Basketball from a fans perspective

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Jackie McMullen

She is retiring at ESPN at the end of August, I was going to write something regarding her. When I looked at the mountain of accomplishments, I believed there was no way I could do her justice. There are numerous sources available which will provide far more detail than I could hope to mention. Former basketball player, author, sports analyst…Jackie McMullen. I almost forgot she is a mom as well, enjoy your retirement. 

Good coach or bad one

The hope is to present the case for Isiah Thomas former Piston player and coach. We can probably locate few who believe he was a bad player during his NBA career. Two-time NBA champion, enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame, on the other hand his coaching resume presents a less than stellar picture. Was he a good coach or a bad one is the question?  This is based on comments Thomas made about the Malice in the Palace profiled in the Netflix documentary The Untold Story. The former coach and current television analyst indicated if he’d been the Pacers coach the rampage would have never occurred. What about Thomas was he a good coach or bad one. The difficulty in an assessment we are not aware of key provisions, as an example why did Larry Bird choose to fire Thomas in 2004?

The first year with Thomas as head coach the Pacers were a .500 team (41-41), the following season they finished 42-40. Year three saw them close with a 48-34 record but they were bounced in the playoffs. Bird did not hire Thomas, he was only on the job two months before the coach was fired, was there “bad-blood” between the two going back to their days on the basketball court or was it something else. We intend to look at his coaching record alone, no requirement to look at time he spent as general manager or in several other roles. In fairness to Isiah Thomas there are circumstances which prevent us from knowing the complete history. How much did the front office interact with Thomas while he was coach of the Pacers and Knicks? Did Florida International allow him enough time to get his program implemented prior to him being fired? Below is his coaching resume from three stops, you become the judge.

187-223 (.456) with the Indiana Pacers (2000-2003) & New York Knicks (2006-2008) 

26-65 (.286) at Florida International University (2009-2012)

Apples to Oranges

They say, “Don’t compare apples to oranges because both are fruit.” I guess I’m guilty of that in a sense or just not very observant. Example, local sports radio hosts were trying to access the NFL Chiefs performance after a single exhibition game. I thought for a moment, “Don’t they have 90 players on the roster currently?” How can you access anyone except those believed to be front-line players?

The same statement might be of note about NBA Summer League play, there are players I have a desire to see in action, but I stop at a point. NBA rookies are not going to be competing with Kevin Durant or Steph Curry for a job. In fairness newcomers until they compete in a regular season training camp cannot be evaluated. In addition, they must face that first regular season game where the outcome is important to the regular season. In closing these radio guys and the entertainers on ESPN are better than me much as I hate to admit it.

The latest unicorn

Talk about a change in definition, once upon a time the term unicorn described a mythical horse with a single horn protruding from its head. I’m unsure about you but the first time I heard it describe a human was Kristaps Porzingis at the time he was with the Knicks. This from the Urban Dictionary, “Someone amazing who is hard to catch or simply a very rare find.” Okay I get that; it has nothing to do with a players height which was my first thought. Now that’s out of the way let’s move on to the latest unicorn. His name is Chet Holmgren, and he is entering his first year at Gonzaga. Holmgren was rated the Rivals top prospect in the Class of 2021, so it was quite a coup to recruit him. Then again perhaps not as difficult as first believed, he attended Minnehaha Academy the same high school as Jalen Suggs. In fact, the two were teammates till Suggs graduated and headed off to…. Gonzaga University.

The 2021 NBA draft witnessed Suggs drafted by the Orlando Magic so it’s possible at a future date they could see each other on an NBA court. As for Holmgren I first saw the skinny 7-footer in action against Ypsi Prep and Emoni Bates. At the end of the game in truth Holmgren stood out more than Bates. Although seven feet tall he showed he could skillfully dribble the basketball, in addition he sank 3-point baskets. Okay in college he will face a more distance shot but his skill gives us the impression he’ll adjust and shoot it there too. As for the weight issue it’s he’s in the weight room at Gonzaga, the key I’m told is bulk and not weight gain. The bulk will allow him the ability to not be pushed around on the floor. Unless you live on the west coast or Gonzaga has a weekday game those of us in other time zones are liable to only see highlights until the NCAA Tournament. He is at Gonzaga for one year, he is likely to be the top pick in the 2022 NBA draft.