Quote Of The Week: Larry Johnson

Former UNLV great Larry Johnson has expressed an interest in the vacant coaching job at his alma mater. His comments about it were kinda comical if you ask me.

"I'm definitely a scientist in this. It wouldn't be no problem at all. You recruit and get some good people around you.", when describing his qualifications for the job. I don't think he'll be seriously considered but it would be interesting to see how it would turn out. I never thought that Johnson would call himself a scientist at anything.

The "General" Has Vegas On His Mind; LJ Also Wants The Vegas Job

While the UNLV Rebels search for a coach there are candidates that are rumored to be interested in the job. Former Rebel Reggie Theus and BYU assistant Dave Rice are the leading candidates.

They might have company. A report in the Detroit News is saying Bob Knight is interested in the UNLV job. This is a key hire for the Rebels to sustain momentum to get back to the heights they were at when Jerry Tarkanian was coach. Knight and UNLV would be an odd mix, but he did make it work at Texas Tech.

Another person that is showing interest is former Rebel Larry Johnson Arguably the greatest player in Rebels history, has said that he would love to take on the job. He discussed the idea with Tarkanian and started doing some self promotion.

"I would love to do it," Johnson said. "This situation is just like ideal. It's close to my heart. If they hire me, we would get back to being the Runnin' Rebels."

"I've turned down several assistant jobs in the NBA that I just didn't feel good about. I would love it at UNLV."

He also mentioned that former teammate Stacey Augmon would come on board as an assistant.

"He's willing to jump at the opportunity," Johnson said, "but he didn't have much faith in what's going on there.

"We can put butts in the seats and we definitely can recruit. There's no growing pains I would have to go through, and if I have the right cast around me, I believe I can do it. And I really believe the city would be behind me."

There are questions about the lack of experience Johnson has coaching but he believes he could get the job done if given the right staff. That remains to be seen. I think Rice will end up being the next coach of the Rebels. They need a coach not someone who has a name and will fill seats.

Using The Eugene Robinson Handbook

Southern University athletic director Greg LaFluer didn't learn from Eugene Robinson's mistakes. Instead he used his handbook om how to get arrested for soliciting a prostitute.

LaFleur was busted in a reverse prostitution sting by undercover officers Sunday night in Houston. The ironic thing was that he was there looking for candidates to be the school's head basketball coach. I know all this is under investigation, but Southern may be looking for someone to fill LaFleur's job if this charge holds up.

LaFluer is free on bond right now, and I'm sure he won't do any real time. But possible job loss and the embarassment of having this go public is bad enough.

LaFleur has been Southern's athletic director for six years. The Ville Platte, La., native and former LSU star tight end and receiver played with the Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts in the NFL. He's also the father of Gonzaga center Robert Sacre.

I'm sure Sacre will hear it when he goes on the road next season.

Michael Jackson Statue Unveiled Outside Of Soccer Stadium

I don't profess to know anything about soccer and I never will, but this story caught my eye.

Fulham of the English Premier League has unveiled a statue of Michael Jackson outside of their stadium. Owner Mohamed Al Fayed was reportedly a close friend of Jackson's. He unveiled the statue outside Craven Cottage to jeers from the home fans. He also told those same fans that they can "go to hell" if they didn't like it.


"Why is it bizarre?" Al Fayed asked reporters after the unveiling. "Football fans will love it. If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift that this guy gave to the world, they can just go to hell."

"I don't want them to be fans if they don't understand, and believe the things which I believe in… they can go and support Chelsea or somewhere else," he said

Spoken like a true owner. Al Fayed said that Jackson loved Fulham and that he wanted to honor Jackson's memory and talent.

I never knew Jackson liked soccer, but he was a bit of an eccentric.

Source: New York Daily News













 

Pat Riley Thinking Hard About Signing Eddy Curry

A Yahoo Sports story is saying that the Miami Heat are seriously considering signing big man Eddy Curry. The same Eddy Curry that hasn't played for nearly two years.

Pat Riley went to see Curry in a workout in Chicago recently and plans to bring him to Miami for another workout. The Heat are hoping he can be somewhat of a low post presence for the playoff run. I say fat chance, and I mean that in a literal sense. Curry still weighs in at a robust 350 pounds and I don't see him whipping himself imto shape to be any kind of help to the Heat.

The Heat seem desperate since they don't have much depth. They're thin on the front line and playing Chris Boshn at center and LeBron James at power forward isn't gonna get it done in the playoffs against the East's elite. They recently signed defensive liability Mike Bibby for backcourt help and now this.

A league source said this signing is a "better than a 50-50 chance" probability. Good luck with that one. If this were about three years ago I might say it's a good deal, I just don't see Curry offering much help.    

Excessive Fandom

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the defending world champion San Francisco Giants in their season opener yesterday. That's all good and dandy. It just wasn't enough for a few Dodgers fans.

Dodger fans and Los Angeles fans in general have a rap about being too laid back. If I'm wrong about this let me no, since I'm not a native in your city. A pair of Dodgers fans laid a critical beatdown on a fan wearing Giants gear in the Dodger Stadium parking lot.

"The man suffered a serious head injury during the assault after the game,'' said Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Sanford Rosenberg. (LA Times ).

Rosenberg said the victim was one of three Giants fans attacked in the parking lot around the end of the game by two unidentified men wearing Dodgers clothing.

Police are trying to get any witnesses to come forward since there was a pretty large group and the attack happened when everyone was coming out. Hopefully someone will come forward and identify the people that did this crime.

It's fine to talk trash to one another while supporting your team, but keep it non violent. Let's hope the perpetrators of this sad and cowardly act are brought to justice. There's no place for this junk in being a fan of professional sports -- which are supposed to be fun.




  

Lon Kruger Is Oklahoma Bound Depending On Who You Ask

Various reports are saying that Oklahoma will name UNLV's Lon Kruger as its men's basketball coach. Oklahoma says they will hold off on the announcement until the players at UNLV are informed. Kruger has told CBSSports.com that  he hasn't seen the report.

Say anything to soften the blow. Kruger said he was staying at UNLV as recent as yesterday and now it's looking like he has a change of heart. It's known that coaches will always do that. Say one thing and do another. It's in their DNA. As far as Kruger goes he's becoming another version of Larry Brown. He can't ever get comfortable in one place. He's not a bad guy, just a rolling stone.

This is a good hire for Oklahoma and a big loss for UNLV. He's won everywhere he's been, except the NBA. There's never been a hint of scandal anywhere he's been and he is a class guy. He should have the Sooners back to respectability in a few years.

UNLV might have to turn to a former Rebel to take over (Dave Rice, Reggie Theus). This is going to be a key hire for the program. They've built up some momentum after being irrelevant since the mid 90s. They need someone to keep the ball rolling, not a big name seat filler.