This week in the NBA

[The Niggardly King]

Johnny Red Kerr just died

[Guest Czech please!]

Two Bulls legends in one day. Awful.

 

Listening to the Score today, where Norm Van Lier used to do mornings (I don't even want to imagine), they painted some really colorful pictures of what the Chicago Bulls were like in the 1970s, when they were a distant fifth in the local pecking order (a position to which they're returning) and the league wasn't yet an international or even national power either. Apparently you'd buy floor-level seats at the Stadium the same day of the game, then watch Jerry Sloan and Van Lier beat the crap out of Rick Barry and the like in ways that would be completely unconscionable in the modern NBA. Seeing as the Jazz have always played a little dirty, and Norm allegedly pulled a driver off the road and kicked his ass for improperly merging, I believe these halcyon recollections at face value. It would have been pretty cool to watch this old Wild West version of the NBA. Artless, graceless, and coke-addled, sure; but compelling in its own way. And Norm was apparently 61! That dude was an old 61. I swore he was like 83. Probably a sign that though he died relatively young, it's not like his life was cut short.

 

Watching old Bulls games on youtube the last couple weeks, Red was actually a really astute analyst back then. Nowadays I just knew him for yelling "TORCH!" and "oh, wow!" or "you know who Wally Szcerbiak reminds me of?...I forgot," but apparently, like most of our beloved batshit announcers over the years (and there have probably been more for these five teams than any other city), he was a legitimate broadcaster once and I think I actually got less basketball-retarded from having him explain things.

 

Odd that in this doomed season, when I swore I'd dissociate myself from the sinking ship soon after the new fake coach said he had "no predeceived notions," I've actually learned a lot more about basketball and this team. I don't know if this is necessarily a good thing.

 

On a lighter note,

Haha. Oh man.

[Guest Vitamin X]

2. Derrick Rose dribble around and shoot. OR LAYUP

 

Awesome. It's like Vinny had a revelation.

[ant_7000]

That sucks they both are gone now, and they both were still working recently(Red did work some this season) atleast Van Lier knows that Joakim Noah is finally in shape. I thought Norm was in his in seventies.

[Damaramu]

And the Celtics sign Marbury, and he's expected to play tonight. Oh boy, this is going to be either good or bad. No middle ground.

[naiwf]

Fuck Marbury.

 

I did a double take when I saw Shaq went for 45 & 11 today. He even had 3 steals. I'm glad that he came back for this season and didn't go out on a terrible one like the one he had last year.

[A.BUTCHER'S HOUSE OF RIBS]

I wonder why the NBA borrowing something like 175 million isn't a bigger story. I was shocked that the four letter network didn't do a story on it. I also wonder who's lending them the money.