WHAT!!
Late Saturday night came word the Lakers were under investigation by the NBA, what the &%#$() is that about was my first thought? After I read the news account I discovered the Lakers were reported to have tampered with Paul George while he was still under contract to the Pacers. Wow, I didn’t want the guy anyway and now he’s possibly going to cost the Lakers draft choices and other penalties. In any event if the Lakers should be found guilty I must accept the findings however I have at least one question. Why in the world would someone or several persons believe Paul George is worth the risk of losing draft picks?
Front office moves
I admit I don’t know much about Steve Ballmer, this I do. He’s the former chief executive of Microsoft and the owner of the Clippers. Whether it’s a coaching problem, injuries or front office errors Ballmer has been making changes. Item 1. May have been the hiring of former Laker president and general manager in the role of consultant.
Item 2, Doc Rivers was relieved of his responsibilities as the director of player personal a few weeks ago. Item 3. News reports indicate the team is close to hiring Michael Winger ex of the Thunder as the Clippers general manager. Doc Rivers will continue to be involved in player decisions however they will no longer be his alone. Rivers is now free to devote all his energies on coaching the Clippers, no more excuses.
Where in the world is
In the early ‘90’s PBS launched a children’s program with emphasis on geography. It was believed then (and might remain true today) lack of general knowledge of geographical locations on a map of the world. Dwight Howard has a keen awareness of geography after all he’s been a member of 5 teams in various parts of the nation in 7 years. Where in the world has he landed, this time it’s Charlotte. Last season I wrote of the declining skill of Howard during the period he was a member of the Rockets.
An acquaintance (a Rockets fan) took issue with my statements regarding Howard, blamed the slippage of Howard’s game on the year he spent with the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. Okay I understand Kobe is also to blame if it’s too hot/too old/snow/rain/we have severe weather, I will stop now I believe you get the idea. What I’ve read Howard’s numbers has remained somewhat consistent however his defense has continued to go south. Is Charlotte the last stop for the veteran center….perhaps we shall see?
Who is that guy?
If you watch college basketball coverage on ESPN you might wonder who is analyst Bill Walton. Second to that when he covers the game he spends a portion of the telecast discussing the rock group The Grateful Dead. The guy really seems unusual, did he play the game? You bet he played and if not for a series of injuries he might be discussed in the same breath of Kareem, Shaq and other Big Men.
Walton is enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame so that might provide a hint of his college and NBA career. If we just discussed college consider this. Walton was 3X College Player of the Year and 3X First Team All American. He was part of the UCLA team that won 88 games in row. As for the NBA he was two time champion with the Blazers and the Celtics. This is but a thumbnail sketch of the wild and crazy guy Bill Walton.
