Points in the Paint

» September 2, 2009 4:39 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

Canis Hoopus: “The Alpha and Omega in any discussion about Rubio and the Wolves is to answer the following question: What else was David Kahn supposed to have done? Had he passed on Rubio with not one but two lottery picks, he would have been ripped for not selecting the BPA. Had he selected Rubio and traded him to the Knicks, he would have been ripped for exhibiting nepotism with his former boss (to say nothing of the lopsided nature of any Knicks-based deal that could be offered). Had he picked Rubio and traded him for the rumored Houston package, he would have been ripped for not getting maximum value out of a hot commodity. Had he made an under-the-table deal with Joventut, he would have been ripped for giving the Wolves and their fans Joe Smith 2.0. On this particular issue, Kahn is to his critics as Barack Obama is to Glenn Beck: He’s going to lose no matter what he does so why worry about the criticism? (Also, the majority of reporting on the Rubio matter seems to be more concerned with the political horse race than whether or not what Kahn is effectively using his assets…but that’s a topic for another post.) The number one thing that can be taken away from any criticism of Kahn and his handling of the Rubio situation is that he is getting ripped for a) doing exactly what he said he would do from day 1, and b) traveling the most reasonable route he, and his team, could possibly traverse along La Route Rubio. Again: What else would critics have Kahn do?”

David Kahn appeared on the Dan Patrick show today to discuss the Ricky Rubio situation. Kahn on why Rubio changed his mind: “Teenagers, Dan, teenagers, ya know? If anybody’s ever had teenagers, there are twists and turns. When we took Ricky, we acknowledged right off the bat it may be a year or two away, and I actually, after draft night thought it would be a would be a year or two, but he started to send us some signals during the summer that maybe we was interested in accelerating the path. And, you once you sort of have that signal, I think you owe it to the franchise to pour some energy in to it. We certainly poured some energy in to this summer, you know, it was very complicated, but at the end of the day, I think Ricky and his family, and I underline the word family, I think just at 18 years of age, I think the family felt it was a still little early for him to start.”

Austin Rivers, 17-year old son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers, has serious game. Austin was the youngest player ever to commit to the University of Florida.

HOOPSWORLD analyst Mike Moreau ranks the East’s point guards: “I think I’d go Rondo, Jameer, and Devin Harris. You can argue about the order. I don’t really consider Agent O a point guard in the classic sense.”

Greg Grant, a 5-foot-7 former NBA player who “spent his entire life trying to avoid falling through the cracks, growing up in a broken home and working in a fish market after high school until a Division III coach saw him shine on the playground and offered a scholarship in 1986″ recalls what it was like to play against Magic Johnson: “As a backup, I was usually matched up with the other team’s backup point guard, which at the time for the Lakers was Larry Drew. But sometimes the rotations of benches don’t match up precisely or due to quick foul trouble on one of the starters, the backup could be matched up with the number one guy. Somehow this happened, and I ended up guarding Magic. I was all up under the greatest point guard ever as he was over a foot taller than me. But I used that to my advantage and stripped him from underneath. Magic went ballistic at the ref, screaming that I fouled him. We converted on the other end for a basket, and a time out was called. As we crossed paths going back to our respective benches, Magic leaned over and said, ‘Good play Greg.’ This was one of the best players in the world acknowledging me out on the court. But that’s what makes a player who is very good rise to greatness. Magic knew everybody on the opposing team and how they played, all the way down to the twelfth man.” Grant also shares an entertaining story involving Charles Barkley, Manute Bol, and a toilet.

Sam Smith’s story on Jordan’s seventh season starts like this: “This, the 1990-91 season, had to be the season for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Everyone knew it. They’d gone seven with Detroit and lost. There was now only the Finals or failure. The Bulls weren’t going to ride this team forever. It was Michael Jordan’s seventh season in the NBA, and just about every one of his personnel suggestions had been rejected. He wanted Walter Davis and not Pippen. He wanted Buck Williams and not Grant. There was ACC and North Carolina written all over his choices, but he also wanted veterans and tougher guys. He didn’t think Grant or Pippen would stand up to the Pistons like they needed to. And now the Bulls added Dennis Hopson. Not that Jordan had anything against the quiet kid from Ohio State and the Nets, but under salary rules at the time, the Bulls needed some flexibility to make a deal. Jordan gave up $100,000 of his salary, something guys like Magic Johnson had been doing in recent seasons to help their team add players. Jordan thought the Bulls finally were going for Davis, now in Denver with his career winding down. And there was Phil Jackson and that triangle offense Jordan still doubted because he wasn’t sure of the other guys.”