This isn’t exactly breaking news, but former Warriors owner, Franklin Mieuli, passed away at the age of 89 on Monday. Chances are you’ve never heard of him, but you’re probably aware that the Golden State Warriors’ fan base is not particularly enthralled with their current owner. That makes the news of Mieuli’s passing that much more sad. He owned the Warriors for 24 years, from 1962 to 1986 and remained loyal to the franchise to this day. He actually was largely responsible for moving the franchise from Philadelphia to the Bay Area. He was commonly seen at W’s games and remained a season ticket holder. You’d recognize him by his signature hats. It’s too bad he didn’t get to see the W’s return to their glory days, but I’ll bet that memorable run in 2007 was a decent consolation. If nothing else, he at least was able to capture an NBA Championship in 1975 as owner of the team. Thank you, Mr. Mieuli, for all that you’ve done for this franchise. Hopefully someone else can take it back to where you had it.
Tag Archives: basketball
Former Warriors Owner Franklin Mieuli Dies
NorCal Rookie Ramblings
Can I be the fourth guy in your group?
I’ve more than documented my man crush on Curry, and it has even stretched to seeing how he’s spending his time in the off season, sad I know. Make no mistake, I’m not a stalker that’s going to ask Curry to go to Santa Barbra to buy some antiques with me like this guy, who has more of a fatal attraction to Kobe than a mancrush. Curry made an appearance showcasing that he has some game on Monday. No, the Warriors aren’t magically in the playoffs, and if your thinking, I already knew he was a baller, and could’ve won rookie of the year this year, but I wasn’t talking about hoops. Curry played in the Quail Hollow Championship Pro Am yesterday, and posted three birdies on his score card, which is pretty impressive. He was paired up with PGA pro Stephen Lowry, Nascar’s Michael Waltrip, his dad Dell Curry, and Charlotte police chief Rod Monroe. I’m not sure exactly what the handicaps were for each player, and I’m sure that the handicaps they had helped their group a little, but their group ended up winning the tourney shooting a 54. Pretty impressive work Stephen. I guess Dell taught him a jumper and a golf swing, even though after the tourney Steph said that his dad beat him by three strokes, I’m sure he’ll beat him the next time they play. I’m far from a good golfer, and anytime I have three birdies in a round whether the course is tough or easy, I’m usually pretty happy. I doubt Stephen gets out on the links all that much, but I have a feeling when his playing days are over he will be better than Jerry Rice is on the Nationwide tour!
Some other news broke out today on the rookie of the year that MCeezy and I debated about, and would be Tyreke Evans. He’s another Norcal baller that will put Sac back on the map . He didn’t get out on the links, instead he is being recognized for his professional accomplishments during his rookie season. Although there is no official announcement made by the NBA, Sactown Royalty seems to have the inside scoop, and has reported that Tyreke will be holding the ROY award on Thursday or Friday. I honestly didn’t get to see that much of Tyreke this year, since I live in Southern California, and it’s rare that the Kings are on anywhere outside of Sac. He joined Lebron averaging 20, 5, and 5 on the year, and had some competition from Steph Curry and Brandon Jennings, but was clearly the most consistent rookie this year. All in all a great year for the rookie, and a deserved winner of the award. Hopefully these two guys can bring Norcal out of the basement of the West.
Next up: Who wins the #1 pick in the lottery?
Kings 15.6% of the ping pong balls
Warriors 11.9% of the ping pong balls
The Fan
Now I’ve seen some weird fans in my day, but this dude right here might take the cake. This is about as awkward, uncomfortable and yet hilarious as it gets. Enjoy!
Just Wright
Common is one of my favorite rappers of all-time, let me rephrase that. Common is one of my favorite “emcees” of all-time. There is a difference. ‘Til this day Resurrection still manages to transcend time for me, in fact, Common in general transcends time, as he is still more than relevant to this day. The shelf life for most Hip-Hop artist is like four years. He’s been at it for decades. He might be one of the trendiest artist alive as well. Ask your girlfriend if she likes the way Common dresses, go on … do it. Yeah buddy, I knew she would.
As do many Hip-Hop artists, Common has tried his hand at acting, and has been quite successful at it too. Perhaps he hasn’t done anything in which he’s “stolen” the show so-to-speak, but he’s done enough to raise a few eye-brows. In fact, he’s done enough so to land his first (male) leading role in Just Wright, a movie in which he plays an NBA All-Star who suffers a severe knee injury and must go through a rigorous rehabilitation regiment with the guidance of potential love interest Queen Latifah in attempts to return to the league. O.K. so going from his day job of being a Hip-Hop legend to acting as an NBA baller might not be such a stretch for him being that the two are synonymous with each-other, but still. Give credit where credit’s due, it’s a leading role.
Why we should watch this movie? Well, because we should all support Common, he’s a rapper (emcee) with a positive message and vibe. Those kinds don’t come along too often. Another reason? We’re sports junkies! C’mon, unless it’s a movie like Fighting, or Never Back Down, us guys are usually interested in sports flicks. Especially if it stars, or has cameos of real professional athletes. This one does! I was 11 or 12 years old when Blue Chips was a feature film, and it quickly became one my favorite movies behind Jurassic Park, simply because Penny Hardaway was in it. If those reasons aren’t valid enough, it stars Paula Patton too. ‘Nuff said. 
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One last thing to note, Common plays for the N.J. Nets in this movie. Perhaps this will be the most positive thing for Nets fans to view regarding their team until the next NBA Draft comes along. I’m just saying. Plus he (Common) kind of reminds me of Stephon Marbury when he puts on that jersey … I always like being reminded of Stephon Marbury.
Four Game Fours, Four Series at 3-1
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Sunday featured a full docket of NBA Playoff games to keep fans busy. I’m a little over 7/8 of the way through the quadruple header, and I’m going out on a limb to assume the Jazz will hold on to their 20 point lead at the time of posting. First, Miami was able to stay alive thanks to the heroic effort of Dwyane Wade. I got a sense of overexposure dating back to the Heat’s last Championship run – Wade was everywhere and got all the calls. But now that his team is a lower seed again, I’ve come to appreciate, once again, the will and ability of one of the game’s great players. D-Wade single-handedly took over the fourth quarter with a barrage of clutch baskets. He finished with 46 to make sure the Heat held on to this one to send the series back to Boston for at least one more game.
In Chicago, the Cavs ran away from the Bulls despite a monstrous effort from Joakim Noah. I had all the doubts in the world about this kid coming out of Florida. I didn’t see him ever becoming anything more than a role player, but today, he was the Bulls best player on the floor. Noah put up 21 points to go with 20 rebounds, and repeatedly came up with big buckets when other Bulls couldn’t. Problem is, too often were the times no one else could come through. On the other side of the ball, Lebron James was dominant once again, posting his fifth career postseason triple-double with 37 pts, 12 reb, and 11 ast. Mo Williams chipped in a couple huge three pointers and finished with 19.
In San Antonio, the 7th seed Spurs took a stronghold on their series with the Mavs, notching a 92-89 win to send the series back to Dallas with the home team in a 3-1 deficit. George Hill had a breakout game with 29 points to lead the way for the Spurs. The Mavs meanwhile looked like the same familiar disappointing team that continually fails to show up in the postseason. Jason Terry led a respectful comeback attempt, but the Spurs showed that they’re still the better team when the games mean something.
There’s still a lot of basketball left to be played in Utah, but barring a miraculous fourth quarter, the Jazz look poised to take a 3-1 lead back to Denver with three chances to close out the series. Deron Williams is building upon his legacy, further cementing his status as one of the top point guards in the league. Also, Carlos Boozer is showing that he can still be a dominating force in the post, something that teams with cap space will certainly be looking to add to their roster in the upcoming offseason.
Still Captain Jack
He may not be a Warrior anymore, and he may have left on bad terms, but I still have love for Stephen Jackson. The guy wears his emotions on his sleeve, and I can’t fault him for that – on the basketball court at least. During the decisive possession of last night’s Game 2, Jack drove into the lane and got slapped in the face by Matt Barnes, causing his headband to blind him in one eye. Instead of fixing it, Jack left the headband covering his face to show officials that a foul should’ve been called. I’ve done that before, so it’s always reassuring to see a pro baller do the same. No foul was called, but Jameer Nelson took the ball the other way and made a layup plus a foul, that put the game out of reach for Charlotte. Calling ALL captains, here’s the clip….
Melo and Nike Confused Everyone
While watching game two of the Nuggets-Utah series the commercial above came on, and I had an immediate WTF moment. I rewound the commercial two or three times just to see if I’d heard it right, and found that my ears weren’t deceiving me. I couldn’t figure out why the people of Utah would support the future champion Carmelo Anthony. It made no sense at all, especially since he was playing against Utah’s beloved Jazz in round one. We debated in an e-mail chain what the motive behind this ad was. We found no ties to Melo in Utah. He went to Syracuse, and was born a New Yorker, so not connection there. The only thing we really came up with was that they shared a state border. Dyslecix claimed it was a Nike covert commercial operation, and low and behold, he was right!
Today it was let on that Melo teamed up with Nike’s Jordan brand to create this confusing, but creative commercial. When first approached about the ad Melo asked “You like it, think it’s funny?”
I fully fell for it, I thought it was a serious PSA from the state of Utah, and the fans of Melo! Turns out it was geared towards riling up the Utah fans. I’m not sure why Denver wants Energy Solutions Arena any louder than it already is, those Mormons are pretty wild. Melo had this to say about the ad, “To make it seem like all the fans in Utah are rooting for me. It’s just stirring some stuff up. If we had played Phoenix, it would be the same thing.”
Good stuff Melo, I’m sure the Mormons hate you and your tatoos a little more now. He was also asked how he thinks the fans will react to him in Game 3, Melo said: “Of course, they’ll boo me. . . . It’s the playoffs.” Good to see we’re on the same page with this one Melo… All in all I liked the ad, and it made me think way more than I should’ve had to for any ad. I guess Nike got their wish, because even I felt it was postworthy material…
In Your Face(s)
Did anyone get an opportunity to see what Dwayne Wade did to Troy Murphy, Brandon Rush and Josh McRoberts last week? Well there are a lot of “cons” to how easily accessible things are with this “new” media (youtube), but this right here, is definitely a “pro”.
Enjoy.
Pippen, Malone, and The Dream Team Inducted Into the HOF!?!
I was scanning the headlines, and saw that Malone and Pippen were elected to the Hall of Fame deservedly so. The second part I read was really confusing to me. They inducted the 1960 and 1992 USA Basketball Dream Teams into the Hall of Fame as well. I’m all for celebrating these teams, but doesn’t that mean all of those guys are now in the Hall of Fame? Granted 11 of the players on the 1992 squad should be or are already in the HOF, but then we are including Christian Laetter. On the 1960 team they had the Big O, Jerry Lucas, Walt Bellamy, and Jerry West, but not a whole lot behind them. So, my question is, why are they inducting teams into the HOF now, and why these two in particular? I get the 1992 team, sans Laetter, but why the 1960 team? I can’t answer that one maybe you can…
Anyways, Pippen was one of the greatest sidekicks we’ll ever see to the best player we may ever see. Remember that season Jordan retired? Pippen showed he could be the alpha dog putting up averages of 22.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.9 steals, 1.9 three-pointers, and 0.8 blocks per game, while shooting 49.1 FG%, and 32% from 3PT. He was one of the best defenders, and will always be linked to MJ for life, but there’s many worse distinctions you could have. Malone was impressive as well, even though he ended his career as a weak link on the Lakers squad that fell short. Too bad he didn’t just stick it out in Utah, and end his career with “his” franchise.
Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss, WNBA star Cynthia Cooper and U.S. high school coaching great Bob Hurley, Sr., were also in the class. I have to mention them or this wouldn’t be completely informing you about this joyous event.
NBA veterans Dennis Johnson and Gus Johnson and Brazil star Maciel “Ubiratan” Pereira will be honored as well. I’ll be happy to hear Gus talk at the ceremony, the guy is unmatched in the booth, and has to give one hell of a speach. Too bad CBS is terrible at covering the March Madness, and he saved them calling some good games. What do you think will happen if they expand the tourney? Is CBS going to have their 12th team out there covering games? We already saw the D-Leaguers of announcing during the first couple rounds. They should give the rights up to ESPN if the expansion happens.
Milwaukee We Have A Big Problem!
All I can say is, this clip below is not for the faint of heart. It gave me the O face with the taste of something sour mixed in. Bogut flopping flat on his arm might give me more nightmares than this chick.This pretty much kills the Bucks chances at making any kind of impact in the playoffs. Bogut finally played like he was worthy of that #1 overall selection, and now has this devastating setback. They are now a one and done team. Salmons can only do so much…
Easter, Be Thankful
LeBron James is the clear-cut favorite to win the 2009-2010 MVP award. There’s even talks of a “unanimous” vote –
As much as I am pro-LeBron, I am not sold on Cleveland walking right into the 2010 NBA Finals. That’s fool’s gold, and I’ve been down that road before, in fact, just last season. Yes, the acquisition of Antawn Jamison definitely helps the cause, but we can’t just disregard Orlando as if they do not exist, and even Boston to a certain extent.
But, this post is not even about that. Being that it’s Easter, I feel it is a time to be grateful for certain things. Wait, or is that Thanksgiving? Either way, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers need to send the Toronto Raptors a “Thank You” card. Why you ask? Simple, Toronto had a mini-melt down in the latter stages of March and let a hobbled Chicago Bulls team back into the playoff hunt. More so, Toronto slipped into the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, and allowed the Charlotte Bobcats to move up to the seventh seed. Why is that significant? Does everyone remember what happened in the 2007 NBA Playoffs? Only the greatest upset in NBA Playoff history, that’s what happened!
The Dallas Mavericks boasted the best record in the NBA in 2006-2007 (67-15) and the league’s MVP (Dirk), they were the odds on favorite to represent the West in the 2007 NBA Finals (along with San Antonio) but there was just one problem. Those pesky Warriors. Golden State owned the Mavericks that season, sweeping the season series 4-0, including a win on the Warriors 81st game of the season in which Dallas chose to rest their stars. Big mistake. We all know what ensued, no need to write about it, but here, a visual reminder:
Now here Cleveland sits, all indications point to an improved team from a season ago, with the best record in the NBA yet again, but – what is their record against the upstart Bobcats? 1-3 with their only win coming on Halloween last year, the first week of the season. Being that I’m from San Francisco, I haven’t had an opportunity to actually watch any of those games, but the highlights on ESPN’s Sportscenter showed Cleveland’s inability to handle the match-up with Charlotte. Sound familiar Dallas/Golden State fans. Guess what? Stephen Jackson is in the middle of all this again!
(Beware Charlotte fans, don’t invest in S-Jack.)
Anyway, as I said at the top of this post, it’s a time of the year to appreciate things, and the Cleveland Cavs needs to appreciate the fact that they currently won’t have to face the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round. No monumental upset this time around. Thank you Toronto.
NBA Basketball in Seattle, If Only For a Day
If you’ve ever visited our site before, you probably know which side we’re on when it comes to Seattle vs. Oklahoma City. We’re not the only ones either. Ray Allen is taking charge putting together a charity game to help bring NBA basketball back to the Emerald City. Also scheduled to play in the game are Seattle natives Brandon Roy, Jamal Crawford, Aaron Brooks, and Jason Terry. Noticeably absent from the list is Nate Robinson, but I’m willing to bet when push comes to shove he’ll be there. I think this is a great move on the part of these players. There’s no doubt that Seattle shouldn’t be a 4 sport city. Although, with the Canucks right up the road in Vancouver, it’s not as much of a travesty that they don’t have an NHL team, but they definitely should have an NBA franchise there. I’m not going to go so far as to say they deserve one more than Sacramento, because despite recent figures, Sacramento has proved a long time ago that they can draw sellout crowds for years on end. What stands out to me is Seattle has a history with basketball. The city has produced the likes of the aforementioned players, along with many more. Few cities can match the level of pride that Seattle has, and I hope this game takes them one step closer to once again having a franchise there.
The Dubs D-League All-Stars
If you aren’t in a fantasy basketball league, and don’t follow the Warriors, you might look at their boxscores and not recognize many of the players. The Warriors have been infamous for bringing D-Leaguers up over the past few seasons, and unfortunately for them, it’s mainly due to the ridiculous amount of injuries they’ve sustained during the seasons. This year we found a couple of solid guys to jump into the lineup, although it’s not the picture perfect lineup, these guys are showing that they are worthy of the NBA. After getting to see some of the guys live last night, I thought I’d make a list of the top five guys that the Warriors called up from the D-League.
#1 Kelenna Azubuike – Buke is the best player we’ve pulled up from the D-League ranks. He flourished in the utility man role. Not many plays are called for him, but he still puts up productive numbers. He fills the boxscore by knocking down open jumpers, sneaking in for rebounds/putbacks, dishing the ball to an open man, and playing solid defense. He’s gone from a nobody out of Kentucky on the verge of going to the European League to a starter for the Warriors. Granted he’s been out for all but a handful of games this year, but when he’s on the court he effortlessly fills up the stat sheet. There’s just a lot to like about his game. He has one of those high basketball IQ’s that every fan likes to see in their players.
#2 Reggie Williams – I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen this guy play all that much, but that didn’t stop me from picking him up on my fantasy team last week. Last night I went to the Clippers-Warriors game, and he was much better than I expected. Since being called up to the NBA, five of his twenty games have been 20+ point performances, including 20+ in three of the last four games. I think he’s finally feeling comfortable in the league that he probably should’ve been in all along, and last night I was impressed seeing him in person. This guy has a great all around game, and he’s twice as good a defender as Anthony Morrow. Reggie is going to last in the league; even if it’s not with the Warriors he showed that he’s a complete player. I was surprised how he ran the offense so well, he must have one of those high basketball IQ’s. Taking it to the hole and dishing or putting up the shot, shockingly every time he made the right choice. He has been the floor general for chunks of games over the past week and a half.
#3 Anthony Tolliver – I wasn’t sold on Tolliver the first couple times I saw him play, but he’s grown on me a lot over the past month. He’s a very active guy on the defensive end which is something the W’s have lacked for a loooong time! I guess he hasn’t had his only NBA stint with the Warriors as he also had brief stints with the Spurs and Blazers, but the W’s gave him his first extended shot on the court, and is currently the starting power forward. I hope we keep him on when Randolph and Wright come back, he’s shown far more abilities than someone knew he had in him. He’s perfect for Nellie, because he plays hard and can drain his jumpers from deep, which is what Nellie loves in a big man.
#4 CJ Watson – I’m not sure how I feel about this third year former D-Leaguer. I’m just really hot and cold with him everytime I watch him play. He always plays hard, and never complains, so those are big check marks in the positive column. He’s been a nice fill in for the often injured Ellis. He’s outplayed all the guys that have come in to take that backup role such as Marcus Williams, Marco Bellinelli, Acie Law, and Demarcus Nelson. I don’t really see him as much more than a career backup, and has less upside than the top three on the list, who I feel could start for some teams, but he’s going to be on the team and in the rotation, unless we land the Wall sweepstakes. Would that make Ellis be the first guard off the bench?
#5 Anthony Morrow – Yeah, I know he wasn’t ever in the D-League, but since he was an undrafted signing I couldn’t resist putting him on the list. Besides, did you really think I was going to put Chris Hunter or Jamero Moon on here?!? In Morrow’s first start last season, Mceezy and I got to sit as close to the court as either of us had at Staples Center. Hell, we were a few rows in front of Mitch Richmond! Anyways, he scored 37 that day, and won both of us over. Nellie has even proclaimed him the best pure shooter he’s ever coached. I’m not sure exactly what that means since Nellie is crazy, and has coached some of the best shooters in the game, but there’s got to be something to it. He led the league in 3PT% last year. I probably would’ve had him higher on the list, but the guy doesn’t play ANY defense. He looks lost on that side of the court, and gets burnt more often than not, which is why Reggie is getting so much more playing time over him the past few weeks.
Doin Elite Lines
I know, last week's half naked Will Ferrell aka Jackie Moon picture was a disappointment, so this week I give you, body paint!
I did about as bad as I could have on my picks for the Sweet 16, but you just like Jesse James I’ll have to dust myself off and move on. Maybe I underestimated Tennessee, and I definitely gave the double digit seeds a little more credit than I should have. I thought they’d be close enough to cover a spread or two, but that wasn’t the case. I guess the last two days truly were separation days. The Cinderella’s went down, and the true contenders are headed to the Elite 8 with the Championship in sight. There was one thing I pondered while watching Duke tonight, did anyone get screwed more by the making of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy than Scheyer? He must hear so much hobbit trash talk on the court every game I wish we could hear him mic’d up. I know I’d be getting my punches in… Anyways, here’s my picks for the weekend games, and who will be making the final four.
Kentucky (-3.5) Over West Virginia
This is a tough one for me. I will be pulling hard for West Virginia, and huggy bear. But as much as I want them to win, I know they won’t. They need to pick up the defense, and if they can somehow stop/slow down Kentucky from running up and down the court, they have a shot. I just think Kentucky looks too good to be beat. This will be the first truly good team they’ve faced, and we should be able to tell if they are going to be able to walk their way to a Championship after this game. I thought Cornell would put up a little fight, but I was completely wrong. I think I’ve now forced myself to not pick against Kentucky again in fear of being eaten by Demarcus Cousins. Is it just me or is anyone else curious how much bigger he is going to get when he hits the pros? Christ, he already looks as big as Al Jefferson out there. Ok, ok, maybe that was an exaggeration, but agianst Cornell’s twiggy center, and most other players he’s come across he looks like a man amongst boys. The guy is going to be huge after he hits the weights for a couple years.
Butler (-3) Over Kansas State
I’d really like to see Pullen have some more cracks at game winners, the guy is nails when it matters most. My biggest question for this game is, how much does K-State have in the tank after that double OT marathon. I’m impressed with how many minutes those guys have played, and maybe Gus Johnson made them seem a little longer, but it has to catch up to you somewhere along the line. Maybe they are just young and can shake off the soreness or are in that good of condition. I think adrenaline could get them through this game, but Butler is playing out of their minds right now. Never bet against the team with the longest winning streak even if you really want to win the bet. This should be a good game. I’m REALLY looking forward to this one! Continue reading
Hopefully This Isn’t a Sign of Things to Come….
The Sacramento Kings blasted this press release today. I don’t think it will have much impact on the team per se, but during a time where the future of the franchise is up in the air, you certainly don’t want to see many more changes. The Maloofs will take over his duties, so don’t expect a whole lot to change – for the time being…..
John Thomas Resigns as President of the Sacramento Kings
SACRAMENTO, CALIF., Mar. 23, 2010 – John Thomas, President of the Sacramento Kings, is resigning effective April 2, 2010, Maloof Sports & Entertainment announced today.
Thomas is leaving for personal family reasons.
“We want to thank John for everything he has done for us since we came to Sacramento. He’s been an important leader on our team,” said Joe and Gavin Maloof, owners of the Kings.
“Ten years is longer than most NBA Presidents get to serve. I want to thank the Maloof family and my extended Kings family of co-workers and fans for the privilege. I’m very excited about the future,” said Thomas.
Thomas has 20 years of major league sports executive experience in basketball, baseball and hockey. He began his role with Maloof Sports & Entertainment in 1999. Prior to joining the Kings, he was an executive with the Houston Rockets and Comets.
Thomas has been an active member of the Sacramento community, serving on the Boards of Directors of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Sacramento Metro Chamber, as well as Valley Vision’s Leadership Council and the NBA’s Team Advisory Committee (TAC).
About Maloof Sports and Entertainment:
Maloof Sports & Entertainment includes the Sacramento Kings (NBA) and ARCO Arena. Led by Joe and Gavin Maloof, and owned by the Maloof family with long-term, local partners, the organization is committed to the community in Sacramento and to making a positive, meaningful difference in the lives of families in need in the Sacramento region. Maloof Sports & Entertainment has donated more than $17 million to charities in 10 years of Maloof family ownership. For more information about Maloof Sports & Entertainment, please visit kings.com, arcoarena.com or call 916-928-0000.
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