Tag: the NBA

Hard-to-forget Shaq honored with 900-pound statue at LSU

Former Cole High School standout Shaquille O’Neal will go down in history as the most illustrious product of a San Antonio high school to play in the NBA.

And he’ll be remembered at his old college of LSU as well, after a 900-pound statue for O’Neal was unveiled outside the Tigers’ basketball practice facility.

The 900-pound statue — roughly about three times O’Neal’s weight during the peak of his athletic career — was paid for by $70,000 in private donations.

O’Neal seemed .

“I’m honored and humbled,” O’Neal told reporters in Baton Rouge. “There are a lot of great players that came through this university — greater than me. Pistol Pete (Maravich). Bob Pettit. Stanley Roberts, guys like that. So I’m just honored that they chose me to build a statue of. I had no idea it was that big because (LSU) Coach (Trent) Johnson sent me the email pictures and I thought it was going to be some little thing. I think it’s beautiful. It’s fabulous.”

The statue shows O’Neal in a rim-rattling dunk that was his trademark during his career, showing off his power and strength. O’Neal never led LSU past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament during his career with the Tigers, but he averaged 22 points and 14 rebounds as one of the most  dominant players in college basketball history.

While at the school, O’Neal said that leaving college after his junior season was a difficult decision.

“When I had to call Coach (Dale) Brown and tell him I didn’t think I wanted to come back that was one of the hardest days of my life,” O’Neal said. “There will be no more Tiger Town, no more sports on Thursday, no more football games, no more tailgating, no more crawfish. There would be no more fun. Now I’ve got to go to work.”

Since then, O’Neal has earned a degree from LSU and now plans to return for his doctorate after his retirement from the NBA earlier this year. He’ll always be a memorable player for the Tigers.

The larger-than-life statue only guarantees it.

How about another round in the NBA Draft?

I guess we can never get enough of the excitement that marks an NBA Draft night.

Especially with all of the tension that marks those late rounds. 

Despite my facetiousness, the NBA apparently is considering adding another round in the draft.

Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops.com reports that ownersto the draft, adding a third round for the first time since 1988. And the players have countered with a plan that they believe would add for more  competitive balance by altering how the draft is conducted.

Several proposals are being considered that would give losing teams an immediate boost in the draft.

One plan would give the teams with the worst 15 records two picks in the first round. The bottom 15 teams would pick No. 1 through No. 15 and then No. 16 through 30. The 16th best team would then begin a run in the second round that would continue from No. 31 through No. 45 and then begin picking again.

Another idea  would provide the teams with the league’s eight worst records an additional first-round draft pick beginning with the 22nd selection in the first round. The league’s top eight records would not have a first-round draft pick, but instead would pick at the start of the second round (No. 31 through No. 38) and they would also get the final eight picks of the second round.

Adding a third round won’t necessarily bring a lot of talent into the league. Among the league’s rookie class in recent seasons, about 60 percent have been first-round picks, 20 percent from the second round and about 20 percent have been undrafted. So there really isn’t that much talent that falls through the cracks.

One example would be Gary Neal, who was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Spurs after a stellar performance at the summer camps in Las Vegas last summer. But stories like Neal are relatively rare. The NBA teams don’t miss out very often when it comes to drafting players.  

Most likely, the players who would be picked in the third round likely would be stashed in the Developmental League or in Europe to get ready for an NBA career later.

The idea of giving bonus picks for the worst teams is interesting. And it would help them improve some.

Many of those losing teams have been consistent losers who have struggled drafting in the past. Giving them another late first-round pick  won’t necessarily improve their lot by a quantam leap.

But expect other similar proposals to be bounced between the players and owners as the negotiations continue.

It’s a sign of strong discussion if such plans are being bandied about.

Maybe we might be getting close  to a settlement when we start hearing about plans like this to improve NBA institutions like the draft.

Pop should be pleased with Spurs’ two Impact League players

Gregg Popovich likely couldn’t be happier about his two players who will develop this week in the Impact League in Las Vegas.

Both James Anderson and Kawhi Leonard have big upside during their professional careers. And both will be an integral part of the Spurs team next season after the lockout ends.

With the inactivity surrounding the NBA during the lockout, the chance for any development for young players is critical. Particularly so for Anderson and Leonard, who will be beginning this week.

Anderson looked to have made a big start for the Spurs last season before sustaining a stress fracture in his right foot. The team erupted on a fast start while he was out of the lineup. By the time he returned, his place in the rotation had been snapped up by others.

But Anderson is a critical part of this team and could legitimately challenge for playing time if he reports to training camp ready to play. The Las Vegas action will help him.

Leonard needs much work against top competition. The Spurs love his athleticism and competitive zeal, but he needs to play against the very best to accurately gauge how he much he will be able to help the team this season.

There’s a chance that the Impact League games will be streamed. If they are, bet a lot of laptops on Spurs Lane will be glued to the action for a glimpse of Leonard and Anderson.

Their performance will be vital as they prepare for the upcoming season — whenever it starts.