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Greg Oden Injured Again

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:37:05 +0000

The Portland Trailblazers have made some of the worst draft choices in the history of the NBA. Many make the argument that it all started in 1974 with Bill Walton as the 1st overall pick by the Blazers, but anyone with an ounce of knowledge would never refer to this pick as a bust. Yes, Bill Walton’s career did not span as long as Portland hoped for, but in his 4 seasons with the Blazers, Walton brought a championship to the city in 1977, was named MVP in 1978, and was named to all defensive teams in 1977 and 1978. I wouldn’t call that a bust. How about you?

Sam Bowie, number 2 pick (1984)–no question, one of the biggest busts ever. Not choosing Michael Jordan with the second overall pick in the 1984 draft–knowing what we know about Michael Jordan, we have to call this a terrible decision, even though Portland had good reason to pass on Jordan since they already had a pretty good shooting guard on their roster in Clyde Drexler. And now Greg Oden?

Blazers’ center Greg Oden broke his left kneecap in Saturday’s game against the Houston Rockets and will miss the remainder of this season. Oden’s career began in a delay as he was forced to sit out his entire rookie season due to microfracture surgery on his right knee. A bone chip in his left knee sidelined Oden once again last year for 14 games. It doesn’t take a genius to see the pattern in these injuries. Not only are these knee injuries, but they are very severe ones that a lot of players never come back from.

It is difficult for anyone to stay positive and optimistic in such a case. Greg Oden himself is having doubts as well, I’m sure. Of course, he will have the best doctors available to him in his recovery, but it will be a hard task to make a comeback and be productive once again. Certainly not dominant, but a very solid season this year with averages of 11.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks as a starter helped the organization and fans forget the career Kevin Durant has had thus far. The regret of choosing Oden over Durant with the first overall pick in 2007 will surely return once again to the city of Portland.

In an attempt to be optimistic, one could say Oden was lucky it wasn’t his right knee again that he injured, on which he already had major surgery. Then again, maybe this would have been better. Maybe he would have been better off injuring his already weaker knee than suffering such a serious injury to his good leg. One learns to play with a weaker knee or leg by being more careful and favoring one leg over the other. This is a difficult task with two bad knees. One can only hope that Greg Oden is an exception, and that he will be able to make a full recovery and resume his NBA career.

Tracy McGrady Feels Unwanted

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:19:20 +0000

Almost 10 months have passed since Tracy McGrady has been on the court in a Rockets uniform. Once regarded as the franchise player and one of the best in the league, McGrady is today somewhat of the forgotten man in Houston. Trevor Ariza is now wearing T-Mac’s old number 1, and playing quite impressively while doing so. November 18th was his target date for his return to the court, so while in Minneapolis on Wednesday for a game against the T-Wolves, T-Mac put his new #3 uniform on and warmed up with his teammates. He later walked past head coach Rick Adelman, who was very surprised and shocked to see McGrady in uniform knowing that he had not been activated yet.

This led to Adelman requesting a meeting immediately with McGrady. According to sources, the exchange behind closed doors got quite loud at times, which could be heard even from the locker room. The motivation behind T-Mac’s stunt was to get his coach’s attention, as he had been feeling unwanted and unwelcome. In the meeting, McGrady demanded of Adelman to tell him exactly whether he wanted him back on the team and what his timetable for his return was. McGrady feels ready to return to the court and wishes to be activated, but Adelman disagrees and thinks McGrady needs more practice time.

Tensions have been building ever since McGrady decided to have season-ending surgery on his knee in February, without telling the team first, but announcing it to the media instead. Adelman was very upset, and understandably so. Ever since, communications between McGrady and Adelman have been almost non-existent.

Earning the league’s highest salary of $23.2 million this season in the final year of his contract, McGrady is rumored to be shopped around. Though it is a very high salary, there are always teams looking for expiring contracts. McGrady has always been thought to be an injury-prone player, and even one who has been unwilling to play through injuries, which is expected of the great ones especially. Such criticisms have been voiced repeatedly by Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson, who believe that McGrady has not lived up to his true potential.

At the age of 30 now, T-Mac is still a relatively young player. Many have written him off and believe his best days to be behind him. One can only hope they are wrong and that McGrady is able to get back to his old self, as he was truly one of the unique ones when he was healthy.

–am

Cleveland Struggles

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:07:24 +0000

Six games into the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a disappointing 3-3, with losses to Boston, Toronto and Chicago. Fairly or unfairly, the criticism has already begun. A lot is expected of King James and his Cavs. Especially considering the fact that it could be James’ last season in Cleveland. It is widely believed that Lebron would only leave if the Cavs fail to win it all this year. And if one really thinks about it, a championship should ensure Lebron staying put. It is hard to imagine he would leave for another team after winning a championship with Cleveland. But do the Cavs really have what it takes?

Adding Shaq in the offseason certainly satisfied Lebron’s desire for a dominant post player. Even during last season, King James approached management and expressed his interest in bringing Shaq to Cleveland. Not to take anything away from Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who is a great player in his own right, but he is simply not a guy who has the ability to dominate in the paint. A great shooter, especially considering his size of 7′3, but not really your typical center. Anthony Parker was also a solid addition. A proven scorer internationally, Parker should fit in nicely with the Cavs and benefit from James’ and Shaq’s ability to find the open man when doubled.

However, one weakness that was very apparent last year when Cleveland lost to Orlando in the playoffs is the inability of Cleveland’s forwards to step out and stretch the defense. Boston has two forwards in Garnett and Wallace, who can score from anywhere on the court. Orlando has added two players with the same type of quality in Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass, who is also capable of making the mid-range jumper. This is something that Cleveland will struggle with all year unless they are able to add another forward to their squad. It has been apparent in their 3 losses that teams plan on exploiting the Cavaliers’ inability to defend the pick and roll. And on the other end of the floor, Cleveland’s bigs have a hard time executing the same play because the pick and roll is easily defended when your bigs can’t shoot.

Does this mean Cleveland isn’t among the elite teams? Not at all. The Cavs still have a legitimate shot at the title, and GM Danny Ferry is smart enough to recognize the need for a more versatile forward. He certainly has the bargaining chips needed to go out and shop for one.

Stephen Jackson Demands Trade

admin — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:40:41 +0000

When Baron Davis bailed out of Golden State to sign with the Clippers, most believed that with this loss of their best player and leader, the Warriors would once again become insignificant. Fans feared losing Stephen Jackson as well, who was very close with Davis. He wasn’t shy about his disappointment in the organization’s inability, or better said unwillingness to re-sign Baron Davis and give him the money that he was asking for. Nevertheless, Jackson quickly assured the fans of his happiness in the Bay and that he would not ask for a trade and give up on the Warriors. A contract extension for three years and approximately $28 million followed in November of 2008.

As soon as the 2008 season was over for the Warriors, in which he averaged 20.1 points, 6.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game, Jackson began expressing his unhappiness with his team and demanded to be traded. Not only did he want the Warriors to trade him, but Jackson even went as far as to present the organization with a list of teams he’d like to be traded to. Those were Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Cleveland and New York. He has already been striped of his captaincy, fined, and suspended by the team for 2 games during the preseason. The Warriors realize that they can either keep Jackson, in which case he would surely be a distraction and a negative influence in the locker room, or they can accommodate him with a trade. They are currently talking to teams, but no deal is imminent.

This is just one of many such examples, in which players simply have to express their desire to be traded and in most cases their wishes are granted. It is a very ugly and disturbing aspect of the game. Players are truly spoiled and enjoy too much autonomy. In the case of Stephen Jackson, it is evident that he tricked the Warriors into believing him when he stated “I’m extremely happy. I am really looking forward to the next several years, helping this young team win and providing my veteran leadership.” Clearly, he only accepted the extension because he knew no other team would offer more money if he went to free agency. Some might say Stephen Jackson is a smart man, others would call him dishonest and a swindler. Warrior fans probably lean towards the latter right now.

Should teams have the right to void deals with players who refuse to honor their contracts? That is a tough question, but one that must be asked in such situations. A contract is a contract, and it is too often the case in the NBA that players get to decide how binding their signatures really are.

–am

Export hit: Marco Belinelli

Happy 09/10 NBA Season!

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:49:04 +0000

With only five days until the 2009/2010 NBA season officially begins, as a fan of the game one gets more and more excited by the minute. It was not long ago that the Eastern Conference was referred to as the JV league of the NBA, where for a stretch of 10 years a western team was crowned 7 times with the championship rings. Or as Charles Barkley once phrased it so eloquently, “The Eastern Conference sucks!”. Thankfully, this is no longer the case. One can finally talk about the upcoming season without having to ignore or even dismiss the Eastern teams.

Not many expected the Orlando Magic to reach the Finals last season. Most believed it would be a battle between Boston and Cleveland for the Eastern Conference crown, with few doubting that Kobe Bryant and the Lakers would face much resistance in their quest for revenge of the previous year, when they were manhandled by the C’s. Those who hoped to see a rematch between the Celtics and Lakers were forced to watch a rather boring and one-sided series as the Lakers without much difficulty won their 15th championship beating the Magic 4 games to 1.

This is the time of year when people start making their predictions about the upcoming season. Who is it going to be in the 2010 finals? Who is going to win it all?? These are questions that are not as easily answered as in previous years, which can only mean good things and an exciting 2009/2010 NBA season. The Eastern Conference has three equally legitimate contenders with Boston, Cleveland and Orlando, and the west at least four with Dallas, San Antonio, Denver, and the defending champs from LA.

With acquisitions of Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels, the Celtics have certainly improved their roster, and especially their bench. While Wallace didn’t have his best season in Detroit last year, averaging only 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds, look for him to make a great impact on his new team, and most likely as a bench player, a role that will be new to Wallace. Marquis Daniels, a player with great versatility and whom many don’t know, averaged 13.6 points and 4.6 rebounds as a Pacer last year.

The Orlando Magic have lost a great player in Hedo Turkoglu, but Vince Carter is a pretty good consolation. Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes, Ryan Anderson and Jason “White Chocolate” Williams are also expected to contribute and play big minutes for Stan Van Gundy.

Shaq O’Neal, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon give the Cavs the arguably most dominant post presence in the history of the game, a great shooter in Parker and a versatile and athletic wing in Moon. If Shaq can have a season anywhere close to the one he had last year, than King James and the Cavs will have a legitimate shot at the title.

The Western Conference has also gotten much stronger and much more balanced. We know who the Lakers are, and with the addition of Ron Artest they have only gotten better. Expect Adam Morrison, the former lottery pick of the Bobcats, chosen by His Airness personally, to have a good season for LA.

Carmello Anthony and the Nuggets are a team that is also expected to be among the elite of the west. Denver’s roster has not changed much. George Karl and his team firmly believe that their spot in the Finals slipped out of their hands last year as they lost to the Lakers, and that they were the better team, though simply not as experienced.

The Big Fundamental, Tim Duncan, who is finally healthy again, and the Spurs are expected to once again be in the mix for the title. Richard Jefferson, who has joined the Spurs from Milwaukee via trade and Antonio McDyess, who signed as a free agent were great pick-ups and will play big roles for the Spurs. Not to mention the biggest steal of the 2009 draft, DeJuan Blair. He too is expected to play big minutes.

And finally, Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. They too have made big moves, that will allow them to compete this year. Mister versatility himself, Shawn Marion, reunited with his old teammate Jason Kidd, should have a solid year for the Mavs. Tim Thomas is another great shooter with great length, and Drew Gooden gives the team a good rebounder and defender in the post, who can also score. Certainly an upgrade from Erick Dampier.

There are undoubtedly more good teams than the ones mentioned here, but these are the ones most expect to “go fishing” a little later than the rest. Just as every year, one wants to say “let’s hope for a great season!”, but it would be unnecessary here as it seems like a certainty this time around.

–AM

Kobe Bryant – The most hated player

Max — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:48:43 +0000

The Lakers are the champions – and once again here come the comparisons. You can think what you want about the Kobe vs. MJ discussion. But one thing is certain from both sides of the argument – MJ was loved and Kobe is hated. Even fanatical Kobe supporters have to admit being laughed at more often when they say “I like Kobe” than if they pledge their allegiance to LeBron James or Dwyane Wade. And we don’t even need to start with talk about Michael Jordan.

But why is that so? Don’t bring up the whole room “service” ordeal in Colorado. Kobe was hated years before that. That just added fuel to a fire which was already burning. And forget about the ole argument that the best of the best are always hated because they killed all title dreams of others. Kobe is not even loved in his own city. I recently met people from Los Angeles who did not go to the Lakers championship parade because they couldn’t stand No. 24. And seriously now: when was the last time you came across a Bulls fan who thought Michael Jordan was shit?

Kobe Bryant is the most hated player in the league. Yeah, yeah, I know about his jersey sales. But the American flag is also sometimes bought in order to burn it. There are always “I hate Kobe” threads in basketball forums. And among 10 basketball fans, five of them at least are Kobe haters.

I can understand why his teammates don’t like him. Imagine you are 17 years old and you go to your first job, for example as a salesperson at a national chain electronics store. Nobody expects too much from you. You are basically a member of the cheap labor force. Besides, you’re the youngest who ever worked there. So everyone expects that you need some time to get used to things. And actually most people believe you will fail. You continually hear: “It would have been better if you had stayed in school.” Imagine if after one month you told the boss that you know that you’re only 17 years old but you will still one day not only be the best salesperson in the store but in the whole store chain. In front of the team, you promise that you will stay late every night to know more about every product than everyone else in the place. You will go through the aisles millions of times so that you are smarter and faster and things come automatically for you in the future. Actually everyone should do that – is what you say, inviting the older, more experienced colleagues to do overtime hours with you. You want to bring the company to a new level – to the highest. You are just one month out of school. And even your parents had to sign your contract. (data and words according to Roland Lazenby)

How do you think your fellow employees would react if you did that? Kobe did that and has accomplished what he set out to do! With loads of hard work, he became the best in the store and the best in the chain. Forget about hate or love. He has at least earned our respect.

Bargnani is from Rome – the city which doesn’t need anything else

Max — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:28:55 +0000

Even as a rookie, Bargnani was isolated from most of the team in Toronoto. He mainly spent time with Spaniard Jorge Garbajosa, who he knew from his time in Treviso and who spoke Italian. At home, the football fan watched on satellite games of his favorite club, Lazio Roma, giving him a piece of home away from home. Zanini said that Golden State Warriors’ Italian guard Marco Belinelli and Danilo Gallinari of the New York Knicks deal entirely differently with their time outside of Italy. “They are from the new globalized generation, dreamt from a life in the U.S.,” said the journalist. But unlike Belinelli and Gallinari, Bargnani is from Rome – the city which doesn’t need anything else. Bargnani shows little interest in his new home Toronto even though Italian immigrants have left their marks on the city. Among Toronto’s 2.5 million residents, some 200,000 call Italian their mother tongue. Toronto also plays a big role in Italian professional basketball players in North America. In 1946, the Italian-Canadian Henry Biasatti was the first foreign professional basketball player in the United States, playing for the Toronto Huskies of the BAA. In 1995, the former expansion team Raptors signed Italian Vincenzo Esposito. But both Esposito and compatriot Stefano Rusconi, who was signed by the Phoenix Suns in 1995, were the biggest warnings for Bargnani, according to Zanini. “They were the perfect examples of Italian athletes who did nothing abroad because they missed ‘la dolce vita’ too much,” said Zanini. Esposito was chauffeured around Toronto by his fiancé because he was too scared to drive alone or buy gas at a gas station. And the Suns gave “Rusco” a three-year contract, which made everyone in Italy laugh as the tanned center with a toothpaste smile was known for a lax work ethic. Rusconi complained in Phoenix about homesickness and left the league after playing just seven times for the Suns. Both Esposite (39 years) and Rusconi (41) are still playing today – but more as “what could have been” reminders – in the Italian third league.

Andrea and the safety blanket

Of course, the only comparison possibly relevant between Andrea Bargnani and Esposito and Rusconi is the Italian mentality – not their basketball ability. Chiara Zanini is convinced that Bargnani’s slow cultural familiarization slowed his playing skills.

The change for the good came in summer 2008. Toronto signed Jermaine O’Neal as new center as a clear sign from management to the disappointing talent Bargnani. The Italian realized quickly that he could be banished to a bench role behind O’Neal and Bosh. And Bargnani arrived at the start of training camp in Ottawa nearly eight kilos heavier. In the off-season, he added muscle weight and put in plenty of hours with Raptors assistant coach Gordon Herbert. And Bargnani appeared finally ready for the fight under the NBA boards. “I really worked him hard in practice to see how he would react,” said a satisfied O’Neal. “And he did not shy away.” And head coach Sam Mitchell had a clear message – no three-pointers. “Not before practice, not afterwards, not during practice games, not at all,” Mitchell told reporters. It’s kind of like taking the safety blanket away from Linus of the Peanuts.

But the Italian did not let anyone take away his favorite weapon. This past season, he took 3.7 triples per game but hit an excellent 41 percent of them. Bargnani left the blocks and returned to the wing after the firing of the rough Mitchell, with whom the sensible Italian never got along. “Now he plays with more confidence and ease,” Gherardhini said after the move.

Now that the head coaching question mark was answered by the extension with Jay Triano, the main question remains Bargnani’s future. The Italian appears set at the unloved center position as long as Chris Bosh is in Toronto. “I just have to give my best,” said Bargnani about his future. “I cannot predict the future.” With this Roman riddle, you just have to be ready for anything.

Ray of hope in darkness!

Max — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:54:17 +0000

Against the Bulls, Bargnani scored 28 points in a 134-129 victory as Chicago could not solve the big Italian just like they couldn’t in an earlier meeting in January. Back then, Bargnani set a career-high with 31 points. But the victory over the Bulls, who earned the seventh spot in the playoffs came to late. The NBA’s only Canadian team missed the post-season by six games after playing in the playoffs the two previous seasons. “Too many small things went wrong for us,” said Calderon. Actually they were not that small after all. Among the problems were the failed experiment with Jermaine O’Neal, the many injuries and a miserable performance on the court. Even the media favorite Chris Bosh made negative headlines when his ex-girlfriend filed a lawsuit against him for not paying child support for their child.

Ray of hope in darkness

One of the few rays of hope was Bargnani’s blossoming. “How Andrea played the final three months is how we always dreamed he would,” said the man who discovered him, Maurizio Gherardhini. The assistant to Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo stumbled across Bargnani as a 16-year-old with Italian second division club Stella Rossa Roma. He saw a lanky teenager who had such a huge ego after getting little opposition in the lower Italian league that he wanted his teammates from the Italian junior national team to call him “Big Bargna”. Gherardhini brought Bargnani to top club Benetton Treviso where the young wing player developed into one of the biggest talents in Europe.

Bargnani won two Italian cups with Benetton and helped Treviso in 2006 to the club’s sixth and last league championship. As a 19-year-old, he was a leading contributor, scoring 15.3 points and grabbing 7.1 rebounds per Lega Basket A game. And he was crowned the Euroleague’s Young Player of the Year for the 2005-06 season.

To put it shortly, the expectations were huge as Bargnani headed off to the NBA as the biggest Italian basketball talent since the legendary Dino Meneghin. Gherardini was brought to Toronto by long-time friend Colangelo in early summer 2006. And a few weeks later, Andrea followed to Canada as Toronto made him the first European player to be drafted Number One overall. But, was he the wrong one?

During Bargnani’s horrible second season, some even compared him to Matt Bonner – a role player who is a big, but one dimensional shooter without any real defensive skills. But at least the red-headed Bonner was none as a guy who battles. One Raptors fan with a bit of humor wrote in an Internet forum that he would like a combination of Bargnani and Bonner: “Mattdrea Bongnani – deadly from the three-point line, hard worker, good ball-handling, boxes out on rebounds, drives a Grand Am and eats Ravioli.”

Spoiled and soft

Bargnani was deeply affected by the criticism. And he has still not forgiven the journalists for the many negative articles about him in his homeland. “His relationship to the Italian media is horrible,” said journalist Chiara Zanini. Bargnani rarely grants his compatriots interviews. Zanini saw Bargnani for the first time when he was a 14-year-old at a tournament with the Italian youth national team in Milan and the journalist arrived for the second half of the game against Venezuela. “All by himself, he made up a 16-point deficit in four minutes,” remembered Zanini. She has followed his career since then. Even during Bargnani’s tough second season, he gave interviews to Zanini. “Andrea’s pride plays a big role. As a youngster he was a winner. He didn’t know losing,” said Zanini. And in Toronto, the forward began to lose the confidence which in the beginning had excited so many in Raptors management. “Italian athletes are among the most spoiled in the world,” said Zanini. “Spoiled from the sweet Italian life and the VIP status which they enjoy everywhere back home.” Bargnani drove around Treviso in a big BMW, usually with a beautiful woman in the passenger seat. “Andrea is the typical Italian, who misses the food and needs his buddies from back home because he is sure that no one else can understand him,” adds Zanini. Once he was confronted with criticism, he closed everything else off.

Andrea Bargnani – The Roman Riddle

Max — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:50:34 +0000

Mercilessly overrated or just wrongly used? Arrogant European or sensible Italian? For a long time Andrea Bargnani just brought up questions. This season he finally delivered some answered.

Text: Jens Möller

What does Andrea Bargnani think? Slam basketball magazine nicknamed him “Bargnigma” – stemming from enigma. And the 23-year-old Italian rarely shows his emotions – whether after hitting a three-pointer or after losing the ball on a silly mistake. No, Bargnani’s facial expression remains the same – emotionless, like a fish with a beard. And just like reading nothing from his facial experience, the basketball world also could not get a handle on the 7-foot forward’s game. On the one hand, he will deliver an unbelievable pass. But the next moment he stands around on the court like a concrete statute at Rome’s Piazza Venezia.

When Bargnani arrived in the league in 2006, many thought he had the cool poker face of a hardened 19-year-old, who had already won everything there was to win in his homeland. Fans back home called him “Il Mago” – “The Magician”. “He should show us some magic first before we call him that,” said his former Raptors teammate Darrick Martin, who called him “Big Rook”.

Three years later, still no one in the Raptors locker room this season was calling him “Il Mago”, even though “Big Barg” – his current nickname – finally showed signs of some magic this season. Bargnani had his best season in the NBA in 2008-09. In March he averaged 20.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on his way to season numbers of 15.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. That made up for his very poor sophomore season, which saw him collect just 10.2 points, 3.7 rebounds while shooting a miserable 38 percent from the field. Even the best poker face in the world turns out to be a bluff if you always lose. “Maybe he would rather weave baskets in Italy than shoot them,” joked Toronto Star columnist Dave Feschuk. Despite speaking excellent English, Bargnani began pulling the “Lost in Translation” card when it came to critical questions from journalists – which only increased the criticism. And many started asking if the Raptors had drafted the Italian Dirk Nowitzki or really a mutation of Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Darko Milicic.

The two faces

But Bargnani’s performance this season finally wiped away any comparison to two of the biggest European disappointments in NBA history. Still, one thing about Bargnani did not change: the phlegmatic facial expression and his sometimes listless demeanor. During the home game against the Chicago Bulls in late March, it appeared to not really bother the Italian when head coach Jay Triano ordered him back to the bench after just five minutes on the court in the second quarter. Bargnani pretty much looked like a school boy on defense against the Bulls big men Brad Miller and Joakim Noah – not exactly two of the most feared bigs in the game. And Triano decided to bring in the six inch smaller Anthony Parker. The Italian didn’t show up again until the third quarter and the poker face finally had good cards, sinking one long distance shot after another. TV commentators were howling “Il Maaagggoooo”. And Bargnani’s three-pointer with 90 seconds left in overtime gave his team the lead.

It was moments like these that the young Italian made observers think about Nowitzki, with whom he was compared in his younger days. Early in the shot clock, the ball is mainly in the hands of playmaker Jose Calderon, and Bargnani is setting picks near the paint. The Raptors are trying to get their first option Chris Bosh into good position in the blocks. After that Bargnani drifts out to the three-point line, waiting for the pass out. His defender – in this case the freakishly athletic Tyrus Thomas – drops down instinctively to help protect against drives to the lane. Once Bargnani would get the ball he would launch a shot. And not even the great leaper Thomas could charge out and stop the tall sharp-shooter. Bargnani has become accustomed to catching the ball above his head and not bring the ball back down for the shot. That helps him use his height even though he doesn’t even really jump in his jump-shot. And the big man has perfected his flowing shooting motion which excited NBA scouts early on.

Liar! Liar! Liar!

Max — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:17:19 +0000

That led to one of the most heated recruiting battles in recent college history. In 2005, Gordon gave the University of Illinois an oral commitment. But EJ – “Eric Jr.” – would rather have played at Indiana University. Gordon’s father however did not like Indiana’s then coach Mike Davis or the team’s poor showing. Illinois meanwhile was still relatively close to home and the family, had a respected coach in Bruce Weber and two NBA guards in Luther Head and Deron Williams among their recent players.

But as Gordon was playing better and better in high school, the heads at Indiana University began getting more and more anxious. Could the Hoosiers not end up bringing in the state’s biggest talent since Oscar Robertson in 1956? Oral commitments were not legally binding in college basketball as more than a few high school stars had passed on the morale high road in favor of the team success.

Considerations quickly turned into actions. Kelvin Sampson replaced Mike Davis on the bench and immediately contacted the Gordon camp. And it was more than a coincidence that Jeff Meyer, a former college coach and close friend of Eric Gordon Sr., landed onto Sampson’s bench as an assistant. But the move ended up working. After a couple of campus visits and various practice games with the team, Gordon Jr. announced in October 2006 his intention to attend Indiana – regardless of his past promise.

(zü) “Liar! Liar! Liar!”

Reactions out of Illinois were heated as the Illini were suddenly without a useful shooting guard. There were even death threats. For the first game between Indiana and Illinois, organizers brought in extra security but 16,000 angry fans feverishly booed Gordon for two and a half hours. And Illinois guard Cester Frazier nearly took Gordon down – before the opening whistle. Every time the hated, one-time messiah Gordon touched the ball, chants of “Liar! Liar! Liar!” came from the stands. Shortly before the final whistle, the Gordon family had to be escorted out of the stands under a shower of fan verbal abuse, ice cubes and plastic cups. “It was certainly an uncomfortable experience. But I can understand the resentment of the fans,” said Gordon. Eric Sr. meanwhile was affected by the reaction of the Illini fans, but his main worry was for his son. “He has the tendency of wanting to please everyone. All this is not easy for him,” said the elder Gordon.

But the controversial recruiting move proved to be ineffective. Despite some good showings by Gordon, coach Sampson never was able to get the Hoosiers to live up to their potential. And things turned even worse for the coach. Due to various violations of NCAA regulations – partially in connection with the recruiting of young players – Sampson was forced out at the university with his contract being bought out in February 2008. After moving into the NBA, Gordon complained about the appalling lack of discipline at the one-time famed university. He also said that drug consumption by a series of players – without naming names – robbed the team of any chances for success. Gordon said coach Sampson knew of the problems but refused to penalize the players looking for the more important team success.

The negative experiences from the college controversies only helped Gordon deal with an NBA team with strained team chemistry. And there are surely more peaceful locker rooms and better role models than Ricky Davis, Zach Randolph and company. But after the emotional ride in college, Gordon was able to grow in this challenging situation rather than fall apart. He was the right man in the right place.

Clippers fans continue to have plans for the removal of the coach – even in violent nature if necessary – and a better future of their team. But they can be happy that that brighter future has already started in the shape of number 10 in the white, blue and red.

FIVEmag NBA basketball blog » NBA notes

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