From ESPN: http://espn.go.com/page2/s/simmons/020913.html Cuttino Mobley : Instant offense, bad matchup for certain teams, 3-point range, good team guy, and someone who actually would have wanted to be there. Great 10th man/wild-card guy off the bench. He plays the slash-and-kick-out game as well as anybody. And the episode of "The Life" when he went shopping for Ferraris with Steve Francis, both dressed in jogging suits, remains my favorite TV moment of 2001. Rudy Tomjanovich (coach): First of all, they need to make him the permanent head coach (this whole "rotating coach" thing never made sense to me). But you need someone who everyone respects and likes, someone with big-game experience, someone flexible enough to change game plans on the fly, someone who knows how to juggle egos. ... I mean, it has to be Rudy T., doesn't it? Especially because he mastered that drive-and-kick-out offense with Francis, Mobley and the Rockets over the past few years. Everyone loves Rudy T.
LOL! Did Bill Simmons actually write the word "shiz-nit"?? Classic stuff...even better than his NBA draft recaps
I was looking at some of his older articals when I came up to this one.. "Finally, if Magic Johnson's Basketball Hall of Fame induction doesn't include a sequence where presenter Larry Bird comes out wearing a Lakers jersey, gives a heartfelt speech about Magic, finishes, shakes Magic's hand, steps backward to let Magic bathe in the applause of the crowd, then inexplicably hits Magic over the head with a steel chair as Ernie Johnson Jr. screams, "My God, noooooooooooo!," followed by Bird ripping the Lakers jersey off (revealing a Celtics jersey), then kicking Magic a few times before exiting the stage to raucous applause ... well, I'm not going. " http://espn.go.com/page2/s/simmons/020823.html
I think the above article is why Billy is not on TV and also why he is Page 2 material. His idea for the Magic induction is hilarious.
Anyone else notice the hypocricy in this article? He dedicates a couple of paragraphs to saying Stern should have done everything in his power to make Kidd & Duncan go to the tourney. Then a couple of paragraphs down he laments the fact that the team wasn't comprised of people who wanted to go (like Walker and Horry). So what's it gonna be? Make players go or choose players who want to be there? You can't support both sides of the argument and expect to get away with it so easily.
I was actually thinking of Donnie Nelson as the permenant coach. He coached the lithuianians so he is familiar with international play. It would also help to add some high end college players and have them play earlier in ther careers in some of the qualifying games. I really think people have the set up twisted as far as international play. People are quick to point to the euro players and say they're ahead of our young players, which is the truth. The problem i have is the hypocracy that is involved in the 2 entities. In America, pro-potential type players aren't forced to go to college 1st, then pro second. Guys like Parker,Gasol ,Ming and guys like that have been playing pro ball since the age of 15 or so which gives them an incredible jump on our young players. Here in America, the young players go to college, only get to have organized practice in October and the coach is very limited in those 3 hrs what he can teach the "student-athelete" which should be the other way around. In europe and other places, those guys get to work on numerous drills for as many hours as the coach like, then shoot 500 or so jumpers within a structured supervised environment. Thats where the big difference is right now and thats why the gap is getting closer and closer. I think ,but don't blame the nba in the developement league. If it was a true developement league, they would allow guys coming out of high school who have no intentions of wanting to attend college into the league if they're good enough. Players like Lenny Cooke, Kei Madison, and some other players just want to play ball and make a good living which is where the nbdl could provide if they're good enough. Then when these world championships come around, they would have young,developed players just like the euro club teams have. I know i jumped off the subject, but had to say it. HotRocket has the best sig i've seen in a while.
Find the article and I will believe you. Otherwise don't do like the idiots on here that make a statement like "(Insert Sports Figure) said this" and then expect everyone to take your word for it.
OK- here's the link: http://espn.go.com/page2/s/simmons/020627.html One more thing: Years from now, we will remember "Yao Ming over Jay Williams" the same way we remember "Bowie over Jordan," "Traylor for Nowitzki," "Carroll for McHale and Parish," "Aguirre over Thomas" and every other great draft day blunder in NBA history. I'm not just predicting it, I'm guaranteeing it.....Repeat: This is a disaster waiting to happen. I feel very strongly about this. Just wanted to get that heard before the jury. So much for positivity and benevolence.
