Le Basketbawl

The “Philadelphia Inquirer” reported Wednesday that according to their sources the Philadelphia 76ers will “seriously evaluate” head coach Eddie Jordan at the end of the season. Jordan who is in his first year as bench boss for Philadelphia has fallen out of favor with the team brain-trust due to the lackluster performance of the Sixers this season.  Philadelphia had a 23-40 record as of Wednesday morning and were eight and a half games out of the final seed for the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

New York Vinnie thought that Jordan did a very good job during his stint as head coach of the Washington Wizards; however injuries kept that tem from fulfilling the promise they had. With the Sixers however there never seemed to be a good fit between team and coach at any time during this season. The team has far too much talent on the roster for it to have played as bad as their record indicates. When that situation develops the coach is usually the one who is shown the exit.

If Jordan is dismissed by Philadelphia at the end of the season; New York Vinnie believes it will take him a lot longer to get another head coaching gig than he had to wait for the chance with the Sixers. This would be the second time in consecutive seasons that Jordan has been relieved of his duties; that will most likely tarnish his reputation.

The “Associated Press” reported Tuesday that the Los Angeles Clippers fired team General Manager Mike Dunleavy; just a little over a month since giving up his title as coach of the club. The Clippers have promoted assistant General Manager Neil Olshey to take over the position. On February 4, Los Angeles named assistant coach Kim Hughes as interim coach for the rest of the season.

The Clippers released a statement announcing the move. The team said “The team has simply not made sufficient progress during Dunleavy’s seven-year tenure. The Clippers want to win now. This transition, in conjunction with a full commitment to dedicate unlimited resources, is designed to accomplish that objective.”

The Clippers had a record of 25-38 through Monday March 8, and were 215-325 during Dunleavy’s stint as the club’s bench boss. Los Angeles made the Post Season just once while Dunleavy was coach and they have no shot at making it this season.

Rumors have already started to surface as to the candidates that may take over for the long term. Will the Clippers once again consolidate the duties as General Manager as they did this season with Dunleavy? Or will they hire a General Manager and a head coach; a situation that New York Vinnie believes would serve them much more effectively?

There are many reasons why New York Vinnie would favor any team hiring two people rather than giving all the power to one man. First and foremost as the old saying goes two heads are better than one; you have someone to bounce ideas off who may have a different perspective than you have. However in this day and age it is far too taxing for one person to be able to do both jobs effectively. The NBA has changed quite a bit since 1966; and there are no coaches on any team’s bench that will make any one forget Red Auerbach.

New York Vinnie believes that the perfect fit as coach for the Clippers is former Hornets head coach Byron Scott. Not only is Scott one of the sharpest young coaches available; there is already a very strong connection with the city of Los Angeles due to Scott being a key member of the “Showtime-Era Lakers.” There are not a whole bunch of situations in the NBA where a head coach can help you sell tickets.

The Clippers have been a bottom feeder in the NBA almost every year they have been in existence. They now have a chance to start out and bring in the right management team to finally turn their fortunes around. Will they be smart enough to do that? Only time will tell.

The “Memphis Commercial Appeal” reported Monday that although Memphis Grizzlies Team Owner Michael Heisley is under no pressure to sell the NBA franchise; he would do so if he was given an offer he can’t refuse. Heisley also revealed in an in depth interview with the paper that the team has an iron clad contract with the city of Memphis and can not be moved by him or any potential owners for the next 17 years.

Heisley told the paper that his position on selling the club has not changed. He said “I’ll reiterate my position again. I’m 73 years of age. My family is not going to take over this basketball team. My point is very simple. If the right person makes a reasonable offer for the team I will sell it. If the minority owners want to come up with a reasonable offer, I would love to sell it to them. I think they would make great owners. If it’s not to be, it’s not to be. Quite frankly, I don’t have to sell this team. I’m not in any financial difficulty. We have to be a model for what has to be done in the new era of pro basketball when teams are losing the kind of money they’re losing. Some people have got to be more fiscally responsible. We’ve lived within the rules. I’ve taken the heat. Everybody says I’m cheap. But I’ve shown that it does you no good to just go out and spend huge amounts of money.”

The Grizzlies Owner also made it crystal clear that there is no way that the team can be moved in the foreseeable future. He told the paper “Let me put a close on something. There is a contract that holds the Grizzlies into Memphis for 17 years. People should get off of this. I can’t move it tomorrow. It’s like talking about something that cannot be. All people have to do is read the contract. I’ve never said anything about moving. I’m not ready to be sued and go to jail. The NBA wouldn’t let it happen. What are we talking about? It’s not possible. If somebody calls up, we tell them (relocating) is not possible. Tell the people to wait about 10 years, let attendance never get any better and then they better start worrying. Right now, there’s nothing to talk about.”

The paper also asked the Team Owner about extending the contract of head coach Lionel Hollins before the end of the season. Heisley said “It’s in my hands. But I’m not going to get into the negotiations with Lionel or Rudy (Gay) or anyone else. I’ll tell you that Lionel’s our coach. Why wouldn’t I feel as strongly now about bringing Lionel back as I did in January. You think I’m going to basically change my mind in 30 days? I’m the guy that went and got him. Nobody else was thinking about that. Lionel is an outstanding person. He’s a good coach. He deserves a lot of the credit for the success of this team. That’s where we are.”

Rudy Gay will become a Free Agent at the end of the season and has been one of the core players of an improved Memphis team this season. There has been speculation that the Grizzlies could allow the forward to sign with another team this summer.

They say that sometimes “Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction” and in New York Vinnie’s opinion this situation would easily fall under that heading. To say that the Portland Trail Blazers have had problems at the center position this season would be like saying the passengers on the Titanic had a bumpy voyage. The troubles started back in December when the Blazers lost starting center Greg “MR. RICKETS” Oden for the season after blowing out his left knee against the Houston Rockets. Surgery was required and the Portland Brain-Trust is hoping he will be ready for next season.

Portland would take another hit to their front line later that month. The Trail Blazers would lose back-up center Joel Pryzbilla after he tore the patella tendon in his right leg in a game against the Dallas Mavericks on December 22. The veteran big man underwent season ending surgery but was expected to be ready by the start of Training Camp in October.

That was until this weekend when Pryzbilla suffered a setback. The “Oregonian” has reported that Saturday morning the Blazers center slipped getting into the shower and tore the tendon once again. Pryzbilla had been progressing quite well and had recently started walking without a knee brace. However he will have to undergo surgery once again and will be starting back at square one. If someone from Hollywood put this turn of events in a movie everybody would say it was unrealistic! Yet here it is in real life!

New York Vinnie strongly believes that even though life is not always fair; things have a way of balancing out at the end. If you are a PUD that will eventually catch up to you and you will be like Ricky Davis playing in Turkey or Larry Hughes who is without a gig; at least for the present time in the NBA.

Consequently if you always try to do the right thing New York Vinnie is convinced things will eventually pay off for you. They say that no person is given a burden that is too heavy for them to carry. There are times when that may not seem true but you just have to keep on plugging. That is what separates the winners from the losers in this world.

Darko Milicic may have finally found an NBA coach who appreciates the talents he has; the question now becomes is it too late to save the European born player from leaving the NBA this summer? Back in December Darko said that he had grown too frustrated with life in the NBA after playing seven seasons and would head back to Europe next season. Milicic felt he had been deceived during his stint in the NBA starting with the Detroit Pistons who drafted him with the second pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

This season Milicic started out the season with “MY BOYS” the New York Knicks and had once again become a forgotten man. “Mlive.com” sat down with the big man in December and asked him if he thought that the Pistons had lied to him during his time with the team. Milicic responded “Yes, they did. “They lie to everybody. It’s the NBA. The NBA, all around the league, same (stuff). ‘Your chance is going to come.’ All that kind of (stuff). (Forget) that! I’ve got enough of that kind of stuff, so I decided I’m going to Europe. I don’t know why they took me with the second pick if you’re not going to play me. I never understood that, you know. I was happy being the second pick and all that kind of stuff, but I never knew what I got myself into. I never knew I was coming here not to play. Nobody was telling me anything.”

He told reporters that he was resigned to going back home and playing next season in the Euro-League. Milicic said “I’ve got to be real. There is no team in the league that is going to give me the chance that I’m looking for. My only chance is back in Europe. I’m going to do that. I want to be happy. I want to play.”

Darko was traded from the Knicks on February 18, to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Brian Cardinal. New York waived Cardinal but T-Wolves head coach Kurt Rambis is quite impressed with Milicic. He thinks that the big man has a huge upside. Rambis told the “Star Tribune“ that Darko is a multi-talented guy. The Timberwolves bench boss said “We’re seeing glimpses of tremendous potential for him and for us. He made a pass to Ramon Sessions that Ramon wasn’t even looking for, probably assuming there was no way Darko was going to get him the basketball. He has such tremendous vision and passing capabilities. We really haven’t seen an exorbitant amount of what he can do scoring, but it’s there. It’s just starting to poke out. That’s why we’re doing things in practice to encourage him to not only pass the basketball but also look for his own opportunities.”

New York Vinnie believes that Milicic has gotten a raw deal by the NBA and hopes that the big man will change his mind about going back home. New York Vinnie thinks it would be a shame that just when Darko may have found the right situation he would still leave. Life works in mysterious ways; hopefully this will lead to a beneficial relationship for all involved.

Well it appears that “Skip-To-My-Lu” could soon be hanging them up as the “Associated Press” reported Sunday that Miami Heat veteran guard Rafer Alston is contemplating retiring from the NBA. Alston and the team reportedly have had a falling out after the veteran was replaced in the starting line-up by Carlos Arroyo. Alston was not with the team Saturday night as the Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks 100-94. Miami made the change in the starting line-up Thursday and it led to Miami defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime. Reports are that Alston has only been in contact with his team via text since the game on Thursday.

Alston did not have permission to miss the game and has been suspended indefinitely by the club. The Heat released a statement after their win Saturday concerning the veteran. It said “Rafer Alston, while having made contact with the team via text message, has made himself otherwise unavailable to the team. As a result he has been suspended indefinitely.”

Alston became a member of the Heat back in January after the New Jersey Nets bought him out of his contract making him an unrestricted Free Agent. The guard who is in his eleventh season in the NBA told reporters at the time that he could not believe his good fortune in returning to Miami. He played there in the 2003-2004 season but then signed a Free Agent contract with the Toronto Raptors. Alston told reporters in January ”I’m coming. “I can’t explain in words how excited I am. I’m really excited. The time when I was a free agent, I didn’t want to leave. But when the offer came from Toronto, at that point in my career I never had that type of deal, for more money.”

He also at the time said he would serve the Heat in any capacity that the team needed him in. Alston told media members “I’ll come off the bench and help out, helping out Arroyo and Chalmers. And whatever happens after that, I’ll be ready for.”

New York Vinnie believes that Alston has not yet realized that the only person that will be hurt by his retirement will be the player himself. Sometimes in life we exaggerate our own importance; and “Skip-To-My-Lu” is doing exactly that. The Miami Heat will still exist as will the NBA; the only one whose status will be affected will be the veteran’s.

So Rafer if this is it; enjoy the rest of your life. Something tells New York Vinnie that this is a decision that you will regret for a long time.

New York Vinnie has very, very high standards especially when it comes to my work. No body could ever beat up New York Vinnie as bad as I beat myself any time I make a mistake. A very wise man told New York Vinnie not long ago that people who take pride in what they do are their own worst critics. That definitely would apply to New York Vinnie.

However New York Vinnie has a different set of standards for others because I can not expect you to have the same value system as I do. But New York Vinnie always expects two things from an individual; that you try your hardest and that you are honest. People make Frickin mistakes; we are Frickin flesh and blood. New York Vinnie will forgive you if you admit your mistake. Unfortunately there are not that many people that will admit that and that leads to lies, cover-ups and deception. Once you lose that trust factor in a relationship it is very tough to get it back.

It takes courage to be a “Stand Up Guy” to face the consequences when you have messed up. Thursday New York Knicks Team President Donnie Walsh proved that he has that courage according to the “New York Daily News.” New York Vinnie has not been a fan of Walsh or what he has done in now more than a season and a half as the boss of the Knicks. There has been a whole lot of promises but not a lot of results; in fact New York Vinnie has referred to Walsh this season as “MR. MALARKEY.”

That name is going to be retired at least for the foreseeable future at “The House That New York Vinnie Built” because Walsh according to reports proved that he is a “Stand Up Guy.”  The paper reports that Walsh is taking full responsibility of the state of the franchise and said that Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni should not be getting any heat.

Walsh told the paper that the roster is totally on him not his bench boss. The Knicks President said “Mike’s my coach, all right? I have more responsibility for whatever you guys are writing about than he does. So I should be the guy looked at. I’m taking the responsibility for these first two seasons. I did it the first day I got here. I didn’t see how you could improve this franchise by making trades or building through the draft over a long period of time. So I looked and said, ‘We could get under the cap.’ So I tried to do that. And if that doesn’t work right away, I would continue to try to do it. And if I’m not the guy, I’ll leave. I don’t know another way to say it. But I don’t think I put Mike in a situation where I think he should be winning with this team.”

New York Vinnie has nothing but absolute respect for what Walsh said to reporters; because he is pulling no punches and just being honest! Bottom Frickin line; this team was in the Frickin stone age after the “Reign Of Terror” that went on under Isiah Thomas. Zeke made some Frickin terrible moves and any realistic Knicks fan knew it was going to take time to become respectable again. Just Frickin level with us; and all is Frickin cool!

Walsh admitted that the rebuilding is just starting and it may not all come together this summer. He told the media “I didn’t say in one summer we’re going to turn around and build a championship team. And I’m not asking for time. I won’t have that much time. But I know one thing: Now at least we have a flexible position, and whether it’s next summer or the summer after, we’re going to start adding players to this team that can lead you in that direction. Look, I want to do something this summer that makes us a much better product for the fans. That’s my pressure. I explained to everybody exactly how I was going to approach it. I do it regularly, where we are in that program. They’ll have to decide if I’m the guy to do it, but I’m doing what I said I’d do.”

Walsh admitted that he has been very frustrated with this team at times. He said “I never expected to see anything like that. I don’t understand the game. It didn’t look like our guys came out with any energy in a game you would think we would because Cleveland’s got the best record in the league. Any young teams I had, we lost. We didn’t get over the hump until I got Larry Brown (with the Indiana Pacers). But I haven’t had a team go out there and it’s like they weren’t giving any type of effort.”

Yo Donnie; New York Vinnie has written this before; you are not in the Great Midwest any longer. This is New York City My Man not some Frickin cornfield! You be straight with us and it will be all good!