Author: David Shama

Depending on the source, you will find the world has about 200 countries. It seems like the domestic agenda for many includes having a professional basketball league.  A man drew this conclusion hearing the news that the darling of Gopher basketball last season and the year before, Vince Grier, has made his way to South Korea where playing professionally will make him a faster buck than the NBA’s Development League that he exited from here in the states. 

Grier was not chosen in last spring’s NBA draft but signed with the Miami Heat where he was the last player cut coming out of training camp.  He played in only three pre-season games, averaging 3.3 points on 72% shooting.  He averaged just 12 minutes of playing time. 

That experience was far different from Minnesota where he was the team’s star averaging 16.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.12 steals during his two seasons.  Last season in Big Ten Conference games only, he finished 14^th in scoring, ninth in rebounding and third in steals.  He was third team all-Big Ten as chosen by the conference coaches. 

It’s not easy to make an NBA roster as a free agent, particularly as a player with no pro experience.  Still, Grier is a prospect worth following in future years and he likely will try for an NBA roster spot come fall. 

At Minnesota Grier was a savior whose athleticism and scoring helped the Gophers reach the NCAA tournament in 2005.  The 6-foot-5 Grier is a slashing offensive player with an inconsistent jump shot.  He’s so left-hand dominant that it can seem like he doesn’t have a right hand.  Defensively, Grier looked ready for the NBA in college. 

Timberwolves’ assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg agrees with the assessment of Grier offered here.  He was asked if Grier, possibly a fit at shooting guard or small forward, can play in the NBA. “We’ll see,” Hoiberg answered.  “It all depends on how he plays and… getting put in the right situation would be a big part of it.” 

Grier is on a list of former Gophers globetrotting around the world.  The University sports information department has tracked the following players: Antoine Broxie and Terrance Simmons, Saudia Arabia; Adam Boone and Mo Hargrow, Austria; Arriel McDonald and Quincy Lewis, Spain; Jerry Holman, Turkey; Michael Bauer, Germany; Sam Jacobson, Italy; Dusty Rychart, Australia.

Two of America’s most authoritative baseball sources, the Sporting News and Sports Headliners, are picking the Twins to defeat the Mets in the 2007 World Series. 

Local radio history will be made on Wednesday, February 28 when KSTP broadcasts the Twins spring game against the Boston Red Sox starting at 6 p.m.  From 1961 through last season all Twins radio games were on WCCO. 

WCCO’s Sunday morning sports programming is feeling the competition.  Based on the latest ratings, fall 2006, WCCO is still No. 1 in total listeners but not in men 25-54.  KFAN is no. 1 in the 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ratings while KSTP is no. 1 in 10 a.m. to noon. 

A source said University president Bob Bruininks and Detroit Pistons basketball coach Flip Saunders are friends.  Both were at Sunday’s Gopher-Ohio State game.

The Gophers’ Lawrence McKenzie, one of the conference’s leading scorers, will receive consideration from voters for all-Big Ten Conference honors.  After last night’s Gopher loss to Indiana he had made one or more three point shots in 36 consecutive games. 

Minnesota Wild general manager and president Doug Risebrough was asked to name a player who has particularly pleased him this season.  “I would say Pierre-Marc Bouchard.  He’s an offensive player who is finding a way to contribute more offensively.  It doesn’t always translate into goals or assists but he’s a threat more often… and a player they (the opponents) have to watch.” 

The Wild’s Wes Walz is scheduled for an appearance from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday at the Crown Royal Minnesota Golf Show at the Metrodome.  Matt Birk of the Vikings is scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday. 

The Timberwolves are celebrating Crunch’s birthday from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Friday in the skyway area near the team’s Target Center office. Crunch and dance team members will be there and the public can participate in games and eat cupcakes.

The NBA’s greatest players were showcased in Las Vegas on Sunday in the league’s annual All-Star game, but none of them earn a place on Tommy Heinsohn’s all-time team.  There’s no room for Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or Larry Bird, either. 

Heinsohn played on eight NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics from 1956-1965.  The Celtics forward was chosen for six All-Star games, later coached Boston to two world championships, was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986 and now is a color commentator on Celtics telecasts. 

Heinsohn, who was here last week for a Celtics-Timberwolves telecast, thinks the best players came from his generation.  During an interview with Sports Headliners he chose five players from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s as the best of all-time.  Not only are these players the best, Heinsohn believes, but they proved it against better competition because the NBA then had only eight teams versus 30 today.  The theory is more teams, more jobs, more diluted talent. 

Here’s Heinsohn’s Fab Five:  forwards Elgin Baylor and Bob Pettit, center Bill Russell, guards Jerry West and Bob Cousy.  Baylor played for the Minneapolis Lakers and West joined the Lakers the first season after the team moved to Los Angeles (1960-61).  Cousy and Russell were Heinsohn’s teammates in Boston.  Pettit and his St. Louis Hawks defeated the Celtics for the NBA championship in 1958, the only time Boston didn’t win the title from 1957-1966. 

Cousy, known as the “Houdini of the Hardwood” for his extraordinary playmaking, is the point guard on Heinsohn’s dream team, although West played both that position and shooting guard.  Heinsohn recalled that the Celtics had just six plays.  “Everything else happened because Cousy was a great player,” he said. 

Russell played on all the Celtics NBA championship teams during an incredible run of 11 titles in 13 years from 1957-1969.   Although Russell was only 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, the shot-blocking, rebounding marvel is Heinsohn’s choice as the all-time center.  “Absolutely.  There was a guy that was a winner,” Heinsohn said. “That’s what this is all about.  This isn’t all about who does what to whom, (or) how many points you get. He was as competitive as anybody you would ever hope to play with, and he was propelled to deliver and he did.” 

Heinsohn talked about the two former Lakers.  He said the acrobatic Baylor is the best forward of all time, although there have been more than a few great forwards during the last 25 years including Bird and Julius Erving.  He admired the versatility of West including his defense.  “You can talk about Bird, you can talk about Dr. J, you can talk about them all but Elgin Baylor was the best,” Heinsohn said.  “Go look at his records (career averages of 27.4 points per game, 13.5 rebounds) against top flight competition.  Jerry West was a two position player (known as Mr. Clutch, averaged 27 points per game and almost seven assists).  A lot of people didn’t know he was a point guard. He was a terrific defensive player.” 

Pettit, 6-foot-9, was the NBA’s first superstar power forward.  He was named all-NBA first team 10 times and won two league MVP awards. 

Heinsohn acknowledges Jordan as one of the NBA’s all-time best but left him off his team because Jordan didn’t compete head-to-head against great enough players.  It’s an argument that’s been made before about Jordan who some experts also insist benefited more from NBA and Madison Avenue hype than any player ever.  

What’s Heinsohn’s view of the Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett?  “They haven’t quite, to my way of thinking, quite found a way to exploit him without everything having to rely on his shoulders,” Heinsohn answered. “He’s not the focus entirely of the offense.  He’s not the focus of their defense. He has to fit himself into what they’re doing.  He’s a very competitive guy.  He’s got a lot of skills.  I think he’s pretty good.”