NBA Mid-Season Report Card

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It’s All Star weekend in the NBA, just a bit beyond the mid-season point of the schedule, but still plenty of time to reflect on, and react to, as to what might happen heading to the playoffs.
 
Golden State has been building towards really great things, with all this firepower they stockpiled.  Steve Kerr inherited the best job in the league, with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson firing three’s from all over the arena.  And the Warriors have put together this impressive (42-9) record without much input from oft-injured forward David Lee.  But they have firepower, a bunch of 3-point shooters off the bench, and athletes who can run.  They are not really a surprise team, but the best in the West.
 
Atlanta is the best team in the league, and no one knows about them, despite (43-11) slate.  Can you name the coach?  Mike Budenholzer.  Can you name a starter or two aside from Al Horford and free-agent Paul Millsap?  Maybe guard Jeff Teague and 3-point shooter Kyle Korver.  This team is deep, young, with firepower and a defensive strut.
 
Memphis is (39-14) and has to be viewed as ‘on the come’, but if Marc Gasol wears out during the playoff grind, they just might not make it to the finish line.
 
The jury is still out on the LA Clippers.  They have a good record, but now Blake Griffin is dinged.  They need consistency off the bench, and need to stop taking fouls.  DeAndre Jordan is something special on the glass and on defense.  But till they actually  get to the NBA finals, they will be just another good team, and still the other team in the LA market, even if the other team is a disgrace right now.
 
Dallas, you must give Mark Cuban credit, keeps trying to put new pieces around star Dirk Nowitzke.  Good team, not great team, likely to fall short in postseason again even with the arrival of tough guy Tyson Chandler and free spirit Rajon Rondo in deals.
 
The perennial “ring is the thing theme’ may no longer be relevant in San Antonio.  100,000-miles on Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker, and a hand injury to lynchpin Kawhi Leonard means the Spurs just don’t scare people anymore, especially in 7-game series. 
 
Toronto got rid of GM-Bryan Colangelo a couple of years ago, and hauled in alot of no names, and it’s not because they are just across the border.  Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan lead a roster full of Euro players that has taken this to a (36-17) start.
 
Portland and Houston are hanging tough despite being hurt but whether they can both finish upbeat is the question.  Both are (36-17), with the Blazers LaMarcus Aldridge playing thru a hand injury, and Dwight Howard out 6-more weeks with knee issues.
 
It has been a strange first half for two teams you recognize.  Oklahoma City has not stayed healthy, though they are getting hot now.  4-different injuries sidetracked Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrooke.  If they can stay on the floor in postseason they will be hard to handle.
 
In Cleveland, it has taken time to come together, but the Cavs are rolling now, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyree Irving.  Name the game, they will play it, run and gun, to bump and grind.  The Cavs (33-21) mark is a bit misleading under new coach Dave Blatt.
 
Life after LeBron James hasn’t been easy for Miami, at (22-30).  Dwayne Wade looks old and injured, Chris Bosh seems still soft, and Pat Riley has not been able to fill all the slots.
 
Indiana had played so well for a couple of years, then the devasting injuries.  Danny Granger’s knee injury robbed him of a chunk of his career, then the devastating broken leg to Paul George this past summer in International play, rendered the Pacers helpless, thus (21-33).
 
It’s been a bad year for the bottom feeders.  Congrats to the 76ers for building themselves into a lottery pick team.  They say they weren’t tanking, but now they are not in the running for the lst lottery pick-serves them right.
 
So much for the Zen Master, the Triangle offense, Derek Fisher’s defense, and all things Phil Jackson.  Guess life can be pretty bad, and your reputation as a guru takes a hit, when you don’t have Michael Jordan-Kobe Bryant-Shaq O’Neill on your team.  So they are (10-43) and a mess.
 
The Lakers have gotten to this all star break with a combined 95-losses since opening night in 2013.  The son, Jim Buss, is under fire from everywhere.  See what happens when you give Kobe Bryant $45M and all your cap space before he shows he is healthy?  See what happens when your free agents leave, Dwight Howard and Pao Gasol?  See what happens when you are no longer a destination point for stars?  See what happens when the father gives the keys to a playboy son rather than a basketball man? Not a good situation, and guaranteed to get worse.
 
Mid-season NBA, some doing well, some not so well, and a select few just awful  Think anyone nationwide is ready for an Atlanta Hawks-Golden State Warriors NBA finals?

 

Tark-the-Shark

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Conflicted.
 
That’s about the only way to describe how we should feel about Jerry Tarkanian, the Hall of Fame basketball coach, who passed away from heart problems in Las Vegas after a year of declining health.
 
The Nevada-Las Vegas Running Rebels, their torrid fast break offense, the suffocating defense, their towel chewing-droopy eyed coach, the man who authored a defiant war with the NCAA. 
 
There were so many sides to Jerry Tarkanian, so many storylines, so many angles, so many accomplishments, so many violations, he was sinner and saint all at the same time.
 
He was an independent thinker, a salesman, an architect of great defenses, a maverick, a leader, a criminal, depending on who you talked to, and what they had experienced with him.
 
His Hall of Fame credentials, a (729-201) record, was built with bright lights and fastbreaks, run by athletes, not necessarily student-athletes, respected by some, condemned by others.
 
There wasn’t a fight Tarkanian would not take on.  Against the holier than thou UCLA Bruins in the John Wooden era; or the war with Bobby Knight over academics; or the wins-losses and responses from Dean Smith-North Carolina and Mike Krzyzewzki at Duke.
 
His whole sales pitch was about opportunities for players, those from wealthy backgrounds, and those off the streets.  He took scholars and slime balls, put a red jersey on them, and let them play.
 
From the Juco ranks at Riverside City College to Pasadena City College, onto Long Beach State, UNLV and Fresno State, he won, put players in the NBA, and had his teams wind up on probation.
 
Tarkanian’s teams were led by great NBA players, some who became great citizens, Larry Johnson from Texas, Stacy Augmon from Georgia, Eddie Ratelff from Ohio, Sidney Green, Reggie Theus-player turned coach, and Armon Gilliam from Peekskill, New York.
 
But Rebel basketball also entailed Lloyd Daniels from Brooklyn, who wound up arrested for dealing cocaine, to Richard Box, a murderer-Richie Adams, Moses Scurry, and so many others, who ran afoul of the law.  Lawyers and investigators descended on the campus like the plague, to the point the University President quit backing the man who put the school on the map.
 
What happened in Las Vegas would not stay in Las Vegas, at least in the basketball world.  He became a pariah in the industry he helped build, though the city would never forget him, and he never forgave NCAA law enforcement.. 
 
There were 131-point games with Loyola Marymount, stunning wins in the tourney against Duke and Arizona.  But there were also arrests for guns, drugs, photo-ops in hot tubs with convicted criminals, robberies, a beating death, and then allegations of point shaving scandals at two schools. 
 
The NCAA probes were legendary, the court cases expensive, the victories and the losses stunning, the reputations forever tainted.
 
He took a place jokingly referred to as “Tumbleweed Tech” and made UNLV a destination point for basketball, just like its casinos were a destination point for vacationers. 
 
There’s no doubt history should write fondly of all the things Jerry Tarkanian did to help down and out players.  Of course that history has to include all the academic, social and rules violations he allowed to take place on his watch, he obviously looking the other way.
 
The Memorial service in Las Vegas will be like a state funeral.  But then again Nevada is unlike any other state there is.
 
Jerry Tarkanian, a father figure to so many players, a Godfather figure though when it came to right-vs-wrong, in the eyes of college athletics.
 
Conflicted for sure about what he accomplished, but what he also represented in life, and now in death..

Chargers Football – Urgency

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Urgency…something that must be addressed immediately.  A word that the Chargers must pay attention too as they begin their off season evaluation of draft picks and free agents within the next couple of weeks.

 
Urgency…the word that Philip Rivers must consider when talking about his health.  The Chargers quarterback, who has mentioned surgery on a herniated disc in his back, hasn”t reach a decision yet, but the timing on that decision is critical.
 
Doctors had indicated Rivers would probably have four weeks of rehab once his seaosn was over, to determine whether to have the surgery on a bulging disc in his lower back.  The four week window passed on Super Bowl weekend, and the rehab sessions, stretching, weight work, icing and rest, have worked.
 
So much so, Rivers has pushed back any decision on possible surgery.  Another 4-week session is planned with more intensevrehab to see how the back reacts.
 
He is playing tennis, is playing some golf, but there is a huge difference doing that on a Wednesday or Friday compared to standing in the pocket taking big time hits from the Von Miller’s and Justin Houston of the worlds on NFL Sundays.  A big difference too on the 70-or-so passes he’d throw in practice on Wednesday-Thursday or Friday of game week.
 
If there are no setbacks after more instense weight work, then maybe Rivers is like the 81% jother Americans who have herniated discs, and don’t need surgery, according to the Mayo Clinic.  But then again playing quarterback is different than being a postman or delivering Fed Ex packages.
 
But there is an urgency for the quarterback.  If he needs surgery, he needs to get it soon, so he will be ready for camp in late July.
 
And now there is extra urgency for GM-Tom Telesco, to upgrade an offensive line that has let this quarterback take a beating four years in a row.  And to a degree, some urgency that maybe the Chargers need to fast forward plans for their next quarterback.
 
Not everyone comes out of surgery the same, and this is a game of big hits in addition to big plays.
 
No bells, alarms nor red flags need to go off right now, but the key people need to be thinking about all this, sooner than later.  You don’t want San Diego to become Buffalo or Jacksonville or some other place in the NFL, without a quality passer, in a quarterback driven league.

Hired Guns – Padres Load Up

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The man must never sleep, or if he does, it probably is during the day because he is always working late at night.
 
Witness the timing of the signing of free agent pitcher James Shields of the Royals, just before midnight on Sunday evening.  Remembering the texts at 3:15am during the Winter Baseball Meetings, when Matt Kemp came from the Dodgers in the middle of the night.
 
AJ Prellar continues to operate on his own timetable, obviously, in his own time zone.
 
HIs winter shopping spree seems complete, this makeover of the embarrassment the Padres franchise had become.
 
If you are keeping score at home, the Padres new General Manager has added 26-players in all to the organization.  11-established major leaguers thru the series of trades and some free-agent signings, 5-young minor league prospects, and 10-additional minor league journeyman free agents..
 
He engineered 7-trades within a 7-week period, with 26-players departing.  6-established major leaguers were moved, 10-key players in the farm system were used as bargaining chips, and 10-other minor leaguers were cut loose.
 
The payroll has taken a bump up to about 107M for the coming season, from the 90M it was at last year, when the Padres version of the Broadway production “Eight Men Out ‘ concluded a disgusting slump-ridden, injury prone season.
 
Think about this group.  When the Winter Meetings began here in the Gaslamp District in December, the Padres starting outfield was Seth Smith, Cam Maybin and Will Venable.  As the Hot Stove League ends, the Friars outfield is now Matt Kemp-Wil Myers and Justin  Upton.
 
Think about a starting rotation last year that was made up by a couple of established hurlers, a bunch AAA-arms, stragglers, fringe free agents, and guys you hoped could come back from surgery.
 
Today your rotation is headlined by a horse, James Shields, a warrior Ian Kennedy, a flame thrower Andrew Cashner, and a fast track live arm in Tyson Ross.  And that does not include former Blue Jays arms Brandon Morrow and Josh Johnson, both front line starters till arm injuries hit.  Added to that is Viva Havana Odri Despaigner and the young lefthander Robbie Erlin.
 
The bullpen, forever deep and talented, is even more so.  Kevin Quackenbush grew into the closers role to join Joaquin Benoit; Brandon Mauer and Shaun Kelly arrived in deals; the holders remain Dale Thayer, Alex Torres and Nick Vincent.
 
And on the outside of the circle, hoping 2015 leads to a return to health are Casey Kelly and Corey Leubke.
 
We go to the Cactus League in a week, and it safe to say that the landscape in the NL West is changed.  Despite eternal optimism from anyone wearing Dodgers Blue, you’d have a hard time convincing anyone that LA has replaced Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez and Dee Gordon in that batting order, with Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick..
 
The Giants turn players over every December, but there will be no more Panda Bear sightings by the Bay, and without Pablo Sandoval and the power of Mike Morse and the grit of Marco Scutaro, San Francisco is not the same.
 
Arizona has overhauled much of its talent, but the cornerstones of who they were just a couple of years ago, have never been replaced.  Not Justin Upton, Chris Young, Steven Drew, Mark Reynolds, Brandon Webb..
 
Colorado didn’t have any pitching last year, and seems to have less this year.
 
San Diego is ready for a winner.  God knows ownership’s decisions in the past five to eight years, nearly washed away the trust and enthusiasm the community had when shiny new Petco Park opened.
 
For the first time in a long time, Padres fans don’t have to ‘hope’ these guys will be good.  Instead, they know these guys ‘have been good’.  AJ Preller won the ‘off season’.
 
For the first time in years, the term “Pitchers & Catchers” report, leads to excitement and expectation.  “Pitchers & Catchers report”  words that now have meaning and credibility in  San Diego. 

North Carolina – Dean Smith

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There is sadness up and down Tobacco Road this morning. The heated-hated rivals, Duke, North Carolina State and North Carolina for once agree on something. In Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh, they are united emotion, mourning the passing of the Coach. The basketball world, from coast-to-coast is saddened too, mourning the passing of Dean Smith.

Claimed by Alzheimer’s and Dementia quickly, gone at the age of 83, just three years after the memory loss disease was diagnosed.

It was an eerie feeling last year during the NCAA tourney to see both Smith, and Tennessee Lady Vols coach Pat Summit sitting courtside. Both suffering from Alzheimer’s, wondering if they could understand now how beloved they were for the sport they gave so much too.

Dean Smith was an enormous coach, who took on and beat all the giants; John Wooden, Bobby Knight, Mike Krzyzewzki, Al McGuire and Adolph Rupp. Basketball was indeed king in the deep south for so many years. You listen to the greats of the past down there, Terry Holland, Lefty Driesell, Norm Sloan, Gary Williams, his peers, talk about him, and the stories are legendary. Like waves crashing over the Outer Banks, of how Coach Smith impacted one and all.

But he took on society too. He broke the color barrier in the ACC, first with the signing of guard Charley Scott. That was followed by a litany of great players, capped my Michael Jordan and James Worthy, also including Bob McAdoo and Phil Ford, Walter Davis and Sam Perkins, Brad Daugherty and 55-Tar Heels who eventually made their way into the NBA.

He was so proud of tradition, ‘the Carolina Way’, even prouder that 95% of his players graduated from the Chapel Hill campus, a far cry from the horrors of the current NCAA academic fraud scandal that has swallowed up the Tar Heels program.

He came from Kansas, played for Phog Allen, the Hall of Famer, who shaped the game, knew everyone, had an opinion on everything, and influenced so many.

When players signed at North Carolina, they came to play for the coach, not knowing they were also inheriting a father figure, a counselor, a trustworthy friend. The stories are legend of Dean Smith being there when there was a death in the family, an academic crisis, a money crisis, a social question. There not to bail out an athlete, but to give guidance and direction and sometimes harsh opinion too.

The foundation of the ACC was that post season tourney, the one in Greensboro, that captured the fancy of the fans, well before the days of ESPN, bloggers, twitter and 500-different networks. Dean Smith and North Carolina made that foundation.

The records are enormous, (879-254), two NCAA titles, 13-ACC crowns, 11-Final-4 appearances, and just one losing season, his first, in the 27-years at UNC.

There was the invention of the Four Corners offense, the Jump-and-Run defense, the foul line huddles with players. He reveloutionzed recruiting, developed coaches who went elsewhere and did well, and he helped win a US Olympic Gold Medal.

In every NBA Arena yesterday, there were stories from players and coaches who had crossed paths with the ever-humbled and quiet coach. The stories were superb.

Somewhere in heaven this morning, Dean Smith is wearing Carolina Blue. We remember him for all he was, coach, friend, leader, civic gentlemen. Coach Smith was a ‘Man of Values’, and though memory loss took his life, we will forever remember him.