A New Hope

While it was overshadowed by the laughably disastrous Board of Governors meeting involving the Maloof family's pitch to nix the arena deal they described as 'fair' just over a month ago, the sale of the New Orleans Hornets to New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson is potentially just as big of news for the NBA. After all this time, the NBA sold the team to Benson at cost ' they purchased the team from previous owner George Shinn in December 2010 for approximately $310 million, spent another $20 million in the ensuing year and a half and sold to Benson for $330 million today ' so the other 29 owners did not lose any money on the deal. The period of time during which the NBA owned and operated the Hornets will likely mostly be remembered for the 'basketball reasons' controversy surrounding the vetoed Chris Paul to the Lakers trade, but it's time to move on. The world has moved on, the league has moved on and now the team has moved on as well. Though this season has been extremely trying for the Hornets organization and their fans, views of the future bring reason for optimism.

Let's begin with Benson. For starters, it's obvious that he plans to keep the team in New Orleans long-term. NFL rules prohibit their team owners from owning a non-NFL team in another NFL city or territory than the one their NFL team is located in, so if Benson were to move the Hornets out of New Orleans to, say, Kansas City or Anaheim, he would be forced to either sell or transfer ownership of the Saints to someone else. Benson has owned the Saints since 1985 and they make him a boatload of money every year, so this is something that is highly unlikely to happen. Benson, also owner of several auto dealerships in the New Orleans area and former owner of Benson Financial, which he sold to Wells Fargo in 1996, has extremely deep pockets. Forbes estimated Benson's net worth at $1.1 billion as of March 2012, making him the 390th richest man in America.

There is no guarantee that he'll be an eager luxury-tax spender in what is still one of the smallest markets in the league, but at the very least he should be less frugal than the previous ownership regime. This is not a man who will be hurting for money (Any time you can spare $8 million without blinking, as Benson did when he donated that amount to Loyola University New Orleans in 2010, it's safe to say you're not cash-strapped). Between the incoming cash flow from owning the Saints and his auto dealerships, Benson should even have enough money to sustain losses for a few years while the Hornets regain the trust and loyalty of their fan base.

While the team this season has been one of the worst in the league, next year's team is pretty much guaranteed to look drastically different. Shooting guard Eric Gordon, the big prize New Orleans received from the Clippers in the Chris Paul trade who has missed most of this season with an injury, is a restricted free agent this summer, but the Hornets are expected to bring him back into the fold. The expiration of the contracts of Chris Kaman and Carl Landry should leave the team about $19 million under the salary cap after factoring in Gordon's cap hold (though that number will probably go down to somewhere around $10-13 million depending how large a deal Gordon signs), which leaves ample space to sign a free agent or two.

Additionally, the Hornets should have two high lottery picks in a draft that, although it doesn't look to be quite as good as some predicted in the preseason, is still one of the best and deepest in years. The Hornets will have their own draft pick, which should be a guarantee to land in the top 5 (with the league's 2nd-worst record, the Hornets could drop no lower than 5th in the lottery), as well as that of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Halfway through the season, that Wolves pick didn't look like it would turn in great value as the Kevin Love and Ricky Rubi0-led squad was competing for a playoff spot. But Rubio's season-ending ACL tear started the team on a downward spiral and Love's recent concussion could possibly sideline him for the rest of the year as well. The Wolves' pick would be 10th in the lottery right now, but without Rubio and Love for the rest of the season, it could wind up being even higher.

A full season ' and hopefully a few more ' of Gordon, two probable top-10 picks in a loaded draft, ample cap space and a brand new, deep-pocketed owner? Things are already looking up. And that's even before we get to Monty Williams, considered by many to be one of the best young coaches in the NBA. Williams has somehow coaxed 16 wins so far out of a team that was missing Gordon for nearly the entirety of the season (he's appeared in just 5 games), Landry, Jason Smith and Emeka Okafor for about half the season (33, 33 and 27 games, respectively), and Kaman, Jarrett Jack and Trevor Ariza for a few weeks each (45, 45, 41 games played, in that order). Williams, who played for the Knicks, Spurs, Nuggets, Magic and 76ers in his 10-year NBA career, began his coaching career as an assistant to Nate McMillan in Portland and also considers himself a disciple of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who many consider the best in the league. In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Zach Lowe, Williams stated that he has taken plays out of both McMillan and Popovich's playbooks and added them to his own. He's also come up with a few innovative sets of his own, some that no one else in the league runs.

So, here we have a new owner with deep pockets, one of the best young coaches in the NBA, the return of Gordon, two high-lottery draft picks and a fairly significant amount of cap space to work with this summer (and after Gordon is signed, he'll be the only player on the team under contract past 2014). Those are all the ingredients thought to be necessary for a successful rebuilding project, but the Hornets have one more thing going for them: the city of New Orleans. Though it's not exactly a giant media market (according to a US Census Bureau survey in 2007, it is the 35th largest market in the United States and 23rd largest in the NBA), there's no denying the New Orleans is one of the most attractive 'destination' cities in the NBA. Considering the vibrant nightlife, excellent and exotic cuisine and laid back lifestyle prevalent throughout the city, it should be a hot location for free agents, but things haven't exactly worked out that way in the decade the team has been in New Orleans. Though it likely won't happen overnight ' I don't imagine Deron Williams or Dwight Howard will be clamoring to play for the Hornets in the next two summers ' it's possible that a culture change combined with the deep pockets of the new owner, a rising star of a young coach and an improving roster could lead to the team landing some higher tier free agents a few years down the line.

Even if they never get to that point of being a big free agent destination (and it's more than likely that they won't ever be an option for the biggest of the big fish), things are still looking much brighter for the future of the Hornets than their record this season indicates. A new era of Hornets basketball is on the horizon, and the sale of the team to Tom Benson is just the beginning.

The Lowdown Hall of Fame Snubs: Jo Jo White

via murphman61 (flickr)

Years Active: 1970 ' 1981

Regular Season Stats: 17.2 ppg, 4.9 apg, 4.0 rpg, 1.3 spg, 44.4% FG, 83.4% FT, 14.2 PER

Postseason Stats: 21.5 ppg, 5.7 apg, 4.4 rpg, 1.1 spg, 44.9% FG, 82.8%, 15.1 PER

Accolades: 2x NBA Champion (1974, '76), 1976 Finals MVP, 2x All-NBA 2nd Team (1975, '77), 1970 All-Rookie 1st Team, 7x All-Star (1971-77)

The Celtics lazed through more than three periods until Jo Jo White did a 12-minute hustle Sunday to shoot Boston past Phoenix 98-87 in the opening game of the NBA championship series' White, scoring 12 straight points in a 4:15 span, finished with 22 points ' all but two in the final two periods.

- Via St. Petersburg Times, May 24, 1976

The highwater mark of Jo Jo White's illustrious career came in the 1976 Finals. He played more minutes, scored more points and made more assists than other player in that series thus earning the Finals MVP award. There's that heroic sequence in Game 1 described above where he knocked down a pair of jumpers, drove for two baskets and hit four straight free throws in just 4 minutes to thwart a Phoenix attempt to steal the series opener.

In Game 5 of the series, which some describe as the greatest game in NBA history, the Suns and Celtics played a triple overtime thriller that saw John Havlicek hit a supposed game winner in the 2nd OT that was instantly topped by Gar Heard's turnaround jumper.

Jo Jo White amazingly played almost every moment of the 63-minute contest. Despite the heavy workload, White saved his best for those overtimes scoring 15 of his 33 points in the extra periods and pushed Boston to a 128-126 victory. Exhausted from the marathon affair, White slumped in his seat after the game and simply wondered aloud'

'Would you believe we've got another game in Phoenix Sunday?'

White managed just 15 points in the closing Game 6 as Boston collected its 2nd title in 3 years and 13th in 19, but he had more than pulled his weight already in the previous game and indeed, had been an iron horse for the Celtics for years by that point.

White was the 1st draft choice of the Boston Celtics following the demise of the Russell era in 1969. He enjoyed a moderate workload as the Celtics stumbled to their 1st losing season in nearly 20 years in the 1969-70 season. But the C's weren't down for long. Still with John Havlicek, Don Nelson and Satch Sanders from the old dynasty, Boston added Dave Cowens in the 1970 draft and were instantly back in the title mix.

Jo Jo's ascension was a tremendous part of that. His scoring rose from 12 ppg his rookie season to 22 his sophomore year and never dipped below 18 until the 1977-78 season. His assist average would settle between 4.5 and 6 during this same span. A deceptively low total for a point guard as great as White, but the Boston offense boasted many fine passers in Cowens, Havlicek and, later, Paul Silas and Paul Westphal. White also brought a stifling, lightning quick defensive pressure in the backcourt.

Most importantly, though, you could count on White to show up every game and play all night long. Between 1971 and 1977, White appeared in 564 of 574 possible contests and played 39.6 minutes a night while doing so. Also, he made the all-star team every one of these seasons.

White quickly showed his playoff mettle too. In his 1st postseason, White averaged a spectacular 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 49.5% FG and 83.3% FT shooting. Then in 1973, he picked up tremendous slack as the Celtics struggled to stay alive in the Eastern Conference Finals without their captain John Havlicek who was battling a shoulder injury.

In Game 4 of the series, minus the hobbled Hondo, White came up huge for Boston scoring 34 points (and Cowens adding 33) as the gang of green forced New York into double overtime before finally bowing out 117 to 110. Down 3 games to 1, Boston rallied to a 7th game before finally succumbing 94-78.

The next season, and at full strength, the Celtics exacted revenge on the Knicks in a demolishing 4-1 Eastern Conference Finals victory. The Celtics then faced off with the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. Eventual Finals MVP John Havlicek (26/8/5) did the heavy lifting opposite Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's mammoth performance (33/12/5), but White did his part by beating Oscar Robertson in the point guard matchup. The series went the distance and Boston prevailed on Milwaukee's home court, securing their first title in 5 years.

Another title followed in 1976 and White took home MVP honors for the heroics described before.

By 1977, Don Nelson was retired, Paul Silas was traded and John Havlicek was solidly in his twilight. Cowens and White were the Celtics stalwarts and Jo Jo produced perhaps his best season yet even if Boston was sliding in the standings. Leading the Celtics in points, assists and steals, White was selected to the All-NBA 2nd Team. Typically, he upped his play during the post season.

Most notable was his Game 6 against Philadelphia in the Eastern Semifinals, which would prove to be his final act of playoff glory. Pumping in 40 points, including 4 of Boston's last 6, White led Boston to a 113-108 victory to tie the series at 3-3. In Game 7, White again led Boston with 17 points, but the 76ers (behind Julius Erving and George McGinnis) were younger and demonstrated they were better with an 84-78 victory.

The 1977-78 season would see Boston turn in its 1st losing campaign since the aftermath of Bill Russell's retirement. A huge factor was Jo Jo White missing games for the 1st time in 6 seasons. The Iron Man (who played in over 480 straight games) was sidelined for nearly half the season with a heel injury.

And thus began White's descent into eventual retirement. The next season (1979) he was traded to Golden State and then finished his career in 1981 with Kansas City. In standard athlete fashion a glorious career had ended rather  anonymously.

But that glory is something to bask in. Jo Jo White's career averages of 17 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds have only been achieved by 12 retired players. Of these only White and Richie Guerin are not Hall of Famers and both are tremendously deserving of the honor.

The regular season was the stuff of child's play for White, though. His bread and butter was the postseason and he improved upon his already dazzling play in the playoffs with 21.5 points, 5.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds. The rare company Jo Jo enjoys with these numbers? Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Larry Bird.

I don't know what the delay is, but it's high time Jo Jo White accompanied these fellas in the Hall of Fame.

Charles Jenkins Records A Quintuple-Single

April 15, 2012 in MISCELLANEA with 0 Comments

the_moment (flickr)

Yesterday against the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors point guard Charles Jenkins recorded a most rare of feats.

He recorded 1 point,1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block. That's right, he achieved the elusive quintuple-single. Using basketball-reference's game index, which only goes back to the 1985-86 season, only 6 other players have accomplished this mammoth undertaking.

The list of players Jenkins is joining is an illustrious 'who's who' of kind of serviceable but not really big men from the last 25 years.

You have  Adam Keefe, best known for his non-exploits as a Utah Jazz, giving the 1993 Atlanta Hawks a whole lot of barely anything in a victory over the New Jersey Nets. In addition to the quintuple-single, Keefe also gave quintuple fouls in just 10 minutes of action. Apparently, he couldn't handle Derrick Coleman.

There's Pervis Ellison, who shockingly was still in the league in the 1999-2000 season. His 5×1 came in a mere 7 minutes of action in a 7-point loss to the Indiana Pacers. 'Nervous Pervis' would only appear in 30 games for the Celtics that year.

William Bedford also makes an appearance. And I had never heard of him before in my life. With a career average of 4.1 points and little else, there may be a reason for that. But on one cold February night in Milwaukee in 1988, he etched his name into history with a 1-1-1-1-1 as his Pistons lost to the Bucks. 

Delightfully amongst this cavalcade of spectacular play is Clemon Johnson. Perhaps best known as the stationary post which Hakeem Olajuwon abused for 49 points and 25 rebounds in the 1987 playoffs, Johnson should also be remembered for his sterling quintuple-single which propelled the Sonics to victory over the Suns earlier that regular season.

And now it's time to get serious. These next two players are favorites of nearly every NBA fan: Jason Collins and Shawn Bradley.

The husky Collins gave New Jersey his last full measure to the Nets in a riveting 96-82 victory over Minnesota in 2002. Meanwhile, string bean Bradley laid it all out on the line as the Mavericks upended the Utah Jazz 88-81 toward the end of the 2005 regular season.

A few weeks later, Bradley was demolished by Tracy McGrady'