Basketball from a fan perspective
This is amazing
2020 is
the year the Spurs failed to earn a playoff berth, you might say, “So
what!” How about this bit of
information, 22 consecutive seasons the Spurs qualified for post-season play? To provide you a bit of trivia the last time
the Spurs did not play was 1996-97, the news of the day that year. The Hot 100 that year the Puff Daddy and Mase
song, Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down. Titanic was the leading
movie at the box office in 1997, as for wealth $1.00 in 1997 is now valued at
$1.62 however that is mostly due to inflation and not an actual increase in
wealth.
Seinfeld and ER were battling as the most viewed
weekly television series. That look back
gives you just a small dose of success the Spurs have endured under longtime
Coach Gregg Popovich. Even more
interesting to many Pop’s winning numbers did not reflect his great coaching
skill until he took over the Spurs. At
Division III Pomona-Pitzer he won 76 games and lost 129 over an 8-year period,
once he became Spurs coach all that changed.
Coach Pop one of the best in the business, we are not likely to see one like
him once he leaves the NBA.
Where are you Phil Jackson?
The
Bulls fired Jim Boylen on Friday after two seasons, Boylen becomes the 10th
head or interim coach since Phil Jackson left Chicago in 1998. Allow me to admit I have not paid a great
deal of attention to the Bulls in recent years, those of you in Chicagoland
might have more insight than yours truly.
Most interesting Tom Thibodeau was named Coach of the Year in 2011 yet in
May 2015 he too was fired by the Bulls.
A bit
of trivia, two former Iowa State coaches once served in that role with the
Bulls, Tim Floyd (1998-2001) and Fred Hoiberg (2015-2018). Jim Boylan (that is not a misspell) served as
interim head coach from 2007-2008. My
poor math skills indicates the Bulls have changed coaches every 2.2 years since
Jackson relinquished his tenure. We
guess a portion of the issues facing the franchise must be in the front
office. It should be of note Jackson had
Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and a talented bunch of guys playing for
him.
Bits n Pieces
August 3rd, we implied all everything
high school talent Emoni Bates might head to Michigan State next year rather
than wait until the fall of 2022. Bates
is hinting that possibility could occur on his twitter account, what once was
rumor could become the truth. What next,
Big Man Enoch Boakye also coming on board in 2022 does he reclassify too? Only time will answer those and other
questions for us.
The Kings have missed post-season play for
the 14th consecutive year, Vlade Divac stepped down as general
manager. Divac was replaced by Joe
Dumars formerly of the Detroit Pistons assumed the role of interim general
manager in addition to his role as interim as vice president of basketball
operations. Take heart Knick fans, you
thought your team was bad Kings fans have you beat.
No revisionist history
Chris
Paul was being interviewed after a recent Thunder game. I was not focused on Paul’s comments my
thought drifted to what might have been, a number might remember he should be a
Laker. In 2011 the Hornets traded Paul
to the Lakers only to see then Commissioner David Stern void the trade, weeks
later he was traded to the Clippers.
Since then it has been the Rockets and now Thunder but that is not the
focus, if the trade had not been voided, he would still be a Laker.
In an
unusual move the Hornets at that time were operating under league ownership
until an owner could be found. Stern
vetoed the trade referring to it as not in the best interest of the NBA. A look back would see Chris Paul 26 years old
at the time, the late Kobe Bryant 33 years old at the two. Pau Gasol would have departed, either Joe
Smith or Theo Ratliff become the team’s power forward. Andrew Bynum at center along with Metta World
Peace at small forward would round out the starters. Emerging from the Laker bench is Derek
Fisher, Luke Walton, and tough guy Matt Barnes.
Lamar Odom would also depart in the move to acquire Paul, think this
team might work?
