…and the New York Post’s Peter Vescey quoting Seals & Crofts!
With the Spurs having won their fourth title in nine seasons, it has become trendy to rank ’em with the NBA’s most prolific precincts.
The Celtics (11 titles in 13 seasons), the Bulls (six rings in eight seasons), the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-Magic Johnson Lakers (five in nine), their Minneapolis George Mikan-inspired predecessors (five in six) – and, of course, the Knicks (two in 61) – are generally recognized as the league’s fabled fortresses.
Who’s to say San Antonio isn’t right there? Tim Duncan (31 years old), Manu Ginobili (30 next month) and Tony Parker (25 last month) are a ways away from putting in for pensions. Additionally, there never seems to be a problem at rounding up an interchangeable, yet always competent, supply of subordinates.
And, lastly, the Spurs flaunt the only guy from the military (Gregg Popovich) with a winning record.
Meanwhile, Seals and Crofts informed me the Cavs may never pass this way again.
Having LeBron is all well and good. Having all those ancillary anchor contracts – Larry Hughes, Damon Jones, Donyell Marshall, Eric Snow – is not.
Thus, a team in desperate need of both a point guard and a second consistent scorer only has the lure of LeBron (and a mid-level exemption) as a chance of getting either.
The LA Times’ Mike Bresnahan reports the mooted swap of Indy’s Jermaine O’Neal and Troy Murphy for LA’s Lamar Odom is up in the air over the Lakers’ refusal to include Andrew Bynum in the deal.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Mike Hunt claims he’s working “in a market filled with competing entertainment options.” What, are Boy Dirt Car getting back together? Hunt, however, has some advice for the hometown team’s plans with the no. 6 overall pick.
Ohio State point guard Mike Conley Jr. will come in for a workout, presumably as insurance if they can’t re-sign Mo Williams. There’s really no choice there. They must re-sign Williams and not rely on a rookie point guard; you saw what happened the last time the Bucks drafted a point guard.
And who is Joakim Noah to turn down a workout with the Bucks? That’s some arrogance, even if the Bucks aren’t his preferred destination. If I’m Harris, I don’t want him, anyway. He’s not strong enough for their needs. They’ve already got one Dan Gadzuric on the roster.
I skipped the Finals game altogether, and since I figured I already used up my one post-on-game-you-didn’t-watch exemption, that’ it’d be best to leave it like this. I did, however, see the postgame colloquium between Bill Walton, Allan Houston, Rick Carlisle and…some ESPN talking head. The Spurs are without a dynasty, but Walton ably deflated any talk of them stacking up with the Celtics or Laker teams of the ’80s by pointing out that there’s no guarantee/chance that humps like Oberto and Bowen would even play on those great teams, let alone start.
I do think a comparison to the Shaq/Kobe Lakers mini-dynasty is fair, though, in that those teams were 1) really good, 2) had some weak all-around players who nailed their roles perfectly and 3) were playing in a weak and diluted NBA. And if the Cavs make it to the Finals again next year, I’ll buy everyone a Coke.