Hall of Fame Coach Kay Yow of North Carolina State passed away earlier today.  What she has done off the court far outweighs her considerable acheivements on the court.

Most of you probably don't know of Coach Yow, watching more men's college basketball and the NBA.  Since 1987 Coach Yow has fought breast cancer, defeating it twice.  The message she has given to all in her perserverance is remarkable.  If you have a daughter or neice, Coach Yow would be one of the people you would want her to emulate.

The first reaction to this weeks events surrounding NY Knick Center Eddie Curry would be something like, "here we go again".  Allegations of sexual harassment and racial discrimination by his former driver harkens back to former VP, GM and Knick coach Isiah Thomas and MSG being sued (and won by) former MSG VP Anucha Brown Sanders on sexual harassment charges.  That suit cost MSG $11 milllion dollars, face, and opened the door to what appears to be a routine right out of Looney Tunes.

There we have Bugs and Daffy arguing whether it was duck or rabbit season in front of Elmer Fudd.  The thing that they didn't get was that Elmer didn't care which season it was, one of the two was in season.  And now, so is every Knick.

It's bad enough that Curry is here and not contibuting (we'll discuss the off court matters in this discussion and leave the woeful Isiah Thomas trade to acquire Curry to another discussion).  The coaching staff and management have been doing every thing they can to get Curry back on the court so he can demonstrate his talent so that he can then be traded in order to gain even more cap room to make runs at multiple players in the summer of 2010 (think LeBron James AND Chris Bosh).  As tough as it is trying to trade Curry when he has not been able to perform due to injury, his onerous contract makes it that much more difficult.  Adding charges such those that are alleged has just about killed the Knick's hope to trade him.

Finally, on its surface, its tough to accept the charges his former driver alledges.  Having been around professional and collegiate athletes and know how they interact off the court, Curry's teammates were very quick to defend their teammate when, especially on what has been considered a very fractured lockerroom, their first inclinatin would be to run into the trainer's room to avoid such questions.  It's also interesting, though it certainly not going to create a defense, that Curry is happily married and has four children.  Not that being married and having children necessarily will bar bi-sexual activity, it just would seem to diminish its liklihood.  Curry's allegder also has a criminal history.

It also speaks volumes, unlike when allegations of steriod use of former NY Yankee Roger Clemens, that Curry is going to immediately file a defamation lawsuit.  His former driver is now going to have to prove his charges, and if he doesn't, pay for smearing his name.

This situation is of primary concern to the NBA offices and team managements when they look at the players and their posse's.  Unlike an episode of Entourage, what happens when someone who is a friend of a player is put on his personal payroll and later falls out of favor and is let go?  What happens if that person does not have an education that would allow them to get another job that will pay as well as the one of being a member of the posse, one that willl allow him to live the type of lifestyle that he has become accustomed.  What happens if there is bitterness mixed in with the fact they have bills piling up, and, most importantly, knows intimate details of the palyers life?  This is the fear management has, that allegations such as these now reflect poorly upon the product and poorly upon the team.

We hope the allegations are false.  First for Eddie's sake, and second for the Knick's sake.  Someone needs to take down the Open Season sign and tell the Elmer Fudds' of the world to just go back and crawl in a hole.

Game Over.

In an article in today's NY Times, Harvey Araton says that New York City is no longer the land of point guards - Click Here For Article.

Truth is, its an Urban Myth.  One created by New Yorkers, who have had the pleasure of calling the Knicks World Champions a total of two times in their "glorious" history.  And who led the Knicks to those two championships? - Clyde Frazier.  Somewhere along the way, New Yorkers, as they are wont to do, began the boast of producing the best point guards in all the land.

In his article, Araton lists several products of the streets of New York.  In no particular order: Stephon Marbury, Sebastian Telfair, Kenny Anderson, Pearl Washington, Kareem Reid, Omar Cook, Erick Barkley, God Shammgod, Rafer Alston, Mark Jackson, Lenny Wilkens, Bob Cousy, and Nate "Tiny" Archibald.  Between all of them they account for 121 years of NBA playing experience.  Between them, they have collectively lead their teams to a grand total of 7 NBA titles (Cousy 6, Archibald 1).  These are the great leaders that we are so proud of?

Yeah, but no one handles or are better showmen than the ballers that come from the Public and Catholic school systems in New York.  We'll be sure not to look at NBA highlight films of Magic and Isiah (East Lansing and Chicago, respectively).  And each of them led their teams to multiple championships.  And when it comes down to it, if we wanted to be boastful of producing the best at something, the true measure of a point guard, unlike anyother position in professional sports other than quarterback, is now many championships they have led their teams to.

Araton's error in his analysis was starting his evaluation of the decline of New York City point guards by following the urban myth that it even existed.  Game Over.

On January 15, 1891, the 13 Rules of Basketball was first published, thus publicly creating the game that we all play.  Dr. James Naismith created the game for his unruly physical education class that was stuck inside in the cold Massachusetts winter.  The game originally called for nine men aside and shooting into a peach basket set 10 feet high.

The game has evolved quite a bit over the past 119 years.  Unlike America's other two "popular" sports of baseball and football, this game is truly American in origin (Baseball from foundations of Rounders, and Football has beginnings of Rugby).  It is arguably the second most played and watched sport in the world, behind soccer. 

The game can be played anywhere and by anyone, the only required access is to a ball and a hoop.  For those of us that know, an empty garbage can in the schoolyard also makes a good substitute basket.  Careers of all kinds have been created and devoted to the game, from players to coaches, architects that design arenas to vendors that sell popcorn, colleges that build cash-cow programs to NCAA office pools, from television contracts that go into the billions of dollars to licensors that sell authentic uniforms to the masses.  To the very existence of this web site.  It can all be traced back 119 years ago this week.  Thankfully Naismith was a physical education teacher and not a dance instructor.  Game Over.

Nine days from today, the 20th of January, 2009, the political and social fabric of the United States of America will change forever.  On that day Senator Barack Obama will become President Obama.  And he will have an effect on the athletic realm of the nation as well.

In today's Sunday New York Times Jeff Zeleny wrote of the President-elect's love of the game of basketball.  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/fashion/11basketball.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink  Be sure to read it.

Presidents in the past have been sportsmen, most notably Teddy Roosevelt a 100 years ago.  Some have been football fans (Richard Nixon) and most baseball fans (including President Bush who was once the owner of the Texas Rangers).  But none have expressed an interest in James Naismith's game (other than George H.W. Bush who put up a hoop on the White House grounds but would never be confused with a baller) as much as Mr. Obama.  Part of what is fascinating is his use of basketball to keep physically fit.  And that sends a message of the change in attitude towards the game.

Basketball was viewed as a young person's game, unlike tennis, golf, and swimming which are viewed as lifetme sports.  But we don't need the President of the United States to tell us the benefits of basketball.  In Game Over's own community, it's president, Eric Hicks is an avident player, as is Coach Ted Gustus, who is closely associated with Game Over.  While they would not be considered "old" (unless your a wise guy looking to be punked), they can attest to the health, both physical and mental, benefits from playing after a time it would normally be considered to pick-up a golf club.

Our new president is going to create a new consciousness in our mindset and culture.  One of those is going to be on the basketball court.  Game Over.

Did you get a chance to read Peter Vecsey in Friday's NY Post?  Interesting observation made by Vecsey.  He said, that if he were Donnie Walsh, he would wait until March 2, the day after you have to be on a roster to be eligible for the NBA Playoffs to release Stephon Marbury from his contract and free to sign anywhere.  It is Marbury tha tis under the deadline to make a move, that is to accept a buy-out proposal so that he is eligible to play beyond the regular season and demonstrate is abilities for teams looking it sign him as a free agent next year.

Vecsey's right.  It is either Stephon's stubboness that is effecting his judgment here (like on the court) or as Vecsey adds, the fact that his wife wouldn't allow him to give back millions of guaranteed dollars just so he can play basketball.  Let's add in this:  with the recent woes of the economy, Stephon, or for that fact, any one that would walk away from guaranteed money would be foolish.  This will come down to the deadline, Stephon cashing in as much of the guaranteed money on a biweekly basis and then tell the Knicks a prorated number on the remaining amount.  Sure, he could do that now, but he may be in a better position to have less come off once he has more in his wallet.

The king is dead, long live the King!

Yesterday the World Champion Celtics walked into Cleveland and scampered out with a 98-83 defeat at the hands of LeBron James and his court.  The Celts are in the mist of a 4 game losing streak, still good enough to keep them with the best record in the NBA, but the Cavs are right behind them.

More importantly, what we may be witnessing is a changing of the guard.  The Cavs are now arguably the East's most likely survivor in the NBA Playoffs.  They are also gelling as a team and becoming more formidable and confident at the mid-point of the season.  This is where NBA champions start to make their moves.

Speaking of which, does this signal to the Celtics to pick up Stephon Marbury if and when he is realease from the Knicks?  And is he the cure to their current woes or the death blow to dethrone the Champs?