There are a thousand marvelous stories in 40 years of Sonic history; stories of achievement, delirium, and glory; stories of frustration, betrayal, and despair. But few stories match the one of Gus Williams and The Holdout.
It almost seems impossible in retrospect. An all-star guard, a legitimate superstar, an NBA champion, holding out for all of preseason, then all fall, through Christmas and New Years Day, past Valentine's Day, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Passover … through every marker of time you could imagine. Gus Williams - crucial aspect of Seattle's basketball soul - gone.
The acrimonious story of Williams' fight with owner Sam Schulman has been told many times (one of my favorite bits: Williams supposedly earned six figures during his holdout year due to pay he was still receiving from the Golden State Warriors and endorsements from Nike and Mello Yello. Yes, Mello Yello). Essentially, Williams, backed by agent Howard Slusher (playing the role Scott Boras, I suppose) wanted the security of a five-year deal, and he wanted $700,000 a year on top of that. Schulman balked, offered fewer years and fewer dollars, and then dared Williams to hold out.
Williams did, and eventually won, as the Sonics imploded without their superstar guard. Schulman, faced with the possibility of marketing a new cable television deal without his best player, caved in and gave Williams everything he wanted. (Among the perks: an annuity that would pay Williams $250,000 a year for the rest of his life, starting at age 38, an inheritance of $2 million to his heirs, a Rolls Royce, and some real estate holdings).
At the time, most of the discussion centered around how much it hurt the Sonics to be without Williams' services for the year, but I've never heard anyone talk about how Williams' holdout hurt his career, or at least how his career has been viewed in retrospect. Is it possible that by holding out, Gus Williams cost himself a shot at the Hall of Fame?
First, let's look at Williams' numbers as they stand. With 14,000 points, 4,600 assists, and 1,600 steals the Wizard is in clear Hall of Very Good territory. If you list all the guards in NBA history with 13,000 points, 4,000 assists and 1,500 steals, you come up with 15 players (see chart), and Williams is clearly at the bottom of that list.
(It's important to point out that steals were not counted by the NBA until the 1973-74 season, which obviously truncates the amount of history at which we can look; of course everyone with more than 30 points or a year spent in Boston prior to 1974 is already in the Hall of Fame, so that point is mostly moot.)
Now, it's not a list of lousy players, by any means. But if you sort the players by their career win shares, there is a clear demarcation between those at the top (Jordan, Stockton, Miller, Payton, Magic, Bryant) and those at the bottom (Derek Harper, Rod Strickland, Terry Porter). Not to mention that even with that demarcation Williams is almost in a further subbasement with 68 WS, 12 below Isiah Thomas and 18 below Strickland.
Clearly, as it stands, Gus Williams is not a hall of famer. While his win shares are reasonably close to Thomas', he had half as many assists and 4,000 fewer points (not to mention the lack of two rings), indicating he's obviously not in the same ballpark as Zeke.
But what if The Wizard had played in 1980-81? What then?
Fortunately, Gus' career stats are remarkably consistent, especially for that brief period, making it somewhat easy to create a hypothetical season. It's important to note that the Sonics were without Dennis Johnson that season as well, indicating that Williams' assist totals would have increased compared to the previous season when DJ (and John Johnson, for that matter) were handling the passing duties.
2011年4月28日星期四
2011年4月26日星期二
Kobe Bryant misguided for refusing diagnostic tests
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant kept shaking his head.
He had just spent the past minute trying to walk off a sprained left ankle that he turned while guarding New Orleans guard Willie Green. But with Bryant initially on the ground wincing in pain and showing continuous signs of discomfort afterwards, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson sent in Shannon Brown to replace Bryant in the final minute of Sunday's Game 4 loss to New Orleans. Bryant initially refused to come out, indicating in some variation that he felt fine.
While Green shot his pair of free throws, Lakers trainer Gary Vitti attended to Bryant on the sideline, but he continued standing up. Finally, an agitated Jackson could be seen on the telecast telling Bryant to "sit down." A timeout helped alleviate the pain enough in Bryant's ankle to play him for the rest of the game, with exception to Brown playing in one defensive sequence. But that appeared to be just the beginning of Bryant stubbornly doing things on his own accord.
Despite the Lakers' insistence that he get an MRI and X-rays for precautionary reasons on Monday, the team has said Bryant refused taking such tests. He didn't talk to the media after Monday's practice to explain why, but Jackson's sarcasm and clear agitation suggested he wasn't budging on the issue. "We're trying to convince him it might be a good idea to do that," Jackson said.
It's a shame because Bryant knows his body really well and can play through most pain, a reason why Jackson and the team's medical training staff defers to him when it comes to determining his playing status. It's unfathomable he can't extend the same courtesy to the staff for willing to have precautionary tests. The rationale that perhaps that would force Bryant to sit out Tuesday when the Lakers host Game 5 against New Orleans simply doesn't fly.
"It doesn't matter," Jakcson said of whether Bryant may be afraid that the test results would indicate his ankle sprain is more seriously hurt than he believes it might be. "He's going to play anyway. That's his answer."
This isn't even a debate on whether he should sit or should he play. Given the stakes of a 2-2 series, Bryant's clearly doing everything possible to make sure he's in the best shape to walk onto Staples Center court Tuesday night. After using crutches to leave New Orleans Arena and onto the team bus, Bryant spent the four-hour flight receiving various treatment, including icing, electronic stimulation and massage therapy. As Bryant told reporters after Game 4, "It's going to take a lot to stop me to play. We'll make sure we stay on top of it."
Part of staying on top of it should involve taking some test for pretty obvious reasons. The Lakers' medical staff will have a better idea of the severity of it and how to treat it, and Bryant, in turn, will know as well. This is more of a trust issue. For all the round the clock treatment and rehabilitation, Vitti, physical therapist Judy Seto, massage therapist Marko Yrjovuori and athletic performance coordinator Alex McKechnie provide for Bryant, the least he could do is return the favor. For someone who's fixated on knowing every single detail surrounding his body, Bryant's refusal to take the diagnostic tests only makes it harder for the Lakers' medical staff to determine exactly what treatment he needs to keep his ankle healthy throughout the postseason.
It's possible Bryant may decide to have one privately without the team disclosing any information. But there's no indication that has happened. As much as Bryant clearly doesn't want anything to get in the way of him playing to pursue a sixth ring, his stubbornness is making it harder for both himself and his teammates.
Said Jackson about Bryant: "He won't let them deal with it."
He had just spent the past minute trying to walk off a sprained left ankle that he turned while guarding New Orleans guard Willie Green. But with Bryant initially on the ground wincing in pain and showing continuous signs of discomfort afterwards, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson sent in Shannon Brown to replace Bryant in the final minute of Sunday's Game 4 loss to New Orleans. Bryant initially refused to come out, indicating in some variation that he felt fine.
While Green shot his pair of free throws, Lakers trainer Gary Vitti attended to Bryant on the sideline, but he continued standing up. Finally, an agitated Jackson could be seen on the telecast telling Bryant to "sit down." A timeout helped alleviate the pain enough in Bryant's ankle to play him for the rest of the game, with exception to Brown playing in one defensive sequence. But that appeared to be just the beginning of Bryant stubbornly doing things on his own accord.
Despite the Lakers' insistence that he get an MRI and X-rays for precautionary reasons on Monday, the team has said Bryant refused taking such tests. He didn't talk to the media after Monday's practice to explain why, but Jackson's sarcasm and clear agitation suggested he wasn't budging on the issue. "We're trying to convince him it might be a good idea to do that," Jackson said.
It's a shame because Bryant knows his body really well and can play through most pain, a reason why Jackson and the team's medical training staff defers to him when it comes to determining his playing status. It's unfathomable he can't extend the same courtesy to the staff for willing to have precautionary tests. The rationale that perhaps that would force Bryant to sit out Tuesday when the Lakers host Game 5 against New Orleans simply doesn't fly.
"It doesn't matter," Jakcson said of whether Bryant may be afraid that the test results would indicate his ankle sprain is more seriously hurt than he believes it might be. "He's going to play anyway. That's his answer."
This isn't even a debate on whether he should sit or should he play. Given the stakes of a 2-2 series, Bryant's clearly doing everything possible to make sure he's in the best shape to walk onto Staples Center court Tuesday night. After using crutches to leave New Orleans Arena and onto the team bus, Bryant spent the four-hour flight receiving various treatment, including icing, electronic stimulation and massage therapy. As Bryant told reporters after Game 4, "It's going to take a lot to stop me to play. We'll make sure we stay on top of it."
Part of staying on top of it should involve taking some test for pretty obvious reasons. The Lakers' medical staff will have a better idea of the severity of it and how to treat it, and Bryant, in turn, will know as well. This is more of a trust issue. For all the round the clock treatment and rehabilitation, Vitti, physical therapist Judy Seto, massage therapist Marko Yrjovuori and athletic performance coordinator Alex McKechnie provide for Bryant, the least he could do is return the favor. For someone who's fixated on knowing every single detail surrounding his body, Bryant's refusal to take the diagnostic tests only makes it harder for the Lakers' medical staff to determine exactly what treatment he needs to keep his ankle healthy throughout the postseason.
It's possible Bryant may decide to have one privately without the team disclosing any information. But there's no indication that has happened. As much as Bryant clearly doesn't want anything to get in the way of him playing to pursue a sixth ring, his stubbornness is making it harder for both himself and his teammates.
Said Jackson about Bryant: "He won't let them deal with it."
2011年4月24日星期日
Each FBS College Football Team's Greatest Quarterback Ever
Quarterback. It's the most glamorous position in all of sports.
College football. One of the most storied and glorified sports in the world.
Combine the two, and we've seen some pretty spectacular quarterbacks on the college level. They've come in all shapes, sizes, heights, weights and talent levels, but the great ones all separated themselves by winning and performing at a high level.
Some schools have had better overall QB play than others, and while some of the all-time greats may not be on this list due to another all-timer being from the same program, we've decided to name the greatest QB from every FBS program.
Some picks may shock you
College football. One of the most storied and glorified sports in the world.
Combine the two, and we've seen some pretty spectacular quarterbacks on the college level. They've come in all shapes, sizes, heights, weights and talent levels, but the great ones all separated themselves by winning and performing at a high level.
Some schools have had better overall QB play than others, and while some of the all-time greats may not be on this list due to another all-timer being from the same program, we've decided to name the greatest QB from every FBS program.
Some picks may shock you
2011年4月21日星期四
Nike Zoom Crisp Sneaker
Let the summer shoe-drooling commence. The Nike Zoom is presented with a Maharam collaboration to bring you an new, lightweight shoe body that’s an easy pick for linen and cotton. It’s really hard to match 100% linen pants with any sneaker-type shoe, but with these, I can see it. Maharam’s a textile company in New York, so they brought the textured upper to the Nike body in linen, horsehair, and leather touches. Gorgeous, heat-friendly, and superbly stitched for the serious buyer.
You don’t have to live in Miami or Malibu to find the most use out of these. The naturally-colored upper is an easy combination with well-worn denim (I’m picturing Levi’s that have bleached themselves out at the knee and thigh), boating-type longer shorts, paper-thin tees, or a vintage maroon sweater. The uppers don’t strike me as high-maintenance, instead appearing casual, packable for travel, creative, and comfortable.
Nike will be releasing the Zoom Tennis Classics through a select set of stockists, and they are tempting. What did not tempt me was the Dunk High Premium collab with Maharam, which you can see here. This look fails where the Nike Zoom has excelled, looking fussy, unusual, and slightly silly. [via acquire]
Building a Business on Content Sales
The appeal of paid content is growing. Last month, The New York Times embarked on one of the largest tests yet around paid content, introducing a subscription plan for the heaviest users of its site. The plan offers three digital subscription options across a variety of devices. All Digital Access-Web site, tablet, smartphone-costs $35 per month.
Meanwhile, printer R.R. Donnelley acquired Journalism Online and its Press+ service, which enables publishers to offer a variety of paid and metered content plans as well as mobile/tablet access, enhanced site functionality, and out-of-market-access.
However, paid content is far from a slam-dunk. The Atlantic has backed away from the launch of The Atlantic Premium, which would have offered a daily bundle of its online content for a monthly fee. "We're taking a step back on our entire mobile/digital strategy and revisiting everything right now," says president Justin Smith. "We're looking at the data from our apps so far and it begs the strategic question of whether we would consider any kind of metered model on the Web site. We're not ready to make that decision at this point. Our current high-CPM, ad-supported model is working."
The New York Times recently announced a 26-week deep discount to try to get readers behind the new paywall (The Times says that more than 100,000 users are paying so far).
Manageable Solutions
Smaller publishers are getting onboard as well. U.K.-based luxury title Lusso Magazine has introduced micropayment options for online premium content at its Web site that offer access to full-length features across up to five different devices. The payments will be processed through PayPal. While purchases are only made on the Web site (which receives about 40,000 unique visitors per month), a user can re-enter a supplied voucher code to read it on another device.
While b-to-b publishing historically has been built around the premise of free content, it also has the best chance for converting to a paid model.
And not everything requires paywalls or metered programs. Last fall, UBM Electronics' EE Times launched EE Times Confidential, a premium, subscription-based intelligence report. The report is a downloadable PDF that is currently published monthly and will increase to twice per month later in 2011 (a Web site offering current issues and archives will also be launched).
"When ad money is dwindling and whatever we do is defined by how much money we can bring in, [editors] are in a difficult situation to justify our existence," says EE Times content chief Junko Yoshida. "We've grown up in a world where the information is given away for free. We decided we wanted to change the game."
Pricing Content
EE Times Confidential offers a look at new business models and tech trends; an overview of the marketplace; tracking of venture capital startups and market intelligence. "In this day and age, anyone can find the information if they really put their mind to it, but they don't have time," says Yoshida. "We dig deeper and if we're doing the extra legwork, we need to get paid for it."
While a PDF may seem hopelessly old-fashioned in the app age, Yoshida says that simple is often best. "Many of our clients said they wanted a PDF that they could just print out, grab and read it on the plane."
EE Times Confidential has close to 100 customers, with a price point of $497 per subscription.
UBM Electronics conducted a market survey with EE Times readers about price, content, delivery preference and frequency, with suggestions ranging from $99 to $2,500. "We didn't want to give it up cheap," says Yoshida. "This is not a rewrite, this is a brand new product with fresh content. The information is what you say it's worth-and around $500 is something people will go for."
The publisher is debating different paid content models going forward. While subscriptions are currently sold individually, groups subscriptions are a possibility as are site licenses, according to Yoshida.
"I'd like to pursue an underwriting model, so if you're working for company that has 50 decision-makers, you will get EE Times Confidential as a gift," she says. "It's a direct one-to-one way of communicating with customers."
Meanwhile, printer R.R. Donnelley acquired Journalism Online and its Press+ service, which enables publishers to offer a variety of paid and metered content plans as well as mobile/tablet access, enhanced site functionality, and out-of-market-access.
However, paid content is far from a slam-dunk. The Atlantic has backed away from the launch of The Atlantic Premium, which would have offered a daily bundle of its online content for a monthly fee. "We're taking a step back on our entire mobile/digital strategy and revisiting everything right now," says president Justin Smith. "We're looking at the data from our apps so far and it begs the strategic question of whether we would consider any kind of metered model on the Web site. We're not ready to make that decision at this point. Our current high-CPM, ad-supported model is working."
The New York Times recently announced a 26-week deep discount to try to get readers behind the new paywall (The Times says that more than 100,000 users are paying so far).
Manageable Solutions
Smaller publishers are getting onboard as well. U.K.-based luxury title Lusso Magazine has introduced micropayment options for online premium content at its Web site that offer access to full-length features across up to five different devices. The payments will be processed through PayPal. While purchases are only made on the Web site (which receives about 40,000 unique visitors per month), a user can re-enter a supplied voucher code to read it on another device.
While b-to-b publishing historically has been built around the premise of free content, it also has the best chance for converting to a paid model.
And not everything requires paywalls or metered programs. Last fall, UBM Electronics' EE Times launched EE Times Confidential, a premium, subscription-based intelligence report. The report is a downloadable PDF that is currently published monthly and will increase to twice per month later in 2011 (a Web site offering current issues and archives will also be launched).
"When ad money is dwindling and whatever we do is defined by how much money we can bring in, [editors] are in a difficult situation to justify our existence," says EE Times content chief Junko Yoshida. "We've grown up in a world where the information is given away for free. We decided we wanted to change the game."
Pricing Content
EE Times Confidential offers a look at new business models and tech trends; an overview of the marketplace; tracking of venture capital startups and market intelligence. "In this day and age, anyone can find the information if they really put their mind to it, but they don't have time," says Yoshida. "We dig deeper and if we're doing the extra legwork, we need to get paid for it."
While a PDF may seem hopelessly old-fashioned in the app age, Yoshida says that simple is often best. "Many of our clients said they wanted a PDF that they could just print out, grab and read it on the plane."
EE Times Confidential has close to 100 customers, with a price point of $497 per subscription.
UBM Electronics conducted a market survey with EE Times readers about price, content, delivery preference and frequency, with suggestions ranging from $99 to $2,500. "We didn't want to give it up cheap," says Yoshida. "This is not a rewrite, this is a brand new product with fresh content. The information is what you say it's worth-and around $500 is something people will go for."
The publisher is debating different paid content models going forward. While subscriptions are currently sold individually, groups subscriptions are a possibility as are site licenses, according to Yoshida.
"I'd like to pursue an underwriting model, so if you're working for company that has 50 decision-makers, you will get EE Times Confidential as a gift," she says. "It's a direct one-to-one way of communicating with customers."
2011年4月20日星期三
Ticket demand for Lakers-Hornets series remain high
The Lakers might not have acted like it in their 109-100 Game 1 loss Sunday to the New Orleans Hornets. But at least the fans got up for it.
It is a shame, of course, that the Lakers' poor effort prompted the sellout crowd that paid on average $185 per ticket to Stubhub.com to leave the game early so they could at least enjoy the rest of a sunny afternoon at the beach. But Lakers fans are willing to come back for more, spending an average of $207 a ticket while courtside seats are averaging $5,000 for Game 2 tonight at Staples Center. That only leads to more questions on why the courtside seat next to Tim Lieweke's was empty, but that's a topic for another day.
The revelation from FanSnap, a ticket metasearch engine, that the Lakers-Hornets series still draws an average of $188 a ticket reveals that you can't dampen the Lakers' popularity with a far-from-intriguing matchup. Only the Knicks-Celtics series has cost more, at about $270 a ticket, but that speaks more to the Knicks' resurgence and Boston's rich history. More exciting series, such as Nuggets-Thunder ($142) and Blazers-Mavericks ($135), still fall short compared to the Lakers.
It is a shame, of course, that the Lakers' poor effort prompted the sellout crowd that paid on average $185 per ticket to Stubhub.com to leave the game early so they could at least enjoy the rest of a sunny afternoon at the beach. But Lakers fans are willing to come back for more, spending an average of $207 a ticket while courtside seats are averaging $5,000 for Game 2 tonight at Staples Center. That only leads to more questions on why the courtside seat next to Tim Lieweke's was empty, but that's a topic for another day.
The revelation from FanSnap, a ticket metasearch engine, that the Lakers-Hornets series still draws an average of $188 a ticket reveals that you can't dampen the Lakers' popularity with a far-from-intriguing matchup. Only the Knicks-Celtics series has cost more, at about $270 a ticket, but that speaks more to the Knicks' resurgence and Boston's rich history. More exciting series, such as Nuggets-Thunder ($142) and Blazers-Mavericks ($135), still fall short compared to the Lakers.
2011年4月19日星期二
Opening the mailbag: Pac-12 & Fiesta Bowl
Glen from Sacramento writes: What do you think the likelihood of the Fiesta Bowl losing BCS status to the Cotton Bowl is? That is, the New Cowboys Stadium version.Could this benefit the Pac-12, if the Fiesta were demoted, yet still a high profile (New Years?) bowl? Us Pac-10'rs have long been annoyed by the lack of high profile western region bowls available for our conference. We're stuck watching numerous SEC/Big10 matchups in Florida on New Years day, while a 2nd place, maybe 1 or 2 loss, Pac-10 team often plays in the Holiday Bowl (or now Alamo Bowl) on Dec 30, against a 4th or 5th place Big-12 team.With 12 teams now, can we start pulling some weight with respect to bowl arrangements?
Ted Miller: It's certainly possible that the Fiesta Bowl will get the boot from the BCS. But you know what the Powers That Be in college football want? The story to go away. If you took a magnifying glass to other BCS bowl games -- heck, most bowl games -- you'd almost certainly find similar levels of excess, though maybe not on as grand a scale. Know why there are so many bowls, and why so many fight to maintain the present bowl system? We don't even need a word to answer: $.
Understand: Longtime Fiesta Bowl president and CEO John Junker got away -- allegedly -- with such stunningly excesses because he'd built a stunningly successful enterprise.
If the Fiesta Bowl gets banished from the BCS, the Pac-12 would make sense as a suitor, a topic Bud Withers of the Seattle Times visited on Tuesday. And you really can't count out Larry Scott, the conference's aggressive commissioner, from making any move.
But it's not a slam dunk. For one, the conference's bowl contracts are signed through 2013. So, the Pac-12 can't just swoop in and scoop up the Fiesta Bowl, at least not immediately, or without some complicated legal wrangling.
Further, what would the matchup be? Could the Fiesta Bowl, which presently is aligned with the Big 12 champion, and Pac-12 put together a deal that lures the Big Ten or SEC away from one of their Florida Bowls -- the Capital One Bowl or the Outback Bowl? Or would the game automatically go after the No. 2 team from the Big 12, which presently plays in the Cotton Bowl, if the Cotton Bowl becomes a BCS bowl and gets the Big 12 champion instead of the Fiesta Bowl?
And would the Fiesta Bowl even want the Pac-12? If it could match the No. 3 team from the Big Ten or SEC versus the No. 2 team from the Big 12, it might prefer that matchup. Why? Those conferences offer more big stadium teams with fans who travel in large numbers and fill up hotel rooms and stadiums -- particularly ones trying to escape cold weather.
The present situation is complicated and fluid. My guess is the Fiesta Bowl, after cleaning house, won't get dumped by the BCS. But you never know.
And I'd guess Scott at least has a raised eyebrow over potential opportunities here.
Ted Miller: It's certainly possible that the Fiesta Bowl will get the boot from the BCS. But you know what the Powers That Be in college football want? The story to go away. If you took a magnifying glass to other BCS bowl games -- heck, most bowl games -- you'd almost certainly find similar levels of excess, though maybe not on as grand a scale. Know why there are so many bowls, and why so many fight to maintain the present bowl system? We don't even need a word to answer: $.
Understand: Longtime Fiesta Bowl president and CEO John Junker got away -- allegedly -- with such stunningly excesses because he'd built a stunningly successful enterprise.
If the Fiesta Bowl gets banished from the BCS, the Pac-12 would make sense as a suitor, a topic Bud Withers of the Seattle Times visited on Tuesday. And you really can't count out Larry Scott, the conference's aggressive commissioner, from making any move.
But it's not a slam dunk. For one, the conference's bowl contracts are signed through 2013. So, the Pac-12 can't just swoop in and scoop up the Fiesta Bowl, at least not immediately, or without some complicated legal wrangling.
Further, what would the matchup be? Could the Fiesta Bowl, which presently is aligned with the Big 12 champion, and Pac-12 put together a deal that lures the Big Ten or SEC away from one of their Florida Bowls -- the Capital One Bowl or the Outback Bowl? Or would the game automatically go after the No. 2 team from the Big 12, which presently plays in the Cotton Bowl, if the Cotton Bowl becomes a BCS bowl and gets the Big 12 champion instead of the Fiesta Bowl?
And would the Fiesta Bowl even want the Pac-12? If it could match the No. 3 team from the Big Ten or SEC versus the No. 2 team from the Big 12, it might prefer that matchup. Why? Those conferences offer more big stadium teams with fans who travel in large numbers and fill up hotel rooms and stadiums -- particularly ones trying to escape cold weather.
The present situation is complicated and fluid. My guess is the Fiesta Bowl, after cleaning house, won't get dumped by the BCS. But you never know.
And I'd guess Scott at least has a raised eyebrow over potential opportunities here.
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