J-Speaks: Scoring History in Charlotte, NC

On Wednesday night at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC, history was made scoring wise. A four-time league MVP and perennial All-Star tied the mark of Hall of Famer and owner of the opponent, while that opponent’s lead guard became the top scorer in franchise history. 

Four-time league MVP of the Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James scored 41 points with 10 rebounds, and eight assists in leading his team to a 118-105 at the Charlotte Hornets (34-42) on Wednesday night, making history yet again. 

The 33-year-old Akron, OH native who reached double-figures in scoring in the second quarter on an alley-oop dunk off a J.R. Smith pass matched the 17-year mark by “His Airness” and Hornets owner Michael Jordan for scoring 10 points or more for the 866^th time.  

The 14-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion, who started this streak on Jan. 6, 2007 in his first go around with the Cavs (44-30) can break the tie Friday night at home against the New Orleans Pelicans. 

“It just means I’ve kept my body in tune. In shape throughout all these years, all these games, 866,” James, who scored 40-plus points for the third time this season said to FOX Sports Ohio’s Allie Clifton after the win. 

“So anytime I’m in the same conversation with Mike and other great guys, lets me know I’m doing the right thing, and hopefully I can try to continue that.” 

“So, to all my teammates over the 866 games, my coaches. Everyday they’ve given me the opportunity to do that. So, it’s just very humbling.” 

That was not the only new scoring mark registered on this night. Hornets All-Star lead guard Kemba Walker, who scored 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter surpassed current color analyst for FOX Sports Southeast Wardell Stephen “Dell” Curry as the all-time franchise career scoring leader with 9,841 points. 

A reverse layup with 20 seconds remaining by the seven-year veteran out of the University of Connecticut broke Curry’s mark of 9,839 points. 

Walker also set a new franchise record with 44^th consecutive made free throw, which also brought his career total to 1,999 foul shots made, breaking Gerald Wallace’s franchise mark of 1,998.  

Jordan, who was not in attendance for the game congratulated Walker on becoming the all-time leading scorer in Hornets franchise history saying, “Becoming a franchise’s all-time leading scorer is a big accomplishment and it’s a testament to his hard work, dedication and passion for the game of basketball.” 

“He exemplifies what it means to be a Hornet.” 

To put into perspective the history that the Bronx, NY native made on Wednesday night, aside from the scoring Curry did in his career with the Hornets, the next highest scorer in franchise history after him is Gerald Wallace at 7,437. Next to him is Larry Johnson at 7,405, followed by former All-Star Glen Rice (5,561) and Tyrone Curtis “Muggsy” Bogues (5,531). 

As play-by-play man Eric Collins put it when Walker made history, “The ‘Queen City’ has a new king.” 

“He would have want to done it in a win, but this takes nothing away from the greatness of Kemba Walker.”

Curry followed that by saying after the final buzzer as Walker was greeted by the entire Cavs team, first by James who gave him a big hug, “It’s perfect. I mean, you love done to win the win the game obviously, but what an ending. What an ending to the game.”

“Couldn’t be happier for that young man. Great person. Wonderful character and his teammates absolutely love him. We do to.” 

Despite the loss, and another season where the Hornets will not be in the playoffs, this was a special moment for a player who near the start of February the Hornets had on the trading block. 

While that might affect some players in a negative way from demanding to be shipped out, Walker instead stayed the course and controlled what he could control and that was his play on the court, which has been exceptional this season. 

He displayed those emotions with tears as the Spectrum Center crowd saluted him with a standing ovation at the end of the game for etching his name atop the Hornets all-time scoring mark. 

“I’m not supposed to be here,” the 6-foot-1, 184-pound two-time All-Star, whose mother Andrea Walker was in attendance for her son’s proud moment said to FOX Sports Southeast’s Stephanie Ready after the game. “I’m not supposed to be hear man. A lot of people where I’m from don’t make it and through my Lord and Savior, my family, a lot of hard work. It’s been a long ride, but this is a huge accomplishment. I’m excited. I wish it was a better game. I wish I would’ve played a little bit better, but great accomplishment.” 

While reaching this great milestone was a special moment for Walker, he had hoped to not only accomplished it in a victory, but that the Hornets were in a serious battle to make the playoffs.

This is a player while at UConn had a lot of success, including winning a national championship in 2011, where he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. In his time with the Hornets, formally the Bobcats he has only been to the NBA playoffs twice and both of those were first-round exits, with the most recent coming in 2016 when the Hornets lost in seven games versus the Miami Heat. 

No one understands that better than James. When he entered the NBA as mentioned earlier 15 seasons back, he had all the pressure and the hype to not only bring the Cavaliers back to prominence in terms of being a playoff perennial but help them become a championship contender. It was through hard work, dedication, and perseverance that he was able to come close in his first stint with the Cavs. He eventually got over the hump leading the Miami Heat to four consecutive Finals appearances and winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 with the help of future Hall of Famers Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. 

So, it is no surprise that he, the rest of his Cavs teammates and coaching staff after the game went over to Walker and showed him some love on him becoming the all-time leading scorer in Hornets franchise history. 

“I told him I know he wants to do bigger things with this franchise and we saw him quoted the other day saying he’s tired of missing the playoffs,” James said to Clifton about Walker’s desire to lead his team into the postseason on a yearly basis. 

“I know the kind of competitor that he is and being an All-Star with him the past few years I understood that. But moments like this you can never take for granted, no matter what’s going on. For him to be the all-time leading scorer in a franchise’s history that’s a pretty remarkable feet.” 

On Wednesday night, Mar. 28, 2018 at Spectrum Center, the crowd of 19,474 saw LeBron James tied Michael Jordan for the most consecutive games scoring in double-figures at 866 games in a row. This was also the night that Kemba Walker became the all-time scoring leader in Charlotte Hornets franchise history.

What was also witnessed on this night is two of the most competitive individuals with James focused on leading the Cavs to their fourth consecutive appearance in The Finals, while Walker was trying to get keep the Hornets slim playoff hopes alive. 

While one dream of reaching the postseason was dashed in Walker’s, James’ dream of leading the three-time defending Eastern Conference Champion Cavaliers back to The Finals is still alive, which is all the motivation, along with his love for the game and for his wife and three children is all he needs. 

“I don’t need no motivation,” James said to Clifton. “My motivation is the love of the game. I don’t need no motivation versus any past, present, or future players. My love for the game, what I play for. For my family. I write it on my shoes every day. That’s my motivation.”

Everyone that is a part of the Hornets from the fans, to his teammates, coaching staff and even the broadcast team of Collins, Curry and Ready know and understand how much Walker wants to see the team succeed, and while it has been a long and hard slog to reach that mark, he has continued to put on display from practice to game-time that grit and determination to push through that adversity, which has endeared him to the entire community. 

“I want to be as good as I can,” Walker said to Ready. “They usually say as you get older, you can’t get better, but that’s not true. I’m living proof. I try to work hard each, and every day to become a better player. There’s always doubts about me, and I always want to prove people wrong. So, that’s what I try to do.”

He added, “Anything’s possible. I mean if I can do it, anybody can. Through hard work. Through dedication. You got to push yourself each, and every day for what you want and it’s possible that it will come true.”

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 3/28/18 7 p.m. contest Cleveland Cavaliers versus Charlotte Hornets on FOX Sports Southeast with Eric Collins, Dell Curry and Stephanie Ready; 3/28/18 9:30 p.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by Kia with Matt Winer, Greg Anthony, and Gary Payton; www.nba.com/games/20180328/CLECHA#/recap; www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/id/400975862; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kemba_Walker; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Curry; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Charlotte_Hornets_seasons; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muggsy_Bogues.

J-Speaks: The All-Around Play of Rookie Ben Simmons

There are a lot of ways to describe Philadelphia 76ers rookie lead guard Ben Simmons on the basketball court. Talented, skilled, efficient, thrilling, dazzling, and exceptional. After missing is official rookie season because of a broken right foot, he has come into this season and exceeded all expectations, and that has especially been the case recently. 

In the Sixers (43-30) seventh consecutive win on Monday night, Simmons had just seven points, but 13 rebounds and 11 assists in leading his team to a 123-104 win versus the Denver Nuggets. 

Just 48 hours prior, Simmons garnered his 10^th triple-double of the seasons with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists, with two steals in the Sixers 120-108 versus the up-and-down Minnesota Timberwolves (42-33). 

Besides authoring his 10^th triple-double in the season, it was the fourth in the last seven games for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, which tied the 22-year-old Australian just the second rookie in the history of the National Basketball Association to accomplish this. The other was Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, who did it in the 1960-61 NBA campaign. 

Simmons also became the first rookie since Robertson to average a triple-double in a seven-game span. Those averages by Simmons in the last seven games entering Monday nights tilt versus the Nuggets were 12.7 points, an NBA-leading 11.6 assists and 10.4 boards, with an NBA-leading four triple-doubles in that span. 

On top of that, in just one season he has tied NBA on TNT studio analyst, Hall of Famer and former Sixer Charles Barkley for the third most triple-doubles in franchise history. 

When asked after the game on Saturday night if he was the 2018 Rookie of the Year, Simmons said, “I think so.” 

“The play I’ve had over the season has been pretty consistent. I’m doing things that haven’t been done in a while.”

Among the things that have not been done in a while for a rookie is take them from the basement of a respective conference in the NBA to the brink of home court advantage. 

With as mentioned earlier, with their victory versus the Nuggets on Monday night, the Sixers moved a half-game lead over the No. 5 Seeded Indiana Pacers (43-30) for the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference Playoff chase and are just one game behind the three-defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers (44-29) for the No. 3 spot. 

It has been a long climb from the Sixers rebuilding mantra “Trust the Process” to having earned their first playoff berth since 2012, and the play of Simmons is a big reason. 

For most rookies, the come into the league wanting to make a splash with their scoring and having the rest of their game mature as their career progresses. 

With Simmons, he came into this league as a ‘6’10” point guard, who did not have the greatest jump shot, but had the ability to get to the bucket and score effectively. But as far as rebounding; making plays for others; running head coach Brett Brown’s offense and being able to be a solid defender, he has grown each game in both of those areas. 

That all-around game is also the reason, why All-Star center Joel Embiid has also flourished this season. His ability to take on the scoring load has allowed Simmons to grow as a scorer at the offensive end. That has allowed the Sixers to win consistently, with Simmons having night where he scores in single-digits. 

His ability to make plays for others is why the likes of sharp shooters in veterans J.J. Redick, Marco Bellinelli, and Ersan Ilyasova, Robert Covington and the other starting forward Dario Saric have been able to make open shots with Simmons ability to penetrate, be found on kickouts for open three-pointers, in between jumpers or layups at the basket. 

The Sixers also got back rookie guard Markelle Fultz, who had 10 points and eight assists in 14 minutes off the bench. It was the first game for in the No. 1 overall pick in last June’s draft since Oct. 23, 2017 at the Detroit Pistons from shoulder soreness. 

The other thing Simmons brought to the table this season is an ability to compete and not be afraid of making plays in clutch moments in the game. 

A perfect example of this came in the team’s 118-113 win versus the Washington Wizards (40-33) on Nov. 29, 2017. 

On this night, Simmons had career-highs of 31 points and 18 rebounds, with two steals and two block shots, but it is what he did at the charity stripe that made the difference. 

After the Wizards cut a 22-point deficit to single-digits with five minutes left in the fourth period, the Wizards started fouling Simmons, he made six of his final eight at the line, going 15 for 29 on the evening to help the Sixers close the book on that contest. 

Simmons in the final quarter shot 24 of the Sixers 35 opportunities at the foul line, setting a new franchise record for attempts in a period. He also set a new NBA single-game record for free throws attempted in a quarter in NBA history. 

When asked by NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Molly Sullivan about his thoughts when he was put on the foul line 12 straight times at one point in the fourth, and as mentioned 24 times overall in the period, Simmons said, “Make the free throw, that’s about it. That doesn’t really phase me. That’s about it.” 

To put into perspective how unprecedented it was that Simmons had 24 chances at the foul line in the fourth period that night, that is four more than two notoriously bad free throw shooters in former Detroit Pistons All-Star center Ben Wallace, and current Charlotte Hornets’ All-Star big man Dwight Howard had in a game in their careers. The 18 attempts that Clippers center DeAndre Jordan had once is second and Howard follows him with 17 attempts in a quarter. 

“I have no fear of taking free throws,” Simmons said after the game. “It’s not going to happen for much longer.”

Coach Brown expressed those same feelings by saying after the win, “We decided to roll with Ben and it’s going to be part of his evolution.” 

“He’s going to have a long career and he has to navigate through this. It’s going to be part of his growth.” 

Embiid, who had 25 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, going 13 for 18 at the foul line on the night gave his teammate some props for what he did saying he, “trust Ben to step up and he did a great job.” 

By the numbers, and how he has helped the Sixers be in the fight for home court advantage gives Ben Simmons the edge for Rookie of the Year this season. After being out for a season because of the previously mentioned broken right foot, he has played very well. Been even better then advertised, and with some work on his jump shot and his free throw stroke in the off-season, he will be an unstoppable force as he matures in his career. 

His growth along with that of Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, and Markelle Fultz that makes the Sixers future so bright that everyone in the city of “Brotherly Love” and all Sixers fans across the globe will have to wear shades. A future that hopefully will equate to a couple of Larry O’Brien trophies or more. 

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 11/30/17 2 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by Kia with Casey Stern, Dennis Scott, and Carlos Boozer; 3/25/18 2 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by Kia with Matt Winer, David Aldridge, Billy King, and Mike Fratello; 3/26/18 3 p.m. edition of “NBA: The Jump” on ESPN with Rachel Nichols, Brian Windhorst, and Paul Pierce; www.espn.com/nba/player/gameloge/_/id/3907387/ben-simmons; www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/4066636/markelle-fultz; www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/phi/philadelphia-76ers; www.espn.com/nba/standing; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Simmons.

J-Speaks: Rockets Garner Win No. 60

Coming into this season, the Houston Rockets have been about one thing. Put themselves in position to have home court advantage when they play the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. That has been their mantra all season long and each victory has been another step toward that goal. They took a major step to end last week and to start this week. 

With their 118-99 win versus the Atlanta Hawks (21-53) on Sunday night, the Rockets earned their 60^th win of the season, their first in franchise history, and extending the single-season franchise record. 

“I don’t know if the players understand it’s hard,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said after the game about the Rockets earning their 60^th win of the season. “It’s a pretty special season to get 60, and to do it in this fashion the way they did. As quick as they did it. It’s pretty good obviously, and there’s some good things going on.”

The Rockets, who won their 16^th straight game at the Toyota Center on Sunday night became the 18^th team in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to win their 60^th game of the season in their 74^th opportunity. Of the 17 prior teams that have accomplished this, 11 of them went on to capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy, which is a goal of the top seed in the Western Conference hope to accomplish this late spring. 

The eventual league MVP James Harden had 18 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in leading the Rockets (60-14), the No. 1 Seed in the Western Conference to their ninth straight win. 

“It’s pretty cool to get 60 wins…. It’s just a good feeling,” Harden, who authored his fourth triple-double of the season and the 35^th of his career said after the win. “That means you’re doing something right, the chemistry is there, you’re sharing the ball, being unselfish and playing for each other.” 

This game was a testament to those kind words by Harden about his team. The Rockets shot 48.9 percent from the field on the night, connecting on 20 of their 52 shots from three-point range. They had 28 assists, compared to 12 turnovers. 

Defensively, they held the Hawks to 44.3 percent shooting, and to just 11 for 40 from three-point range. The scored 20 points off 13 Hawks turnovers and registered four block shots. That countered their 10-point deficit in the paint in the game, 54-44. 

On a night that Rockets missed All-Star lead guard Chris Paul for a third straight game with a sore left hamstring and sharp shooter Ryan Anderson was shelved to rest, Houston, TX native Gerald Green was a spark off the bench with a team-high 25 points, and seven rebounds on 10 for 15 shooting, including 5 for 10 from distance.

Starting in place of Paul, Eric Gordon had 22 points, hitting four threes in nine tries. Starting center, and Most Improved Player candidate Clint Capela and Trevor Ariza had 14 points each. P.J. Tucker, who started in Anderson’s place had 12 points, hitting four of his nine triples. 

“We just wanted to protect home court,” the 32-year-old Green, who the team signed in December 2017 said to AT&T Sportsnet Southwest’s Bart Ennis after the win about the Rockets mentality on Sunday night. “Even though what their [Hawks] record is we still got to go out there and play our best ball because we have a bigger goal to achieve.” 

“Ever since I got here, we’ve only been getting better, and that just goes to show the focus and determination, and this team we’re just dangerous man, we really are.” 

How focused have the Rockets been, not just of late, but throughout this entire season, this was the second straight game they never trailed after dominating the New Orleans Pelicans (43-31) 114-91 on Saturday night, to earn a then new franchise record 59^th win of the season. 

That was on the heels of escaping a game Detroit Pistons (33-40) squad 100-96 in overtime a little over 48 hours prior. 

If there is one thing that the Rockets have shown this season is their ability to answer the bell no matter who is on the court. That if anything is a clear example of the kind of influence Paul has had on this team in his first season with the team, that acquired him over the summer from the Los Angeles Clippers. 

When the Rockets set a new franchise mark for wins in a single-season, Gordon said after the game, Gordon, who had 19 points on the night said after the game, “It’s just another win. We have high expectations for one another.”

It has been 23 years since the Larry O’Brien Trophy has been in “Clutch City.” For the Houston Rockets, this season has been about putting themselves in position to end that drought.

While authoring a 14-game winning streak from Nov. 16-Dec.18, 2017; a 17-game winning streak from Jan. 28-Mar. 7; and their current nine-game winning streak are nice, and would mark a great season for any other team, for the 2017-18 Houston Rockets, it is all about being in position to take down as mentioned earlier the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors this postseason, and hopefully winning the championship.

It is games like the Rockets had in their last three outings, along with the statement made by Gordon, Harden, and coach D’Antoni which show how serious the Rockets are about over taking the Warriors for supremacy in the West and hopefully as mentioned winning their third title in franchise history, and their first since winning back-to-back titles in 1994-95. 

“The guys kept their concentration. They kept their energies up,” D’Antoni said of his team’s focus on Sunday night. “I thought it was a great showing tonight, just for what it is.” 

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 3/25/18 8 p.m. contest Atlanta Hawks versus the Houston Rockets on AT&T Sportsnet Southwest with Bill Worrell, Clyde Drexler, Matt Bullard, and Bart Ennis; www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/hou/houston-rockets; and www.espn.com/nba/standings.

J-Speaks: Historic Performances By Hornets All-Stars

It has been a very difficult season for the Charlotte Hornets, who by season’s end will miss the playoffs for the second straight season, and for the third time in the last four seasons. Inconsistency on both ends, the loss of their head coach due to health reasons for 30 games earlier this season, and inconsistent plays from the entire roster are the main culprits for that. The Hornets though have put their best foot forward in recent games despite the inevitable outcome, and just this past week, their two All-Star players showed that they are finishing this season on a high note. 

In the Hornets (32-41) come from behind 111-105 win at the Brooklyn Nets (23-50) on Wednesday night, eight-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard had 32 points and a franchise-record 30 rebounds in helping the Hornets overcome a 23-point second half deficit. 

To put into perspective the kind of night Howard, who was 10 for 17 from the field, and 12 for 21 from the free throw line had, Howard is the first player with a 30-plus point, 30-plus rebound game since Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star forward Kevin Love did it for the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he had 31 points and 31 rebounds in the team’s 112-103 win versus the New York Knicks on Nov. 12, 2010. 

Howard became just the fifth player to accomplish this feet in the last 40 seasons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), joining the previously mentioned Love and Hall of Famers Moses Malone, who did it twice and Robert Parrish. He also became just the eighth player in NBA history to record a 30-30 game and the first player to do so against the Nets since Hall of Famer and six-time league MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it with the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 3, 1978, where he had 37 points and 30 rebounds. 

In the history of the NBA there have been 156 all-time 30-30 games, with 124 of them authored by the late Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlin, which is No. 1 all-time, as mentioned by Nick Wright on the Thursday morning of edition of “First Things First,” on FOX Sports 1 with Cris Carter, Nick Wright and Jenna Wolfe. Second on that list is Hall of Famer Walt Bellamy with four. 

A close friend of Howard’s sent him a text message expressing his displeasure with the center’s effort in the first two quarters. Howard came out with a different mindset in the second half authoring 19 points and 12 rebounds alone in the third quarter, as the Hornets who trailed 62-43 at the break outscored the Nets 68-43 in the second half. 

“I just thought that my energy and effort wasn’t where it needed to be for our team to be successful,” Howard, who had 11 of his 30 boards on the offensive side said after the game. “Got a text at halftime from somebody and it kind of got me motivated and gave me some extra energy.” 

Hornets head coach Steve Clifford echoed those sentiments as he told FOX Sports Southeast’s play-by-play commentator for the Hornets Eric Collins before the team’s tilt versus the Memphis Grizzlies about Howard’s performance, “You know, they [the Nets] had 38 points in the paint at halftime, six in the second half, and those are the stats that people don’t see, but watching that was just him.” 

“With his rim protection, and at the other end of the floor, the rebounding, the scoring and just big play after big play. I mean, it was fun to watch.

While Howard used most of that energy in a positive way on Wednesday night, he had moment of transgression where he picked up his 16^th technical foul on the season. While he did not pick up another that would have ejected him from the game, that 16^th tech equated to an automatic one-game suspension, which he served the next night as his team hosted the struggling Memphis Grizzlies. 

Without their man in the middle, two-time All-Star in starting lead guard Kemba Walker went to work in authoring one of his best performances of his career and was a carry over from what he did on Wednesday night at the Nets. 

After scoring 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter at the Nets, Walker recorded his ninth 40-point game of his career with 46 points as he went 13 for 18 from the field, including 10 for 14 from three-point range and 10 for 10 from the free throw line in leading the Hornets to a 140-79 win versus the Grizzlies (19-53) to win their second in a row on Thursday night. 

The win was a historic one for the team and for Walker individually. 

For the Hornets, their 61-point win a little over 48 hours ago it was not only their largest margin of victory in franchise history, but it was the sixth largest in league history. 

Only the Cavaliers 68-point win against the Miami Heat in 1991, the Indiana Pacers’ 65-point win versus the Portland Trail Blazers in 1998, the Los Angeles Lakers 63-point thumping of the Golden State Warriors in 1972, the Warriors 62-point win over the Sacramento Kings in 1991 and the former Syracuse Nationals’ 62-point thrashing over the New York Knicks in 1960 top that of the Hornets. 

The Hornets prior largest victory in franchise history was a 52-point win (136-84) at home against the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 27, 1992. 

For Walker, who had 35 of his 46 points in the first half tied an NBA season-high and set a franchise record with 10 three-pointers and became the first player in Hornets history to make 1,000 career threes. 

He began his scoring brigade with 17 in the opening stanza. That was followed by 18 points in the second quarter and 11 came in the third before he was substituted for the final time with 1:48 left in the third period. Walker with his performance became the first player in the shot clock era to score 45 or more points in 28 minutes of work or less.

“It’s crazy,” Walker said after the game to FOX Sports Southeast’s Stephanie Ready about his hot shooting night. “You just in a zone. Just feels like everything you throw up is just going to go in.” 

He added, “I try my best to pick my spots and just see how the defense is playing me, and I knew where I could get my shots and all the ones I took they were pretty open, and I just made them.” 

The Hornets last two games showed what they two leaders of the Hornets are capable of when the opportunity presents itself. It also showed how frustrating it can be that Howard and Walker can have these kind of performances, and the Hornets will be on the outside of the playoff picture again.  

Howard has shown throughout his career first with the Orlando Magic, the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks and now the Hornets that having performances like he did on Wednesday night. It is because of injuries, and his unwillingness to improve his game is what has set him back, not to mention his attitude. 

Last season in his hometown was a tough one, particularly in the postseason where he sat out the fourth quarters of the team’s six-game series defeat versus the Washington Wizards in the quarterfinals. That resulted in the team shipping the 2004 Mr. Georgia Basketball and Naismith Prep Player of the Year in 2004 to the Hornets this past summer. 

That wearing out is welcome is what got him traded from the Magic to the Lakers and why he left in free agency from L.A. to join the Rockets. 

By the numbers, Howard has had a stellar career with eight All-Star selections and being named to the All-NBA team also eight times, with five of those on the First-Team (2008-12). He made the All-Defensive Team five times, four of those were on the First-Team (2009-13), while also leading the NBA in rebounds per game five times in his career and led the league in blocks per game twice. 

“I’m glad Dwight did this because it’s a good opportunity to remind people of the player Dwight Howard has been, which is no-doubt first Ballot Hall of Famer, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, an eight-time All-NBA player, a four-time Top 5 MVP guy, who for some reason was compared—the expectation was oh, he should be Shaq [Shaquille O’Neal],” Wright said. 

“Shaq’s four inches taller than Dwight Howard. Like there are very few similarities between Shaq and Dwight. And if people want to say Dwight didn’t quite live up to what his full potential was, I mean, sure, I suppose. But living up to whatever he lived up to got him to be the best center in this league for nearly a decade, and one of the most dominant defensive players we’ve seen in the last 15 years. So, I’m glad he had—he’s having a great season in Charlotte. Nobody could have seen a 30-30 game coming, but I’m happy for Dwight.”

The problem for Howard is that he never developed the kind of personality of great big men, like Hall of Famers in O’Neal, Patrick Ewing, the previously mentioned Malone and two-time champion and 1994 league MVP with the Rockets Hakeem Olajuwon who right from the opening tip approach the game with a relentless vigor and determination to wear every time the came into the lane offensively there was a good chance they were going to get their shot blocked or their would be a hard legal foul to deter them from coming into the lane again. 

Howard had a playful, angelic, and exuberant personality that was fun and enjoyable, especially early in his career with the Magic. While that personality is good for moments like the Slam Dunk Contest that he won at the 2008 All-Star weekend, it one that turned a lot of people off at times, and mad them feel like he waisted his talent, and never lived up to his potential. 

One person who was impressed as well as frustrated by Howard’s performance was FS1’s “Undisputed” host and NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, who said on the Thursday edition of the show of him, Skip Bayless and moderator Joy Taylor that a guy with as he said a guy where only Chamberlin had “more God-given natural ability” than Howard  should have averages for his career of around 20, 22 points, and 15 rebounds a night, and not the 17 (17.4) and 12 (12.6) he has averaged in his career. Howard in his eight-year career with the Magic (2004-12) has averaged 18.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks on 57.7 percent 

“Skip he had more God-Given ability than Kareem. I don’t know if he applied it,” he said in debating with Bayless. 

“That’s what he should have been for his entire career, and that’s what make you frustrated with him. Because you know what he could’ve been, given his athletic ability, and I just don’t think he cared enough. I don’t think he worked hard enough on his game.”

Which begs the question, is Howard, who led the Magic to the 2009 Finals, where they lost to future First Ballot Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant and the Lakers 4-1 a Hall of Famer?

Tas Melas, Leigh Ellis and Trey Kerby, and J.E. Skeets during their Up/Down Segment of the Thursday night edition of NBATV's "The Starters" all were thumbs up on that happening. 

"He's a lock," Ellis said. "People don't like Dwight Howard but you can't take away from the actual impact he's head on the game." 

Ellis also said the fact that he led the Magic as mentioned to The Finals in 2009, and he has not been back since has given all his critics the ammunition to criticize what he has not done in the postseason when he has gotten there, but you cannot take way from everything he has accomplished as mentioned earlier, which also includes helping Team USA win Gold in the 2008 Olympics. 

In the case of Walker as mentioned earlier, his performance on Thursday night was the third highest scoring night of his career. The Bronx, NY native of Rice High School in Harlem, NY had a career-high of 52 points in leading the Hornets to a 124-119 win in double-overtime in Jan. 2016, and he had 47 points in a 123-120 loss at the Chicago Bulls (24-48) on Nov. 17, 2017. 

Earlier this season, the Hornets were shopping Walker to acquire as the team looked to get better talent become a better team in the future. 

The reason the Hornets had put the word out of trading their best player is that the team was overloaded with bad contracts that they gave to the likes of Marvin Williams and Nicholas Batum two summers back and those deals have not made the Hornets into a perennial playoff squad. 

Unlike most players who would have written their get out of dodge ticket or demanded that they be traded, Walker took the high road and just let the process play out. They seven-year veteran controlled what he could control and that is his play on the hardwood. 

“I’ve been here for the last seven years, and I’m going to do what I’ve got to do to help my team win games,” Walker, who is building a new home in the Charlotte, NC area told reporters back in January about the rumors. “That’s all I can. I don’t have control over those kinds of things.”

He added about if he had been dealt, “I’ve never been in that situation. I don’t know what it feels like…I’d be pretty upset, but like I said, I’m here and now, and I’ve put my heart and soul into this team and into this city, so that’s what I’m going to do till everything’s over.” 

The Hornets past two wins have shown the individual greatness of All-Star Dwight Howard and Kemba Walker. They also served as a reminder of that individual greatness will not always result in wins, or even consistent seasons where you make the playoffs. The Hornets will enter another off-season where owner Michael Jordan will not only be looking for a new GM, as the former occupier of that position Rich Cho was relieved of his duties earlier this season, but for an identity that can get his team over the hump of making the playoffs, where they have not been since 2016, losing to the Miami Heat in seven games. Whether that will include Walker remains to be seen. Howard is expected to stay as he has two years, and $47 million dollars left on the deal he signed with the Hawks last summer. Batum, has four years, and $100 million left on the five-year $120 million deal he signed two summers back. Williams has three years and $42 million left on his current deal, and defensive ace in forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has three years and $39 million left on his deal. 

“This is where I got my opportunity,” Walker said in the first month of 2018. “I’m seven years in now. I do a lot with community, of course. I’ve got to know a lot of the fans…Of course I’m going to be tied to this place. It’s kind of where I’ve grown up. It’s definitely home.” 

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 2/19/18 www.espn.com article, “Hornets Putting Kemba Walker on Trade Market,” by Adrian Wojnarowski; 3/22/18 6:30 a.m. edition of FOX Sports 1’s “First Things First,” with Cris Carter, Nick Wright and Jenna Wolfe; 3/22/18 9:30 a.m. edition of FOX Sports 1’s “Skip and Shannon Undisputed,” with Shannon Sharpe, Skip Bayless and Joy Taylor; 3/22/18 6 p.m. edition of NBATV's "The Starters," presented by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, with Tas Melas, J.E. Skeets, Leigh Ellis, and Trey Kerby;  3/23/18 8 a.m. edition of NBATV's "Gametime," with Matt Winer, Ron Thompson and Carlos Boozer; www.espn.com/nba/standings; www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/cha/charlotte-hornets;  www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3449/year/2011/kevin-love; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Charlotte_Hornets_seasons; and https://en.m.wikpedia.org/wiki/Dwight_Howard.

J-Speaks: Health Issues Sideline Cavs' Head Coach Ty Lue

To say that the 2017-18 NBA season has been a stressful one for the three-time defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers would be the understatement of the year. From the injuries to key personnel, the trading of their All-Star lead guard this past summer, to the inconsistency of the team on the hardwood, especially on the defensive end, it has been not the easiest of seasons. That stress has especially gotten to head coach, who finally had to face the music when it came to his health. 

Cavs’ head coach Tyronn Lue stated at the start of this week that he needed to “step back from coaching for the time being” to take care of a persistent health issue. 

NBATV/NBA on TNT sideline reporter and insider David Aldridge reported that Lue will be on a one-week plan to address his health issues and that the current plan is for him to return the bench next week. 

In a statement released by the organization, the 40-year-old Lue, and Cavs’ general manager Koby Altman addressed his recent health scare that had him spend the second half of the team’s 114-109 win at the Chicago Bulls (24-46) on Saturday night with an undisclosed illness. 

Lue, who led the Cavs to the 2016 NBA title after taking over for David Blatt midway though that season said in a statement via Cavs.com: “After many conversations with doctors and Koby and much thought given to what is best for the team and my health, I need to step back from coaching for the time being and focus on trying to establish a stronger and healthier foundation from which to coach for the rest of the season.” 

“I have had chest pains and other troubling symptoms, compounded by a loss of sleep, throughout the year. Despite a batter of tests, there have been no conclusions as to what the exact issue is.” 

“While I have tried to work through it, the last thing I want is for it to affect the team. I am going to use this time to focus on a prescribed routine and medication, which has previously been difficult to start in the midst of a season. My goal is to come out of it stronger and healthier version of myself, so I can continue to lead this team to the Championship we are all working towards.” 

“I greatly appreciate Dan Gilbert, Koby Altman, our medical team and the organization’s support throughout.” 

Lue, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski had been considering stepping aside for several weeks but had resisted until now. 

At Monday’s practice, four-time league MVP LeBron James said he knew that Lue was struggling but showed no signs that the situation was more serious.

“I think it’s probably well overdue, understanding what he’s been going through throughout the season, so obviously health is the most important with everything in life. So, I’m not surprised by it at all” he said. 

“We’ll I knew he was struggling, but he was never not himself. He was just dealing with it the best way he could, but he was never not himself when he was around… He was the same every single day, even though he was going through what he was going through.” 

Lue, according to Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon said he had doctors at the Cleveland Clinic check his condition for months, while also undergoing a battery of test, with no diagnosis. 

He had missed all or parts of three games this season due to his symptoms, which included the previously mentioned second half at the Bulls. 

While it is Lue’s call when he returns to the sidelines, which Aldridge reported that will be next week, he said on the Monday evening edition of “10 Before Tip” on NBATV, that it how his body reacts that will decide when he returns to the sidelines of the Cavs. 

“If he’s not ready, then he shouldn’t come back,” Aldridge said. “I think most people would agree with that, but they hope that they can this at least identified, and start a treatment plan within a week.”

In his weekly column Morning Tip on NBA.com last week, Aldridge wrote about how the stress of being an NBA player, and especially coaching staffs, and the front office is incredible, and the tole it takes on you is incredible. 

Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford took several weeks off earlier this season when he went through something similar that Lue is going through now in terms of not sleeping and that his fitness was off. 

Jason Lloyd of The Athletic Cleveland also said on “10 Before Tip” that Lue was experiencing some of these symptoms while he was an assistant with the Cavs and dismissed the warning signs at the time. 

Lloyd also said that there have been nights that Lue has not gotten a wink of sleep at all during this season, and that has led to him having swollen eyes some nights when he has been on the sidelines.

That, along with the tremendous amount of turnover the Cavs have had this season, coaching a talent and high basketball aptitude of LeBron James, who will be a free agent after opting out of the final year of his deal when the Cavs' season concludes and the challenge of coaching a team with high expectations to a championship that has had to deal with injuries, that lack of sleep has caught up with coach Lue. 

“I think the hope here is that as David said if he’s good to come back next week, he can get some sleep,” Lloyd said. “And if he can catch up on some rest, and if that can help recharge his body a little bit.” 

“I know he’s a little scared of the fact that they’ve never been able to figure out yet what this is. That they’ve been unable to pinpoint anything…You hope that with some time off here and the ability to rest his body he can come back in a better mental state of mind.”  

With Lue on the shelf, Associate head coach Larry Drew will coach the team for the time being. The former head man of the Atlanta Hawks from 2010-13 and the Bucks in 2013-14 filled in for Lue in the second half at the Bulls, where the Cavs held on for the victory after losing their 17-point lead. 

“T-Lue is a warrior. He’s been that warriors since I’ve known him,” Drew said to the media on Monday. “There comes a time when you just have to listen to your body and you have to listen to your mind, and that’s what he’s doing right now.”

Defending NBA champion head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors weighed in on Lue’s leave of absence saying he feels for the counter part he’s matched up against in June the past three seasons. That he’s been in contact with Lue. 

“Health is everything,” Kerr said to reporters before his Warriors (53-18) 89-75 loss at the San Antonio Spurs (41-30) on Monday night on ESPN. “This game is fun and it’s exciting, and we all love our jobs, but we just want to be healthy.” 

Former Cavs backup guard Matthew Dellavedova, now with the Bucks said before their contest at the Cavs, “Just hope he’s okay and it’s nothing too serious. That’s tough news.” 

“This is a stressful job,” were the words of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton before their 110-100 loss at the Indiana Pacers (41-30) a little over 48 hours ago. “It important for coaches take time to also take care of themselves as far as health wise.”

In their first full game without Lue on the sidelines, the Cavs (41-29) won versus the Milwaukee Bucks (37-33) 124-117 on ESPN, for their third win in their last four games. 

James scored 40 points as part of his third triple-double in the last four games as the Cavs have a slight ½ game lead over the Indiana Pacers (41-30) for the No. 3 spot in the East. 

James scored 17 of his 40 points in the third quarter as he finished with 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his 16^th triple-double of the season and the 71^st of his eventual Hall of Fame career. 

“He looked great,” James, who joined New Orleans Pelicans injured All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins and MVP candidate of the Houston Rockets James Harden in recording his third 40-point triple-double of the season and his fifth career 40-plus point triple-double said to ESPN’s Lisa Salters after the game about how All-Star Kevin Love looked in his return to the lineup after missing 20 games with a broken left hand. 

“Obviously his wind is not there, but he’s been out 20 games. But he shot the ball very efficiently. Rebounded for us, got some assists and great to have him back on the floor.” 

In his first game back since Jan. 31 from that broken hand that shelved him for six weeks, Love had 18 points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes. 

“I felt fine,” Love said after the game to FOX Sports Ohio’s Allie Clifton. “Seven weeks, my rhythm’s a little bit off. Actually, my wind felt a little better than I thought it would, but I got to tip my hat to the training staff…Coaching staff. Player development.” 

“It was an easy transition for me to come back, and more than anything I felt good out there. Felt my legs were underneath me.” 

The Cleveland Cavaliers losing their head coach while getting back their second-best player seems to fit the bill for what has been a turbulent season in Northeast Ohio. Despite all the shake-ups, injuries, the overhaul of half the roster at the Feb. 8 trade deadline and other distractions, the Cavs are still as mentioned sitting currently at the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Their goal of representing the East in the NBA Finals for a fourth straight season is still in front of them, and coach Lue will be back before the playoffs. They are also expected to get starting center Tristan Thompson, who has not played since Mar. 3 because of a sprained right ankle. The Cavs also hope to get back forward/center Larry Nance Jr., guard Rodney Hood and forward Cedi Osman back soon as they all sat out against the Bucks with a right hamstring, lower back, and hip flexor injuries respectably. 

On top of that, the Cavs still have the best player in the game, at least until the end of this season in LeBron James, who also made history on Monday night becoming the third-oldest player in NBA history to notch a triple-double while authoring at least 40 points at 33 years, 79 days old. That put him behind Hall of Famers Larry Bird, who did it at 35 years, 99 days old, and Elgin Baylor at 34 years, 48 days old, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. 

While the Cavs have had their ups and downs this season, that have carried into March as they have gone 5-5 so far, James has been at the top of his game in the 15^th season of his eventual Hall of Fame career with averages of 31.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 9.2 assists on 41.0 percent from three-point range in 37.4 minutes. 

James also became the fifth player in league history with five 40-point triple-doubles, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, and his fourth triple-double of the month on Monday came as he was awarded Eastern Conference Player of the Week for a record 60^th time of his career, and the third of the 2017-18 season. 

“Staying committed to my regimen,” James, who averaged 32.0 points, 56.9 percent from the field, 13.3 rebounds, 9.7 assists, two steals and 2.3 blocks last week said of his recent play. “I’m not going to make shots every night, but what I do know is I’m going to do other things if I don’t make shots to get my guys involved and rebound and defend. I can take a charge here and there if it presents itself, I can block shots and get steals. I can always figure out a way to be a threat on the floor even if I’m not scoring. For me that doesn’t change.”

He also had a message for Coach Lue when he was asked about that by Salters and he said, “Health is the most important thing in life, no matter if you’re a basketball player or great reporter like yourself Lisa, or great fans, or whatever the case may be.” 

“Health comes before anything. So, that all we want from our coach and we’ll figure it out here.”

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 3/19/18 www.nba.com article, “Cleveland Cavaliers Coach Tyronn Lue Stepping Away From Duties Due to Health-Related Issues;” 3/19/18 www.espn.com article, “LeBron James Outshines Giannis Antetokounmpo with Historic Triple-Double,” by Dave McMenamin; 3/19/18 6:30 p.m. edition of NBATV’s “10 Before Tip,” with Jared Greenberg; 3/20/18 2 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” with Kristen Ledlow, Jarvis Hayes and Sam Mitchell;   www.nba.com/games/20180319/MILCLE#/recap; www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/cle/cleveland-cavaliers; www.espn.com/nba/standings; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Drew. .

J-Speaks: The Passing of an Iconic Business and Sports Team Owner in The "Big Easy"

The city of New Orleans, LA is known for many things. Parties, comradery, and enjoyment. They have also become known for football and now basketball, and at the center of the two sports franchises that call the “Big Easy” home was a self-made millionaire who took what he studied in college and became a very successful auto dealer and eventually a sports owner. This gentleman would also become legendary for his kindness and generosity to those in the city. Last week, the city, sports fans and all those associated with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Football League (NFL) suddenly said goodbye to this great man. 

Last Thursday, New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans owner Tom Benson, who brought the Saints their only winning seasons and who was best known for a dance that would be dubbed the “Benson Boogie,” passed away. He was 90 years old and is survived by his wife of 14 years Gayle.  

Mr. Benson according to the Saints and Pelicans organizations had been hospitalized since Feb. 16 from flu symptoms. 

When the NBA took ownership of the then financially troubled New Orleans Hornets in late 2010, they spent over a year searching for a permanent owner, when Mr. Benson stepped in and purchased the ball club for $338 million. That investment wound up being a good one as the team as their value exceeding $1 billion, and right now is having its best season in a long time and is on the verge of making their first postseason appearance since 2015. 

Mr. Benson then oversaw the team’s name change to Pelicans in honor of the Louisiana state bird, that he once saw the resilience of one Pelican who fought through some oil that was spill on their person and it just refused to die. That moment is what gave him the precise new nickname for the basketball franchise he purchased six seasons back.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said before last weekend that he would remember Mr. Benson as big-hearted and gracious, and really had high praise for not only how he ran the now Pelicans organization, but for hosting two All-Star weekends in the “Big Easy,” with the second after it was moved from Charlotte, NC in the wake of state legislation the NBA deemed discriminatory. 

“The NBA family mourns the loss of New Orleans Pelicans owner Tom Benson,” Silver said in a statement. “Big-hearted and gracious, Tom topped off a distinguished business and sports career by acquiring the Pelicans in 2012. During his tenure, he hosted two highly-successful All-Star Games, rebranded the franchise and installed a first-class organization. He was a dear friend to me and so many others in the sports world, and the loss of his authentic and unique presence will leave an enormous void. We send our heartfelt condolences to Gayle, their family, the Pelicans and Saints, and his countless friends.” 

Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry before the team’s evening tilt at the San Antonio Spurs echoed those same sentiments about the passing of Mr. Benson to the media saying, “We lost a giant.” 

“I mean, the things that he’s done not just for the Pelicans and the Saints, but the state of Louisiana and just everything. The Hall of Fame. He’s a self-made man that had the biggest heart that you could ever imagine.”

In 1985, Mr. Benson purchased the Saints at a time where the football team was going to be sold to out-of-state interests and was on the verge of being moved to Jacksonville, FL. He purchased the team, paying $70 million for them, and Mr. Benson officially became owner on May 31, 1985. The franchise is now worth near $2 billion. 

Mr. Benson’s well-known business acumen was a big reason the Saints from a cellar dweller in the NFL, to a contender and in then champions on Feb. 7, 2009 when the team defeated the might Indianapolis Colts 31-17 to capture Super Bowl XLIV. 

Three years later, Mr. Benson’s ownership took a major hit from the 2012 bounty scandal, where Saints players earned improper, off-the-books cash bonuses for hits that hurt or sidelines. Head coach Sean Payton served an unprecedented one-year suspension, and the organization was fined $500,000-despite the fact that Mr. Benson gave the order to GM Mickey Loomis to put a conclusion to it when he got wind of it. 

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, reports surfaced that he did not want to bring the team back to New Orleans from San Antonio after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city 13 years ago. 

The Saints did stay, and with time and some winning, Mr. Benson recovered a great deal of his popularity with the fans of the city and the league. 

“Tom Benson’s contributions to New Orleans and the National Football League were legendary. He purchased a team that had never had a winning season; by the third year of his ownership, the Saints were in the playoffs,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “Tom kept the Saints together through the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, and his decision to bring the team back to New Orleans gave the entire region hope and confidence that they would recover.” 

“Benson also became a leading New Orleans philanthropist. He helped fund Tulane’s on-campus football stadium and the cancer treatment center at Ochsner Medical Center. The home of the NFL’s Hall of Fame game in Canton, OH, also was renamed For Benson after an $11 million gift, the largest in the hall’s history.”

While he possessed a passion for the game of football and its growth according to Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker, his business acumen was well respected by many in the NFL along with Commissioner Goodell. 

“A friend and ally,” is how Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones described Mr. Benson whose genius as a marketer and financial expertise played a huge role in the NFL’s Finance Committee. 

Jones also added about Mr. Benson, “He was astute, exceptionally smart and an accomplished sportsman, and business man.” 

“He pumped life and enthusiasm into a community and a franchise that had no winning seasons before he became involved.”

Mr. Benson, who was one of four kids born to Thomas Benson, Sr., and Carmen Benson in what was called the hardscrabble Seventh Ward of New Orleans. 

After serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS South Dakota, he studied business and accounting collegiately at Loyola University in New Orleans, earning his degree in 1948. 

To put into perspective how he beat the odds and earned that degree, Mr. Benson would walk to a street car and take it to go to class. 

His first job following college was at Cathey Chevrolet in New Orleans, where he was very successful salesman and bookkeeper, which led to him at age 29 being asked to come down to the “Alamo City” to take over a struggling car franchise in 1956 as a junior partner. 

Mr. Benson agreed, but on the condition that he could get an ownership steak if he turned the franchise around. 

He was granted a 25 percent interest in the dealership and six years later gained full ownership of what would be called Tom Benson Chevrolet. That led to Mr. Benson owning several automobile dealerships in the Greater New Orleans and San Antonio areas. Mr. Benson really became wealthy through investment profits from his automobile dealerships in local banks, which led him to purchasing several small Southern banks that led to the formation of Benson Financial, that was solid to Norwest Corporation in 1996. 

Mr. Benson’s passion later in his life was the Saints and eventually the Pelicans. He kept an office near the team’s training facility and frequently was seen at training camp in a gold cart watching the team practice. 

He became well known for a dance he would perform after Saints home victories at the now Mercedes-Benz Superdome the “Benson Boogie,” where he would second line dance down the football field of the arena in the closing moments of the contest with an umbrella decorated in the colors of black and gold. 

In 2001, Mr. Benson negotiated what was an unprecedented $187 million deal in concessions and state subsidies to keep his team playing in the Superdome through 2010. He called the deal a necessity so that the organization could succeed in the small-market of New Orleans. 

This was followed by the unusual arraignment where the state of Louisiana concluded paying direct subsidies to Mr. Benson but committed to relocate many state offices in a high-rise next to the Superdome that sustained damage during Katrina. Those offices were rented for above market value, but only if Benson rehabilitated the building, which is now called Benson Tower. 

Before these last few years, many Saints fans questioned Mr. Benson’s desire for profits outweighed his loyalty to the city he grew up in, especially in the aftermath of Katrina, which left the Superdome in a serious wreck. The Saints being relocated to San Antonio. 

When officials spoke to Benson about what it would take to keep the Saints permanently in the “Alamo City,” many natives of New Orleans reacted with great anger. 

They expressed that anger through graffiti signs on numerous disregarded refrigerators that lined the sidewalks around the city that said, “Warning, Tom Benson inside.” 

Whether it was the league not allowing the team to move or that they felt compelled to return, the Saints came back to the city in early 2006 and the fans responded by selling out the building for Saints games for a decade. 

The team which became a source of inspiration in the rough early days of the post-Katrina rebuilding went from a record of 3-13 in 2005 to a 10-6 record in 2006 led by Coach Payton and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, who signed with the team that off-season, and has been a fixture both on and off the gridiron ever since. They advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the first time ever, losing at the Chicago Bears. 

One year later, they as mentioned earlier advanced to the Super Bowl, capturing their first Vince Lombardi Trophy in franchise history in what would be known as “The Miracle in Miami.” 

Before Mrs. Gayle Benson, Mr. Benson’s first wife was the late former Shirley Landry, who he had three children that they adopted, Robert Carter, Renee, and Jeanne Marie. Renee had two adult children, Rita LeBlanc, who was Saints owner and executive vice president until Mr. Benson fired her, her brother Ryan, and her mother Renee, as well as wrote them out of his will. She and her mother and brother sued their uncle claiming that he was incompetent and for control of his companies.

Mr. Benson’s second wife, the former Grace Marie Trudeau passed away from Parkinson’s disease. In addition of his wife Gayle, who was approved by the NFL to be the new owner of the Saints, his previously mentioned estranged daughter and her two children, he is survived by the daughter of his late son Robert, Dawn Jones. 

Besides being a successful in the business world, and sports owner, Mr. Benson was just as well known for his generosity, kindness to not just other companies but people.

When he took over ownership of the Pelicans, he had his pick of who he could have wanted from the national sage to be the sideline reporter for the team, that has its games broadcasted locally on FOX Sports New Orleans, and he chose a lady from the West Bank of Louisiana in Jennifer Hale, who said during Pelicans Pregame Live, presented by Toyota that Thursday, “I owe a huge part of my career to him. I’m forever grateful for that.” 

Pregame studio host Erin Hartigan seconded that by saying about Mr. Benson, “He made a lot of great decisions in his life, you were most definitely one of those.” 

Two other great choices he made for the team is the broadcast duo that commentates the games in play-by-play man Joel Meyers and former Hornet when the team was in New Orleans in color analyst David Wesley. 

Meyers during the pregame show said that he and the entire Pelicans organization was fortunate in how they all were “spoiled” to see the owner every day. 

“We were on campus all the time. So, we would see Mr. B. See him in the cafeteria,” he said. “A lot of people don’t understand how healthy the environment is on Airline Drive with the Pels, the Saints, fields, gyms and a middle school cafeteria basically. Almost a high school cafeteria where we all congregate midday.”  

As often as he was at the Superdome for Saints home games, he was also present at the Smoothie King Center for Pelicans home games, passionately rooting on his team. 

“We really are developing a fine, fine club,” he said about the Pelicans back in 2013, “and I promise you this. Your going to be very proud. Our city can be very proud. Our fans can be very proud” 

Perhaps Mr. Benson’s biggest assists came last season when Pelicans All-Star guard Jrue Holiday took an indefinite leave of absence from the team in Sept. 2016 to care for his wife, United States women’s soccer national team midfielder Lauren after she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. 

The two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women’s World Cup champion had brain surgery just weeks after giving to their first child, their daughter Jrue Tyler Holiday. 

Mr. Benson sent the entire team on his plane to spend some time with them. He also sent edible arrangements, flowers, and cards. 

“I guess the least we could do when we heard about Mr. Benson was to do the same,” Holiday said before the team’s tilt at the Spurs to Hale. “Called Mrs. Benson, talked to her, sent a couple of text messages periodically. They’ve done so much for my family, I felt like they’re really a part of it.” 

On that support he received a year ago from the owner, Holiday said to Hale, “It meant a lot. Just to know the organization had our back. At the time I took my leave of absence. Just for Mr. Benson to have that support for me and my family, to protect my family was a world of difference. It’s a blessing.” 

Last week the NBA and NFL lost one of the best owners to date. Both the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans lost their leader who created a family atmosphere where everyone felt like family from the players, to the coaches to the front office, and teams that will be contenders to be in the postseason for their respective leagues over the next few years with as mentioned future Hall of Famer Drew Brees and former No. 1 overall pick in All-Star Anthony Davis leading the Saints and Pelicans respectably. 

The cities of New Orleans, LA and San Antonio, TX lost a man who built his fortune through hard work and commitment, but always remembered where he came from and left a deep whole that may never be filled. 

“You know we’re really sad today. I’m really saddened, and I know I speak for everyone within the organization and our community,” Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps said to Hale. 

“He was a great man. A New Orleans legend. I will always remember his smile. His positive energy, his demeanor. He left a great mark on us and I want to remember all the good times.” 

Information and quotations are courtesy of 3/15/18 8 p.m. edition of “Pelicans Live,” presented by Toyota with Erin Hartigan, Nancy Lieberman, Jennifer Hale, Joel Meyers and David Wesley; 3/15/18 www.nba.com article, “New Orleans Pelicans, Saints Owner Tom Benson Dies at Age 90,” by Brett Martell of “The Associated Press;” 3/16/18 6 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by Kia with Rick Kamla, Caron Butler and Kevin McHale, with commentary done by Jared Greenberg; www.espn.com/nba/standings;   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Benson;  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XLIV;  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jrue_Holiday#Personal_life; and https://wn.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Holiday.