Donald Sterling's Gone and a New Era Begins

The Clippers are hosting their Fan Fest today and seeing the images of celebration along the birth of the Steve Ballmer era has left me feeling a bit confused. Not that I'm not pleased Donald Sterling is finally removed from the NBA but because the team is going to have a change in identity.

I've grown up with the Clippers as the junior varsity team. They've had a year or two of success but it was never sustained. Even with this 3-year run they've been on, I had a feeling Sterling would find a way to screw it up because he always has. Whether it was by being cheap to pay quality coaches, free agents or running his mouth, he's been a poison to ruin any momentum.

Now that he's gone, I've wondered if the Clippers' new identity means that their old legacy isn't coming back and what that means longterm. I wrote about that last week over at Bro Jackson but I think to explain my confusion more, I can compare it to USC and UCLA.*

A Week of Good Work

It's been an eventful week for me but also a productive one. Even though jury duty abruptly changed some of my plans, I'm still amazed at the level of work I did in spite of it and my schedule being tight.

I know I've been neglectful in sharing my stories here but I hope you'll indulge me for sharing after this week. (Here's a quick link to my non-sports thoughts from Monday on last week's Game of Thrones ep, which I think shows how my TV critiques are getting better)

Tuesday, for Bro Jackson, I tag-teammed with fellow scribe Courtney Cox to tackle the ignorant, lazy comments of Chris "Mad Dog" Russo regarding the lack of Black journalists on his station. As I've written before, media and new media are glaringly White and when comments like these are said, you can't leave them alone because they are dangerous. Courtney set it up so well with her takes that I felt like Mariano Rivera or Trevor Hoffman closing this out in style.

Later that night, I was at a volleyball game with a league title at stake. A three game sweep for El Segundo against South Torrance. 2 straight Pioneer League titles and 2 straight without losing a set.

Welcome to 2014: Links and Stuff

So I have a 2013 recap post planned here but in the meantime, I have good links to share from the last of my 2012 and the beginning of this year.

From last night, I had the great privilege of being inside Staples Center for the Downtown Showdown, hosted by Torrance High School. The hosts swept both games for the first time and here's one video interview of several I did following the games. (Daily Breeze)



My Top 10 games of the year. Done before Texas A&M had their excellent comeback against Duke on New Year's Eve. (Bro Jackson)

Earlier this week, two of California's best teams faced off in a battle of locals. Redondo defeated Bishop Montgomery in a thriller. (Daily Breeze)

I'll be at the Paul Pierce Winter Classic this weekend at Inglewood High School for two days of great hoops. Also, for my Southern Cali folks, check out Redondo High School for their Take Flight Challenge on Saturday. Two great hoops showcases.

Stat Culture Gone Wild (And How It Can Mesh with Tradition)

When I was growing up, I loved numbers. Before I was a writer and a history buff, I loved math. Maybe it was my Dad's influence as a civil engineer but math came very easy to me.

As I became a sports fan who read everything I could, I became obsessed with statistics. Reading the box scores, seeing who scored what, who were the all-time leaders - all of that was a part of my education. It continued that way all through high school and part of college.

Then I became a journalist. Suddenly I had to learn a whole new set of rules because when it came to interviews, I couldn't just pull up stats and use them. Not when I heard folks question about the flow of the game or key moments. I'd sit in press conferences or postgame interviews thinking I had to take it to another level.

That's when I learned to study the game closer. Watch for moments. Watch for changes in tempo. Watch how players move. Watch and learn how a coach manages the game. Go beyond the box score and be an observer.

This has been my education the past seven years. Yet at the same time, stat culture has grown in its influence on front offices and fans. For better and worse, it's changed how sports is discussed.

A Moment of Truth: Kobe is Mortal

This is not a eulogy for Kobe Bryant or his career.

This is, however, a moment of truth where we finally realize that one of the greatest athletes of our generation is mortal. Mortal after rupturing his Achilles tendon in one of the worst Los Angeles sports moments in a decade.

I saw the injury and figured it was serious but nothing he couldn't come back from. I've seen Kobe play with injured fingers, bad knees and any assortment of small injuries you can think of. When he misses a game, it surprises you. I figured he'd be back on Sunday.

I was wrong. So wrong that when I left the movie theater 3 hours after seeing the Lakers win and heard the news, I called my girlfriend feeling numb. One of my church members did pass away Friday so to compare reacting to an injury to death seems foolishness. But the numbness I felt on that drive home was about as bad as a non-death or personal moment can be.

Seeing Kobe fall was like seeing Derek Jeter fall in the ALDS last year. A bad injury this late in an iconic career is still beatable but harder. It's Father Time's greatest ally - old injuries means longer recovery and a reminder that he's undefeated.

LA Lakers: No Sleep Til Playoffs

Your weekly video update not only features an underrated Jurassic 5 jam but an understanding of why I'm so cool, calm and collected after Kobe's gem last night and Pau Gasol had one of his best all-around games.

1 game above Utah. 3 games left. The Lakers have to at least go 2-1 to put themselves in the playoffs, assuming Utah doesn't go 3-0.

Also, I end by speculating on where Kobe should finish in the MVP voting and on the All-NBA teams. Here's a hint, it's nowhere near first, second or third as King James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony locked those spots.

Thoughts on Brittney Griner and Mark Cuban's Offer

I posted this yesterday but I'll leave it here for folks to consider. Mark Cuban was a gracious businessman/promoter in offering Brittney Griner a chance to play in the NBA Summer League. But instead of that, perhaps he should look for other ways to directly impact women's basketball than try to compare them to men, which could be a flawed endeavor.

I also made an analogy to the Negro Leagues and what founder Rube Foster wanted. He wanted his teams to be on equal footing with the major leagues, not just be a farm system for poachers. I'm not saying Cuban is a shark by any means, but that energy could be spent on promoting the women's game on its own merit, not a publicity stunt for a player who doesn't deserve it.

In 2013, women don't need to compete against men to prove how great they are if they already do it in their own leagues.