Subj : More Thoughts
To   : All
From : Ed Grinnell
Date : Sun Jun 11 2000 07:38 am

* Crossposted in NBA_ECHO
* Crossposted in SPORTS
Despite the influx of ABL players, the quality of play in the WNBA is still 
woeful. The league is keeping too many WNBA players who don't belong simply out 
of loyalty. For God's sake, if Timms were a white AMERICAN, she'd be out of the 
league by now. Her Australian teammate Cleary is really better and the team 
seems to be more fluid when she's on the floor instead of Timms but for some 
reason, Timms continues to keep a roster spot and her starter's role.

Also, former ABL players are having a problem adjusting to the ball and the 
wimpy play of the WNBA. The ball in the WNBA is smaller than the one that the 
ABL used and they might as well wear dresses the way that the refs call the 
game. Of course, that is exacerbated by the fact that you literally can't touch 
Swoopes or Cooper (and they can get away with bloody murder). The refs give the 
Comets far too much respect and I was amazed that Phoenix was able to beat them 
because they had to overcome the refs early in the game. It wasn't until they 
gained control that the refs stopped with their no autopsy, no foul attitude 
toward the Comets and the way that they played defense. Hell, Columbus could 
have went undefeated if they were given the same kind of favorable treatment in 
the ABL.

                                 ****

A guy by the name of Mark Heisler covers the Lakers for The Sporting News. In 
this week's edition, he wrote: "On the other hand, it's often hard to figure 
out just what Jackson is up to. Coaching the Lakers? Letting them work through 
their problems? Giving them lessons in life? In the beginning, he didn't expect 
this team to be able to compete for a title. Then when the team surprised him 
and won all those games in the regular season, he seemed to begin to believe he 
could coach the young Lakers as if they were the veteran Bulls: Just prepare 
them and point them in the right direction. But these aren't the Bulls. They 
need all the right buttons pushed at the right times. They clearly have the 
talent, but they still need a little direction at times."

Maybe Heisler needs a little lesson here because Jackson's coaching them like 
he coached the YOUNG Bulls, the Lakers aren't the YOUNG Lakers (The Lakers 
starters have 52 years of NBA experience while the Pacers have 53) AND several 
players have championship rings (Something that the YOUNG Bulls didn't have 
when they went for their first). All these so-called experts have taken shots 
at Jackson (and Bird) because of his coaching style and their perception that 
he lacks some kind of fire in his belly. I wonder what their going to have to 
say if the Lakers are able to complete their march to the NBA title?

BTW, it took Jordan 7 years to break through with a title and Pippen was in his 
4th year while this is O'Neal's 8th year and Kobe's 4th year.

--- TrekEd 1.00
 * Origin: Orlando will be no problem - M.J. (1:170/1701)

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