Emails in on OSU attendance and Blake Griffin
The new emails are in, and the topics are OSU basketball attendance, Blake Griffin’s rough treatment and other assorted flavors.
Ron wrote, “Sometimes you write things about OSU that makes me think, ‘Damn, why did he have to write that?’ But I often agree with those things you write because your words are truthful. Recently, you wrote about attendance in GIA. You wrote about a truth I was aware of, but I was not talking about. I used to try and take the wife and kids to a game over Christmas break when the students are not in Stillwater. I did not go last year or this year because of ticket prices. I do not mind spending a hundred dollars to take the family but a hundred and a half seems a bit much. Today, it was in the paper that students tickets are being subsidized by our buddy Boone. Do you think it had anything to do with you writing the truth?”
Just call it the power of the pen.
D.C. wrote that OSU athletic director Mike Holder “said all the right things except that he was lowering student ticket prices. Students do create the atmosphere. They are the future season ticket holders (and donors). For the last six years I have had one or both of my daughters at OSU and for the first time neither one has a season ticket. It isn’t because they aren’t winning like they used to, OSU is our team and we support them through thick and thin. It is just too expensive. The son of family friend is going to the University of Tennessee and he said that 2008 was the first time students had to pay for football tickets. That is how you get 100,000 people to a game and get that home field advantage.”
I absolutely would drop the price of student tickets. It’s about $18-$20 per game. Drop that down to $5 a game, and Gallagher will be filled with students again.
Jason wrote, “I keep hearing that Gallagher-Iba is empty, and I have seen it in person and on TV. Why is it that the ticket prices are still outrageous? I have looked online at stubhub, ostate.com, etc. There are very few tickets available online, two here, four there. I would help pack that place, but not for 60 dollars in the nose bleeds. Can you help explain this to me?”
It’s a problem of economics. Very few organizations respond to changing dynamics by lowering prices, when that would often fix the problem. Here’s an example. When gas prices soared, and some businesses had to raise prices to just stay afloat, did they drop prices when gas prices fell dramatically? No. Not much at all, if at all. It’s just human nature to think that if you once got those prices, you can get them again. But fundamentally. OSU is going to have to lower ticket prices.”
Mason wrote, “After another big win for OSU that boosts their NCAA resume considerably, I can’t help but wonder why in the world you would choose to write about the low attendance at GIA. First of all, this makes about the third article your staff has written with the exact same topic and basically the same information. I’ve never thought very highly of The Oklahoman sports staff, but this article seems like it would fit better in the campus Daily O’ Collegian pages. I’m not saying that I disagree with all of your article. As an OSU student, the ticket prices are ridiculous. But I do take issue with your statement, ‘The Cowboys have lost their status as a basketball school.’ Only three years removed from the Sweet 16 and we are suddenly a non-factor? Are we just to forget about all the tradition our basketball program has? I guess we can pretend Hank Iba and Eddie Sutton never coached at OSU, since we aren’t a basketball school. Does this also mean OU wasn’t a football school in the ’90s because they had mediocre seasons for at least three years? I sincerely doubt you would write the same article about Sooner football. I know what I say won’t change anything, but I feel like this crap article should not go without some feedback, as I’m sure it already hasn’t.”
OSU is four years removed from the Sweet 16 – and four years removed from the NCAA Tournament. Basketball schools and football schools aren’t determined by championships. They are determined by fan bases. I argued for years that OSU was a basketball school and OU was not. No one needed to look any further than the attendance. Now OSU is half-filling Gallagher-Iba Arena. Basketball schools don’t have half-filled arenas.
Gene wrote, “You seem to rather enjoy playing down everything orange, as your ‘Good Ol’ Days Are Gone’ headline indicates your biased reporting. Yeah, the attendance is certainly down at Gallagher-Iba Arena, but need I remind you of the low attendance at the Lloyd Noble Arena just a very short time ago and I did not see this type reporting. Just try some level reporting for a change.
You have got to be kidding. We wrote incessantly about the lack of attendance at Lloyd Noble Center. How about trying some level reading for a change.
John wrote about OU’s basketball loss to Texas. “You know, when a team plays as well as OU did without the best player in the nation, it’s difficult to complain about a loss. Then again, when the opposing coach says the team strategy to win is to foul Griffin out of the game then the first play is a foul against Griffin on their home court, makes one wonder who has been talking to the officials! Basketball is looking more and more like a cage fight. Barnes’ strategy tonight was, if we can’t beat them at the game, then knock them out of the game. I really feel Barnes should be investigated for his comment and encouragement to play stickball rather than basketball. Berry, do we have hometown officiating as obvious as what I saw tonight and we just don’t see it because we are the home town? For a while, I was wondering if Texas would bring out boxing gloves if it appeared they could not pull off the upset. It’s hard to respect any coach who encourages injuring the opposing players to win. Reminds me of Bobby Knight. Blake has been the recipient of this type play in three games now. The Big 12 needs to initiate some means of protection before the opposition ruins his career.”
Actually, the idea that the Big 12 is playing rough with Blake Griffin is laughable. No one has dispensed more physicality than Griffin himself. Blaming refs is for losers. Texas shot fewer than 10 foul shots against OU; the Sooners will take that on the road anytime. Griffin suffered a fluke injury, and blaming Rick Barnes is pointless and silly.
David wrote about the embroidered jacket Blake Griffin wore on the OU bench Monday night. “Who is working on the story about Blake Griffin robbing Glen Campbell’s wardrobe? Greatest fusion of African-American athlete and Country/Western since Earl Campbell sang ‘Mama’s Don’t Let your Baby’s to be Cowboys’ or Charley Pride swung a baseball bat!”
Someone check the Porter Waggoner collection. There’s been a theft.
Some fans were outraged at the OU women’s loss at Texas A&M. Bob wrote, “If Sherry would teach her players just a little, they would not have 29 turnovers in a game. Sherry has done a great job, but this is as good as it will ever be. I do not believe Sherry can take a average player and make her good and a good player and make her great. Haven’t seen it yet.”
I’ve seen it all over the place. Dionnah Jackson. LaNeishea Caufield. Caton Hill. Phylesha Whaley. The list is long.,
Kurt wrote, “I watched the OU women play Texas A&M and saw one of the worst coaching jobs I have seen in awhile. I don’t know where Sherri Coale’s head was, but it obviously was not in the game. They had a record number of turnovers due mainly to stupid and untimely passes, because they were trying to run up and down the court as fast they could go, with no control whatsoever. Sherri sat there and watched them and would not call a timeout to get them under control. After the 10th turnover, she should have said, the next person that throws the ball away will sit the bench. Now, they still could have won the game had she made sure that Ashley Paris was not to touch the ball when they had the ball with 19 seconds left and a one-point lead. What does she do? She has Ashley helping bring the ball up. They foul her, she misses as usual and A&M wins the game. This loss was on the coach.”
So let me get this straight. The Sooners are sloppy with the ball, and you want that fixed, but when Coale figures out how to get the ball upcourt, she did that wrong, too. Welcome to the big leagues, Sherri.
Freddie wrote, “Tyson Chandler’s line from last night’s Hornets game, his first since being rejected by the Thunder: 15 points, 10 boards. Ouch.”
Buyer’s remorse.
Joshua wrote, “Only 35 teams have won a college basketball championship, and five of those teams have won 30 of them. The NCAA championship is the hardest championship to win, even harder than MLB.”
I would say the college football title is much harder to win. College football is more of an elite sport. Some teams don’t even get the chance. In hoops, at least you get the chance.
William wrote, “Since Texas beat Oklahoma head to head, doesn’t that entitle the Longhorns to OU’s No. 1 seed?”
William, William, William. You’re trying to cause trouble.
Trouble in paradise for Sooners
The apparently-temporary absence of Blake Griffin was supposed to make the Sooners stronger mentally and emotionally. You know, one of those let’s-all-put-together moments that can make a team more resilient.
So why is Juan Pattillo getting suspended? The Oklahoma supersub, whose insertion into the rotation from redshirt status gave the Sooners a huge lift in mid-January, will miss the Sooners’ game Saturday at Texas Tech for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
So much for pulling together. Just when the Sooners need Pattillo most — a two-game losing streak in Griffin’s absence, compounded by his uncertain status down this homestretch — Pattillo does something to get in Jeff Capel’s doghouse.
This is where the wheels could come off. Some seasons arrive at a crossroads. Things are going great, special things appear on the horizon, then here comes a bump. Adversity arrives. The special teams fight through it, the weak teams succumb to it and the unlucky teams suffer through the unavoidable loss of a key member.
Right now, the Sooners aren’t fighting through it. Capel called out starters Austin Johnson and Tony Crocker for their dazed play against Kansas, and now OU goes to Tech without Pattillo and probably without Griffin.
There is plenty of time to regroup — March doesn’t arrive until Sunday — but that plenty status starts decreasing and soon. Griffin must return physically. Johnson and Crocker must return mentally. Pattillo must return physically and mentally.
As is, OU’s front line of Taylor Griffin and Ryan Wright, I guess now with Orlando Allen off the bench, should be enough against Tech, which is weak inside. But the Red Raiders played tough at Texas on Wednesday night, and an OU defeat in Lubbock would officially proclaim this Sooner team into free-fall.
Cowboys streaking into contention
About two weeks ago, someone asked me OSU’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament. I said 10 percent. They countered with 20 percent, but no big difference, really. All uphill.
Today, those Cowboy chances have risen to about 40 percent, and they will nearly double if OSU can beat Texas in Stillwater on Saturday. OSU beat Colorado 76-55 Wednesday night in Boulder to raise its Big 12 record to 7-6.
The common theory was that if the Cowboys can get to 9-7, they would make the NCAAs. It’s still a solid theory, though other factors are in play, notably the Big 12′s overall strength. Will the Big 12 get five teams in the 65-team tournament?
Texas also has risen — notably its victory over Oklahoma — and the Longhorns are in the top 25 and are 8-5, with some marquee victories (UCLA, OU, Villanova, Wisconsin). UT goes to OSU and Kansas, with a home game against Baylor in between. Beat the slumping Bears, and Texas should be in either way.
But OSU will be hard to overlook if it gets to 9-7. The Cowboys were 31st in the RPI at the beginning of the week and probably will be in the 20s by tipoff. If OSU beats Texas and Kansas State, the Cowboys will have a solid resume’.
The Longhorns have not been a great road team. They lost at Nebraska and Arkansas. They lost big at Texas A&M and OU. They went to overtime at Colorado. They won close at Baylor and won big at Texas Tech. So I give OSU a slight favorite’s nod Saturday. I give OSU an even better chance of beating K-State, which is an interesting team but not great. Let’s say OSU’s chances are 55 percent against Texas, 70 percent against KSU. So that’s about a 38.5 percent chance of beating them both.
Thunder diagnosis: Cold feet
Did you check out Tyson Chandler’s stat line in his first game back with the Hornets: 15 points, 10 rebounds. Chandler has turf toe. The Thunder had cold feet.
The rescinded trade will be analyzed for years, and it’s far too early to tell which was the right way to go. But the early returns show Oklahoma City made a mistake. Chandler obviously was healthy enough to perform at a high level against Sacramento on Monday night. And since the trade was rescinded, the Thunder’s defense has gotten even worse.
Field-goal percentages for Thunder opponents since the trade was rescinded: Phoenix 58.2; Golden State 56.3; Lakers 52.6. That’s losing basketball and best explains why Oklahoma City is back in the hunt for the league’s worst record. OKC is 13-44; only Sacramento (12-46) has a worse record. The Thunder is 26th out of 30 teams in points allowed per game (104.4, besting Sacramento, Indiana, New York and Golden State) and 27th in field-goal percentage defense (47.61, besting Washington, Sacramento and the Knicks).
The addition of Thabo Sefolosha obviously will help the defense, but without interior help, the Thunder will be a soft defensive team, unable to defend the basket.
That’s where Chandler would have made a difference. Something in his physical — X-rays, probably — scared off the Thunder. But sometimes a franchise has to take risks to make dramatic improvement in the NBA, and Chandler seems like a good risk. A center like him will be almost impossible to find.
Of course, telling other people to risk their $25 million is easy, so you can’t blame the Thunder for being careful. But now that $25 million over the next two years must be spent on someone else. The Chandler trade bolstered belief within the organization that the Clay Bennett administration would spend the money required to build a solid roster. That belief will wither if the salary cap space now available again isn’t used.
No moral victory for OU this time
OU’s Blakeless loss to Kansas was different than OU’s Blakeless loss to Texas. This one was not quite so encouraging.
First, losing at home is different than losing on the road. Losing at home, even without Griffin, is a worrisome thing. The Sooners rode an emotional wave early, then played flat for about 25 minutes of game time.
And second, OU’s starters didn’t seem to answer the call. Jeff Capel showed he certainly felt that way, benching Tony Crocker and Austin Johnson for the final 10 minutes while Cade Davis and Omar Leary led a late rally.
Johnson looked like he was physically impaired. He had back treatments before the game, and truth is he doesn’t practice much, protected so he can save his stamina for the game. Maybe Johnson was done in by the Big Monday format of playing Saturday-Monday. But that’s not a good sign for the NCAA Tournament, which is three weekends of a game-offday-game format.
The Sooners have to have Johnson playing well. He’s not a classic point guard, but he has been an effective point guard, and Monday night he wasn’t.
Griffin’s presence against Kansas was missed most on defense and rebounding. KU got way too many easy baskets, but think about these two defeats. Both came in large part because a sharpshooting guard got hot out of his mind, first Texas’ A.J. Abrams and then KU’s Sherron Collins.
Were the Sooner defenders reluctant to stretch out farther onto the perimeter, knowing Griffin was unable to defend the paint? You wouldn’t think so after the third or fourth swish by Abrams and Collins, but psychologically that could have made an impact.
Playing two high-profile games back-to-back without Griffin gives us a great light on these Sooners.
For instance, Willie Warren doesn’t need Griffin to shine, but Juan Pattillo does. Pattillo has struggled without Griffin. When Pattillo is asked to be more of an offensive threat than just cleaning up around the double-teaming of Griffin, Pattillo struggles on decision-making and execution. He’s still a wondrous shot blocker and will return to his dunking ways, I assume, when Griffin returns. But without Griffin, Pattillo needs work.
The Griffin injury could be a double curse for the Sooners. His absence has shown the world that Warren could be ready for the NBA much sooner than we figured. I don’t think Warren will jump to the NBA this year, but anyone who can shoot and create like he has these two games in which he has drawn all the defensive focus, well, just know this. Warren will go high in the draft, no matter what year he comes out.
Taylor Griffin is not the same player without Blake, but for an interesting reason. The lack of Blake takes away one of Taylor’s best traits: excellent passing. Goes the other way, too, if Blake had to play without Taylor. They are very good passers and both know when to go to the basket to get open. Ryan Wright and Pattillo struggle with that, and with catching the ball and placing it in the hoop.
All in all, a tough night for the Sooners. They in all likelihood lost their chance for the Big 12 title, though a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed remains theirs for the taking. And OU learned it wants no part of a March without Blake Griffin.
Sitting Griffin would be a good move
Blake Griffin’s status for tonight’s Oklahoma-Kansas basketball game remains unknown, and this might be a Willis Reed moment. Right up until tipoff, fans might keep their eyes glued to the Lloyd Noble Center tunnel, hoping to see their star center walk onto the court.
But sitting Griffin might be the prudent move, even if doctors say he’s OK to play after suffering a concussion Saturday night against Texas.
Concussions are tricky things. We don’t see them much in basketball; they’re a football-centric injury. A turnaround this quick — 48 hours — seems a little hurried to try to get a player back on the court.
Jeff Capel on Sunday talked about Griffin’s future and how that’s the paramount consideration in this discussion. But this OU team’s future favors extreme caution with Griffin.
The KU game is huge for all parties. It’s a virtual Big 12 title game. But this team has reason to look far past Big 12 championships. This has been a Final Four contender all season, and in recent weeks the Sooners have served notice that they are good enough to win the NCAA championship.
A loss to Kansas would cripple OU’s Big 12 title hopes but not would not damage, in any way, OU’s national title hopes, if the loss occurs without Griffin. No way would the NCAA seeding committee hold it against the Sooners if they lose without Griffin. But even if it did, it wouldn’t be worth risking Griffin’s health.
Standing on the OU practice court Sunday, the Norman Transcript’s John Shinn made an excellent point. All over the practice court hang banners for OU’s basketball success. At this time, Shinn said, those banners (pointing to a Final Four proclamation) are a lot more important than those banners (pointing to a Big 12 flag).
That’s true. As much fun as they are to win, and as much pride as they instill, winning a Big 12 basketball championship pales in comparison to the NCAA Tournament, the defining event in any season.
Proceed with caution with Blake Griffin. Handle with care.
The best kind of loss for OU
OU’s 73-68 loss at Texas on Saturday night was the best kind of defeat a team can have. No matter what Jeff Capel said about wanting no moral victories, the Sooners grew as a team down in Austin.
They were staggered with two mighty blows: 1) the loss of Blake Griffin, first for foul trouble in the first half and then with a concussion for the rest of the game; and 2) a Texas run that appeared to make the game primed for blowout. And yet OU did not wither.
The Sooners rallied from a 41-29 deficit to take a 43-41 lead. And after Texas led 50-50 midway through the second half, the Sooners stormed back for a 61-56 lead. So in the second half, against a good team that was playing for its life in front of a frenzied crowd that smelled Sooner blood, OU had runs of 14-0 and 11-0. all without its bellcow.
That will help OU in so many fronts, while hurting on none, other than the sting of a solitary defeat.
1. The game did not hurt OU in the Big 12 standings. The Sooners were going to need to beat Kansas on Monday night no matter what happened in Austin, Texas. Oh, I guess if OU beats KU, then loses at Missouri, and KU wins out, then that game in Austin will loom large, but that’s a bunch of ifs. The big conference game is Monday night at the Lloyd Noble Center.
2. The game did not hurt OU in the NCAA Tournament seedings. First of all, the Sooners — along with Pitt, UConn and North Carolina — still seem in great shape for a No. 1 seed. And the NCAA committee, for better or for worse, microscopes games, so that it will know that OU lost Griffin for most of the Texas game. That loss won’t be held against the Sooners.
3. Best of all, this game will fortify the Sooners. OU comes away from this game with more confidence than if it had beaten Texas with a healthy Griffin. Knowing they can play well without Griffin will be a great confidence boost for this team. OU seemed to be lost early without Griffin (with him, too, frankly) but found its bearings and went to the wire with Texas.
The Longhorns played well. A.J. Abrams got hot and seemed to make every big shot down the stretch. Damion James was dominant inside. And yet OU almost won.
Tony Crocker’s tying 3-pointer bounced off in the final five seconds, and just before that Dexter Pittman rebounded a Texas miss and put in a shot that gave UT a 71-68 lead. Give OU that rebound — or heck, give Taylor Griffin a foul, since he was trying to hack Pittman — and who knows how the game ends.
OU found a ballplayer who could produce. Ryan Wright was solid in relief of Griffin, playing 20 minutes (Juan Pattillo played only 14; Wright got after it more than did Pattillo).
All in all, an excellent night for the Sooners. No victory, but just about anything else OU could have asked for from a ballgame. So long as Blake Griffin is healthy for Kansas.
Emails in on Leach & steroids
The new emails are in, and steroids dominate the batch. But first, let’s talk Mike Leach.
Larry wrote about the Mike Leach flap: “Tech’s insistence on a reciprocal and symmetrical buyout is not unprecedented. Tech is offering to make a big time (for a school like Tech) financial commitment, and they want to see some reciprocal commitment on his part, neither unprecedented nor unreasonable in light of what has now become Leach’s annual Look-for-a Better Job Tour. Leach flat ignored a request from Chancellor Hance to meet with him privately, since he and Gerald Myers apparently can’t sit in the same room with one another. I understand that he has hired representatives, but Kent Hance is his boss’ boss. When he asks to speak to you, you don’t refuse him the courtesy. And the last thing that should be mentioned in the interest of fairness and accuracy is that Leach substantially increased the testosterone level in the room when he pulled an end run on both Myers and Hance and tried to take his case to the Board of Regents. He was not just rebuffed but admonished for his efforts. That kind of stuff doesn’t fly in west Texas, or much of anywhere else for that matter. He has really ripped his trousers with a lot of powerful people. Contrary to what you hear in the media, sentiment runs both ways in about equal proportion. There are a lot of Tech alums who have soured on Leach’s antics, don’t believe he wants to be there (notwithstanding his professions otherwise) and are ready to just turn a corner and move on. I think most want to see them go into a room together and come out smiling. There’s no question he has done a great job, raised the school’s profile, plus he’s a hoot. But between him and Myers, they’ve managed to ruin what was developing into a pretty good thing for my old school. It’s a damn shame. I do agree that regardless of how this turns out, Myers has to go. He’s a relic who has driven Tech’s athletic program (with the notable exception of the football program) into the ditch. If all this turns out to be just a personality conflict between him and Leach, that’ll be a no-brainer in my view. And I do think one of them has to go, and now.”
Well, that’s about the best slant on the whole mess as I’ve heard. I don’t know how much of it’s true, but it’s danged interesting.
William asked, “What is Texas Tech thinking? Fire Mike Leach? Has Coach Leach committed some unpardonable transgression not made public? No national championships, but from where I sit, the guy has been real success in a very difficult place. Am I wrong in my perception?”
Just read Larry. I think he’s shooting straight.
James wrote, “Something’s not right in Lubbock. I read where Myers wants to impose a $15 million ‘fine’ on Leach if he merely talks to another college without Myers’ consent. Is that true? I think that there are two arrogant individuals out there.”
No, that wasn’t true, and I don’t know about arrogant. You know what I think? I think Tech was trying to take a stand – albeit doomed – in a culture gone mad. Someone has to eventually stand up to football coaches. Why not the Red Raiders?
Gary wrote about the steroids: “The owners elected one of their own to be baseball czar (Bud Selig). They did nothing to stop drug use because they wanted the extra home runs to bring fans back after the strike. What were the owners doing after they got all the drug tests back in 2003? Congress should never allowed an owner to be commissioner. I would pick Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis as the best, then Ford Frick. Our current one is always years behind the problem and wants to be politically correct. Sooner or later Congress will take over.
Well, that will solve everything. As for commissioners, Landis was a racist and Frick was a buffoon. Bud Selig is way ahead of that curve.
Ron wrote, “If you have the time, look up President Obama’s recent speech to the nation and you will find that the president made a statement almost exactly as Mark McGwire made in the Senate hearings about not wanting to look to the past, only to the future.”
Difference is, McGwire wasn’t sitting at the head table.
Jim wrote, “Do you really think anybody in any sport in the last 50 years has not done steroids? In my 70 years I have been around a lot of sports people. I have even known slow-pitch softball players that used them. In these times, Congress has plenty that needs done besides hearings on steroids.”
Actually, I’ve come around on this idea. I think Congress should stick its nose into sports. Maybe it wouldn’t have time to screw up the rest of the country.
Bill wrote about my theory that I just don’t care about the Hall of Fame anymore. “I have a problem with ‘I don’t care.’ I think you really do, in spite of what you say. I do understand where you are coming from, though. Do Clemens, McGwire, A-Rod belong in the Hall? No, they don’t. Why? Does someone who drives down the highway on drugs or alcohol and gets away with it belong in a NASCAR race? No, heavens no. Just because the driver got away with it does not mean he is innocent. But according to the law, he is not guilty. There is a difference. He is not trustworthy. Yes, I do care. There is not any way on Earth that Mark McGwire belongs in the same building with Cal Ripken Jr. And I think you would be as sick as I if you should see it happen.”
I’ve got to say, it wouldn’t ruin my day. I just don’t care.
Wayne wrote, “I’m waiting for the rest of those 104 shoes to fall. Who was not tested? Not just A-Rod, Roger and Barry. It was, maybe is, a lifestyle. But they are learning and some are changing that lifestyle. Don’t punish them and forget the rest of the 104 that have not been questioned. Did we punish them for smokeless tobacco? Do we punish them for getting drunk. These men are like small boys that want to follow pressures.”
I’m not sure what you were trying to say, Wayne, but I, too, am waiting for the rest of those 104 shoes to fall.
Jim wrote, “I know I am one of the few or the only one maybe, but I think mascots should be fun looking and not look like they are mad at the world, or some scary beast. I don’t like the big-head Pistol Pete, either, but that’s just me, I guess.
My only problem with Pete is that he’s needed shave since I was a kid.
Brian wrote, “Your video about stopping the Daytona 500 early was absolutely correct. The Daytona 500 can no longer be called the Super Bowl of NASCAR. Heavy rains would never force a Super Bowl to be cancelled in the third quarter. The game would be delayed or postponed to the next day.”
Of course, there’s also the silliness of the World Series playing through a cold rain. I don’t know which is worse.
Roger wrote, “Imagine if we could merge the best of the Hornets roster with the best of the Thunder. Next, give this team the draft rights to Blake Griffin. Imagine having Chris Paul feeding the ball to Durant and Griffin. I think we could have a contender! I can dream, can’t I?”
Just wishing and getting great ballplayers? Who do you think we are? The Lakers?
Bernie writes, “How does (the Tulsa World’s Dave) Sittler keep winning Oklahoma sportswriter of the year awards and not you? Do you not enter the sweepstakes?”
Actually, I think Dave is winning on pure sex appeal. Must be a lot of female voters.
Rescinded trades: Does playing it safe work
Tyson Chandler will be under an Oklahoma City microscope for the next two years as Thunder fans wonder about the trade that could have been. The Thunder rescinded the trade for Chandler after his physical. The franchise apparently is concerned that Chandler’s turf toe problem is chronic and wasn’t worth the risk of almost $25 million, which is what the Thunder would have owed Chandler for the next two years and what the Hornets will owe the athletic 7-footer.
Some could argue that a franchise like OKC — small market, rebuilding — has to take some risks to join the elite, that you can’t rely just on the luck of the lottery and good scouting. Sam Presti’s experience in San Antonio probably tells that luck and a good eye is absolutely enough.
But this should be easy to follow. If Chandler is productive the next two seasons, the Thunder missed a great opportunity. If Chandler is injury-prone, excellent decision not to pay him $25 million.
The whole idea of rescinded trades made me wonder about past rescinded trades. I found four of interest, though I’m sure there are dozens more. Let’s look at them.
Sean Elliott: In February 1994, the Rockets traded Robert Horry to Detroit for Elliott. The trade was rescinded because of Elliott’s kidney problems. Sounds like a good reason to not make a deal. Horry helped Houston to two NBA titles, but Elliott came back from the kidney ailment and remained very effective: he played seven more NBA seasons, averaging 18.1, 20.0, 14.9, 9.3, 11.2, 6.0 and 7.9 points. He scored more than 5,000 points after the rescinded trade.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim: At age 28, traded from Portland to the Nets in August 2005 for a first-round draft pick. The trade was rescinded because of scar tissue on Abdur-Rahim’s knee. He landed in Sacramento instead, and Abdur-Rahim played only 158 more NBA games. He averaged 12.3 and 9.9 points his first two years in Sacramento, then had just six more NBA games to his credit.
Steven Hunter: This one we know, since the Hornets, while they were in OKC, tried to trade for the 76er center in February 2006. The Hornets finally backed out because of health concerns, and it probably was wise. Hunter the next two seasons played 89 games, with 43 starts, but now is out of the league.
Dino Radja: The Celtics traded the 30-year-old Croation center to Philadelphia in June 1997, but he failed his physical and the 76ers rescinded the trade. Radja decided to return to Europe and never again played in the NBA, though he had some good years through 2003 in Europe.
So sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss on backing out of trades.
Malik Rose part of Big Country’s conquests
The Thunder’s trade Thursday for Malik Rose, while almost completely irrelevant on the current basketball front, at least brought up great memories from a memorable stretch of state hoops history.
In 1995, Oklahoma State made the Final Four on the back of Big Country, and Bryant Reeves’ performance in that NCAA Tournament remains amazing.
To get to Seattle that March, OSU beat Drexel, Alabama, Wake Forest and Massachusetts. Each foe sported a great center. So great, that all four of those Big Country foes remain in the NBA today.
UMass’ Marcus Camby, in his 13th NBA season. Wake’s Tim Duncan, in his 12th year. Bama’s Antonio McDyess, in his 13th season. And Drexel’s Malik Rose, in his 13th year.
For good measure, Big Country went against yet another NBA center, UCLA’s George Zidek, in the Final Four. Zidek played three NBA seasons.
How did Reeves fare? In those four pre-Final Four games, Reeves outscored the quartet 86-57, and those monsters outrebounded Big Country 61-37. Reeves made 29 of 65 shots; the quartet made 23 of 62 against Reeves.
It was grinding, tough, ferocious post play, game after game after game. Reeves’ easiest game came in the Final Four, where he outscored Zidek 25-6 and outrebounded him 9-2.
The next easiest foe turned out to be Camby, who had just six points and four rebounds (Reeves had 24 and 10). The numbers of McDyess and Duncan were just ridiculous. McDyess had 22 points and 17 rebounds (Reeves countered with 26 and seven). Duncan had 12 points and 22 rebounds (Reeves had 15 and nine).
Throw in Zidek, and in those five NCAA Tournament games Reeves outscored the future pros 111-63, and they outrebounded him 63-46. It was the greatest sign yet that Reeves could be a solid pro, and indeed he was picked sixth overall in the 1995 NBA draft.
Reeves played six NBA seasons and retired with averages of 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. He wasn’t the player Duncan (a player for the ages), McDyess (borderline star) or Camby (defensive intimidator) became. His career didn’t last as long as Rose’s. But those spring games 14 years ago showed that Big Country could hold his own with some of the nation’s best big men.
