Andy Charles's NBA Basketball fan blog archive for 05/2009

May 2009

May 25, 2009

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Andy Charles

As the hockey-watching world concentrates on the final two rounds of the NHL play-offs, the people of Orange County are again on retirement watch as questions about Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne’s future again rear their ugly head.

For the third season running, the Ducks go into the summer trading and draft season not knowing if two of their prized veterans are going to be around at the Honda Center again next season, and it’s becoming more and more of a worry as the years tick on and the veterans get older.

Niedermayer is coming off a great season, adding 10 play-off points to a 59-point regular campaign and as usual showing the grit and heart that should be expected of a captain.

Likewise Selanne showed few signs of slowing down, apart from one spell out injured, although his chemistry with the Ducks rookies wasn’t quite as strong in the post-season and his best performance came in the sickening game seven defeat by Detroit, when he intriguingly had less ice-time than grinders like Drew Miller and Todd Marchant.

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May 27, 2009

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Andy Charles

Tisdale leaves a lasting legacy

In amongst all the NBA play-off  heroics of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant’s head-to-head clashes with Carmelo Anthony, the NBA lost one of its true characters last week with the sad passing of Wayman Tisdale from cancer at the age of only 44.

Tisdale was one of few people who can honestly claim to have reached the top of two professions, combining a leading career in the NBA and an Olympic gold medal with being one of the leading bass players of his generation.

Tisdale was a great hoopster from his high school days, going on to become an All-American at the University of Oklahoma and then a gold medal winner at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles alongside Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing.

One of the most consistent big men of his era, Tisdale went on to a 12-year long career in the NBA having his best season with the Sacramento Kings in 1990 when his partnership with Mitch Richmond was one of the best in the league.

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