Category: Opinions

Opinions column. Views expressed are those specifically of the author and do not represent our (BeerCityHoops) company, mission, values or employees.

BeerCityHoops-Green:White:Gold

Merry Christmas & Best Swishes to you!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

The BeerCityHoops Players Association sends our best holiday swishes to each and every hooper that has been a part of our journey throughout the years.

We hope you’ll take the time to wad up the gift wrap, make sure the tallest gift box is open at the top & teach those tiny little relatives about “Phi Slamma Pajama“, “A Kobe Christmas“, or “TinseLinsanity“.

Here are our Keys to a Holiday Victory:

  • Don’t you dare park your car under the basketball hoop.
  • Make sure you’re open to playing defense.
  • Keep the “3-seconds” rule in politics and religion.
  • Take a charge/block to stop the pets from getting out.
  • Rebound from whatever happened yesterday.
  • Pass the potatoes to the open receiver.
  • Pick and/or Roll one up to slow the game down.
  • Pop out to the garage fridge & get a soda for grandma.
  • Never make a trade demand. It’s the Santa Clause.
  • Don’t hesitate, take your shot! (If proposing at the function…)
  • Always walk the handshake line before you leave.

 

We hope you’ll take these suggestions to heart as you head out to Holiday Happenings this season.

Stay tuned for more a big announcement about the League in the coming days.

 

Any questions?

 

 

 

Thoughts from the Dirty Water: Covid-19 #StayAtHome in Michigan

Did we ever really understand what was going on around here in the first place?

Seriously.

Not much unlike the NFL draft, most of this can be done online.

What were we before that “one time we did that one thing” in sports, politics, family, friendships and everyday life?

We, as a United people of these American States (I’m not sure anything else fits the current status quo), won’t (not can’t, WON’T) find an even ground to plant our feet and solidify enough commonalities in our lives to put aside whatever political differences we have and make a concerted effort to “give of ourselves” to the future generations that may or may not exist only due to the choices we humans are making today.

Healthcare and Hospital workers (Nurses, Doctors, Admin, Orderlies, Technicians, Therapists, Social Workers, Trainers, Cashiers, Valets, Maintenance, IT, etc.) deserve the utmost respect and gratitude for CONTINUALLY putting their lives at risk every day, far before the Covid-19 pandemic. If you can’t find money to buy these folks a meal right now, start putting ONE QUARTER (that’s 25 cents) of your spending change into a HERO FUND to give away near the HOLIDAYS. 24 weeks at $2.50 equals a $60 gift card for your favorite HERO!

Gone out to SHIP anything? That means “sending mail, packages or gifts” to friends, family or customers…and also “RETURNS to amazon or zappos“. Retail cashiers are near the lowest paid industry and deserve a $5/per transaction tip. They’ve lost hours, had to wear masks & gloves, continually clean and disinfect the stores they work in. They WEAR THE STUFF YOU SHOULD BE WEARING IN PUBLIC! SO, HAND OUT SOME CASH if you’re “just returning this pair of shoes that don’t fit”. Is returning product really essential? To paraphrase the Governor, “food or life-saving items only”. You’re overzealous Zappos order does not comply! #StayHome They don’t want you there, the business owner does. But, the owners haven’t provided the “mandated necessary equipment to open”, the Managers and Staff have. TIP THE STAFF!!!! Or #StayHomeMichigan. 

“But, Hoops, groceries!”

And now we can tackle the grocery store. Not much unlike the NFL draft, most of this can be done online. Except for the pickup of prescriptions, which you can have delivered, why are you even AT the store? Restaurant servers out of work because of the VIRUS are finding work doing grocery and other deliveries but don’t have the clout (bottom of the list/ small orders) on the seniority and customer preferred list of shoppers hired months before them. So, yes, GO order and buy meals and gift cards from your local restaurants, but please don’t forget about the staff that the CAN NOT keep on payroll right now. WE RECOMMEND 50% TIPS AT YOUR LOCAL TAKEOUT! 

Tangent:

And while we’re at it, why can’t 2K Sports and the NBA work out a deal to get CAREER MODE for the @WNBA on 2k20 via an upload or get their sh!+ together and get it working for 2K21? WE hate this! SO much! There’s ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD OR REAL EXPLANATION THAT #GirlDad’s have to tell their daughters, “Well, at least they have girls on the game.” 

Seriously, What The F*ck is Wrong With Humanity? 

Profits. That’s it. Oh, and Pride. 

 

 

Family, friends, fans, followers, haters and Gators,

ARE YOU WILLING TO MAKE THE SACRIFICE “Less Than You’s” NEED YOU TO MAKE? 

NOTHING REALLY MATTERS. F*ck The Destination, Have Fun On The Journey! Give It All Away, Now!

30 Years Later, Part 9: David Thirdkill

Born in St. Louis and nicknamed, “The Sheriff”, David Thirdkill was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 15th pick in the 1982 NBA Draft out of Southern Idaho and Bradley University. The 6-7 small forward played five seasons in the League, from 1982 to 1987, playing for the Suns, Pistons, Bucks, Spurs and Celtics. After averaging nearly 26 minutes per game for the Spurs to finish the 1984-85, Thirdkill found himself in Boston averaging around 8 minutes but winning a ring in 1986. He’d later play overseas.

30 Years Later, Part 8: Jerry Sichting

Jerry Sichting was a scrappy 6-1, 190 pound guard from Martinsville, IN who excelled in three sports in high school, including   quarterbacking his team to a 14-0 record in 1974. He played at Purdue alongside Joe Berry Carroll.

He was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the 4th round of the 1979 NBA Draft but never played for them. He started the season with the Indiana Pacers and spent five season in his home state before being traded to the Boston Celtics before the 1985-86 season. Sichting became a fan favorite and a scrappy defender, even getting into a donnybrook with Ralph Sampson in Game 5 of the NBA Finals before winning his Championship ring in ’86. He would later play for the TrailBlazers, Hornets and Bucks before retiring in 1990. Sichting later made his way to the broadcast booth with the Celtics.

His coaching career is mostly as an assistant with the Timberwolves, Warriors and Wizards and currently in Phoenix. He had other stints at Marquette and Martinsville High School.

30 Years Later, Part 7: Robert Parish

“The Chief” was the oldest of the Big Three, he played the most games and you won’t find any of his collegiate statistics in an NCAA record book. Robert Parish came out of Centenary College in 1975 and was drafted by three different basketball teams in three different leagues but chose to sign with the recent NBA Champions Golden State Warriors, who were already in a  bit of a decline. His college stats are unknown because of a NCAA rule named the 1.6 rule, which is like trying to get credit from ITT Tech to transfer to Stanford.

In 1980, Red Auerbach traded 2 first-round picks, including the #1 overall included to Golden State for the #3 overall(McHale) and Parish. And so began The Big Three Era.

Parish played in an NBA record 1161 games and is the oldest player to win an NBA title(as of 2015) and 3rd oldest ever to play an NBA game.

The Chief is a consultant to the Celtics organization and is a mentor and coach for the Boston big men.

30 Years Later, Part 6: Kevin McHale

Kevin McHale may be the best power forward to play the game before we saw Tim Duncan take the floor. McHale, the 6-10 power forward voted the #1 player in the University of Minnesota’s 100-years of basketball, was drafted third overall by the Celtics in 1980.

After playing his rookie year coming off the bench behind Larry Bird and Cedric Maxwell, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and helped Boston win the 1981 NBA Finals. McHale was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year following the ’84 & ’85 campaigns and would also win titles with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986. Named to the All-NBA First Team in 1987, the 7-time All-Star, was also a 3-time All-Defense First Team winner. McHale’s #32 is hang in in the rafters at the TD Garden, while his #44 Golden gophers jersey is retired by Minnesota.

McHale took over the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2004-05 for 31 games, leading them to a 19-12 record. In 2008 he took the reigns again, this time for 63 games amid a 20-43 record. In 2011, the Houston Rockets hired McHale and he’s helped them progress to a Championship caliber unit, losing in the Conference Finals this past year.

You can look forward to another uptempo, chaotic brand of basketball in Houston this year as the roster has been updated and the quality of talent has been upgraded with the addition of Ty Lawson at the point.

30 Years Later, Part 5: Greg Kite

When the Boston Celtics selected Greg Kite in the 1st Round of the 1983 NBA Draft out of Brigham Young University, the 6’11” center was coming off a 4-year career in which he averaged 6.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Lucky enough to spend time on the court with HOF inductees Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson, Kite won NBA Titles with the Celtics in 1984 & 1986. He was part of the inaugural season of the expansion Charlotte Hornets in 1988-89 and later played for the Orlando Magic, starting in their second season of 1990-91. Kite played for 7 teams and retired in 1995.

 

30 Years Later, Part 4: Dennis Johnson

Straight Outta Compton to the Hall of Fame

Dennis Johnson wasn’t going to the NBA. Hell, he wasn’t even going to play in college.

Coach Jim White asked DJ to come play at LA Harbor College, a 2-year college which lead him to Pepperdine University where he developed into a tough defender with huge leaping ability. Drafted 29th by Seattle in  1976, he played for legends Bill Russell and Lenny Wilkens. Helping the Sonics win the 1979 NBA Title, DJ was named Finals MVP.  Traded to Phoenix after the 1980 season, Johnson changed his game from a scoring 2-guard to an all-out scoring machine. When   Phoenix traded him to Boston following the 1983 campaign, DJ changed his game again, becoming a pass-first point guard. The Celtics won titles in 1984 & 1986 before Johnson retired after the 1990 season.  The Celtics retired Johnson’s #3 in December of 1991.

Johnson passed away in 2007.

His nephew, Nick, was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 2nd round of the 2014 draft. The Rockets recently traded Johnson to the Denver Nuggets as part of a deal for Ty Lawson.

 

30 years later, Pt. 3: Rick Carlisle

Considering those of us here in Michigan have our own fine opinion of Rick Carlisle and the job he did in the Motor City, I’ll do my best to be the Celtics homer I am to describe what possibilities this ‘86 Celtic has in the upcoming 2015-16 NBA season.

Born and raised in New York state, Carlisle attended Lisbon HS before finding his way to the University of Virginia to play alongside the likes of Ralph Sampson and Olden Polynice. Drafted in the 3rd round at number 70 overall by the Celtics, he played 3 years in Boston, playing in 3 NBA Finals, before spending a season each in New York and New Jersey. After only 5 games in New Jersey playing for Bill Fitch, Carlisle was waived by the Nets before coach asked him on the same call to add him to the coaching staff. Thus, his coaching career began. Later, he be called upon by Celtic teammate Larry Bird to be an assistant in Indiana with the Pacers.

After a long run of Eastern Conference Finals appearances with the Pistons, he was being tossed to the side in favor of the original coaching maverick, Larry Brown. Carlisle soon found his footing and again made a new home office in the vicinity of fellow Celtic and Pacers GM Bird. Friends from their time in Celtic green, Carlisle was an easy choice for Bird after his success with the Pistons. When Carlisle eventually took Dirk Nowitzki and a ragtag team of Mark Cuban’s Mavericks to an NBA Finals win, it was the icing on the cake and the notch needed to make writers and historians realize his true greatness as a coach.

After a year in which Dallas had the top offense in the League before making a franchise and team chemistry alteration in adding former Celtics mercurial point guard Rajon Rondo to the mix, the Mavericks are rife with salary-cap room and the ability to choose their direction for the future with only Dirk, Chandler Parsons, Devin Harris and Gal Mekel on the books for under $30M and Monte Ellis($9M) and Raymond Felton($4.5M) holding player options for next year. With an expected salary cap of over $67M, the Mavericks are in position to chase marquee free-agent, LaMarcus Aldridge, who is from Texas, as well as Kevin Love and others.

If the Mavericks are able to move a couple pieces and sign a higher-tier free agent, I expect them back in the Playoffs in the deep Western Conference. But barring a major free-agent signing or a spectacularly unexpected trade, the Mavericks will not be making the move back to the NBA Finals next year.

(photo credit: nbae getty images)

30 years later, part 2: Larry Bird

How easy is it to figure out this story? The greatest shooter of all-time ends up in the front office back in his home state, loses his best player for a year due to a freak injury during Olympic training and then his team fights their way to a deciding playoff/lottery game in the season’s final day.

We all know what Larry Legend did for the Celtics back in the ‘80s, but what he’s got going into next year for the Pacers is a force to be reckoned with. After losing almost a full season to a horrific (at least, on video) injury to his leg, Paul George returns to an Indiana Pacers team that nearly made the Playoffs this year despite numerous setbacks. With key figures like David West, George Hill and the new cast of role players returning as well, Frank Vogel looks to have a roster that can get him back to the Playoffs and quite possibly contend for an Eastern Conference title. A late-lottery pick and an expiring contract could be the bait the Bird needs to capture(trade for) another prized star, possibly Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge. The key will be health, as it has been for years in this league. Another factor may be the possible movement of Roy Hibbert, Luis Scola or one of the many “unknown” guards.

I look for the Pacers to make a staunch comeback in the 2015-16 season and end up in the Top 5 in the East. With a couple moves here and there, the Legend could once again have this team in the NBA Finals.