Monty Williams: "Let's focus on what's important"

This is the eulogy given by Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach Monty Williams during the funeral of his wife, Ingrid, yesterday. Ingrid Williams was killed when the car she was driving was hit head-on by an SUV. The driver of the SUV, Susannah Donaldson, was also killed. During this amazing eulogy, Williams asks for prayers for the Donaldson family as well as his own.

All I have to say is that Monty Williams is an amazing man!

Be sure to watch the whole thing. It will be great investment of seven minutes of your life.

Go Cavs...but the NBA drives me crazy

Posted this on Facebook this morning (this is a slightly edited form):

The Cavaliers competing in the play-offs and finals has caused me to do something I haven't done in over thirty years: Watch more than just clips of NBA games. 

I've actually watched about ten minutes of live action in the past three weeks! 

Really happy for Cleveland and for Ohio, of course. That's why I've looked in on the games. 

But I love basketball, which is why I don't usually watch the NBA. These recent brief look-ins have reminded me of why. A defender, for example, almost has to set off grenades in the uniforms of an opposition player to draw a foul.  

Basketball is supposed to be a non-contact sport.  

I can understand occasional hand-checks.  

Or brushes and hard stops on pick and rolls.  

But not wrapping arms around opposing players.  

Not armlocks.  

Not barely noted intentional elbows to skulls, resulting in an opposing player's head crashing to the hardwood. 

I don't like any of this and hate how, through emulation, it has infected the college game too. But the NCAA is not yet as bad as the Not Basketball Association. 

Go, Cavs!

Aaron Craft is Getting Noticed

Aaron Craft, the former Ohio State point guard, seems finally to be getting some of the notice he deserves from the NBA. Toiling in basketball's D-level, he continues to be a great ball handler, an effective thief on defense, and a spark plug who can ignite his teammates. (Glad a high school friend posted this over on Facebook.)

What Will He Be Like on the Clippers' Sidelines?

Steve Ballmer goes crazy in order to profess his love for the company from which he recently retired, some $20-billion richer.

It has to be an act; after all, who could love Microsoft?

But truly, this guy is obviously smart and aggressive, making me wonder how long he'll be satisfied with his franchise being a renter from the Lakers, losing out on the revenue an organization can generate from controlling its venue?

The Clippers will have to become a more consistently solid contending commodity before Ballmer or anyone else will be able to get a Clippers arena built, I think. Even with the $18-billion he has in his bank accounts, it's hard to believe he could take on the building of a new basketball venue on his own or from the revenues the Clippers (may) generate in the future.

But, I'm probably completely wrong. I'm a preacher; not a software mogul, Harvard graduate, or nearly-new NBA franchise owner.

BTW: One thing it's probably safe to say is that Ballmer won't be caught spewing racist rants and that's good.