An icon is lost; and a long process continues to unfold

We’ll journey from the sublime to the ridiculous this morning. It is quite a trek.

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I never had the pleasure of meeting John Wooden, the iconic coach who passed away Friday; it is one of the true regrets of my professional basketball writing life.

But I know enough people who have shared time with him and know enough about him anecdotally to say that the game and the world has lost a man who was a treasure, a man whose impact on the athletes went far beyond the edges of the court and a man like whom we may never, ever see again.

His three tenets – no vulgarity, be on time, respect and never publicly criticize a teammate – are brilliant in their simplicity and the standards that they set.

His on-court accomplishments are too many to list; the 10 NCAA championships, the 88-game winning streak (I absolutely remember sitting in my house, stunned, when Notre Dame ended it, one of the basketball moments that sticks with me to this day), more great players graduated than can almost be counted.

But is was the manner in which he conducted himself, and the manner in which he demanded his athletes conduct themselves on and off the court – humbly, with class, no boasting, no showboating, grow to be good men more than good athletes – that will be his ever-lasting legacy.

Of course, times have changed since the Wooden era, people have changed, the demands of society of have changed and I cannot imagine another like him coming down the pike for the rest of time.

Too bad.

The sports world could use more dignity, it could use more attention to detail, it could use more men who are concerned about people rather than results, people who conduct themselves not as if they are above the game but as if they want to improve it.

The sports world could use more John Woodens.

Sadly, it doesn’t have enough.

I don’t think I can quite capture the impact Wooden had on the game and the people here. As I said, I have no first-hand recollections of the man but I do know what his impact was.

I will point you to the obituary from the Los Angeles Times and, because it is one giant of my business writing about a giant of the game, you should probably read this from Jim Murray, too.

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Raptors news?

Sorry. None.

Which, in a lot of ways, is good for guys like me.

Calm before the storm and all that.

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There seems to be a lot of mail hanging around the remains unanswered (it’ll give me something to do when it rains all afternoon, you get one more kick at the submission can by clicking here) but here’s a snippet of what’s to come, having to do with the finals and The Heroes Of The Hardcourt.

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Q: I wondered whether you would care to discuss the mistake the Lakers made in signing Ron Artest. I recall you had some strong opinions about how his character problems would be a distraction for any team that was stupid enough to hire him. I also wondered if you had any thoughts about how the Raptors might deal with their manifold problems in the defensive end and what Toronto should do now that Hedo wants out.

Peter I, London

A: You’re right, I didn’t think Artest could go a whole season without being some kind of major disruption. Shockingly, for what I believe was the first time ever, I was wrong. Oh, wait, I thought I was wrong once before, but I was wrong. Does that count?

Manifold problems? Try harder, play better, devise a more simple system that plays to their strengths and get some more effective defenders on the court.

What should they do now that Hedo wants out? I’d suggest comply with his wishes and trade him for a good defender. Or Ron Artest, Model Citizen.

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Q: Hi Doug. Do you have any further insight on the rumours that Raptors are trying to pick up another 1st round draft pick? (Due to the recent prospect workouts of players beyond that of the 13th pick range)

Or is that just the way the Raptors go about drafting normally?

Jasper C, Toronto

A: Just due diligence, as about 29 other teams are doing.

I’ll let Jim Kelly, the senior director of player personnel, explain it in recycled quote from earlier this week.

“There is always the possibility of picking up another pick. Especially as we get into the workouts here, when you get attracted to one player who came in and personality-wise and basketball-wise, you said, ‘man, this is a guy we should try to get on our team’ but maybe he’s not a 13th pick, maybe he’s a bit deeper than that.”

It is the norm around the league.

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So, we did the sublime up top; let’s get to the ridiculous before I go off to clean the house, cut the grass and answer the mail (yes, a truly fun day awaits).

I am getting entirely bored with LeBron James, aren’t you?

I watched a bit of that stultifying interview with Larry King on Friday night (I actually dozed off a couple of times near its end) and if there was ever more anticipation over something that fell short, I can’t imagine what it was.

The New Coke maybe? Y2K?

Seriously, a snorefest from start to finish (at least from start to when I finished).

(As an aside: How does Larry King have this rep as some giant of the industry? That was an almost fawning interview, no followup questions, not anything you’d consider remotely “hard.”)

Anyway, two more points on King James.

First, if this story is true, about Nike making shoes specific to the cities he’s going to “visit” during the summer, I truly hope not a single pair gets sold. That’s ghastly.

Second, while there is no doubt that LeBron James is a singular talent, he has more basketball ability that almost anyone on the planet but I honestly feel he’s somehow diminishing himself in this whole process.

Yes, his future is a hugely significant thing for a few NBA franchises and for the game itself. But the way it’s being played out in public, as if it’s some kind of auction for the right to cheer for an athlete, kind of sickens me in some way. It’s a public tease meant to elevate Q ratings and line pockets; it is just too much.

And it can’t end soon enough for me.

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Anyway, there are a couple of rants and a couple of questions and if I ever thought there’d be a truly slow day with little to talk or write about, I’m finding that to be absolutely false.

Wonder what’s on Turkish TV today?

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See ya.

Comments

[Tiger]

Larry King managed to make both sides look like good guys when he laughably tried to mediate one of the MLB strikes on live TV.
Who else could have done that?
And you wonder why the king of softball interviews is a giant of talk TV?
:)

[Lorie]

Hello Doug,
Your eloquent words on the passing of John Wooden, when set against the undignified manner in which some athletes are conducting their basketball business, and themselves, currently, only serve to more profoundly illuminate the character of Mr. Wooden and the grace with which he lived. Thank you for reminding us.

[Jim]

Doug! I'm totally with you on this Lebron hype. I guess all the fame and having people blowing smoke up his a** has finally gone to his head. If I see one more "Free Agent Dime" on ESPN.com I'm going to puke.

[JHP]

Doug

Very good perspective on John Wooden. Sadly with icon's like him we think they will live forever. Of course in a way he will.

And I totally agree about the James issue. For the last several months I have held the opinion the NBA is going down a very dangerous path. Of course the large market teams will be fine but the lower level franchises will suffer from all this free agent hype.

[doug]

I feel that you always judge a coach not by what the media says about a coach, or the fans or even team exec's...you judge him by what present players or former players think of him....Wooden is revered by his ex-players, that says it all.....to people that think good coaching doesn't make a difference look at Jabaar, coached by Jack Donahue in high school, Wooden in college...leading all -time score in the league, coincidence no....

LeBron says it all about winning, yea right, it's all about being a shill...interesting contrast Wooden , a icon passes away the day LeBron appears on Larry King...and relegates LeBron off the sports front pages...R.I.P. Jonh Woden, and i guess only the good don't die young as he was 99...

[Gina]

When people debate kobe vs lebron in whos the best player in the league, every time the playoffs come around that debate gets the final stamp in kobe being the winner. for me, that is not even a debate, kobe is the best from the home opener till the end of the championship run. lebron seems like more of a business man trying to extend his brand and his marketing co, but man, kobe, this man is the ultimate competitor, his game focus is undeniable and when he or the lakers have a lousy game, you know kobe is going to come back with 35 point game. the larry king interview, the ridiculous hype for the last 2 yrs, and lebrons unfocused demeanor definitely has set kobe apart from lebron.

[Mark Deutsch]

in respect to John Wooden, i think you could subtract sports and substitute world or life in place of them.
John Wooden= class

one of the few raptors i remember during the glory days was Alvin Williams, no showboating, no taunting, no whining, just good hard playing and you never heard a bad word about him from anybody on or off the court.

[DougG]

"respect and never publicly criticize a teammate"
.
That certainly isn't one of the main tenants followed today by the new Diva set in the NBA. Most of the players are probably hoping they all do end up on the same team so no one else has to play with them.

[Adrian]

There are a lot of people who've been turned off by the upcoming FA season and how these guys are handling themselves- perhaps with good reason. But don't let that go to your head as a fan- these guys are still the best players on their teams and if you care your team's future, you put up with it. It's part of the package. If you're going to hold a grudge against Lebron, Bosh, Wade or Stoudemire, you might as well check out as an NBA fan altogether because this culture is nothing new; this culture is not exceptional to these players.

People are now vilifying Lebron and Bosh, specifically, and I get irritated. Ok, maybe this FA game is pretty selfish, I don't know, but if anyone deserves to play it, it's them. They have so many charitable foundations that feed money into the community and inner cities, whatever they're doing for their own entertainment off the court is mere pennies in comparison. I would go so far as to say these guys are heroes for the underprivileged children of today. They're not perfect.... but they're pretty great.

Let's bring it full circle to Bosh once again. We have fans and some media saying, "I'm tired of this Chris, take your act elsewhere" and it's puzzling. These people seem to think there's someone lined up behind Bosh to take his spot as the leader of this team on the court and in the community. Unfortunately, that's not the case. There's nobody to step into his shoes. I wonder if people have forgotten how much time and money Chris has donated to the city of Toronto through The Chris Bosh Foundation over the years (and if I'm not mistaken, continues to do even today). If wonder if they've forgotten the $1 million paycheck he skimmed off the top of his last contract to invest in community outreach programs.

That is a proper example to set. Ignore the basketball for a second. If you start wishing for Chris Bosh to sign somewhere else, for whatever reason (including how he and his friends are 'conducting themselves' through social media), make sure you see the full picture: you're not just encouraging the team's top basketball talent to leave; you're choosing to weaken an already starving community infrastructure and stripping it of one of its most well-connected, recognizable and benevolent leaders. Of course, that's not to say the responsibility won't be taken up by others (The Andrea Bargnani Foundation, anyone?).

It's not fair for anyone to make these guys out to be money-hungry criminals now, as some seem to be doing. If anything I give them kudos for continuing to break off a hefty % of their earnings to make personal appearances, build community centres, clothe the poor and teach the kids. If bigger contracts mean more money for those endeavors, does it really bother you anymore? Players like Chris Bosh are not running (and have never run) from that responsibility- in his case, he's never even advertised it! He's embraced it like a true do-good'er. If you're sitting around trying to justify various S&T's and complaining about his media persona today, remember to keep that in mind too. It's all part of the same package.

[GM]

What's with all the hate for LeBron James these days? I think it's more the societal inclination to knock the perceived top dog. It happens in everything, across the board, but it's most apparent in music. You see one hip young band that isn't on the radar yet and everybody raves about it. But as soon as they get big and the masses get behind them, people feel the need to dump on them.

Adrian, I think more than just the top few players do charitable work. And at the very least, the top player in every NBA city certainly does. If Bosh weren't here, that role would be filled by someone else, don't you worry. But your continued work on behalf of your man crush is duly noted.

John Wooden's book was the first sports book I ever read. It's a great one, as was he.

[Adrian]

The devil's advocate returns. Lol. I think you're vastly understating the success of the Chris Bosh Foundation. But it's par for the course, I guess. Denial is a complex that does not choose its arguments- it just makes them.

If you think this franchise's most successful charity in 15 years has more to do with the player's role on the team rather than his commitment to the cause- and his blood, sweat and tears- you have some learning to do. If you think it's just as easy for Andrea Bargnani, Jarrett Jack or Jose Calderon to step into the 'role' on July 8 and easily raise the same amount of $ without doing the same amount of work, your denial is beyond words. I can't fight it. You win.

Btw, please send me your database of successful charities run by NBA players. Just want to make sure there's exactly one per team and that they all raise the same amount of money for their respective communities. I didn't know that. I also didn't know that Chris Bosh was going to close his Foundation and end his work for charity upon getting traded to the Lakers or Heat and falling to #2 on the pecking order there. I really didn't know that Andrea Bargnani was just waiting for his chance to start his a charity in Toronto because there's a maximum of one per team and Chris currently has dibs.

I think you're confused between the programs the NBA runs in every city and the endeavors that players like Chris Bosh run on their own time and with their own money. But I can't argue with you. It's infuriating. You'll surely find something else to serve your denial. All the best.

Blogger's note: Wow. For the love of all that's good in the world, do yourself a favour and set up some We (Heart) CB website; it's a far better use of your time. This is getting horribly tiring for all.
And, no, there is no confusion at any point, dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens of NBA players have individual charitable foundations.
You want a list? Steve Nash and Vince Carter. Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, Yao Ming. And that's without doing a lick of research.
Trust me, Chris, for all his admirable efforts, is not alone.
Really.

[coachd]

Hi Doug,
A sad day indeed for hoops fans. Coach Wooden was one of the all time greats. A great coach and a first-class gentleman. The game and world was a better place because of him.

[doug]

whats with all the "hate"? for LeBron is simple...he isn't the top dog...you have drank his kool-aid, the "top-dog" is still playing...kobe...lebron is what he is....Wade is the real deal...and what Adrian is talking about no one knows, as in his eyes Toronto should be holding a Bosh we love you parade down Yonge Street anyday now...good luck with that...and i won't be part of it...to sum up LeBron lets just say this how would Wooden react to one of his players doing the "powder cloud" routine at the scorers table...he'd sit...Lebron hasn't a clue what "team" is all about....he is a "duffus" a rich one sure, but so out to lunch he hasn't a clue..Wade i would sign in a sec, LeBron not so much...he is what he is...

[Joe]

Doug,
Couldn't agree more with your comments about Lebron. He, Bosh, and few of the other free agents to be are looking more like spoiled brats who think the world revolves around them and who think they can toy and tease fans, both of their current and perhaps future teams. I won't include Wade in this group as he has handled pending free agency with much more class. Some of these guys really need to look at Kobe for a role model. He's had his problems: with Shaq, with wanting out of LA a few years back, but he's never turned it into a media circus. Instead, he just kept basketball in the forefront. That's probably why he has 4 rings and the rest, with the exception of Wade, have none.

[Adrian]

Hi Doug, I never said he was alone. In fact, I was sort of arguing that point myself after it was implied that the only reason other Raptors aren't as involved as Chris in the community is because it's not their team yet. As if you have to be team captain to raise money. As if the incredible success of his foundation is not because he's worked at it. It's like saying you deserve no credit for the success of your blog because there are vultures at the Star just waiting for you to leave so they can step in and do the same and not miss a beat. That would be similarly untrue.

I thought I was on your side. I don't want Chris to leave because he brings a lot more to this city than some people realize, but if you do (which I didn't know) that's really disappointing. Don't think there won't be a lot of underprivileged youth in this city (like myself and my colleagues) affected by his leaving. This issue goes beyond basketball, quite frankly, and people deserve to know that too. You can downplay it all you want- I've never seen Andrea Bargnani or Hedo Turkoglu or Jarrett Jack or anyone else chip in at my community centre. But the Chris Bosh Foundation has been helping for years. It's not as commonplace as you think. You might be right, though- maybe people don't deserve to know. Sorry.

[Rob]

For those who really enjoy the Kobe/Lebron comparisons, let's all remember what Kobe was accomplishing when he had teammates akin to this years cav's team. He wasn't doing much at all. (his team won 35 games one season! 35!) Amazing how great a player he becomes again when he has the best big man in the league and great team mates. Lebron may not be the best player ever like Nike may want you to believe but he's not a scrub. He just had the best passing season by any forward in history but hey he lost in the playoffs so he must be useless. To the poster who said he wouldn't sign him if he was a GM, well if there ever was a reason why you're not employed by the NBA that's it. And while Kobe might have a career that makes him an all time great, he is not and never should be seen as a "role model".