J-Speaks: Longtime NBA Sideline Reporter Gets Promoted

In a career of broadcast sports that has seen her be a trailblazing sideline reporter, and color analyst for college basketball, and both men’s and women’s professional hoops, Doris Burke will add another first to her Hall of Fame resume. 

On Monday, Sports Illustrated reported that ESPN. “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” announced that Burke, formerly Doris Sable, will become a regular NBA game color analyst, commentating regular season telecasts as well as the NBA playoffs. 

Burke, who has been working with ESPN, as the color analyst for WNBA games in 1997, will become the first woman at the national level to be assigned a full season rotation of games as an NBA game analyst. 

This will not be Burke’s first rodeo as over the last couple of years, she has worked select NBA games as the No. 2 commentator, but will now be a regular. 

Burke will still be the lead NBA sideline reporter for the NBA Conference Finals, and the NBA Finals. 

This opportunity came about after long time NBA analyst for the network Doug Collins left to become the new Senior Advisor of Basketball Operations for Chicago Bulls, where he used to coach. 

“To have an opportunity to be more involved with one of the most important properties at ESPN is an honor,” Burke said on Monday. 

This is on the heels of the Yankees’ Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) announced the week prior that their longtime sideline reporter Sarah Kustok would serve as the full-time color analyst for the Brooklyn Nets, making her the only woman handling the analyst duties solo for an NBA team. 

This news of Burke’s promotion comes at a time where other women have morphed from sideline reporters into color analyst on NBA broadcasts. Longtime sideline reporter for FOX Sports Southeast Stephanie Ready, who has worked the sidelines for NBA on TNT in the past during the postseason became the first woman to become a full-time NBA game analyst as member of the three-person team that includes her, Eric Collins, and former Hornets player Dell Curry since the 2015-16 NBA campaign. 

Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale for years has been a part of the Phoenix Suns television broadcast team. 

In the middle of the 1990s, Hall of Famer and former WNBA head coach of the Phoenix Mercury Cheryl Miller, who brother is fellow Hall of Famer of the Indiana Pacers, and current NBA on TNT color analyst Reggie Miller often rotated as a sideline reporter, studio analyst for TNT, and back then for TBS. In November of 1996, she became the first female analyst to call a national televised NBA game when the Miami Heat played at the Los Angeles Clippers on TBS. 

Burke, born in West Islip, NY on Nov. 4, 1965, and raised in Manasquan, NJ, Burke’s basketball journey began when she started playing the sport in second grade. 

After a standout amateur career as the point guard at Manasquan High School, she was not recruited by several colleges on the East Coast. She chose to attend Providence College in Providence, RI, where she also played point guard for the Friars. 

In her senior year in 1987, the then Sable led the Big East Conference in assists. In her collegiate career, she a Second-Team All-Big East selection once, and on two occasions made the All-Tourney Team of the Big East Women’s Basketball Tournament. 

In her senior year, Burke was the Providence’s Co-Female Athlete of the Year. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Service Administration/Social Work, and the school’s all-time leader in assists, and as of 2012 was still second in the school’s history in that category. Burke later graduated from Providence with a Master’s in Education. 

Two years after graduating, the then Sable married Gregg Burke in 1989 after he proposed to her in Cliff Walk on Valentine’s Day in 1990. The couple had their first child, daughter Sarah in 1992. Their second child, son Matthew was born in 1995. They divorced subsequently. 

Her broadcast career began in 1990 as a basketball analyst for her alma mater’s women’s games. Burke also that same year did commentary on Big East Women’s games on television, and six years later worked Big East’s Men’s games. 

In 1997, Burke became the lead color analyst for ESPN’s Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) coverage, and has been the leading voice of TV and radio of the New York Liberty. 

In 2000, she became the first woman color analyst for a New York Knicks game on radio and television. 

Starting eight years ago, Burke became the sideline reporter ABC’s coverage of The NBA Finals. One year later was featured as the sideline reporter for 2K Sports’ NBA 2K11, and has been on the last seven editions, including the newest one out now 2K18. 

In Oct. 2013, Burke made headlines when she signed a multi-year contract extension to serve as an NBA color commentator for ESPN, and then on Nov. 13, 2013 joined NBA analyst Jalen Rose, and now Alabama Men’s Basketball Head Coach Avery Johnson as ESPN’s NBA pre-game show “NBA Countdown.” 

This past season, “NBA Countdown” was hosted by ESPN’s “Sportsnation” Michelle Beadle, newest Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, Chauncey Billups, and “Pardon the Interruption’s” Michael Wilbon. 

While Burke has risen to the highest status as a broadcaster, and sideline analyst, she has paid it forward passing on her knowledge to the next generation of color, play-by-play, and sideline women analyst. 

Recent edition to the Naismith Hall of Fame Rebecca Lobo, who is works alongside Ryan Ruocco broadcasting WNBA games for ESPN the past few years, said at her Hall of Fame speech earlier this month, she thanked Burke and sideline reporter Holly Rowe for showing her the ropes of becoming a great broadcast analyst. 

Burke’s promotion to full-time lead analyst as Rachel Nichols said on Tuesday’s edition of “NBA: The Jump” on ESPN is as she said is, “overdue.” 

There is no one who knows the game more, having played the game, and reported on the game than Doris Burke. Seeing her, Ready, Kustok, and Ready rise to the positions they are as color analyst is special, and gives something for all little girls and young broadcast journalists to aspire to. 

“Basketball fans are better off every time she’s on a broadcast,” Nichols, the mother of twin girls said on Tuesday. “I can’t to hear more from her this season. It’s going to be great.” 

Information, and quotations are courtesy of 9/8/17 7:30 p.m. NBATV broadcast of the 2017 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony; 9/25/17 www.si.com story, “ESPN’s Doris Burke Will Be the First Woman in National Role As a Regular NBA Game Analyst,” by Richard Deitsch; 9/26/17 3 p.m. edition of “NBA: The Jump,” on ESPN with Rachel Nichols, Israel Gutierrez, and Scottie Pippen; www.celebrity-divorce.com/biography/doris-burke; www.google.com and http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheryl_Miller.

J-Speaks: Wade and James Reunited

For four years with the Miami Heat from 2011-14, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, along with Chris Bosh led the team to four straight appearances in The NBA Finals and they won two straight championships. They are now on the brink of joining forces again, this time in the Midwest. 

According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the 35-year-old perennial All-Star has agreed to signing the NBA veteran minimum contract a one-year deal, worth $2.3 million to join the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The deal cannot be made official until 5 p.m. Wednesday, because Wade, who reached a buyout from the Chicago Bulls, on Sunday will be completed. Once that happens, it is presumed that he will announce that he made the choice to reunite with his James, the four-time league MVP, and two-time Finals MVP with the Cavs, Wade, who spent 2016-17 playing for his hometown team said to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press (AP). 

“I think he brings another championship DNA. A championship pedigree,” James said about the likelihood of Wade joining the Cavs at the team’s Media Day on Monday. “Brings another playmaker to the team, who can get guys involved. That can make plays, and, just has a great basketball mind. I think in it would be great to have him here.”

James and Wade have been close friends since entering “The Association” together in 2003, where James was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cavs, and Wade was the No. 5 overall selection by the Heat. They were teammates with the Heat for four seasons from 2010-14. Won back-to-back titles together in 2012, and 2013, and went to The NBA Finals in each of their four seasons, and remained very close friends, even after James, left in free agency to return to essentially his hometown team, as he is an Akron, OH native.  

Wade also told Reynolds of the AP earlier this week that besides the Cavs, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Heat were the other two teams he was considering signing with. 

“Whatever Dwyane does, it’s never, ever going to change how I feel about him, or about our hopes for where he ends up eventually,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said Tuesday after the Heat’s first practice. “Whenever that is…Everybody knows how we all feel about him.”

Heat President Pat Riley, who coached Wade on the Heat’s first championship when they beat the Dallas Mavericks in six games in 2006 has those same sentiments of the player who helped put basketball on the map in South Florida for 13 of his first 14 seasons in the NBA. 

Over the weekend, Riley said in a press conference that besides being absolutely in love with his former player, his best memory is when the won Game 6 at American Airlines Center 11 seasons back, Wade grabbed the rebound off a Jason Terry missed shot and threw the ball into the sky after the final buzzer to clinch the title, and being named Finals MVP. 

“Probably one of the greatest series that any player has ever had in The Finals,” Riley said in describing the 34.7 points Wade averaged in the 2006 Finals, which is the third highest scoring average by a player in his first championship series appearance. 

“So, I feel great about our relationship that we had over the 13 years, and anything that happens from a personnel stand point down the road, or any opportunities that are there, we’re always going to approach that. But, right now he’s under contract with Chicago, and I wish him the very best.”

Wade left the Heat in the summer of 2016 to sign a two-year, $47.5 million deal with his hometown team the Bulls on July 15, 2016. He averaged 18.3 points, the fewest since his rookie season of 2003-04, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game a season ago. 

With the team heading deciding to start over and rebuild after trading All-Star forward Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves during this June’s draft, and letting fellow All-Star lead guard Rajon Rondo go in free agency, they decided not to pay Wade the $23.8 million salary he was set to make this upcoming season, buy him out and let him to sign with a team where he can finish his career on his terms. 

Wade said as much to Reynolds of the AP that the team he decided to sign with would be “purely a basketball decision.”

“I’ll make the one that I feel fits me at this point in my career, and with what I feel I have to offer a team that needs what I have to offer.”

While the Cavs have made it to The Finals the last three seasons in succession, the team dealt All-Star starting floor general Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics near the close of last month, and the All-Star the Cavs got back in return in lead guard Isaiah Thomas will be on the shelf until at least January due to a hip injury he sustained against the Cavs in Game 2 of this past seasons’ Eastern Conference Finals. 

The Cavs also signed 2011 league MVP Derrick Rose in the, and will presumably add Wade, who James has made no secret of wanting him to come to Northeast Ohio, will add not just a championship pedigree, but will give them depth, and the ability to make hit teammates better. 

There are two things you can say about Dwyane Wade. He loves to compete, and as Nichols pointed out on her show on Tuesday is not a fan of sitting idly by and watching other people compete. So it's no surprise that he decided to sign with the Cavs, reunite with James, and shoot for his fourth ring, and their third together, likely against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in June. 

While his time with the Bulls might have been for just one season, he left an impression that the whole organization respects and want nothing but the best for him on the final leg of his NBA journey, that will land him in the Hall of Fame once he retires. 

“I want to say Dwyane Wade was very professional entirely through his time here,” Bulls’ Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson said this week. “We have nothing but good things to say about him-professional, great player, can still play the game. We wish him well, and we’re happy he’s in a good place, and will find a situation that’s best for him.” 

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 9/22/17 11 p.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” with Matt Winer, Steve Smith, and Dennis Scott; 9/26/17 Bottom Line news crawl from ESPN 2 at 8 p.m.; 9/26/17 www.nba.com article, via The Associated Press, “Report: Dwyane Wade To Sign One-Year Deal with Cleveland Cavaliers,” by Tim Reynolds;  9/27/17 3 p.m. edition of “NBA: The Jump,” on ESPN, with Rachel Nichols, Israel Gutierrez, and Scottie Pippen; http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwyane_Wade; and http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeBron_James.  

J-Speaks: Knicks Finally Trade All-Star Forward

Coming into this NBA off-season, one of the biggest questions was when would perennial All-Star Carmelo Anthony be traded from the New York Knicks, and would he be traded to the Houston Rockets? The two teams though had difficulty making this trade happen, and it was very likely that Anthony would be a Knick at the start of this week. The team dodged that bullet over the weekend as they found a partner to do a deal for the perennial All-Star. 

On Saturday, the Knicks dealt the 33-year-old Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for center Enes Kanter, forward Doug McDermott, and a 2018 Second-Round Draft pick, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal became official on Monday, which kept the Knicks from a potential of answering questions from the press about his status with the organization.

The deal marks the first time the Knicks will start the season without the guy they acquired on Feb. 22, 2011 from the Denver Nuggets in hopes that he would bring them their first Larry O’Brien Trophy since 1973. 

“Win, lose or draw, I was there every night. I came in and competed every night. I stayed professional throughout all the ups and downs that comes along with being in New York,” Anthony said when he was officially introduced as a member of the Thunder at Media Day on Monday. 

NBATV Insider, and sideline reporter for the NBA on TNT David Aldridge, this deal came together very quickly when Anthony decided in the days leading up to the trade to include the Thunder as one of the teams he wanted to be traded to, which led to him waiving his no-trade clause.

“There’s no point in talking if he’s not going go there,” Aldridge said to NBATV’s Matt Winer, and Dennis Scott on Saturday afternoon’s edition of “Gametime.”

Aldridge also said that once Anthony decided I want to be traded to the Thunder, all it took was a couple of phone calls, including one on Saturday morning between the Thunder and the Knicks to complete the deal. 

Since his arrival in New York city seven years ago, the former No. 3 overall pick out of Syracuse by the Denver Nuggets in 2003 has effectively in navigating his life in a place that is not for the fate of heart of pro sports stars. He, his wife actress, business woman and television host Alani “La La”, and their son Kiyan were fixtures at many local events over the years.

Unfortunately, in Anthony’s 6.5 seasons in the “Big Apple,” the only significant thing he did was become the seventh player in Knicks’ franchise history to score 10,000 points, and have the third best scoring average in team history at 24.7 points per contest. 

In that time, the Knicks went just 207-269 during the regular season with Anthony. They made the playoffs the first three seasons of Anthony’s tenor in NYC, but missed the playoffs the last four seasons. Their only playoff series win came in 2013 when they defeated their Atlantic Division rival, the Boston Celtics in opening round in six games. They lost in the Semifinals to his new Thunder teammate Paul George and the Indiana Pacers 4-2.  

To bring Anthony’s time with the Knicks into a clearer context, before Jackson became team president in 2014, the team was 141-117, making the postseason as mentioned three straight seasons. They were an abysmal 80-116 with Jackson in the front office. 

The career of Anthony as a Knick will be characterized as one that had such promise, but never lived up to the hype, thanks to Jackson inability to make proper moves to improve the team, and how he simply ridiculed, and disrespected his star player in the press for much of this past season. With all of that, Anthony never got rattled from the challenges of playing under the spotlight of the “Big Apple,” and the fans of New York. 

“I don’t think the fans have anything bad to say…. There very educated about. They understand what it’s like playing in New York, and for me, I feel like I’ve embraced all those challenges playing in New York,” Anthony said.

Throughout this off-season it was the Rockets who tried to acquire Anthony from the Knicks, with the hope of pairing him the All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul, and James Harden. 

What the Rockets were offering though in terms of a deal that would involve a third team was not enticing for the Knicks to pull the trigger, especially with the centerpiece on their end involving sharp shooting forward Ryan Anderson, who has three years and $60 million dollars left on a four-year, $80 deal he signed the prior summer. 

While they knew the chances of getting a complementary replacement for Anthony, the Knicks knew that they not only wanted to clear salary cap space for the 2019-20 NBA campaign, where they would be done with all the deals former team president Phil Jackson had done. On top of that, Anthony had to consent to the deal because of the no-trade clause in his contract, that Jackson surrendered to the 10-time All-Star when he signed his new five-year, $124 million deal in the summer of 2014. 

The Cavs had no interest in acquiring Anthony because, according to an NBA.com report, they did not want to move center Tristan Thompson, or the unprotected 2018 First-Round pick they acquired from the Celtics in the Kyrie Irving deal a month ago.

The Knicks did consider an offer for Anthony from the Portland Trail Blazers, which included young veterans on long deals like forward Maurice Harkless, and guard/forward Evan Turner. The Trail Blazers did not include rising star center Jusuf Nurkic in any offers the Knicks brought to the table.  

With Anthony gone, the team will now be built around young star forward/center Kristaps Porzingis, who understands that he is the face of the franchise now, the team will only grow if the rest of the cast he is around going forward grows with him.

"I'm excited about he opportunity of being the leader of the team," Porzingis said in answering WLNY Fox 5 Sports Anchor Duke Gastiglione about his new role.

"But, at the end, it's going to be 15 guys on the roster, and everybody's going to have to contribute. And, everybody's going to do that. It's not just about one guy, and that's his team, and I'm going to do what I can, but it's a team. It's not just one player."

Alongside of him in the front court will be the 25-year-old Kanter, who has made himself into one of the best scoring big men in “The Association,” with a 14.3 scoring average, while also grabbing 6.7 rebounds in 2016-17, in a little over 21 minutes of the bench for the Thunder this past season. 

He is also on a short deal that will pay him $17.8 million for this season, with a player option of $18.6 million. This will be Kanter’s third team since being taken No. 3 overall in the 2011 draft by the Utah Jazz. The Thunder acquired Kanter from the Jazz two years ago as part of a three-team deal with them, and the Detroit Pistons. 

The Thunder faced criticism for matching a four-year, $70 million offer sheet the Portland Trail Blazers offered to Kanter in the summer of 2015, but he became a solid offensive compliment to All-Star guard Russell Westbrook and then forward Kevin Durant. 

While Kanter will bring a great offensive skill set to the Knicks with his ability to score in the low post, as well as rebound the basketball, he is a below average defensive player, which kept him from cracking the starting quintet with either the Jazz or Thunder. 

In McDermott, the Knicks are getting who is looking to still find his footing since being the selected No. 11 overall out of Creighton in 2014 by the Chicago Bulls. 

While his first two seasons were a struggle at times with the Bulls with scoring averages of 3.0 and 9.4 respectably, McDermott made some strides a season ago averaging 10.1 points per contest, and shot 37.1 percent from three-point range before he was dealt to the Thunder, along with forward Taj Gibson, who signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the off-season for guard Anthony Morrow, and Cameron Payne, and forward Joffrey Lauvergne. 

McDermott’s paired with the newly signed Tim Hardaway, Jr. in the off-season will give the Knicks two floor spreading snipers that will allow Porzingis, and Kantor to operate in the low post. 

While Porzingis will be the new center of attention of the Knicks organization, the Knicks’ will also need Hardaway, Jr.; second-year forward/center Willy Hernangomez; second-year Mindaugas Kuzminskas; second-year guard Ron Baker; rookie guard Frank Ntilikina; center Kyle O’Quinn, and Lance Thomas to develop or continue to develop into solid complimentary players. 

They will need new additions like guards Jarrett Jack, and Ramon Sessions; previously mentioned Kanter, and McDermott; veteran guard Courtney Lee, and veteran forward Michael Beasley to be solid contributors both on, and off the court. 

That 2018 Second-Rounder the Knicks got in the Anthony deal could be a very high one next June because that picked previously belonged to the Bulls, and considering they are in rebuilding mode after sending All-Star forward Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night in June, that could be a very high pick.

With the trade of Anthony official, new front office management in General Manager Scott Perry, and former GM Steve Mills as the new president, the remaining, head coach Jeff Hornacek, the new and remaining Knicks on the roster now can begin what will hopefully a new chapter that will lead them back to respectably in the NBA and hopefully the postseason not too long from now, with Porzingis leading the way. 

As far as when Anthony will be facing his old team again, that will take place on opening night at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. nationally on TNT, and in New York locally on the Madison Square Garden Network (MSG). Anthony will make his return to New York when the Thunder come to Madison Square Garden in NYC to play the Knicks on Saturday, Dec. 16 on MSG.

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 9/23/17 www.nba.com article “Oklahoma City Goes All In With Carmelo Anthony as New York Knicks Get Fresh Start,” by David Aldridge; 9/26/17 4:30 a.m. edition of WLNY Fox 5's "Good Day Early Call," with Sukanya Krishnan, Jennifer Lahmers, Mike Woods with weather, Ines Rosales with traffic, and sports with Duke Castiglione; www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/ny/seasontype/2;  http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_York_Knicks_seasons; http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmelo_Anthony; http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_McDermott; http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enes_Kanter; and 9/26/17 6 p.m. edition of “Time to Schein” on CBS Sports Network with Adam Schein.

 

J-Speaks: Don's Venomous Words Reach Pro Sports

If there is one thing that our 45^th President of the United States Donald J. Trump has made clear is he is not afraid to say what is on his mind. He has made his opinions very clear on our former President Barack Obama. About Muslims, all minorities, immigrants, Democrats, and even Republicans. All it has done is divide and created more cynicism amongst all of us. This weekend, he targeted professional athletes. 

On Friday in another campaign style rally in Alabama, Mr. Trump started a daylong war of words against the National Football League players who have kneeled during the national anthem. 

“If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL, or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU’RE FIRED. Find something else to do,” Mr. Trump tweeted Saturday afternoon @realDonaldTrump. 

He specifically said at that rally in Alabama on Friday, “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now! Out. He’s fired. He’s fired!’” 

In solidarity, many NFL teams during the national anthem before games of the Week 3 schedule used that time to defy Mr. Trump by either taking a knee, locking arms with their teammates, coaches, and even owners. NFL teams Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks, and all but one of the Pittsburgh Steelers in offensive tackle former US Army ranger Alejandro Villanueva stayed in the locker rooms.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell answered back in a statement over the weekend by saying, “Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game, and all of our players, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs, and players represent in our communities.”

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said after the team’s 27-24 loss at the Chicago Bears Sunday he wanted to make sure his team was united together and not split on how they feel about the situation. 

“We will not be divided by this,” he said. “We got a group of men in their man that come from different social, economic backgrounds. Races, creed, ethnicities, and religions, and so forth. That’s football. That’s a lot of team sports. But, because of our position, we get drugged into ‘!@#’ to be quite honest with you. Some have opinions. Some don’t. We wanted to protect those that don’t. We wanted to protect those that do.” 

This is on the heels of just four players standing during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner the prior week. 

The kneeling for the national anthem first began a season ago when then San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, protested the brutality by police officers across the country against African Americans, and other minorities.  

Five-time Super Bowl winning signal caller of the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots Tom Brady, who is a close friend and supporter of Mr. Trump locked arms with wide receiver Phillips Dorsett before their home game against the Houston Texans, while owner Robert Kraft, a strong supporter of the Mr. Trump expressed deep disappointment with No. 45. 

“I certainly disagree with, you know, what he said, and you know, thought it was just divisive,” Brady said on the WEEI Sports Radio Show “Kirk & Callahan” on Monday

Former New York Jets, and Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan, also a Trump supporter expressed his feelings on Sunday during ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown.” 

“I’m pissed off. I’ll be honest with you,” Ryan said. “I’m reading these comments, and it’s appalling to me, and I’m sure it’s appalling to almost any citizen in our country. It should be.” 

That defiance did nothing to move the needle on what Mr. Trump said on Friday, as he tweeted on Sunday night, “Great solidarity for our National Anthem and for our country. Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable. Bad ratings!”

Besides critiquing NFL players, Mr. Trump set his anger on the National Basketball Association (NBA) when Curry saying to ESPN’s “NBA: The Jump” hosts Rachel Nichols and Paul Pierce at Warriors’ Media Day on Friday that the team was discussing about if they wanted to go to the White House. Earlier this off-season, perennial All-Star, and Finals MVP Kevin Durant openly said that he does not want to attend. 

Curry said to Nichols, and Pierce that he was on that same tip, but also said that he did not want to rush this decision because of the magnitude of it. 

“We have an opportunity to send a statement that hopefully encourages unity. Encourages us to just appreciate what it means to be an American, and stand for something,” he said. 

“Whatever your opinion is on either side, that’s what we want take advantage of this opportunity.” 

Unfortunately, that visit to the White House to meet President Trump was taken off the table when he tweeted on Saturday morning, “Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!” 

The Warriors answered by a statement that said, “While we intended to meet as a team at the first opportunity we had this morning to collaboratively discuss a potential visit to the White House, we accept that President Trump has made it clear that we are not invited. We believe there is nothing more American than our citizens having the right to express themselves freely on matters important to them. We’re disappointed that we did not have an opportunity during this process to share our views or have open dialogue on issues impacting our communities that we felt would be important to raise. In lieu of a visit to the White House, we have decided that we’ll constructively use our trip to the nation’s capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion-the values that we embrace as an organization.”   

In the aftermath of Mr. Trump’s statements on twitter, and in Alabama, many pro athletes and college programs have tweeted their opinions, or expressed through their actions how they feel about what is going on in our country. 

Four-time MVP of the Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James tweeted, “U bum @StephanCurry30 already said he ain’t going! So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to the White House was a great honor until you showed up!”

James was more forthcoming at Cavs’ Media Day saying, “The people run this country. Not one individual, and damn sure not him.” 

“He doesn’t understand how many kids, no matter the race lookup to the President of the United States for guidance. For leadership. For words of encouragement. He doesn’t understand that, and that’s what makes me more sick than anything.”  

Houston Rockets guard, and President of the NBA’s Player’s Association said in his own tweet, “With everything that is going on in our country, why are YOU focused on kneeling and visiting the White House???” 

Paul went on to question Trump’s courage to call any of those NFL players a female dog to their face.  

Oakland Athletics’ rookie catcher Bruce Maxwell took a knee before the team’s 1-0 win versus the Texas Rangers on Saturday, which made him the first MLB player to engage himself into this national debate. 

The reality of this whole situation is the fact that we are a divided country. We are divided in how we should feel about each other. Who we should trust, respect, and listen to? 

What makes our country great is that we are all different, unique individuals with special and similar qualities that should be respected. We all should be able to live how we chose. Above all, we should respect each other, and build our nation to be all for one and one for all. 

Mr. Trump with divisive words in front of crowds and his twitter account has divided our country, and taken his personal grievances out for the whole world to see. His words have denied the chance for the likes of some of the greatest athletes in the world from college and the professional ranks a chance to visit one of the greatest places in the entire world, just to play to the ladies and gentlemen that voted him into the White House in Nov. 2016. 

The University of North Carolina’s reigning National Championship team stated on Saturday that they will be unable to show up for a visit to the White House, though the News & Observer reported it is due to a scheduling conflict.

New York Yankees’ pitcher CC Sabathia said after if the “Bronx Bombers” win the World Series this season, that he too would not accept an invite to the White House. 

“If the opportunity is there, I probably wouldn’t go,” the Yankees’ All-Star pitcher said after the team’s playoff clinching 5-1 win versus the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.  

It does our nation no good when minorities are killed by the police, who are supposed to protect them. It also does not help us when people who do support the American Flag throw figurative stones at those who have questions. 

On Monday’s addition of the syndicated talk show “The Real,” comedienne, and host Loni Love talked about how last Sunday just six NFL players took a knee during the National Anthem. But, after President Trump vial words on Friday, all NFL players, and owners decided to take a stand. 

She mentioned that the NFL players did not stand on the field for the National Anthem, until 2009 when U.S. Government paid the league to come out to stand for the Star-Spangled Banner, which is referred to as “Paid Patriotism.” 

Love, a former Girl Scout talked about the US Flag Code: Chapter 10.17C, which she posted on her Instagram @comiclonilove. That code states, “The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.”

“I believe God,” Love said. “I believe God has a way to work through people, and I think he did work through Donald Trump, because Donald Trump opened up his mouth. Now it’s bringing it back, and we have to discuss it.”

The way that we see the American Flag planted across a football field before NFL games is inappropriate, and disrespectful. It is not supposed to be worn, or to be in advertisements. The code does state that you should stand if you are a civilian, and if you are a current or former member of the military, you salute.

When Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the Star-Spangled Banner in protest of police brutality against minorities. As a result, no NFL team offered to even bring him in for a workout, let alone offer him a contract. He did it because he wanted to make a point that minorities in this country deserve to be respected, and protected by the police, including officials like the President. Even if it does cost him playing another down in the NFL.

When those who respect our nation’s greatest symbol, the Flag of the United States of America put down those who take a knee or got into the locker room when the National Anthem is being played is wrong. It’s a disgrace when the most visible human symbol of our nation, the President of the United States does not emphatically condemn the worst of our country like white supremacist, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Neo-Nazis. 

What we saw over the weekend across the NFL was a stand against the toxic waste of words that came out of the mouth of President of Donald J. Trump. He took a sledge hammer to the character of the NFL, its players, and owners. Several of whom gave over a million dollars to his campaign. 

He turned his nose up at two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry and the reigning NBA champion Warriors because they questioned how he has conducted business as Commander in Chief.  

HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," said it best at the close of the latest edition of the show on Tuesday by thanking Trump for his vulgar words that forced the pro sports athletes to stand up and be heard.

"A quick thanks to the occupant of the White House. For energizing the social conscious of the modern American athlete," he said. "That occupant's weekend series of racists, churlish, and childish comments drew a variety of stunning rebukes, and actions, which suggests jocks may finally be realizing that apathy won't cut it anymore. That in conjunction with their fame, they have important civic roles to play, especially now."

What one of the finest journalist of our generation in Mr. Gumble, who happens to be African American meant is that today's professional athlete has realized that going into the path of least resistance head on like some of the greats before them like Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Bill Russell, Billie Jean King, Roberto Clemente, and Arthur Ashe to name a few had the courage to challenge authority in the pursuit of justice. 

Gumble quote legendary musici Bob Dylan saying, "the times they are changing," but also is the reality that certain things have not changed at all, like police brutality against minorities, which is why Kaepernick began his protest by kneeling during the National Anthem in the first place.

While we as citizens of this great nation need to become better students at being able to understand each other and what we all want, President Trump needs to be a better deliver of the message that he says in public, and above all, he must understand that he as the Commander in Chief represents all of us, not just some of us. The more he spews out negativity, and destructive rhetoric that empowers hateful feelings and emotions out at others, the more divided we will become as a nation. The weaker we will appear to the rest of the world, and the more likely we will destroy the trust, and respect we all need to have to make our nation better. 

Going forward, we all as citizens of the United States of America need to be present in how we treat each other. We must listen more and talk less. If nothing else, we need to vote the right people into office that will respect all people, and raise our standing that will earn respect from our allies across the globe, and condemn the righteous acts and feelings of our enemies. 

Information, and quotations are courtesy of 9/23/17 4:30 p.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” with Matt Winer, and Dennis Scott; 9/23/17 11:30 p.m. edition of WABC 7 “Eyewitness News,” with Sandra Bookman, Laura Behnke with Sports, and Jeff Smith with Weather, with report from ABC News’ Lynda Lopez; 9/24/17 11 p.m. edition of WABC 7 “Eyewitness News,” with Bill Ritter, Sandra Bookman, Laura Behnke with Sports, and Jeff Smith with Weather, report from CeFaan Kim; www.espn.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/nyy/new-york-yankees; www.espn.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/oak/oakland-athletics; 9/24/17, story from the New York Post “Don’s Scores To Settle,” by Dean Balsamini, and Laura Italiano; 9/25/17 4:30 a.m. edition of WLNY Fox %’s “Good Day Early Call,” with Sukanya Krishnan, Jennifer Lahmers, Mike Woods with weather, and Ines Rosales with traffic; 9/25/17 11 a.m. edition of “The Real,” on WNYW Fox 5 with Tamera Mowry-Housley, Jeannie Mai, Adrienne Houghton, and Loni Love; 9/25/17 4 p.m. edition of WABC 7 “Eyewitness News First at 4,” with Lauren Glassberg, Liz Cho, and Lee Goldberg with weather, with report from Josh Einiger; and 9/26/17 10 p.m. edition of HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumble." 

J-Speaks: The Latest Play-by-Play Commentator To Break "Glass Ceiling"

Back on Dec. 27, 1987 the Seattle Seahawks lost at Arrowhead Stadium to the Kansas City Chiefs 41-20 in Week 16, to close their season at 9-6, while the home team improved to 4-11. The game was not the only story that day. That afternoon on NBC, former news/sports anchor for the NBC affiliate WFLA in Tampa Bay, FL Gayle Sierens was the play-by-play analyst, making her the first woman to do play-by-play of an NFL game ever. She would be the last to do so, until the start of this season when a native of Syracuse New York broadcast the back end of the 2017 debut Monday Night doubleheader between the American Football Conference (AFC) West rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers versus the Denver Broncos on the night of Sept. 11. This Sunday, she will make even more history. 

When the Indianapolis Colts (0-2) visit the Cleveland Browns (0-2) on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. on CBS, the play-by-play commentary of the contest will be handled by longtime College Football commentator for ESPN Beth Mowins, which will make her the first woman ever for the NFL on CBS in its 58-year history. Mowins, who has been calling college football games for ESPN since 2005, will join Sierens as just the second female play-by-play announcer to call an NFL regular season game. Longtime place kicker and CBS sideline analyst Jay Feely doing color commentary. 

Mowins, who has also called preseason games for the Oakland Raiders in recent years made history becoming the first woman to call a NFL Monday night game of the previously mentioned game between the Chargers (0-2), and Broncos (2-0), which the Broncos won 27-24. She was joined in the broadcast booth by former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan. 

“Their franchises. Everybody knows about Monday Night Football, and for my generation, we grew up watching the NFL Today Show, and then the NFL on CBS every Sunday,” Mowins said to Dana Jacobson, Lisa Leslie, Tracy Wolfson, and Summer Sanders on this past Tuesday’s edition of “We Need to Talk (WNTT),” on the CBS Sports Network. 

This latest break in the so-called “glass ceiling” got a lot of reaction both good and bad from the masses, but there was a lot of great outpouring from several NFL teams, and players in support of Mowins. 

WNTT panelist Amy Trask @AmyTrask tweeted, “I wish @bethmowins the very best for success tonight and always and I hope praise w/out regard to gender-as b/caster not fem. b/caster. 

The Broncos organization @Broncos tweeted, “We’re proud to be a part of this historic night. Congratulations, @bethmowins!” 

The Raiders, @RAIDERS tweeted, “Well deserved, @bethmowins.” 

One person who was not surprised that this moment took place is former Monday Night Football play-by-play analyst for ESPN, who is now the pregame stadium host for “Football Night in America” on NBC Mike Tirico, who predicted back in January that Mowins would be the first woman in a generation to be in the lead seat of a role he once had. 

“Beth will show up, and do a game, ad do as good a job as the men,” he said. “She is a ceiling-breaker, a pioneer, and there will be more women [calling the NFL] going forward.”

Mowins said that one big thing of that she wanted to do with her moment in the spotlight is to earn the respect of the people you have worked with, and supported you whole life, and your broadcast peers. 

She also wanted to dispel the myth that the women that are sports caster do not like each other. Some of the highest compliments she got from her work doing that Monday night clash between the Chargers and Broncos came from women in the business, who know the challenges of being a female sports journalist. 

Sanders ask Mowins how she handled that big moment, and she had family and friends in Denver, and that the ESPN crew that handled the game that night was one that she worked with before from Ryan, to the producer and director. 

“So that kind of put me at ease, and in a lot of ways if you’ve seen one press box, you’ve seen them all, and once you’re in there it’s like home,” Mowins said. “Whether it’s the pool, or the basketball court, or the sideline. It’s your comfort zone.” 

Mowins also said that when Ryan moved over into her space, she knew right away that she needed to get him back into his coach’s box, have a fun moment and once the opening kickoff happens, you let your instincts take over. 

She did say that she felt the enormity of the moment hit her when Monday Night Countdown lead host Suzy Kolber ended the postgame of the first contest between the New Orleans Saints versus the Minnesota Vikings to toss it to second game and the wide angle shot from the blimp looking down on the stadium. 

“I had to smile a little bit, just to think of the little girl that wanted to do that when I was younger to being there, and having that opportunity was fantastic,” Mowins said. 

For every praise that Mowins received for her historic moment, she also received a lot of criticism, particularly on social media. 

One of the WNTT panelist that is no stranger to this is Wolfson, who currently is the lead sideline reporter for the NFL on CBS and she said on this past Tuesday’s show that she blocks those negative tweets by blocking them completely. 

Mowins said that she tries not to get on social media until she watches the game back, seeing for herself the things she did completely right, and where she can improve. 

Whenever she has faced those moments, Mowins says she remembers a quote from Mark Twain, “Don’t argue with stupid people. They’ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.” 

She did say that how we feel about one another and how we do things, and the way we analyze each other on social media is an important conversation to have on talk shows like WNTT, on radio shows, and in studio. 

“My training as a play-by-play announcer was, ‘Stay here. Stay between the lines,’” Mowins said. “If people want to have a conversation, or actual critique on line, then that’s fine.” 

One of those critiques was raised by a host of WNTT and a former sideline commentator for NBC’s Sunday Night Football Andrea Kramer in The New York Times this past week about Mowins’ voice. 

Jacobson said that it was an example of that someone will always have something to say about something that is different from the norm. In this case the voice of a female play-by-play commentator doing football. It is also the case of the fact there have been a whole lot of female voices doing commentary of professional and collegiate sports, unless it involves women. 

“I think it’s a different voice for most fans to hear that aren’t watching a lot of women’s sports, or who have not watch a lot of college basketball. It does take a little bit I think to get used to that,” Mowins, who described her commentary voice as part famed actress/country singer Reba McEntire, part actress Tea Leoni. 

Mowins also said that she tries to encourage those that have reservation about women doing NFL commentary to give us a quarter. Give us a half before you reserve judgement. Not focus on the pitch and tone of the lady in this case doing play-by-play, and instead pay attention to the content, and the quality. 

For those that she has impacted, particularly young girls, Mowins said that she has come to have an appreciation of those that have reached out to her in person, on Twitter, and Instagram that, especially in the last six months when she got the assignment to commentate the Chargers versus the Broncos 13 days ago and the Colts versus Browns on Sunday. She has also gotten appreciation from mothers of those young girls who played sports, or are sports fans. The brothers of those young ladies, who watched them play sports, and watched sports right next to them on the couch of their respective homes. 

One tweet from a girl named Nina that Wolfson read to Mowins on the show said, “It’s an amazing feeling to hear a female voice calling a football game my mom taught me to love.” 

“I have embraced that a little bit more, because I walk that fine line between I’m a play-by-play announcer,” Mowins said. “If you see me as a female play-by-play announcer, that’s fine. But, I’m not going to broadcast that.”

Three decades ago, Gayle Sierens made history as the first woman to ever do play-by-play commentary in NFL regular season contest. While the progression of female commentators in general has progressed very slowly, we have seen some progress. In the NBA, longtime Charlotte Hornets sideline reporter for Fox Sports Southeast Stephanie Ready two years ago became the first woman to be a color analyst full-time for an NBA team. This upcoming NBA season, the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network sideline reporter the past five seasons will be the first woman to work as the primary solo NBA game analyst at a regional sports network.  

What we have seen in recent years is a change. A change where women broadcasters are hosting sports talk shows, and now are doing commentary on more than just women’s college and pro sports. It might be new, but if we give this new normal of the likes of Beth Mowins a legitimate eye and ear, will be entertained just as good as all the men that have commentated football, and basketball forever.

Information, and quotations are courtesy of 5/15/17 www.independen.co.uk story “ESPN’s Beth Mowins To Become First Female Play-by-Play Commentators of an NFL Game in 30 Years,”  9/19/17 8 p.m. edition of “We Need to Talk,” on CBS Sports Network, with Dana Jacobson, Tracy Wolfson, Summer Sanders, Lisa Leslie, and Beth Mowins; 9/19/17 http://www.usatoday.com story, “Beth Mowins To Call Colts vs. Browns on CBS,” by Matthew VanTryon; 9/22/17 http://www.sportsvideo.org story, “Behind The Mic: YES Makes Sarah Kustok First Full-Time Solo NBA Analyst For RSN; Barber Brothers Reunite for NFL on FOX; http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Mowins; http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayle_Sierens; and http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_Seattle_Seahawks_season#Regular_season.  

J-Speaks: OKC's Second Blockbuster Trade of 2017 Off-Season

Coming into last season, many thought that the Oklahoma City Thunder would take a major step backwards, especially after Kevin Durant left in free agency to join the now defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Behind the historic season of now reigning MVP Russell Westbrook, who garnered a new single-season record 42 triple-doubles, the No. 7 Seeded Thunder won 47 games and made the postseason, but lost in five games to the Houston Rockets and MVP runner up James Harden 4-1. Coming into this off-season, it was clear that the Thunder needed to improve the team, especially if they wanted to keep Westbrook in toe beyond this season. The team acquire another four-time All-Star to join him, and on Saturday managed to acquire another, who is one of the best scorers to ever grace the NBA hardwood. 

In a shocker of all shockers, the Thunder acquired 10-time All-Star, and three-time Olympic Gold medalist Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks, in exchange for center Enes Kanter, forward Doug McDermott, and a 2018 Second-Round pick, that belongs to the Chicago Bulls, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and the Vertical. The trade became official on Monday after the particulars were okayed by the league. 

Earlier this summer, the Thunder shocked the NBA universe when they acquired four-time All-Star swingman Paul George from the Indiana Pacers for forward Domantas Sabonis, and guard Victor Oladipo. 

“I take my hat off to the Oklahoma City Thunder,” Hall of Famer and NBA on TNT, studio analyst Charles Barkley said of the two major moves that Oklahoma City’s General Manager Sam Presti made over the off-season on Saturday to NBATV’s Matt Winer, and Dennis Scott. 

“They’ve done everything humanly possible to give Russell, so that he was not a one-man band, and they still have Steven Adams, who I think is probably one of the most underrated players in the NBA.” 

This latest trade by the Thunder took place because Anthony waived his no-trade clause, which was a serious sticking point that really limited the teams that the Knicks could trade Anthony to. 

All throughout this past season, then Knicks’ President Phil Jackson made it no secret of his feelings about Anthony would being better off with another franchise. Every chance he got, Jackson chastised him about his game and ability to lead others on the court, and all that did was lower his value and made him look like damaged goods

“He’s a player that would be better off somewhere else and using his talents somewhere where he can win or chase that championship,” Jackson said.

Anthony really had hoped he be traded to the Rockets to team up with their All-Star backcourt of Harden, and the team’s new lead guard in perennial All-Star Chris Paul, who the Rockets acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this summer. 

Two main reasons did not come to fruition is that Jackson, an 11-time championship coach with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers was fired as President of the Knicks earlier this summer, and that the Rockets did not have anything the Knicks were looking for. 

The one specific person the Rockets wanted to move to get Anthony was sharp shooting forward Ryan Anderson, but the Knicks did not want to deal with the three years and nearly $60 million left on his contract. 

So, on the heels of the Knicks’ front office brass of new General Manager Scott Perry, and Team President Steve Mills, and head coach Jeff Hornacek saying they expected Anthony to report to training camp on Monday, they found the trading partner that took Anthony off their hands, their books, and avoided a very awkward moment if he was still a Knick. 

Throughout what he called the last 12 months “an emotional roller coaster” to NBATV/NBA on TNT Insider David Aldridge, Anthony went out on the court and played as hard as he could play. When questions came up about his future with the Knicks, he answered all the questions from the media to the best of his ability and he never once threw the organization under the bus. 

Earlier this season, Anthony said, “If they [Knicks organization] feel that my time in New York is over, then I guess that’s a conversation we should have.” 

He also said, “I would love to be back. I would love to be back, but there’s somethings that I would love to see different.” “But, I’ve to come to peace with the situation I’m in, and kind of try happiness again.”

This trade will Anthony more a chance to find happiness as he will be teaming up with one of the most electrifying lead guards in the NBA in Westbrook, and one of the best two-way players in George. 

Thunder head coach Billy Donovan said on Tuesday that Anthony will be the team's new starting power forward this upcoming season. He was played the majority of his career at small forward, but has played some power forward in his time with Team USA, and said he has "no problem" with the change.

He specifically said about the position change, "I embrace that. And for this team, I think it will be better."

To bring the dynamic of this new trio into context, Anthony, George, and Westbrook ranked in the Top 23 in scoring in the NBA this past season. Westbrook lead the NBA in scoring a season ago, with a 31.6 average, and joined Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a single season, where Westbrook averaged 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists to go along with his scoring average.
George’s average of 23.7 points per contest was ranked 15^th, to go along with 6.6 boards, and 3.3 assists per game.

Anthony finished tied with Toronto’s Raptors All-Star lead guard Kyle Lowry with a scoring average of 22.4, to go along with 5.9 rebounds. 

The biggest thing for this trio is that they will because of their great offensive skills should be able to get easier shot attempts, as well as make a higher percentage of their shot attempts. A season ago Anthony and Westbrook shot just 43.3, and 42.5 percent respectably from the field, which is far below their career averages of 45.2, and 43.3 for their careers. George shot a solid 46.1 percent from the field during the 2016-17 season.  

This trade marks an A+ off-season for Presti and the Thunder organization. If you go back a few years ago, they traded Harden to the Rockets, where he blossomed into a Top 10 player in “The Association.” They said goodbye to Durant, who moved to the Bay Area to help the Warriors win their second title in the past three seasons this past June, where he was named Finals MVP. In just one off-season, they acquired two perennial All-Stars and did not surrender and of their other top players or draft picks in the process.

“I hope Russell stays there, because Sam has done everything within his powers,” Hall of Famer and NBA on TNT studio analyst Charles Barkley said on Saturday. 

“I mean think about? There’s not a single person who though Paul George was going to end up there [in OKC]. There’s not a single person who though Carmelo Anthony was going to end up there.”  

The question now is can this new so-called “Big 3” mesh together and turn the Thunder into a serious player in the tough Western Conference? 

All three have shown in their careers that they can carry a team with them leading the charge, but in the cases of George and Anthony, they wanted to be in a better situation where they can make the playoffs and have their team be a serious player in the postseason. 

In his historic season in 2016-17 Westbrook showed that he can make his teammates better and that he can trust them, even though they did disappear a great deal in their First-Round setback to the Rockets. However, Westbrook reverted to the doing everything on his own, like he did at times with Durant, when things got tough that series and it did not help matters for the Thunder. 

If the Thunder are going to make any kind of noise this upcoming season, Westbrook will have to more than ever make it a habit of deferring to George, and Anthony to take the load off his back scoring wise. If he can become comfortable with those nights where he scores between 19, to 20-plus points, while rebounding and assisting at the level he did last season, this season has a chance of being a good one for the Thunder.

This past season for George, his now former team in the Pacers had more ups, and downs than the stock market. There were times they played up to their potential, and other times they played like they had no business being on the court against their opponent. 

While they had some moments against the back-to-back-to-back Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening round of the 2017 postseason, they were swept 4-0, and the one loss that really hurt was Game 3, where they had a 20-plus point lead and lost. 

For Anthony, he has not been in the playoffs since 2012-13 season, where the Knicks won 54 games, and their first Atlantic Division title since the 1993-94 campaign, where they made it to The Finals, but lost to Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon and the Rockets in seven games. They lost in the 2013 Semifinals to the East runner-up that season ironically enough to George and the Pacers 4-2. 

Since Anthony’s third in the “Big Apple,” the Knicks have not made the playoffs the last four seasons in succession, and complied a record of 117-121 in that period. When the team hired Jackson to be their president on Mar. 28, 2014, their record was an abysmal 90-171. In the 6.5 seasons Anthony was a Knicks, the team had a dismal 207-269 record, which includes an 80-116 record under Jackson when he was in the team's front office.

"Melo going there gives him a whole new lease on basketball. A chance to win a championship. Play with another great player in Russell Westbrook, and Paul George. At this stage of his career, he wants to win and who can blame him," 13-year NBA forward said to Adam Schein on Tuesday's edition CBS Sports Network's "Time to Schein."  

Individually though, Anthony made a major name in the Knicks record books. This past season, he joined Hall of Famers Patrick Ewing, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Willis Reed, and Richie Guerin, and Allan Houston, and Carl Braun as the only players to score 10,000-plus points in a Knicks uniform. Only Hall of Famers Bob McAdoo (26.7), and Bernard King (26.5) had better scoring averages in their time with the Knicks than the 24.7 average of Anthony. 

On top of that, he will bring a level of leadership to the Thunder where he as mentioned earlier can handle all the tough questions from the press, and will always take the high road. 

“As a media member I loved him,” Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News said to Winer, and Scott. “He handled himself like a pro. He treated us well. He was there after every game, good, and bad. “He was commenting on things when Phil Jackson wouldn’t comment on them.” 

Bondy described his time with the Knicks as a, “roller coaster.” When he was traded to the team on Feb. 22, 2011, the fans and the organization expected more from him than the just mentioned 54-win season and division crown four seasons back. He did say though that he is the best Knick since Ewing, and considering that Anthony did pretty well in a city that has high expectations of star athletes he more than held his own despite not living up to the expectation of bringing the team their first title since 1973.

Besides the incentive of making it back to the playoffs, Westbrook, George, and Anthony can all be free agents in the summer of 2018, with Westbrook and Anthony being able to waive the final year of their respective deals. 

Presti has done everything in his power to put the best team he can around Westbrook to make some noise coming into this season to show him that signing that five-year contract extension worth $217 million the Thunder offered back in July, and has until Oct. 16 to sign it.

"It's been a long, long summer. I had a baby. So, I've been working on a little fatherhood. But, like I said before, this is the place I want to be. I love being here. I'm excited about this season," Westbrook said at Media Day about his future with the Thunder.  

Perhaps the biggest reason for him not signing that extension is the fact that George is not expected to stay with the Thunder beyond this season. 

It has been reported since this the middle past season that George, a Palmdale, CA native, who played his college ball at Fresno State wants to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers next off-season. 

As far as what happens next summer is for next summer. For now, the Thunder are focused on this season, and while the West is loaded with the defending champion Warriors, Rockets, and the five-time champion San Antonio Spurs just to start, the new trio of Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony gives the team an offensive attack that could make them a serious threat. They look good on paper, but can they turn that hype on paper into reality on the court.

They will not have to wait long to find that out as they will tip things off their season versus the Knicks at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. on TNT. 

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 7/1/17 story on bleacherreport.com, “Russell Westbrook Reportedly May Delay Signing Contract After Paul George Trade,” by Adam Wells; 9/23/17 4 p.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” with Matt Winer, and Dennis Scott; 9/23/17 11:30 p.m. edition of WABC 7 "Eyewitness News," with Sandra Bookman, Laura Behnke with Sports, and Jeff Smith with Weather; 9/23/17 NBA.com story by its staff, “Report: New York Knicks Trade Carmelo Anthony to Oklahoma City Thunder;” 9/26/17 6 p.m. edition of "Time to Schein," on CBS Sports Network with Adam Schein, with guest Carlos Boozer; 9/26/17 3 p.m. edition of "NBA: The Jump," on ESPN with Rachel Nichols, Israel Gutierrez, and Scottie Pippen; 9/26/17 Bottom Line news crawl on ESPN 2 at 9:30 p.m.; http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/NYK/leaders_career.html; www.espn.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/3468/russell-westbrook; www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/1975/carmelo-anthony; www.espn.com/nba/statistics/player/_/stat/scoring-per-game/sort/avgPoints/year/2016-17; http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_York_Knicks_seasons; http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmelo_Anthony; and http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_George.