Posts Tagged ‘Bernard King’

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Melo’s Mission Seems More Than Scoring Title

April 12, 2013  ·  10:03AM

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HANG TIME SOUTHWEST — This is a story of a great scorer scoring, but for Carmelo Anthony, is his recent tear about something bigger?

Before celebrating the pageantry of Anthony’s scoring spree, look where else ‘Melo is scoring big points. Averaging a rather ordinary 6.8 rebounds a game for the season, Anthony pulled down 19 Thursday night. In his last eight games, he’s also delivered rebounding totals of 14, 12, 10 and 11. He’s grabbed 81 total in those eight games and 31 — nearly 40 percent — have kept Knicks possessions alive.

Rebounding is work and Anthony’s bringing his hard hat as the New York Knicks’ impressive stretch run bears down on the East’s No. 2 seed. Anthony’s all-around efforts have to be considered an encouraging, belief-cementing sign for the Knicks organization. It shows toughness and commitment. Recently back from a knee injury, he’s sacrificing his body. He’s all in, and, if appearances can be trusted, he is ascending as the leader of a tough, even headstrong, veteran team.

One which — notwithstanding Thursday’s overtime streak-buster by the ornery Bulls — looks every bit capable of advancing to the conference finals to face that familiar bunch down south …

… And now back to the pageantry of Anthony’s scoring spree. Whew!: 39.8 ppg over his last six. He’d never gone better than 30 points in three straight games in a Knicks uniform. And 30-in-six matches his best ever in 7 1/2 seasons in Denver, done twice in Nov. 2006, amazingly in a span of 13 games. In the seventh game he scored 29.

Scoring strings of 50, 40, 41, 36, 36 and 36 just don’t fall from the sky.

Appropriately during the same week Bernard King made it into the Hall of Fame, Anthony’s blowing up scoreboards. Volume shooting, you ask? Well, sure, except until Thursday’s 13-for-34 for 36, Anthony’s recent accuracy on his 27.5 shots a game has been more King than typical Carmelo, 56.4 percent, including 51.1 percent beyond the arc.

Anthony’s six-game scoring blitz has been so swift and stunning that a few days ago it zipped him past Kevin Durant, the three-time scoring champ, to lead the league and has him positioned to prevent the young Thunder superstar from a fourth consecutive trophy in his first six seasons. Melo, somewhat surprisingly 10 years in and never averaging fewer than 20 points in a single season, would win his first.

Anthony increased his lead after Thursday’s games by one-tenth of a point, raising his season average to 28.7 ppg. Durant, who scored 31 (10-for-16 FGs, 2-for-3 on 3s and 9-for-10 from the free throw line) in a win at Golden State, is holding steady 28.3 ppg. Durant has three games left; Anthony has four.

In his highest-scoring season (2006-07), Anthony averaged 28.9 ppg. Kobe Bryant won the scoring title at 31.6 ppg for the 42-40 Lakers under Phil Jackson.

Anthony’s overall field-goal percentage is steady with his 45.6 career mark. It’s his 3-point shooting that’s taken off. During his six-game explosion, Anthony is 17-for-33 (55.1 percent) from deep, and that includes 0-for-4 Thursday night. His season percentage is a robust 38.4, a five-point spike on his 33.4 career percentage and last season’s 33.5.

It’s been good enough for a charge at the scoring title. But, then, scoring has never been an issue with Anthony.

Forever hanging over New York’s 28-year-old native son as a new and hopeful postseason beckons, is if this season — starting with praise for newfound alertness to defense and finishing with an offensive assault — is ready to join the league’s few heavyweight superstars capable of putting their team, and the pressure of the postseason, on their backs.

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Payton, King, Others Elected To Hall

April 8, 2013  ·  12:06PM

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Former scoring star Bernard King and coaches Jerry Tarkanian and Guy Lewis have been elected to the Hall of Fame after long waits as the Springfield, Mass., basketball museum continued its stated mission of new chances for candidates that have been overlooked in the past. Those three, along with expected inductee Gary Payton and active coach Rick Pitino, headline the Class of 2013.

Maurice Cheeks, Tim Hardaway, Spencer Haywood, Tom Heinsohn (as a coach, after previously making it as a player) and Mitch Richmond failed to receive at least 18 votes from 24 anonymous panelists from around the NBA and college game that decide the finalists from the North American committee.

In the other results announced Monday in Atlanta as part of the Final Four, North Carolina women’s coach Sylvia Hatchell and former star guard Dawn Staley were elected via the Women’s committee. They were the only finalists.

The just-announced inductees will be enshrined Sept. 8 in Springfield with the winners announced in February from other categories: Roger Brown (ABA), Edwin B. Henderson (Early African American Pioneers), Oscar Schmidt (International), Richard Guerin (Veterans) and Russ Granik (Contributor).

King’s election comes 20 years after his retirement, while Lewis, who coached 29 future NBA players at the University of Houston, left the sideline in 1986. Tarkanian last coached in 2002. Tarkanian, best known for his college work but also the coach of the Spurs for 20 games at the start of 1992-93, has been on the ballot so many times that he was removed for a lack of support before becoming eligible again this voting cycle.

Payton was the closest thing to a first-ballot automatic since Karl Malone and Scottie Pippen in 2010, an impossible candidate to deny after Dennis Rodman and then Reggie Miller both failed to make the finalist’s list their first year of eligibility but then went all the way to induction in the second. Being chosen for the All-Star game nine times and voted first-team All-Defense nine teams meant Payton would get no such rookie hazing.

The announcement of Pitino’s election came hours before his team, Louisville, will play for the national championship a few miles away in Atlanta. The former coach of the Knicks and Celtics is the only person to take three different schools to the men’s Final Four.
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Griner Wouldn’t Be Longest Draft Reach

April 4, 2013  ·  2:57PM

HANG TIME, Texas – Never underestimate Mark Cuban’s knack for attracting attention. And who could blame him if the idea was to draw it away from his underperforming team that is ironically keeping a team of barbers on hold at the same time they’re about to cut off their string of consecutive playoff appearances at 12 years?

Should the Mavericks draft Brittney Griner?

Let cranky Geno Auriemma be outraged and throw bricks. Let former greats of the women’s game Nancy Lieberman and Ann Meyers Drysdale offer their words encouragement to the Baylor star. Let Griner give even the most outrageous hope and dreams to any little girl who has ever dribbled a basketball.

Let’s face it. The Mavs selecting Griner wouldn’t be the first unusual pick in the history of the NBA draft. And before you snicker, remember that somebody took Pervis Ellison, Greg Oden, Kwame Brown and Michael Olowokandi No. 1. Here’s a reminder of a few others off-beat choices down through the years:

JIM BROWN (Syracuse Nationals, 1957 ) – The Nats didn’t have to reach outside the city limits to take a flyer on the guy who would become perhaps the greatest player in NFL history. Brown played four college sports — football, basketball, lacrosse and track — at Syracuse. He even averaged 15 points a game for the basketball team in his sophomore year. But even though there was little doubt that Brown was bound for a career on the gridiron, the Nats made him a ninth-round pick.

Other notables in draft: “Hot Rod” Hundley (No. 1 overall by Cincinnati, traded to Minneapolis); Sam Jones (No. 8 by Boston).

FRANK HOWARD (Philadelphia Warriors, 1958) – It wasn’t just his physical stature at 6-foot-8, 275 pounds that caught the attention of the Warriors in the third round. He could really play and was an All-American in basketball at Ohio State. But baseball was Howard’s first love and he signed with the Dodgers and had a 15-year career in the majors, hitting 382 home runs with 1,119 RBIs.

Other notables in the draft: Elgin Baylor (No. 1 overall by Minneapolis); Hal Greer (No. 13 by Syracuse).

BUBBA SMITH (Baltimore Bullets, 1967) — Long before he became known for playing the role of Moses Hightower in the Police Academy movies and starring in Miller Lite commercials, the 6-foot-7 Smith was an All-American defensive end at Michigan State. His height attracted the attention of the Bullets in the 11th round of the NBA draft, but Smith was the No. 1 overall pick of the NFL Colts and a champion in Super Bowl V.

Other notables in the draft: Earl Monroe (No. 2 overall by Baltimore); Walt Frazier (No. 5 by New York).

BOB BEAMON (Phoenix Suns, 1969) – Who could blame the Suns for taking a flying leap? After all, they were coming off a 16-66 record in their expansion season in the league and Beamon had just shattered the world long jump record by more than a foot at the Mexico City Olympics. Beamon had grown up playing street ball in New York, but was strictly a track and field athlete in college at Texas-El Paso. The Suns picked him in the 15th round of the draft, but he went back to school and graduated with a sociology degree from Adelphi University.

DENISE LONG (San Francisco Warriors, 1969) — The 18 year old out of Union-Whitten High in Iowa was the first woman ever drafted in the NBA, taken in the 13th round. She had averaged 69.6 points and had a single game high of 111 points in her senior year. NBA commissioner Walter Kennedy voided the pick, calling it a publicity stunt by Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli and also noted that high school players weren’t eligible at the time. Mieuli brought Long and other female players in to play before Warriors home games.

Other notables in the draft: Lew Alcindor (No. 1 overall by Milwaukee); JoJo White (No. 9 by Boston); Mack Calvin (187th by L.A. Lakers).

DAVE WINFIELD (Atlanta Hawks, 1973) – It wasn’t just the Hawks who were trying to get their talons on one of the greatest all-around college athletes ever with their fifth-round pick. He was also drafted by the Utah Stars of the ABA and the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL, but went to baseball when the San Diego Padres chose him as a pitcher. In college at Minnesota, Bill Musselman once called him the best rebounder he ever coached. But Winfield did quite well in baseball, a 12-time All-Star with 465 career homers.

Other notables in the draft: Doug Collins (No. 1 overall by Philadelphia); Kermit Washington (No. 5 by L.A. Lakers).

BRUCE JENNER (Kansas City Kings, 1977) — Before face lifts and the Kardashians, there was a time when Jenner was known as the “world’s greatest athlete” after taking the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and the Kings made him a seventh-round draft pick. He never played in college and the closest Jenner ever got to basketball stardom was when he sank a shot during the singing of YMCA in the 1980 movie Can’t Stop the Music, which starred the Village People.

LUSIA HARRIS (New Orleans Jazz, 1977) – Here’s the real forerunner to Griner. A 6-foot-3 pioneer of the women’s game who led Delta State to three consecutive national titles, Harris was the second female ever drafted by an NBA team when the Jazz made her a seventh-round pick. Just imagine the show if she had been given a chance to team up with Pete Maravich in the backcourt. Harris showed little interest in her selection and declined a tryout invitation from the Jazz. It was later revealed that she was pregnant at the time.

Other notables in the draft: Bernard King (No. 7 overall by New York Nets); Jack Sikma (No. 8 by Seattle).

TONY GWYNN (San Diego Clippers, 1981) — After he set the San Diego State assist records for a game, season and career, he was hardly a reach for the Clippers in the 10th round of the draft. Gwynn said that dribbling strengthened his wrists and helped with bat speed and his on-court quickness made him a better base-runner. It all added up to a Hall of Fame baseball career with 3,141 hits and eight N.L. batting titles.

YASUTAKA OKAYAMA (Golden State Warriors, 1981) — Tallest player ever drafted by an NBA team? Not Yao Ming or Gheorge Muresan or Manute Bol. Try Okayama, who was 7-foot-8. He earned a second degree black belt in judo in his native Japan and began playing basketball at age 18 at Osaka University of Commerce. Okayama attended the University of Portland (Ore.), but did not play there. He was a member of the Japanese national team from 1979 to 1986. He never signed with the Warriors or attended a camp.

Other notables in the draft: Mark Aguirre (No. 1 overall by Dallas); Isiah Thomas (No. 2 by Detroit).

CARL LEWIS (Chicago Bulls, 1984) — It might have been the year when Michael Jordan earned his first gold medal, but Lewis was definitely the biggest star of the L.A. Olympics, tying Jesse Owens’ record of four track and field gold medals. Though he never played basketball in high school or college, a West Coast scout recommended drafting Lewis in the 10th round because he was “the best athlete available.” That same year the Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the 12th round as a wide receiver. Lewis stayed with sprinting and the long jump to become arguably the greatest track and field athlete ever.

Other notables in the draft: Hakeem Olajuwon (No. 1 overall by Houston); Michael Jordan (No. 3 by Chicago); Charles Barkley (No. 5 by Philadelphia); John Stockton (No. 16 by Utah).

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Bernard King May Get Long Overdue Day

February 15, 2013  ·  5:30PM

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HOUSTON – Sometimes the announcement of Hall of Fame candidates is routine. Sometimes there are surprises.

Then along comes a day like Friday when the voters for the Hall have a chance to right a wrong, correct an omission.

Two decades after Bernard King finally stopped terrorizing defenses as one of the greatest 1-on-1 scorers of all-time, the former great was named among the finalists for the North American committee.

It was a day and a step forward that many current Hall of Fame members said was long overdue.

“Bernard King. Bernard King. Bernard King,” said Dominique Wilkins. “I’ve been saying that for years. Bernard King. There should be no debate about it. Bernard King should be in the Hall of Fame.

“I don’t understand why he isn’t there yet. I tell you, I never feared anybody that I ever played against, but I lived in fear of him. The guy was a machine. You could not guard him 1-on-1. You can ask any of the greats of that era. You could not guard him 1-on-1. It was impossible.”

King averaged 22.5 points per game and shot .518 from the field over a 16-year NBA career. The 6-foot-7 small forward set a Nets rookie scoring record, was an All-NBA first teamer in 1984 and 1985 and led the league in scoring (32.5) in 1985.

In 1984 King gave one of the greatest Christmas Day performance ever, playing for the Knicks he scored 60 points, including 40 in the first half.

But somehow King has managed to get lost in the mist of time and slipped through the cracks of the Hall of Fame for the 15 years that he’s been eligible for induction in the Hall.

“Bernard King,” said Bob McAdoo. “I always said that I couldn’t figure that out. I would scratch my head. I’m glad he finally got nominated and now I hope he gets in. Man, Bernard King, he was the truth.

“I don’t know he’s not in already. That’s how it is, I guess. I have people that tell me all the time they don’t understand why I wasn’t (voted) in the top 50 in 1997). When they research they find I was the only MVP and only scoring champ that didn’t make it.

“It seems that sometimes are overlooked. I think that’s what happened. Man, Bernard King was the truth.”

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Hall of Fame Debate: Most Deserving

January 15, 2013  ·  1:39PM

The updated rankings, following last week’s release of the nominees for the Class of 2013 in Springfield, Mass., includes one stretch and one asterisk pick, but the premise is the same as the standings from last April in the wake of the election for the Class of 2012: The order of most deserving among candidates on the ballot with NBA or ABA ties.

The fine print is important. This list does not weigh cases from the amateur and women’s game or most from the International, Early African-American Pioneers and Veterans categories. It’s NBA and ABA. And, it’s people under consideration by voters, not anyone deserving of induction. Gregg Popovich and David Stern, among others, have made it clear they do not yet want to be nominated, just as Jerry Sloan held out for years before finally agreeing in 2009 to undergo the discomfort of friends and peers saying nice things about him.

There is obviously a new No. 1 that creates a domino effect, now that Gary Payton is under consideration, and also alterations lower on the list after the inclusion of other new and renewed nominees or simply a change of thinking. Plus, Mark Jackson is off the Hall ballot after failing to get a single vote from nine panelists in three consecutive years. (Jackson was always a long shot for enshrinement – consistently good, never great – but No. 3 on the career assist list has to at least get someone away from 0 for 27.)

The outcome of the first round of voting for the North American committee, which handles most nominees with an NBA background, will be announced at All-Star weekend, with the survivors then advancing to a final layer of balloting before inductees are revealed at the Final Four. Candidates via the ABA committee face a single ballot before a maximum of one winner is named at All-Star.

1. Payton, North American committee: The Glove was selected first-team All-Defense by coaches nine consecutive times in the 1990s and 2000s, All-NBA twice and Defensive Player of the Year once as chosen by the media, and part of two Olympic golds and one NBA championship. The anonymous Hall voters have been hard lately on first-ballot nominees – Dennis Rodman went from not making finalist in 2010 all the way to being elected in ’11 and Reggie Miller had the same bounce back from 2011 to ’12 – but giving Payton the same rookie hazing would generate the largest outcry yet.

2. Bernard King, North American: He averaged 22.5 points despite two serious knee injuries, finished better than 20 a game in 11 different seasons and was also a scoring star at Tennessee, an important consideration in a process where college achievements count. King was first-team All-NBA only twice and second-team once, but he played at the same time Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and Dominique Wilkins were working forwards. (more…)

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An Early Look At The Hall Class of 2013

September 8, 2012  ·  12:00PM

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Hall of Fame voters are big on patience. That much is apparent regarding the few details known about the secret panels that rule on enshrinement, a notion increasingly clear with the Class of 2012 that included Reggie Miller being inducted after not even making it to the finalist stage the year before, the same circuitous route Dennis Rodman took in 2011, and Don Nelson, Jamaal Wilkes and Ralph Sampson making it after lengthy waits.

This bodes well for the many in line. Hall chairman Jerry Colangelo has made reversing past oversights a priority, the ABA and the Early African-American Pioneers committees have been added to guarantee election for at least two candidates away from the game for decades, and the group that was celebrated Friday night was all about the waiting.

The continued relevance of the trend heading toward the Class of 2013 is the expectation that Gary Payton will be the only virtual first-ballot lock among players with strong NBA ties. That’s a lot of opportunity to fill out a field. Although there is no set number of inductees required annually, voters in the North American Committee could easily see the lack of superstars among new nominees as the latest chance to address the past.

I did a Most Deserving Candidates list in April, after the Class of 2012 was announced. The rankings will change early in the regular season, after the 2013 nominations are announced, with Payton likely the new No. 1 and other tweaks expected after further consideration, but the short version for now:

1. Bernard King, North American Committee.

2. Jerry Krause, Contributor.

3. Mark Jackson, North American.

4. Tim Hardaway, North American.

5. Bobby Jones, ABA.

6. Mitch Richmond, North American.

7. Maurice Cheeks, North American.

8. George McGinnis, ABA.

9. Rick Pitino, North American.

10. Slick Leonard, ABA.

Also considered: Vlade Divac (International), Bill Fitch (North American), Dick Motta (North American), Ron Boone (ABA), Rudy Tomjanovich (North American).

Again, those are the candidates with NBA connections, and an ABA nominee is definitely going in through a direct election, without the same layered screening process as others in the general North American field. It is also possible that nominees from the college game will have a strong presence and cost NBAers support.

But based on the last two years, based on the push by Colangelo, and certainly based on Friday night at Symphony Hall, patience has an important place in the voting. The early indication, with no surge of several automatics appearing to be on the way, is that will be true again in 2013.

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Great Games On NBA TV This Week

July 30, 2012  ·  9:46AM

HANG TIME NEW JERSEY – If you need to take a break from watching the Olympics, NBA TV has got your back.

As the U.S. Team is beating up on Tunisia and Nigeria, NBA TV will be televising a bunch of classic games, from the past and from this past season, this week. So set the TiVo or DVR or just watch to see some hoops at its best.

First on Monday, we’ve got four big scoring nights from the 80s, featuring God disguised as Michael Jordan. Then, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, it’s the top 10 games of the 2011-12 season, featuring Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin, Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo, and Game 4 of The Finals.

Here’s the schedule… (more…)

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Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2012

April 2, 2012  ·  1:58PM





Former Pacers scoring star Reggie Miller and Don Nelson, the winningest coach in league history, headline the Hall of Fame Class of 2012 announced Monday in New Orleans in the basketball museum’s latest attempt to address previous oversights.

While Miller’s selection was not a surprise, he did go from not being a finalist in 2011 all the way to election this time. Nelson went from finalist to missing the cut in ’11.

Jamaal Wilkes made it to Springfield, Mass., some 26 years after he retired. Ralph Sampson, elected largely on the strength of a dominating college career at Virginia, last played in 1992.

Hank Nichols, a long-time college and international referee, also made it via the North American Committee.

Maurice Cheeks, Bill Fitch, Bernard King, Dick Motta and Rick Pitino fell short of the required 18 votes from a secret panel of 24 voters comprised of members of the media, NBA and college game.

Katrina McClain, a former star at Georgia and two-time Olympic gold medalist, and the All American Red Heads, a barnstorming team from 1936 to 1986, were elected by the Women’s Committee.

Mel Daniels (ABA), Don Barksdale (Early African American Pioneers), Lidia Alexeeva (International), Chet Walker (Veterans) and Phil Knight (Contributor) were announced in February as inductees.

Enshrinement ceremonies are Sept. 7 in Springfield.

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Hall of Fame Invites New Inductees

February 24, 2012  ·  1:22PM

 

ORLANDO – Former Pacer big man Mel Daniels was among five people elected to the Hall of Fame in results announced Friday as part of a new format designed to generate more recognition for some inductees before the biggest names, the NBA representatives, are revealed at the Final Four.

Previously, the Hall used All-Star weekend to release the list of finalists in every category, before those candidates are reviewed by another committee as the last step to induction in Springfield, Mass. Now, the winners from the five classifications that don’t require that last step as part of a direct-elect process will be announced as part of All-Star weekend, along with finalists from the North American and Women’s field.

The inductees: Daniels (ABA), Don Barksdale (Early African-American Pioneers), Lidia Alexeeva (International), former Bulls standout Chet Walker (Veterans) and Nike chairman Phil Knight (Contributor).

Also, Magic executive Pat Williams was named winner of the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, and long-time Bulls writer Sam Smith (print) and former Trail Blazers broadcaster Bill Schonley (electronic) will receive the Curt Gowdy Media Awards.
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No Supe For Celtics, Knicks

February 1, 2012  ·  12:42PM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – The Celtics and Knicks might be wondering if anyone in Boston and New York is noticing them. Then again, it’s probably best they don’t.

With those two cities currently hypnotized by the Super Bowl — Patriots vs. Giants, in case you’re living in a vortex — the basketball teams are wallowing in their misery somewhat quietly. All of New England is riveted on Tom Brady and Wes Welker and Vince Wilfork and Bill Belichick. Most of New York (the non-Jets fans anyway) is in a lather over Eli Manning and Justin Tuck and Tom Coughlin. Boston is going completely Gronkers over Rob Gronkowski (how’s the ankle?) while New York is busy doing the salsa in honor of Victor Cruz.

The Knicks? The Celtics? Are those guys playing?

Well, yes. And not too wonderfully. These two have another five days to get it together before the home fans awaken from their football hangover and take notice of what’s going on at the Gardens, TD and Madison Square. Carmelo Anthony, now back from a mini-break to hear wounds (the physical ones, not the psychological), needs to somehow rally the troops. Meanwhile, the Celtics await a full and healthy return by Rajon Rondo to make a pre-All Star Game push to respectability.

Strangely, both of these veteran teams are looking up at the young Sixers in the Atlantic Division. And that must be a weird feeling. The Sixers don’t have a single star player, and couldn’t get beyond the first round of the playoffs last spring, and can’t pack the house despite their record, and they’re still holding pole position in the division. That’s pretty humbling for the Celtics (10-10) and Knicks (8-13), who figured to be battling each other for those honors.

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