Agreed, it’s hard to imagine Larry Bird walking away from a multi-million contract that has one year remaining after this one. Nevertheless, two NBA management sources, one inside the Pacers organization and one former employee whose initials are not D.W., contend the team president will call it quits at the season’s conclusion — citing health and lack-of-enjoyment issues.
That eventuality seemingly explains why Jim O’Brien recently was given a contract extension. It’s reasonable Bird would take financial care of his coach because a new boss probably would look to make an immediate change, the way Bird did when he fired Isiah Thomas and hired Rick Carlisle.
Except that doesn’t make sense, at least not if you believe those in the know who claim Bird believes the Pacers need a fresh approach and a young coach who is relatively on the same wavelength as the new breed of players.
One thing’s for sure, “Our players were sick when they heard about the extension,” someone on the scene accentuated.
This leads me to believe Bird took care of O’Brien for a job well done last season knowing he’s going to fire him should the team get off to a horrible start.
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Last season, his first as a Clipper after signing a five-year, $65 million free agent deal to complement Elton Brand (whoops), Barren Davis weighed in at 235 and never got his body and head right, at least simultaneously. This season, he reported at 213 and is back to being The Baron of Basketball.
By all accounts, Davis is working harder than ever before. Maybe because he has never had anyone pushing as hard as assistant coach John Lucas, hired when Tim Grgurich decided to remain alongside Nuggets coach George Karl in his contract year.
Go to sleep on this; no one is harder to fool. Cool Hand Luke has heard every imaginable excuse . . . because they came out of his mouth during his substance-abuse years.
Karl, by the way, was offered an extension this summer. Obviously, he felt insulted by its terms. Most likely it was the perfunctory one-year, easy-to-dump variety should the Nuggets fail to meet high expectations or the coach becomes uncoachable.
O’Brien and Karl, as well as, yes, believe it, Mike Woodson and Vinny Del Negro, who had better make the playoffs or else (both are on the end of guarantees), aren’t the only ones feeling the squeeze. Commencement exercises may be nine days away, but already Hornets suits are shooting daggers in Byron Scott‘s direction. Everything must be done to convince Chris Paul the franchise is in business to win it all; if that means sacrificing the coach who got ’em so close to beating the Lakers two tournaments ago, so be it.
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This just in from column contributor Fred Smith: “You heard it here first. The Nobel committee will name this year’s NBA MVP in November.”
Ben Wallace, Kwame Brown, Tayshaun Prince and Jason Maxiell will be lucky this season to take as many field-goal attempts as swine flu shots. The leather goods floor is owned and operated exclusively by Rip Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey, Ben Gordon, Will Bynum and Charlie Villanueva.
According to a survey of league GMs, the Lakers are the overwhelming favorites to keep their throne this season. “Enough already!” declared Mayor Bloomberg.
Wally Szczerbiak turned down the veteran’s minimum ($1.4 million) guarantee from Denver. European teams (Real Madrid, for instance) would sign him in a second for much more than that, but his oldest daughter is in school, so it doesn’t appear he’ll go overseas.
Jamaal Tinsley turned down a non-guaranteed vet minimum from the Heat, prompting the signing of Carlos Arroyo. Tinsley, owed $5.5 million per this season and next by the Pacers, demands to be G-ed in order to report. Who knows, should Delonte West suffer another relapse, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, who related well to Tinsley (and Stephen Jackson) as a Pacers assistant, knows what a great maker of plays Jamaal can be.
Two weekends ago, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, the shooting star formerly known as Chris Jackson, led Kyoto Hannaryz astray, 82-73 (1-for-10 FG, 0-for-3 from the international dateline, 2-for-2 from the line, and two rebounds, assists and steals) in its first-ever game in the Japan League. In a rematch the very next day, Abdul-Rauf recaptured his touch, notching 22 points (10-18 FG), four boards and a pair of assists in an 85-81 victory over the Shiga Lakestars. Not too shabby for a 40-year-old.
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The Star-Ledger has endorsed independent candidate Chris Daggett for governor of New Jersey. What a blow to the Garden State’s two-party, two-million indictment system.
A potential ownership group attempting to purchase the St. Louis Rams has dropped radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh as an investor. “Rush was to be a limited partner,” said Dave Checketts. “However, it has become clear that his involvement in our group has become a complication and a distraction to our intentions.” Therefore, column contributor George Caballero reports, Checketts decided “it is in our best interest to trade Rush to Seattle for Glen Rice, Luc Longley, Travis Knight, Vernon Maxwell, Vladimir Stepania and Lazaro Borrell.”
Was it something I inhaled or did I really see Stephen Smith on CNN discussing health care reform? What, The Naked Cowboy wasn’t available?