Basketball from a fans perspective
Is he a dirty player?
Does Chris Paul become frustrated at times during games? You better bet the same as any other player in the NBA. Does he attempt to gain an advantage by questionable tactics? Wednesday night against the Thunder he hit Durant in the zone referred to as the groin, if you’ve ever been hit there you know. Paul had the same issue with Marc Gasol in a playoff game issuing a blow a little higher to the Grizzlie center. Last year against the Blazers Chris Kaman he hit the center in the same region which prompted both benches to empty. There was an earlier incident at Wake Forest which caused him to be suspended for one game. NBA players are always complaining to officials about being fouled so it was no surprise Durant complained. Is Paul a dirty player cannot be answered by me only the NBA? Let’s wait and see if he suffers any repercussions from the NBA office.
You must face the consequences of your actions
Remember the story I told about the Lakers-Warriors game on Sunday? A friend indicated he was going home to watch it and I said why? “The final score Warriors 130 Lakers 90 maybe 100.” As you are aware the final score and the winning team was opposite of my prediction. I saw George on Wednesday and informed him I’d taken a nap and hadn’t bothered with watching the game. I told him I‘d said to myself on Sunday night; “I sure hope he doesn’t call me tonight.”
How much time to allow?
King Rice serves as head basketball coach at Monmouth University (NJ); the Hawks lead the MAAC standings and will likely represent in the NCAA base of the conference post season tournament. Rice is in his fourth year at the helm and Monmouth is experiencing its first winning season under his watch. Rice is under consideration in some circles for Coach of the Year. Circumstances all are not the same with every program; the question is how much time should a college coach be allowed to turn a program around? I pose this question because there is grumbling around Tigerville regarding Mizzou’s Kim Anderson. Anderson is in the process of completing his second year at the helm. A number of the reports indicate Anderson should be terminated. Before this was completed Mizzou’s AD announced the coach would return for this third year.
The University of San Francisco decided eight years was enough as they chose to fire Rex Walters, his record at USF 126-125 (.502). In this microwave/internet/instagram/twitter world we live in we expect instant results. Hit click and send, toss your food in the microwave and its ready in 5 minutes. Duke basketball is one of the most successful programs in the nation but that’s not always been the case. At the time Coach K. took over the program his first three years his teams were 38-47 wonder if alum and fans were happy. Billy Donovan was hired at “football” Florida but changed the culture there, his first two years the Gators were 27-32. Frank Martin’s team has a winning record this year; the first three South Carolina was 45-54. My point is a coach inheriting a program must be given adequate time to implement his program and recruit his players. NOTE: As this was being completed St. Louis University fired Jim Crews after four years on the job.
An enigma
Russell Westbrook had a game for the ages against the Clippers, 25 points 20 assists and 11 rebounds. One of the most talented players in the NBA provided us proof once again. That’s the problem, for me there is something with Westbrook that says “he still doesn’t get it.” Remember the Clint Eastwood movie classic “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”? That’s Westbrook for me, Wednesday’s game was outstanding then we’ve witnessed those poor shooting games and then the self destruct games we’ve also witnessed. Those critical turnovers or the game where he takes shot after shot and misses while overlooking teammates for a pass.
