ThreeStrikesandOut

At least that’s the impression that I get.

And this article on Fox seems to back up my opinion.  You see, Riley is already beginning to scout college players, so that he can make a draft decision with what will be a very high draft pick for the Heat.  Since, you know, they’re terrible and all.  It wouldn’t be that big a deal that he’s scouting, what is a big deal is that he’s probably going to miss games on account of his scouting:

There seems to be a strong chance, however, that Riley will not coach the Heat when they face the New York Knicks on Wednesday and the Orlando Magic on Friday, because several conference tournaments will be going on in earnest during that time.

And:

Riley revealed plans last week to miss some games to scout players who may be entering this year’s NBA draft, an unusual move but one that the team obviously feels is important in its rebuilding plan.

I bet some of the player’s wish that they could take the rest of the season of to do other thing’s.  Like heal.  D-Wade’s been playing hurt almost all season, but other than mailing in the All-Star Game Skills Competition, he’s played hard all season.  It’s not like the Heat have to worry about a winning streak affecting their draft status.  They could start winning now and win throughout and they’d still be 17 games under 500. 

I know it may be best for the team in the long run for Riley to take this time to play GM, but you can’t help but think that they players would rather worry about this season and trying to win a few games.  But then again, why start now?

Fox

After the USC/Arizona basketball game, an over-zealous Wildcats fan mistook a USC player for a trash can and tossed his water bottle at him.  This prompted Arizona coach Kevin O’Neil to grab the house mic, apologize to USC, and then to chastise the fan and crowd.

O’Neil, who will never be confused for someone with a pulse, was probably in part responsible for the occurrence.  After all, he aired this little video in an attempt to get the Arizona fans fired up:

Good God, after that much intensity, they’re luck the guy didn’t throw a javelin.  Come on coach!  You’ve gotta show a little restraint.  How much fun would it be to play for a coach like O’Neil?  What fire.  What passion.  This guy’s a regular barrel full of prostitutes.

LA Times

The latest in coaching meltdowns.  The latest to pull his best Dennis Green was Michigan’s womens’ basketball coach Kevin Borseth.

Honestly, he’s probably just frustrated that he’s coaching a women’s basketball team and felt the need to show that he has some testosterone pumping through his body.

If womens’ basketball coaches are going to start melting down, watch out for Pat Summitt and her uzi.

SportsbyBrooks

Apparently, being a player that sucks, on a team that sucks, and playing for a coach that sucks; can really get questioning himself.  But not Eddy Curry, who thinks that he can be a 20 and 10 guy and wonders why Knicks coach Isiah Thomas isn’t playing him more.  According to The New York Times:

Curry said he was not looking to be traded and he would not raise a fuss over his role. But he still envisions himself as a 20-point, 10-rebound player, saying, “I’m just having a tough season right now.” He refuses to believe that the N.B.A. has become a small man’s game, or a 7-foot jump shooter’s game.

“But that’s my opinion; maybe that’s why I’m playing and not coaching,” Curry said, referring to Thomas, “because I don’t know as much as he knows. But I just don’t believe that.”

For starters, Eddy couldn’t average 20 and 10 if he was playing a team made up of munchkins and he was body-snatched by the spirit of Wilt Chamberlain.  If that happened, he would probably lay Dorothy, Glinda, and the Wicked Witch of the West though.

As for Isiah knowing more that Curry?  I wouldn’t want a gun put to my head while I had to wait on either one of them to correctly spell psychophysicotherapeutics…or cat for that matter.

Yeah, I thought that I would see the day when the biggest basketball game of the season would involve Tennessee.  I also believe that Hayden Panettiere has a tattoo of my name on her left butt cheek and that once I make it through that final castle and beat Bowser, I will finally capture…rescue my princess.  GO VOLS!