J-Speaks: The New Reality For Timberwolves All-Star Center Because of COVID-19

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic has taken a lot from us in 2020. It has taken from a lot of us our lively hoods, personal relationships, and changed our feelings towards many things in life. The Coronavirus has more than anything taken over 330,000 of our friends and family. No matter if you were wealthy or not, this pandemic has changed all of us and for a number of people their lives will never be the same. No one understands this better than one of the National Basketball Association’s young star players of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who life was changed forever because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

A week ago, two-time All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves began his sixth NBA season, hoping to put what was an awful fifth NBA season in the rearview mirror.

For most of his life, Towns was known as someone who played basketball from a young age growing up in Edison, NJ where he rise to stardom began at St. Joseph High School, to his lone collegiate season playing for the University of Kentucky and head coach John Calipari.

In June 2015, Towns was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Timberwolves and won Kia Rookie of the Year and was named to the 2016 NBA All-Rookie First Team. Two years later he earned the first to back-to-back All-Star selections and made the All-NBA Third Team in 2018.

Then came the 2019-20 NBA season where the 25-year-old Towns not only struggled through the first injury plagued season of his NBA career (playing in only 35 games) but the Timberwolves missed the playoffs for the 15^th time in the last 16 seasons. Their season abruptly ended early on Mar. 11 because of the COVID-19 Pandemic and were they were one of eight NBA teams not invited to the NBA’s restart in Orlando, FL.

If that was not bad enough for Towns, he lost his mother Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, who was one of the early casualties on Apr. 13. While Towns’ father, Karl. Sr. also contracted the virus he was able to recover.  

On Mar. 25, Towns expressed his emotions in a video that he posted on Instagram that explained his mother was placed on a ventilator and was in a medically induced coma as a result of the virus, which led to her death. Mrs. Cruz-Towns was 58 years old.

Towns not only lost his mom effervescent, who lit up every room she walked into, he lost his biggest cheerleader who was the first to congratulate him with a hug when he got drafted six years ago. Attended all the Timberwolves home game. She was also by his side at charity events.

“It always brought me a smile when I saw my mom at the baseline and in the stands and stuff, and having a good time watching me play,” Towns said. “It is going to be hard to play. It’s going to be difficult to say this is therapy. I don’ think [playing basketball] will ever be therapy for me again. But it gives me a chance to relive good memories I had.”

He posted several videos to his social media which detailed his ordeal as he cared for his sick mother, and his feelings after she died. He said that he felt it necessary to share those videos in order for people to better understand the ramifications of COVID-19.

“I didn’t want people to feel the way I felt,” Towns said. “I wanted to try to keep them from having the ordeal and the situation I was going through. It just came from a place that I didn’t want people to feel as lonely and upset as I was. I really made that video just to protect others and keep others well-informed, even though I knew it was going to take the most emotionally out of me that I’ve ever been asked to do.”

Towns was particularly transparent about how devastating the passing of his mom was in an 18-minute mini-documentary YouTube early last month entitled, “The Toughest Year of My Life.”  

What took even more out of Towns was the loss of six other family members due to complications from COVID-19.

“I’ve seen a lot of coffins in the last seven, eight months,” Towns said. “I have a lot of people who have—in my family and my mom’s family gotten COVID. I’m the one looking for answers still, trying to find how to keep them healthy. It’s just a lot of responsibility, you know. A lot of responsibility on me to keep my family well-informed and to make all the moves necessary to keep them alive.”

The help of his teammates, guard D’Angelo Russell in particular is what helped Towns navigate in the weeks after the passing of his mother. He received a plethora of supportive phone calls and text messages from all members of the Timberwolves organization, especially from head coach Ryan Saunders, who lost his father in former Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Washington Wizards head coach Philip “Flip” Saunders died on Oct. 25, 2015 after a two-month and 14-day battle against Hodgkin’s lymphoma that he was diagnosed with on Aug. 11, 2015. The now 34-year-old Saunders lost his dad at age 29 when his dad was just age 60. Towns’ new teammate in lead guard Ricky Rubio, who was acquired in the offseason lost his mother when he was just 25 years old.

When the Timberwolves played their first preseason game on Dec. 12 versus the Memphis Grizzlies, it really Towns that he was playing his first game without his mother, let alone any fans in the Target Center that he could not even get off the sidelines during the introduction of the starting lineups.

How difficult of a night was that first game for Towns, he was just 4 for 13 from the field, including 0 for 5 from three-point range for 13 points, eight rebounds and three block shots.

While the emotions remained fresh, Towns’ production was per usual with 22 points, 11 rebounds seven assists, and two block shots on 6 for 10 shooting, including 2 for 4 from three-point range in the Timberwolves’ (2-2) 111-101 win versus the Detroit Pistons (0-4) in their season opener at home on Dec. 23 as they outscored the Pistons 31-16 in the fourth quarter to overcome a 12-point deficit in the third quarter.

Before the game, the Timberwolves held a moment of silence during pregame as well as had a video tribute for Mrs. Cruz-Towns.

In his postgame interview with Timberwolves sideline reporter for FOX Sports North Marney Gellner, Towns said that he was going to give the game ball to his father to put next to his mother.

“It was heavy,” Towns, who made the Timberwolves first field goal of the game after a 0 for 7 start to their home opener said to Gellner about the emotions he played with in memory of his mother. “It was different, you know. It’s just always different. I’m just happy I got this for her. I told her I wanted to get her this win and get her this ball, so I’m was just happy to be able to get it done.”

In the span of eight months, life for all of us changed because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. We all lost something from either our lively hoods to family and friends or both.

For Karl-Anthony Towns, his foundation was altered not only with the loss of his mother Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, but he lost six other family members, and nearly lost his father as well because of the Coronavirus.

His life changed forever, and while he still can do what he has done for nearly two decades in not just play basketball for a living, but he is playing in the NBA.

While being able to compete at the highest level of basketball competition of the National Basketball Association (NBA), might take his mind of what has happened to him in 2020, Towns will never be the same person because his biggest cheerleader and one constant in his life I his mother Jacqueline Cruz-Towns is no longer here to route her son on.

Life will eventually get back to normal where most of us will work or find new work and be able to hug, love, and be present for our family and friends again. But no matter if you have or have not lost someone that meant a great deal to you, how everyone sees life will never be the same again.

“I don’t even recognize most of my other games and year I’ve played, and how I’ve felt those days. I don’t really recall or really care,” Towns, who registered his 180^th career double-double (most since the 2015-16 season) said in his virtual postgame press conference after the Timberwolves win versus the Pistons.

“I only know what I’ve been through from Apr. 13 on. You may see me smiling and stuff, but that Karl died on Apr. 13. He’s never coming back. I don’t remember that man. I don’t know that man. You’re talking to the physical me, but my soul has been killed off a long time ago….”

“I only know how I feel from Apr. 13 on, and to say it’s been day-by-day is probably an understatement. I think it’s moment-by-moment.” 

Towns added about how he plans to be for his Timberwolves teammates moving forward, “No matter how bad my situation is, how [expletive] my life is, I’m gonna keep being here for these guys. I’m gonna let them see me smile even though inside I’m not smiling whatsoever. I owe that to these guys as a leader, I owe that to them as a teammate.”

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 12/4/2020 www.espn.com story, “Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns Says Season Will Be Difficult Amid Off-Court Tragedies,” by Malika Andrews; 12/15/2020 3 p.m. “NBA: The Jump” on ESPN with Rachel Nichols, Amin Elhassan, and Paul Pierce; 12/23/2020 2 a.m. edition of ESPN’s “Sportscenter” from Los Angeles, CA with Linda Cohn and Stan Verrett; 12/24/2020 www.espn.com story, “Emotional Karl-Anthony Towns Reflects on How He Has Changed Following First Game Since Mother’s Death,” by Royce Young; https://www.espn.com/nba/game?gameid=401265833; https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/boxscore?gameid=401267178; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Saunders; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_Saunders.  

J-Speaks: The Passing of Another Celtics Legend And Champion

 On Nov. 9, the Boston Celtics suddenly lost one of their legendary faces who was a player, coach, and longtime broadcaster for the team. 9. On Christmas Day, the boys from “Beantown” said goodbye to another legend won helped them win a plethora of titles both as a player and coach.

On Friday morning, the Celtics before their Christmas Day national television tilt versus the Brooklyn Nets got the sad news that Hall of Famer K.C. Jones died at an assisted living center in Connecticut, which was confirmed by his family.

Jones is survived by his wife of four decades Ellen, and their son K.C. Jones (Kipper) III, and his five children other children (Leslie, Kelly, Bryna, Holly, and Christopher) from his first wife Beverly Cain, who he was married to for 18 years (1960-78).

Jones had been battling Alzheimer’s disease, and for the past several years has received care for the disease at the aforementioned living facility.

He is the third Hall of Famer from the 1965 Celtics’ title team to die this year: the previously mentioned Mr. Heinsohn on Nov. 9 and fellow Hall of Famer John Thompson, who too had greater success as a coach as the leader of the Georgetown Hoyas, who died in Aug. 30.

Before their 123-95 loss on Christmas Day versus the Brooklyn Nets (2-0) on ABC, the Celtics (1-1) held a moment of silence in remembrance of Jones, who is one of seven players in NBA history to have won an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.

In a report from ESPN/ABC sideline reporter Ariel Helwani during the game between the Celtics and Nets, Jones’ daughter Bryna noted on Twitter that her dad was born on May 25, 1932, died on Dec. 25, 2020, and wore No. 25 in his career with the Celtics saying, “he loves that number.”  

During the quarter break between the third and fourth quarters, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens in speaking about the passing of Jones, and the passing of Mr. Heinsohn back in November said, “Merry Christmas to all the Celtics fans we wish were here, and specifically to the Jones family and the Heinsohn. Huge losses for all of us. We certainly miss you. We love you and we’re thinking about you today.”

Two nights before in their 122-121 win versus the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night on TNT, the Celtics held a moment of silence in remembrance of the Celtics’ Hall of Famer and Jones’ teammate in the 1950s and 1960s, and his coach in the 1970s Tom Heinsohn, who died on Nov. 9. 

Jones, who was elected to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986; the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989; and to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 won two NCAA titles (1955 and 1956) as a member of the University of San Francisco, playing alongside fellow Celtics teammate and Hall of Famer Bill Russell. The two also led Team USA to a gold medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.

With the Celtics, Jones, a Second-Round pick by the team in 1956 won 11 of his 12 titles with the Celtics, winning eight as a player in his nine NBA seasons with the C’s (1958-67), the third most in NBA history. He won a titles in his five seasons as a Celtics assistant coach (1978-83) and two more as the head coach (1984 and 1986) in his five seasons (1983-88) as the Celtics’ sideline leader of Hall of Fame trio of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, who also won five Atlantic Division titles in that span as well. The Celtics during that time represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals for four straight seasons (1984-87).

His No. 25 is one of 24 numbers that Celtics have retired and are high above the floor of TD Garden in Boston, MA.    

“K.C. Jones was among the most decorated champions in the history of our game,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement on Friday. “His relentless defense as a player and remarkable poise as a coach made him essential to 12 NBA championship teams, including 11 with the Boston Celtics. From winning two NCAA titles to earning an Olympic gold medal to helping the Celtics win eight consecutive NBA Finals during his Hall of Fame career, K.C. extraordinary accomplishments and impact will long be remembered. Our thoughts are with K.C.’s loved ones and the entire Celtics organization.”

Only Russell (11) and fellow teammate and Hall of Famer Sam Jones (10) have won more NBA titles as players than K.C. Jones.  

“I just received a call letting me know my x-roommate/teammate & most of all friend the great KC Jones pass this morning. Prayers to his family. We have been friends from almost 60yrs… Friends for life #2020Usuck! #RIP @NBA @Celtics.”

Jones is one of seven players (Russell and Sam Jones, and fellow Hall of Famers Clyde Lovellette, Jerry Lucas, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Michael Jordan, and Quinn Buckner) in basketball history to win an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic Gold Medal.

Following his retirement as a player in 1967, Jones’ coaching journey began in college as the head coach at Brandeis University (1967-1970) and then as an assistant coach at Harvard University for one season before joining the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant in the 1971-72, where he earned another championship ring. Jones also had head coaching stints with the San Diego Conquistadors (1972-73) of the ABA and led the then Washington Capitals/Bullets (now Wizards) from 1973-76, coaching them to the 1975 NBA Finals. He then was an assistant coach for one season with the Milwaukee Bucks (1976-77) before going on to the Celtics and making all the aforementioned history he made as a coach.

That history began when Jones won his 10^th title with the Celtics as an assistant on fellow Hall of Famer Bill Fitch’s staff in 1981.

Jones took over for Fitch three years later and over the next five seasons never won fewer than 57 games in the regular season or failed to lead the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals.

“He was a great coach to work for. He was a class act, and yet he had this competitive edge that was fierce,” Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge, who played for the team from 1981-88 when Jones was an assistant coach and then head coach said before Friday’s loss versus the Nets.  

“He had this gentleness and kindness. He was a great leader of men. I looked to him as a mentor, and a friend. Much more than a coach.”  

Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle, who was coached by Jones with the Celtics from 1984-87, winning a title as a member of the 1986 squad said Jones was a “beautiful man who knew the balance between structure for a team and giving the players the freedom to play.”

ESPN play-by-play analyst Mark Jones noted in the Celtics loss versus the Nets on Friday that Coach Jones in his time with the Celtics was a man of “very few words.”

In speaking with Celtics radio commentator and fellow champion on the Celtics teams in the 1980s Cedric Maxwell said that Jones as a coach was a man of “very few words, terse and quiet.” But when he summoned you to sit beside him on a plane ride, it was known as being “in the hot seat.” When you were in that hot seat, Coach Jones had something urgent and important to tell you.”

Color analyst Doris Burke mentioned during Friday’s telecast that in reaching out to former longtime Celtics beat writer Jackie MacMullan, who now works for ESPN.com telling about how Larry Bird was not happy when the change was made where Jones replaced Fitch as head coach of the Celtics back in the 1980s. Bird loved Coach Fitch, his teammates, not so much.

There was one story of how Bird in a tight game says that he demanded the ball and that everyone else get out of the way. Coach Jones said to Bird to take a seat on the sidelines. In the huddle, it is Jones who says to the team to get the ball to Bird and for everyone else to get out of the way.

Burke said to that moment, “That’s intelligence untouched by the great K.C. Jones.”

After his time with the Celtics, Jones then coached for the then Seattle Supersonics (1989-92) first as an assistant and then as a head coach for two seasons. He then was an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons (1994-95) before returning to the Celtics as an assistant for the 1996-97 seasons. Jones concluded his coaching career as the head coach of the New England Blizzards of the women’s American Basketball League in its final 1.5 seasons of existence.

Jones compiled a 522-252 record in his NBA coaching career in the regular season with the Bullets/Capital, Celtics, and Supersonics (81-57 mark in playoffs) is also one of three people in NBA history (Atlanta Hawks’ Rajon Rondo and Lovellette) to have won a title with the Celtics and Lakers.

In a time in our nation where equal opportunity has been at the forefront of our subconsciousness, especially in pro sports when it comes to seeing more minority representation in ownership and head coaching, when Jones got his chance, he made the most of it. He grinded his way up the coaching ranks in both college and the pros as an assistant and then as a head coach first where he really etched his name in the NBA record books with the Celtics.

“KC Jones was the first Black Coach I ever saw on TV,” Jay Scott Smith tweeted @JayScottSmith on Friday about the impact Jones had on him. “That he was the coach of the team I hated with a passion didn’t matter. I didn’t know until I was in college that dude was a Hall of Fame player with eight rings and played w/Bill Russell in College & the NBA.” #RIPKCJones.

Bill @mrcoaster1 tweeted those same sentiments saying of Jones, “Sorry to hear of KC Jones’ passing. I loved watching him as a player and coach and the impact he had on those great Celtics teams. Gone, but never forgotten”

Ben Jackson tweeted @BJacksonWrites, “Sad to read this. I was fortunate enough to have a couple of conversations with K.C. Jones when I was a teenager. He was kind and generous with the time and advice. RIP.”

Dr. Rob O’Lynn tweeted @DrRobOlynn, “KC Jones was a Celtic through and through, first as a player and then as a coach. He was a fierce competitor who respected his team and the game. I will always be a fan of Doc [Rivers] and Brad [Stevens], however I prized KC’s coach trading card as a kid,” @celtics #RIPKCJones.  

In early November, the Boston Celtics said goodbye to one of the pillars of their organization in the great Tommy Heinsohn. On Christmas Day, they said goodbye to another legend of their organization in K.C. Jones.

The two men were champions as players and then as head coaches. They were staples for over two decades, over five decades in the case of Heinsohn. They did a lot of winning. A lot of celebrating with the organization and the fans of “Beantown” as a result of those wins. More than anything, they created a lot of lasting memories for the residents of Boston, MA and their families that will live forever.

In a statement released on Friday, the Celtics said, “Where K.C. Jones went, winning was sure to follow. K.C.-his given name-was a twelve-time NBA champion as a player and coach, a two-time NCAA champion, and a Gold medal-winning Olympian and Hall of Famer. In NBA history, only teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones have more championship rings during their playing careers. K.C. along with Russell, Clyde Lovellette, Jerry Lucas, Quinn Buckner, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Michael Jordan, are the only players in history to achieve basketball’s “Triple Crown”—winning an NCAA Championship, an NBA Championship, and an Olympic Gold Medal. His number 25 has hung from the rafters since 1967.”

“K.C.’s coaching career was similarly illustrious. He was named to lead the Celtics in 1983, beginning what is one of the most remarkable head coaching runs the NBA has seen. K.C. helmed the Celtics for two of the most memorable seasons in the team’s rich history, first leading the team to a championship in 1984 over the Lakers during a peak of that soared rivalry. Two seasons later, he led what many consider the greatest team in NBA history, the 1986 Champion Boston Celtics. These were the highlights of an astonishing four consecutive seasons in the NBA Finals, one of the most impressive and beloved Celtics eras.”

“K.C. demonstrated that one could be both a fierce competitor and a gentleman in every sense of the word. He made his teammates better, and he got the most out of the players he coached. Never one to seek credit, his glory was found in the most fundamental of basketball ideals -- being part of a winning team. The Celtics family mourns his loss, as we celebrate his remarkable career and life.”

Information and quotations are courtesy of 12/25/2020 5 p.m. “Brooklyn Nets versus Boston Celtics,” presented by State Farm on ABC with Mark Jones, Doris Burke, and Ariel Helwani; 12/25/2020 8 p.m. “Dallas Mavericks versus Los Angeles Lakers,” presented by State Farm on ABC with Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and Rachel Nichols; 12/25/2020 www.nba.com story, “Celtics Legend K.C. Jones Dies at 88,” by Jimmy Golden of “The Associated Press;” 12/25/2020 https://www.bostonglobe.com story, “K.C. Jones, A Celtics Legend And 12-Time NBA Champion, Dies at 88,” by Joseph P. Khan; https://starsoffline.com piece, “Ellen Jones Bio: K.C. Jones Wife, Age, Job, First Husband;” 12/25/2020 https://www.hitc.com story, “Who Is K.C. Jones’ Wife Ellen Jones? Boston Celtics Legendary Player Passes Away at 88,” by Prerna Nambiar; and  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._C._Jones#; and   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Carlisle. 

J-Speaks: 2020-21 NBA Schedule Is Set

 

When the 2019-20 NBA season concluded with the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Miami Heat 106-93 in Game 6 of the 2020 NBA Finals on Oct. 11, finishing the league’s restart in Orlando, FL the big question was when would the 2020-21 season begin? Through consistent communication and negotiations on the linguistics on how to have a season in the midst of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Global Pandemic between the NBA and the National Basketball Players’ Association (NBPA), the 2020-21 season will take place right before Christmas Day.

The process of getting to the point where the upcoming NBA season, which will begin three weeks from this Tuesday, the NBA and NBPA agreed to extend the deadline for opting out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) by one week until Nov. 6. At that date, both sides would continue hammering out specific issues that needed reconciled before the start of the season.

This represented the fourth extension of the opt-out deadline since the start of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic in the middle of March.

If either side choose to opt out by the date of Nov. 6, the CBA would be terminated on Dec. 14, “unless the parties agree otherwise,” the NBA said.

To put into context the kind of pickle the NBA was put in when the COVID-19 put almost a 4 ½ month hold to this past season back on Mar. 11, according to an Oct. 23 report from The Associated Press, the NBA missed its revenue projection for the 2019-20 campaign by $1.5 billion by not just the hiatus, but also by not having fans in attendance for the games played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando during the restart, and the decision by Chinese state television to ban televising NBA games there for a year following a political dispute.

The NBA and the NBPA were able to reach an agreement in principle on Nov. 9, first with the NBPA representatives voting in support of the notion of starting the upcoming season on Dec. 22. Five days later, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved adjustments to certain provisions of the current CBA that were impacted by the Coronavirus Pandemic.

This meant the confirmation of the NBA Draft, which took place virtually on Nov. 18 on ESPN. That the start of free agent negotiations could begin two days after the draft, which happened two days following the draft on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Two days after that, players that were a free agent, either restricted or unrestricted were able to sign contracts with teams beginning that Sunday afternoon, Nov. 22 at 12:01 p.m.

There were still some aspects of the 2020-21 season that needed to be hammered out in the CBA. On Nov. 10, those remaining details were set and a deal was struck on the rules on how to proceed this upcoming season 2020-21 season, that will start on Dec. 22.

Among those details was the salary cap, which will remain at the same levels as last season with each of the 30 team’s salary cap remaining at $109.14 million, with the tax level being kept at $132,627,000. A team’s tax payment will be reduced in proportion to any (BRI) decreases

There will be a new system used for the insurance that both parties keep their agreement upon the splitting of basketball-related income (BRI). If by any chance that player compensation exceeded said players’ designated share in any season, necessary salary reduction beyond the standard 10 percent escrow would be spread out that season and potentially the next two seasons after that, and subject to a max salary reduction in any season of 20 percent.

In subsequent seasons of the CBA, the Salary Cap and Tax Level will increase by a minimum of three percent and a maximum of 10 percent over the previous seasons, starting with the 2021-22 NBA campaign, where the salary cap will be between $112.4 million and $120.1 million.  

The 75^th regular season of the NBA will begin on Tuesday, Nov. 22, with each of the 30 teams playing a 72-game schedule that will have them playing 42 games versus squads from their conference and 30 games versus out of conference opponents.

“We came to the decision in pretty much the same way we came to the decision that we could play safely in the bubble,” NBA Commissioner Silver said to ESPN’s Malika Andrews on ESPN’s Pre-Draft show on Nov. 18 about the NBA being able to have the 2020-21 season not in a carefully constructed bubble. “We have a group of doctors and scientists that we work with. And then we were of course work directly with the players, and the players association, and it’s a joint determination, balancing a lot of factors.”

The 2020-21 schedule will be released in two parts. The first half will be released at the start of training camp, which will be on Dec. 1, with the second half schedule being released during the latter part of the first half. The full regular season and broadcast schedules will be released at a future date.

The 2020-21 NBA season will start with preseason games going from Dec. 11-19. The unofficial first half of the 2020-21 regular season will go from Dec. 22-Mar. 4, 2021; The All-Star break will be from Mar. 5-10, 20201. The second half of the upcoming season will be from Mar. 11-May 16, 2021.

On May 18-21, 2021, a Play-In Tournament, which is set for only the 2020-21 season, for who claims the final two spots in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference. The team’s that are in the 7^th and 10^th place squads in the East and West will square off against one another with the winner receiving the No. 7 spot in the postseason and the loser of that contest playing the winner of the No. 9 and No. 10 matchup. The winner of that tilt will earn the No. 8 and final playoff spot.

For the reigning NBA champion Lakers and the team they took down to win their 17^th NBA title in franchise history, tied with the archrival Boston Celtics for the most in NBA history, this will be the shortest offseason in NBA history—being separated by seven weeks of the end of the 2020 NBA Finals and the planned aforementioned Dec. 1 start of training camp.

For the eight squads that did not make the NBA’s restart in Orlando this summer, with neither the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, and New York Knicks from the East, and the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves from the West, it would have been close to nine months since the league as mentioned went on hiatus on Mar. 11 because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Power forward/center Meyers Leonard, who just re-signed with the Heat on a two-year contract worth about $20 million and who served as the player representative for the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat said he had his concerns about getting all the logistic matters done in time for opening night.

“Without knowing all the ins and outs, Dec. 22^nd, from a money standpoint, you play more games, you play your Christmas games, it probably makes sense,” Leonard, who resumed his offseason training following an arranged 4,000-mile tour-bus trip by Coors Light from Miami, FL to Los Angeles, CA with his wife that made main stops along the way said. “But there’s a lot of logistical things that I know cannot be easy. And the discussions that are being had are very dynamic and very difficult conversations.”

Among those issues include the health and safety protocols that will have to be implemented without everyone being in one secure place that did not require any kind of travel.

Ahead of training camps opening in the early part of this coming week, the NBA compiled a comprehensive health and safety protocol of 134 pages that it sent to all its 30 teams.

It is one similar that was put together to govern everything the players, coaches, and support staffs of the 22 teams that came to Orlando this summer.

Like that first document, the league has in place that players and staff get tested daily, which began this weekend in advance of training camps opening at the start of this week.

It has constructed a system of rules for what will happen if someone does test positive for the Coronavirus, where there are two potential paths to return that consists of a “time based” resolution, and a “test-based” resolution.

The “time-based” resolution is where the infected individual would need to either have gone 10 days since the date of their first positive test or the onset of any symptoms, if they had any; gone at least 24 hours since their fever went away without using any medications; and other symptoms have improved, while specifically nothing that losses of taste or smell alone are not expected to prevent someone from leaving isolation.

The “test-based” resolution, the infected person must return at least two consecutive negative PCR tests from samples taken at least 24 hours apart.

Whether the “time-based” or “test-based” resolution is used, any player determined to have a new positive case from testing—whether they are symptomatic or asymptomatic—will not be permitted from participation in any training for at least 10 days from either a positive test or the resolution of symptoms, if they have any.

After that minimum 10-day period, that player then must spend two days working out by themselves, not interacting with anyone or participating in any team activities; wear a mask at all times when in their team’s facility—whether they are working out or not—and must participate in a cardiac screening. So, any player that test positive for COVID-19 will have to miss a minimum of 12 days before they can return to the hardwood.

Any player that had a severe case of the Coronavirus, or who was hospitalized at any point, will have to be under observation for at least three full days before being cleared to return to play.

If a player test positive for COVID-19, teams must go through a variety of steps, including reporting the positive test to local authorities. All close contacts must be contact traced. Any and all spaces controlled by the team or its arena where the person who tested positive had been seen their last negative test must be cleaned and disinfected. That player who tested positive for the Coronavirus then must have housing set up so they can be isolated.

In a normal NBA season, teams would not be allowed to pay for housing for their players, as it is seen as a way to circumvent the league’s salary cap. With this unique situation though, the NBA has waived that to allow their teams to be able to pay for isolation housing for any player that test positive for COVID-19.

When it comes to the possibility of suspending the upcoming season—just like the NBA stated back in March—the league did not state what would trigger such a major decision. Instead, all it said was, “The occurrence of independent cases or a small or otherwise expected number of COVID-19 cases will not require a decision to suspend or cancel the 2020-21 season.”

“There’s going to be people testing positive,” Leonard said. “I don’t know about left and right, but it’s going to happen. And then what happens? It’s a tough time we’re all dealing with. The disease is very strange. It’s going to be interesting to see how the league rolls with the punches, so to speak.”

That document also said it is designed to “promote prevention and mitigation strategies to reduce exposure to and transmission of, the Coronavirus,” but it is likely some players ands staff will contract the virus.

In a tweet from Charania on Saturday @ShamsCharania, the NBA like it did in the restart will establish as anonymous hotline to report any one potential violators of the safety protocols during in-market play during the upcoming season.

The league also has imposed a 45 person limit for any team’s travel party, that includes up to 17 players, with the protocol stating, “as when in their team’s market, members of the traveling party shall remain obligated to minimize risks to manage their health and enhance that of all individuals involved in the 2020-21 season.”

The NBA also said that further information regarding how travel parties will be permitted to operate when they do go on the road will be provided at a later date.

One thing the NBA and the NBPA did do to welcome the 2020 NBA Draft class and their families into the next chapter of their basketball journey is Commissioner Silver and NBPA leader Michelle Roberts participated in a welcome session on Nov. 17.

That moment made Commissioner Silver realize being a parent himself now that he feels disappointed not just for the draftees but for their families who waited for such a long time for this crowning moment in the lives of these young men to be the select 60 to be drafted into the best basketball league in the world.

“So, I promised them all that once things get back to normal, we’re going to have a huge ball for them of some kind, you know? Maybe around the Summer League in Las Vegas,” Commissioner Silver said. “We owe them a big party. So, well find a way to do that.”

“Remember, for our best players, you know, think how many years our top players have been in the league. So, they’ll be around for a long time. So, even if we have to do more formal in person training in a year from now or two years from now, we’ll still do it.”

If one thing that the professional sports world has shown is the ability to adapt and provide a necessary escape and at times important words on how we can get through this COVID-19 Pandemic, that has had a grip on our world since the middle of March. No sport has proven that they can do that better than the National Basketball Association. The hope is now that they can do the same thing again for this entire upcoming 2020-21 season, even with the known obstacles that will for sure take place.

Information and quotations are courtesy of 10/30/2020 www.nba.com story, “NBA, NBPA Agree To Extend CBA Opt-Out Deadline,” by Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press;  11/20/2020 www.nba.com story, “It’s Done: The NBA Comes Back on Dec. 22, A 72-Game Schedule,” by Tim Reynolds of “The Associated Press;” 11/5/2020 www.nba.com story, “NBA Reps Approve Plan To Start Season on Dec. 22,” by Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press; 11/10/2020 www.nba.com story, “NBA Board of Governors Approves Dec. 22 Start For 2020-21 Season;” 11/10/2020 www.nba.com story, “NBA, NBPA Agree on 2020-21 Season Start and Adjustments To CBA;” 11/10/2020 3 p.m. “NBA: The Jump” on ESPN with Rachel Nichols, Amin Elhassan, and Richard Jefferson; 11/14/2020 ESPN news crawl; 11/18/2020 7:30 p.m. “2020 NBA Draft,” presented by State Farm with Rece Davis, Jay Williams, Mike Schmitz, Jay Bilas, Adrian Wojnarowski, and Malika Andrews; 11/20/2020 ESPN news crawl; 11/28/2020 www.espn.com story, “NBA Outlines COVID-19 Safety Protocols In 134-Page Guide,” by Tim Bontemps; and 11/28/2020 www.nba.com story, “NBA Establishes Health and Safety Protocol for 2020-21 Season,” by Steve Aschburner.

J-Speaks: Newest Additions to the Father/Son Fraternity In NBA

 

Each year of the NBA Draft, 60 young men have their longtime childhood dreams are realized. Only a select few though have had the opportunity to join the exclusive fraternity of playing the same game professionally like their father. In the proud history of “The Association,” over 70 father/son duos, who have either carried on their dad’s name; carried on their legacy with their play on the hardwood. On Wednesday night, three more young men got that chance to make their own mark like their fathers did in the pros.

With the No. 15 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, which was held virtually because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, the Orlando Magic selected point guard Cole Anthony out of the University of North Carolina. He is the son of current NBATV analyst and NBA on TNT color analyst Greg Anthony, who played lead guard in the NBA for 12 years for first for the New York Knicks, who took him No. 12 overall out of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, the then Vancouver (now Memphis) Grizzlies, Seattle Supersonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Chicago Bulls, and Milwaukee Bucks.

With the No. 48 pick in the 2020 draft, the Golden State Warriors selected point guard Nico Mannion out of the University of Arizona, the son of Pace Mannion, who played a decade in the NBA from 1983-1993 for the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, then New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets, Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, and the final four years overseas for his native Italy for the Italian pro basketball league club Pallacanestro Cantu based in Cantu, Lombardy.

The Houston Rockets with the No. 52 overall in the 2020 draft selected Kenyon “KJ” Martin, Jr., the son of the No. 1 overall pick out of the University of Cincinnati 20 years ago Kenyon Martin, who played in the league for 15 years with the then New Jersey, now Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, and Milwaukee Bucks.  

The younger, Anthony, Mannion, and Martin, Jr. hope to reach the level that a select few current sons of dads who have played in the NBA have.

That younger version crop of NBA players whose fathers played include Larry Nance, Jr. of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the son of Larry Nance, Sr. who played 13 NBA seasons for the Phoenix Suns and the Cavaliers after being selected by the Suns No. 20 overall out of the Clemson University in 1981 has played five seasons after being drafted by the Lakers No. 27 overall out of the University of Wyoming.

Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway, Jr., who was drafted No. 24 overall by the Knicks in 2013 out of the University of Michigan, having also played for the Hawks and the Knicks for the previous two seasons is the father of the crossover king of the previous era in five-time All-Star lead guard Tim Hardaway, Sr., who played 14 seasons with the Warriors, Miami Heat, Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers after being drafted No. 14 overall by the Warriors out of the University of Texas at El Paso in 1989.

The most well-known sons of the NBA is two-time Kia MVP and three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry, who was drafted No. 7 overall in 2009 out of the Davidson College by the Warriors and the most recent addition of the 76ers in his brother guard Seth Curry, whose dad is NBA legend sharp-shooter Wardell Stephen “Dell” Curry, Sr. The elder Curry played 16 seasons with the Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Toronto Raptors after being drafted No. 15 overall by the Jazz out of Virginia Tech.    

While he did not get drafted on Wednesday night, Brendan Bailey out of Marquette, the son of Thurl Bailey, who played the majority of his nine of his 16 years of professional basketball for the Jazz, who took him No. 7 overall in the 1983 draft out of North Carolina State. The current television analyst for the Jazz on AT&T Sportsnet Rocky Mountain also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves (from 1991-94) as well as overseas for a Greek pro basketball team Panionios B.C.; the aforementioned Pallacanestro Cantu; and Lega Basket Serie A pro basketball team Pallacenestro Olimpia Milano based in Milan, Italy.  

“To see your oldest child’s dreams come true, you can’t beat that,” Martin, Sr. said to ESPN’s senior NBA writer of “The Undefeated” Marc J. Spears as the 2020 draft was near. “He’s been wanting to play in the NBA since he’s been a kid. And for us to be on the doorstep of that, gives me chills.

Ever since he was a young child and watching his father play in the NBA environment, it was something that “KJ” always wanted to do, especially after he saw his dad play against the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in the 2009 Western Conference Finals against the late great Hall of Famer to be Kobe Bryant, “KJ’s” all-time favorite player.

“I knew when they played each other, they both were going to put their hearts on the floor,” “KJ,” who averaged 19.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals for IMG Academy in 2019-20 said. “It was really nice seeing him play those couple of years when they played against each other.”  

While the younger Anthony did not get a chance to see dad play growing up since he retired while he was still a toddler, he was shown a few clips of his journey when he was in college playing for the Runnin’ Rebels, which included him scoring on a breakaway dunk off a steal of an inbounds pass.

Brendan said that he does not remember a whole of his dad’s playing career as well because he was so young. But because he was surrounded by the game growing up playing as a pro, the young Bailey picked up the game because of his dad.

Bailey, the father of six children said that his kids did not really know how good their dad was until he showed up on NBA2K.

One time, Bailey heard his youngest son Bryson yell to him to come upstairs because he saw Thurl on NBA2K saying, “Dad, come up here you’re on 2K! You were pretty good, huh?”

Growing up playing the game or doing something your father did well for a long time can be a lot to take on.

For “KJ,” who also played in the famed Drew League, when he hears hecklers in the crowd saying things like “You ain’t your daddy,” he saw it as a fun challenge. He said he likes when people talk or do crazy stuff in the stands to throw his concentration off. It is the “energy” he feeds off to play even better.

“So, for me it’s something I got used to growing up and once I started competing at a high level, I knew that’s what’s going to come with it,” the younger Martin said to Spears. “If a team don’t pick me and I go into camp, I know I’m going to have to go prove myself and show them what I can do, and that’s how its always been. So, I don’t got a problem doing that.”

“KJ” did get drafted, but being a Second-Round pick means he will have to enter Rockets training camp locked in to get a guaranteed contract because that is not guaranteed when you are selected late in the Second-Round like he was. That is also the case for the young Bailey who did not hear his name called on Wednesday night.

His father said that he knows how good of a basketball player he is, keeping the bias out because he has seen thousands of players.

It is a real risk, especially when you are not drafted that your dreams of playing professionally could end just like that before it even begins, especially when you know you can compete against some guys that are not in your class in terms of skill and mindset.

“To be honest, I’m just trying to get an opportunity,” younger Bailey said. “This is what I wanted to do my whole life because of him [his dad]. He introduced me to the game. So, it would be a dream come true to have the opportunity to do what he did and carry on the legacy.”

One player who will have a head start to carry on their father’s legacy is the younger Anthony who got drafted in the First-Round as previously mentioned by the Magic, especially because he fills their need of starting point guard, which has been hard to come by in recent years.

While many have come to know Cole Anthony from his lone year playing for the Tar Heels and head coach Roy Williams, he and some of his friends were part of a 2013 film called “Little Ballers,” an idea that came from his mother Crystal McCrary that followed her son and bunch of his friends that displayed a passion for basketball.

In the film when Anthony, who averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and four assists for the Tar Heels in 2019-20 said of the improvements that he made in his game were his “ball handling, my shooting, my rebounding, and my speed.”

He also said that he planned on playing basketball his “whole” life in the NBA “as soon as possible for as long as possible.”

“Too look back a decade ago to see that Cole is on the eve having this dream of playing in the NBA come to life is surreal,” McCrary said to ESPN.

That life long dream of the young Anthony’s though took a major hit during last season at Chapel Hill when in the middle of December after needing surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus in his right knee that took him two months to come back from.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, which threw a monkey wrench into the plans and preparations for all the players working towards their dreams of playing in the NBA, Cole said he watched a lot of film, which gave him a different perspective on how he plays the game in his mind.  

For the younger Mannion, he tried to see the positive of the COVID-19 Pandemic where it is something the entire world is experiencing and he is just looking forward to getting drafted into the NBA, and is trying to be as “prepared” as possible to take on the highs and lows that will come at the next level.

Anthony told ESPN’s Malika Andrews in a virtual interview from his home in NYC shedding tears that this whole process was something he struggled with mainly because he was going through the first serious injury in his basketball journey. But thanks to the support from his dad Greg, his mom in the aforementioned Crystal McCrary, other family members and friends, which included Academy Award film director and famous Knicks fan Spike Lee, who attended Cole’s draft party in the “Big Apple,” Anthony is ready and eager to play for the Magic.  

“I’m healthy now and I can’t wait to just get out there and play,” the young Anthony said to Andrews after getting drafted by the Magic. “I’m so passionate about the sport, the game. This is the best moment of my life right here. There’s nothing compared to this moment right here…This is absolutely the best moment of my life.”

It is one thing to get drafted into the NBA or go into something that a family member of yours did and was really good at it for a long time.

Greg Anthony, Pace Mannion, Thurl Bailey, and Kenyon Martin, Sr. got a chance to live out their basketball dreams first playing in college, got drafted into the best basketball league in the world, the NBA, and played over a decade at a high level.

Their sons in Cole Anthony, Nico Mannion, and Kenyon “KJ” Martin, Jr. put in the work to make their dreams come true by being a part of some of the best basketball programs in the University of North Carolina, the University of Arizona, Marquette University, the Drew League, and IMG Academy respectively. Anthony, Mannion, and Martin, Jr. got drafted, with Anthony being first at No. 15 overall.

While Anthony will have the truest shot to have a long NBA career, three of the four sons heard their names called on draft night and know they had a team that wanted them. It is now up to them to see how far they can go on this NBA journey, with the hope that Brendan Bailey can get invited to a team’s training camp to earn his way into “The Association.”

If he needed any inspiration, he does not have to look no further than Gary Payton II, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton, who played for 17 NBA seasons for the then Seattle Supersonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder), Bucks, Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Miami Heat, who he helped to win a title in 2006. The younger Payton, who went undrafted in 2016 out of Oregon State University has spent time in the G League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers three times, Wisconsin Herd, South Bay Lakers, and Capital City Go-Go and NBA stints with the Bucks, Lakers, and two separate stints with the Wizards, including this past season.

Then there the example of Jaren Jackson, Sr., the son of the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson, Jr. Jackson, Sr. played in the league for 13 professional for the Nets, Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, Rockets, then Washington Bullets (now Wizards), San Antonio Spurs, who he help win their first of four NBA titles in 1999 and the Magic in 2002. He also played in the former CBA (Continental Basketball Association) for the La Crosse Catbirds, Wichita Falls Texans, Pittsburgh Piranhas, and Fort Wayne Fury. Jackson, Sr. also played overseas for the ASVEL Basket Lyon-Villeurbanne.

Information and quotations courtesy of 11/16/2020 7 p.m. NBATV’s “Gametime,” with Ro Parrish, Greg Anthony, Tom Penn, Sam Mitchell, Chris Miles, and Andy Katz; 11/18/2020 3 p.m. “NBA: The Jump,” presented by Dell XPS with Rachel Nichols, Matt Barnes, Vince Carter, and Kendrick Perkins; 11/18/2020 7:30 p.m. “2020 NBA Draft, presented by State Farm,” on ESPN with Rece Davis, Jay Williams, Jay Bilas, Mike Schmitz, Adrian Wojnarowski, Bobby Marks, and Malika Andrews; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Payton;  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Payton_II; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaren_Jackson; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaren_Jackson_Sr.; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Curry; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Curry; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Curry; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Hardaway; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Hardaway_Jr.; http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Nance; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Nance_Jr.; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurl_Bailey; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pace_Mannion; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenyon_Martin; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Anthony; and  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cole_Anthony.    

J-Speaks: Warriors Lose All-Star Guard Again To Season-Ending Injury

After a rough fall back to reality this past season, the three-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors were really looking forward to entering the 2020-21 NBA season at full strength with their perennial All-Star backcourt; there swiss army knife All-Star forward and their newest addition via this past Wednesday’s NBA Draft. Unfortunately, a key member of their dynamic trio will be on the shelf for a second consecutive season because of injury.

On Wednesday, Warriors sharp-shooting guard Klay Thompson injured his right leg during a workout in Southern California.

The Athletic and Stadium’s Sham Charania reported that same day that the five-time All-Star, who missed all of the 2019-20 season because of torn ACL in his left knee sustained in the fourth quarter of the title clinching Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals versus the Toronto Raptors was “unable to put any weight on his lower leg injury,” when he left the gym.

“We don’t know the extent of it,” a visibly upset Warriors General Manager Bob Myers said in his appearance on NBC Sports Bay Area following the 2020 NBA Draft on Wednesday night. “It’s hard to say. I’m hoping for the best…I can confirm the injury is to his right leg.”

Myers added, “I guess this business teaches you to wait to hear for sure on any of these things. Obviously dealing with some of the injuries we’ve dealt with in the last couple of years, it doesn’t harden you, it doesn’t make it easier but I was hoping we were through all that and maybe we are. Maybe there’s good news coming. But certainly not a normal draft, not a normal day.”

On Thursday, the Warriors greatest fears were confirmed as Thompson suffered a tear to his right Achilles, which was confirmed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, ending his 2020-21 season.

“Klay Thompson suffered a torn right Achilles tendon, an MRI confirmed today in Los Angeles. Thompson suffered the injury in a workout yesterday in Southern California. He is expected to miss the 2020-21 season,” the team said from their Twitter account @Warriors early Thursday afternoon.

Wojnarowski did say that Thompson is expected to make a full recovery.

One person who knows this injury all too well is Hall of Famer and two-time NBA champion with the Detroit Pistons Isiah Thomas, whose career ended because of an Achilles tear in the 1993-94 season.

Thomas said on NBATV’s “NBA Draft 2020: Next Steps” towards the end of last week that the recovery time from an injury like this takes a “mental” and “physical” toll on a person.

“The basketball world, the basketball fans were all sending him prayers because he is one of the most likable guys in the sport,” Thomas said. “And I haven’t met anyone who says they don’t like Klay Thompson. I mean, he’s just a beautiful person. Has been a great athlete, a joy to work with, be around, and you really feel bad for him because as a competitor we saw him in The Finals tear up his knee and now the Achilles.”  

As word spread quickly about Thompson’s injury when it was first reported on Wednesday spread on the league’s unofficial start to the upcoming season, some of the league’s best expressed their concerns and well wishes on their Twitter accounts.

Teammate Draymond Green said @Money23Green, “Prayers up for my brother @KlayThompson.”

Reigning Finals MVP of the now defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James said @KingJames, “Praying a lot @KlayThompson is cool!! Like it’s super minor.”

Los Angeles Clippers All-Star swingman Paul George said @Yg_Trece, “Praying for you bro.”

Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum @CJMcCollum said, “Dame hope you good bruh @KlayThompson.”

To put into context what the Warriors will not have on the court when they begin play this upcoming season, Thompson has made the most three-pointers since being drafted No. 11 overall nine years ago, right behind his teammate in two-time Kia MVP and fellow three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry, who missed a majority of last season recovering from a broken left hand sustained in the Warriors’ 121-110 loss versus the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 30, 2019 and 2018 Kia MVP James Harden of the Houston Rockets. “The Splash Brothers,” in Thompson and Curry have made a combined 3,976 career three-pointers, the most all-time by a duo.

Thompson has registered the most three-pointers in a regular season game (14) and in a postseason game (11) in NBA history. Thompson also holds the record for most points scored in a quarter, registering 37 points on 13 for 13 from the field, including an NBA-record for a single period going 9 for 9 from three-point range in the third quarter, scoring a career-high 52 points, hitting 11 threes in a 126-101 win versus the Sacramento Kings. His perfect 13 for 13 from the field that evening also tied Hall of Famer David Thompson’s (no relation) record for most made shots in a period without a miss.

What the loss of Klay Thompson did more than anything is make Curry’s job to really score a lot more difficult because team’s will make it their mission to take the ball out of his hands the whole game.

He will get the kind of defensive treatment that reigning NBA Kia Coach of the Year Nick Nurse implored against Curry when they threw double teams at him, implored a Box-and-1 or a 2-3 or 3-2 zone on him.

With pressure comes opportunity, which is something the Warriors support players will have as well as the front office to find the right fit to maybe not replace the production of Thompson that will not be there this season but to at least give themselves a chance to compete in the rugged Western Conference.

This will provide for head coach Steve Kerr to make No. 2 overall pick in center James Wiseman out of the University of Memphis possibly more of an integral part of the offense.

Before the Thompson injury, it looked like Wiseman’s role on offense was to set screens, become an available finisher at the basket off the double teams Thompson and Curry were going to draw, and to make his presence felt on the offensive glass. Defensively be a deterrent at the basket and gobble up every rebound possible, especially against teams that will have size in their front court like the Lakers for instance.

While Wiseman’s role may not change without Thompson, his role will be even more under the microscope to produce in those areas.  

The fact that he was coached and mentored by NBA legend Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and former NBA sharp-shooter Mike Miller, and he will be mentored for sure by Green, who too is coming off an injury riddled 2018-19 season, Wiseman who continue to get the education on the hardwood that will be a big help in his maturation and hopefully be the bridge to where he becomes the lead man of the Warriors in the future.

Scott said if Wiseman is smart, he will be around Curry and Green from sunup to sundown from “breakfast,” “lunch,” “brunch,” and “dinner” to learn how to be the best pro you can be both on and off the floor.

He added when it comes to being one of the best defenders at the basket and in space, Wiseman can learn every trick from Green how to be the best in those areas at a young age in “The Association.”

“He walks into tradition. He walks into a work ethic,” Thomas said about the team Wiseman got drafted to. “When you looking at Curry, you’re looking at Draymond, he’s got people around him now that’s not only be able to story tell about how when they were rookies and how they worked their way up but he’s going to see in front of his eyes the work ethic that they have.”  

Another Warrior that will be under the microscope with Thompson on the mend this season will be 2015 Kia Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins, who was acquired at the Feb. 6 trade deadline from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Last season, Wiggins was basically getting his feet wet in terms of being part of an organization that had the kind of structure, focus and no-nonsense accountability that the talented but inconsistent former No. 1 overall pick in 2014 did not have in his first five seasons in Minneapolis, MN.

For the first time in his career, Wiggins will be part of a team that has real solid leadership in Curry, Thompson and Green on the court and on the bench in Coach Kerr and assistant coaches in Mike Brown, Ron Adams, Jarron Collins, and Bruce Fraser.

This should be the year Wiggins really shines with all that he will have around him.

It is also an opportunity for guys who really got serious playing time with the injuries this past season for Marquese Chriss, Damion Lee, NBA All-Rookie First Team selection Eric Paschall, and Jordan Poole to make major impacts off the bench like current member of the Miami Heat in 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston had off the bench during the Warriors run of representing the West in five consecutive NBA Finals winning three titles.

The Warriors also have some salary cap space to work with in a $17 million cap exemption that they could use to go out and get an impact player in restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic, who last week turned down a trade to join the Milwaukee Bucks.

While he may not be the kind of two-way player Thompson is, he does bring a floor spacing sharp-shooting presence that if the Warriors could pull that deal off, it would at least fill a gaping hole in their roster.

The Warriors are also working on acquiring small forward Kelly Oubre, Jr. from the Suns, with the deal nearly close to happening, according to ESPN.

While Oubre, Jr. may not provide the floor spacing sharp-shooting Thompson does, he would bring an intensity to the defensive end and provide another offense threat.

“I believe in Bob Myers and I believe in the ownership. They’re going to do the right thing and make the right decisions, and keep pushing along,” NBATV’s Dennis Scott said. “But let’s face it, there’s now way you’re going to find another two-way player, arguably the best two-guard in our game.”

According to Caesar Sports Booking by William Hill, the Golden State Warriors were 5-1 odds of winning the Western Conference for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, and 8-1 odds to win their fourth title in the last seven seasons before the Thompson season-ending Achilles tear. The odds are now 10-1 the Warriors come out of the Western Conference and 20-1 to win the title without Thompson this season.

While Thompson’s season-ending injury has made the outlook a lot cloudier for the Warriors, they still feel they can make the playoffs and really make some noise.

That means though James Wiseman has to play to the level he is in the conversation for Kia Rookie of the Year. Andrew Wiggins has to play at a consistent level on both ends of the floor with a minimum of mental lapses. There has to be major growth from Damion Lee, Eric Paschall, Marquese Chriss, and Jordan Poole.

The championship DNA of the Warriors during their five-year run is still there amongst their stars in Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and on their sidelines in head coach Steve Kerr.

If they plan on being in position to get back to the NBA’s mountain top, the front office led by GM Bob Myers has to come up with a major gem to join this proud collection of jewels on the roster.

Still though, the loss of Klay Thompson for this season is a blow to the Warriors title chances and a loss of one of the best players in the NBA.

While the good news is that the medicine and treatment is so advanced that players came come back from an injury like this.

The one question is will Thompson come back and be the dynamic sharp shooting, move around the floor, lock you down defender he was before?

“You got high-maintenance. You got low-maintenance guys. Klay Thompson is a no-maintenance guy. You never worry about him working hard. You never worry about him being in shape. You never worry about him being in the right situations on the floor,” Scott said. “So, I look for him to work hard. Do all the right things for him to get back on the floor next year.”

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 11/18/2020 www.nba.com story, “Warriors Thompson Injures Right Leg During Workout;” 11/19/2020 www.nba.com story, “Klay Thompson Out for Season With Torn Achilles;” 11/19/2020 3 p.m. “NBA: The Jump,” presented by Dell XPS with Rachel Nichols, David Fizdale, and Kendrick Perkins; 11/19/2020 ESPN news crawl; 11/202020 10 p.m. NBATV’s “NBA Draft 2020: Next Steps,” with Kristen Ledlow, Dennis Scott, and Isiah Thomas;  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klay_Thompson;  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klay_Thompson#2014-15_season:_First_All-Star_selection_and_NBA_Championship;  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wiggins;  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_State_Warriors#2019-present_Struggles_With_Injuries_and_Rebuilding; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020-21_Golden_State_Warriors_season#Roster.  

J-Speaks: Glass Ceiling Hire By Miami Marlins

 

On Friday, a major glass ceiling was broken in Major League Baseball (MLB) by New York native who spent three decades building one of the most exceptional resumes in her time with two of the most well-known and championship organizations in not just professional baseball but in the four major North American pro sports.

Kim Ng, the current MLB Vice President of Operations, who began her career as an intern with the Chicago White Sox 30 years ago, and worked with them for six years made history when the Miami Marlins hired her as their new General Manager, shattering the sports gender barrier.

According to the Marlins, Ng-pronounced “Ang” is the first female GM in the history of the sport known as America’s pastime, she is the first Asian American woman to be GM of that sport, and just the second to have a woman GM of the four major men’s pro sports in the U.S. the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL).  

The only other woman to hold the position of GM in the aforementioned four major men’s sports was the daughter of former owner of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles Leonard Tose Susan Spencer in 1984. She worked mostly on the business/legal side of the organization, but not when it came to decision with what happens with the Eagles like who ends up on their roster for that season.  

“When I got into this business, it seemed unlikely a woman would lead a Major League team, but I am dogged in the pursuit of my goals,” the 51-year-old Ng, who attended the University of Chicago, where she played softball said in a statement released by the Marlins about being the Marlins new GM.

The Queens, NY native, who was born in Indianapolis, IN graduated from Ridgewood High School in New Jersey in 1986 added, “I entered Major League Baseball as an intern and, after decades of determination, it is the honor of my career to lead the Miami Marlins as their next general manager. This is a challenge I don’t take lightly.”

This is not the only glass ceiling that has been broken in MLB.

Alyssa Nakken at the start of this calendar year became the first full-time female coach in MLB history when the Giants promoted her to their coaching staff in January. Nakken first joined the Giants as an intern in their operations department in 2014, and then became their chief information officer a year later.

On July 20, 2020, Nakken became the first woman to coach on the field in a major league baseball game during MLB’s exhibition season as the first base coach for the Giants’ tilt against the Oakland Athletics, who they defeated 6-2. Nakken’s jersey from that game was sent to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Melanie Newman also earlier this year became the first woman play-by-play announcer for the Orioles, making her debut on Aug. 4, 2020, becoming the first woman ever to call a regular season game in the team’s history. Newman is though just one of four active women calling games in MLB when she worked as part of the Orioles broadcast team.

To put into context the incredible journey of Newman’s broadcasting career, the Troy University graduate for several years called games for Minor League Baseball, that included High-A and Double-A. She worked as a sideline reporter for FOX Sports Southwest and served as the play-by-play announcer for the Texas Rangers Double-A affiliate the Frisco RoughRiders. Last year, Newman joined Suzie Cool as part of the first all-female broadcast team in professional baseball when serving as the play-by-play broadcaster for the farm team of the Boston Red Sox, the Salem Red Sox.

“All it takes is one, and then it opens the door for so many,” Sowers said in a famed commercial she did for Microsoft a couple of years back.

Ng will be joining a group of women changing the game of pro sports. In the NFL, Kate Sowers was the first woman to coach at Super Bowl LIV earlier this year as a member of the San Francisco 49ers staff, who lose 31-20 to the now reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

In the NBA, eight women were recently hired as assistant coaches, with the first being Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs, Brittni Donaldson of the Toronto Raptors; Natalie Nakase of the Los Angeles Clippers; Jenny Boucek of the Dallas Mavericks’ Lindsay Gottlieb of the Cleveland Cavaliers; Lindsay Harding of the Sacramento Kings; Sonia Raman of the Memphis Grizzlies; and Teresa Weatherspoon of the New Orleans Pelicans.  

The NBA in recent years has also hired six women working in front offices, with the most well-known in Jeanie Buss of the now World Champion Los Angeles Lakers and Gayle Benson of the Pelicans. Kelly Kruskopf of the Indiana Pacers; Matina Kolokotronis of the Sacramento Kings; Gillian Zucker of the Los Angeles Clippers; and Cynthia Marshall of the Dallas Mavericks.

While this moment is ground-breaking, Ng has been shattering so-called glass ceilings long before Marlins owner Bruce Sherman and Chief Executive Officer Derek Jeter hired Ng for the position of GM.

In 1998, Ng joined the New York Yankees as their Assistant GM, after spending the year working in the American League. She became the youngest person ever in the game at age 29 to hold that position at the time, and the second woman to have that title in baseball. In her four seasons with the Yankees, they won three World Series titles, led by their Hall of Famer to be shortstop in Jeter at the center of that great success.

“She was indispensable to me when I first began my tenure as the GM,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said in a statement released by the Yankees. “Kim was tireless and dedicated executive back then, and in the ensuring years, she as ceaselessly added to her skill set to maximize her talent.”

“She will provide the Marlins with vast experience and institutional knowledge along with a calm demeanor and an amazing ability to connect with others—all of which will serve her well in her new leadership role as head of baseball operations.”

Four years later, Ng moved on to be the assistant GM of the now World champion Los years ago, and while she did not ultimately get the job as the head of the Dodgers baseball operations, their new GM Ned Colletti decided to keep her in their front office.

Ng was a serial candidate for many MLB GM vacancies the last few years, including being interviewed for the New York Mets vacancy two years back, before hiring their current GM Brodie Van Wagenen. She has also interviewed with the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, and Baltimore Orioles for their GM vacancies.  

After her nine-year run with the Dodgers, Ng joined MLB as their previously mentioned senior vice president, which was until the start of this weekend.

Among her duties as SVP of MLB, Ng oversaw international operations, which included efforts to clean up how teams went about signing amateurs—a corner of the sport rife with corruption.

Ng’s opportunity as MLB’s senior vice president came after former Yankees skipper during their championship years in the late 1990s and early 2000s Joe Torre, who thought very highly of the then assistant GM’s work when they were with the “Bronx Bombers” and Dodgers.

“I asked the Dodgers’ permission, and they weren’t happy,” Torre told the New York paper Newsday in 2018 about hiring Ng to work for MLB. “But it was an advancement for her. It just made her a little more well-rounded.”

Torre also said of Ng once, “She’s very well prepared in whatever she does. She’s way over my head when it comes to all the knowledge she has about a lot of aspects about the game. She’s a bright light. She knows her baseball. And she’s how do you put it? I don’t want to say sure of herself, but she’s very bright and a very brave woman. She knows baseball and she doesn’t hedge on stuff. She attacks things head on. That’s the best way to put it.”

The best example of this came in 2004 when during arbitration, she won the case versus baseball super sports agent Scott Boras and closer Eric Gagne, who was fresh of National League Cy Young award season. Gagne earned a salary of $5 million instead of the Dodgers having to pay him $8 million.

Ng’s skills, knowledge, dedication, and no-retreat, no-surrender mentality is how she broke a major glass ceiling of being the GM of the Marlins. It also helped that the men she worked for saw her greatness and made it their business to acknowledge her strengths and get he word out about her, and what she brings to the table.

It is this kind of outside of the box thinking that Ng said in an interview with Sportsnet back in March why women should be considered for positions of influence in companies and government in the U.S.

“As we see, you know, female world leaders, CEOs, Secretaries of State, there’s no reason there shouldn’t be a woman general manager,” Ng said

Her Yankee connections is how Ng got the GM job with the Marlins as Jeter and Gary Denbo, who worked in the Yankees farm system has been a major influenced with the organization since Jeter hired him away from the Yankees three years ago to be the Marlins vice president, player development and scouting.

The Marlins since Jeter has come on board to their front office have a number of times dipped into their Yankee connections to put the right people in place in the ranks of the current team they work for to build on their success of making the playoffs for the first time since 2003 and try to build them into a team that is contention to win titles moving forward.

In replacing president of baseball operations Michael Hill with a lady he crossed paths with a little more than two decades ago to make those championship dreams a reality.

“We look forward to Kim bringing a wealth of knowledge and championship-level experience to the Miami Marlins,” Jeter said in a statement. “[Ng] will play a major role on our path toward sustained success.”

In her aforementioned interview with Sportsnet, Ng said that it would take a “courageous, bold, gender blind owner,” to hire a woman to be GM of an MLB squad.

While that might have been true, it really took someone like Jeter, who sat on the other side of the table when it came time to negotiate his new deal to present her the opportunity that she clearly has earned.

It is unclear if Kim Ng had not known two of the best in MLB history in Derek Jeter and Joe Torre that she would have been hired as a GM. At least when she got in front of them as well as Brian Cashman in her time in New York and several others of front office prominence she put her best foot forward, as did Alyssa Nakken and Melanie Newman in their own journeys to respective prominence as a coach and commentator, while also putting in the work and now are breaking glass ceilings that will make it easier for the next generation of women to make their own mark in pro sports front offices and the broadcasting booth.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama Tweeted @MichelleObama, “So excited to see Kim Ng named the first woman and first Asian-American General Manager in the MLB. I grew up loving the Cubs, but I’ll be cheering you on!”

Christine Brennan, longtime sports columnist for USA Today and an ESPN consultant said of Ng’s hire as GM of the Marlins, “What Kim is showing us is that hard work, that dedication to the task. That no amount of sexism. No amount of misogyny. None of that is going to stop someone who wants a job like this.”

The hiring of Kim Ng by the Miami Marlins as their new General Manager, coupled with the glass ceilings broken by Alyssa Nakken and Melanie Newman, and the recent hires women to prominent positions in coaching and management in the NFL and NBA, it is clear that things are changing for the better. While more still has to be done, it can no longer be said that there is not a place for a woman to make her mark in positions that for so long have been held by men.

We have gotten to this place because we have had men step up and vouch for women to be in positions of prominence in the front offices of pro sports like how Jeter and Torre did for Ng.

“Kim’s appointment makes history…and sets a significant example for the millions of women and girls who love baseball and softball,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a separate statement this weekend. “The hard work, leadership and record of achievement throughout her long career in the national pastime led to this outcome.”

Information and quotations are courtesy of 11/14/2020 Newsday articles, “Trailblazing Ng Takes Major Step,” by Tim Healey and “She Finally Shatters Glass Ceiling,” by Barbara Barker;” 11/15/2020 8 a.m. of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” with Whit Johnson, Eva Pilgrim, Dan Harris, and Rob Marciano, with report from Janai Norman; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alyssa_Nakken; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanie_Newman; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_Red_Sox; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frisco_RoughRiders.