After having to take an unannounced leave, I'm back to tie up some loose ends. The ongoing Billy Donovan story has concluded with his return to the University of Florida and the Orlando Magic hiring Stan Van Gundy. Stan, brother of recently fired Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, is a familiar face to Florida pro basketball since he was an assistant coach on the Miami Heat just a few years ago. As for Donovan, he is now the highest-paid coach in college basketball and the more than 200 fans who bought season tickets have been offered refunds by the Magic.
On another NBA note...Where are the Cleveland Cavaliers?! They're playing the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals and are down 3-0 in the best of seven series. They were blown out in San Antonio during Games 1 and 2 and lost on their home court in Game 3. LeBron James didn't even make the final shot last night! He, above all the other Cavs, is in the ultimate conundrum because of the hype placed on him and his superstar status in the NBA. As for the NBA in general, this is one of the worst NBA Finals I've seen in some time. The real NBA Finals this year were the Suns/Spurs and Jazz/Spurs series. I am hoping that Cleveland pulls a miracle, but I know that the odds of that happening are very, very slim.
OK That's what we read in the newspaper. What's your take on it? Is Donovan worth the money he'll be getting?
ReplyDeleteHow about the Scioscaball being played by the Los Angeles Angels? They beat the Dodgers 5 of the last 6 games. What's wrong with the Dodgers or are the Angels really that good? Is Garrett Anderson one of those guys who is injury prone and we should forget about him every coming back healthy?
What's wrong with Santana that he can't win a game away but tears it up in home games? Well, he finally did win one I guess.
TC,
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of peeved that Donovan made the mess he did and I don't think a public college coach should be getting paid millions of dollars, but he's happy where he is and I can't fault him for that.
As for the Angels, they're playing very well, as they should be. I am concerned with Santana and his inability to win on the road (especially in hostile stadiums like Fenway and Yankee Stadium come playoff time). The Angels also need another impact bat (i.e. a masher like Andruw Jones) because Vlad Guerrero cannot carry the offense alone. The offense is what wil make or break the Angels this year. GA used to be unbreakable but age and health issues in recent years rapidly sped up his decline. I see him finishing his contract then retiring as an Angel.
The Dodgers aren't inherently bad. The AL teams are just much, much better in the regular season than the NL teams.