Posted by Dannie | April 10th, 2008
Ex-Stanford coach Trent Johnson was introduced as the new men’s basketball coach of LSU today. On many occasions after Stanford’s lost to Texas, Johnson had indicated he wanted to return next season. So this move comes as a bit of a surprise.
Did his NCAA tournament tirade and ejection sour Stanford and behind closed doors not want Johnson [...]
Posted by Pete | April 10th, 2008
strong>APRIL 10 - 2008
Welcome to the White-Boy Report!
The White-Boy Report is going to be a recurring feature that keeps an eye on the progress of the American-born white basketball player. They are a dying breed, becoming less and less relevant in the NBA.
The reason why is anyone’s guess - and will remain that way because it is an issue too layered, potentially controversial, and almost impossible to tackle without sounding racist, that no major sports provider will touch it - and neither will I…at least not right now.
The reason for this feature is simple. I love basketball, and one of the things I love most about it is that it is as diverse as any sport - with players from about 70 different countries and Americans with backgrounds from all across the country - all bringing unique styles and culture to the game.
Well, right now, the part of the NBA puzzle that represents my demographic is sucking it up pretty badly. To the point that the best American-born white player ever, Larry Bird, has gone so far as to say “As far as playing, I didn’t care who guarded me -red, yellow, black. I just didn’t want a white guy guarding me, because it’s disrespect to my game.” Thanks Larry, Wally Szczerbiak and I appreciate it.
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Posted by Dannie | April 8th, 2008
One of, if not the, biggest drafting blunders in NBA history belongs to the Portland Trailblazers. They selected the 7′1 Sam Bowie out of Kentucky ahead of Michael Jordan. Ok, everyone knows that already. But do you know who exactly was responsible for making that pick? Or what that person’s criterion was for making such a horrendous error in [...]
Posted by Dannie | April 8th, 2008
“They were losing on purpose. It was a business decision” Frank Layden, the former Utah coach, reporting what an anonymous Houston Rockets’ executive told him first hand. And why wouldn’t they, well besides integrity and respect for the game, when at worst they would get Jordan or Olajuwon. In those days the two teams with the worst record would literally flip a coin to decide the 1 & 2 draft positions. With that system, tanking games was an effective and almost guaranteed option to land a franchise-changing player in the draft.
That business decision was carried out to perfection for the Rockets. They dropped 14 of their last 17 games, 9 of their last 10, and their final 5. [...]
Posted by Dannie | April 8th, 2008
Ever wonder who exactly made the decision to draft Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton? And what the hell they were thinking? Or how Houston managed to get the #1 pick in the 1984 draft after having the first pick and drafting Ralph Sampson (21ppg 11rpg 2.4bpg his rookie season) the year before?
Sixers fans, ever wonder if we had a real chance to get MJ? How about why Barkley said “Oh, fuck” when he heard Commissioner Stern announce that Philadelphia had drafted him? Or why he gained over 20 pounds in 24hrs before his final weigh in with the Sixers?
These questions and more are addressed in Filip Bondy’s book: [...]
Posted by Dannie | April 8th, 2008
I challenge everyone to a NBA 7-game series. I want to see how my twelve guys match up against yours. I won’t have who I think are the 12 best players although I definitely will have a few. I am starting 3 guards, but don’t think you can take advantage of me at the small forward spot. And I have a fortress in the paint, starting 2 centers.
Coach - Chuck Daly - Why? Because he coached the greatest team ever assembled - the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. He has also proven himself by winning back-to-back NBA championships with the Pistons. [...]
Posted by Dannie | April 7th, 2008
Welcome to Hoops State of Mind, a blog dedicated solely to hoops, hoops and more hoops.
Why are we starting Hoops State of Mind?
It can not be understated, we love basketball - period. We love watching, reading, writing, discussing and most importantly playing basketball. This blog is the perfect channel to fulfill many of those points.
We already have a sports blog that covers our local sports teams in Philly at The Recliner GM. But wanted to expand our overall basketball coverage when the Sixers and local college basketball teams aren’t playing without muddying up that blog.
Ok, so what will Hoops State of Mind be? [...]
