Lindell's Gospel

Is Kobe Bryant a ball hog? Journalist Randy Galloway thinks so--but who is more damaging to basketball: KB 24 or Randy?

There is a gentleman named Randy Galloway who works as Sports Journalist and radio personality in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. His show is also on ESPN radio. On Friday, Mr. Galloway went on a tirade against Kobe Bryant. His argument was three-fold:

1. Kobe Bryant is a ‘ball hog.’
2. The national media is giving Kobe a ‘free pass’ for the performance in Game 5 on the NBA finals
3. “They” are blaming the Lakers loss on the ‘soft’ European white players.

Mr. Galloway’s work on the NFL is noteworthy. His comments about the NBA are pedestrian, uninformed and baseless. Or, maybe that’s the ‘talk-radio’ world and I just don’t understand the scheme. Basketball deserves better than having personalities such as Mr. Galloway presenting uniformed opinions as facts. His work and commentary is especially deleterious in the DFW market because the fans here –for the most part—aren’t knowledgeable basketball people—they aren’t students of the NBA like they are of the NFL. The NBA is fairly new to the DFW area, as it compares to cities like Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and Phoenix. As of yet, there isn’t a robust professional basketball ‘culture,’ if you will, that creates a fan base with an exceptional basketball IQ. It is for these reasons and more than Mr. Galloway’s superficial comments are deleterious to the game. People take his words as gospel.

Galloway diminishes the game by miscasting ‘toughness’ as some divisive racial ‘third-rail’ issue. Professional basketball is enough trouble with Mr. Galloway’s mystifying tirades, This is not an issue of race. In basketball, like in real life, there is a palpable disconnect between ‘perception’ and ‘truth.’ European players are regularly branded with the label of ‘soft.’ What, however, does ‘soft mean? Does it mean a player is unwilling to ‘drive the ball to the basket?” Does it mean players aren’t diving for loose balls?” Or, could it just mean that European players ‘cut their basketball teeth’ playing a different style. Even in this country, there is a perceived stylistic difference between “East Coast” and “West Coast” basketball. There are nuanced differences in style of play—and, socialization as it relates to learning the game.

When he speaks of European players is he speaking of players in the Euroleague or guys who grew up playing in Europe? In his Friday tirade, he was quick to let listeners know he wasn’t speaking of Mr. Manu Ginobli – who is an Argentinean. Since Galloway was quick to point out “white European players’, I wonder was he including Mr. Kirelenko (Ukrainian) and former players like Mr. Vlade Divac (Yugoslavia) and Mr. Arvadis Sabonis (Lithuania) into his analysis frame. No one would ever say these guys were ‘soft.’

I don’t understand this kind of commentary. Basketball, from its inception in 1891, has been inclusive. The game has always been about bringing people together. Less than 50 years after Naismith invented basketball, it was being played in more than 100 countries. Everywhere basketball is played, it breaks down borders and allows people to unite around its simple beauty.

I guess Mr. Galloway doesn’t see this. Instead, he trounces the inclusive spirit of the game by repeating the same tired, small-minded ideas that the game ‘cuts along racial lines.' Basketball comes closer to parsing along lines of class more than race—it always has. Often, rural white kids —growing up on farms and playing in ‘crackerbox’ gymnasiums—play a lot tougher than black kids from well-off suburban schools. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but an observable tendency related to socialization. But Mr. Galloway—who is less than a student of basketball—doesn’t get this. He clearly thinks having a journalists’ credential to sit courtside at the arena raises his aggregate basketball IQ. Sadly, it has not. I doubt if Mr. Galloway is even a fan of this great game.

And lastly, his comments about Kobe Bryant as a 'ball hog' is another example of shoddy thinking. I reviewed career playoff statistics for key ‘go-to’ players (either ‘shooting guards or small forwards.) Clearly, if Mr. Galloway’s analysis of Bryant lead to the ‘ball hog’ conclusion,’ then Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Jerry West and Michael Jordan would all deserve the same derisive comments from Mr. Galloway.Download playoff_fg_attempts.htm

Mr. Galloway, professional basketball is better served when you confine your exceptional analytical skills to football, baseball, golf and Jose Cuervo. The game doesn’t need journalists like you trashing it. In fact, for the next NBA season, lend me your journalist badge and I'll happily write your basketball stories for you. Use your bully-pulpit to advance the cause of the NBA in Dallas and Fort Worth, not set it back -- or, at the very least, be accurate.

Lakers v. Spurs, Game Four -- An Interesting Expression of the "Game within a Game' Paradigm of Officiating

Two essential truths about basketball:

a.) In a game decided by one point, the arbiter is luck--whatever side you're on.

b.) If the whistle blows, it's a foul.

Excellent coaches are teachers of the game and fanatical 'purists.' I can't envision another path to embrace. I often told me players:" Don't look for officials to bail you out. Make shots.  Make plays. that, my friends, is the concommitant equalizer. Every JUCO coach in Texas understand when you play on the road, you're down 15 points at tip-off. When I coached high school and ventured into area codes 940 or 903 (adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth area) to play road games, I accepted that the home team would be in the 'bonus' by the 6:55 mark of the second quarter. How do you overcome this: Make Shots.

I've said: "If you 'swat at an airbone shooter in an attempt to block the shot, consider this a foul.' There are some behaviors one mustn't allow to become habits. Sooner or later, you 'get got.' Basketball is a game of habits.

Such is the case with the ending of Game Four of the Lakers/Spurs series. For those who missed, I'll recap the final possession:  The Spurs have a sideline 'throw-in' with 2.1 seconds remaining.  Robert Horry is the inbounder. The play develops arouind three options-- but the primary is for Manu Ginobli.   Horry cannot make the pass to Ginobli ecause of Bryant's defense. The pass comes to Brent Barry who is at the top of the three point arc. Derek Fisher, who is playing 'ball denial' on Michael Finley, rotates to Barry. As Barry makes the catch, he presents a shot fake and Fisher leaves his feet making contact with Barry. Barry absorbs the contact, takes one dribble to his right and launches a shot from roughly 28 feet. The shot missed and the game is over.

Because of Fisher's contact before the shot, many conclude a foul should've been called. Reflecting on the 'game with a game' basketball paradigm,  one can see a different conclusion. This wasn't a game where incidental floor contact was going to rate a whistle. In the last four minutes, there were five possessions  (three for Los Angeles, two for San Antonio) where a foul could have been called.

This game was going to be decided by players, not officials. And, given that officiating had already played a 'not-so-subtle' role in the game (29 shot attempts by Bryant and free throw attempts; no rest of the shot clock when Fisher's shot clearly grazed the rim) the  non-call on the Barry play was proper-- and consisten with the established paradigm of that game.

Most discussions around last second wins and losses are analgous to the: "Was there another shoter on the grassy knoll?" This banter shrouds the central, essential question: "Why was the game lost?" If you're a Spurs fans, here's the reality: The Lakes netted 13 offensive rebounds, directly producing 20 first half points.  The Spurs were a +7 in free throw attempts and +10 in made free throws. As the great Hubie Brown reminds us, in the Association, the team with the most free throw attempts wins with much more regularity.

At no level of basketball are games lost on a final possession. Often the most salient and influential play in a 'one-point' loss occurs at an earlier time (I thought the the foul on Vujacic's three-point shot from the corner --which became a four-point play-- ws the most detrimental event to the Spurs. My confusion about San Antonio Spurs basketball is the 'which came first, the chicken or the egg question? connundrum. Do the Spurs defend because they know they can't score. Or, are they unable to score because they expend their energy on defense.

I don't know which represents the truth. I do know that extended stretches without scoring --which is the  Spurs modus operandi during the middle of quarters-- makes it difficult to prevail. The Spurs don't consistently score. That's the problem-- it has nothing to do with a whistle.

NBA Commentary: Mixed feelings about the Cavs/Celtics series ---and, how Delonte West is key to the Cavs advancing.

Boston is in trouble. And, I don’t think they need Paul Revere to let them know the Cavs are coming. Mr. Lebron James, with a dunk as memorable as John Starks over Scottie Pippen, sounded a horn so fiercely that Revere may have heard it. I’ll bet Auerbach did—God rest his soul.

As an L.A. kid, one learns to despise the Celtics during elementary school. I think its part of the sixth grade curriculum in the L.A. unified school district. Kids of my era—that matured on the basketball melody voiced by Chick Hearn and Len Shackelford ‘high above the western sidelines at the house that Jack built’ have no love for anything in Massachusetts—and that goes for Legal Seafood and Dunkin’ Donuts.

What the C’s did to the Lakers in 1960s was just short of an assassination of hope. I can relive nearly ever Lakers lost in the NBA Finals during that decade. The most painful, of course, was the shot made by Don Nelson in 1969. I can still see the ball striking the heel of the rim, flying up to rafters of the Fabulous Forum and falling into the basket. My little ten year old soul was sliced— every time I see Nelson I think of him wearing number ‘19’ and making that shot.

I began the year looking forward to a 2008 re-match between the Lakers and the C’s. Although I must admit that Magic Johnson’s ‘baby-hook’ in 1987 fully eviscerated the Leprechaun’s mysterious spell over the Lakers. Johnson’s field goal, to that generation of Laker fans, restored order in the basketball galaxy, putting the C’s down—it didn’t erase the pain of memory, but it certainly made the present seem ok. (Thanks, Magic!)

This year—as I told my son—was the year we fully pay the C’s back for all the Finals defeats in the 1960s.

I am, however, saddened because the C’s have but a sliver of a chance to get to the finals—at least this year. I want the Lakers to beat Boston…but, I have difficulty rooting for the C’s to win. It is only with the advent of L.A. native Paul Pierce that I can even bear to watch this team.

I won’t delve into the regurgitated analysis of the tactical problems with Rondo’s decision-making from the point-guard position, nor how mystifying it is that a team with Pierce and Allen can struggle offensively, nor how utterly lost the C’s can look in ‘end of game’ situations…instead, I’m going to explain how the Cavs can end this series in six games. Two words: Delonte West.

I’ve followed his career from St. Joes to Boston to Seattle and to Cleveland. This is a player with an exceptional basketball IQ. Though averaging only eight points and four assists in the series, he scored a game high 21 points in critical Game Three.

The Cavs offense strategy is designed to mitigate Boston’s primary defensive strength—their ability to defend on the ‘ball side.’ Boston is less effective when playing ‘help.” The Cavs prefer to execute a ball reversal pass (normally to LeBron James) and force the C’s to rotate defensively. Theoretically, this should allow James to make the catch as the defense is shifting, affording him multiple opportunities to ‘read’ the locations of gaps –thus enabling him to dribble penetrate. The problem is that James is taking jump shots instead of driving (and, shooting a low percentage). This means that it looks as if the C’s are defending better than they really are. The C’s aren’t stopping James—he just isn’t converting the poor percentage shots he’s taking.

Here are four pieces of advice to Delonte West:

1.) Get into the ‘painted area,’ engage two defenders and then pass-- instead of executing a ball reversal pass from the ’28-foot’ marker (which is where he is picking up his dribble.)

2.) Bring Ilguaskas to ‘ball-side’ elbow, enter the ball to him and have him ‘face-up’ the defender. This does a couple of things for the Cavs. First, it gives Ilgauskas more quality touches in area where he can attack; and second, he Ilgauskas is a effective enough jump shooter from that spot to bring his defender (either Garnett or Perkins) away from the basket. Once that happens, he can attack the basket using one of two dribbles. This guy, though, a post player, is very skilled and savvy with the ball. The Cavs can run the offense through Ilgauskas.

3.) Use Ilgauskas to reverse the ball to James—the simple action of throwing the ball to Ilguaskas at the ‘ball-side’ high post --where he is a threat to score —will open up dribble penetration opportunities for James when the ball is reversed to him.

4.) Delonte, you are more comfortable attacking from the corner than from the top—and, though you’re a lefty, you appear to be more comfortable playing from the right side of the floor. (This isn’t unusual because many right handed players are comfortable on the left side.) The Cavs can have a bushel-full of success against the C’s by playing screen/roll on the right side of the floor—thus enabling West to attack the ‘painted area’ going ‘left. And, if the screener is James, the Cavs can play ‘pick and pop’ or ‘pick and roll.’ The value with James as the screener in this wing ‘pick and roll’ action is that it completely opens the middle to dribble penetration. How does one ‘bum-rush’ any defense: Dribble penetration that is calculated, decisive and under control.

Although I’d love to see Lakers/Celtics in the Finals, I can’t bring myself to wish good fortune on Celtics. It’s Don Nelson’s fault—he shouldn’t have broken the heart of a kid.

An Amazing Game--that would be Basketball...

The Game Matters: Many fans assert that from the beginning of NCAA March Madness through the NBA championship is the best time of the year...but some of who love the game know that 'Amazing Happens' everyday...because, The Game Matters.

NBA Commentary: Why the Jazz Will NOT Advance to the Conference Finals- Too Much Bryant, Odom and Gasol.

The outcome of the Lakers/Jazz game was never in doubt. Even when Utah cut the lead to four points late in the 4th quarter, the game wasn't out of hand. Teams that erase 20 points deficits rarely come back and win; and, Boozer had five fouls. Once he was off the floor--which was inevitable given Utah's style -- the only matter in question was the final margin of victory.

The Jazz is a quality opponent, but the Lakers will prevail. Toward a broader explanation, I offer a quote from that great basketball coach and father of our country, George (Coach) Washington. He said, "Beware the surprise attack!"

Today was the clearest opportunity Utah will ever have to beat the Lakers at Staples Center-- the 'surprise attack,' if you will. The Lakers weren't ready for Utah's relentless commitment to obtaining second shots. The Jazz took 22 more shots and out-rebounded the Lakers 25-to-8 on the offensive glass. That's 17 extra possessions! A significant statistic, rest assured. In basketball, a team must prevail when achieving an overpowering level of dominance in second shot opportunities. But the Jazz failed to get a 'W." They're averaging 90.5 PPG in the playoffs -- in six games, while giving up 88.5 PPG.

The Lakers were a 'plus 16' in free throw attempts (46 to 30) and I felt they could have shot eight more, The Jazz--given their style of play-- will put the Lakers on the foul line-- read: Bryant and Odom. And this isn't going to bode well for Utah's hopes to win a game in Los Angeles.

The Lakers, arguably, present the most problematic match-up for Utah for the following reasons:

1.) They lack a Bruce Bowen /Kenyon Martin defender who can waste five fouls on Bryant while not being counted on for scoring.

2.) Utah's team defensive scheme is more targeted at weak side shot-blocking (by Kirilenko) than an robust attempt at preventing dribble penetration. And that's where the Lakers excel-- attacking the painted area and looking for teammates on a 'dive' or a 'diagonal cut," or passing to an teammate on the perimeter. (This is a difficult style of basketball to defend when one has the best player on Earth attacking the paint and Vujacic, Fisher and Radmanovic as perimeter shooter.)

3. The players anchoring Utah's second unit-- Harpring, Milsap, et. all, won't score enough points to keep the game manageable. This means that Boozer and Kirilenko will have to play big minutes. Results: Foul Trouble for them and bad news for the Jazz.

The Jazz hurt the Laker half-court defense with back screens and quick, decisive cuts and curls. Utah executed this extraordinarily well -- and, similar to the relentless offensive rebounding, caught the Lakers by surprise. Still, Utah fell 11 points short. Although, I think the true margin of victory was closer to six points. (And remember, that's with 18 extra possessions.)

The Lakers should make a major adjustment for Wednesday's game: Play Zone on at least 40% of the defensive possessions -- here are two reasons why this is essential:

1. The Jazz are comfortable with a 'half-court' offensive scheme -- and they have two quality perimeter shooters (Okur and Korver). The other three-point shooter, Williams, is the primary ball-handler so his attempts are either in transition or off-the-dribble.--much more difficult shots. Should the Lakers go zone, the lion's share of the pressure to make shots will rest on Okur and Korver. This is a good news/bad news story because both players are counted on heavily for offense, but are potential liabilities on defense. Korver can't guard Fisher. Okur can't guard Odom. And no one in the 'Beehive' state can guard Bryant.

2. The zone will 'clog' the painted area, making it difficult for Boozer to attack the basket from the elbow (which is his strength) -- and, furthermore, the zone places Laker defenders at better angles to negate Utah's ball side cuts--which are ferocious.

If Game One is a proper indication, the Jazz are in a quagmire. They are a quality opponent for Los Angeles but will not win the series because they can neither outscore nor slow-down Bryant/Gasol/Odom to prevail four times.

They will, however, compete. The Lakers will have to earn this one. These aren't the Nuggets.

NBA Commentary: Toronto vs. Orlando and how Chris Bosh could have tied the series at 1-1 with a 'Jump Stop'

Last night, I didn’t quite understand what the Mavericks were doing so I switched from TNT to NBA TV. Around Dallas and Fort Worth, fans were guarded, but optimistic the series would return to the AAC tied. Sadly, Messrs. Paul and Stojakovic and the remaining New Orleans Hornets had other intentions. I decided to watch the Orlando-Toronto game and I’m glad that I did.

What a game!

I believe in the ‘two-foot jump’ stop—here’s my guidance to every player I’ve coached: “If you’re driving to the basket and there is any possibility for defensive contact—no matter how remote—execute a solid ‘two-foot jump stop,’ then violently ‘shot fake.’ The jump stop negates the ‘help’ defender while allowing one to retain balance and control. The violent 'shot fake' reduces the possibility of a blocked shot, while clarifying the 'landscape of the play' for the Zebras. (Zebras, often, are so focused on the hand/ball relationship that they miss the body contact—which, is more detrimental because to offensive player as it forces them into an off-balanced attempt.) Rarely, if ever, will a Zebra whistle a ‘player-control’ offensive foul after a ‘shot fake.’ The ‘shot fake’ freezes the moment in time for the Zebras. I've found that the best offensive players help the Zebras.

Here is the end of game situation: Chris Bosh dribbles hard to his right and leaves his feet. Dwight Howard, who is beaten on the drive, elevates and initiates contact with Bosh. At this point, either Howard blocks the shot or Bosh loses the ball at the apex of his jump. Howard, clearly, delivers enough body contact with Bosh (by rule, an ‘airborne shooter’) to require that a foul be called. But, there is no whistle and Orlando obtains the rebound.

Toronto, however, after a mystifying 'illegal screen' call gets the ball back for a final possession with a credible opportunity to win. Bosh, however, misfired on a mildly-contested 17 footer from just above the elbow. Orlando escapes with a one-point win. (Bosh, on the last possession, hesitated ever so slightly when he caught the pass. He dribbled the ball—almost as if he were considering an attack move—but settled for a jump shot.

Although the Bosh/Howard ‘no-call’ occurred on the Raptor’s next-to-last-possession, I believe it was the pivotal play in the last two minutes. And moreover, if Bosh executes a solid ‘two-foot’ jump shot, he either scores or forces the Zebra to make a call. A decision, late in the game, to NOT use the ‘two-foot’ jump shot is very questionable. This is particularly true against individual shot blockers or teams that aggressively 'help.'

From where Bosh took off, a dunk wasn’t possible. But Howard’s body contact, against Bosh’s thin frame, was just enough to create a miss.

I don’t know whether Toronto would won the game or not (the Bosh-Howard ‘no – call’ occurred with 18.7 seconds remaining) had Bosh scored or been awarded foul shots—but, it is clear they would have had either one, two or three more points than they finished with. I like Chris Bosh’s game a lot. He’s going to have more success on ‘late in game’ dribble penetration moves if he goes with the ‘jump stop.’

L.A. Confidential: Kobe Bryant's Last Days

The sun shines bright, the beaches are wide and inviting, and the orange groves stretch as far as the eye can see. There are jobs aplenty, and land is cheap. Every working man can have his own house, and inside every house, a happy, all-American family. You can have all this, and who knows... you could even be discovered, become a movie star... or at least see one. Life is good in Los Angeles... it's paradise on Earth." Ha ha ha ha. That's what they tell you, anyway.
- Danny DeVito (as Sid Hutches in L.A. Confidential)
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At 24, I worked at L.A. International Airport. My shift was 1930-0400. I’ve written before about how beautiful airports can be. Well, a lot of weirdness also happens at airports. One particularly hectic summer, every seat on every flight between New York-JFK and Los Angeles was $99.00. I think it was Eastern Airlines, now bankrupt that created this idea. What I remember about this summer, aside from all the overtime, was Flight 29. It arrived from JFK at 11:48 p.m. and every night eight to ten people--mostly younger than me-- would get off the flight and ask this question: "Which way is Hollywood? and "What's the best way to get there?"

Most were female--neither pretty nor ugly, just girl next door types, wearing Levis and carrying one soft-sided bag.

For those of you who thought it a well-worn Hollywood cliché about people 'just showing up in Hollywood hoping to get discovered,"allow me to tell you this is one myth squarely based in fact.

As a teenager, I spent my Friday and Saturday nights cruising Hollywood Boulevard. I regularly wandered into B.Dalton Pickwick bookstore and stopped at Love’s Restaurant or Two Guys from Italy. The Scientology proselytizers, back then, walked the boulevard giving out flyers and pleading with evereyone to come to their seminars.

Being from L.A. means you understand L.A. The city doesn't want you. You arrive there with your precious little hopes and fragile dreams and the city eats you-- not in the voracious, uncaring way that NYC finishes people off--no, not that way at al. In L.A., everyone just smiles, tell you what you want to hear as they systematically fleece you of your hopes and dreams. "Have a nice day," or “I’ll call you.” someone always says, right before the knife separates you from your hopes and dreams. "Do you know the way to San Jose" is more than a song, it's a secret code to maitaning your sanity.

If Miami is the capital of Latin America, L.A. is the capital of Pacificas (my term for the domain that reaches from the West Coast to Japan and South to Oceania. As L.A. goes,so goes the world. Everyone wants to be in L.A.

Except, of course, Kobe Bryant.
I have been an ardent supporter and apologist for Kobe Bryant. I believed--and still do-- that he is the finest player on the planet, embodying the best of what the game meant.

Now, I must say this: Kobe has disrespected the game by not giving his absolute best (during the preseason). And, for me, that is the abyss from which one cannot return. Disrespecting the game is sinful.

Kobe's complaints are legitimate. Since the great prophet of basketball Jerry West (peace be upon him), left L.A., Mr. Kupchak has been caught in a perfect storm that reveal his oppressive mediocrity.

1. O'Neal's departure
2. Questionable player personnel moves
3. Emergence of Phoenix and Dallas as powerhouse teams

Mr. Kupchak's draft choices, though intently safe, have been decent; (Bynum, Farmar, Turiaf and Vujacic--although drafting Brian Cook ahead of Josh Howard is questionable.) But, the personnel choices (Brian Grant, Kwame Brown, the inability to obtain a perimeter shooter to give the 'triangle offense legitimacy have made Mr. Kupchak’s decision-making seem irrelevant.

An objective analysis reveals the Lakers have not improved at a commensurate level with the remainder of teams in the Western Conference. The Lakers, with the best player in basketball, are (at least on paper) barely the eighth best team in the Conference. And that, violates a inviolable basketball law: Respect your stars by surrounding them with other talented players. (Regardless of what one thinks of Mr. Ainge, he has surrounded Paul Pierce with legitimate players.)

The Lakers will be competitive this season--they will be fun to watch because they'll play hard and make shots. Fisher, Walton and Odom are consummate professionals and the Lakers are going to take a lot of teams late into the fourth quarter. Cook, Bynun and Farmar bring energy and fan appeal.

Fundamentally, however, they're going to struggle against top teams in the West because these teams have better players--and, a legitimate inside presence. The Lakers lack of post defense will translate into few, if any 'stops' late in games against San Antonio, Utah and Dallas.

Without Bryant, the Lakers are probably a 35-47 team missing the playoffs. With Bryant, the Lakers are probably 42-40 (same as last year) with an eighth place finish--depending upon how well Golden State plays and the kind of season that Durant has in the ‘Emerald City.’

So, tell me again why L.A. fans are begging Bryant to stay.

The Lakers glory days are over. I watched the Jerry/Elgin/Wilt era sunset; then the Magic/Kareem rose, then fell -- and the Kobe/Shaq era imploded leaving shrapnel inside everyone within a fifty-mile radius. And now, the Kobe era is done. I, for one, am glad.

Let Kobe go gently into that good night--be it Chicago, Washington or Dallas-- let him take his amazing talent to a place where he can be happy..a place where he wants to be.

The Lakers leadership team is at fault for this. Who knows what promises these people made to one another over Dom Perignon, Chateuabriand and Havana cigars. Kobe feels betrayed--and, probably was.

But that doesn't excuse Kobe's actions. There is no excuse for not playing hard--for not showing up every night and playing the game the way is should be played. Kobe is a player and 'players show up and play hard and smart.' Disrespecting the game is VERBOTEN -- and that goes goes for both coaches and players.

This isn't the same Kobe Bryant who rose from obscurity to spending eight hours a day working on his game out at Pauley Pavilion. No, this Kobe has become a typical 'Hollywood Type." He has allowed the actions of the Lakers leadership to turn him into an "Entertainment Tonight" clip-- fodder for the "The Colbert Report" -- perceived as an impetuous superstar caring only for personal needs. He has allowed the Lakers to define him. (And, shame on the organzation for taking this fight public.)

If the Lakers weren't so much a part of my life -- I used to sneak into the Sports Arena to watch them play...way before the Fabulous Forum opened-- I'd side with Kobe on this one. But, I can't. The Lakers are bigger than Kobe Bryant. For all my great memories of the Kobe/Shaq era I have just as many from the 1960s and and 1970s. Had there been ESPN in the 1960’s, everone would understand why Jerry West was called Mr. Clutch. (You had to have been there, my friends.)

But Kobe Bryant deserves to have a General Manager/Leadership team that can evaluate players like the Spurs organization; develop them like the Bulls organization; and treat them with the level of deep respect that the Maverick organization does. This current Laker organization--as defined by their actions-- are not overly competent in player personnel matters.

And, the Lakers deserve a player who wants to be in Los Angeles.
These two should be divorced.

Everyone wants to come to L.A. But Kobe wants to leave. The greatest franchise in the history of the game can't treat the greatest player in the game with enough respect to encourage him to remain. This is crazy.

New England is now the mecca of sports excellence; the President of France is Hungarian; people care more what happens to Britany Spears than the fact 1,000 people are dying every month in Darfur. And, I won’t even bring up the Congo.

And Kobe Bryant wants to leave L.A. Yes, the end really is near.

The Beijing Sting

Can it be that basketball coaches and teachers committed high treason by divulging U.S. basketball knowledge to the rest of the world. I have often wondered about this.

The Tournament of the Americas placed the world on notice: CUJO is back. And he is hungry for gold (and, perhaps, Mr. Michael Vick.) I’m reasonably certain that the divisions of FIBA (Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania) watched with glee and cups of Earl Grey as USA Basketball executed ‘Shock and Awe’ a the Thomas and Mack Arena.

These games, indeed, represented the worst possible denouement for USA Basketball. The domination will allow those associated with our sport to take a deep breath and exhale, thinking: How do you spell domination: USA Basketball.

Forgive me for sounding like Dave Chappelle’s ‘Negrodamus,’ but I remain nervous and worried. Not because of Messrs. Krzyzewski, Kidd, Bryant and Colangelo-- but, instead for what I know about International Basketball’s elite. These are wily, clandestine operatives who are, as we speak, devising a protocol to uncover the ‘Achilles Heel’ of USA Basketball. To wit:

1.) We are, as a nation, possessors of Short Memories.
2.) Team USA’s core will not practice together again until just before Beijing.
3.) Jason Kidd’s knees will age one year for every 33 games he’ll play this season.
4.) The 2007 performance notwithstanding-- the only Olympic qualifiers afraid of Team USA are in the ‘just glad to get an invitation’ category.

The medal round--like March Madness-- is an asphyxiating ‘one and done.’ That means the most talented team doesn’t necessarily win. The best team ‘on that day’ wins. Team USA, just three scant years ago, caught an inferior Greek team (from a talent perspective) on a night when that team ‘made it rain.’ In a best-of-seven series, Team USA beat the Grecians 4-to-2. But, there is no best-of-seven cushion in the Medal round...it is the full-on expression of ‘all we have is right now.’ Italy and Spain are for real-- and, Argentina without Ginobli and Nocioni (as they were in this tournament) are like a rum cake sans the rum.

A rotating collapsing defense preventing dribble penetration and dunks-- combined with a ‘hard-deny, no catch’ tactics on Michael Redd-- followed with concomitant shot-making -- and, guess what: Team USA is in a close game.

Now, what do we know about basketball? IT IS A GAME OF HABITS. Moreover, all players revert to dominant habits in moments of anxiety. A two possession quarterfinal game--down by five with 0:44 remaining-- defines anxious.

And, there is another variable: Officiating. In the eyes of the men and women who call the Olympics, the NBA is to basketball, what “Ice Road Truckers’ is to “Ice Skating.” (There is a layer of ice beneath you, and that’s where the similarities end.)

Team USA’s Bronze medal in 2004 was -- to me at least- a source of pride. I am amazed at how often that accomplishment is derided and scorned. Team USA fought and competed for that Bronze medal. It meant something.

Now is the time for USA basketball to work harder-- to be earnest in their committment to not ‘let-up.’ The Achilles Heel is ‘HUBRIS,’ with equal parts comfort. Fans, coaches and and player should spend the next 12 months studying the nuances of the International game and understanding how well the Big Four (Italy, Spain, Argentina and Lithuania) make plays when it matters.

No squad will will lay down for Team USA. I am concerned that we’re being hoodwinked and aren’t wily enough to know it. The rest of the world will say: “We may as well concede the gold to the Americans...they are unbeatable,” or, “Let’s face it, we’re all playing for second place.” Note to USA Basketball: “When you hear such cries from the rest of the world, DON'T BELIEVE IT. It’s a setup.

The gold medal is an accomplishment to be earned, not the divine right of USA Basketball. Let’s rally around USA basketball now-- and prepare ourselves -- as a country-- to win the gold. It’ll be sweeter.

Black Coaches, Tuskegee Airmen and WWMD

I should be paying royalties to Lute Olson for all the times I've used his sayings-- and. I've never met him. Having coffee with him would be a highlight of my life (even though I am a UCLA guy!) This is a wise man. Here is an Olson quote that each of my former players has heard: "The most meaningless statistic in basketball is the half-time score." That line has peppered many locker room speeches because we were behind a lot. Here is another: "The last great innovation in basketball was the jump shot." The wonderful Hank Luisetti (of Stanford fame) brought the jump shot to basketball in the 1930s-- if, indeed, that is the last great innovation-- what an indictment! But Innovation requires 'thought leadership and basketball, sadly, is often bereft of this. That is why Mark Cuban is a gift to the game-- what he has brought to basketball is a willingness to challenge, if you will, basketball's establishment and use his influence and largesse to force a dialogue about the game. in honor of him, I am going to write a series of essays entitled, "What Would Mark Do."

The introductory essay targets this: As March Madness is now history, I must ask: Where are the black coaches in NCAA Division 1? An insightful report revealed that roughly 57% of the players at NCAA D1 levels are black; but just 25% of the coaches. (On the women's side, the numbers are even more striking (9.3 % of the coaches. 44% of the players.)

Is there a simple answer, or is something more insidious and complex at work?

I coached at the high school varsity level for ten seasons. One college coach (who shall remain nameless)-- a brilliant guy -- said this to me: "Black coaches just aren't 'x's and o's guys; they don't know the game. I need them to recruit. That is what they are good at."

He was stating his opinion matter-of-factly. I found his comment intensely revealing, but just as prejudiced as using the word 'articulate' to describe a person of color when that same adjective is rarely used to describe non persons of color.

I don't believe this Coach is racist or in any way a bad apple-- he is simply presenting an opinion from his life's experiences. An opinion that is most probably held by a lot of influencers who have the power of hiring and firing.

Which leads me to...what is coaching? I see four broad skill sets:

1. Game Management-- Tactical bench coaching
2. Practice Management-- The teaching, learning and player development component
3. Interpersonal Abilities-- Interacting with and motivating others toward achievement and excellence
4. Politically Savvy-- Dealing judiciously with the Administration, parents, media, boosters, alumni, et al...

The above is in order of external appearance, not importance.

What, on that list, cannot be learned? Based on character traits, experiences and preference, each coach has a natural tendency or inclination toward one or two of the skills sets-- but no one person is 'naturally' proficient at all four.

I've known many coaches who are diligent students of the game (x's and o's guys, so to speak), but haven't the patience required to ensure players learn to play the game correctly. I've seen other coaches who are master tacticians, but possess limited appetite for the day-to-day repetition of practicing. And, then, there are others who are master basketball politicians--glib, erudite and funny-- who are just marginally interested in games and practices, but the school administration and alumni worships them. And you know what? There is nothing wrong skill #4 (though I sorely lacked it.) As a high school or college head coach, one ignores basketball politics to their own career peril.

This is why teams need several assistant coaches-- to borrow from Senator Clinton, " It takes a village.'

The situation with black coaches is analogous to black pilots during WWII. Conventional wisdom stated, "Those Negroes just aren't smart enough to fly airplanes in combat." (As if piloting an aircraft was as esoteric, high-brow skill that elevated skin color above intellect--- one can learn to fly in a shorter period of time than it takes to become a quality basketball coach.)

The black aviators needed this: an advocate and an opportunity. Eleanor Roosevelt became the advocate; the Tuskeegee Airmen provided the opportunity. And presto, before you know it, there were black fighter squadrons escorting B-25 bomber groups and wreaking general havoc on the Lufttwaffe in the skies over the Mediterranean. Key words: opportunity and advocacy.

The reason there are so few black coaches in the NCAA is because there is little opportunity and no forceful advocate for change. The larger circle of reasoning, as I see if, is there is no financial imperative to make a change. The imperative is moral, not financial. And from what I see of the NCAA-- an operation with revenues and a balance sheet rivaling that of many small countries-- their business is business.

A lot of people draw their sustenance from this gravy train. Read: No one wants to upset the delicate balance by being perceived as taking an overt risk. And, if hiring a black head coach is considered a 'risk,' who is going to do it? Certainly not the short-sighted AD-as-Bureaucrat.

So what would Mark do if he ran the NCAA 'working group on diversity?' I think he'd challenge the conferences to replicate his model that created an environment for Avery Johnson be successful: 1. Find an exceptionally bright person. 2. Have them serve an apprenticeship with gradually expanded accountability and responsibility. 3. Compensate them generously. 4. Encourage and support them --publicly and privately. 5. Require they serve as a mentor to others to complete the circle.

Cuban accomplished this in the NBA-- where the imperative is, shall we say, a bit less altruistic --therefore, with the lofty platitudes offered by the NCAA (whose obtuse commercials leave me shaking my head) this should be a more than reasonable consideration.

But this is based on an assumption which says, "We're all interested in diversity of thought." Are we, really?"

Basketball, as a game, is inclusive and diverse. Basketball, as a business, is not. The NCAA PR engine would have us believe in the beauty and elegance of amateur athletics (maybe NCAA D-3 and NAIA; but a $6B TV deal invalidates this at the D1 level.) Those at the top levels of decision making... well, I'll offer insight via a quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald: "The rich, they are very different from you and me..."

Black coaches deserve far more opportunity than they've been given..because it is good for the game. Quotas are a fool's answer (and serve to inflame and obscure, not encourage the dialogue. Let us dialogue on this truth: diversity of thinking makes the game better-- and acting from this knowledge base is the flash-point to ignite both change and innovation.

I realize this is a qualitative argument, not a financial one. That's the problem with my idea.

The question is who will become an advocate-- you know who my choice is.

Kobe Bryant Born Again

Down on South Figeuora street in South Central L.A. there used be the Mark Twain branch of the L.A. County Public Library system. As a seventh grader, I stopped there each day on my way home from school. One Indian Summer September afternoon, I found a book entitled, " They call me, Mr. Clutch." It was the story of Jerry West. I must've read the book fifty times. I listened to every Laker game on the radio and watched Chick Hearn and Lynn Shackelford broadcast the games on Channel 9. That was a long time ago.  Conservatively, I would estimate that I've watched Jerry West play 300 times. Although I admired Big O's game, I didn't see him as often because he was off in Cincinnati (and later, Milwaukee). No NBA TV or Sports Center in those days, my friends.

Jerry West , in my eyes, was the finest guard to every step on a court-- I would have argued this with any fan, coach or broadcaster. There were many great ones, but Jerry West soared above all others. Until now. Jerry West has been replaced by Kobe Bryant.

What Leonardo did for Christian iconography, Kobe has done for basketball. He is, at once, the finest player alive today.

This recent scoring surge (65, 50, 62 and 50) has brought the "Kobe haters' out in full effect. "Yeah, he is selfish and he just shoots all the time," is some of oddball commentary I've heard.

Isn't scoring the highest level skill in basketball? Isn't that the nature of the game...to 'score' the basketball? I have said in my essays on basketball that 'passing' is an overrated skill. The salient, most valuable skill in passing is learning when not to. Passes very easily become turnovers--and turnovers are substantively de-moralizing.  My study of the game has led to this conclusion: "Knowing when to pass--and when not to-- is a high level cognitive skill that few players possess. Passing, for the sake of passing-- that is with no purposefulness-- creates more problems than it solves." Knowing 'how' to pass is a skill that can be taught-- knowing "when," and 'to whom' are, to quote Mark Twain, 'the difference between being struck by lightning or a lightning bug." What Kobe is doing epitomizes the quiescent elegance of the game-- he is scoring with the jump shot and from the foul line. Against the New Orleans people (coached by former Laker great Byron Scott), Kobe went 18-for-18 from the line. He was, from the field, 16-for-29. And that's on jump shots. Who, in the history of the game, has done this? No disrespect meant to Wilt-- what he did for the game cannot be quantified. But remember, Wilt averaged 50.1 PPG on shots taken from five feet away from the basket. Kobe is averaging over fifty on jump shots under duress. How can this be? Because the guy is fundamentally sound--obsessively so!  Consider this as you're studying him:

• 1. Pristine footwork
• 2. Use of the 'shot fake'
• 3. Pull-up jump shots
• 4. Use of the spin dribble to create space, avoid contact and negate the 'help'
• 5. The two-foot jump stop.

Bryant's commitment to fundamentals and the sanctity of his execution sets him apart. Every aspect of his offensive game is enriched through fundamentals and sound basketball principles. His approach to offensive basketball is practical, realistic and effective. What, then, defines, offensive basketball execution in one-on-one situations-- what commonalities exist amongst great offensive players? Here are three common aspects: -

They unbalance the defender (with a job, shot fake or ball fake) to create an advantage - Once the advantage is created, they exploit it cleverly and concisely - They initiate the contact with defenders-- think: first strike capability.

Bryant's dribble attack sequences emanate from a precise ability to move defenders-- to bring them either upright in their stance-- or, encourage them to shift their body weight. The moves may be 'flashy' at times,. but they are founded on solid basketball pedagogy. Which brings me to Jerry West (career scoring average: 27.1 PPG.) The Lakers, during the West/Baylor years had two primary scorers: West and Baylor. And, when Baylor retired, that responsibility fell to the underrated Gail Goodrich. (I've always been a Goodrich fan; aside from the fact we have the UCLA connection, he was one of the best high school players to ever come out of Los Angeles.) Stopping West/Baylor was always the key to beating the Lakers-- this was no secret. But, who ever stopped them? And West, who had but one move, only went to his left with the same frequency that Limbaugh is actually right. Laker broadcaster Chick Hearn: "...ball in to Wilt, he swings it left side to West...two bounce dribble, jumper...GOOD..Mister Clutch." Hearn coined the metaphor, "frozen rope' to immortalize West's 'lack of arc' jump shot. Baylor and West are the spiritual antecedents of Bryant-- and he has tapped into "Zoë' of their basketball energy. They are his basketball fathers. His game combines the fine-tuned elements of both. Bryant's mid-range and pull-up jump shot is pure Jerry West. His shot fake, spin and 'step-through' is pure Elgin Baylor.

He isn't part of some new generation of basketball player that's turning the game into a 'hip-hop' club; but instead, his game is a sacred homage to men who bask on the pantheon of basketball greatness. West, nor Baylor were ever called selfish--and, they shot the ball all the time. Scoring, in basketball, is not democratic-- it is meritocratic.

NBA on Life Support; "Code Blue, ICU..."

Did you hear...it happened last weekend-- it was at an event called, from what I hear, "All Star Weekend."
Damn, I love the NBA. I used to catch the #49 bus to watch the Lakers play at a venue on Figueora Street known eponymously as the Sports Arena. (Not sure what that means except the fact that I am, what advertisers called, mature.) I used to get up early every Saturday to watch the ABA game of the week (which usually featured the Virginia Squires against somebody. Chick Hearn, the most famous voice in L.A. sports, sat high above the Western sideline at the 'Fabulous Forum," He was my beacon...for my life, at least when I wasn't playing, revolved around the Lakers and the NBA. Long before Sportscenter and the Internet, my crew dialogue about the comparison goal percentage of Jerry West versus "Big-O,' and Dave Bing-- or, whether Bernard King was a better shooter than Cazzie Russell.

And now, in 2007, the NBA is dying and I lament that black people are going to be charged with a homicide.

According to the best intelligence available, NBA All-Star weekend has become (according to Kansas CIty Star columnist, Mr. Jason Whitlock, 'the rebirth of Freak-nick.)

For the non-historical, that is code for saying, 'this sh-t is too Black.'

David Stern can only keep the flame burning for so long-- if the NBA becomes 'too-Black' and NBA All Star Weekend becomes another excuse for the Hip-Hop generation to party, the league isn't going to make it.

Black people worship the NBA-- the NFL is like a cousin who comes around for dinner a few times a year--they're cool and everything..but, if you see them, you see them and if you don't...you don't. MLB is akin to an Aunt who lives is a Retirement home-- you see her on her birthday and that's about it... the NBA, however, is like your lover...he energy of James Brown, the crackling earthiness of Billie Holiday and sweet smoothness of Ella.

We long for the the NBA the way one longs for their lover.

So, why are we black people going to be charged with its death? Easy, because revenues will escape through a gaping hole if the league is branded as 'too black.' Really, 'too urban and too hip-hop.' The league will be forced to change its business model for two reasons:

1.) Advertisers and marketers dismiss the economic significance of African-Americans (unless the products and Lincoln Navigators, Sneakers, logo apparel, or Chicken)
2.) The NBA marketing 'working group' will tell the Commissioner this: " If we want a 'Hip-Hop' league we'll rent the And-One Mix tape and DVD combo from Blockbuster.

Admittedly, marketing the NBA is a prickly conundrum, frustratingly paradoxical.

Who represents the leagues' core audience? TV revenue, worth $3B, is the most secure stream with the ABC, ESPN and TNT contracts locked up. I mean, given a choice between the NBA on TNT and "The White Rapper Show," what are you going to watch? (Well, I guess it depends on who's playing...after all, there is a ghetto revival!) Males in the 17-to-34 demographic watch the NBA relentlessly and who in the analysis-obsessed world of Madison Ave. isn't lusting after this group.

Revenue loss will be present itself in the reduced yield from luxury box sales and game attendance. Many whites-- even in the multic-cultural world of 2007-- are gravely uncomfortable around blacks in a social setting--and the hip-hop generation makes white folks even more uncomfortable that a poster of Kunta Kinte. Instead of going to the arena, they're going to stay home, have the Higginbothams over for Crab Cakes, Bay Scallops and Pinot Grigio while watching the game on NBA league pass.

Hardcore fans and purists like me are incapable of leaving--but, the fickle, cost/benefi analysis Corporate types -- an essential piece of the revenue stream- with luxury boxes and high-dollars lower level seats will abandon the league for the lighter hues and easier-to-market orbs of baseball and hockey.

Basketball is the city game and the rural game--it is the game for the disaffected and the disenfranchised. It is not the game of the elite--it never was and never will be. If Jesus were on Earth today, he'd be at 'Rec' saying, "I got next." He damn sure wouldn't be at Yankee Stadium or, God forbid, Augusta.

Small wonder that on outdoor courts from Quezon City to Vilnius to the villages of Croatia, basketball is the game of the people.

But a lot of the people are broke, aren't they?

NBA teams must meet payroll every two weeks--therefore, incremental revenue streams and yield are topics that must be brought to the the table. The business of basketball is as real as a triple-double. NBA owners did not become owners by ignoring this business paradigm: Everyone in the company is in sales--from the CEO to the janitor, it is about the sales.

And what smart business person doesn't listen when a top customer says, "Your product is flawed. Either fix it, or I'm going elsewhere."

I am a basketball purist. The game is my first love. I'd watch the NBA no matter what --but, those like me are in the minority. There are tactical moves the Competition Committee could make (shortening the season by at least 12 games) and going to a more Euroleague style format for the championship) that would enhance the NBA game.

The game, though, must not be hijacked by the Luxury Box Cartel nor the Hip-Hop posse. The inherent beauty of the game is reflected by its inclusive nature--there is room for the needs of both constituencies.

All Star Weekend has morphed into something more complex than the designers had in mind. New Orleans (the site of '08 game) will represent the climactic moment detailing the future of All-Star weekend...what happens there will determine the fate of the weekend and perhaps, even how the league is marketed.

Quincy Carter and the Flickering Flame of Fame

"I never want to get comfortable. I never want to even think if I've proved myself to people. I'm not playing this game for that. I'm playing it to have success; I'm playing it to win Super Bowls; I'm playing it because I love it; I'm playing it because God has given me all this ability and 1 want to use it to the best of my ability. As bad as I want for people to really respond to me in a positive way, that's really not the reason I'm playing this game. When you win, that's when you win over people."       -Quincy Carter

I wrote Randy Galloway the year we won the State Championship and asked him for a ‘shout-out” on his popular “Sports @ Six” radio show. After all, our school was in Grand Prairie, Texas and Randy hails from that peculiarly-named suburb just west of Dallas. Galloway never responded so I stopped listening to him. After all, how many teams from Grand Prairie have won a championship in any sport? I felt slighted. Maybe I should’ve bought him a miniature of Jose Cuervo Gold—but, who was really into bribing journalists back in 1998.

Randy returns to my good graces-- from now through eternity-- because he bailed Quincy Carter out of an Irving jail (yes, former Dallas Cowboy quarterback Quincy Carter.) “Q-Car" got arrested on marijuana related charges—but, my inquiring mind wants to know this: Where where were his ‘road dogs?’ (In Georgia, or St. Louis perhaps?) Is it possible that the former starting quarterback of America’s team had no one to call to get him out of jail? I can understand not having money…he’s a black man in the United States. Every brother I know has been broke at various points in life. But…I can’t get my arms around not having anyone to call. (Why didn’t the girl who called the Cops post bail?) This is a guy who was a second round draft pick, led the Cowboys to a 10-6 record (including the playoffs), started sixteen games, and was the erstwhile successor to Troy Aikman. I’d be willing to bet that “Q” is the only person who has ever started at quarterback in Texas Stadium who could find themselves in jail (less than nine minutes from the Stadium) with nary a soul to call. There is at least one person who Gary Hogeboom or even Steve Pelleur could call to get out of an Irving jail. But no, not our Quincy. This is tragic.

The question, dear readers, is ‘why?’ Maybe “Q” is addicted to marijuana. Hell, everyone who played in the NFL is addicted to something—from painkillers to fame to the hardbody groupies, every former NFL guy is carrying a mutant monkey on his back. While you’re a pro athlete, there is someone to satiate every possible need and want. When it’s over, I guess you’ve got to get help for the addiction by yourself. Even Secretariat got better treatment than Quincy (OK, Secretariat did win the Derby!)

How pervasive and temporal is the cult of celebrity in our world –and, how tragic the breackneck  slide into oblivion and rejection!

But let’s be straight, black Quarterbacks have a long history of mistreatment and abandonment from front offices and fans alike. I am old enough to remember when Joe “Jefferson Street” Gilliam took over the Steelers from Terry Bradshaw and led them to a 4-1-1 record. And, what could NAIA All-American Marlin Briscoe have done as a NFL quarterback had he received the same opportunities as Bob Griese. Doug Williams almost single-handedly led a Tampa Bay Bucs team to two NFC championship game—he was rewarded with death threats when he held out because he was the 43rd highest paid quarterback in the league. He should have ‘held-out’ for the entire season. That would’ve been my advice. (Do you think Babe Ruth would have stood for being the 43rd highest paid right fielder? The Yankee fans would have marched in streets for George Herman "Babe" Ruth)

Many black quarterbacks suffered shattered, ignoble endings—and others were systematically denied opportunity for significant chunks of their careers. I know that Vick, Leftwich, Culpepper and McNabb have made a true impact on the league— I just hope they understand and embrace history by studying what James “Shack” Harris, Gilliam, Williams and even Warren Moon endured. Black quarterbacks were assaulted with labels like, “He can’t grasp our complicated system,” or “…they just can’t lead.” What vicious irony that many of these distinguished black quarterbacks demonstrated excellence leadership skills in college while throwing for thousands of yards and winning game after game. (“Oh, but that was at those historically black colleges…there football is different there!)

Have any sports psychologists studied the aggregate impact of these oft-repeated put-downs to the psyche of black quarterbacs? And what is truly remarkable is that such recriminations belch forth from an entity where the percentage of black players is tagged at 65% of the total population.  It is no wonder black quarterbacks face such crushing pressure. (No one expects you to succeed—if you do, it’s a fluke, if you don’t…well, “…you should have converted to ‘Cornerback’ when we gave you the chance…we’re placing you on waivers anyway.”)

I wish Quincy a lot of luck and a ticket to a rehab center (in fact, I think Terrell Owens should offer to pay.) I don’t know if Quincy has had time to read my post, but he is one reason that I actually watched the Cowboys (I am straight ‘Silver and Black’)  I thought it cool (maybe even progressive) that a black Quarterback with a suspect arm was given an opportunity in Dallas, Texas. The DFW area never accepted him— and, Parcells (who did give him a second chance) ultimately cast him aside amidst the ‘NFL substance abuse policy’ rules. Though he was picked up by the Jets, he never made it in New York. So, he falters and ends back up in Irving—in jail—with no one to call.

I was at an Italian restaurant in Long Beach (South Shore, Long Island, not California) when I was shocked by an article in Newsday about Nate Archibald working as a janitor at a YMCA. I hurled the paper to the floor; Nate Archibald…that wasn’t possible…the guy averaged 34 points and 11 assists a game one year and was a five-time all NBA selection. He was the spiritual descendant of Bob Cousy and the precursor of Magic Johnson. How could this be the only job he could find once out of the league?

His story—and Quincy’s-- is like the Sci-Fi channel version of “Beyond the Glory.”

To all black professional athletes (and, especially, the Quarterbacks), here is my five-point plan:

1.Spend frugally ($1.2 M doesn’t go as far as it used to)

2.Buy real estate for which you (and you alone) hold the title in a safe deposit box.

3.Find a “Dad” or “Dad-surrogate” that will be in your corner and speak truth to you. (Dads will tell you that the fans don't owe you respect, nor must you seek validation from them.  Fan is not synonymous with friend.)

4.Remember that the same people who were saying “Hosanna” to Jesus on Saturday were screaming ‘Crucify Him” the following Wednesday.

5.Never get high (especially after you’ve gotten cut, waived or traded…or, in the company of any female not eligible for Medicare Part D.)

Not only is earthly fame fleeting, it is fundamentally irrelevant. If you can name five people-- with whom you aren’t related to by blood or bloodshed-- who genuinely care whether you live or die, count yourself exceedingly blessed. Memorize their names and mobile telephone numbers. And, concurrently, stay out of Irving, Texas unless one of these numbers belongs to a wealthy journalist. Quincy’s fate could be your own.

Leaves From My Basketball Notebook--Team USA, Blitzkrieg Basketball and More

The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.
- Sun Tzu
  
Admittedly, I have strong feelings about basketball. My love for the game surpasses all reason. What, in the world, is more beautiful than basketball?
 
I know this may sounds sacrilegious, but I have fallen hopelessly in love with the way basketball is played in Europe. My first taste of the international game arrived via NBA TV (teams with names like Zalgris Lithuania, CSKA Moscow, Benneton Treviso and Maccabi Tel Aviv became part of my basketball universe.) I've been hooked ever since. So, that's my disclaimer, stated up front.
 
Now, on to the business at hand.  I was hopeful that Team USA would win the Gold medal, but never felt comfortable that could beat Spain or Argentina. Naively, I thought they could take Greece out. I spend a lot time teaching and coaching basketball— and, like most of us who teach the game, we have many aphorisms. Here is one that every kid who has ever been around me for a single teaching session has heard: “Basketball is a simple game when you make shots!”
 
Basketball is a game that is so elegantly simple, one needs help to misunderstand it--- but, and this is a point made by the Godfather himself, Dr. Naismith—“Basketball is easy to learn, but difficult to master.”
 
Here is what you need to win basketball games—and, this is true from 3rd grade hoops to the NBA: SSA (Superior Shot-Making Ability)
 
This crosses every gender, ethnic, racial and national boundary—it is the zeitgeist of the game—SSA (Superior Shot-Making Ability.) There are those who believe that 'defensive wins championship' and other oft-stated fallacies surrounding the game. Defensive is important, but does not a champion make. Score the basketball, friends--early and often...especially, from the mid-range to the the arc. Team USA, stocked with two more shooters, wins the Gold. International basketball favors the perimeter players-- superior shot making from the mid-range to the arc opens up the 'slash' opportunities that occur from dribble penetration. Team USA--making shots from the perimeter-- forces teams out their compacted zone defense into 'ball deny' strategies.This translated into: No double teams--all one-on-one defense without 'help.' No other country can put enough people on the floor to play 'man-to-man' against Team USA--without the possibility of 'help." But the only way to get a team to forego the zone and play 'man' is to prove that you've got consistent 'shot-makers.' Team USA strikes fear in their opponents when they're in the open court--but, in the half-court, the world believe they can be 'had.'

Sidebar

(As a parenthetical point, keep a watchful eye on African basketball. Once the level of coaching and teaching at the junior national level takes root-- and more African players migrate to the European and American professional levels--FIBA will see an African nation playing for a medal. I predict that this will happen by the 2012 Olympics or possibly the next FIBA world championship. Basketball in Africa-- with an European style infrastructure and instructional model-- can become a force that must be reckoned with. Nigeria and Angola are no longer 'roadkill' for the Euros. )
 
(Back to Team USA) A Flawed Strategy, Perhaps
 
I give it up to the brilliant basketball coaching minds that lead Team USA: Krzyzewski, Boeheim, D’Antoni, and McMillan. These are excellent coaches,,, really smart basketball people. (And, they did win eight games and a bronze medal!)
 
My basketball studies have taught me this about pressure—or, to use the great Dick Devenzio’s phrase about pressure:  “Blitzkrieg Basketball”
 
1. It is a flawed strategy that works best against weaker opponents
2. It is only sustainable if you clearly have the better athletes
3. Smart, tough teams obliterate zone presses with the accuracy of a GPS tracking device
4. Ball pressure—man-to-man—is a serpents tooth…use it gently, or you’re the one who gets cut
5. SSA always trumps pressure (a really exceptional defensive team is like a lynch mod, feeding ravenously on the weak, relishing each turnover, re-igniting after each ten second call and roaring with delight as the offensive players turn on each other—but, when the offensive turns the pressure into a lay-up drill, the defensive intensity evaporates because the mob mentality has been thwarted.
 
Lindell's Strategy
 
A simpler strategy, I think, is a heightened focus on transition defense and less on the heavy ball pressure.  Transition defense involves three main tactical actions as the ball moves from offense to defense:
 
Action 1: Protect the basket—no lay-ups, dunks or and-1s.
Action 2: Locate, and then impede the advancement of the ball
Action 3: Then, locate a carbon-based life form—preferably the ones who stand the best chance at making shots.
 
 
This isn’t a glamorous way to play, but it will work against teams that seek to score in transition on 45% or more of their offensive possessions.
 
This works because basketball teams are comprised of Carbon-based life forms and all Carbon-based life forms revert to their dominant habits when faced with pressure—and, moreover, it is uncomfortable to perform task for which you aren’t already habits…especially, under pressure. Create an environment where teams are forced to play at an uncomfortable pace or do things of which they are unaccustomed—then, watch them crumble and fall.

National Pride
 
Another one of my sayings: “In basketball, Will overcome Skill.”
 
I don't know who wins the Gold tomorrow, but it was reported there was near celebratory rioting in the streets of Athens when the score (Greece-101, USA-95) was announced…imagine the motivation that level of interest and passion --from fellow countrymen-- creates within the soul of an athlete.

Had Team USA defeated Argentina for the Gold--instead of the Bronze-- would we have taken to the streets?
 

A Big, Fat Lie

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.
-Joseph Goebbels, Former Chancellor of Nazi Germany

Growing up in Argentina, Ginobili wasn't conditioned as a kid to believe he couldn't compete with black players. That, basically, is what has happened to so many American white kids. They give up basketball by high school, because, as the movie title said, "White Men Can't Jump." Too many American white kids have been intimidated by the prospect of having to compete against black players.
- Skip Bayless, ESPN Columnist

Skip Bayless used to write for a defunct newspaper called the Dallas Times Herald. Back in the day, you see, Dallas was a two-paper town. I thought-- and still believe-- that Bayless was nothing more than a bad writer, with bad ideas, flipping the ‘race’ card to get people to read his worthless opinions.

Aside from ghostly appearances on ESPNs Sports Reporters, I assumed the guy had done American sports journalism a favor and relocated to Mumbai to write about Cricket.

Boy, was I wrong.

To say that American white kids are giving up basketball because they are afraid to compete with black kids is dishonest to both races, and disrespectful to the game.

Where are these American white kids who are giving up the game? Last year, when I was with Dena Evans at Point Guard College, there were thousands of white kids (and black kids, Asian kids, American Indians from the Chickasaw Nation) there to learn about the game and become highly skilled players.

I’m a high school basketball coach and I can say this with certainty: Basketball, among white kids is alive and well. It is writers like Bayless, with their unscrupulous hidden agendas, and wafer-thin world views that say otherwise.

My oldest son Jon, a former collegiate all-American, is coaching for Team Ichiban this summer (an Arlington-based club team.) I’ve assisting him with teaching these kids-- 5th and 6th graders...mostly white kids. And, each is passionately in love with the game. What infidel is telling white kids they can’t compete with black kids? Show them to me and I will personally put a stop to it.

Becoming a quality high school basketball player, and getting an opportunity to play in college (not just D-1, but DII, DIII, and NAIA) is about three things:
1. Time
2. Stamina
3. Discipline to be taught

Basketball ain’t rocket science. The game is so simple, one needs help to misunderstand it. Dr, Naismith said, "basketball is easy to learn, but difficult to master.” Therein lies the real problem. And, it sure as hell has nothing to do with race. It’s about whether one is willing to put in the time, stick to it with an unfailing committment, and find a teacher.

Being athletic or being tall-- regardless of your color-- is certainly beneficial in basketball. Much, in the same way, that having good eyesight helps you be a better marksman if you’re in Iraq. It’s not a prerequisite, but a grouping of behavioral and psychological factors that can, when aligned, be beneficial.

Before coaching at the high school level, I spent six seasons coaching AAU and club basketball. I won’t boreyou by re-telling the wild experiences I had in those six years, but I offer this singular lesson, garnered, as my great Aunt used to say, the hard way: Fundamental soundness, precise execution, and lay-ups off decisive backdoor cuts trumps athleticism 99 times out of 100 (and the hundreth time, you lose on a shot at the buzzer.) Being athletic, and not being able to shoot, dribble, or pass just means you’ll get back on defense quicker as you commit your eighth, ninth, and tenth turnovers of the game. Athleticism is a tool-- not some overarching mandate.

What often happen at the AAU/BCI level is that many 14/under and 15/under teams become stacked with athletic kids who are that and, sadly, nothing more.

The coaches of these teams press the skabala (2-2-1, 1-2-1-1, man-to-man) out of other teams and win. This creates a thin, artificial veneer of superiority. Here is a coaching truth: if they have more athletes, then you’d better have more smarts. Truth #2: Being smart in basketball is both gender and color neutral...being smart is a function of being taught.

Being in the grassroots of basketball, I have a different perspective. Black kids-- as teens-- are often exposed to less teaching about the game. Some, sadly, never get an opportunity to combine their athletic gifts with a true understanding of ‘how to play the game.’ Have you tried to get a kid on a high-profile AAU/BCI team recently? Or, have you checked into the cost of personal skill development? Getting good teaching for young players can be expensive-- a lot of kids, black and white, are in situations where their families simply can’t afford it. A black kid may get picked up because he’s ‘long’ and athletic, or a white kid may get picked up because he’s a ‘big,’ but an average kid of average height or ability, whose parents can’t afford off-season development, gets shunted to the rear. The real issues are the availability and exposure to high-quality instruction. That, I must say, costs money.

What it the NBA’s role in this?

Does the NBA perpetuate myths about basketball? Hell, yes. I can think of twenty things than happen in the NBA, that don’t transfer to high school or college.

Commissioner Stern’s NBA is an entertainment and marketing dynamo. It’s less about the game, than it is ‘selling the game.” If you’re young, and don’t understand basketball, emulating NBA players does more harm than good-- primarily because you don’t know what to emulate, nor understand the fundamentals or philosophy or the ‘why’ you’re emulating this... or, you just emulate the wrong thing.

The NBA, as a television spectacle, is ubiquitous--forty games in forty nights and so forth. But, the NBA on TNT is not the place you go if you’re interested in learning how to play the game, teach the game to others, or understand it for yourself. To understand the game, you’ve got to find the college and high school men and women who aren’t in for the money, but for the love, and embrace what they’re saying. The magnificent and brilliant Hubie Brown used to invite college coaches to his preseason NBA camps every year. Why? Because Hubie believed that the guys on the ‘cutting edge’ of understanding and being able to teach basketball were in college.

The NBA is not the holy grail of hoops. Marketing, yes. Basketball, uh, no.

Bayless, however, disses American-born kids of all races by his statement. He reinforces a stereotype about black kids that far too many blacks embrace are far too few adults challenge: “Hey, I’ve got a forty-four inch vertical...I don’t need to know how to set a flawless screen.” And, a maddening stereotype about white kids that far too many white kids embrace and too few adults challenge: “Look at that guy, I’m never going to be able to dunk like him.”

Learning how to play the game-- if it’s truly what one desires-- can happen with athleticism being but a stingy afterthought.

Skip doesn’t cover any of that. Instead, he sets up Ginobli as an example to what white kids should aspire to...

Bayless writes this:
“This is a man who embodies the guts and spirit and fundamentals and basketball IQ that have distinguished the invasion of internationally-bred players.”

Whoa!

I wonder if Skip knows who trained these ‘so-called’ invaders. It was us...U.S. coaches trudging around the world sharing their consummate knowledge of the game.

And, moreover, what’s up with cryptic dis’ on American-players? Are U.S. trained players ‘gutless,’ ‘dispassionate,’ ‘bereft of fundamentals’ and lacking in “hoops IQ?” If you listen to Skip, the answer is yes. Reading between the lines, what Skip is really saying to you and me is that ‘black’ players, born in the United States, are that way.

An objective look shows that Skip is just plain wrong.

When I think of American Players who are near perfect in their execution of fundamentals, here are the first names that come to mind

Kobe Bryant (born overseas, so maybe he doesn’t count...)
Tracy McGrady
Rip Hamiliton
Rasheed Wallace
Dwayne Wade
Wally Sczerbiak (U.S born white player...extraordinarily talented)
Gibert Arenas
Derek Fisher
Paul Pierce

I would argue that each person I’ve named above is--at the very least-- as fundamentally sound as Ginobli. Now is Ginobli an excellent player? Absolutley. Does he have more guts, spirit, and Hoops IQ than any person above? No way.

If you’re a student of the game, I’d encourage you to watch Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace. Both of these guys are a moving basketball clinic-- at a significanly higher skill level than Ginobli. If Rip and Rasheed had been born in Kiev, Belgrade, or Buenos Aires, they’d be hailed as smart, clever, fundamentally sound guys who ‘went out there every night’ and ‘played the game as it was meant to be played.’

Bayless lists Ginobli as a “non-US” white all-star. As an Argentinean, isn’t Manu of Latin descent? How does Bayless get ‘white’ from any of this.

Realistically, though, who cares about Manu’s ethnicity. The game transcends race, ethnicity, and gender. The game is bigger than Bayless’ petty views of race-relatons in the U.S.

I think that Bayless should be forbidden from ever writing about basketball again. His work disgraces the game, and those of us who love the game from down deep in our souls. I doubt if Skip knows the joy of playing 3-on-3 in the backyard, struggling to finish the game before the sun goes down. Or, the beauty of shooting 500 free throws and working just as hard on your release on shot #456 as you did on shot #9.

Bayless is a basketball dilettante with a cyberspace bullhorn. Let’s us pray that no one listens to him. Why? Because he malevolently advances a ‘big lie’ that hurts American-born kids-- kids who love to play the game--of every race.

Panem et Circenses...Detroit Style

The NBA has become hip-hop culture on parade, It is gang culture minus the guns. What happened here [in Detroit] is part and parcel of the gang culture, this hip-hop culture which is: “I’m not going to tolerate being dissed.”
-Rush Limbaugh

Detroit is the New Fallujah.
-Rush Limbaugh

Your position depends on how we keep the mob amused-- The people who have conquered the world now only have two interests-- bread and circus games.
-Pylades (to Augustus Caesar)

I apologize to the Roman thespian Pylades for putting his quote on the same page with a true bigot; but, I do think that Limbaugh’s comments on basketball deserve a response.

First, let do a bit of time traveling:

The Roman Coliseum seated 385,000 people. Here is what happened in a series of games that went on for two weeks: Three hundred pairs of gladiators would battle to the death, twelve hundred condemned prisoners would be eaten by lions and let’s not forget the animals-- lions against rhinos, buffaloes against tigers, and leopards against wild boars would be part of the show. The emperor Trajan once commissioned a series of games that lasted 122 days. 11,000 people and 10,000 animals of varying species were killed.

The games were national events and a lot of people had interest in making sure the games kept going. Think about this: How do you obtain 10,000 animals?  How do you capture them and keep them until showtime? Who feeds these animals and cleans up after them? How many people are employed as attendants at a stadium that seats 385,000 people?  Who cleans the place? Who removes the dead animal carcasses and burns them?  Who buries the bodies? Who is running the betting operation and setting odds? Who is responsible for chariot maintenance? Who oversees security at the stadium?  Who manages concessions? Who is responsible for the steady, uninterrupted flow of people to be eaten? Who makes swords and armor for the gladiators? Who provides personal one-on-one training for the gladiators? Who recurits guys to become gladiators?

Historians postulate that so many people were employed by the games and in peripheral industries surrounding the games that their elimination would have thrown the Roman economy into collapse.

Rome needed the games to keep the citizens distracted from the reality that the country was descending into chaos. The citizens needed the games as a diversion from their monotonous, insignificant lives. And, of course, the wealthy Patricians and Noblemen needed the games to keep the minds of the working class people far away from any notion of revolt. Status quo, at all costs, please.

The NBA, like each of the major professional sports in America, is first, and foremost, a business; a mammoth moneymaking operation that exists, above all else, to continue making money.

I empathize with baseball purists who say that the game began to denigrate with the onset of nighttime baseball. Baseball has already mortgaged its soul and on final approach to Hades.  Basketball, though, can still be saved if we act now.

I am a basketball purist. The game must matter; its integrity, its beauty and its self-sustaining nature must be what’s held in highest regard. The first principles, regarding any decision about the game, must be: What is best for the game?

At the NBA level, the beauty of the game takes a back seat to commerce, expansion, and revenue. I think that’s wrong.

When my oldest son was in college, he worked as cashier at the Dallas Maverick fan shop-- the one at the American Airlines Center. He would often tell me they’d receive thousands of jerseys and other logo apparel each week. (The Nowitzky jersey was the most popular purchase with the Shawn Bradley jersey spending more time on the shelf.) Tens of thousands of jerseys. And that’s just one NBA team. If you multiply what happens in Dallas times thirty other franchises, the logo apparel industry has to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

And then there is the NBA on TNT/ESPN. It seems that every other commercial is about beer or cars.

Who are we kidding? This thing...this golden goose called the NBA is lining the pockets of many people.

Some of these business people may love the game, most I would guess, do not. They see it as a business opportunity. The same people would put logos on caskets and burkas if there was a market for it.

We must find a balance between the integrity of the game, and the need for commercial exploitation. Business people and corporate types don’t give a damn about Dr. Naismith’s most precious creation; they neither understand or appreciate its simple beauty and its unspeakable elegance--therefore, it is the direct and full responsibility of the basketball people to protect the game...and, if this means seizing it back from those who view it as a marketing free-for-all, then I say, ‘we need a coup de-etat.’

But let’s move on to what happened in Detroit.

There was a guy at my high school named Billy LeGrass. We’d just finished a heated pick-up game and were still arguing as we left the court. The thing continued into the locker room. I said, “You are such an asshole, all you do is whine when you get beat. I hate playing with you.” LeGrass, who now had a cup of ice water, threw it in my face. I, then, hit Billy in the jaw.

I remember it because I’m right-handed and I hurt my shooting hand. I regretting hitting him because I couldn’t play for a week. But, the reaction was instinctual.

Having beer or some liquid thrown in your face is disrespect. It’s humiliating and it deserves a response. My grandmother, one generation removed from slavery, recounted stories to me of how her mistress, with reckless impunity, would become angry because the sheets weren’t starched enough and respond by flinging the contents of the chamber pot into her face. My grandmother, forever gracious, never hit her mistress; but I’m sure that if lynchings and beatings were not a common practice, she would have considered such a response, well, appropriate.

For Blacks, the notion of getting liquids thrown in your face or poured on your person just doesn’t sit well. You’re going to get a response. Yes, Rush, Blacks don’t like getting dissed. And, it’s got nothing to do with hip-hop culture.  It has more to do with chattel slavery. We were always getting our body parts chopped off, our backs flagellated, and our bodies humiliated. After all, how does one expect to be treated when your government considers you only partially a person (three-fifths, to be exact.)

Would the guy who poured the beer on Artest, or the person who threw the chair have done so have they met at a Bennigans or were chillin’ at some trendy coffee bar.  Clearly, not.

Under the cover of the game, the fan somehow believed it was OK. After all, Artest was just a big, black guy in a Pacer jersey-- a nameless, faceless gladiator, if you will, who wasn’t a person but was there to provide entertainment. Throwing liquids and tossing chairs is what you do to those for whom you have no respect. “You’re not human, you’re a big, dumb beast and I’ll throw the acrid contents of my chamber pot at you and dare you to do something about it.”

Personally, the guy who threw the chair and the guy who poured beer on Artest deserved to get hit.

None of this mitigates the fact that Artest needs professional help. The way that he plays the game-- his history of flagrant fouls and questionable actions against other players and coaches are indicative of a guy living in some surreal basketball universe. I don’t think Ron Artest is all there. I hope that his time away from basketball will be a time of learning.

Suspending him for the rest of the season...well, I think it’s the right call for the wrong reason. Commissioner David Stern has one mission: to protect the goose laying golden eggs;  and, therfore, the NBA can’t be labeled  a ‘non fan-friendly, non-marketing friendly-envirornment.’  That is hardly consistent with the NBAs plans for global expansion.

Black players cold-cocking white fans does not, as they say in Hollywood, ‘play well in Peoria...nor Paris.’

The Pacers should have suspended him for the rest of the season when he asked for time off to promote and produce his record. That, to me, is a travesty. What real basketball player wants to do anything else during basketball season but play? If you want to produce albums , do it in the off-season.

Pundits and commentators talk about what a powerful message the fighting sent. What message -- we live in a violent world. As of today, 1,132 members of the Armed Forces have lost their lives in in Iraq-- according to the most recent DoD numbers, there have been more than 8,458 soldiers wounded in combat.  Kids see more violence on Sony Play Station games than they saw at the Palace at Auburn Hill that night.

The most tragic message that Ron Artest delivered is when he asked for time away from the game to pursue other business interests. That message-- ‘the game is not important to me, but making money in the record business is ’-- will resonate with young people a lot longer.

The game ultimately purifies itself. That’s why basketball is so beautiful. The style that Artest brought isn’t new-- for years, every team had a ‘thug’ whose only purpose was to beat-up the opposing teams star.

Maybe the game has decided there is no longer a place for that style--and, what happened to Artest is just the game’s way of cleansing itself.

There is, however, a  broader, and I think, more foreboding message for the NBA. The game, ultimately, will purify itself--and, as those in leadership positions within the game worship profits above all else, the more that events like this will occur. Am I suggesting more fights will happen? Most likely, it won’t be fights, but other kinds of peculiar events that will push average fans farther away and make the NBA less profitable.

We must find a balance between the integrity of the game and commercial exploitation. If we don’t, then the game, itself, will.

A Bronze Hoops Memory

We have a short memory in this country which sometimes translates into a disrespect for history. It's hard to learn from history if you forget it three months after it happens. Before we get too deeply into the NBA and college basketball seasons, I want to take a trip way back down memory lane-- most notably, to the summer of '04 and Team USA.

I was, admittedly, distressed by all the rock-throwing against Team USA? What was being written about those young men and their performance was just unthinkable. They were being described as selfish, churlish, 'no-defense' playing millionairies...this one guy writes a letter to the editor today that impugns their patriotism. Their patriotism? Am I missing something here: Their patriotism. Aside from the fact there is no guaranteed gold medal just because we've been at this longer that other countries, we should celebrate the Bronze Medal and be happy because we were fortunate to even get that one.

I must, therefore, begin exploding a few myths about the game and how it's changing. We must learn from Team USA, not impugn them. We must embrace this recent history and obtain enlightment from Athens. Parenthetically, if I have to hear one more time about how great the the Women played, and how they embodied the true spirit of the game, I'm just going to scream. Don't fall for it my friends, you're smarter than that. I applaud the women's team. I love women's basketball and work every day with high school and college players, many of them are girls. But, the gold for the women had nothing to do with their 'unselfishness,' nor their 'non-millionaire' status, or, by contrast, their "wonderful patriotism." (Here is an illuminating tidbit: Team USA Men shot the ball better from behind the arc than the the Women did!)

Let's take a look a few basketball paradigms:

Rule #1: In Basketball, talent prevails. Period.

One reason we love the NCAA tournament is because an underdog can pull a remarkable upset on 'any given day.' As a UCLA guy, I painfully hearken back to Princeton defeating the Bruins in 1996. In a best-of-three series, would Princeton beat UCLA: Never! But, in one-and-done, winner-take-all setting, it is possible. And, in a seven game series, Princeton goes down 4-1. Why? Because basketball is an inordinately simple game: Talent always prevails.

Had Kobe Bryant appeared in Athens wearing a Team USA jersey, I would be writing about politics today instead of basketball. Team USA wins easily with Kobe. Why? Because Kobe becomes the tipping point. His energy, competitiveness, and (here is that word again) talent pushes the scales in our favor. Not one writer pens a word about this unknowable, unprovable hypothesis known as 'selfishness' if Bryant shows up. Why? Because Team USA brings home the gold.

When I was in seventh grade, I used to hate choosing up sides for 'pick-up' games. That is one of the reasons I worked to become a better player-- I hated not getting picked, or worst, (Do I have to take Lindell? Damn, Awiight. But you gotta take him next time.)
Think about this: When 'we' (and, I'm not sure who the 'we' is that chose Team USA) chose these young men, 'we' weren't thinking about the environment they were to be placed in. One "choses-up side' based on who you're playing against as well as who you want playing for you.

If we want to EVER win the gold medal again, we must send different players.

Rule #2: The International Game is Not the NBA-- In other words, don't bring a knife to a gunfight.

I love the 'And One" moves and all that jazz. It has about as much to do with playing competitive basketball as "Slamball" does, but hey, it sure is entertaining. Has anyone watched the games from Rucker Park? I think it's called the Entertainers Basketball Classic or something. It's different. It isn't bad or good, it is just different. Think about the nuanced differences between the college game and the NBA-- neither is better or worse, they are just different games. But, if you were assembling a team to play in a Rucker invitational, or an "And One" basketball tour, you might chose different players than if you were going to play, oh let's say, Serbia- Montenegro. (Which, I might add, was a bigger disappointment than any other country in the Olympics.)

We assembled a great group to play an NBA style of basketball. And, that's what they did: exactly what they knew. They played the only basketball they understood. Unfortunately, it wasn't the style that that was being called by the officials, or embraced by the governing rules of the Olympics.

Olympic basketball, by design, takes nuances from the International game. It's more about shooting, and less about the dominance of athleticism over basketball savvy. It is better or worse? No, it is just different.

Does that mean we should have sent collegiate players? Only if we wanted to finish in eleventh place, beating only Angola (on a last second shot at the buzzer.) A group of the best college players, coached by Tubby Smith, Don Chaney, and Jim Calhoun would have not advanced to the medal round. Would a college team have defeated Spain and Lithuania? Would a group of collegians defeated Russia or Italy? I think we may safely agree that a team of the best college players in the country goes 1-4 in pool play, 0-5 in the preliminary games. Plus, college players are playing an NCAA college style, which is neither the NBA, nor the international game. It is not better, nor worse, it is just different.

If we want to compete in the international game, we should have a National Team. International basketballl becomes their raison-d-etre. This is all they do. It's a paid job. (I know I will get people writing to make an argument that uses the women's team-- go back and read Rule #1. Once the level of talent in the international women's game reaches the same quality level of the mens, our women's team will be in trouble....and, they will get beat in international competition. The current gap, however is too wide for any country to seriously challenge Team USA-Women. )

Why blame players for playing the style of basketball they've been taught, conditioned, and recruited to play? Argentina, Italy, Spain, Lithuania all played the style of basketball they're accustomed to playing...it just happens that their style tracks closer to International game than ours does. And, the Olympics is fruit off the International basketbal tree.

A writer on ESPN's "Sports Reporter' ripped into the Team USA for not being able to defend the high screen roll. Here is a newsflash-- No one in basketball-- at any level and in any country-- can defend a perfectly executed high screen/roll. In basketball good offense ALWAYS trumps good defense. My friend Brian McCormick- another UCLA guy and a college basketball coach-- is doing an excellent series about the over-emphasis of defense at the expense of offense.

Remember our thesis: The international game isn't better or worse, it is just different. Well, in the International game, offensive is given an a priori position in the rules, and by definition, the way the game is called by the officials. If wasn't possible for us to win the gold medal because we didn't understand what we were up against. And that, my friends, is not the fault of the players.

Defending a high pick and roll at any level of basketball is difficult. Defending it when there are shooters 'spotted up' deep on the wing or in the corner, (to negate the help defender); and, when the officials are trained to give the offensive guy 'benefit of the doubt' as it relates to contact, is a well-nigh impossible task.

Here is a note to all the sportswriters who've 'hated on' Team USA men: Their bronze medal has nothing to do with selfishness, being rich, or not wanting to defend. Only dilettantes of the game believe that players can, in six weeks, be taught to defend the high screen-and-roll against smart players who've been diligently practicing them for years...or, become great shooters.

In moments of anxiety, we all revert to our comfort zones. It is the same with basketball players. The more stressful the situation, the more a player reverts to what they know most deeply. What did our players do when things went awry? They reverted to slashing one-on-one, let-me-just-get-it-done-by-myself play... Why? Because that is what they're accustomed to. They are stars...go-to-guys if you will. It is what they do. Do we expect them to become different just because the jersey reads Team USA?)

And, to describe their play as selfish is irresponsible coverage to tout another agenda. Basketball is a game where one player can single-handedly influence the outcome. Was Sarunas Jasukevich selfish when he hit three consecutive three-pointer to propel Lithuania over Team USA. Was that selfish play? I didn't see him looking to pass in the last few possessions of their victory. No, he presented a 'shot fake" combined with a 'step-back' move and hit the three-pointer while drawing a foul on Lamar Odom. Basketball may b