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Whitsitt Still Dealin'

Here's an interesting exercise for a late-summer weekend. Bring together two separate gentlemen, each a fan, respectively, of the sports of states of Washington and Oregon. Now, in as short a time as possible, see if you can find something or someone upon which both can come to an agreement.

Don't be surprised if the someone is Bob Whitsitt.

Honestly, I can't think of someone hated equally on both sides of the Columbia River. The architect of the Jail Blazers, Whitsitt would be lucky to survive ten minutes in Pioneer Square before a crazed Blazermaniac in a vintage Jerome Kersey jersey tried to put an elbow in his ear.

Likewise, should Whitsitt try to strike up a conversation with a regular at FX McRory's, his odds of escaping sans injury from an angry Seahawk fan would be rather slim.

So it was with a sly smile that one reads Whitsitt's biography at Whisitt Enterprises, LLC (motto: "We've Accumulated Talent Without Regard to Your Franchise's Future for 15 Years!"). To wit:

In nine years as president and general manager of the Portland Trailblazers, he built teams that averaged 50 wins per season and he played a key role in the successful completion of the Rose Garden Arena. President of the Seattle Seahawks from 1997 through the beginning of 2005, he negotiated the acquisition of the team for Paul Allen and led a successful statewide referendum that secured $300 million in public funding for the Seahawk’s new football stadium and exhibition center.

Did Whitsitt find his copywriter in Dick Cheney's rolodex? I haven't seen such glossing over of facts since Colin Powell visited the UN! I've now run out of liberal outrage! Wait ... compost!

Seriously, you have to admire the chutzpah of Whitsitt. The guy angers the fanbases at two franchises to a level he was lucky to walk away with both legs intact, and now he's selling his skills to other teams. If I'm a Blazer fan, I'd schedule a meeting with Whitsitt just so I could punch him in the nose and throw my Ruben Patterson drinking cup at him.

What's Good for the Goodell is Good for ...

I have still yet to find any information as to whether David Stern has opted for any form of pay cut similar to the one he wishes to impose on his referees, but I did find out that Roger Goodell certainly did.

Back in February, the NFL commissioner undertook at 20 to 25% pay cut from his $11 million salary.

No word, though, on whether Stern has followed or is planning to follow in the footsteps of his fellow commissioner, but I'd love to hear from anyone who could find evidence of such a move.

I'd love it even more if the media could ask him about this at the next NBA press conference.

Stern Paycut?

Left unsaid in the angry rhetoric about David Stern's forced paycut for NBA referees (he wants them to cut salaries by 10%, they're willing to take about 5 or 7%), is this question:

What sort of paycut is David Stern willing to take?

According to what you read on the internet (I know, I know), Stern pulls down an annual salary of approximately $10 million. After spending some time researching the issue, I could not find any information as to whether Stern has opted to take the same paycut he is forcing the officials to take.

Now, that's not to say that he hasn't - absence of proof is not lack of proof, after all. One of our astute readers may be able to point me in the direction of an article which shows that the commissioner has, indeed, taken a pay cut this year.

But, if he hasn't, how hypocritical is that? On the one hand, he's sacrificing his officials upon the altar of the economic recession, yet he seems to not feel the need to do that for himself.

I hope I'm wrong, and that Stern is doing the honorable thing. But, somehow, knowing his character, I doubt it.

Stern to Refs: Nuts

Difference between the NBA and their refs in an ongoing labor dispute that caused Commissioner Stern to contemplate using scab officials this season: $700,000

Amount of time it would take for the NBA to earn $700,000, based on last year's revenue of $3.2 billion: 1 hour, 50 minutes

No Reign Forecast for Beijing

I'm puzzled as to how I missed this, but according to Chinese news sources, Shawn Kemp was all set to participate in Chinese Summer League basketball this past month.

Of course, Shawn being Shawn, it all fell apart in a mixture of miscommunications and prior commitments, the end result being Kemp has now tantalized and disappointed fans in North America, Europe, and Asia in the past 12 months, a considerable accomplishment for a guy whose last professional game was so long ago, Danny Manning was in the opposing lineup.

So, what's next for The Reign Man? Why not Australia, where Kemp could visit former teammate Sedale Threatt, or perhaps Africa, where he could provide an ironic twist on seeing teenage phenoms come from Africa to the U.S.? The possibilities, it would seem, are endless.

Much like Shawn Kemp's career.

Needlin'

Collison: Hometown Hero

We're probably the last ones on the internets to write about this, but a couple of weeks ago, former Seattle Supersonic Nick Collison did something amazing: he spoke the truth.

Unlike most professional athletes, who are trained at an early age to tow the company line, Collison , revealed seemed to imply in a recent interview that he (shudder) actually wishes he were still here in Seattle! After the interview, I'm sure a lot of Oklahomans felt the same way.

Don't worry, Nick. After sticking up for Seattle, you'll always be welcome back in the Emerald City. Heck, you might even consider a write-in campaign for mayor!

Nickels, Sonics To Meet Similar Fates?

Results are still not complete, but it appears as though Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels will soon be facing a fate similar to the one he created for the Seattle Sonics last summer:

Irrelevancy.

With half the votes counted, The Seattle Times reports that Nickels trails two other candidates, Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan, in the mayoral primary, meaning the two-time incumbent would be on the outside looking in for the final race this fall.

It's hard to say just how much impact Nickels' shameful handling of the Sonics' debacle played in his candidacy, but consider this - the current tabulation of voting percentages stands at:

McGinn 26.6

Mallahan 25.77

Nickels 25.06

That's an extremely close race, with fewer than 1,000 votes keeping Nickels out of the election this fall. Obviously, with a race this tight and ballots not completely counted, things could change in the days to come, but it certainly begs the question:

Is it possible that when Greg Nickels sealed the fate of the Seattle SuperSonics last July, he simultaneously sealed his own fate as well?

Sonics Gate: The Movie!

Opens Oct 12th! For more info, go to www.sonicsgate.org. (Found via Seattle Weekly)

Mapping the NBA

You can also view the page in PDF via this link. File size is about 3MB.

Rashard Lewis: Busted

I've got to be honest - of all the possible candidates in the NBA to be caught with excess testosterone in their blood, Rashard Lewis might have ranked at the bottom.

Right next to Luke Ridnour or Darius Miles.

I mean, come on, the guy's thinner than the premise of a Rick Reilly column, for crying out loud!

But, there you go, according to ESPN, Lewis will be suspended for 10 games at the start of the 09-10 season after DHEA was detected in his bloodstream.

I'm sure thousands of words will be uttered in the NBA universe about how this is "the tip of the iceberg" in regards to steroids and the league. We'll hear the requisite "it was a matter of time" stuff, the "does this taint the Magic's title run" stories, and the "who's next" speculation.

For now, though, we're left with this question to ponder: How bad a rebounder would Rashard be if he didn't take the drugs?