The Halfcourt Trap 4/30
Posted by hatvol
April 30th, 2008
The Halfcourt Trap Vol. I, No. 38
With visions of trifectas and mint juleps dancing in my head, here are the basketball topics holding my interest this week.
1. A Pioneer Passes Away. Will Robinson was the man who persuaded the Detroit Pistons to draft Dennis Rodman and Joe Dumars. That alone would give one an esteemed basketball legacy. However, it ranks a distance second to the fact that Mr. Robinson was the first African American head coach at the D-I level. Basketball lost a great ambassador and a superb gentleman with his recent passing.
2. What Might Have Been. Randy Livingston retired this weekend. It probably didn’t even make the news and notes or transactions sections of your local sports section. Livingston was a heralded a high school player as the early ’90s produced. Several knee injuries robbed him of his explosiveness and he never achieved the greatness expected of him. He did, however, forge a solid career in basketball’s minor leagues and became a wonderful mentor for younger players. He never allowed what would have been justified bitterness or self pity to overwhelm him. Livingston has stated that he plans to enter coaching. Here’s hoping his good fortune in that profession matches the awful luck he encountered as a player.
3. Desert Eclipse. The joyride in Phoenix is over. Defensive averse, shoot ‘em up basketball has again been proven to be a sure recipe for failure. Now, it will be intriguing to see how Steve Kerr retools his club in an attempt to remain competitive.
4. Cuban Maverick Crisis. Less than two years after holding a 2-0 series lead and a 14 point lead with 5 minutes to go in Game 3, Avery Johnson is unemployed. Dallas owner/megalomaniac Mark Cuban has said he needs to find a coach who can deliver Dallas a championship. CBS gadfly Gregg Doyel has stated that Rick Pitino will be a candidate for the position. Can Cuban really be that detatched from reality?
5. In The Year 2010. Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie is putting together a monster recruiting class for ‘10. It is just another example of the rising stakes of competition in the SEC East. Good luck, Darrin Horn. You’ll need it.
6. Hello, Larry. To the surprise only of people who have been dwelling in caves for three decades, Larry Brown is back on the NBA sidelines. Job #9 is in Charlotte, the city where his coaching career began and his 100+ year old mother resides. I’ll predict this will turn out to be a fabulous final chapter for arguably the best pure basketball coach of all time.
Until next week, stay classy, Volnation.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:57 am
Are we witnessing the full-fledged return of KY basketball? I have spent some time lurking on their boards and there is no doubt that they’re believers. But I’ve also seen rumblings that BCG isnt very happy there, so what’s the scoop?
May 1st, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Mark Cuban is going to realize that finding a chmapionship caliber guy to coach in the NBA is much harder that he thinks it is. It doesn’t help the Mavericks come playoff time that the American Airlines Center is an extremely week atmosphere. You’d likely see more people stadning in a symphony performance than in a Dallas Mavericks playoff game.