Scoreboards

Every time an NBA team loses a close game or, especially, a game with lopsided foul counts, fans half-heartedly cry that the game was fixed. That feeling deep in the pit of fans’ stomachs was churned into real worry when Tim Donaghy, an NBA official, admitted in 2008 that he had illegally manipulated some games he officiated to cover spreads. Of course, he has been sacked and is in federal prison now but before that referred to two pivotal games that he claims were fixed by his calls to provide the desired outcome.

GMs in the NBA get a bad rap. Fans dissect each move with the benefit of looking backwards and razz them unmercifully on forums and message boards for decades to come. But let’s face it: sometimes they deserve it. These are 10 draft picks that may be unforgivable because of what was known at the time about these players and the pick that got away.

The WNBA rookie of the year award has typically been an expected result. This year was no exception but the honor that went along with it was. Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks won the rookie of the year award in her basketball first year along with winning the Most Valuable Player of the Year award--which has never been given to basketball beginners. This feat has only been accomplished by 2 other players in basketball history: Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld. After these accomplishments it wasn’t a surprise that Parker became the most recognized female athlete in the nation. Parker launched out of the gate as an exceptional player: fun to watch, a high scorer and team player with a recognizable smile.

The UCONN basketball history is rich with famous players, many titles and unrivaled success for their venerable, Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun. Under Calhoun’s watch, the Huskies have made it to the Sweet Sixteen in 12 of his 15 years and to the Final Four three times. Most impressively, two of those appearance became NCAA National Titles. Their teams have also featured UCONN basketball players who have gone on to have very successful professional careers, including: Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton and Clifford Robinson. Lately, though, times have been shaky for the Huskies as they have had to endure a firestorm of credibility issues including NCAA drug testing violations for some players and violating NCAA rules for recruitment.

The most valuable player basketball fans saw this year in the NBA was LeBron James and it was not even close. Though Kobe Bryant was maybe a better all around player than James, no player was more valuable to their team. Basketball most valuable players are typically those with great individual statistics and superb team records - James had both.

If there were an objective list of the 10 best basketball players ever, there is no doubt it would hold the most scoring players in NBA history. Those who ended their careers at the top of the all time NBA scoring list are also among the best basketball players ever. For all the talk of defense and strategy, basketball is a game of scoring which relies on players who can fill up the scoring column night in and night out. Here are the top 5 all-time scorers and some of the best players in NBA history:

When it comes to the tallest players in basketball history, Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain who stood at 7’1” wouldn’t even rate a mention. In a league where, as announcer Bill Walton has said many times, “You can’t teach height” many figurative and literal giants have played in the NBA. The tallest player in basketball title actually belongs to two individuals, who were the same height and played for the same team at different times.

The 2008 WNBA Draft picks were highlighted by the number one selection, Candace Parker. Parker was one of the best draft picks in the history of the WNBA, playing a rookie season that netted her Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player award while on the Los Angeles Sparks. The 2009 WNBA draft picks may not have as much promise as Parker but it was still a loaded draft that will improve the teams that selected them.

Never one to sit on his laurels, NBA Commissioner David Stern is always willing to react to any problems he sees in the game of basketball and change the NBA rules. When Charles Barkley was dominating the game in the early 1990s, he changed the rules to only allow a player to dribble with his back to the basket for a three-count, eliminating Barkley’s favorite move. When, a few years later, Shaquille O’Neal dominated any single player sent to defend him, Stern changed the basketball player rules to effectively allow a zone defense. This helped other teams to defend him with multiple players before he even touched the ball. This also freed up other players to score and the game changed from a slow, grind-it-out game back into a high-scoring, fan friendly event.

Detroit’s William Davidson, owner of Pistons, the WNBA Shock and several other sports franchises over his rich life, passed away on March 13, 2009. Over his 87-year life Davidson had a profound effect on his native Detroit. Bill Davidson Pistons will be remembered as his most famous accomplishment but this man, who was ranked as the 68th wealthiest person on a recent Forbes list, had many successful ventures.

Ever since the inception of basketball as a sport in the later 19th century, height has been the one dominant trait that gives a clear advantage in playing. Since the basketball rim stands 10 feet above the ground, obviously the closer a player is, the easier it is to score and block baskets. The basketball player and later profuse television commentator Bill Walton is fond of quoting “You can’t teach height,” which succinctly points out the obvious advantage that height gives a player above all other skills. In basketball short players are a rare find and in the professional league, they are even rarer. The shortest basketball player to ever play in the NBA is Mugsy Bogues.