-“We need winners”- Mike Singletary
The basketball seasons on the professional and collegiate landscapes have reached critical mass in Southern California.
In a region that has produced more NBA players than any state in America and country in the world is reeling in abyss and there doesn’t appear to be any rainbow on the horizon.
Our signature franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers were a woeful 12-31 at press-time and our other NBA entrant the Los Angeles Clippers are aimlessly losing steam towards any quest of a NBA title, and its safe to say that no college team will qualify for the NCAA Tournament in March.
Thus, after speaking with numerous fans and high school coaches here are the seven burning questions facing our teams courting with disaster:
7.) Will Marty Wilson get an extension at Pepperdine? —-The former Waves guard who played for Jim Harrick is having his most successful season in Malibu going 5-2 in conference and 12-6 overall at press time. The Waves nearly upset nationally ranked Gonzaga at home recently.Wilson was an economic and safe hire to begin with when he replaced Tom Asbury, but has missed on local talent and had to mend fences with former teammates with whom he didn’t embrace when he got the gig. In six years as either associated head coach or head coach the Waves have never finished better than 5th. His current roster only has one player Lamond Murray from the region, which as not made him a favorite of local prep coaches. If Pep is not committed to pay more, Wilson’s job might be safe.
6.) Will Long Beach State Assistant Rod Palmer get a head coaching job? —Coaching candidates are hired from programs that that win on a national landscape and while LB State has played a whose who of college basketball from North Carolina to St. Johns, they have yet to beat any of them. Palmer the former Compton Centennial coach who produced Aaron Afflalo to UCLA and the NBA is responsible for the majority Beach recruits. He has won recruits from the Inland Empire and Beach has seven local players on its roster. Many contend that Palmer does not want to be a head coach again. After 13 years in high school coaching and now eight as an assistant it might be that the brother of NBA referee Val Palmer is just fine where he is.
5.) Will USC Assistant Tony Bland replace Andy Enfield? —This is a tough one because of the level of respect that I have for Bland and Enfield. Bland was the top assistant at San Diego State before arriving at USC to join Enfield along with Jason Hart. He is a marvelous recruiter as indicative of his work at both SD State and USC, but he obviously wants more. He has gone from head manager at San Diego State in 2009 to assistant coach and now associate head coach at USC. However, the Trojans under Enfield have been worse than ever. They began conference play at 1-4 and 9-8 with a team of highly touted freshmen and transfers. Another Bland recruiting class is in the fold for next year. Both he and Hart have been tremendous assets to the Trojans basketball family; altering the culture and winning recruits that would have been shoe -ins for UCLA. How long does Pat Haden give Enfield? Does Haden hire a Black local such as Bland to take over? Does Bland land a head-coaching job elsewhere before the offer comes? Stay Tuned!
4.) When Kevon Looney leaves UCLA is the Steve Alford era over? -Looney was a prized McDonalds All American from Wisconsin, who more than likely would have gone to Marquette had Buzz Williams stayed. He comes west to play for the Bruins because he loves the sunshine and his one-year audition for the NBA will be complete when UCLA fails to make the NCAA tournament. That will put the panic alert on the Westwood campus, which thought they were getting the next coming of John Wooden in Steve Alford. They are not even getting the next coming of Steve Lavin who went to multiple Sweet 16s. Alford is simply doing what he did at New Mexico; get to the tournament and then fizzle out before the round of 16. Now, he’s not even getting to the tournament and the Bruin alum are anxious to buy him out after another season of empty seats and broken promises in Westwood.
3.) Who goes at Northridge, Brandon Martin or Reggie Theus? – There is a quiet storm brewing at Northridge where Reggie Theus began his second season as head coach. Theus was hired by Brandon Martin and brought in a talented crop of freshmen and transfers. When his players were declared ineligible at the start of the season it put his credibility on the line with the recruits and their families. The blame game began at the desk of Martin, the powerless athletic director who was being undermined by subordinates.
The fact that Martin could not resolve the matter left Theus in a pickle as to who was in charge.
Northridge is marred in a 2-2-conference record and 6-13 overall. Local prep coaches are now contemplating whether they should send another player to Theus, while Martin in his first gig at being Athletic Director hopes to survive the under cutting and possible racism that is at the root of all the problems both African American men are facing. It’s possible that both goes—to a better school and better job…
2.) Who’s the face of the Clippers Blake or Doc? – For all those Doc Rivers fans that fell in love with him as coach of the Celtics and thought the Clippers had finally moved past the Lakers when he was hired think again.
With all of the control he wanted he allowed for Darren Collison to walk to Sacramento, signed and cut Jordan Farmar and traded for his own son who is not close to being better than either one of them.
Blake Griffin has been tearing the league up, transforming his game from thunder dunking redhead, to a perennial superstar on the level of LeBron James. The Clippers meanwhile are no closer to an NBA championship than they were a year ago.
They have no Donald Sterling to blame for an early playoff exit this time and as bad as the Lakers are, they can’t sink any lower—can they?
1.) Does Kobe Bryant finish career with Lakers? -If you’ve been paying attention, you already have come to the conclusion that Bryant has already finished his career with the Lakers. Coach Byron Scott has already won the power battle of minutes with Kobe, so now Kobe is already looking towards next year’s crop of free agents.
It may be too late for that song and dance with Kobe, because the Lakers brass have already appeared they are casting their lot with Scott. Remember that Scott was the attraction for LeBron in Cleveland and he’s the attraction for potential free agents in Los Angeles. The real question now is where will Kobe Bryant be when the free agents arrive?
