Rumeal Robinson losing part of his NBA pension

After being convicted in 2010 for wire fraud among other crimes, former NBA player and Michigan Wolverine star, Rumeal Robinson, stands to lose nearly $369,000 from his NBA pension fund to cover restitution for some shady business dealings.


The Des Moines Register reports federal prosecutors had filed papers to tap Robinson's NBA pension account and were granted permission this week.


The former University of Michigan player was convicted in September 2010 of participating in a scheme along with a bank officer to defraud the Community State Bank in Ankeny of more than $1.1 million.


Robinson's serving a 78-month sentence for wire fraud and other crimes.


Court documents say Robinson will have enough left in his pension account to fund a monthly annuity estimated amount at $140.


I can't say I feel sorry for the guy since he had an opportunity to do something that most of us never will do and that's get paid a handsome amount of money to play NBA basketball. Even if it didn't work out too well for him he still had a Michigan education to fall back on. To use that knowledge for criminal activities is unspeakable. I really have no words for it. I really hope he doesn't go broke, but you can't say it wasn't well deserved.  

Jalen Rose wants the banners back up in 2013

The Ed martin scandal kept a black cloud over the Michigan basketball program for over a decade. That cloud is now finally being lifted and Michigan basketball is relevant once again.

The violations from the Fab Five era and a handful of others resulted in probation and shame. The administration took down the Final Four banners, a Big Ten tournament banner and vacated wins from those years. The university also disassociated itself from players involved in the scandal, mainly Chris Webber, the late Robert Traylor, Maurice Taylor, and Louis Bullock among others until 2013.

Jalen Rose played on the Fab Five teams and is now an analyst for ESPN. Rose was a commentator for the Illinois-Michigan game tonight and had some things to say about the immediate future regarding the Michigan program. He wants to see those banners back up.

“Of course, I’m a Michigan fan. I’m an alumnus, I have an endowment at the University,” he said tonight before broadcasting the Michigan-Illinois game at Assembly Hall. “I bleed maize and blue. I want our banners back up in January 2013. Of course I do.”



Looking up at the large ring of honor at Assembly Hall and seeing dozens of banners for a program with less history than U-M got him going.


“Look around this arena, see how they appreciate their players, what they brought to the table,” he said. “Ninety percent of those guys, you don’t even know who they are. That’s an appreciation they show their players. Michigan has retired (five) jerseys in their lifetime, been to six Final Fours and I was playing in two of them.”


“I hope so, I think so, I have a lot of faith,” he said. “I really like Mary Sue Coleman, the president and obviously Dave Brandon, the AD.”


Rose can keep hoping because I think the current administration won't want to bring up the past. I would like to see the banners restored, but I just don't think that'll happen. They'll probably stay locked up in the basement of the library.

Former Michigan Coach Bill Frieder Fitting In With A New Crowd

Even though Bill Frieder had success coaching college basketball ( he led Michigan and Arizona State to six NCAA tournaments and was a monster recruiter), he'll always be known for ditching the Wolverines for Arizona State on the eve of the 1989 tournament. I have my own thoughts about Frieder but that's another topic for another day. 

Frieder has stayed around the game since retiring doing color commentary on NCAA games for Westwood One radio. Nowdays, Frieder has a new gig. He helps the Maloof brothers, Joe and Gavin, the owners of the Sacramento Kings, run the Maloof Money Cup, a skatebording contest with four different events, the first being held in New York City and a total prize potentially paying more than $2 million.

Now Frieder doesn't commentate or pick the skaters. He handles the money, makes sure things run smoothly during the contests, and with the Maloofs and general manager Tim McFerran - a former hoops player at Willamette University - helps make business decisions, including on expanding the contests domestically and internationally.

The surprise is that Frieder seems to be a big hit with the skating community and Frieder likes being involved with the event.

Frieder has become friends with many of the skaters who live in the San Diego area, including Pierre-Luc Gagnon, a two-time winner of the Maloof Money Cup Orange County vert title, and Jake Brown, who is best known for his spectacular 40-foot fall during the 2007 X Games.


"When I got into this I knew who Jake Brown was because I saw his fall on ESPN," Frieder said. "I knew who Sheckler was. We had a Ryan Sheckler night our first year up at Sacramento. There was a line all the way around the arena and out the door to get his autograph. It was incredible."

The skaters also seemed to have some kind of special kinship with the old coach.

"Bill Frieder's an amazing guy," Brown said. "He comes from a history of sports, with basketball and stuff, and he's just a great all-around dude."

"He knows sports," said Maloof, who's been a game-changer in pro skateboarding. "Frieder's been around sports his whole life. He understands young people, athletes. The people 40-70 know who he is, but it's the young people that are attracted to Frieder. He just knows how to relate to young people, like he did his whole career, like recruiting basketball players. Skaters trust him."

It's kind of strange that Frieder would be involved in skateboarding with all the young athletes involved, since he never went back into coaching. But he's played the stock market and poker, so anything isn't out of the ordinary for Frieder. 



 

Coach K Blasts Rose, Michigan

Let me preface my comments with this...Mike Krzyzewski is a snobbish, self-serving, condescending, self-righteous, egomaniacal, little troll. His holier than thou Duke attitude smells of jealousy and smarminess because he feels that nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, should be talking about any other university but Duke when it comes to college basketball. And it almost seems as if he feels that Duke is THE basketball university in the NCAA and that nobody should look at his recruiting under the microscope while Jalen Rose suggests that Krzyzewski discriminates against inner city kids. It's funny to me that Krzyzewski, who's from Chicago which is an inner city full of basketball talent, cannot find players from his own backyard that he can recruit successfully, even missing the boat on potential NBA MVP Derrick Rose, now of the Chicago Bulls, and Juwan Howard, both from Krzyzewski's hometown. Krzyzewski even goes so far to claim that Duke recruited Chris Webber, well I don't hear Chris Webber coming out and backing that claim, nor do I see Krzyzewski pulling out anything showing the proof of recruitment to Chris Webber that he so "frankly" claims. What I do hear is the troll, aka Coach K, babbling out of the side of his mouth with his whiny voice and talking down the basketball program at the University of Michigan and the Fab Five's legacy. Regardless of their inability to finish an NCAA tournament on top to close out their college careers and with the timeout that never was in 1993...sorry Chris Webber, the Fab Five's impact on the young and old college basketball fans of all races (not just African American), is a part of history that may never repeat itself. Talent like that can't be harvested all at once in one school so we have to appreciate it when we can, no matter the result of it.


In closing, I would like to express my sheer delight in seeing Duke get their collective asses handed to them by Arizona, thank you Wildcats! Suck on that bit of history "Coach K"!

Krzyzewski had some comments regarding Rose's comments about Duke when he was an impressionable youngster in high school. More about the "Uncle Tom" comments than anything. To me this is nothing more than piling on. Personally I'm tired of hearing of it. What do you think Kentucky players were privately thinking before they played Texas Western back in 1965. Do you think they still harbor those same feelings? I don't think so. Rose admitted that he said it and that's how he thought back in 1992, when he was 18. Just because he was young doesn't make it right, but I understand.

Here's what the mighty Coach K had to say about Rose and Michigan.

"We were very successful against them and, to be quite frank with you, we recruited Chris Webber," he said. "I didn't recruit Jalen Rose because we had Grant Hill and I'm happy with that. We didn't look at the other, Juwan Howard [because] we knew he wasn't going to come to Duke. The other two kids we didn't think were the caliber that could play as well as Thomas Hill and Brian Davis and Billy McCaffery. They're good kids. They were good kids."



"They had a heck of a run but, they didn't leave anything, they didn't establish anything there," Krzyzewski said. "The guys that I had established something that Jay Williams continued to do 10 years later -- the standards of what it meant to be a Duke basketball player."

What was said there pretty much validates what Rose was saying and how he felt. At this point it's just piling on. Where was Krzyzewski when the documentary first came out? He waits until his squad gets eliminated then he comes out and says something. How macho is that?

Of course I don't think anyone that reads this to agree with what I said here, but it's done and over and it's time to put this subject to rest.
     

Jalen Rose Arrested For DUI

Jalen Rose has been under attack ever since the 'Fab Five' documentary came out, but that's another subject for another day. Now he has to fight a DUI charge from earlier this month.

Rose was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of drunken driving. Law enforcement sources say the 38-year-old former NBA star was driving along an icy roadway on March 11 when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed.


West Bloomfield Township Police Lt. Tim Diamond said Tuesday that Rose was arrested around 2 a.m. March 11. He's accused of operating a vehicle while impaired.

Not the kind of publicity that Rose was looking for.
Mug shot courtesy of tmz.com

Rose Aims To Smooth Things Over With Hill

Jalen Rose said he wants to give Grant Hill a hug, talk things over and continue a good relationship with the former Duke star. Rose also said the media and the public sensationalized him calling Hill "an Uncle Tom" during the ESPN Fab Five documentary he produced.

In the detnews.com article, Rose said that people made too much of the controversial comment.


"Please stress I was discussing what I said or thought as a high school recruit," Rose said. "People say that I am a racist. Well the last time I checked I am black and he (Hill) was black. If anything, it was a social economic issue. I was an urban youth and I said I was jealous of that. I was motivated by that.


"Now at the point I am in life, I want that for my family. The way his family raised him is the way I am trying to raise my kids. So for people to fast forward saying that what I believed as a kid is the same I believe as an adult is ignorant."


This may sound biased, but you can't say this is how a man feels twenty years down the road. True, Rose had some disparaging things to say back then. Key words "back then". Stop jumping down this man's throat for something he felt as a youth. I'm sure there are many of us in white and black America who may have thought ill of someone you thought was "trying to be black" or "acting white". It still goes on today.

What he said wasn't right but at least he had the guts to say it where others keep their feelings in the closet.


Would Duke have gone after Rose, a top-10 player, if he had the perfect background? Yes. Would Hill have been on Duke's list if he came from Rose's background? No, and therein lies Rose's point. Class and race play a factor in whom Duke chooses to recruit.

Wolverines Making A Run

Not much was expected from the Michigan Wolverines basketball team this year. You really couldn't blame the so-called experts. They were coming off a dud of a season in which they were picked to go to the NCAA tournament and didn't make any kind of postseason. They lost their top two scorers in Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims and the help coming in was young.

Well the youngsters have grown up pretty fast. The Wolverines outlasted Indiana yesterday 73-69 to improve to 16-10 and 6-7 in the Big Ten. They were led by Tim Hardaway Jr.'s 26 points in another solid effort by the freshman. They've won 5 of their last 6 and have played well on both ends of the court. If they just could hit some late game free throws to ice games they'd be all set. I won't knock them on it though since they've been winning.

The team seems to have bought into coach John Beilein's system and they're having different players step up. Whether it's Zack Novak bombing away from three or Jordan Morgan picking up dirty work points inside, things seem to be working out in Ann Arbor. A big reason is the play of point guardDarius Morris. He looked lost at times as a freshman last year, but he's really kicked it up a notch. There are a few things he needs to work on, but he should be at least second team all Big Ten. If it wasn't for Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, Hardaway might be the conference freshman of the year.

The Wolverines have made a nice run to put themselves in the mix for an NCAA tournament bid, but face a steep climb if they want to get there. They have games against Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan State remaining. If they can somehow win three of those games and get a win or two in the Big Ten tournament, they might get in. Otherwise they still have some work to do.

The future appears to be bright for the Wolverines after some dark days and near misses. Hopefully for the Michigan faithful they can keep the momentum going in the right direction.

Young Wolverines Take It On The Chin

The youth and inexperience of the Michigan Wolverines reared it's ugly head in an 80-57 loss to Purdue in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

For starters, point guard and leading scorer Darius Morris was held out of the starting lineup for "disregarding some of the core values" according to coach John Beilein. You know, same as conduct detrimental to the team. Well, Morris wound up playing 32 minutes and shot 3-14 for 9 points. Michigan shot 38 percent as a team and had 14 turnovers.

Purdeur jumped out to a 19-3 lead, which Michigan did recover from only to have the Boilermakers get it together and take a four point lead at the half. The second half was all Purdue as this game turned into a route.

I've watched a lot of college basketball and there's a chance Michigan could learn from this and get better. Of course the jury is still out on that. They're young and will take their lumps, but if my memory serves me right the 1985 team lost 87-62 to Indiana in their Big Ten opener and ended up winning the conference. I'm not saying they'll be that good, and call it trying to find a silver lining. They've shown potential and there's still a lot of basketball to be played, so don't throw in the towel on the young Wolverines just yet.

Wolverines Notch Good Road Win

After two tough early season losses, the Michigan Wolverines went on the road and beat a pretty good Clemson team 69-61. The game was reminiscent of the NCAA tournament game they played two years ago. Michigan jumped on them early and withstood a second half Clemson surge to get an eight point win in their first true road game of the season.

Freshman Evan Smotrycz and Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Wolverines with 18 and 15 points respectively. Smotrycz also chipped in with six rebounds. Jordan Morgan had eight points and six rebounds, but six of those points came when Clemson mounted a serious charge.

This was the first win for the Wolverines after four straight losses in the Big Ten/ACC challenge. This was a game I had expected them to lose and a game that last year they probably would've lost. Hopefully they can build some momentum off this win and put together a solid season. No one expects them to challenge the upper echelon of the Big Ten, but they also shouldn't be a bottom feeder.

Maybe This Michigan Team Can Be Better

In a year in which  the Michigan basketball team relied on two players to get by, the loss of Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims may be addition by subtraction. This year's edition of young Wolverines could be better than last year's.

Don't get these words twisted. I still don't know what to make of them right now. After seeing them in three blowout wins and a hard fought loss to Syracuse, they look more like a team than they did last year. With Harris and Sims, they looked disjointed and waited around for something to happen. Now it looks like anyone can be looked to as a go to guy. As the season goes on I suspect that guy might be Tim Hardaway Jr. The jury is still out, but I like how Jordan Morgan is playing right now. He gives the Wolverines a rugged inside presence they've been missing the past few seasons. I think he could've been a help last year. Point guard Darius Morris looks a lot more comfortable after struggling in his freshman year. If the shooters can come through (this means you Douglass, Novak, and Vogrich), Michigan could be a dangerous opponent to go against this year. The only problem I have is when they keep jacking up threes when they could go for a higher percentage shot (layups). I know Beilein doesn't mind his players taking the shots, I just see that this team passes on a lot of layups to take a three.

A Few Key Moments That Caused Michigan Basketball To Slip

It slipped by me that college basketball has actually started. With the NBA starting and the NFL in full swing it's been kind of hard to keep up. Not to mention family obligations.

I have been thinking of the rut that Michigan basketball has been in since the Ed Martin scandal exploded. The program obviously hasn't been the same since. It just wasn't the Martin scandal that kept it down. There's been the ascension of Michigan State as the top dog here in Michigan and state players going elsewhere. 

I hate to make a story of this, but I will anyway. It all began in February of 1996 when thr infamous rollover accident happened. That opened Pandora's box. Nothing initially came of it, until Robert Traylor was spotted rolling in a tricked out Suburban. That's when the NCAA started sniffing around, which eventually led a trail to Ed Martin. A figure that had been around the program since the 80s. They tied him to coach Steve Fisher and Fisher was canned by Athletic Director Tom Goss shortly after.

In my eyes, as far as basketball waas concerned Goss was the worse thing that happened to the basketball program. Brian Ellerbe was named interim coach and won the first Big Ten Tournament title. With Fisher's players. That earned him the head coaching gig and to me he was in over his head. I hate to be blunt or put anyone down, but Ellerbe had no business being there. Right around that same time Goss came out and said he wanted Michigan to "be the Duke of the north". That was a stretch. That also meant he was turning his back on the lifeblood of Michigan hoops. Detroit and inner city players that the Wolverines were always in on. Two points right there that set the program back. Meanwhile, a lot of those same players that used to consider Michigan headed to East Lansing to play for Michigan State and other schools around the nation.

Right when it seemed everything was about to get back on track it went south again. Ellerbe did bring in a solid recruiting class that featured guards Kevin Gaines and Jamal Crawford and Michigan Mr. Basketball runner-up LaVell Blanchard. This was supposed to get the train rolling again. I remember a game where they gave a Duke team that featured Jay Williams, and I believe Shane Battier among others, all they could handle before falling 102-97. Crawford put on a show for about 27 points and the Wolverines looked to be in good hands. They started 12-3, then the walls caved in on them. Crawford's past with a close family friend was scrutinized and he was essentially suspended for the rest of the season. Fresh off the Martin scandal, Michigan felt they had to do it to avoid the NCAA's mighty hammer. After Ellerbe brought in supposedly talented players (Josh Moore, Avery Queen) and the losses mounted. Soon enough Ellerbe was shown the door.

The Tommy Amaker era started much like the Ellerbe era ended. In year two there was some promise and they finished 17-13. They might have made the NCAA's or the NIT, but they were on probation. Amaker was a good recruiter and brought in some quality players. But it was two recruiting misses that pretty much doomed him. Joe Crawford and Al Horford. These two would've joined Ron Coleman, instead it turned out to be a one man class (Coleman). A lot of people forget this. Horford and Crawford both verbally committed to Michigan. Coleman and Crawford played AAU together and talked about playing college ball together. Crawford and Horford would've greatly helped this team. Instead they both bailed on the Wolverines and joined Kentucky and Florida instead. Considering how Horford's career turned out, you have to think what might have been. About three years later and more NIT appearances than they would've liked Amaker was shown the door.

I have hope for John Beilein, but last year was a major disappointment. Recruiting will be key in the next few years if Michigan ever wants to regain their status as a player on the basketball scene. If he can't get things rolling in Ann Arbor, he might be gone sooner than anyone expects.

Ex-Michigan Hoopsters Report

To whom it may interest, I'm just keeping Michigan basketball fans in the know aboutsome of the recent ex Wolverines trying to make it in the NBA or elsewhere.

DeShawn Sims-Has a spot with the Boston Celtics summer league team. Don't know how well he's doing. Could be NBDL bound and a possible late season call up. Tryingto make it to training camp right now.

Courtney Sims-I hear he might actually earn a spot with the Lakers. He's averaging around 12 and 6 in summer league play. Averaged 18 and 9(I could be wrong) in the NBDL last year. He's spent time with the Pacers and Knicks the past few years. I hope he's toughned up from his Michigan days.

Chris Hunter- I know he played in the NBDL and also earned a call up from the Golden State Warriors. He could possibly earn a spot on the opening night roster.

Manny Harris-He probably faces the steepest climb of them all. He has the ability but probably should've stayed his senior season in college. Currently on the Cleveland Cavaliers summer league roster. He's played only five minutes though, due to a "severe" ankle sprain. Last game he was in street clothes. Not a good sign. Probably suited for overseas duty or the NBDL.  

Michigan's Harris should stay in school

As the experts separate the locks and bubble teams for the NCAA tournament,I decided to take a look at a player whose team won't be in the Big Dance and will have the decision of staying in school or testing the NBA Draft waters.That player would be Michigan junior Manny Harris.
  I'm no advisor or NBA personnel guru,but Harris needs to tune up his game to catch the eyes of NBA honchos.Since his freshman season he has made strides,but still needs to work on a few things to be an NBA player.Harris has the talent and I believe the drive to have a career in the league.He has worked on going to his left and you can tell when you see him in game action.That is something he should've been working on in high school.He can get to the basket and is a decent finisher.His game is better suited to an uptempo style of play,although he has done well in coach John Beilein's system.He has the tools and athleticism to be a good defender,but must learn how to not pick up cheap fouls.Harris also needs to work on that scissor kick jump shot.He has to square up better and not kick his feet out when he shoots.If he can become more consistent with his shot,he can be NBA material.
   I think he has the talent to get there.I just think that if he wants to go after a season in which Michigan was expected to excel and be a top 20 team,it will be a mistake.Only if he somehow puts this team on his back and steals the Big Ten tournament and has a couple of dazzling games once he gets there.I doubt that happens,but that might be the only way he gets high on the radar of NBA execs.If I'm in his shoes,I stay put.Maybe enter my name in the draft,get some workouts and see what the suits say I have to work on and come back for my senior season.Especially since he'll be the main threat on a young Wolverines team that won't be expected to do much.