Florida Coach Billy Donovan was offered $6 Million per year to coach Orlando Magic today.
I think that, since Florida’s NCAA Championship team has been pretty much dismantled by players going to the NBA, it’s quite possible that he’d take the offer and go get that big money in the L.
But one look at Rick Pitino, Mike Montgomery, Tim Floyd, John Calipari should reveal a lot of what would await Donovan should he choose to “go pro”. During their “full seasons”, those coaches went for a combined 118 – 210 record. That’s a .359 winning percentage.
But why?
Aren’t college coaches supposed to have more clout / defensive and offensive savvy that their NBA brethren?
Not really. In my opinion, the biggest difference between thoroughbred NBA coaches and NCAA converts is their ability to manage the HUGE player egos that accompany any NBA franchise. That and the ability to handle the inter-franchise politics are what make for successful NBA coaches. Forget offenses, defenses, zones and diagramed plays. The REAL NBA coaches leave that to the assistants. They go about massaging egos, putting out fires and sweet talking the media. They serve as scapegoats for franchises and team owners for when things go sour. They are, by all intents and purposes, mules meant to do all teh hard work of keeping the franchise’s wheel oiled and clean without getting any of the recognition.
College coaches aren’t really good at that because they are primarily teachers and, to a certain extent, control freaks.
Anyway, enough of my rant.
Donovan was offered big money to go pro.
Congratulations, buddy! You certainly earned it. Just be SURE of what you’re getting into before you sign on the dotted line. Cuz the consequences that follow aren’t always sugar puffs and pixie dust.
Seems to me like the Pistons are actually starting to get worried about the Cleveland Cavaliers and their chances of beating them in these playoffs!
It’s about time they took an opponent seriously.
And why shouldn’t they? The Cavs have responded critics and doubters with some great performances. The series is tied at two and it looks like it might go to seven.
I expect the Pistons to come out swinging and wallop the Cavs in the first half. Then I expect the Cavs to suck in the third and make it close in the fourth before falling by 7 or 8 points.
When we were down in Rochester, Minnesota I had a chance to go to Sears to do some shopping. I was looking for a camcorder as part of the main list of things we had to get while we were down there.
While at the electronics centre, I was mesmerized not only by the nice HDTVs they had on display, but also by the NBA game that was taking place before my eyes.
I believe, to that point, it had been about 4 days since we had left home and about 5 days since I had watched ANY NBA games. The Spurs were playing the Nuggets when we left. I knew had missed most of that series, but knew that they had been up 2-1 at one point. I also knew that the Suns were playing the Lakers and that they, too, were up 2-1 in the series when I had last seen them play. When I saw Phoenix playing the Spurs I knew that they had both dispatched their respective teams. I was happy. Real happy. TO add to that happiness was the fact that on that very night, I think it was a Thursday, the Warriors had dispatched the Mavs and sent them home. Life couldn’t get any better at that point. Both my teams had advanced, both of their rivals (villains, in my books) had been sent home crying. I was on vacation with some cool peeps, I was finally getting my camcorder …. life was good.
Anyway, I believe I was watching Game 1 between the Spurs and the Suns. The electronics guy was watching the game too – a black kid with a funny looking ‘fro. I was annoyed at first cuz he didn’t see me hovering the camcorders and went over to ask for some assistance. But when I got there, the game took over. We both stood there and watched for what seemed like an eternity and when a commercial break broke our concentration, he began with this verbal diarrhea about how the Spurs were gonna get beaten (possibly swept) by the Suns.
I listened carefully and intently at what the kid was saying: Nash was the NBA MVP (I agreed with that), Amare was unguardable, Marion was “Mr. Do Everything”, Bell was a lights out shooter and a great defender, Barbosa was the best bench player in the L … blah blah blah.
When he was done, I looked at him and said that the Spurs were not only going to win the series, but also the championship. He looked at me crooked and said “Fo’ real?!” And I said “Of course!” Then I began to talk: Bruce Bowen could and would shut down Steve Nash. Tony Parker could keep up and nullify Barbosa (which didn’t happen), Tim Duncan is the NBA’s most underrated talent. A great defender – manifested in his 25 blocks throughout the 6 game series, 9 coming in the final game. Matchup wise, the Suns always got the short end when playing the Spurs and I explained the matchup rule: San Antonio always beats Phoenix, Phoenix always beats Dallas and Dallas always beats San Antonio. And because this matchup favoured the Spurs, that they were going to use a stifling team defense and basically nullify the Phoenix attack and use their methodical offense to wear down the Suns and win the series. I told him that all season talk had always surrounded 3 teams: Detroit, Phoenix and Dallas. No one talked about the Spurs and everyone wrote them off. I told him that this was a fatal mistake because, unlike Phoenix and Dallas, San Antonio had ACTUALLY won a championship and had been to the Finals 3 other times. I told him “Don’t sleep on San Antonio”
The kid didn’t believe – talking again about Amare and Nash. So I looked at him – knowing that I wouldn’t be around to gloat – and said: “When the Spurs win the series and move to the NBA Finals, you’ll remember me and know that I was right; The Spurs are the best team in the NBA.”
Then we did business and I bought my camcorder.
As I was walking out, San Antonio had taken a lead into the fourth quarter. I looked back at the kid and said “If the Spurs win the series, you’re gonna remember me for a long time.” and walked away. The kid laughed and said he would make sure to remember.
I should send the kid a sympathy card with a simple “I told you so …” written on it as a reminder.
The San Antonio Spurs went up 34 – 15 in the first quarter and the game was pretty much over right then and there. The lead was 33 points at one point and it never got closer than 19. Jerry Sloan waved the white flag late in the third and the entire Fourth Quarter was pretty much Matt “Red Rocket” Bonner time. Even Beno Udrih got to play.
There’s not much I can say about this game as it lasted only one quarter. But what a quarter it was! Tony Parker came in on a mission and quite literally abused the Jazz every which way to help his squad stomp out whatever little hope the Jazz had on their season. The Tim Duncan Robot was online and active with 21 and 7; a bit below Groundhog Day averages, but it was a short game for him. Parker had 21, 5 & 5, while Ginobili was relatively quiet with 12 & 5. As a matter of fact, every Spur except Robert Horry scored a basket.
The only glaring statistics were assists (13 – 22, advantage Spurs) and turnovers (12 by the Jazz – 7 by the Spurs). Well … that and the scoring percentages …. San Antonio shot 53% (39-76) for the GAME while Utah shot a piss poor 38% (26-68) from the field. In long range, the Spurs shot 46% (7-15) while the Jazz went for 25% (2-8).
I think the Jazz had actually given up midway through the first quarter. Their shoulders slumped and heads bowed, they didn’t even argue calls. They got feisty in the second for a few minutes before the Spurs put their proverbial foot down. Deron Williams, hobbled by a twisted ankle, was pretty plain tonight with a quiet 11, 3 &2 stat line. Boozer went 3-10 for 9 points and 12 boards. Okur only shot 8 times, making 3 of them for 8 points. Andrei Kirilenko seemed to be the only Jazz player aside from Matt Harpring (11 & 4) that was interested in playing, with a stat line of 13 & 5.
No, on that night the Spurs juggernaut was too much to handle for the Utah Jazz. Now, the Spurs have 1 week before they start playing again. They await the winner of the Detroit / Cleveland series. For most teams, a week off would be a cause for concern due to the rust / complacency factor. But with Poppovich at the helm of the Spurs and with Tim Duncan as the superstar, you can bet that they will be hungry for another chip and will come out swinging.
So Kobe goes out and officially makes it known that he wants to be traded. He was on the Stephen A. Smith show and the Big Show with John Ireland and Steve Mason.
But apparently, since these stories dropped, Kobe has gone out and had a change of heart. I haven’t had a chance to listen to that podcast, but I’ve got Kobe’s “I want out” podcast right here …
LeBron and his crew looked determined to win this game. And despite a piss poor third quarter where they gave up their lead and were behind by as many as 5, that’s exactly what they did.
And there were no plays prettier than the pull back leaning 3 pointer that LeBron shot off a drive. It was SO sweet I actually “wowed” in excitement. hahahahaha.
I don’t think LeBron and company are going to go gently into that good night either. Not when Bron goes for 25, 11 (assists) and 7. Not when Gooden goes for 19 & 8. Not when Daniel Gibson (the rook) puts 21 points in his first playoff start. But LeBron will need more help than that if they hope to pull out this series against a scrappy Pistons team. They were outrebounded and outblocked. And aside from Gibson, Gooden and Bron, the rest of the Cavs were pretty sub par.
Detroit, meanwhile, still shows such disdain for these lowly Cavs that it appears like they’re not even trying. Billups pulled out of his funk long enough to put 23 and 9 on the Cavs – but his moments of brilliance have been clouded by a lack luster playoff performance. Hamilton continued his solid play, dropping 19 & 7 and T-Prince went for 15 & 7. McDyess came up big in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his twelve points there. But unfortunately, the Pistons never caught on that these guys were playing good and that they should keep going to them. They were instead content to rely on Wallace’s fade aways and three pointers.
Chris Webber scored 2 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and had 2 steals. I just wanted to point out how feeble Chris Webber has become. And this guy is close to an NBA Final …. Sorry Mr. Nash. I guess there’s no justice in this world after all …
The funniest part about this coming weekend was the forecast I read yesterday on Environment Canada. I didn’t believe it, so I checked The Weather Network’s forecast. I didn’t like what it said either, so I checked Accuweather’s version of the forecast.
After seeing that the three major weather networks ALL predicted rain for this weekend, all I could do was chuckle. Especially when I saw that all three networks predicted for Monday to be sunny and bright.
On the one hand, it’s a tradition. It always rains and I shouldn’t have expected anything different. Plus I can’t play anyway so why should anybody else? hahahahaha.
On the other hand, I really wanted my guys to play. So I could sit and watch, so I could videotape the games, so I could take in the ambience … cuz it’s a tradition.
Whatever happens, I know it won’t matter either way because I’ll be with my boys and it’ll be good no matter what we do.
Now that I’ve gotten all the flowery talk and ideological theory out of the way, I’ll tell it like it is …
The 3 on 3 is a bust. Always has been. Always will be.
It’s not that the tournament itself is bad. The teams are grouped appropriately, the competition is good. The idea is great.
It’s the damn weather.
Anyone who’s played in the Winnipeg 3 on3 knows what I’m talking about … … IT ALWAYS RAINS.
Always.
There have been maybe 2 or 3 weekends (in the 12 years it’s been on – and never consecutive) where it hasn’t rained.
One year, they didn’t even bother us with playing one game. From beginning to end, it was canceled.
There was another year where we only played one game before it POURED on us like it was the end of the world.
Another year, we played all of the round robin games and then it started to rain. So they canceled the remaining games – playoffs! I argued for 3 weeks with the 3 on3 head office about how we were gonna win the division (we were. we were unbeaten and our margin of victory was by about 10 points) and how I wanted the damn trophy. We DID end up getting it – and it sits proudly atop a shelf in my Rec Room.
As bad as it can get though, I love the 3 on3 and couldn’t imagine a year without it. Cuz when it gets nice, it’s NICE. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the basketball … it’s classic.
So the annual 3 on3 tournament is this weekend and I’m playing … sort of.
See, we’ve can have up to 5 players on our team and I decided to sign up. Partly because it takes 5 and partly because it’s what we’ve always done.
But with my back the way it is, I can’t REALLY play unless I want to be on my back for another 4 months, writhing in agony. And I do NOT want to go back to that.
So I told the guys right up front: “I’m gonna sign myself up, I’ll show up to videotape the games and I’m gonna ride you guys to another championship.”
Because quite frankly, the only thing better than one championship is two championships.
And to be honest, I have never missed a 3 on3 and it’s been running for 12 years. The 3 on3 tournament is part of a Winnipeg baller’s yearly routine. It signals the official start to summer streetball season. It’s a tradition. And I have to be a part of it. Even if I can’t play.
So there you have it. I’m playing this year … sort of.
I am now writing this from home and can honestly say that I am one happy camper! Now I can get my daily Blog and jUSt fix (for those who know what I am talking about.
As I write this, the following headline popped up for me:
I can now go back to being the interweb zombie I was before “the melt”. Who needs sunlight, anyway?
As of tonight, our home will be plugged back into the Matrix after a 3 week hiatus ….. and the truth is that I never realized how important the internet was to me until it went missing. It’s not the video, music or chat. It’s the information resources that are at your fingertips. Need to know something? Google it.
Debris rained down onto the court after the home team failed to even the series yesterday.
“They threw Carmex at me,” Bowen said. “I like Carmex, but not getting it thrown at me.”
I have never seen so many pissed off mormons before.
I swear it’s like I’m stuck in a time loop and the only thing that changes is the outcome … sometimes.
This game played out exactly as the previous 3 games in the series: Even start by both teams, Strong San Antonio second quarter that puts them up by 8 at the half, strong Jazz third quarter (they pulled to within 1 point) followed by a Spurs rally in the fourth to ice the game.
And throughout the game, it was the Tim Duncan Robot that made play after play to give his team the edge. I mean, let’s face it: Manu Ginobili played a great fourth, scoring 16 points in the quarter and amassing an impressive 22 & 6 for the game, but if it wasn’t for the attention that Tim Duncan commands, Ginobili wouldn’t be able to score and take over the game like that. No doubt he played great, and I love the Argentinian. But it’s not just about Ginobili.
Tim Duncan, Groundhog Day, finishes the game with 19, 9 and 5 blocks. Oberto chips in 11 & 11, Finley scores 13 and Parker drops 17 and (ONLY???) 3 assists. They shot 40% from the field (28-69), 33% from 3 (5-15) and 73% (30-41) from the foul line. Impressive stat time! The Spurs scored more foul shots than field goals (granted, field goals are worth 2 points to a foul shot’s 1 point – but still!).
As for team stats, they’re almost even across the board, with a slight edge going to one team in one category and another team getting the edge in another stat line. But the margins are so negligible that they’re not worth mentioning. Maybe the 6 extra turnovers the Jazz had, made that much of a difference? Or maybe it was the foul situation, where Utah racked up 10 more fouls (27-17). Maybe it was the lack of composure. When your most experienced vet gets Teed up twice and gets kicked out along with your coach, it says something about the way the Spurs play and what they do to opposing teams.
No other Jazz player, aside from Boozer (18 & 9) and Williams (27 & 10 assists) scored over 9 points, grabbed over 8 rebounds and had over 2 assists. They made 4 more field goals and shot better from the field (32-68 for 47%), but the big stats for the Jazz team was the 3 point shooting (1-7 for 14%) and foul shots (14-20 for 70%). It’s not that their foul shots were bad, it’s more the quantity! Tim Duncan alone went 6 of 13 from the stripe!
That stat says a lot about one of two things: The aggressiveness or the refereeing. I don’t think they can complain about the reffing because last game, when they were more active, the Spurs spent more time dealing with foul trouble than drawing up plays and high fiving each other. I think it says a lot about how this team reacts to adversity.
The Jazz are a jump shooting team, primarily. But they can be physically imposing – when they initiate the contact. When faced with an aggressive opponent who bodies them up, they shy away from contact and go back to shooting jumpers – low percentage ones – in order to get back to a comfort zone and maybe draw a foul. But the Spurs do NOT stop coming. They go at you until the final whistle blows.
Game 5 is in San Antonio on Wednesday. I hope the Spurs win this and get to the Finals, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Utah fight and win one more. “Do not go gently into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light” …. but being that the Jazz have lost 18 straight dating back to 1999, I’d say the odds are stacked in the Spurs favour ever so slightly.
My, my how the mighty have fallen. I LOVED Keon Clark and was sad to see him go. I thought Toronto was the best setting for him to play ball and didn’t think he’d do well on another team.
Well, I know he played with Denver and Sacto and Memphis for a short while and then he disappeared to me.
Well, now we know what he’s been up to …. wasting his life away.
This kid is ridiculous … the skills to be the greatest and the attitude of a teenager. Michael Jordan took his lumps … as did Karl Malone and Stockton, Barkely, Ewing, Olajuwon, Robinson and countless other superstars. They all stuck with their teams and never said boo about management in public. Know why? Cuz they were professionals. You never saw Hakeem or Patrick or Charles get hit with a rape charge. You never saw them break up good teams so they could score more points.
All I can say is that I hope Bryant remains a Laker. I would hate to see him bring down another good franchise …
So Jerry West might decide to go back to Laker Land in limited capacity … I don’t think this will happen. I think he’ll be an outside consultant and might get SOME of his opinions in. If Mitch Kupchak is ousted by Jerry West in LA, I’ll be stunned.
Guess being “the man” wasn’t as good as you thought it was gonna be, heh, Kobe? Bet you’re feeling stupid about dismantling your dynasty team and getting rid of Diesel now, huh? Quitter.
Not a surprise or a big loss for them since they’re gonna pick up either Greg Oden or Kevin Durrant this year. Hopefully they do more than score points too. If they do, the Sonics will be fine and glad to see Lewis go.
“My heart will always be here — even if I play somewhere else.” – Rashard Lewis.
Right, sure thing Rashard. Just like Vince Carter will forever be a Raptor. ~rolls eyes in sarcasm~
I did not watch this game and therefore I cannot comment on the atmosphere of the game itself. All I can see are the stats and there are a few things that stand out about the game:
1) LeBron James showed up. 32, 9 and 9. Much more LeBron~ish than his last couple of stat lines have shown.
2) Daniel Gibson – 9 points 2/3 from 3. This kid is a rookie but he plays like a vet. I love this kid and hope he gets more burn.
3) The Ill Gaga – 16 points, 7 rebounds. It’s good to see Zee get back into it.
4) Four Cavs in double digits. Relatively even help for LeBron in this game. When this happens, the Pistons have HUGE matchup problems because everyone is contributing. This is typical of ANY team. One man alone cannot make a team.
5) Four Pistons in double digits, but no one had over 16 points (Sheed had the 16). For this series to be taken by the Pistons, you can bet your bottom dollar that Billups and Hamilton have to carry the scoring load.
This was a game that was lost in the third quarter. It was a near mirror or the first two games, but it changed in the second, when the Spurs failed to pull away. The Jazz were down only 8 at the half and exploded in the third to take the lead and never looked back.
It was a game where Okur, Boozer and Duncan were largely sidelined by foul trouble and thus Deron Williams had the opportunity to supernova himself into “great Jazz PGs” territory with a monster 31, 8 and 5 performance. Every time they needed a bucket, he delivered. Boozer also chipped in a measly (ha!) 27 and 12 and Derek Fisher added 11. They shot 53% from the field, 66% from 3 and 65% from the stripe.
For the Spurs, Francisco Elson and Tim Duncan sure enjoyed watching the majority of the game from the bench. Not that it mattered. The Jazz abused them every which way. So much so that I’d recommend a counselor to help the feelings of abuse they must have experienced in this one.
Duncan had 16 & 8 in only 26 minutes of play, while Prker was once again unstoppable with 25 & 7 assists. Ginobili had a sub par game, only scoring 14. Aside from that, it was mostly the Spurs under achieving as they got help from no one else. The Jazz won almost every category that they keep stats on and thus, it’s not worth saying anything other than: The Spurs were sorely outplayed.
I was frustrated with this game for three main reasons:
1) The refs absolutely ruined this game, calling every single little touch and nudge. They called SO many fouls that I felt they took centre stage as opposed to the players.
2) The Spurs didn’t play well. Everyone seemed largely uninterested in winning and, it appeared to me, simply took a day off. Way to go Horry, way to go Barry and way to go Finley. You extended the series by one game when you didn’t have to. And I rag on them primarily because it was their job to lift the team without Duncan in the game. Ginobili is having defenses focus on him and cannot score like he used to a few years ago. Ditto for Parker. As such, it falls on the bench to help out. And they didn’t. And I was mad.
3) Tony Parker, bless his heart, is a great offensive player. But for the life of him, there are times when players have their way with him as well. Witness the Jazz series, where Deron Williams has been quite simply unstoppable. 31 & 8, 26 & 10, 34, 9 & 7. That’s the stat lines he’s had over the last 3 games this series. He NEEDS to be stopped if the Spurs hope to move on to the next round. The big problem is that Pretty Tony CAN’T stop Williams. Just like he couldn’t stop Nash. Which is why Bowen was put on Nash …. and why Bowen will have to be put on Williams. But by doing that, they open up a can of worms because everyone else on the Jazz team is so much taller and stronger than Parker … the Jazz are definitely exploiting Parker in this series …
Game 4 is tonight and I expeect fireworks and a seething San Antonio that will play much better. I fully expect the Spurs to win, but wouldn’t be surprised in the least if the Jazz take this one too and even the series.
Now that Robert Horry is a “vet”, he’s learned the vet secrets and is playing with that tough vet mentality that I so love in players like Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, Jerome Williams and Antonio Davis.
This is a great article because it challenges the “soft” play that has dominated the NBA for a few years now and allows wieners like Kobe Bryant and Rashard Lewis score points in bunches.
I mean, nowhere is this tough mentality more on display than in the picture above. Karl Malone deliberately kicking Horry in the junk. And Horry just walks it off, plays the game and wins that championship.
I wish the League would go back to this style of play ….. Hell, it should make Nate Dawg like him a little bit more now. Goon Power, right, diggy?
It’s a shame that he never got a chance to work with Howard more closely. And in reality, it’s not him that sucks, it’s his guys! Aside from Grant Hill, Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, no one else really did anything positive for them. I say get rid of Jameer Nelson and bring in a taller, more quality PG, drop Darko Milicic like he has herpes simplex and draft yourself a good shooting guard.
Do that and they might be good enough to challenge in the sad, sad East.
Hakeem Olajuwon is just everywhere right now; tutoring, counseling …. the guy just talked Dikembe Mutombo OUT of retiring this year. I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I’m just happy Hakeem Olajuwon has decided to get involved in the game again. In this age of KG clones and Kobe Wannabes, it’s nice to have a guy like Olajuwon come in and be heard and provide something positive back to the game.
Those funny cavaliers. Just when you think they’re ready to take the next step and win a game in this series, they bust out some craptastic play and throw away an opportunity. As it was with the second game in the Spurs / Jazz series, this game was almost a mirror image of the previous game.
Cavaliers take the lead and stay ahead until late third quarter and early fourth when they suck it up so badly that Detroit barely has to try in order to win the game. These guys go SO ice cold, I think they might be Nick Anderson clones in disguise … all except for LeBron James, who seems to be the only guy who WANTS to win this series and is so exasperated with his guys that all he can do is wince like he smelt a bad one. Witness the 40% (30-75) shooting from the field, 31% shooting from 3 (6-19) and anemic 66% foul line conversion (10-15). Aside from those stats, they were close in every other category, losing some and winning others by such a small margin that it’s negligible.
LeBron James goes 7-19 for 19 points, to go along with 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 turnovers. Sasha Pavlovic and Varejao went for 14 apiece and aside from those two cats, it’s like the Cavs are already in Disneyland.
I say run an inquest and see if Larry Hughes is a Piston in disguise. Cuz the Cavs were doing great until that fool popped back into the game. The team QUICKLY turned the ball over 5 straight times and gave up a number of buckets, largely by exploiting Hughes’ defensive weaknesses. It was so frustrating to see that … because he turns the ball over and instead of trying harder, the chump sulks like he lost his kitten.
The Pistons played okay, but again, like a team which is not interested in playing until the final quarter. They go 42-72 from the field (44%), 6-11 from 3 (54%) and 9-19 from the foul line (47% ?!?!?). No one on the Pistons scores over 20 – Billups and Hamilton each net 13, ‘Sheed gets 16 and Jason Maxiell (of all people) hands the Cavs 15.
I wonder if Flip Saunders is trying to get his stars a rest in preparation for the Finals … because I think he sees that this series is theirs whether they play their bench or not.
I like the Pistons, but I don’t think that Flip deserves this chip … ditto for Webber. So I’m kinda rooting for the Cavs to pull off an upset. Doesn’t look like it’s gonna happen though.
As good as these kids are, there’s NO way they’ll log any major minutes this tourney.
And even if they do, the experience and savvy of the Europeans and South Americans will surely expose their weaknesses and lower their confidence heading into their rookie years ….
Then again, they could turn out to be huge factors …..
