khandor’s sports blog

When a young man successfully establishes a life for himself, from amongst the ruins, it makes for a compelling tale.

Such is the case of Lamar Joseph Odom.

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Another Sunny Day In Lamar’s L.a.: Kobe may be the star of the show, but the beating heart of the Lakers is the ebullient Lamar Odom, who has overcome turmoil and tragedy to salvage his reputation and find a basketball home

THE HAPPIEST Laker is the one whose father was addicted to heroin, whose mother died of colon cancer when he was 12, who attended three high schools, had his first college scholarship revoked before the fall semester of his freshman year, became a subject of three college investigations, declared for the NBA draft, tried unsuccessfully to pull out of the draft, was picked by arguably the worst franchise in sports, violated the league’s antidrug policy twice within eight months and after finally getting his life together, went home to New York City for an aunt’s funeral and wound up burying his 6½-month-old son, then getting robbed at gunpoint.

“That’s my book,” says Lamar Odom. “That’s my movie. It’s a big bowl of gumbo.”

As he ponders working titles for his life story—”This is L.A., so you never know,” he says—he is wearing a white sweat suit and driving a white Mercedes down Interstate 405 to an autograph signing in Orange County, one hand on the steering wheel and another deep inside a bag of potato chips. Every few minutes, he turns and glances at the backseat, where his 10-year-old daughter, Destiny, and 7-year-old son, Lamar Jr., are occupied with their own snacks.

“My grandmother was always upbeat, a naturally happy person,” he says, chomping on the chips. “I think I got that from her.” His grandmother was Mildred Mercer, who raised him when his parents were gone. She died on June 28, 2003, three years to the day before his baby boy.

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Thanks to Lee Jenkins for writing this story.

with two weeks to spare before the start of spring …

Heading into the final stretch of games for the NBA’s regular season, the best teams in the League have established their positions at the top of Conference Standings:

Historically, the teams with a legit chance to win the NBA championship, in any given year, will finish the 82-game regular season schedule with a QR <= 34 and a QIR <= 11 … while the rest are just pretenders.

Into which category does your favourite team fit right now?

This is what was written in this space last week [Mar 25], re: the state of Kevin Garnett’s injured right knee:

Kevin Garnett should NOT be playing right now for the Celtics

If you look at KG’s Game Log you will see that he has NOT played a minute since the game against the Magic during which that blog entry was written.

This is what Doc Rivers had to say about the situation on Fri Mar 27.

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Well …

It’s now Mon Mar 30 and this is what these eyes observed last night in the NBA:

Tuned in to last night’s San Antonio/New Orleans match-up …

Spurs 47, HORNETS 43 … at the beginning of the 3rd quarter

… and was absolutely shocked to see what was on the screen,

i.e. The Big Fundamental, wearing a protective sleeve/brace on each of his knees, limping, hobbling, basically immobile and, in general, dragging himself around the court, in a futile effort to propel the Spurs to a victory in this game.

After watching Tim Duncan play earlier this season … when he was not wearing these two sleeves and was not hobbling and not hopping about in this way … in comparison with his performance last night, this trained eye will say CATEGORICALLY that Tim Duncan should NOT be allowed to play basketball right now, given the current state of his knees, as he is only doing further damage to himself and the Spurs’ long term hopes of regaining the NBA Championship this season.

Tim Duncan is injured RIGHT NOW and it’s amazing to these eyes that the Spurs are even allowing him to step on the court, under these conditions.

Gregg Popovich, RC Buford & Co. really NEED to get him off the court RIGHT NOW … if they  know what’s good for them and him, on a long term basis.

Tim Duncan IS NOT MOVING PROPERLY, at all.

As a fitting way to mark a special day in the Life of yours truly … let’s take you back in time, over a span of 32 years, to the very 1st NCAA team/program/coach/Man that this correspondent was ever seriously a fan of:

Jones: McGuire’s Warriors
It’s tourney time and it was great to chat with Scott Skiles right-hand man, Jim Boylan, his trusted assistant who has been with him on every NBA bench he has occupied. Be it Phoenix, Chicago, where he actually took over for the deposed Skiles or currently in Milwaukee. Boylan was on the Al McGuire-led Marquette squad that won the NCAA title in 1977. Boylan laughed at the fact that it has been 32 years since he played in the title game.

But on this Monday night after holding the ball, Carolina saw an opening and what looked like an easy lay-up was blocked and Marquette regained the lead and forced the Tar Heels to play it out. The Warriors as they were known back then, came away with Marquette’s only title by way of a 67-59 win. I remember watching a weeping Al McGuire in the post-game as the enormity of it all reduced the “fast-talking, street-wise” McGuire to tears.

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Harkening back to still vivid images of young men like Maurice Lucas, Earl Tatum, Butch Lee, Jerome Whitehead, Bo Ellis and … yes, even … Jim Boylan.

Enjoy!

Remembering the Titans for the Warriors

Take the boy out of the city; you can’t take the knife out of his hand

Memories of Old Friends

On Knowing and Accepting who YOU are

Dance of the Warrior

Best wishes go out today to each of you … with the hope that you, too, learn how to live your own life in the way that Al McGuire did while he was here.

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PS. FWIW, know as well that “Seashells and Balloons” was originally going to be the title of this blog.

After Dave Feschuk broke this story yesterday …

Bosh a deadbeat dad, lawsuit says

which is no mean feat in today’s dog-eat-dog world of conventional and unconventional media,

Michael Grange has now moved it along further …

Bosh made first move in court, lawyer says
Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh began legal proceedings in October to support his then-unborn daughter, according to a Dallas lawyer.

On Oct. 3, 2008, six weeks after he split with the baby’s mother, Allison Mathis, Bosh filed a petition in a Dallas court to begin arranging custody and financial support of the child. In the event Bosh and Mathis could not come to a written agreement, the petition asked the court “to make orders for support of the child” and “provide for appropriate access to the child for both parties.”

When subsequent testing confirmed his paternity, Bosh filed an amendment to his original petition on Jan. 30, again requesting an order to cover off care, custody and support for their daughter in the absence of a mutual agreement.

By then, Trinity Myers Bosh had been born.

According to Bosh’s lawyer, Larry Hance, the filings demonstrate the four-time NBA all-star had no intention of acting like a deadbeat dad, as he’s been portrayed by various media outlets since a Toronto newspaper first reported Tuesday that Mathis had filed suit against him in a Maryland court.

Rather, he has attempted to establish his parental rights and responsibilities, not run from them.

“The dispute is about what amount of money should that support be,” Hance said. “Should it be some amount that meets the needs of the child or should it be something more?

“I can say, from his position, he has been willing to pay a reasonable and generous amount to more than cover the needs of the child.”

“I just wanted to get everything sorted out, that’s all I can say,” Bosh said last night after the Raptors’ 115-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. “I took the initiative because I know how things are. I didn’t want any complications.”

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In the eyes of this corner, each remains a respected writer who just happens to cover the daily goings-on associated with the Toronto Raptors, while sharing his unique perspective with the readers of his column and/or blog.

From this vantage point, it’s important to acknowledge that there is more than one way to consume a specific meal and any number of different ways in which said meal can be prepared, in the first place.

What’s most important, perhaps, is that … at the end of the day … we’ve consumed a healthy balance of each of the different “food groups”, provided ourselves with the “nourishment” we need to see our way clear to another day, in this topsy-turvy world we all live in for a too short span of time, and learned the lessons of how exactly to … Live and Let Die.  

    vs    

At half-time of the currently in-progress Utah/Phoenix game, the Monster Mash just declared, on ESPN, that he is personally guaranteeing that King James will, in fact, Average A Triple Double [for an entire season], at some point during his NBA career … replicating one of the all-time great achievements in the History of the League, accomplished only 1 time, ever, by the one, the only Big O.

To which, not only Stuart Scott but, this corner as well, was simply forced to say the equivalent of, “Say What? Run that by me again?”

At which point, Monster Mash clearly and succinctly re-iterated his original claim, so there could be no mistaking it:

“I guarantee it.”

Now, while yours truly has always had a healthy amount of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. for a former Wild cat like Jamal – dating back to this very special game, right here, despite the losing outcome for his team - and is, in general, properly categorized as a PASS LINE player … contrary to popular belief in the minds of some Raptors fans … THAT specific claim is one which cannot go forth unchallenged, in perpetuity, by a symbolic representative of the Knights Templar of the NBA’s Roundtable, who understands the authentic magnitude of What Exactly Was Accomplished by Oscar Robertson, during that one Magical, Mystery Tour of a NBA season, in 1961-1962. 

It says, here & now, that …

Jamal Mashburn’s specific claim made this evening on live TV … will, in fact, NOT come to fruition during the course of Lebron James’ illustrious NBA career.

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In the spirit of True Sporting Excellence, however … Let us ALL truly hope that “time” eventually proves yours truly WRONG and the Monster Mash RIGHT on the $$$, in this case.

During the 3rd quarter of this evening’s Boston/ORLANDO game, Jeff Van Gundy, a real live former NBA head coach, and current TV Analyst, had the following to say, in response to a comment made by Mark Jackson [former NBA player], re: Tim Duncan being one of the all-time great Power Forwards in the history of the NBA:

“Tim Duncan hasn’t played a minute this season at the Power Forward position. Tim Duncan is a Center, in the NBA.” – JVG

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To which this corner’s only comment is:

THANK YOU, my brother.

[ ... from one Free Spirit to another!]

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Related:

Something Worth Writing About …  :-)

Just tuned in to this evening’s Boston/Orlando match-up …

Celtics 50, Magic 61 … at the 05:31 mark of the 3rd quarter

… and was absolutely shocked to see what was on the screen,

i.e. The Big Ticket, wearing a protective sleeve/brace on his injured right knee, limping, hobbling, basically immobile and, in general, dragging himself around the court, in a futile effort to propel the Celtics to a victory in this game.

After watching KG play on the weekend vs the Spurs … when he was not wearing this brace and was not hobbling and not hopping about in this way … this trained eye will say CATEGORICALLY that Kevin Garnett should NOT be allowed to play basketball right now, given the current state of his knee injury, as he is only doing further damage to himself and the Celtics’ long term hopes of repeating as NBA Champions this season.

Kevin Garnett is still injured … right now … and it’s amazing to these eyes that the Celtics are even allowing him to step on the court, at the present time, under these conditions.

Doc, Danny & Co. really NEED to get him off the court RIGHT NOW … if they  know what’s good for them and him, on a long term basis.

Kevin Garnett IS NOT MOVING PROPERLY.

Image means great deal to GM Colangelo
There’ve been rumblings all season that Bosh wants out. It’s not hard to fathom that, come the off-season, the Raptors will want Bosh out.

That’s not to say a trade’s afoot. But Colangelo has been a GM in a situation that wasn’t completely dissimilar a while back. In 2001 Jason Kidd, the Phoenix Suns’ best player, was arrested for assaulting his wife, which is not to compare the egregiousness of alleged domestic transgressions, only to suggest that a negative headline is a negative headline.

When Kidd was traded by Colangelo in the following off-season, he acknowledged that the arrest could have been a factor in the trade, and certainly it wouldn’t have been the only factor. But perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence that another Sun who brought the franchise into disrepute that year, Cliff Robinson, who was charged with marijuana possession and driving under the influence, was also shipped out in the off-season.

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This entry is what appeared in this corner of the blogosphere on Wed, April 30, 2008:

Of scorpions, frogs, GMs & coaches

It’s suggested here & now that you take the time to read it again carefully and click on each of the separate links contained therein.

The FACT IS … Sam Mitchell was eventually relieved of his duties, as head coach for the Toronto Raptors, on Dec 3, 2009, 17 games into the current season, the first day that the team’s W-L record slipped below the .500 mark [8-9]. 

As Jeff Van Gundy stated succinctly, on Sunday, April 27, 2008, and yours truly happens to believe whole-heartedly, in this world,

“You are who you are.”

… something which is illustrated precisely in the ancient parable of The Scorpion and The Frog, in conjunction, perhaps, with the well-known idiom that states, “The Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

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As Mr. Feschuk’s article concludes, neither of the following two eventualities should now come as a surprise to astute observers of both the NBA and human nature.

“Trading all-stars for value is tricky, mind you (see: Carter, Vince). [OUTCOME #1] Surely this eventually blows over and Bosh makes it right. And maybe next season brings a fresh start with some new teammates, a new first-round draft pick, a clean slate. Or maybe [OUTCOME #2] Colangelo, surveying his club’s prospects and the way it’s perceived, recognizes it’s high time for somebody else to make an image-conscious exit, and pronto.”

Related:

Just when you thought this season couldn’t possibly get any worse, as a Raptors fan

Time to Rise and Shine

Suns’ Robinson arrested on DUI charge

Kidd pleads guilty to spousal abuse

History of the Phoenix Suns