NBA Coaching Soap Operas

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I don't blame Shaquille O' Neal for changing his mind to not interview for the Orlando Magic General Manager position. He was smart enough to know that he had a good TV gig and stayed with it. If he were the GM, O'Neal would have to work tons of hours to restore some credibility back to the Orlando Magic franchise which is in transition.

The recent firing of Coach Stan Van Gundy and the uncertainty of confused superstar Dwight Howard would give any GM reasons to take bottles of Tylenol.

O'Neal didn't pull a Classless Act like former Miami Dolphins QB Dan Marino, who was named Senior Vice President of Football Operations in 2004, but resigned three weeks later. Marino knew he couldn't handle the work load and challenges to transform a franchise that made him a Hall Of Fame Quarterback, much less the fact that the Dolphins haven't won a championship since the early 1970's. He moved quickly to remain with CBS and not lose his television job.

Florida Gators Men's Basketball Coach Billy Donovan must be relieved that he stayed in Gainesville after watching Van Gundy get terminated.

How would you like to be called the best strategic coach by your boss CEO Alex Martins, whose background is in Public Relations, and you still get fired?

The real truth is that Van Gundy and Howard simply didn't get along, as this is a common occurrence in the NBA, where the coach gets fired and the superstar stays. Van Gundy and Howard couldn't work together.

I'd like to see what coach could co-exist with Howard.

I have a gut feeling that Patrick Ewing will be the next coach of the Magic because he's mentored Howard to play center. He's learned from Van Gundy and has paid his dues as an assistant coach. Plus Ewing is low-keyed and has learned lots of valuable lessons from Pat Riley and his college coach John Thompson.

Dwight should get an endorsement deal with Waffle House Restaurants. He waffles about his future and there are plenty of Waffle Houses on interstates around the USA. Howard doesn't know if he's coming or going.

Who will be the next coach of the Charlotte Bobcats?

In addition to talking about Auto Racing on Memorial Day Weekend, Basketball Country has another topic to discuss as to who has the guts to take over the worst team in NBA History?

Owner Michael Jordan's front office reputation has reached an all-time low.

I think-70-year old Jerry Sloan or Van Gundy would be excellent choices.

Sloan is 1221-803 with a .603 winning percentage and is 98-104 in the playoffs. He won two Western Conference Finals, only to lose to Jordan's Bulls in the NBA Finals. Sloan spent 23-years as the Utah head coach before resigning in February of 2011.

Van Gundy had two pressure cooker jobs in Miami and Orlando. He posted a 371-208 mark with a .641 winning percentage. He was 48-39 in the playoffs. He guided Orlando to one NBA Finals Appearance plus won a championship ring as Pat Riley's leading strategic assistant in Miami.

If Van Gundy's as good as Martins says he is, then Jordan better open up the checkbook and move quickly to hire Stan before someone else does.

The Bobcats are so bad that no player on this team will disrespect Van Gundy's basketball success or knowledge. The man has excellent credentials.

Even though the Magic said they will honor the final year of his contract, and he could take a year off to get refreshed, it would be a good idea for Van Gundy to get a new start immediately.

The Charlotte job would be a great situation because he would have a chance to take a bad team that has one way to go and that's up. He doesn't need public relations skills here. All Stan has to do is teach, run thorough practices, have plenty of dry markers and erasable boards to draw up plays.

Yet my gut feeling says that Van Gundy will take the year off to recharge his battery. After what he's been through with Howard the past few years, he's probably aged about 10 years and he can just pursue the right situation.

With that said, then Charlotte better hire Sloan because he's the third winningest coach in NBA History and his credentials speak for themselves.

Whoever coaches this team should worry less about Jordan because Michael, isn't in a position to be much of a distraction or be a determinate because this franchise can be compared to the old Charlotte Coliseum. It has been imploded and has at rock bottom.

Charlotte finished 7-59 with a .106 winning percentage, the worst in NBA history.

It would be embarrassing to think that the North Carolina Tar Heels, who made it to this years Final Four in New Orleans, and are coached by legendary coach Roy Williams, could compete or defeat this lowly franchise. I wouldn't bet against it.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Year Of Underdogs

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Although I'd still like to attend one Kentucky Derby before I die, I believe that the Indianapolis 500 is the better event. It's hard for me to fathom the thought that I would travel to see an event that lasts just a few minutes as the Derby does. The Indianapolis 500 generally lasts 3-5 hours, has accidents, close finishes and the speeds go over 200 miles-per-hour. Danger or risk can give anyone an adrenaline rush. I'm proud to have attended a couple with my lifelong friends George Eichorn and Stuart Bloom.

Speaking of the Indianapolis 500, I'll still watch the race but don't ask me to name drivers. Dan Wheldon passed away in an accident at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway last fall. Meanwhile, NASCAR lured Danica Patrick this season. Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya also used to be regulars in Indiana. Patrick was very competitive at "The Brickyard," has led laps, and now she gets to challenge NASCAR's longest race of the year, "The Coca Cola 600."

Last year Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of gas on the final lap of the Coca Cola 600. Now Earnhardt has gone 140 races in a row without a win. There have been 26 different drivers that have won since Dale Jr's last triumph. What's more pressure, snapping the winless drought, following in the footsteps of his legendary father Dale Sr. or driving for Hendrick Motor Sports?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thus far, 2012 has been the year of "The Underdog." It began when the 9-7 New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 in the Super Bowl. The Giants were the last team to make the playoffs.

I never thought I'd see the Los Angeles Kings reach the Stanley Cup Finals. But you can be rest assured that NBC is thrilled. Take note NFL, when you have a franchise in the No.2 Media Market, then the television ratings are destined to be excellent.

The No.8 seeded Kings shocked the No.1 Vancouver Canucks in the opening round. Los Angeles followed that up by stunning the No.2 St. Louis Blues then skated their way into the NHL Finals by ousting the No.3 seeded Phoenix Coyotes. The Kings haven't lost a road game in this year's playoffs.

Now they get to face the No.6 New Jersey Devils. If the Kings can at least win one road game, though I predict they'll win two, then they can beat the Devils. Since I'm a West Coast person at heart and I really enjoy Los Angeles, there is no doubt I'm rooting for the Kings to prevail.

New Jersey is accustomed to taking a bus on many of it's road trips since it plays in the Eastern Conference. Now the Devils will have to take an airplane and adjust to the three hour time difference in a 2-2-1-1-1 travel format. My Detroit Red Wings are used to the extensive travel schedule and they're in the Eastern Time Zone. No sympathy for the Devils here.

The Kings are accustomed to piling up frequent flyer miles and their shortest trip is to Anaheim to play the Ducks in Orange County.

No matter who wins this match-up, it will be the lowest seeded champion to hoist Lord's Stanley Cup. Ironically, the Devils with the No.5 seed were the previous lowest team to do it.

This series gives me chills down my spine when scrutinizing the nicknames.

We have the "Devils" versus "Kings" which would make any biblical religious buff's imagination cringe.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of underdogs, Doug Collins did his best coaching job ever as he led his Philadelphia 76'ers to the Eastern Conference semi-finals only to lose the series 4-3 to the Boston Celtics. This series saw two of the classiest people and coaches take entirely different teams in Collins and Doc Rivers. There was the youth of the 76'ers against the older and experienced Celtics.

The No.8 seeded 76'ers defeated the No.1 Chicago Bulls and in the process Collins squad piled up post-season experience. They were working on House Money as Collins squad figures to only get better with age.

Meanwhile, the Celtics made one of the classiest plays ever by taking a 24-second violation and not running up the score which was 85-75. To see Collins and Rivers hug the way they did shows that they are two of the finest people in basketball.

If you're a Philadelphia 76'ers fan, the sky is the limit with this young group and if they add a player or two, then I wouldn't be surprised to see them contend for an NBA title within three years.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to the Los Angeles Kings. Everybody thought the LA Clippers and Lakers would be playing longer in the spring. Instead, the Kings have the Staples Center all to themselves and Hall of Famers Marcel Dionne and Wayne Gretzky must be enjoying their former team's success.

I never thought I'd see the day that Los Angeles would get hyped up about hockey.

But winning changes that.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Jordan's Castoffs

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When I watched Larry Brown tell Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic on Mike and Mike In The Morning on ESPN a few weeks ago that he had the itch to coach, I never thought it would be at Southern Methodist University (SMU).

This move has some ironies for the 71-year old coach, who is the only person to win an NCAA and NBA Title.

Brown is following a North Carolina Tar Heel, Matt Doherty, who compiled an 80-109 record in six years with SMU.

It sounded obvious on Mike and Mike that Brown was determined to return to the sidelines after he parted ways with another North Carolina alumnus named Michael Jordan. Brown led the Bobcats to their only NBA Playoff appearance in 2009-2010 as Charlotte posted a 44-38 record.

Do the Bobcats miss Brown?

A few weeks ago, Charlotte finished with a 7-59 mark and now owns the worst winning percentage in NBA History at .106. The Bobcats concluded the 2011-2012 season with a franchise record 23-game losing streak. Jordan bombed badly letting Brown getting away while the Bobcats fans and City of Charlotte have a record the Philadelphia 76'ers were thrilled to give away.

The last time a Jordan coach returned to college was when Leonard Hamilton piloted the Washington Wizards in 2000-2001 to a 19-63 record. Months later, Hamilton landed employment with the Florida State Seminoles. He has compiled a 201-127 mark and has led the Seminoles to four NCAA Tournament appearances.

Ironically, Brown replaced former Detroit Pistons Coach Rick Carlisle and won his NBA title in Motown.

Now Carlisle has an NBA title for the Dallas Mavericks.

Is there enough room for Brown and Carlisle in Dallas?

I doubt you'll see these two exchange phone calls or ever eat dinner together. The only thing they'll share is air time on the local news.

There is no doubt that Brown will win at SMU. He's already getting rid of Doherty's players saying they're not good enough to play for him. He's already trying to find new schools for Doherty''s players.

It will be interesting to see Brown face Hamilton in "The Battle Of Jordan's Castoffs" perhaps in the NCAA, NIT or any Holiday Tournaments.

As for the Bobcats, the only thing they have to look forward to is the upcoming NBA Draft wondering if Jordan will ever get a pick correct since he bombed in Washington with Kwame Brown and in Charlotte with Adam Morrison.

As the NBA Playoffs reach their latter stages, all Jordan can do now is just remember what it was like in 2009-2010 and realize this is a distant memory. More importantly, for a man who has won six titles and is in the Hall of Fame as a player, the words Hall of Shame describe where he is as an Owner/Executive.

The Bobcats have a new arena, now they need a new result or putting fans in the stands will be like a pipe dream that gas prices will be $1.75 per-gallon.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Cactus & Grapefruit Leagues

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When I lived in South Florida from 1981-1984, the only chance I had to see the Detroit Tigers in Spring Training was in Lakeland.

The Tigers never came to Pompano Beach to play the Texas Rangers, Fort Lauderdale to face the New York Yankees or Miami to meet the Baltimore Orioles.

But that was then because Baseball's Spring Training Landscape has drastically changed!

The Cactus League, based in Arizona, took a page from the Movie "Field Of Dreams." If you build it, they will come.

Five former Grapefruit League Teams made the trek west out to Arizona.

For years, the Kansas City Royals played in Fort Myers, Florida and then moved to the Baseball City Complex Haines City.

The Texas Rangers were in Pompano Beach then moved to Port Charlotte.

For decades, the Cincinnati Reds played at Tampa's Al Lopez Field and eventually moved to nearby Plant City and Sarasota.

The Cleveland Indians were supposed to move to Homestead but Hurricane Andrew sent them to Winter Haven.

Dodgertown in Vero Beach was the home to the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers until just a couple years ago.

Now the Royals and Rangers share a stadium in Surprise, AZ. The Reds and Indians share a complex in Goodyear, AZ. The Dodgers moved to Glendale and are neighbors with the Chicago White Sox.

It's hard to believe that the  Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals are the only Midwest Teams in Florida.

I'm amazed that the New York Yankees ever left Fort Lauderdale since their fan base is off I-95.

But considering their late Owner George M. Steinbrenner lived in Tampa, I understand why the Yankees relocated. The New York Mets once trained in St. Petersburg but they moved to the East Coast of Florida to be near the transplants and fill the void left behind by the Yankees.

As I glanced at the Spring Training schedule two weeks ago,  I was surprised to see the Tigers and Mets playing Sunday, April 1, 2012 in Port Saint Lucie. However, they could have played at two other I-95 locations.

The Washington Nationals are in Viera, while the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins are in Jupiter, Florida.

It's impossible for me to get to away games during the week with my crazy schedule. But this worked out fantastic because I couldn't ask for a better Sunday drive then to see my close cousins Cindy and her husband Peter Spyke in Fort Pierce just 15 minutes north of Port Saint Lucie at 8:30 am, then going to cover the Tigers Vs Mets.

When we made plans, I told Cindy, "How often do I get to cover the Detroit Tigers in your backyard?"

She added, "There was no way I'd miss this opportunity to get together with you."

With gas prices hovering around $4 per-gallon, Port Saint Lucie was a bargain compared to Lakeland. It was a 90 minute drive compared to four hours, plus I was able to spend time with two of the closest members of my family.

All of this was made possible because five teams moved to Arizona and the Tigers had to find new opponents because of the Grapefruit League's decrease therefore, Detroit had to travel Southeast.

But because of circumstances, the Tigers were able to connect with their Gold Coast Fan Base.

This was a win-win situation and from 1981-84, it wasn''t even a thought, just a pipe-dream.

Indeed, the Spring Training Landscape and Times have changed.

During the Tigers and Mets contest, Prince Fielder belted a long homer to right-field as the Mets fans cheered in the fourth inning. Fielder hitting home runs is something Tigers fans should see a lot. This homer run cleared a canopy.

The Mets fans were either happy it was in Spring Training or relieved that he's now in the American League and won't be a headache for them anymore in the Regular Season.

The attendance of 5,836 saw Detroit come away with a 9-2 win.

All in all this was a great way to spend April Fools Day. But this was no April Fools joke.

Just the Modern Day Version of Spring Training, 2012 style.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Public Relations Debacles

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The FAU Owls and FIU Golden Panthers have more things in common besides being rivals in the
Sun Belt Conference and being small mid-major schools in South Florida.

Over the past few months, both schools have made changes with their revenue producing sports where each have taken a hit in the Public Relations Department.

On December 1, 2011, Carl Pelini became the successor to Howard Schnellenberger as he hopes to revive a 1-11 program. This is Pelini's first head coaching job and FAU is paying him $375,000 to rebuild the program. When Pelini was hired, his introductory press conference was handled poorly. He told the university's Sports Information Department to hold an impromptu Press Conference and gather as many media as possible regardless of how many didn't make it without knowledge.

I was told later by the FAU Sports Information Department that Pelini's accessibility would be far less then Schnellenberger, who would be extremely accommodating realizing how necessary it was to gain the free publicity to promote his program.

Pelini is due to have his first spring game soon and although I've never met the guy, he isn't going to get much of a honeymoon period if the Owls continue to lose over the next few years.

Schnellenberger is an icon and built the program from scratch while Pelini has more recruiting tools to work with, in addition to the new stadium. It's his job to win and put rear-ends in the seats to pay for his salary.

Speaking of putting rear ends in the seats, down in Miami, Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas averaged 1,071 for the Golden Panthers in three seasons while attendance was four times that amount on the road.

However, Thomas, who was hired in 2009 to a five-year contract, never had a chance to see his rebuilding project through. He was fired after three seasons posting a 26-65 record.

Prior to Thomas arrival, FIU's last winning season was in 1999-2000 and its winning percentage of .315 since, according to STATS LLC, is 329th Out of 344 Division I Men's programs that competed over the last 12 years.

I've known Thomas since the late 1980's and I know that he wouldn't have taken this job if he didn't have a chance to see it through.

This is a guy that loves basketball and didn't take a base salary his first year agreeing to a deal where he would receive nearly half of any gross revenues from ticket sales, commissions collected on food and beverage concessions and sponsorships.

Thomas put FIU on the map and the average college coach usually gets five years to recruit his players and institute his philosophy.

The timing couldn't have been worse for FIU to make this change and I do believe it will backfire. It's not like the university is a cash cow since it's football stadium holds 20,000. There will be a small budget and Thomas controversial firing only puts a stain on the program. What reputable coach would come to FIU with a sub-par basketball stadium?

Thomas will likely land back in the NBA while FIU will go back to being an unknown commodity that is the Miami Hurricanes infant brother.
FIU's Football Program is best known for a controversial brawl that it had with the Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl on October 14, 2006.

As for Pelini, I hope his second impression is better than his first. There is no doubt that both situations are under a major Public Relations Microscope and we'll see how they both play out.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Zumaya Vs Fidrych

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

On February 25, 2012, former Detroit Tigers right-handed reliever Joel Zumaya experienced pain in his elbow after throwing 13 pitches in live batting practice for the Minnesota Twins.

He tore the Ulnar Collateral Ligament in his elbow likely requiring Tommy John Surgery, therefore, ending his 2012 season before it started.

On January 15, 2012, he agreed to a one-year contract worth $800,000--1.7 Million based on possible incentives. Now he is guaranteed to earn $400,000.

After hearing this news, it's sad because he'll always be known for his 100 plus miles-per-hour fast balls. He was a major part of the Tigers run to reach the 2006 World Series appearing in 62 games, 83.1 innings, 97 strikeouts, a 6-3 record with a 1.94 ERA.

In five years, Zumaya has a 13-12 record with a 3.05 ERA in 209.2 innings with 210 strikeouts in 171 games.

I really hope we haven't seen the last of the 27-year old. Careers have been revitalized because of Tommy John Surgery.

Although former Tigers pitcher Frank Tanana never had Tommy John Surgery, he was a left-handed flame-thrower, who re-invented himself by becoming a crafty finesse pitcher that had a 21-year career record of 240-236.

Thirty-years before Zumaya was thrilling fans with his power, Mark "The Bird" Fidrych captured the national spotlight by packing Tiger Stadium in 1976. The Baseball World gravitated to watching him talk to the ball, in addition to his numerous mound antics.

Fidrych was selected to the American League All-Star Team and started the game. He finished the season with a 19-9 record with a 2.34 ERA with 24 complete games in 250.1 innings. He won the American League Rookie of the Year.

He was a two-time All-Star and finished his five-year career with a 29-19 record, 3.10 ERA and 170 strikeouts all with the Tigers.

Fidrych's injury problems began in 1977 when he tore the cartilage in his knee fooling around in the outfield during spring training. He would later hurt his arm against the Baltimore Orioles, that would ultimately be diagnosed as a torn rotator cuff.

If there is a tale of two pitchers that were so different but so similar, then this is it. One was a 100 mph fire-baller while the other was an inning eater.

Nowadays, pitchers would be lucky to complete 24-games in a career, yet these days, it's common to see 100 mph hurlers.

In either case, these two had "Dead Arms" which shortened their careers. Each started and ended their five-year careers sporting the "Old English D" in the Motor City.

Fidrych died April 13, 2009 at the age of 54 which is 27 or half of Zumaya's age. Fidrych was killed working on his truck outside his home in Northborough, Massachusetts. It's hard to believe that it's been nearly three years since Fidrych passed away.

Zumaya can only hope his career does resume. Hopefully, he won't die at a young age.

It's so sad to see a pair of young hurlers with so much potential fail to reach and sustain superstar status. Yet, they both experienced the big stage with Zumaya in the 2006 World Series and Fidrych in the 1976 All-Star Game.

What a difference 30-years makes and hopefully there is a continuation of the Zumaya Story.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

A Super Lesson

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The New York Giants 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots sent shock waves to the rest
of the NFL.

Just get in the playoffs and play your best football in December and January, as they became the first team in NFL history to lose seven games and win a Super Bowl.

The Giants were 7-7 in December and made it to the playoffs by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 to win the NFC East Title in the final week of the season, finishing 9-7.

By winning the division title, New York earned a home game and dispatched the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 in the opening round. Atlanta's only points came off a safety.

The Giants took their act on the road as they defeated 15-1 Green Bay 37-20 in the second game of the tournament in frigid Lambeau Field. They prevented Packers MVP QB Aaron Rogers from leading Green Bay to its second straight Super Bowl Championship.

The NFC Championship Game would be hosted by the 13-3 San Francisco 49'ers. But the Giants wouldn't be affected by the three hour time difference as they earned a 20-17 overtime victory.

What would it take for New York to win the Super Bowl over the 13-3 New England Patriots? It would take an MVP Performance by Giants QB Eli Manning as he threw for 296 yards and one touchdown. Manning became the fifth player in Super Bowl History to win two MVP Awards and he accomplished that twice against the New England Patriots.

This MVP came in the stadium that his brother Peyton built---Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The Giants played good defense. They sacked Patriots QB Tom Brady twice and forced him to throw one interception. Brady had a safety on the Patriots first possession of the game.

Ironically, my good friend Eddy Alvarez, who is my AT&T Dealer in Deerfield Beach, Florida, asked me an hour before kickoff as I was buying my new tablet, if there was going to be interesting play to watch out for.

I told him that there would be a two-point play of some sort. When Brady had that safety, Alvarez sent me a complimentary e-mail after it happened.

In the end, this Super Bowl rematch of four years ago would be decided in the final minute as the Giants got a late touchdown by Ahmad Bradshaw, a play designed to set up a field goal. However, he inadvertently backed in and scored. This play will go down as one of the classic endings in Super Bowl History.

Eli Manning's legacy has now been cemented as a two-time Super Bowl Champion. With two Super Bowl rings, he owns family bragging rights over Peyton and his father Archie.

Following the Super Bowl, the Giants have defeated the Patriots three consecutive times---including two Super Bowl triumphs and a 24-20 regular season win in New England on Sunday, November 6, 2011.

More importantly, the Giants Super Bowl victory sends a message to the entire "Sports World."

"Don't worry about the win-loss regular season record. Just qualify for the post-season."

As long as a team peaks in the playoffs, that's all that matters. You can bet every coach in every sport on all levels will use the Giants improbable underdog ride as motivation to inspire players to win a championship.

That's what will make Super Bowl XLVI stand out for years to come.

Finally, the Green Bay Packers won last years title with a 10-6 record and add the Giants 9-7 mark, and the combined record for both squads is 19-13.

That's incredible.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.