Broadcaster Laments Comment
Around the NBA
It was after midnight and Miami Heat radio broadcaster David Halberstam, sitting in a nearly deserted press room at Miami Arena, was weary.
Not from calling the Heat’s 83-79 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, but from the emotional impact of the past 10 days.
“It’s been the roughest week of my professional life,” said Halberstam, fined $2,500 by the NBA for making racially insensitive comments during Miami’s March 19 game with the Golden State Warriors. “Other than the week my father died, it’s been the roughest week personally.”
Halberstam’s problems arose when he said during the Warriors game that slaves on Thomas Jefferson’s farm “would have made good basketball players.”
“What I really meant to say was that if slaves had had the opportunities that they were denied, they would have been good lawyers, doctors, and whatever else,” Halberstam said. “Basketball just came to mind.”
As soon as he made the remarks, Halberstam saw his statistician shake her head. He realized how what he had said would be interpreted.
“That night, I think I slept about an hour,” Halberstam said. “It was punishing, painful and harrowing.”
Off-the-cuff remarks are part of Halberstam’s broadcast style. Working without a color commentator, he mixes stories, trivia, anecdotes, descriptions and commentary with his play-by-play.
Halberstam said he’s not a racist. He points out that his sister-in-law and her children are black, and during the first 11 years of his career he broadcast games for New York Division III schools, including Medgar Evers University, a predominantly black college.
Out of his league
New Jersey Nets coach John Calipari, by most accounts, is not a bad person. Newark Star-Ledger reporter Dan Garcia, by all accounts, is not a martyr, writes Sam Smith of the Chicago-Tribune.
They are not really the issues in a much-publicized incident from last week in which Calipari stupidly and insensitively cursed out Garcia with an ethnic slur. Calipari was rightly disciplined by NBA commissioner David Stern.
But the larger lesson is what Calipari represents: another college coach ill-equipped for the NBA.
While Calipari’s crude remarks - he called Garcia “a (expletive) Mexican idiot” - received national notice, it was what prompted the remarks that’s more instructive.
Garcia, as is common with many beat reporters who follow NBA teams daily, wrote a midseason “report card” critiquing the Nets. He gave Calipari a “D” grade.
Two months later, Calipari was apparently still seething over the grade and was said to be yelling, “He gave me a ‘D,”’ to another reporter who was trying to calm him after a Nets practice.
When Garcia approached, Calipari whined plaintively, “Don’t you think I’m a good coach?”
Garcia simply said, “No.”
Calipari continued to object, and Garcia said Calipari was acting childish. Calipari replied that if Garcia ever said anything like that again, “I will punch you in the face.”
This incident didn’t happen because Garcia is of Mexican ancestry or because Calipari is a racist. It happened because a college coach went beyond his means and abilities. Which is what they all do when they try the NBA.
Ex-player shot to death
Anthony Roberts, who played basketball at Oral Roberts and in the NBA, was found shot to death outside his Tulsa, Okla., apartment, police said.
Police told Tulsa television station KJRH that Roberts, 42, was shot in the back during an argument with two men. Authorities said they were searching for a suspect but no arrests have been made.
Modesty not one of Iverson’s traits
Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson isn’t afraid to speak his mind.
And what’s on his mind as the season grinds to its conclusion is the Rookie of the Year award.
“Right now, I think I’m the Rookie of the Year, but I always think that,” Iverson said. “Kobe (Bryant) should think he is. Ray (Allen) should think he is. Kerry (Kittles) as well. All should feel they are the best rookie.
“But I wouldn’t sit here and tell you I think another guy is better than me.”
On the courts
Karl Malone scored 33 points and the Utah Jazz made 44 free throws to extend their winning streak to nine games Saturday night with a 115-102 victory over the Spurs in San Anontio.
Utah, which has the best record (54-17) in the Western Conference, finished March with a 14-1 mark.
Dominique Wilkins led the Spurs with 26 points, and moved into seventh place on the NBA’s career scoring list with a free throw in the first quarter. He surpassed John Havlicek’s 26,395 points.
Hakeem Olajuwon scored 45 points, including 16 of 17 from the foul line, as the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 120-105 in Houston.
Scottie Pippen scored 31 points, Michael Jordan had 21 and the Chicago Bulls blew a 17-point lead before beating the New Jersey Nets 111-101 in Chicago for their seventh straight victory.
Rod Strickland had 21 points and 13 assists as the Washington Bullets beat Dallas 94-87 in their last game at Baltimore Arena.
The Bullets won their fourth straight to pull within a half-game of idle Cleveland for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
xxxx NBA Leaders Through March 28 Scoring Player G FG FT Pts Avg Jordan, Chi. 70 790 427 2102 30.0 Malone, Utah 70 754 435 1943 27.8 Rice, Char. 68 620 378 1798 26.4 Richmond, Sac. 71 640 412 1863 26.2 Sprewell, G.S. 70 588 457 1768 25.3
Rebounding Players G Off Def Tot Avg Rodman, Chi. 55 320 563 883 16.1 Mutombo, Atl. 69 233 580 813 11.8 Mason, Char. 66 163 589 752 11.4 Ewing, N.Y. 67 163 567 730 10.9 Er. Johnson, Den. 69 194 538 732 10.6
Assists Player G No. Avg. Jackson, Ind. 70 832 11.9 Stockton, Utah 70 737 10.5 Johnson, Phoe. 59 550 9.3 Pack, Dall. 41 366 8.9 Kidd, Phoe. 44 383 8.7