T.R.O.Y. Kevin Duckworth
T.R.O.Y. Kevin Duckworth
Kevin Duckworth, a two-time NBA All Star, has passed away at the age of 44. A recent autopsy revealed that the former Portland Trail Blazer died as a result of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure.
Duckworth a second round draft pick out of Eastern Illinois University was the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 1987-88 and was the man in the middle for a pair of Portland teams that reached the NBA Finals.
Two Man Pack In The Vegas Summer League
Courtesy of Crunk Ain’t Dead and Neither is Freedom Williams
Freedom Williams, formerly of the C & C Music Factory, is now the majority owner of the Atlanta Crunk basketball team of the CBA.
I have no idea why I am including this on DPC.com. Maybe because it just seems like such an odd marriage that I can barely fathom the partnership of 90’s one hit wonder and a professional basketball team named after the blessed combo of being zooted on the chronic and being drunk.
NBA Draft Lottery Misc.
The Chicago Bulls won the NBA draft lottery and will likely bring K-States Michael Beasley to the United Center. The University of Nevada’s former big man, JaVale McGee, left after his sophomore season for the chance to be a lottery pick and per ESPN’s Chad Ford he will plucked by the Washington Wizards at the 18th pick in the first round.
McGee is another wildcard. Long, athletic and skilled, he has huge upside and can fly up and down the court. But his thin frame and lack of position mean he’s a few years away from contri
buting. - Chad Ford
Any speculation at this stage is a crapshoot, except maybe Beasley and Derrick Rose going within the first two picks. But I do feel the need to throw in my two cents about McGee and his draft prospects. There is little doubt that McGee is a physically gifted player. His combination of height, wingspan and athletic ability makes most talent evaluator foam at the mouth unfortunately he has shown more promise than results. This is to be expected since he is a 20-year old that played sparingly in his freshman season and then went on to average 14.1 ppg and 7.3 rpg in his sophomore campaign at Nevada. But for each highlight reel worthy dunk or shot block there were just as many instances where McGee disappeared in games or punted balls in the stand. Okay, there was one punting incident.
As a Nevada alum I have an extreme bias with regards towards McGee’s decision to go pro and this is based on my selfish desires as a fan and how he could have dominated Lawlor Events Center for two more seasons. But alas I will wish McGee all the best because you go to college to mature and develop human capital and McGee has definitely developed into an elite talent in his field.
In an ideal world he would get drafted by the Golden State Warriors and become the perfect big man for Nellie Ball. You gotta think that any coach that can turn Matt Barnes into a scoring threat can do wonders for McGee.
NCAA Tournament 2008
It seems that I am spoiled fan and that my expectations are through the roof for University of Nevada basketball. After four straight NCAA Tournament appearances the Wolf Pack were in rebuilding mode this season and finished the season 21-12 (12-4) which is a good season but relegated the team to the College Basketball Invitational, which I think is a step below the N.I.T.
When one considers that Nevada lost four out of five starters, Kemp being the only one back form the 2006-07 season, 21 wins is good showing. Essentially the program has reached the point where 21 wins is a disappointment and this is a good thing. The University of Nevada has never been an athletic powerhouse but Coach Fox has developed a squad that plays at a very high level on a national stage.
25 Hottest Sport Wives
Courtesy of Armchairgm.com
25 Hottest Sports Wives
Here are my choices for the 25 hottest sports wives of all time. It includes 6 playboy cover models, a wedding that lasted a whole 274 days, an apperance by Dennis Rodman, and some pretty fantastic pictures. Enjoy.
1. Halle Berry
David Justice. In 1992, Justice hit 21 homers and drove in 72 rbi’s. In 1993, he married Halle Berry and proceeded to hit 40 homers and 120 rbis. I guess a better home life led to a better work life…
Outcome: Divorced (married from 1992-1996)
2. Marilyn Monroe
Joe DiMaggio. When Joe married Marilyn on January 14, 1954, he was challenging Lou Gehrig as the “luckiest man on the face of the earth”. But it ended 274 days later, when Marilyn filed for divorce, which led Oscar Levant to quip that it proved that no man could be a success in two pastimes.
Outcome: Divorced after 274 days.
Ex-Fresno State coach wins sex discrimination lawsuit
Ex-Fresno State coach wins sex discrimination lawsuit
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A former Fresno State women’s basketball coach was awarded $19.1 million Thursday in a sexual discrimination lawsuit that alleged she was fired because she advocated for women’s rights.
The university argued that Stacy Johnson-Klein was fired because she was abusive, violated NCAA rules and inappropriately scored pain medication from one of her players.
Johnson-Klein told the Fresno Bee the jury’s unanimous verdict was a victory for women in general and proof the legal system works.
“It’s long, it’s hard, it’s not for the weak of heart,” Johnson-Klein said outside court. “But it works, and I’m just very thankful it worked today.”
After an eight-week trial, jurors deliberated about four hours Thursday before returning their verdict.
Fresno State President John Welty said the university plans to appeal.
“This fundamentally has always been an employment case,” Welty said in a statement. “The university will always act when the health and welfare of its students is endangered.”
The university’s lawyer portrayed Johnson-Klein as a self-centered manipulator who ignored her players’ welfare and ran roughshod over university policies in her pursuit of money, fame and power.
Johnson-Klein was fired in March 2005 after less than three seasons as the coach of the Bulldogs. She had more than three years left on her contract.
The university said an investigation revealed Johnson-Klein obtained a half-full bottle of Vicodin in September 2004 from one of her players and acknowledged taking one of the pills.
One of her attorneys, Warren Paboojian, said Johnson-Klein had a prescription for the medication because of a car accident, and had run out when she asked the player for the pills.
Johnson-Klein sued, alleging the investigation was launched only after she complained about gender discrimination, sexual harassment and Title IX violations at the school.
Johnson-Klein’s lawyers did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press on Thursday.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Final Countdown: 3/8
February 13, 2006. Louisiana Tech at Nevada. This game was shown on ESPN but it started late, Day Light Savings Time in Phoenix and East Coast bias for games earlier in the day conspired to get me in bed at midnight. Nevada ultimately fell behind by 11 and I was about to turn it off because I had to work in the morning but I stuck it out…
2007 NBA Draft: Final Thoughts
Nick Fazekas and Ramon Sessions both fell into the 2nd round of the 2007 NBA Draft. The Dallas Mavericks grabbed Fazekas with the 4th pick of the 2nd round, 34th overall, and the Milwaukee Bucks drafted Sessions 56th overall. Sessions had one year of eligibility remaining but opted out of his senior year to remain in the draft.
Sessions has three point guards ahead of him on their depth chart including Maurice Williams.who averaged 17.3 ppg and 6.1 apg for the Bucks last season. Based upon need Sessions will likely make the roster if he can maintain the top notch play he demonstrated at the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp.
“He’s going to bring a defensive element, and at 6-3, that’s a good size,” Bucks GM Larry Harris said. “He would make the team as a defensive player and obviously at some point guard. The challenge was to try and find someone and find a niche that he can make it.”
Fazekas goes to Dallas as Dirk Nowitzki’s backup and takes over a role once filled by Keith Van Horn
, a player Fazekas has often been compared to. At this point Fazekas’ role on the Mavs will likely be limited to rebounding despite his collegiate reputation as a sharp shooter.
“We got a young guy who has plenty of energy,” Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said. “I called him on the phone and said, ‘We’re excited about having you and some of the things you can do,’ and he said, ‘Coach, I can do everything.’ So at least he’s confident.”
Nevada In The 2007 NBA Draft
*Note: The 2007 NBA Draft is June 28, 2007 and here is DraftExpress’ take on Nick Fazekas and Ramon Sessions.
Nick Fazekas:
May 17, 2007
It’s tough to draw too many conclusions considering that we only saw one workout here and didn’t get to take in any 5 on 5 action either (he didn’t want to be the only big man out there we’re told), but there are some things to be quietly encouraged by from what Fazekas did show us in the workout we attended.
For one, his body obviously looks a lot better after spending the last 6 weeks here in Carson. He was criticized by some in the media for dropping out of classes and heading here to prepare himself as best as possible to maximize himself for his professional career, but after seeing the results, it’s impossible to argue with that. Fazekas has added 11 pounds to his frame so far while dropping 1.5% of his body fat, looking a lot better in his upper body in particular. Beyond just pumping iron and putting on weight the way a bodybuilder would, they seem to have restructured it completely the way you would hope it would be proportioned. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that most Nevada fans would have a hard time believing what the people at Athletes’ Performance have been able to do with his body in such a short time.
Beyond his frame, Fazekas has clearly spent some time working on his shot. It’s not like he was a bad shooter before he came here, but he’s an even better one now. We charted him at an extremely impressive 80% from the NBA 3-point line on over 100 shots over the course of the workout. For any player that would be considered a very solid showing in an NBA private workout, but for a player who measured out here at 6′9 3/4″ barefoot, that is especially noteworthy.
Any way you look at it, his shooting mechanics with his feet set are nothing short of gorgeous—especially the rotation he gets on his shot. In motion is where is percentages drop considerably, though, as his body tends to drift along with his feet and he lacks the same dead-eye accuracy he gets from a stand-still position. Considering what his role will be in the NBA, we’re not sure that is going to be all that much of an issue.
Fazekas in general is not the most productive player in the world once he gets in motion. He noticeably lacks quickness and explosiveness, which limits his ability to create his own shot either in the post or on the perimeter. For that reason exactly he will have to adjust to being the type of player in the NBA that keeps things nice and simple—catch and shoot jumpers from 18 feet and out with his feet set, pick and pop plays, jump-hooks and turn-around jumpers in the post, etc etc.
That’s not to say that there isn’t a role for a player like that in the NBA—maybe even a substantial one—but a team and especially their head coach will need to realize exactly what they have on their hands before they decide to commit to him. From what we understand, Fazekas will not be participating in the NBA pre-draft camp later this month. That might be a little disappointing for those looking to evaluate his defense and rebounding in a competitive setting against more athletic players than he normally went up against at Nevada, but the counter argument to that is that big men like him don’t usually touch the ball much in those settings. Regardless, it’s our belief that anyway you slice it, there is a place in an NBA rotation for a player like Nick Fazekas.
http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=175&page=playerblog
Ramon Sessions:
Orlando Pre-Draft Camp: Final Recap
June 4, 2007
In a camp full of solid point guard play, it would be hard to argue that anybody fared better than Nevada underclassman Ramon Sessions. Sessions, much like Jordan on our second team, isn’t the most imposing athlete out there. He has decent quickness, but a slight frame, and was at an overall physical disadvantage against almost every point guard in the camp. Yet it was Sessions who put up the most impressive statistics (13 points per game, 13 total assists compared with just 1 lone turnover). He was able to get to the basket, and did as good a job as any point guard in the camp at creating for his teammates and running the offense. 
Sessions clearly has that natural knack for running a team, something he first displayed as a freshman. After injuries derailed his sophomore year, Sessions got back on track this season, showing major improvement as a scorer. His mark was all over this camp, and he does it with solid decision making, and a patient, probing way of making a defense commit to stopping him or stopping the pass. At this point Sessions would probably rather pull defenses toward him and use his excellent court vision to find teammates, but he is improving with the pull-up jumper and a creative array of floaters and other finishing moves if he makes his way into the lane.
In short, Sessions did exactly what the camp is intended to do for underclassmen. He had nothing to lose by coming, and now GM’s have an extended, first-hand impression of his game. Now Sessions needs to go back to school, and work on shoring up a few weak points that will keep him out of the first round in 2007. Sessions has the stature and patient, yet dangerous play style of a young Tony Parker, but Parker was always on a different level in terms of quickness and strength. Sessions needs to spend the rests of the summer in the weight room, continue to polish up his shooting and scoring game, and put in a solid senior season at Nevada. If he puts in the work this summer, Sessions will have significantly benefited from his decision to attend the camp.
http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=466
