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- Wed, June 3rd, 2020
Wed, June 3rd, 2020
NBA’s return — RIP Wes Unseld — Boogie’s revenge
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2020
NOTE:
Obviously this newsletter is not of any importance in comparison to the civil unrest happening in America right now. If you’re up for it, read along for some details on the NBA’s return, plus thoughts on Stephen Jackson, DeMarcus Cousins, and a few other people/topics.
The Opening Tip
The NBA’s comeback plan will be approved tomorrow
Stephen Jackson's intelligence and empathy has been on full display
Hall of Famer Wes Unseld died yesterday
DeMarcus Cousins recently exposed the Kings' play-by-play announcer
The All-Chicago team
1. The Lead: The NBA will return with a 22-team format
, who has been reporting on this all Wednesday morning, the NBA and its board of governors is expected to approve a plan for the NBA to return with a 22-team format tomorrow, and will begin play on July 31 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.
A few other notes:
Let’s fucking go!
The absolute latest the season could go is Oct. 12, which is the date an NBA Finals Game 7 would happen, which means the NBA has made the decision to go up against football’s monster TV ratings and potentially baseball’s playoffs. Plus, this means the 2020-21 season will start really, really late. (The 2019-20 season started on Oct. 22.)
The 22 teams will consist of 13 Western Conference teams (the top-eight plus New Orleans, Portland, Phoenix, Sacramento and San Antonio) and nine Eastern Conference teams (the top-eight plus Washington).
Before the postseason starts, all 22 teams will play eight more regular season games. If, after eight games, the ninth seed in either conference is within four games of the eighth seed, there will be a play-in tournament between those two teams for the rights to lose to the Bucks or Lakers.
Also from Woj: “The expectation is that the NBA draft and the opening of free agency would follow in sequential order in October, sources said.”
2. Stephen Jackson is a remarkable human
Stephen Jackson with George Floyd's daughter
My first awakening to how smart, honest and interesting Stephen Jackson was came during
with the ESPN show
Dan LeBetard is Highly Questionable
, where Jackson spoke about his brother being murdered, his satisfaction in punching fans during the Malice in the Palace, and the time, in the Malice’s aftermath, that Ron Artest
, ‘Do you think we’re gunna get in trouble?’
He’s been everywhere this past week or so, partly because he was, completely coincidentally, a longtime friend of George Floyd. The two knew each other growing up near Houston and
. Jackson called him his twin.
But also because he is genuine in his message of relaying what it means to be black in America.
Here a few recent quotes from him.
:
“He was a gentle giant. He was a protector, a provider. He wanted everybody to be happy and have a good time. That was his thing. Now his name is ringing bells, far away -- the Netherlands, Iran, all these places. His death won’t be in vain. George Floyd is going to be the name of change.”
More on Floyd, while speaking to a crowd in Minneapolis on May 29:
“I’m here because they’re not going to demean the character of George Floyd, my twin. A lot of times when police do things that they know is wrong, the first thing they try to do is cover it up and bring up your background to make it seem like the bullshit that they did was worthy. When was murder ever worthy? But if it’s a black man, it’s approved. You can’t tell me, when that man had his knee on my brother’s neck, taking his life away, with his hand in his pockets, that that smirk on his face didn’t say, ‘I’m protected.’”
"We never had it so I can't answer it. It can start by those (police officers) going to jail. A lot of people have asked me what is justice? I can't answer it because we haven't got it. Anybody know the answer, please tell me because I sure don't know."
[READ: Stephen Jackson makes it his mission to humanize his friend | Stephen Jackson pledges to support George Floyd's daughter: 'I'm gonna walk her down the aisle']- SE
3. Wes Unseld: 1946-2020
Amid all the unrest, Wes Sissel Unseld, the great Baltimore and Washington Bullet, passed away yesterday at the age of 74.He came into the league in 1968, and, by the end of his first year, had won a Rookie of the Year award as well as an MVP award.He joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player to win the league’s highest award as a rookie, but his game more-so mirrored that of fellow ‘60s giant Bill Russell. He didn’t score so much (10.8 career PPG) and wasn’t too tall (6-foot-7), but rebounded like a madman (14 career RPG) and passed beautifully (3.9 career APG).He was known most for his arcing outlets, flicked from his wrist like a 70-foot afterthought.
After years of anchoring dominant regular season teams that never quite finished the job, he won a title with the 44-win 1978 Bullets, taking home Finals MVP. He’s one of 16 players ever with an MVP, a title and a Finals MVP.He was born and raised in Louisville, and went to the University of Louisville. He is the second-best athlete the town ever produced, behind Muhammed Ali. The Clays and Unselds apparently knew each other. From the way outside looking in, I always thought that Wes had a little Ali in him, both in his stoic look and the dignified way in which he carried himself.There is no question that he is the greatest Baltimore/Washington/Bullet/Wizard ever, and he will always be the name associated with the only memorable era in that franchise’s history.[READ: Wes Unseld was a giant by any measure]- SE
4. The All-Chicago team
Chicagoans Mark Aguirre and Isiah Thomas
Chicago is the Scottie Pippen of NBA player-producing cities. It isn’t New York and shouldn’t be treated as such, but it doesn’t get enough credit for being as great as it is.
Let’s settle on an all-time starting five, with apologies to Maurice Cheeks, Derrick Rose and Tim Hardaway, whose city is so great at producing little guys they couldn’t crack either of the two guard spots.
1. Point guard
Isiah Thomas: Hall of Famer; 12-time All-Star; two-time champ; one-time Finals MVP; leader of iconic “Bad Boys” team.
Honorable mention: Maurice Cheeks; Derrick Rose; Tim Hardaway; Doc Rivers.
2. Shooting guard
Dwyane Wade: Future Hall of Famer; 13-time All-Star; three-time champ; one-time Finals MVP; orchestrated Miami’s “Big Three.”
Honorable mention:
Hersey Hawkins; Eddie Johnson; Quentin Richardson; Nick Anderson.
3. Small forward
Mark Aguirre: Three-time All-Star; 20 career PPG; 18,458 points; two-time champ with “Bad Boy” Pistons.
Honorable mention: Cazzie Russell; Kendall Gill; Tony Allen; Michael Finley.
4. Power forward
Terry Cummings: Two-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year; 19,460 points; played for eight 50-plus win teams.
Honorable mention: Antoine Walker.
5. Center
Anthony Davis: Future Hall of Famer; seven-time All-Star; 24 career PPG; only 27 years old.
Honorable mention: Juwan Howard.
5. How DeMarcus Cousins goaded his old team’s play-by-play announcer into losing his job
Grant Napear, the now-former Kings’ play-by-play announcer who trashed DeMarcus Cousins on his way out the door in 2017, resigned yesterday from his job after being suspended by the organization a day earlier. Here’s how that all happened, in three parts.Part one:
On Sunday, Cousins tweeted: “@GrantNapearshow what’s your take on BLM?”
A few hours later, Napear, who appears to be disliked my many former players, responded by tweeting, “Hey!!!! How are you? Thought you forgot about me. Haven't heard from you in years. ALL LIVES MATTER...EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!”
His tweet blew up; everyone yelled at him; he spent the next day trying to defend his ALL LIVES MATTER take, instead of simply comprehending that BLM is not the implication that white lives don’t matter, but that black lives haven’t mattered enough to America for 400 years.
Part two:
On Monday, he was suspended by the Kings for his tweet.
Part three:
On Tuesday, the team announced he had “resigned,” or in non-corporate terms, had been given an ultimatum -- resign or be fired.
Napear, who had held his play-by-play job with the Kings since 1988, tweeted that he wasn’t “as educated on BLM as I thought I was." He had spent the last 32 years in a predominantly black league, so it isn’t like he didn’t have enough time.
6. Off the Press
Op-Ed: David Fizdale: A voice for the voiceless [The Undefeated]
Op-Ed: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge [The Los Angeles Times]
Knicks owner James Dolan reaches new low by refusing to speak out on George Floyd [USA Today]