“Don’t be that guy!”
Folks say John Calipari is not the greatest X and O coach but also say he can recruit. Athletes head to Kentucky with the next stop being the NBA Draft and a lucrative contract. See where I’m going with this, good coach great recruiter and inflated head. Whoa, where did Calipari’s inflated head come into the discussion you ask? Every time an NBA coach resigns is fired or retires Calipari’s name is mentioned as a possibility to return to the NBA. A news story broke indicating the NBA has reached out once again to Calipari.
The coach is supposed to have informed the Sacramento Kings and Brooklyn Nets he would return to the NBA for a 10-year $120 million dollar contract. A number of you are too young to remember the ‘96-’97 Knicks Calipari’s first year as head coach of the Knicks. 2½ years later he would depart with a 72-112 record failing to provide proof he can coach successfully at the NBA level. “Don’t be that guy” who is a good college coach but attempts to convince us (offering no proof) his worth a payout close to the national debt.
I don’t know
The ESPN NBA page is still posing the question can the Warriors break the all-time team won-loss record. It’s quite possible for the Warriors to win 73 games, as this is written they are 33-2 leaving 40 regular season games. The math indicates the Warriors must win 40 of their next 47 games to eclipse the record, a difficult task but certainly not impossible. The key for the Warriors is to avoid major injuries to key players. I’m not hatin’ just attempting to point out the difficulty in breaking this record. On the other hand I’ve heard folks say; “What good is it to establish a new record and fail to win the NBA Championship?”
Laying in the Weeds
We have focused this NBA season on teams, players and other stuff. Our concentration has been the swift start by the Steph Curry Warriors and the second season of LeBron’s return to the Cavs. In addition the rookies, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristpas Porzingis and Jahlil Okafor appear they are primed and ready for long careers in the NBA. Teams expected to compete but undistinguished to date have also been newsworthy, the Clippers, Rockets and Pelicans. In the bombardment of NBA reports the Spurs of San Antonio have been completely overlooked. Sure they picked up LaMarcus Aldridge in the off-season but the Spurs are old. Check out these numbers, Tim Duncan (39) Manu Ginobili (38) David West (35), Matt Bonner (35) and Boris Diaw 33 years old.
Point guard Tony Parker is also 33 years old, it would appear most of the Spurs might have already received their AARP cards prior to the start of the season. This team is old nobody expects them to compete for an NBA title. Guess what sports fans the Spurs are laying in the weeds quietly playing darn good basketball. Unfortunately for NBA rivals they forgot to inform the Spurs they couldn’t compete for a title. As this is written the Spurs stand 32-6 and sit in first place in the Southwest Division. Will they provide “Timmy” a going away gift in the form of an NBA Championship? Check back in June and see how this turns out.
Football---how about basketball
If you say LSU your immediate thoughts go toward their football program. Over the years Louisiana State University and SEC football have gone hand in hand. The school has turned out a number of talented basketball players over the years. If you thought Ben Simmons was the only talent to enroll at football driven LSU allow me to introduce a number of past talents who played for the Baton Rogue School.
Lots of times we tend to gauge a players success based on their NBA impact and that’s not always a good barometer. We could begin with the legendary Bob Pettit and Pete Maravich both Hall of Fame players. As for Maravich he’s remains the all-time NCAA leading scorer despite the fact he never had the benefit of a 3-point line. Maravich would score 3,667 points in four seasons a record which will never be eclipsed.
Shaquille O’Neal
Stanley Roberts
Chris Jackson (Mahmound Abud-Rauf)
Rudy Macklin
Glenn “Big Baby” Davis
Brandon Bass
Randy Livingston
Stromile Swift
Marcus Thornton
Tyrus Thomas
DeWayne Scales
LSU has never won an NCAA Championship in basketball and maybe that’s why the school is often overlooked regarding basketball talent. LSU 4 Final Four appearances plus 6 Elite Eight finishes and has appeared in over 20 NCAA tournaments.
