circulated of his firing he’s a keeper.
The thought might exist NBA fans in the metro area should be rooting for the Cavs rather than Warriors. The coaching staff has a Kansas City connection. Associate head coach Tyronn Lue was an outstanding member of his Raytown (Mo) high school basketball team, later he attended the University of Nebraska. Assistant coach Larry Drew was exceptional athlete at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City (KS) and then Mizzou. Both coaches had NBA careers as players.
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