By Paul Gotham
‘Skywalker’ to Present MJ
This Friday, when Michael Jordan takes his rightful place in the NBA Hall of Fame, David Thompson will present his Airness. Jordan’s decision to choose Thompson might raise a few eyebrows. After all, one would expect Dean Smith, Phil Jackson, or maybe even James Worthy to do the honors. Instead, MJ went with the North Carolina State star he emulated as a boy.
Thompson’s shot in double overtime helped the Wolfpack end the seven-year reign of the UCLA Bruins and propelled NC State to its first national title in 1974. ‘Skywalker’ won back-to-back AP Player-Of The Year awards along with the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award. Over a nine-year career in the NBA, Thompson averaged 22 ppg.
David Robinson, Jerry Sloan, and John Stockton will also get their spots in Springfield this weekend.
Memphis Gets ‘The Answer’
We can leave all the tweets behind. Allen Iverson has agreed to terms with the Memphis Grizzlies. Bar-b-que, Beale Street, Blues, and AI – we’ll see how that goes over in west Tennessee.
The deal is for $3.5 million, but incentives are there to be had. It will be interesting to see how this plays out considering Michael Conley and OJ Mayo played considerable time in the Memphis backcourt last season. Memphis coach, Lionel Hollins, will be left to construct a feasible substitution pattern.
Iverson joins a Memphis team that boasts 11 players on its roster with three years or less of NBA experience. Only Steven Hunter (7), Marko Jaric (7), and Zach Randolph (8) have more than three seasons in the league.
Iverson expended considerable energy over the past month communicating his status through Twitter.
Hey Charlie: Do My Job!
Props to the Milwaukee Bucks’ Charlie Bell who took on the Discovery Channel’s – “Do My Job” idea. Check out Bell as he farms, works as a mailman, does his time as a Wendy’s manager, and a couple other tasks.
Scab Refs?
NBA.com reported that talks between the league and its officials broke down. The current contract ended September 1. Replacement officials were last used during 1995-96.
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