Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Why the Indiana Pacers should reach and take Bobby Portis

by Kent Sterling

Bobby Portis will show up ready to work because he already learned why it’s important.

Some guys just reek of success. They have usually faced adversity, received an honest appraisal, and responded with diligence on their way to success. Hello, Bobby Portis.

Just over three years ago, according an interview I did with Portis, he played three minutes in his high school’s state championship game. Upset, he asked his mom why he didn’t play more. Mom came with the truth, and it changed Portis forever. She said that the hardest working and most confident (funny how those two so often go together) players play the most.

Ports decided after that conversation that he would be both of those things.

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Now, he is projected to be selected at the back end of the lottery during tonight’s NBA Draft. He averaged over 17 points and nearly nine rebounds per game as the Southeastern Conference’s player of the year for Arkansas. You thought maybe a member of the almost undefeated Kentucky Wildcats was the SEC player of the year? No, it was Portis.

And how did that happen? Mom told the truth, and instead of moping around, Portis started a regimen of work that led him to this rarified air.

So here is a 6’11” basketball player with great measurables who has already learned through experience that hard work yields a positive result. Most people never learn that lesson, but Portis has it banked like a midrange jumper off the glass.

Given the unknowns and guesswork that are such a huge part of making the decision to pull the trigger during the draft on a near-child in whom you are going to stake your career and millions of your owner’s money, I bet on the kid who has learned the toughest lesson – that hard work is its own reward.

I want Bobby Portis to be a Pacer.

Indiana Pacers – Draft Day brings hope; David West leaving opens door for free agents

by Kent Sterling

David West was a pro’s pro who will no longer be a Pacer, but that isn’t necessarily bad news for the Pacers or West.

Fans assumed that David West would opt to return to a team with a healthy Paul George and whomever is selected #11 in tonight’s NBA Draft. In the weak Eastern Conference, the Pacers are seen as a threat to go to the NBA Finals, and West supposedly craves a championship.

It didn’t happen. West has decided to head elsewhere to either pursue a ring or make the savvy business decision to stuff his pockets with some extra late-career cash.

West’s value will never be higher than it is right now. At the age of 35 when the season starts, West is nearing the end of the line, and was scheduled to earn $12.6 million this season. As a free agent next season – at 36 – he would be seen as irretrievably old and not worth a flyer by a team that might be a savvy power power forward away from a title run.

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Coming off a season that wasn’t nearly as bad as fans might have thought, West might be in position to receive a three-year offer worth $18M-$25M. Because $18M is more than $12M, West might net more out of that deal than he would have by grabbing the $12.6 owed by the Pacers if he had opted in.

West scored less than any year in his career, but his rebounding stayed at his typical level as a Pacer, and he assisted better than any time in his career. His defensive rating in 2014-2015 was exactly the same as during his first season with the Pacers. West’s value over replacement was also identical to that of his 31 year-old self when he relocated to Indiana.

There is always the chance that West will restructure his deal to return to the Pacers, but that seems unlikely given comments from those reported to be close to West.

If West is indeed gone, that leaves the Pacers out one soon-to-crumble rock, but plus $12.6M in cash with which they can pursue free agents this offseason. The salary cap is expected to increase to $67.1M for the 2015-2016 season, and the luxury tax threshold will be approximately $81.6M. With West’s cash removed, the Pacers payroll is at $51.3M. If Hibbert leaves, the Pacers payroll will drop to $35.8M. Aggression in free agency will give the Pacers the means required to rebuild quickly.

With tonight’s draft, the Pacers may add a couple of pieces to the roster that will be both affordable and productive. This is a strange draft, filled with not much great but teeming with very good. At #11, the Pacers will likely have their choice of four or five players in whom they have great interest, according to yesterday’s comments from general manager Kevin Pritchard.

And that’s if the decision is made to stay at #11. There is rampant speculation that the top half of the first round might feature an unusual level of wheeling and dealing. Moving up or down will be options for team president Larry Bird.

Regardless, the front office of the Pacers should finish its work feeling better about the prospects for a successful 2015-2016 season than they do right now.

West was a piece of the puzzle, but the timing may be exactly right for an infusion of youth to help the Pacers become faster, more versatile, and less psychologically fractured. West was a consistent professional during his time with the Pacers, and his presence will be missed, but with his departure there is an opening for something different and the hope that it might represent an opportunity for improvement.

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This news of West opting out isn’t just a matter of a solid pro leaving, but of $12.6M being available to spend on a player that can help the Pacers more than a 35 year-old power forward, regardless of his professionalism.

It’s also about West having a chance to make more money in the aggregate than the $12.6M he would have been owed by the Pacers.

Yesterday’s news could be a win-win for the Pacers and West.

Tom Brady and Pete Rose – Two suspensions headed in different directions for the same reason – $$$

by Kent Sterling

Tom Brady was found to have cheated. Pete Rose never cheated, so why will Brady get a break while Rose can’t. It’s all about cash.

It was always unlikely that Pete Rose’s lifetime ban from baseball would be lifted, and since New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft agreed to accept the penalties levied against his team without complaint, a reduction of quarterback Tom Brady’s four-game rip has been a fate accompli.

Baseball has nothing to gain financially from reinstating Rose, and the NFL would be vulnerable to an expensive court challenge if Kraft were motivated to violate its charter with the NFL by initiating an ugly court fight over a loss of a couple of draft picks and $1-million. The biggest star in the NFL being lost for any period of time would also hurt the league and Patriots financially.

Done and done.

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Rose had recently received a more substantial amount of support than at anytime during his lifetime suspension, and the timing of the release of a notebook that contains evidence linking Rose to betting on baseball as a player (not manager, as he has already admitted) is definitely suspicious.

Baseball only wants Rose back during occasions from which they can profit from his presence. Forgiving Rose in the name of profit they can stomach. Being forgiving, understanding that even arrogant human beings like Rose are flawed and can be deserving of a second chance gives baseball nothing it didn’t already have, and was never going to happen.

Brady is still the face of the NFL, and the initial four-game suspension followed by a reduction or elimination of the suspension gives the NFL what it craves – a public persona of an organization that won’t tolerate cheating, and the deployment of all marquee assets at or near the beginning of the upcoming season. Forgiving hard-ass is a sustainable position for Goodell.

The dichotomy of the two cases and the difference between their arcs speaks to the difference between being a player and a former player. It underscores the reason for the difficulty many pro athletes experience in retirement. Sports organizations will accommodate almost any level of idiocy, malfeasance, or moral turpitude as long as value can be gained from it. Once a player lapses into former player status, the escape portals provided by teams and leagues are no longer accessible.

Bad behavior that was met with a blind eye is suddenly revealed for all to see. Rose was always arrogant beyond reason as a player, but his exploits were tolerated because his presence meant cash at the gate and a bump in TV ratings. Once his value eroded, baseball stepped in to make set an example.

Brady is still a very valuable asset for the NFL, so Roger Goodell will lord over the appeal proceedings beginning today, appear to be a high-minded good shepherd for the integrity of pro football, and then do what is good for business – as he always does.

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All we needed to know about Goodell and his cronies was revealed less than a year ago when his office suspended running back Ray Rice for only two games for knocking his fiancee unconscious in that casino elevator, and then stepping over her like a sack of dirty laundry. The public went haywire, and Goodell recalibrated his response. Rice playing at all is bad for business, so he isn’t. It never had anything to do with moral outrage. It’s all about cash in professional sports.

Rose coming back to baseball or being inducted into the Hall of Fame is good for Rose, but not for baseball, and so Pete sits on the outside looking in. When it suits baseball’s business interests, like during the upcoming All-Star Weekend, the commissioner makes a big deal about generously allowing Rose back in the ballpark as though it’s out of the goodness of his heart. Yeah, okay.

These two situations have one thing in common – they are both charades.

Indiana Basketball – Battle for Zach Gunn will show where Indiana stands for in-state recruits

by Kent Sterling

Joey Brunk pledging Butler was bad for Indiana, but Zach Gunn following suit would validate the tidal shift in recruiting among Indiana high school players.

It may take a year or more for Zach Gunn to figure out for whom and where he wants to play college basketball, but the decision of the versatile wing from Hamilton Southeastern will show exactly where Butler and Indiana stand with in-state recruits.

Southport’s Joey Brunk recently voiced his commitment to Butler over Indiana and Purdue. Brunk is ranked easily inside the to 100 high school basketball players nationally, and as a 6’10” forward with a ton of talent and high basketball IQ, he was coveted by virtually everyone.

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If Brunk was an anomaly, no big deal for the Hoosiers. If Brunk was the first evidence of a tidal shift toward the Bulldogs for central Indiana recruits, expectations are going to change in Bloomington.

What would it say about the state of Indiana University basketball if the go-to spots for recruits became Butler and Purdue? Nothing good. If Indiana can’t recruit Indiana, how can it succeed in attracting the talent needed to succeed in the Big Ten and in the NCAA Tournament.

Those of us in Indiana tend to see the basketball world through a strange prism, but imagine if Wisconsin couldn’t recruit Wisconsin or Michigan State or Michigan couldn’t recruit Michigan. There are a couple of programs who can consistently succeed by recruiting nationally and virtually ignoring their local regions, and Indiana isn’t one of them. It isn’t Duke or Kentucky. And it never was.

Indiana has always been best when it succeeded in recruiting the best in Indiana and the surrounding states, and if Gunn isn’t ready to pledge IU and Tom Crean, where does Indiana stand, and how can it succeed?

Gunn spoke to the Indianapolis Star’s Kyle Neddenriep about both Butler and Indiana, “I could see myself playing at Butler. I’ve always been a Butler fan. They do it the right way. They don’t have that star, star player, but get it done with the guys they have.”

His comments on Indiana are telling too. People who remember the glory days of Indiana Basketball recall Isiah Thomas, Calbert Cheaney, Steve Alford, and even Jared Jeffries. Here is who Gunn remembers, “I’ve watched IU since they had D.J. White and I’ve always been a fan. Crean has kept in contact and said he’d love to coach me. It’d be a dream to play there.”

D.J. White? Oh no. There has never been worse news for Indiana fans. The brains of the best of the class of 2017 are cluttered with visions of D.J. White. Nothing has ever spoken more directly about the IU Basketball brand among teens than that comment.

The players from the undefeated 1976 National Championship team are turning 60. To people of Gunn’s generation, they are grandfatherly old dodgers – and in a basketball sense, complete irrelevant.

For those of you who haven’t see Gunn play, he is a talented and smart 6’7″ wing who can shoot, defend, and rebound. He’s a good interview – funny and candid. Gunn is exactly the kind of player Indiana fans yearn to watch. He’s selfless and coachable.

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Ten years ago, Butler beating Indiana for an Indiana high school recruit it coveted was unthinkable. In 2015, the Bulldogs aren’t taking a bus to Youngstown anymore for a Horizon League clash. They are in the Big East flying to play Georgetown and Villanova. And Indiana has been 16-22 in the past two Big Ten seasons without a postseason tournament win since beating Temple 58-52 in the round of 32 of the 2013 NCAAs.

Over twenty-eight years since the last NCAA Championship, one Big Ten regular season championship in 22 years, and zero Big Ten Tournament championships – ever – are tough to swallow. But losing out on a recruit like Zach Gunn to Butler in a head-to-head battle would be worse – much worse.

Corey Crawford’s F-bomb; Can Tiger win again? Should Kyle Schwarber stay? Will Pacers draft ‘Frank the Tank’

by Kent Sterling

“Corey Crawford said a bad word – stop the party!” Ahh, shaddup!

The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup earlier this week, and during yesterday’s celebration goalie Corey Crawford dropped an f-bomb during his remarks. This is the second time he’s done it, having been moved to shriek that dreaded obscenity during the previous Hawks Stanley Cup party in 2013.

Some people in Chicago are outraged, and others were thrilled that Crawford spoke their language. America continues to loathe those who violate their sensibilities by swearing, and it’s ridiculous. Crawford yelled ““F—-n’ right, Chicagooooo!” The world kept spinning, the wind kept blowing, no one died or was injured in any way, and our lives are unchanged.

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People hate, kill, drink and drive, sell drugs, fight in WalMarts, and generally make a mockery of the myriad of positive opportunities available to humanity, and we are outraged at a happy guy swearing at a party?

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Tiger Woods shot 80 yesterday in the first round of the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington, and it was an ugly 80. People are saying he’s done winning majors, and I have been among them since he entered a rehab facility to become a better father, husband, and man. Tinkering with the hard drive made Tiger a better man, but a much worse golfer.

Part of Tiger’s mojo was in his indifference to humanity. This was his world, and trophies were his to claim. No one was better at winning, but Tiger was taught there is more to life than winning. His body began to fail him, and his psychological edge was whittled away through his embrace of sanity and empathy.

If Tiger wins again, it will be because enough good things happen on Thursday that Tiger is reminded of who he was, and for a brief time will be able to trick his mind and body that he’s Tiger Woods again. These things tend to happen only one more time in a champion’s career. Tom Watson in the British Open a few years ago, Greg Norman also at the British, Jack Nicklaus in the 1986 Masters come to mind as examples.

He’s done as a champion golfer because the price required for him to compete at the highest level is simply too high for a sane man to pay – and Tiger is now too happy to allow himself to backtrack into that life.

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The Indiana Pacers will select 11th in the 2015 NBA Draft six days from now (barring a trade), and mock drafts suggest the Pacers will take Willie Cauley-Stein, Frank Kaminsky, Cameron Payne, or Myles Turner with that pick. When was the last time the Pacers behaved in a draft as others predicted? I can’t remember a single time in the last 20 drafts when experts got the Pacers pick right.

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You take those four players, I’ll take everyone else, and you name the stakes.

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Kyle Schwarber is raking like an all-star through two starts as a Chicago Cubs designated hitter, but because he isn’t ready to be a major league catcher, he will be sent down to Iowa at the end of this road trip.

The opposite field home run last night showed the tremendous bat speed the Indiana University product can generate, and he either scored or drove in every run the Cubs tallied in the 4-3 loss in Cleveland.

A fan base that has waited 106 years between championships should be able to muster another nine months of patience for the latest young position player who can flat out hit to report to Wrigley Field, but I refuse. Keep Schwarber with the Cubs – let him catch everyday. Learn the finer points of that position while launching rockets across Sheffield Avenue.

Indiana Football – Losing I’m used to, but losing with heroin dealers is a new low

by Kent Sterling

A lot of people have worked hard to re-brand Indiana Football, but this morning heroin on a scale defines Hoosiers on the gridiron.

Our society rewards wealth, so there are plenty of reasons for those without any clear path to the trappings of financial fortune to wander into the entrepreneurial death trap of dealing meth, heroin, and cocaine. But for an athlete who had a legitimate shot at playing in the NFL, an arrest for dealing those drugs in baffling.

Antonio Allen led Indiana in tackles last year as a sophomore safety. He was one of the few bright spots on a bad defense, and had a bright future. All that vanished Tuesday when he was arrested for class 2 felonies that could land him in prison for 10-30 years.

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Indiana is without a safety, and the coaches who trusted him with a scholarship look like morons for harboring a criminal who was dealing narcotics barely one block from the stadium where they tried and failed to provide a positive influence on his troubled life – a life now defined by the short-sighted decision to profit from the disease of addiction.

Because this is the third arrest of a football players in three months, questions are being asked about Kevin Wilson’s leadership that have nothing to do with wins and losses. That’s not good for Wilson.

Losing is a part of the fan experience for Indiana alums. Minus the half decade from 1987-1993, the 1979 Holiday Bowl season, and the Rose Bowl year of 1967, Indiana has been relentlessly mediocre to terrible back to World War II. That’s okay. Going back to Bloomington for a game is a trip back in time with tailgating just as it was in the 1970s and 1980s, some disappointing football, and then a strom and bucket (or six) at Nick’s. Nice day.

Would it be better if Indiana won? Sure, that would be nice, but not necessary.

What is an absolute must for Indiana alums and fans is that we are not forced to take crap from co-workers about drug dealing, woman beating idiots who shame the university while also losing.

Allen and the other two arrestees have made that impossible for the foreseeable future.

I enjoy Saturdays in Bloomington, having attended every home football game for the last two seasons. I even drive down to Bloomington every Monday for the media availabilities so audio with Wilson and some of the players can be shared with listeners to my radio show. I know virtually no one is emotionally invested in Indiana Football, but I want the program to succeed so I try to paint a picture of potential success for those who run the program.

After reading David Woods coverage of the Allen arrest on indystar.com, my question was why does Indiana University continue to field a team? What’s the point of this charade? They seemingly can’t win, and the players care so little about the branding of the program that they are routinely arrested – and not for prank type crimes, but for battery, DUI, and dealing heroin.

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A team that was supposed to be improving step by step is now not known for the work being done in the weight room and classrooms to create that positive momentum. It’s defined by the three young men facing serious charges following their arrests over the past three months.

It’s unrealistic to expect 85 scholarship athletes to behave perfectly for their four or five years in Bloomington, but the last three arrests weren’t for the mischief we equate to college students still blissfully unaware of the consequences for indulging in out of whack priorities.

Dealing heroin is different, and right now, that’s what alums, fans, and media think of when they see the IU logo.

It’s a sad time for Indiana Football fans – and that’s saying something.

Indiana Football – Three arrests in three months, the latest for dealing heroin and coke

by Kent Sterling

If the charges reflect reality, Antonio Allen’s days as a Hoosier are over, and his arrest may create a wake that requires other tough decisions.

College students tend to be dumbasses who test societal boundaries. That’s a big part of a college education – learning where the third rails of life are.

At Indiana University, athletes lately aren’t doing a very good job of learning the lessons that will not only allow them to thrive as adults, but remain free men.

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The latest arrest came yesterday, and it wasn’t some role player who got popped for illegal consumption. This was safety Antonio Allen, a junior who led the Hoosiers in tackles last season, being charged with dealing heroin and cocaine – class 2 felonies for which he could be sentenced to 10-30 years.

Over the past couple of months football players defensive tackle Ralph Green III and wide receiver Isaac Griffith were also arrested and suspended from the team.

Ironically, according to David Woods piece on indystar.com, Allen posted a pic of himself on the cover of the Big Ten Preview magazine on his instagram account prior to his arrest yesterday with the caption, “If you knew (where) I came from and all the trouble I was in when I was younger you can see I did a 360 and I am BLESSED thank you GOD”

A 360 is exactly what he did.

The Indiana basketball program was forced to deal with two repeatedly wayward personalities last month when they kicked both Devin Davis and Hanner Mosquera-Perea off the team.

We tend to judge basketball more harshly because there are only 13 players on scholarship, while the football coaches need to monitor 85 scholarship athletes plus walk-ons, but when your best defensive player is arrested for dealing horse, coke, and meth, something is wrong with the program. That this follows on the heels of Green’s arrest for battery, public intoxication, and disorderly conduct as well as Griffith’s DUI, reasonable people can begin to question the culture nurtured by head coach Kevin Wilson.

Couple football and basketball’s recent legal issues, and questions can be asked about the entire department.

“Kids will be kids” can be claimed when athletes are cited for using fake IDs. Damn near every kid in college has a fake ID. That kind of arrest is part of college life. Selling heroin, DUIs, battery, etc… are not.

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Either the evaluation of athletes at IU is not exhaustive enough, or the coaches are willing to take a chance on a great athlete/troubled kid. Regardless of which it is, a change in the protocol for inviting student-athletes to represent Indiana University in its two most visible programs needs to change.

For God’s sake, it’s not like Indiana is a national championship contender – it’s the losingest program in the history of D-1 football! The very least Indiana Football can do is lose with good kids. Losing with a smack dealer starting at safety is something even the apathetic IU football fans can muster a little rage over.

As Wilson enters the fifth year of his seven-year contract, the time is coming for athletic director Fred Glass to become serious in his evaluation of the work Wilson has done in rebuilding the moribund Indiana football program (google “moribund” and IU football is listed as an example of the word’s proper use). The Hoosiers have made positive steps, and until the past three months were behaviorally trouble-free, but heroin dealers roaming the defensive backfield for the Hoosiers is a problem for which there may be no easy solution.

Lance Stephenson peddled from Charlotte to the Clippers in classic case of buyer’s remorse

by Kent Sterling

It’s been just over a year since Lance Stephenson was a relevant force in the NBA.

How long do you think it took for Charlotte Hornets owner/operator Michael Jordan to realize he screwed up by signing former Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson to a three-year, $27 million deal? My guess is three days.

Lance is a lemon – that car that looks great on the lot, and that men decide to buy despite knowing better, much better. For the first day, you are proud to have thrown caution to the wind by making such a manly purchase. You spend the second day rationalizing and arguing with your better self. The third day, you resign yourself to the reality that you are a moron.

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There was likely a similar dynamic that attacked Stephenson’s conscience. He could have signed a longer deal worth $26 million more in guaranteed money to stay with the Pacers – a team that made allowances for his quirks and put him in the best position possible to succeed.

He decided the grass would be greener in Charlotte. It wasn’t.

Now he’s a problem for the Los Angeles Clippers, the team that traded Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes to Charlotte for him. Clippers coach Doc Rivers is a smart guy who might have better luck with Stephenson than did the Hornets, and he better.

Stephenson went from very productive as a Pacers (13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 49.1% overall and 35.2% from beyond the arc) to a role player in Charlotte (8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while hitting only 37.6% of his shots and 17.1% of his three-point attempts).

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Hornets coach Steve Clifford benched Stephenson for the last five games of the season, and it was clear that he was unwanted cargo in Charlotte moving forward.

Many were surprised the Pacers worked as hard as they did to retain Stephenson a year as he was an unapologetic stat stuffer who was tolerated among teammates as a disconnected but talented little brother.

Like a foster child prone to unpredictable behavior, it appears Stephenson’s career will feature many addresses.

Perfect day at Wrigley Field – balls, rain, friends, nudity, Cubs & Hawks win, and embarrassing meeting with Jay Bruce

by Kent Sterling

Nothing like a perfect June Saturday at the ballpark. That’s the way we spent our honeymoon, and now the way we spend anniversaries.

So get this – we arrive at our hotel in downtown Chicago seconds ahead of a busload of Reds fans, so checking in takes two minutes instead of an hour. The Red Line train is waiting at the Chicago Avenue station as we do. As we settle in at the Cubby Bear, I get a call from my guy with the Cubs who is going to escort us onto the field saying the time of our visit has been moved up 50 minutes, and we need to be at the ballpark right then. When we get to the bleachers, Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio throws a ball toward us. A couple of guys bobble it, and I catch it. Even better, the little boy to whom I would have given the ball had already been given one.

That’s a day – a great day.

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But I skipped the embarrassing part. You knew there had to be an embarrassing part, right? While we were on the field during batting practice, a Reds player came back to the fan area to talk to friends. He was a white guy who wasn’t Todd Frazier, and so I assumed it was Joey Votto. I stuck out my hand aggressively toward the player, and said, “Thanks, Joey. I appreciate it!”

Generally people respond positively to being thanked, and that was the case with this guy. He shook my hand, but appeared confused in the way that communicated that he was not Joey. Sadly, it was Jay Bruce. I moved along quickly, and my wife shrugged as a silent apology.

This wasn’t the first time I screwed up mistaking one Red for another. At my very first Cubs game, my Dad handed me his scorecard, pointed toward the field, and told me to go get the Reds player’s autograph.

There were two Reds players standing about 10-feet apart. There was a small crowd around one of them, and no one around the other. Even as a tot I was a big fan of efficiency, so I walked up to the lonely Red and asked him to sign the card. He was happy to.

When I returned to my Dad, he was laughing and shaking his head.

I had watched a lot of Cubs baseball on TV, but TVs weren’t then what they are today. HD was 30 years away, and our family TV was black and white. So it was understandable that I asked Fred Whitfield for his autograph instead of Pete Rose.

There is no excuse today for mistaking Jay Bruce for Joey Votto, but what’s a trip to Wrigley without an embarrassing interlude.

Rain came, but it was very close to the start time of the Stanley Cup Finals game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning, so we were able to roll to a predictably crowded bar to watch. As we walked in, a table for four opened up.

A little later, I hopped a cab back to the hotel to safely store the swag from Wrigley – four Joe Maddon bobbleheads, some ill-gotten dirt from our on-field visit, and the Bosio ball – and heading north on Michigan Avenue while the cab drove south was a group of 1,000 naked bicyclers. Some were in underwear, but most were all-nude.

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Some should not have been naked, but most were in reasonable shape. Still, rather than enjoy the sights of the late night naked bike ride, I thought about how it would be impossible for me to use the bike seat again after sitting on it without some kind of separative device keep my ass from coming in direct contact with it.

Did I mention my wife and I were celebrating our anniversary with great friends who will remain anonymous to protect the innocent? That is as good as a day can get. There was nostalgia, humiliation, nakedness, victory, laughter, theft, good luck, and wondrous efficiency.

Chicago without waiting is the best city to visit in the world!

NBA Finals – Steve Kerr was right to lie about his decision to start Andre Iguodala

by Kent Sterling

Steve Kerr tells the truth about lying and the media goes bananas!

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr told the truth about lying last night after his team evened the NBA Finals at two wins apiece by thrashing the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-82.

Kerr was asked prior to the game whether Andre Iguodala would start the game, and said that he would come off the bench. Iguodala started, and some members of the media are outraged. “What’s the point of pregame press conferences if a coach won’t tell the truth?” they ask.

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Good question. There is no point to those inane media availabilities because there is no chance a coach is going to reveal the way he will deploy his players or mount a strategy to a bunch of knuckleheads with microphones.

Anyone in the media expecting the truth about strategy from a coach is an idiot. When we talk to NBA general managers about the upcoming draft, questions like this are asked, “Are you leaning one way or the other about Willie Cauley-Stein?” and “Are you going to draft to need or the best player available?” Expecting the truth is an insane reach of misplaced faith, and everyone knows they are going to get blather in response. The media are there because it’s their job, and the teams hold the presser because they like the coverage.

It’s a meaningless dance.

Being lied to is what reasonable media members expect from coaches. We say that we want the truth from players, but when we get it, KABOOM! When players say what’s really in their heads, the media make them pay dearly for it. Every once in a while the media comes across a guy who lies charismatically, and he is beloved.

Providing the opposition with honest answers and a competitive advantage through the media should be grounds for dismissal for a coach. The criticism by the self-important media is ludicrous.

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Kerr’s only mistake is in being such a good guy that he admitted to lying. He could have continued to lie and said the decision was made just before the tip, but just he’s too honest to lie about lying.

And we find yet another reason to like Steve Kerr.