bronkonagurski

Just got back from Austin and I see the normal circle of posting is still in effect here.  Grab a beverage of your choosing and breath deeply folks!  ;)  Sometimes I envision these threads as a dog chasing it's own tail in circles for infinity.    As far as Nick goes, one of my IU buddies told me about the transfer during my trip and my friend had a very negative, jaded reaction about it.  I don't know, I mean I hope the kid can add something to the mix.  That is about all I can say for now. 

  Flying down to Texas for the weekend.  Yeehaw! 

Glad to hear Tom address some of the issues and concerns here.  Enjoyed listening to that.

The best first post would have been "don't be jurkin my peter here".    Best wishes to Peter.  Wish he could have been healthy.

We have 4 points after two games.  I have the feeling that is exceeding expectations after all the GROUP OF DEATH talk.

  I concur! 

  Is there some geographic advantage in terms of having more warm weather cities or something?  Just a random thought I had...so much of the East is contained in the Midwest and the East Coast. 

  Granted I was a kid back then but I don't remember the conferences being out of balance to the degree they are right now.  The East wasn't a picnic back then.  In the mid-to-late 80's the Celtics had to deal with the Hawks, Bucks, Pistons...those are the main teams I remember them playing in the East.  That and the Bulls in '86 which was a sweep but the Bulls put up a fight.  I remember the Lakers having to at least face a bit of combat too.  Utah was tough.  Dallas had a pretty good team with Ron Harper, Rolando Blackmon and Roy Tarpley.  The Rockets were pretty good too.    In terms of the Jordan era of dominance, I still feel like both conferences were pretty good.  It was just that the Bulls were that much better than everyone else.  I remember the West as having quite a few very good teams during that timespan.  Seattle, Houston, Portland, Utah, San Antonio, Phoenix...I actually think the West had better depth at that time but it didn't matter.  The Bulls only had to beat one of those teams and they were just better.  The East wasn't exactly a picnic (Knicks, Cavs, Pacers in '98) but...really nobody in either conference pushed the MJ Bulls too much.  The Pacers were the only team to actually make them play a Game 7 during MJ's title runs.  That speaks to the level of dominance they held.  

  I know the teams were built differently but I'm looking at the outcome.  For whatever reasons (not sure how those old labor agreements worked) back in the 80's teams were primarily built through the draft and trades.  Free agency wasn't much of a viable option back then.  I was doing some reading today and I guess in 1988 Tom Chambers was the first unrestricted FA in NBA history to actually sign with a new team.  The attitudes of that era compared with now are very different, I'm not really disagreeing with much of anything you have said here.  My main point is I don't think what Miami has done is having any strong negative effect on competitive balance.  There always have been and always will be some dominant teams out there, no matter how they were put together.  I think what hurts competitive balance the most right now is the discrepancy between the Eastern and Western conferences.  Miami has ruled the roost in a watered down East while the West feeds on itself and you have many good/great teams that would probably be top dog on the other conference.  Miami would be just another team in the mix in the West.    I must say I've enjoyed the conversation.  :)

  So when it comes to acquiring multiple HOF players, it is all about how you accomplish it?  In the old days, you were FORCED to acquire multiple HOF players so it just is not as legit to do the same thing when you have a more free choice of players!  When given a free choice, you would choose to have fewer great players?   Did MJ refuse to play and demand a trade when Bulls acquired Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant?  You know, the guys that helped push the Bulls over the top to start that string of titles.  You really think Jordan at that time would have been like "hell nah" if somehow he could have gotten Bird, Barkley or Magic on his side?  LOL.  C'mon man.  Jordan is very competitive and has a lot of pride so that is the response you expect publicly but....really. 

Honest question, how many of the people complaining about "super teams" remember the 80's when the Lakers and Celtics were both loaded with multiple HOF players and more or less took turns winning titles?  I was a kid back then but I don't recall anyone complaining about it.  Maybe it was because you had two teams that were more or less equals and dueled it out.  But even along those lines, Miami's "super team" ended up winning two and losing two.  And quite frankly were very fortunate to not ending up losing 3 out of 4 if not for the Spurs blowing Game 6 last season.  It isn't like overall competitive balance is completely out of check in favor of any one team.    I just find it odd to hate on players who decide to sacrifice individual salary/stats a bit to try and win titles.  Is it only because you hate the particular players in question?  DWade and LBJ certainly draw a lot of ire from many fans.  But somehow I don't think Pacer fans would be offended if 3 superstar players decided to come together and play for less money to try and win titles in Indiana.  Which I know, I know.  That is probably never happening.  Look I dislike the Heat but my dislike is more centered around distaste for certain players combined with what I perceive to be a bandwagon fan base and not so much the fact that three guys decided to team up to try and win rings together. 

  I think you are trying too hard to project your own personal feelings into that Tweet.

  I was at that game.  I was sitting at the opposite end of the court almost directly under the 1987 NCAA Champions banner.  It was a very exciting finish.  I still was scared after AJ hit his shot because Temple pushed the ball back up the court rather quickly. 

I don't see Will getting drafted but if he remains dedicated and works hard, maybe he could make a NBA roster at some point.  Honestly I think his hoops career can prosper overseas. 

I feel a lot of cognitive dissonance on the big man development issue at IU.  I think our blue chip bigs have done just fine for themselves in terms of draft status.  I don't feel like Crean's usage of these two guys has done any injury to them in the NBA draft.  Where I think the usage hurts is on our own team in Bloomington.  I think we could have made better use of both young men to the benefit of our own team.    What I get more concerned about is it seems be all or nothing with bigs at IU.  Either we get a blue chip kid or we get a lower rated kid.  And while the blue chips do what blue chips do, the lesser rated kids don't seem to develop too much.  Or in some cases, just bust out completely for various reasons.  From Bawa to GMM to Jurkin...it almost seems like we do better with walk-on bigs than anything, if you take the blue chips out of the equation.  Yes I'm sure I am overlooking somebody.  And I do think Hanner can play.  But...if Jeff Howard could get a NCAA waiver on eligibility then I think he would play MORE minutes this coming season as compared to last season.  And that really worries me. 

I've never felt like the NBA is rigged.  More than most pro sports, I think the NBA is the one pro sport where upsets are the least likely.  The better teams and talent tend to rise to the top for the most part.  Upsets can be a really fun part of sports so I think the lessened degree to which they happen in the NBA combined with the hatred the best teams get, it plays into the mentality.  I mean I get hating on a player or team.  When the Bulls were winning 6 titles, I rooted against them for most of those years (I did want them to beat LA for that first title).  I've rooted against the Lakers every single time I've watched them play in The Finals.  Yeah there was that Lakers-Kings series in 2002 and the whole Donaghy thing but...eh.  I guess I'm just mellowing quite a bit as a fan lately.  Less hate, just try to watch the games with a clear mind and appreciate the talent.  Hate clouds your vision. 

  That part of the situation is dependent on what the boosters pony up though.  It isn't like these transactions would be happening directly out of the pocketbook of Fred Glass.  It is not coming directly out of the athletic department revenues or budget.  If the big money boosters really want to make it happen, it could happen.  Don't get me wrong, I think a scenario where IU actually fires Crean and hires Stevens is not likely but I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand simply due to the money.  I just don't think the timing is going to line up that way. 

  Perfectly understandable to not agree with the premature extension but I have to admit, at the time it was announced the program had a ton of positive momentum and in that moment, I didn't question it too much.  As things have evolved, yeah you definitely look back at that moment and think differently.    I absolutely agree with the sentiment that if we are going to make another change, make it at the right time.  Do it the right way, have your ducks lined up in a row.  Don't leave it to chance and/or search committees.  You need to have a fairly good idea of who that next guy is going to be and that he will accept the job.

Fred Glass has been a great athletic director for Indiana University.  I trust his judgment.  That doesn't mean I agree with every single thing he does.  It doesn't mean he is perfect.  But I really have a hard time seeing this guy let the basketball program get too far down the wrong side of the road without making a change.  And I don't say that to mean that I think a change is needed right now.  No.  Coach Crean should and will get a chance to get the train back on the tracks. 

  That is pretty much where I stand too. 

  Seems bizarre. 

  In the post-Brad Stevens era that probably falls into the category of "we damn well better do it". 

Good.  I like it.

It is sad that his injury issues have been so unrelenting.

  World Cup, lol.  I love the event but that group USA got stuck with....I didn't think we were significant enough to piss somebody off that badly.