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Saturday, September 03, 2005
Sayson: Burning bridges and running with the bulls
By Homer Sayson
Second Overtime
CHICAGO – Benjo Luther A. Macion (I’m_still_ benjo@yahoo.com) of the Public Attorney’s Office in Cebu City, he with the looks of Adonis and the jumpshot of Reggie Miller, opens today’s e-mail session with fresh queries about the reigning NBA champs, the San Antonio Spurs: “Greatly enjoy your Sun.Star column.
With all the bickerings in the political scene headlining the news, it’s nice to go over to the last few pages of the paper and take pleasure in reading something informative, pleasant, and sometimes satirical...And I’m not talking about the entertainment section.
“Anyway, my questions: 1) Do you think the Spurs can repeat as champions with the signing of Nick Van Exel and Michael Finley? 2) If you’re coach Poppovich, do you make Manu Ginobili the starter and Finley coming off the bench, or the other way around?”
Oh, Benjo, if you had written one more sweetly-worded paragraph, I’d have been rushed to the hospital with a dangerously enlarged liver. Your kind words of praise leads me to believe that lawyers at PAO in Capitol Site really tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Even with just last year’s roster, the Spurs will likely repeat because they have structure, chemistry, defense and Tim Duncan. But now that they’ve added Van Exel and Finley, San Antonio just got deeper, more versatile, and therefore, deadlier.
It’s so unfair to the competition, it’s like giving talk-show-king Leo Lastimosa another microphone.
If I’m Pop, I’d keep Manu as a starter because he’s 28 and healthy, while Finley is 32 and just had surgery to remove bone chips in his right ankle. Manu has earned his spurs as a starter by sheer hard work and he should lose that job only if his play falters, not because a marquee veteran came to town.
RODMAN UPDATE. The next letter comes from Allan Pingol of Malabuyoc (alps@yahoo.com.ph): “Have you heard about Dennis Rodman playing in Iceland? Will Paul Pierce suit up for another team next season?”
I haven’t sniffed the news about The Worm supposedly balling in Iceland. But I know for a fact that Rodman was extremely busy the past two months.
He went to Sonkajarvi, Finland last July 5 to participate in what was dubbed as the “Wife-carrying world championships.” Four days later, the NBA former-rebounding king was in Pamplona, Spain to take part in the annual running of the bulls.
Even in retirement, the 44-year-old ex-Bull couldn’t stay out of the limelight, albeit in a less flattering glow.
Last July 26 in Frisco, Colorado, Rodman was ticketed for reckless driving and speeding. Traveling westbound on interstate 70, Rodman went 98 miles per hour behind the wheel of a custom-made black-and-gold Lamborghini. Moments after his traffic infraction, Rodman was involved in a minor crash, before being accused of stealing a hat at a gas station in Glenwood Springs.
Oh, well, when it rains, it pours.
As for the 27-year-old Pierce, he’s not going anywhere, so says Celtics executive director for basketball operations Danny Ainge, who told hoopsworld.com: “It’s just ridiculous to think that we’d be a better team without Paul Pierce.’
Even if the 6-foot-6 230-pound Pierce were in the market, I don’t think there would be any takers. That’s because Pierce’s 2004 salary was $12,584,700 and he is under contract until 2008, when his overly generous $79.3 million deal ends.
HEAT FACELIFT. The next Q comes from the energetic Milo S. Arenas of Wealth Bank in Cebu (maxpain@lycos.com). The San Nicolas native wrote: “Been reading your column for several years now. Just would like to know the latest on my favorite Maimi Heat, who’s their latest addition and ‘deduction’”?
The Heat lost Eddie Jones to Memphis, but got James Posey and Jason Williams in return. They acquired Antoine Walker from Boston, but the Heat also lost Keeyon Dooling to Orlando and Rasual Butler to New Orleans. Damons Jones might be headed to Cleveland.
Other Miami acquisitions include draft-picks Wayne Simien of Kansas, Gerald Fitch of Kentucky, and free-agent Earl Barron, a former PBA import.
Finally, John Ray Virtucio (johnrayvirtucio @yahoo.com) asked: “What happened to Isiah Rider? He was an excellent player, he can score, has good size at 6-8 and looks bull-strong. I heard he had a drug problem, do you think he’ll play in the NBA again?”
Firstly, Rider’s first name is spelled like this: Isaiah. Secondly, he’s only 6-5, not 6-8.
Yes, he had a drug problem and was last suspended (for five games) by the NBA on March 2001 for violating the league’s anti-drug program. No, Rider is done playing in the NBA. Not only is he getting old at 34, he had burned too many bridges.
(homsay@hotmail.com)
(September 3, 2005 issue)
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