NBA Hall of Fame Inductions

[CJF]

I've seen all of the speaches now with the exception of David Robinson. Jordan's was uncomfortable. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a little intoxicated. I did think through out how much he looks like what I remember his father looking. David Robinson looks just like he always has. Stockton looks just like he always has. Jordan looks old and sounds bitter.

[Surfah]

I just read an interview with his high school coach who said that sophomores playing on JV was simply the policy and that MJ therefore never got "cut" from anything. Is MJ now perpetuating a falsehood or is the coach lying about this situation to try to save face?

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/...ur-Favors.html

[DrumNFeather]

Russell reacts:

“I’ll play his a— right now,” Russell told Yahoo! Sports. “This is a call-out for him to come play me. He can come out here in his private jet and come play. He’s got millions of dollars. He can pay for the jet. He can meet me at the Recreation Center in Calabasas.

“We can have Mark Jackson do the commentating. We can have Mitch Richmond do the officiating. We can put it on TV and see if Michael’s still got it.”

[Surfah]

Russell reacts:

“I’ll play his a— right now,” Russell told Yahoo! Sports. “This is a call-out for him to come play me. He can come out here in his private jet and come play. He’s got millions of dollars. He can pay for the jet. He can meet me at the Recreation Center in Calabasas.

“We can have Mark Jackson do the commentating. We can have Mitch Richmond do the officiating. We can put it on TV and see if Michael’s still got it.”

Good for him. That was pretty poor of MJ to go at him like that I thought. MJ should have just got up said "Thank you" and sat down like he threatened to do. He made himself out to be an ass. He seemed very bitter for some reason and certainly not gracious. He gave the kind of speech that most haters would expect from Kobe Bryant, but I guarantee you that Kobe will be far more eloquent and grateful than his Airness proved.

[TripletDaddy]

A few things struck me about MJ's speech:

1. Lose the earring. It looks dumb at your age.
2. MJ really had spanned a special era in hoops.....getting in at the tail end of the Bird/Magic era and then launching his own Bulls dynasty era of the 90s. He played against many of the legends of the game.
3. He didn't seem very grateful to JaX. I don't think he was under any obligation, mind you, but I assumed he would do more than mention him in passing.
4. I have no clue why he focused on Mini B as the one moment that stood out in his entire career over all others. It wasn't a winning moment. Or a learning moment. Or a growing moment. It was a moment, during his retirement, when someone dropped a most-likely friendly challenge to him. Basically, a challenge to his ego. I didn't care so much about MJ referencing the Freeze Out (thereby including Magic by implication), but for whatever reason, when he went after Mini B, he lost me entirely. And I don't even like the Jazz. It just seemed bizarre. Did anyone else notice that when MJ was rambling about that moment, he actually called out to Stockton in the audience and said, "Do you remember that, John?" The camera showed Stockton and the guy was totally expressionless. There was little to no support coming from his peers during that speech.
5. The old "HS cut" myth. Yawn. Nobody is buying it anymore. At least he didn't lie twice and mention his UNC shorts under his Bulls shorts.
6. Finally....after all the money, after all the business deals, the endorsements, the movie, commercial, and TV roles....the guy has some horrible grammar. UNC degrees ain't what they used to be, I guess.

Older folks hitch their wagon to the Wilts and Russells as the greatest ever. I hitch my wagon to the Magic/Bird debate. The next gen (most of our resident cuffers) choose MJ as the best. And currently, we have the newest crop of young NBA fans that only know Jordan as a guy that sells underwear and gatorade, never having seen him play. Soon, they will crown their own as the greatest of all time. And, older folks will disagree with them, citing greats from their own era. One thing is for sure, though.....after watching that speech, the MJ era is mercifully over.

[MarkGrace]

He gave the kind of speech that most haters would expect from Kobe Bryant, but I guarantee you that Kobe will be far more eloquent and grateful than his Airness proved.

Funny thing is I actually thought about this as well. Kobe is a pretty big asshat, but I can guarantee he'd have the dignity to at least shower some praise on his coaches and teammates in a similar moment. It would probably be some degree of faux-humility, but at least he would have the sense to do it.

Everything was about Michael in that speech. You would have thought that he went 1.5 (he'd probably give Scottie that .5) with no coaches vs. 5 and won 6 championships. He looked like an ass.

[FN Phat]

Kobe still has a long ways to go before his day to be enshrined. A lot can happen. He emulates Jordan in everything he does. The way he pumps his fist, to the counting of championships with his fingers, to his fade away jumper, etc. etc.

We can only wait and see...

[TripletDaddy]

Kobe still has a long ways to go before his day to be enshrined. A lot can happen. He emulates Jordan in everything he does. The way he pumps his fist, to the counting of championships with his fingers, to his fade away jumper, etc. etc.

We can only wait and see...

I wonder which team Kobe will drive into the ground from the front office?

[Surfah]

Kobe still has a long ways to go before his day to be enshrined. A lot can happen. He emulates Jordan in everything he does. The way he pumps his fist, to the counting of championships with his fingers, to his fade away jumper, etc. etc.

We can only wait and see...

Wait and see what? Kobe could quit basketball, sign a contract with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes tomorrow and he'd be a first ballot selection.

[MarkGrace]

Kobe still has a long ways to go before his day to be enshrined. A lot can happen.

Like what? If the guy retired tomorrow he'd be in the Hall in 5.

[MartyFunkhouser]

“The organization didn’t play with the flu in Utah." Um, neither did you Michael, you played hungover.

[Fiyero]

“The organization didn’t play with the flu in Utah." Um, neither did you Michael, you played hungover.

What do you think of the rumors that gamblers put a hit on his dad?

[FN Phat]

Wait and see what? Kobe could quit basketball, sign a contract with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes tomorrow and he'd be a first ballot selection.

Like what? If the guy retired tomorrow he'd be in the Hall in 5.

I never questioned if he is a 1st ballot. That much is obvious. Give me a little credit. What I meant to say was that we can wait and see what he does/says at his induction. He isn't exactly what I would call classy.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

What do you think of the rumors that gamblers put a hit on his dad?

I don't think much of them. However, I do think there's a strong possibility that Jordan was forced to "retire" early the first time because Stern found out about some gambling.

[wuapinmon]

Wait pro athletes are serious rolls of toilet paper? They have been pampered and worshiped since they were in puberty. They are worshiped by grown men as adults, and we are surprised that they aren't salt of the earth type people?

A wise observation.