National Drama League (NDL)

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Within the next 48 hours, there will be a new champion in the NFL.

While there have been many storylines during Super Bowl Week, including which sport Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray will play, baseball or football, there is one sport which is producing too much drama.

You guessed it, the NBA.

When I lived in Metro Detroit, it was great covering the Pistons during the "Bad Boys Era" championship run.

They played good old fashioned Blue Collar Basketball, led by Coach Chuck Daly, who handled his locker-room masterfully.

Nowadays, I really struggle to find motivation to go to NBA Games.

When the Pistons played The Miami Heat and Orlando Magic in the playoffs during the early part of the decade, you never heard of players making public trade demands or networking with others to try to form super teams.

Hearing Anthony Davis attempt to force his way out of New Orleans, and now Boston's Kyrie Irving potentially seeking an exit strategy is a bunch of nonsense.

Then again, it was Irving who demanded to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lebron James to lead his own team and hasn't won anything on his own with Boston.

These players are so darn stupid that once upon a time the NBA Finals used to be played in Tape Delay at 11:30 pm ET following the local news on CBS.

The league was practically broke!

When Magic Johnson and Larry Bird joined the NBA in the fall of 1979, this leagues' fortunes began heading in a positive direction.

After Johnson and Bird, the emergence of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing began to make the league more interesting when you blend them with holdovers Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Julius Erving.

Former Commissioner David Stern did a tremendous job adding a salary cap and striving for competitive balance. He was a genius with marketing the league, leading it to a billion dollar industry.

The reality of today's NBA can be broken down in the following ways.

1. It's become a jump shooters, three point shooting league with the rules designed to de-emphasize physical play, holding and hand checking. If I want to watch a bunch of overpaid millennials take jump shots, I would go to the community basketball courts and do it myself.

I have no problem with the NBA All-Star Game being an offensive showcase because it's always been that way.

There is no question the league has the best athletes of the four major sports.

But to emphasize offense when in reality defense really wins championships goes beyond my yesteryear thinking.

2. There are a lot of players that I couldn't stomach in the league. Former Chicago Bulls forward Scottie Pippen was at the top until LeBron James overtook him.

First of all, James had to leave Cleveland to piggyback with Dwayne Wade to win a pair of titles with the Heat.

His "The Decision" Show was the worst piece of PR I've ever seen!

To compound that, he gets on a stage with Wade and Chris Bosh to talk about how many titles they would win estimating way more than the two they won.

The trio already had a bullseye on them.

I think James' biggest accomplishment was ending Cleveland's half century title drought and winning one for the Cavaliers.

The only negative about this, is it came with Tyron Lue as the coach, not David Blatt, who was run out of town by James, despite taking the team to an NBA Finals.

Blatt was a defensive minded coach and James didn't like it. Blatt has been a legendary coach overseas.

Now I hear James is having issues with Los Angeles Lakers Coach Luke Walton.

If LeBron has issues with Walton then he should be a players coach like Celtics Hall of Famer Bill Russell was. Then he has himself to blame if things go wrong. Don't hold your breath on James being a head coach.

If Walton were to get terminated, he'd get hired with the snap of a finger and his phone would be ringing off the hook.

Could James have played in the good old days where if you drive the lane you get leveled?

I'd say he would be an excellent player because he's such a great physical specimen.

But he would take a beating and would really need to recharge at the end of the season because of the pounding he would take.

Although James has three NBA Titles and has made numerous finals appearances, his legacy in the world of social media goes beyond his accomplishments on and off the floor.

While I respect his charitable work, I don't give a damn about his social or political views! His responsibility is to play basketball.

There is no question he's done well with his endorsement opportunities and in preparing for his post basketball career.

3. I'm glad that the NBA put a stop on players missing games to rest on back to back nights which deprived fans for seeing a superstar on a given day. The problem became so bad that the players were missing nationally televised games.

4. A coaches job description is to coach and not talk about politics and social issues. If you want to do this then run for political office when you're done coaching. Other coaches and athletes have had great careers outside of sports.

I could careless about what Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr and Stan Van Gundy have to say!

What the NBA needs are more stories like the one that is developing at the All-Star Game on February 17, 2019 in Charlotte, NC.

Miami Heat Guard Dwyane Wade and Dallas Mavericks big man Dirk Nowitzki were added to the team as "special team roster additions."

Both are playing in their final seasons and it's an opportunity to pay tribute to their careers.

This is what the league needs!

It doesn't need, where will the most selfish non defensive player Carmelo Anthony land?

Who cares about where these kids fathers want there kids to play or where they won't play.

Today's players make an excellent living and should appreciate those who grew the game before them. They should understand the great history the NBA has!

Not use their greed and idiotic attitudes to tarnish the league.

But once again, as I struggle to decide to go back and see an NBA game these days, which is sad because I've so many great memories with this sport, it's tough to get motivated with the millennials that don't appreciate how far the league has come which allows them to make a great living.

On December 27, 2018, former NBA player Roy Hinson appeared on the Sports Exchange.

We had a blast going down memory lane talking about the good old days compared to where the league is now.

There might be that rare instance when I invite an NBA guest on. 

And I mean rare only because it's our responsibility to cover all sports.

When the time comes and the drama goes away, then I'll watch more games on TV and attend more contests.

The league has to get me motivated again.


Perhaps, the only possibility is covering an occasional Detroit Pistons Game against the Miami Heat, by which time I would catch up with some old colleagues.

But unfortunately, the NDL isn't the game I was fortunate to cover throughout my Sports Media career.

All I can do at the present time is just read the news and nod my head.

Occasionally, I will listen to TNT's Charles Barkley because he generally says what's on my mind. Kudos to Barkley.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

He's a member of Detroit Sports Media, Co-host of the Sports Exchange with Peter Wein on the weinetwork.com which airs 5-7 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays and Founder of The South Florida Tribune.

Homemade Basketball Thoughts

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

1. Am I impressed or surprised that Pistons billionaire Owner Tom Gores paid Stan Van Gundy $35 million over five years to be the President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach?

I would say a combination of both.

For $7 million per-season, the Pistons are getting a man that has an NBA head coaching record of 371-208 with a .641 winning percentage. This winning percentage is the sixth highest among NBA coaches with at least 500 or more games of head coaching experience.

Van Gundy's teams have reached the playoffs seven times, including three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, two with the Orlando Magic and once with the Miami Heat.

Stan coached Orlando for five seasons, took the Magic to the NBA Finals once and his regular season mark was 259-135 with a .692 winning percentage.

The Pistons know they're getting a bold and disciplined coach that emphasizes defense. There will be no players boycotts on road trips at practices and his teams will play hard for a full 48 minutes.

What people probably don't realize was Van Gundy had a good college coaching record. In eight seasons, he was 135-92 (.595) proving that he can coach and develop young talent.

With the Pistons coming off a 29-53 record, Van Gundy knows he has to work with the young and the veterans knowing this squad is far from the finished product.

What I like most about the hiring of Van Gundy is now the Pistons won't be able to botch Greg Monroe's upcoming free agent status. If Van Gundy wants him, he and Gores will financially find a way to keep him playing at The Palace Of Auburn Hills, providing Monroe wants to remain in Detroit.

It will be a basketball, not a financial decision.

Even though the Pistons lost their recent lottery pick to the Charlotte Hornets, if Detroit can land a good player in round two, more power to them. Once upon a time, Dennis Rodman was drafted in this round. I'm sure Michigan Wolverines Power Forward Mitch McGary (6-10) would be a popular choice.

The Pistons won't have to worry about losing next years first round pick because that situation is over with and there is a distinct possibility they could make a draft deal to get back in.

If a Monroe agreement can't get worked out, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

When Grant Hill departed for the Orlando Magic in 2000, all wasn't lost.

Joe Dumars orchestrated a sign and trade with Orlando for Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins.

Hill didn't think he could win a title in Detroit.

His judgement was a mistake as Detroit would win its third championship in 2004.

While Hill's Detroit numbers of 21.6 points-per-game, 7.9 rebounds-per-game and 7.3 assists-per-game looked good, Atkins and Wallace entered the Pistons starting line-up. Wallace would develop into an All-Star in the coming years with his rebounding and excellent defense.

After departing the Pistons, Hill would play in 47 games in the following four seasons do to a recurring ankle injury.

His next 12 seasons as a former Piston were injury plagued as he averaged 13.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists with the Magic, Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers. He had great weather, no snow or ice but also never won a championship.

2. Regardless of who Van Gundy hires as general manager, it's good to see the return of former Pistons Coach Brendan Malone as an assistant coach. They worked together in Orlando, and at 72-years old, Malone is one of the most knowledgeable basketball minds. We all know the late Chuck Daly relied on him during the Bad Boys Era which produced two championships.

One person I would like to see Van Gundy mold is Bill Laimbeer. He was the guy that was the Master Of Mind Games on the court, and winning WNBA Championships with the Detroit Shock has to count for something.

He played hard, was no-nonsense and his strong locker room presence was always respected. Just ask Mark Aquirre. I could see Laimbeer building toughness in star center Andre Drummond and forward Josh Smith. Laimbeer was a great outside shooter and Smith could learn a lot from him.

Although he was disliked by his competitors, I remember watching ESPN's Outside The Lines and Charles Barkley heavily endorsed Laimbeer as a head coaching candidate. It would be unfortunate if he doesn't get that chance down the line.

Van Gundy has mentored Hall of Fame Center Patrick Ewing into a potential head coaching candidate. There is no question he can do the same with Laimbeer.

One thing that hopefully Laimbeer has learned over the years is having a better working relationship with the media. After all, being the face of a franchise, he'll have to sell the fans and get them to come to the arena.

Once upon a time, former Tiger Kirk Gibson had a stormy relationship with the press. Now he's managing the Arizona Diamondbacks and their playing days, approaches were quite similar.

3. The I-696 route has hit the Pistons as Detroit will have an NBADL team in Grand Rapids.

Marketing the Entire State of Michigan has worked well for the Tigers and Red Wings.

As of 2012, Grand Rapids population was estimated at 190,411 which ranked 124th in the US.

The West Michigan Whitecaps and Grand Rapids Griffins are the teams in the area.

The Whitecaps are the Tigers Class A Midwest League affiliate and play at Fifth Third Ballpark (9,684).

The Griffins play at Van Andel Arena (10,834 Ice Hockey). The Red Wings relied on this 2 1/2 hour drive en-route to their 23rd consecutive post season appearance.

Grand Rapids was the home of Boxing's Floyd Sr., Jr., Jeff and Roger Mayweather and James Toney.

4. Where will Joe Dumars ultimately land again in the NBA?

My best guess and the most logical spot would be with the New Orleans Pelicans.

For him to get involved in his Home State Of Louisiana and guide a team which has never reached the NBA Finals would be a challenge he'd be anxious to tackle.

He graduated from McNeese State and played there from 1981-1985. He was born in Shreveport, LA on May 24, 1963 (51) and Pelicans/Saints Owner Tom Benson would love to win a championship in two sports.

Dumars former boss Bill Davidson pulled the trick with the Pistons and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Having a three-time NBA Champion, six-time All-Star, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall Of Fame in 2006 wouldn't be a bad resource with his championship basketball mind.

For Dumars in Detroit, there was a lot of good and some bad. But in the end, Dumars knew his time was coming to an end. His No.4 is retired and without him, the Pistons wouldn't have three championship banners hanging from the rafters at the Palace.

5. While this thought isn't related to the Pistons, it's related to the University of South Florida, My Old Stomping Grounds.

I'm glad that Steve Masiello, 36, completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Kentucky.

Manhattan showed a lot of class by putting him on unpaid leave in April because he hadn't earned his degree. When USF ran a background check, it found that Masiello misrepresented himself on his resume, thus it terminated his contract.

Manhattan admitted that Masiello used poor judgement, but didn't intentionally misrepresent himself.

Masiello, who led the Jaspers to a 25-8 record and the NCAA Tournament, and a near upset of Louisville this past season. He has a 60-39 mark with a .606 winning percentage in three seasons as coach.

What Masiello did was nearly commit Career Suicide. It's inevitable he'll leave Manhattan one day for a higher paying job.

We'll never know what he would have accomplished at USF.

But for now, he Owes Manhattan at least 2-3 years because what the Jaspers did by bringing him back and Preserving or Saving His Coaching Career was Priceless.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

No Bad Boys Reunion At FIU

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Is Bill Laimbeer NBA coaching material?

Thanks to Minnesota Timberwolves Coach Kurt Rambis, we'll find out. Laimbeer's former NBA nemesis did what Joe Dumars wouldn't do and that's give the former bad boy a job at professional basketball's highest level in the coaching ranks.

Laimbeer should also thank Charles Barkley with an engraved Christmas Card for his endorsement and ending his frustration because Barkley felt that he would be an excellent coach and deserved a chance due to the fact that he has an excellent basketball mind.

To win three championships in seven years with the WNBA's Detroit Shock is a nice accomplishment. Winning a championship at any level is something that no executive should overlook.

One Minnesota player who should benefit by Laimbeer's presence is 6-10, 260 pound Kevin Love. This kid will work with one of the most hated players in NBA history and will now get a chance to work with him and develop an inside game. Laimbeer was not only a fine outside shooter but excellent defender and rebounder.

Love may end up changing his name to "Kevin Hate" once Laimbeer gets through transforming him into a hardnosed player. If Love wants a little insight as to the type of player and person is, guard Chucky Atkins, a former Piston found out first hand being in the Detroit organization, who got to know Laimbeer as a broadcaster.

But I do give Rambis a lot of credit for making this hire. He put his personal feelings aside to work with a guy that could indeed make him a better coach.

Rambis also hired former Sacramento Kings Coach Reggie Theus as an assistant. These three coaches were outstanding players in the NBA and will have little trouble commanding respect from this young team.

For Minnesota fans, it's been an interesting few weeks as the Vikings signed long time Green Bay Packers rival Brett Favre to attempt to lead them to a Super Bowl.

Is Minnesota big enough for Favre and Laimbeer? We'll find out.

The University of Minnesota turned out to be a good fit for former Kentucky basketball coach Tubby Smith, who has compiled a 42-25 record with the Gophers in two seasons and isn't working in the Wildcats pressure cooker where he was 263-83 in 10 years with a national title.

This area will have plenty of great basketball minds.

Ironically, Laimbeer's Shock assistant and fellow bad boy Rick Mahorn was selected by the Timberwolves in the expansion draft and never played a minute in the Twin Cities. But for Laimbeer, there must be a sense of relief that even the worst personality on the planet had at least a few admirers to get him back in the NBA just weeks before training camp for the 2009-2010 season.

There was a time when Laimbeer used to have court side seats at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Now he'll have a different vantage point on the visitors bench and the first time he'll occupy a seat is a pre-season game Oct 22. You can bet he won't get a Valentines Card from the Pistons fans when the Timberwolves make their lone regular season appearance at the Palace on February 16th.

But with all due respect, Laimbeer should get a warm reception. It's not like he didn't want to work for the Pistons. The Pistons simply didn't want him roaming their sidelines in street clothes. I'd be curious to see what signs are made and to see how he's treated.

Again, Bill, you should get together with Barkley because he's probably the best friend you never thought you'd have. You can also give an assist to ESPN's Outside The Lines for making your coaching job struggles public. The Timberwolves had to be watching that segment and made a few calls to Brenden Suhr and Barkley thus you're back in business. You should be thankful that working at ESPN on NBA telecasts showed your intelligence off the court.

If Michael Vick can get a fresh start in Philadelphia for dogfighting, then you deserve a chance to help the Timberwolves finally achieve long term success on the floor. But whatever you do Bill, don't mention the fact that Notre Dame ended UCLA's record 88-game winning streak. Kevin Love will hate you for that then again, if you make him an All-Star and NBA Champion, he might let that slide.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com

Is Bill Laimbeer NBA Coaching Material?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH



When I see Charles Barkley endorse Bill Laimbeer as a potential head coach, "My Wheels Start Turning" as to why a man with two NBA Championships as a player and three more as head coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock isn't receiving much consideration getting NBA interviews.

There is no doubt that Laimbeer has done an outstanding job making enemies in the league. He's been in altercations with current and former executives & coaches named Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge and Kurt Rambis when the Pistons/Bad Boys were winning titles during the "Bad Boys" dynasty.

The "Bad Boys" dynasty saw Bird fire Isiah Thomas when the pair were on the Indiana Pacers payroll. It was inevitable that Celtics and Pistons couldn't work together.

What amazes me about Laimbeer is I do believe he could have done a much better job than the Pistons recently deposed Coach Michael Curry.

Laimbeer is a fierce competitor and along with Thomas, they took it upon themselves with their strong personalities to lay down the law when Detroit acquired Mark Aguirre and made sure he wouldn't be disruptive in the locker room. The rest is history as Detroit defeated the LA Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers and won their championship rings.

The one thing I'll never forget about Laimbeer was when I made my lone appearance at the Boston Garden in January of 1990, I was in the Pistons locker room talking with Dennis Rodman.

On December 25, 1989, the same day former Tigers Manager Billy Martin was killed in an automobile accident, I was injured in a skiing accident on Magic Mountain in Vermont tearing the ligiments on my last run of the day.

A concerned Rodman was asking me why I was wearing a fiber glass cast on my left ankle. At that time, Dennis and I had a great rapport and he was always cooperative when I wanted to speak with him. Rodman treated me like a friend.

As I was speaking with Rodman, Laimbeer made some stupid wisecrack and I went ahead and told him, "Just because you can afford to make your car payment doesn't mean I can afford to make mine." Rodman quickly jumped in and told Laimbeer to get off my back and to leave me alone. Dennis and I then proceeded with my interview and I went on to talk to another player.

Right then and there, I knew like many people, why Laimbeer was hated. It's easy to tolerate a guy when a team is winning. But he made reporters jobs more difficult and as aforementioned, didn't get along with other players. Little did Laimbeer realize that dealing with the media is free advertising for the team. I certainly never questioned his basketball intelligence, but his public relations skills were horrible.

Laimbeer did a masterful job with the Detroit Shock by saving a franchise that was destined to fold to winning championships. Since I never covered the Shock, I'm unaware of his dealings with the media. I would think that they should have improved.

Laimbeer reminds me of former Tiger Kirk Gibson, who as a player was lousy with the media. But as Gibson retired and when he became a part of the media, he appreciated the other side and now as a coach is much better to deal with. I do believe that it's a matter of time before Gibson becomes a manager because the difference between him and Lambeer is he didn't burn bridges with other baseball people like Laimbeer did with basketball people.

Gibson's dramatic World Series homers with the Tigers in 1984 and LA Dodgers in 1988 will always be great memories on ESPN Classic. Laimbeer's elbows and fights on ESPN Classic won't capture the imagination of fans but will only infuriate them.

I'm still amazed that Joe Dumars hasn't hired him as an assistant coach unless the two discussed it but Laimbeer frowned on the idea. Again, I don't know so I don't want to be questioned for making false statements. But Dumars has been around all five of Laimbeer's championships so there is more to this than meets the eye.

When Thomas was running the New York Knicks, he did interview Laimbeer but hired Larry Brown. I'm surprised that Thomas didn't talk Brown into hiring Laimbeer as an assistant coach. He's always made sure that Brendan Suhr and Brendan Malone had jobs with him during his stops in Toronto and New York.

Dumars' former top front-office aide and now Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond had a chance to offer Laimbeer a coaching job of some sort when he hired Scott Skiles as his head coach. There was familiarity but nothing transpired.

Laimbeer did interview for the Minnesota Timberwolves head coaching job which did go to Rambis. I wouldn't have expected there to be a friendly reunion between these one time rivals unless Rambis won't hold a grudge against Laimbeer and utilize his basketball knowledge that he obtained from the late Chuck Daly. Even before Daly passed away, I'm surprised that Daly wasn't able to get Laimbeer more consideration for other jobs unless he thought his former center was happy working in the WNBA.

Nevertheless, the question remains, is there a future on an NBA bench for Laimbeer? I'd like to think there is since he does know how to win.

It's no secret that he plays mind games with his players but even the best coaches in sports like Bill Parcells, Pat Riley and many others do to keep their players off balance and focused.

But the NBA coaching ranks are very weird. I'm amazed that New York Knicks legendary Center Patrick Ewing hasn't been given the opportunity to be the head coach for this team since he has paid his dues as an assistant under Jeff and Stan Van Gundy and played under Riley. This is an injustice.

Until we find out how Ewing and Laimbeer would do as coaches, for the time being, we'll never know. Ewing is more media friendly but Laimbeer still has what Ewing was unable to accomplish in his career and that's win an NBA title.

The only thing I can say to Laimbeer at the moment is if there are no NBA jobs in the future, Bill you should rejoin Thomas at Florida International University (FIU) and learn how to teach because if there is a job that opens up with a bad team, you'll be forced to educate the younger players and develop patience.

It would be scary to think that FIU would be the amateur version of the "Bad Boys" with the boosters paying the fines because of rough play. Then again, they won't care if the team is winning, gets to the NCAA Tournament and becomes a Cinderella Story that bolsters recruiting and puts the university on the map.

It's time to start paying dues Bill like the rest of us who take entry level positions and work our way up. At least you know now through ESPN's "Outside The Lines" that while Barkley still might not like you, he does respect you and does believe you'll be a winning coach, thus you do have an unexpected ally.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com