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WEEKEND NOTES

February 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Even though I think John McCain is a sell out, a hypocrite and an attention whore, I commend him for again trying to get a posthumous pardon for former heavyweight champion Jack Johnson….

Sure, McCain is probably doing this to grab headlines and I’m sure his heart isn’t in it, but at least somebody’s trying to do something….

For those of you who don’t know, Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion in 1908, followed by attempt after attempt to find a “White Hope” to win back the title….

When that didn’t work, the Feds trumped up something called the “Mann Act,” which was “transporting a woman across state lines for immoral purposes.”….

Obviously this was an attempt to railroad Johnson because of Lucille Cameron, Jack’s white wife; and a desperate attempt to get the championship back to a caucasian fighter….

After charges were filed, Papa Jack fled to Canada, then to Eurpoe; where he lived and defended his title several times….

In 1915, Johnson lost his title in Havana to Jess Willard and a few years later surrendered to authorities; serving a year in prison….

After getting out in 1920, he immediately challenged new heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey; who had never fought a black fighter and retired still not having done so….

Despite a ridiculous offer of $250K, Dempsey and his people turned down the fight and Johnson was blackballed from ever fighting for the title again; as was every other black fighter until Joe Louis in 1937….

After ducking the great great black heavyweight Harry Wills for years, Dempsey actually signed to him Wills in 1922, but continued to avoid Wills until the New York State Athletic Commission told Dempsey they would revoke his license if he didn’t face Wills….

Instead of honoring the agreement, Dempsey instead defended against Gene Tunney in 1926 in Chicago. Jack lost the title and that was the end of Harry Wills as a title contender….

Johnson was certainly no angel, and from all reports Lucille Cameron was a “sporting women;” meaning prostitute. And since she set up shop in Chicago, financed by Papa Jack, the Feds moved in with the Mann Act….

Now, almost 100 years later, relatives of Jack Johnson and Sen. McCain are attempting to get President Obama to issue a pardon….

Sure, there are living people who could use a pardon more than the long deceased Johnson; but this is an injustice that’s long overdue to be righted….

This got nowhere under the Bush administration and a Democratic congress, so both parties are guilty of inaction….

President Obama can bypass all this nonsense and issue a Presidential pardon today; here’s to hoping this gets done ASAP….

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NOTES ON A SCORECARD

February 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It’s only been a couple of days since the Carmelo Anthony trade, but already a few things are clear: 1) The Nuggets are better defensively without Melo 2) The Knicks are worse defensively and 3) Amare Stoudemire and Anthony are going to have difficulty playing together….

Who knows how things are going to work out, but I’m enjoying this new Nuggets team….

After their 89-75 win over the Celtics last night, Denver is 2-0 since the deal and won both games by double digits….

And the encouraging thing for George Karl is they won the first game by scoring 120 points and the second by holding Boston to 75….

Their depth is better, they’re younger, better defensively and now don’t have one player dominating the ball….

I like the deal on Denver’s end….

The news yesterday was huge, with Danny Ainge shocking the NBA by trading his defensive anchor, Kendrick Perkins, to the Thunder….

Which makes OKC the team to beat in the Western Conference….

In Boston, the fans are furious, Perkins teammates are upset and commentators are perplexed as to why the Celtics would severely damage their chances to win the NBA championship….

But for anyone following the NBA, it was a move Boston had to make….

Perkins is a free agent after the season and going to demand a huge contract in the $10M a year range….

With the Celtics salaries at $82M this season and $72M next year, there was no way they could afford a fourth huge contract….

Had they signed Perkins to the kind of deal he wanted, they were going pay at least $20M in luxury taxes….

Still, in order to keep the peace and contend for championships, Boston ownership might have bitten ther bullet and paid, except for one thing: Next season’s impending lockout and strict new salary structure have owners running for cover….

With salaries possibly cut in half next season and the very real possibility of no basketball, it would have been financial suicide to committ $50-60M to Perkins….

So the only option was to get what they could and move on….

And if you can screw the Lakers in the meantime, all the better….

The Celtics got a pretty good player in Jeff Green and are now way under the cap for the 2012-13 season; which they’re going to need as their team continues to age….

In two years, with Paul Pierce 35, Ray Allen 37 and KG 37, it might be time to blow it up and start over….

So I’m not nearly as perplexed or down on this deal as everyone else….

Boston did what they had to do and are set up pretty well for when the Big 3 are ready to call it a career….

And as I mentioned earlier, they did this at the expense of the Lakers, who can’t be happy the Thunder addressed their greatest need; a tough, rebounding, defensive center….

A front line of Serge Ibaka, Perkins and Kevin Durant is very good on both ends of the floor and they also have an elite player in Russell Westbrook at the point….

In my opinion, they’re ahead of the Spurs as the Lakers biggest threat….

I’ve been singing the prasies of OKC GM Sam Presti for years and he’s proven me correct by building a championship team in only three years….

He was criticized when he took over the Sonics and immediately got rid of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis….

But I praised him and knew exactly what he was doing….

Yes, Allen and Lewis were very good players, but they weren’t getting any younger and the best the Sonics were ever going to be was a fringe playoff team….

Clearing cap space and starting over was the way to go and Presti understood….

After biting the bullet for a year in Seattle, the franchise moved to OKC with a lottery picks, cap space and a bright future….

After the idiots in Portland gave Presti a huge break and selected Grag Oden ahead of Durant, the first major piece of the puzzle fell into Presti’s lap….

Even though I had Portland GM Kevin Pritchard on my show and begged him to take Durant, he stubbornly drafted for need and repeated the colossal Sam Bowie/Michael Jordan mistake of 1984….

As I told Pritchard, Blazers announcer Brian Wheeler and Oregonian columnist John Canzano, Oden was an injury prone stiff and Durant was going to be a superstar. And when you draft for need instead of taking the best player available, you make franchise destroying mistakes….

Learning nothing from 1984, the Blazers did it again and chose a big stiff over a future Hall-of-Famer….

Back to the Celtics….

From everything I’ve read, Ainge isn’t done and has more up his sleeve. Samuel Dalembert and Troy Murphy will probably become available after receiving buyouts and Rasheed Wallace might also return….

So if the Celtics can get Dalembert, they might be ready to win a championship, after all….

He’s probably not as good a fit as Perkins, but moving him was something Boston had to do….

If the two O’Neals are healthy for th epost-season and you add Dalembert, that’s a very dangerous team….

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ANOTHER BLOCKBUSTER AND A SUGGESTION FOR THE NETS

February 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

With the Nets moving to Brooklyn in two years and desperate to challenge the Knicks for New York supremacy, you couldn’t blame new owner Mikhail Prokhorov for going after Carmelo Anthony….

Landing an elite player, who is originally from Brooklyn, would have been a coup and a major blow to the Knicks….

Unfortunately for Prokhorov, Carmelo forced his way to the Knicks and now they have a tandem of Anthony and Amare Stoudemire for at least the next five years….

But instead of feeling sorry for himself, the Russian billionaire landed Utah’s Deron Williams, whom many consider the best point guard in the NBA….

And he didn’t have to gut his team to do it; giving up promising rookie Derrick Favors, Deven Harris and two first round picks. They certainly won’t miss Harris and the jury is still out on Favors; and even though the first round picks will both be in the lottery, there’s no guarantee those draftees will be any good….

In my opinion, the Nets got a player just as good as Anthony and gave up much less….

Now the Nets have an elite point guard and a 20ppg scorer in Brook Lopez. Granted, Lopez needs to toughen up and do a hell of a lot better than six rebounds a game, but he can score and maybe the addition of Williams will be the kick in the ass he needs….

New Jersey doesn’t have much after that and need to add players; but they’ll be $19M under the cap this off season and can do some damage in free agency; especially with Prokhorov determined to build a champion….

I like the Nets deal better than the Knicks….

The Melo era debuted successfully last night, with the Knicks holding off the Bucks, 114-108; but it seems Anthony and Stoudemire might have trouble playing together….

Anthony certainly wasn’t shy in his debut, firing up 25 shots while Amare took only 13 and spent the 4th quarter watching Melo dominate the ball….

Since neither player is good defensively, they’re going to have to share the ball and get along for this to work. We’ll see….

Speaking of the Nets, I have a suggestion: When you move to Brooklyn, re-name the franchise the Dodgers….

If Prokhorov wants to endear himself to Brooklyn, there is no better way than to bring back their beloved Dodgers; albeit in a different sport….

And why the hell not? There are several teams in the four major sports who share a nickname, so why can’t there be two Dodgers?.It would be a great way to kick off NBA basketball in Brooklyn and David Stern should wholeheartedly get behind this….

And if there’s a problem with the Dodgers trademarking the name or saying the Nets can’t do it, file a countersuit, do it anyway and let the Dodgers get all the bad publicity….

In my opinion, once the Dodgers left Brooklyn and broke the hearts of two generations of fans, all bets were off….

They can move, but if the Nets want to be called the Dodgers, more power to them….

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NOTES ON A SCORECARD

February 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Well. the Carmelo Anthony deal is done and all I can say is this: The Knicks had better win an NBA championship, because they’ve risked everything by gutting their team….

By trading Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, a #1 pick and two #2′s, they’ve gone all in….

They also sent Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry’s expiring contract to the Timberwolves for Corey Brewer….

Here’s two things the Knicks absolutely need to happen: 1) They need to squeeze a good second half of the season out of 34-year-old Chauncey Billups, who’s still a good player with championship experience and knows how to win. After the season, he has a $14.5M team option, which the Knicks certainly decline. Then maybe they can bring him back at a greatly reduced rate, provided he proves he still has gas in the tank and fits D’Antoni’s system. 2) I’ve always liked Corey Brewer and think the Timberwolves misused him, so here’s a chance for him to blossom; especially with Mike D’Antoni’s system. If ever Brewer explodes, it’s going to be in New York….

Thye can also make a run at Steve Nash in the offseason, who lives in New York and loves D’Antoni. He’s entering the last year of his deal at $11M. Or they can try and get Chris Paul from the cash strapped Hornets….

But looking at the Knicks new roster, it seems they don’t have anyone the Suns or Hornets would want, with the exception of Landry Fields. But since he only makes $790K next season, it’s hard to imagine making salaries match….

The NBA needs to use the Dave Smith plan to make the All-Star game interesting again: Make it the USA vs. the World. 10 years ago it would have been a mismatch, but now it’s a competitive game and with pride on the line the players would give 100%. As you can see by my list below, the game would be evenly matched and exciting.

My starting teams for NBA vs. WORLD All-Star Game:

WORLD STARTERS:

F: Pau Gasol
F: Dirk Nowitzki
C:Yao Ming/Tim Duncan
G: Steve Nash
G: Manu Ginobili

AMERICAN STARTERS:

F: Amare Stoudemire
F: LeBron James
C: Dwight Howard
G: Dwyane Wade
G: Kobe Bryant

WORLD 2ND TEAM:

F: Luol Deng
F: Andrea Bargnani
C: Tim Duncan/Andrew Bogut
G: Tony Parker
G: Rudy Fernandez/Rodrigue Beaubois

AMERICAN 2ND TEAM:

G: Chris Paul
G: Derrick Rose
C: Andrew Bynum
F: Kevin Durant
F:Carmelo Anthony

Yes, the Americans would be favored and probably win, especially when the second units got involved. But the greatest thing about this game is national pride would be on the line and these guys would actually play hard for 48 minutes….

And remember, we sent an Olympic team to Beijing with almost exactly that same starting line-up and Spain took us down to the last second in the Gold Medal game. And Spain didn’t have Nowitzki, Yao, Ginobili or Nash or Parker. In one game on a given night, the World team could undoubtedly win….

I’ve grown tired of the NBA All-Star game being nothing more than players joking around, not playing any defense and seeing who can make the most Harlem Globetrotter-type plays….

USA vs. the World would be real basketball, competitive and hard fought….

And can you imagine how much it would mean to the International players if they won? Even though they’ve proven they can play and be part of championship teams in the NBA, there’s still a perception of them as soft and not as good as the Americans….

So they would kill themselves to win and our guys had better be prepared for war; not a meaningless All-Star scrimmage….

Don’t you love this idea?….

Finally, my heartfelt and sincere apologies to Fergie and Christina Aguilera….

I was pretty tough on the two of you after your miserable performances at the Super Bowl, but after watching Rihana perform at the NBA All-Star game I’ll never criticize either of you again….

Compared to Rihanna, those were the greatest musical performances I’ve ever seen….

My God, Rihanna was terrible. She can’t sing, can’t dance, isn’t pretty and whomever chose that dress she wore should be shot. When you have fat legs and a large behind, why draw attention to them?….

Holy s***, Matt Kemp can’t do better than that?….

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WEEKEND NOTES

February 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I was in downtown L.A. with my daughter yesterday and the scene for the NBA All-Star game was fascinating. It seemed like every NFL and NBA player, every rapper and every black celebrity in the world was here; which is why Michael Wilbon has labeled All-Star weekend “Black Thanksgiving.”….

This thing seems to get bigger and bigger every year and is reaching Super Bowl proportions; and I’d venture to guess the weekend has surpassed the Super Bowl in the black community….

It was something to see streets blocked off, signs for parties and all the activity going on downtown….

It seems to be a great thing for the downtown area, because hotel rooms are filled, restaurants are filled and there’s activity everywhere….

Now for some observations about the actual competition….

I liked bringing out the choir and the car, but Blake Griffin did not deserve to win the slam dunk contest. First, all he did was dunk from the dotted line, which almost every player in the NBA can do. Second, he needed to jump over the roof of the car to leave a lasting impression, not the hood….

When I saw Blake jump over the hood and dunk, I thought to myself that Javale McGee had just wrapped up the title….

And McGee was robbed, because he did two dunks which had never been seen before; which is what I thought the judges wanted to see….

On his first dunk, McGee brought out two baskets and dunked in both of them in a single jump. Now that was impressive….

On his next one, McGee actually dunked three balls in one jump; which was another first….

By the way, I had no idea Javale’s mother was one of the McGee twins, who played at USC with Cheryl Miller. I don’t know which one is his mom, but I remember one of them used to date Darryl Strawberry….

And speaking of getting robbed, how about Serge Ibaka, who became the first player in NBA history to actually dunk from the free throw line?….

Yes, Brent Barry, Dr. J, Michael Jordan and several others have successfully completed the free throw area dunk; but all of them had at least half of their foot in front of the line….

Ibaka was the first I’ve seen to dunk from behind the line and should have been in the final….

Now someone needs to wither dunk from the free throw line with two hands or do a 360….

Grffin had some nice dunks, but it seems he was the recipient of some home cooking and the fix was in….

Evidently David Stern has decided Blake is the next big thing and the outcome was pre-arranged. Because Griffin certainly didn’t deserve to win….

At least in the three-point shooting contest they’re keeping score and the guy who makes the most shots wins….

As a lifelong but disillusioned boxing fan, events determined by a panel of judges are most often corrupt and incorrect….

A perfect example being this year’s dunk contest….

Funniest line of the night was, of course, delivered by Charles Barkley. When the announcers were praising Reggie Miller for his work with a young Pacers player, Sir Charles cracked, “It’s funny Reggie never takes credit for Haywoode Workman.”….

For the next 10 seconds, the entire broadcast crew was laughing and unable to contiune….

Reminded me of Tracy Morgan’s line last month on the TNT pre-game show, when he said “Sarah Palin is good masturbation material.”….

Barkley’s line was funny, but Morgan’s might have been the greatest in the history of television….

With the Feb. 24th deadline fast approaching, the Knicks seem to be cracking and willing to offer more for Carmelo Anthony, despite the Nets making a last ditch effort….

In my opinion, the Knicks offer of Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Eddy Curry’s expiring contract and draft picks for Melo and Chauncey Billups is too much….

But with Donnie Walsh looking for a new contract and poressure on the Knicks to win, they might have to make this deal; especially with the Nets ready to pounce….

The Nets are moving to Brooklyn in a year and the thought of Anthony playing in their city must nauseate New York owner James Dolan….

So now they’re ready to give up more than they’d like for Melo….

If the deal goes through, the Knicks would start Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Billups, Landry Fields and possibly Rony Turiaf….

Pretty good, but not good enough to get out of the East, much less win a championship….

And their bench, already thin, would be among the worst in the NBA….

As for the Nets, they’re offering a number of front line players and draft picks, but why would Melo want to go there? Looking at their roster post-trade, they’re still a lottery team….

What I can’t understand is why Donald T. Sterling isn’t getting involved. Sure, Anthony says he wouldn’t sign an extension with the Clips, but so what? Once the deadline passes Carmelo faces the prospect of a new CBA and a lockout….

With the owners determined to cut salaries by 50% and lock the players out for at least a year, Anthony stands to lose $40-50M….

That’s probably a month’s worth of shopping for his wild spending wife, LaLa Vasquez….

Trust me, Donald T, Melo will beg for that extension once he gets here….

And Chris Kaman’s expiring $11M contract, two #1 picks, Eric Bledsoe and Al Farouq Aminu is better than anything else the Nuggets will get….

Time for The Donald to deal….

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NOTES ON A SCORECARD

February 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

After watching Derrick Rose light up the NBA’s best team for 42 points and eight assists, I’ve moved him to the top of my MVP list….

This could change in a week, but the way he destroyed Tony Parker and the Spurs was brilliant….

The Bulls have quietly pulled to within a game and a half of the Heat and Celtics for the #1 seed in the East and on a tremendous roll without center Joakim Noah….

True, Noah would have been a back-up center back in the 1980′s, but in this day and age is one of the best pivot men in the NBA….

He has no offensive game, but runs the floor, rebounds, defende like hell and plays hard. What he lacks in skill he makes up for in will….

When he comes back, the group of Rose, Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng and Noah is one hell of a starting unit and they’ll have as good a chance as anyone to come out of the East and possibly win the NBA championship….

All season, I’ve listed the Celtics, Lakers, Heat and Spurs as the only teams in th eleague with a legitimate shot at winning the championship. But with a healthy Noah, I’m adding the Bulls to the list….

Man card violation for Iowa high school wrestler Joel Northrup, who gave up a chance to compeete for a state championship because of his refusal to compete against a girl….

If the girl, Cassy Herkelman, is good enough to qualify for the state tournament, he should show the proper respect and face her on the mat….

In his release, Northrup claims “his religious beliefs don’t allow him to comptete against a girl” and wrestling is a combat sport and can get violent.”….

Reaction: Bulls*** and this guy comes across as a coward….

f he’s too strong and it’s a mismatch, he’ll take her to the floor and pin her quickly. Nobody is going to get hurt, except maybe the girl’s feelings. But she joined her wrestling team knowing she’s have to compete against boys and at some point would overpowered by a male competitor….

I’m sure Cassy is a big girl and can handle it; too bad this p**** Northrup can’t….

It’s not sexist and insulting to defeat her in a wrestling match, it’s sexist and insulting to refuse to face her simply because of her gender….

She qualified for the tournament and Northrup’s claim that he’s afraid of hurting her are ridiculous….

What if he were going up against a boy who was obviously not in his class and physically weaker? Would Northrup withdraw from the match, cite his religious beliefs and talk about wrestling “being a combat sport and can get violent?”….

Of course not, and only doing it because Herkelman is a girl is reprehensible….

I’m not buying all this nonsense about the Nets getting back into the Carmelo Anthony negotiations, along with the Mavericks and Rockets….

In my opinion, the Nuggets are wisely floating this bulls*** to try and get more from the Knicks….

The Nuggets reportedly want the Knicks to give up Eddy Curry’s expiring contract,m Raymond Felton a #1 pick, Wilson Chandler and either Landry Fields or Danilo Gallinari for Melo, Chauncey Billups and filler….

No way in hell I do that if I’m the Knicks. As good as Anthony is, I’m not going to gut a good, young team to get him….

And why should Denver trade him at all? With the CBA running out and there probably not being a season in 2011-12, Carmelo is not going to give up $40M in salary just because his wife loves New York….

He’ll sign an extension with the Nuggets 24 hours after the February 24 trade deadline passes….

Unless….

The wild card in this whole thing is some owner (Mark Cuban?) willing to make a deal without Anthony agreeing to a contract extension. Normally this would be franchise suicide, because if you didn’t win the championship you’d be renting him for a season and wind up losing front line players and draft picks for nothing….

Except for this….

After trading for him without his agreeing to an extension, you have the hole card of next year’s lockout and drastic salary cuts….

As the season gets closer and closer to ending, Carmelo might be convinced that staying put, wherever he is, is preferable to not getting paid at all next season and losing tens of millions….

And since you’d have Carmelo on your team, you’d have a couple of months to wine and dine him….

Of course, at the same time you’d work on convincing Melo, his agent and his free spending wife to take the extension and save tens of millions….

The more I think about this, the more I’d be tempted to do it….

And by the way, the Clippers can offer Denver a better deal than anyone….

How about Chris Kaman’s expiring, $11M contract, a lottery pick and any two players on the roster not named Blake Griffin or Eric Gordon….

The Nuggets get everything they say they want: Cap room, a lottery pick and good, young players….

And once the Clippers get him, Melo might be faced with a scary choice: Take the Clippers extension or leave and lose $40M….

And if chooses the latter, he can probably kiss his marraige goodbye; because LaLa Vasquez is not going to take kindly to Melo taking back all his gold cards while he’s unemployed. And LaLa not spending wildly with Melo’s money is almost unimagineable….

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NOTES ON A SCORECARD

February 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I know Andrew Bynum was terrible offensively last night, shooting 2/12 and missing all kinds of easy shots, but his presence defensively was sorely missed down the stretch in the Lakers 104-99 loss to the Cavaliers….

Once again, Phil Jackson played Andrew only 22M, even though he had six rebounds and two blocks. When the Lakers needed stops and someone to protect the basket, Bynum was firmly planted on the bench; watching Pau Gasol get manhandled, dunked on and standing with his hands at his sides while Cleveland made lay-ups….

Offensively, Pau was tremendous and had an excellent game with 30 points and 20 rebounds. And this was done with only 15 shot attempts, due to his selfish teammates launching up bad shots….

By the way, over the past three games the Lakers have shot 8/43 from three-point range….

Defensively, though, Gasol was awful….

Three times in the 4th quarter, he got beat on slip screens; resulting in two lay-ups and a dunk. And as I mentioned earlier, he was constantly late rotating to driving Cleveland players and watched them make lay-ups….

It wasn’t all his fault, though, because Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher don’t play any defense, either….

In one of the great local media cover-ups of all-time, our local hacks on the radio and television refuse to call out Kobe on his horrendous defense. He hasn’t guarded anyone all season, but you’d never know it lisstening to these dopes in the press….

As for Fisher, the less said the better. Every time he drives to the basket something bad happens and he can’t stay in front of anyone he attempts to defend….

Let’s hope he has another big post-season, because he’s killing them defensively….

But the wing player hurting them most is Kobe, who is getting beat off the dribble and still goes for kamikazee steals instead of playing solid defense….

Will anyone other than Dave Smith bring this up? Not likely….

With the Albert Pujols deadline past, the Cardinals are in a very tough spot. Since Pujols has a no-trade clause and says he will not accept any trade, he’s basically blackmailing the team into either paying him a record breaking salary or lose him for nothing….

He’s already turned down $200 for eight years, insisting on a $30M per year deal….

It will be interesting to see how the St. Louis fans react to this, because they are the most loyal and knowledgable in all of baseball. Unlike other cities, baseball is still the National Pastime….

In this horrible economy, with so many people out of work and struggling to survive, how will long-time Cardinal fans react to a guy who turns down $200M?….

They also won’t take kindly to Albert’s blackmail tactics….

In a working class city like St. Louis, I would imagine Pujols will be in for a long summer if this thing is not resolved….

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A STATUE FOR JERRY WEST, BUT WHAT ABOUT BILL SHARMAN?

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

While looking at the new statue of Jerry West, which is going to be unveiled soon in front of Staples Center, I went over the list of the other honorees and who is missing….

Certainly West is deserving, as is Chick Hearn and Magic Johnson….

As for Wayne Gretzky, I’m not sure. He only played in L.A. for seven years, never won a championship and never played a game at Staples….

And Oscar De La Hoya? His career record at Staples is 0-1, a loss to Shane Mosley. Why he gets a statue alongside Magic, West, Hearn and Gretzky is a mystery….

Kwame Brown and Smush Parker deserve statues more than De La Hoya. At least they won a game there….

Not to mention Wilt Chamberlain, who won a title here in 1972 and one of the greatest NBA players of all time….

As far as performers who have been slighted, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Sharman top the list….

Kareem’s resume’ is beyond reproach, evidenced by his 5 World Championship and multiple MVP’s in a Lakers uniform. He also possessed the single greatest weapon in sports history, the Sky Hook….

The Big Fella has been slighted and this needs to be corrected….

For some reason, the Lakers organization and fans have forgotten about Sharman, who is as responsible as anyone for the organization’s success….

As a head coach, he guided the Lakers to their first World Championship in Los Angeles in 1971-72. And not only did they win, they set an NBA record of 69 wins and an all-time professional sports record of 33 straight victories….

It was an incredible season and Sharman was the leader….

After that, Sharman became the General Manager and made three great trades which resulted in the Showtime Lakers….

In 1975, he traded for Kareem, which was the first piece to the championship puzzle….

In 1976, he allowed Gail Goodrich to leave as a free agent to the New Orleans Jazz, which resulted in a future 1st round draft pick. In 1979, Sharman used that pick to draft Magic Johnson….

In 1979, Sharman dealt Don Ford to Cleveland, in exchange for their 1982 1st round draft pick. Which turned out to be James Worthy….

So if not for Bill Sharman, there is no Showtime Lakers and probably not the championship teams of the 2000′s, either….

After Sharman stepped down as GM after the 1981-82 championship season, he was replaced by West; who sat in the catbird seat with the first pick in the draft; thanks to Sharman’s deal with Cleveland in 1979….

And there was James Worthy, sitting right at the top of the board. Talk about an easy transition into becoming a GM….

Sure, West could have taken Terry Cummings or Dominique Wilkins instead of Worthy, but it was a no brainer to take James. He was coming off a dominant National Championship performance with North Carolina and was clearly the best player. Almost every GM in the NBA would have taken Worthy and West gets far too much credit for that pick….

The credit should go to Sharman, who made a brilliant deal three years earlier to make West’s job easy….

Take nothing away from West, who was an outstanding GM and Hall-of Fame player, but Jerry getting credit for the Showtime Lakers is incorrect and an insult to Sharman….

Without Kareem, Magic and Worthy, the 1980′s Lakers don’t win any championships and it was Sharman who built that team….

But for some reason West gets all the credit….

Now in his 80′s, it’s high time Bill Sharman gets a statue in front of Staples and a banner in the rafters alongside Magic, West, Kareem, Wilt, Elgin Baylor, Hearn and Goodrich. He’s reportedly in poor health and time might be running out, so the Lakers need to do the right thing and remember just who it was who brought us our first World Championship and built Showtime….

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NOTES ON A SCORECARD

February 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

After the Lakers were hammered by the Bobcats, it was interesting to hear all the local TV and radio guys asking “What’s wrong with the Lakers?”….

Anyone who doesn’t understand the simplicity of what’s wrong and can’t explain it quickly doesn’t belong on the Los Angeles airwaves….

Allow me to explain it….

When you have two 7-foot post players who have good hands and score almost every time they get the ball, it’s suicidal to keep firing 3-point shots. This results in long rebounds, fast breaks and easy baskets….

To avoid transition baskets by younger, more athletic teams, all you need to do is get the ball inside and either get a basket or free throws. Make these smaller teams play defense for 24 seconds and wear them down….

Then, when opponents are forced to help with their wing players, Bynum and Gasol can simply pass the ball out to wide open teammates. Jump shots and three-pointers are fine, as long as they happen after the ball first goes into the post. Winning basketball is played inside/out….

Another huge problem is Phil Jackson’s insistence on not playing Bynum enough. Even though he had 9 points and 6 rebounds last night, he only played 23 minutes. This menat Ga-soft moved to center, which means a lay-up drill for the opposition….

And not only did the easy baskets begin, Nazr Mohammed proceeded to kick Ga-soft’s tail all over the court….

Funny, I thought Mohammed retired three years ago….

I used to ask Stu Lantz why the Lakers insist on double teaming the opposing team’s post players, because their aren’t any good centers in the NBA. Especially when you have two athletic 7-footers.

Stu always said it was a mystery to him, because it nearly always results in a wide open shot for an opposing player; usually because Derek Fisher is two-steps late getting back to his man….

Why double team when you don’t have to, especially with a slow, unathletic guard? It makes no sense….

So the solution is simple: Quit the early jump shots, get the ball inside, quit double teaming and play Bynum 35-40 minutes per game, which eliminates Ga-soft playing center….

Another problem is Phil Jackson doesn’t seem to understand his retirement doesn’t begin until after the season….

The Lakers defensive rotations are horrible, they play selfishly and ignore their inside players, but evidently it’s okay with the Zenmaster….

Because if it weren’t he’d do something about it….

Anyone who fires up a jump shot before getting the ball inside should have his ass firmly planted on the bench….

Hopefully somebody will wake Phil from his nap and explain to him what’s going on….

Albert Pujols, one of the greatest players in baseball history, has given the Cardinals a deadline of noon Wednesday to get him a new cotract or he’ll become a free agent….

Evidently he wants a 10-year contract, which puts the team in a tough spot. Pujols is immensely popular in St. Louis and if he leaves it will be devastating. Maybe not LeBron-like devastating, but it would be a huge blow….

On the other hand, we’re past the steroid era and the days of players putting up huge numbers in their late 30′s and early 40′s are over. There’s no way I’m going 10 years and over $200M on a guy who’s going to be 41 when his deal is done….

Hopefully a compromise can be reached and everyone will be happy….

How about seven years and $175M?….

Is Pujols a steroid guy? He certainly has that look and since baseball does not test for HGH he might very well be using PED’s….

On the other hand, his numbers have been consistent and there’s been no fall off since the MLB instituted strict (except for HGH) testing….

So either he’s clean, using HGH or has a great doctor who can beat baseball’s tests….

Any of which wouldn’t suprise me….

Filed Under: Dave Smith Tagged With: , ,

WEEKEND NOTES

February 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Question for Phil Jackson: Since Andrew Bynum had 11 points and 5 rebounds at the half and was playing Dwight Howard pretty well, why did Andrew play only 30 minutes?….

He only had one foul, so why the refusal to put him out there?….

I know Howard was having a huge game, but that’s what he does. There’s a reason Howard is a perennial All-Star and future Hall-of-Famer: It’s because he’s a phyisical monster and the best center in the NBA….

But had Bynum converted some of those easy shots he missed and played more he would have had 30 and 15….

When Bynum was on the bench, you saw what happened when Pau Gasol guarded Dwight….

It was a dunk-a-thon and Ga-Soft looked scared to death. Sure, Howard was scoring on Andrew, but at least Bynum was challenging him and then going right at him on the other end….

Ga-Soft meekly stood by and took beatdown like a jailhouse snitch….

And don’t give me this bulls*** about Bynum’s injury and the team limiting his minutes. He’s been back 30 games and needs to play 35-40 minutes per game. Because that’s what they’re going to need out of him in the post-season if they want to three-peat….

As evidenced by the 2008 Finals loss and the ’09 and ’10 wins, the Lakers cannot win without Andrew. Even when he’s hurt, he gives you a defensive presence and more importantly, keeps Ga-Soft out of the center position….

Bynum starting and playing effectively is the most important aspect to the Lakers winning….

Let’s hope the Zenmaster wakes up from his nap and realizes this….

One more thing: The reason Bynum misses easy shots near the rim is because he doesn’t use the glass. He’ll get the ball at an angle and then try to shoot the ball straight into the hoop. When you don’t use the backboard in this situation, it dramatically decreases your chances of success….

Because when you’re at an angle, if the shot isn’t perfect it’s going to rim out. But if you use the glass you’ll make those shots 90% of the time….

Is anyone on the Lakers staff watching film or working whith Bynum on this? And where the heck is Kareem? Didn’t the Big Fella release a tweet the other day that’s he’s cancer free? So let’s get Kareem back on the practice court with Andrew….

Now that Tiger Woods is still winless after his quest to bang more White Trash than anyone in history, people are saying he might never win again….

True, he hasn’t crossed the finish line, but he is playing better and has been near the top of the leader board after three rounds in his last two tournaments….

Unfortunately, they play four rounds on Tour and El Tigre has blown up on Sunday both times….

All it’s going to take, though, is Tiger putting together a good round on a Sunday to get him back to winning majors again. It looks like he’s forgotten how to win….

Speaking of Woods, evidently developers in Dubai paid him a whopping $55M to endorse the “Tiger Woods Resport,” which was scheduled to open in September of 2009….

Due to the world economic crash, however, the project was never completed and the golf curse has only six holes….

Which means Tiger was paid over $9M per hole….

I guess that equals what he had to pay out to those skanks he was bedding down….

Tiger did get lucky, though, because he was paid the $55M 24 days before the Lehman Brothers financial collapse in 2008. So, unlike most Americans, El Tigre got in just under the wire before all hell broke loose….

Now the question is how much Elin Nordegren gets out of all this. I would assume, since this happened before the scancal, that she got her share already….

But maybe Tiger and his bean counters didn’t tell her exactly how much cash he was getting and now she can take him to the cleaners again….

This could get ugly….

If you’ll recall, I predicted the Cavaliers would end their 26-game losing streak on Friday night against the Clippers because, well, it was the Clippers….

Yes, Cleveland had tied the American sports record for consecutive losses, but they were going up against the worst professional franchise in the history of American sports….

There’s a reason Donald T. Sterling is the worst owner in professional sports history and the Clippers the worst franchise. It’s because they have losing down to a science and no Cleveland Cavalier team is going to steal their thunder….

The Curse of the Clipeprs strikes again and the streak is history….

On Sunday the Clips proved it wasn’t a fluke as they lost to the 15-40 Toronto Raptors, 98-93. Ah, yes, they will always be the Clippers….

As for the Cavs, they came back and lost at home to the Wizards, 115-100. Even more embarrassing for Cleveland is Washington came into the game 0-25 on the road….

And if you think the NBA is bad now, just wait until next year; when there will either not be a season or the owners will have delivered a death blow to the players through a new CBA….

Filed Under: Dave Smith Tagged With: , ,
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