Tom Talks

Trevin Parks meets the Charlotte Bobcats

   I like the underdogs. I like the little guys. Trevin Parks is an underdog and a little guy. He is listed at 5-11. He's not. Pre-draft tryouts might be as close to the NBA as he gets.

     But if you watched Parks play at Johnson C. Smith, and before that for a season at Charlotte, and before that at Hickory High, you remember him.

    Parks is a leader and a ballhandler and a long-range shooter. He averaged 25 points and 4.1 assists last season for the Golden Bulls. They were his team. 

      A week and a half ago the Charlotte Bobcats called his agent and Parks was thrilled. He reported to Charlotte's pre-draft workout Wednesday and will fly to New York tonight and work out for Brooklyn Thursday.

        He worked primarily against Middle Tennessee State guard Marcos Knight Wednesday. Knight is a 6-2 first-team All-Sunbelt Conference guard.

         Knight often used his superior size and bulk to post up Parks. But Parks also had moments, utilizing his quickness and range to hit a three and draw a foul.

       Players shot at the end of practice and Parks, working primarily outside the three-point line, hit 12 staight jumpers. I looked at new Bobcats coach Steve Clifford. He was watching players shoot at the other end of the court.

       "Hey, coach!" I wanted to yell. "Look down here!"

      Then Clifford looked at Parks.

      Parks missed three straight.

       "Hey, coach!" I wanted to yell. "Parks hit 12 straight! I have witnesses!"

        Feeding Parks the ball was Indiana center, and lottery choice, Cody Zeller.

       Watching were Rod Higgins, Rich Cho and Patrick Ewing.

        This was a thrill for Parks, he acknowledged, playing in front of the Bobcats and playing 1.9 miles from the Smith campus.

        He lingered on the court, shaking hands with the team's executives and coaches. He was the last player from the first group to leave.

 

Heat-Spurs turn in a thrilling game six, and give us one more

   Swung by the coffee shop about 7:15 a.m. Lots of bloodshot eyes, lots of customers trying to take their caffeine intravenously. They stayed up for the same reason I did.

     Unless fatigue snuck up and claimed you, no way could you turn off Miami's 103-100 overtime victory against San Antonio Tuesday night.

      I picked Miami and pulled for Miami. But the Spurs are not a team you can dislike. They play with style and poise and grace.

     They had this one. Miami was out of it. And then LeBron hit his first three of the evening -- he would finish one of six -- with 20.3 seconds remaining in regulation and Ray Allen hit a tough three from the corner with 5.2 seconds remaining that looked as natural as if he was shooting a layup. And LeBron stuffed Tony Parker at the buzzer.

    LeBron scored 16 in the quarter. And he lost his headband. Because the Heat played so well, he didn't put it back on. When was the last time you saw him on the court without a headband?

    In overtime the Heat again lost their way, much as they had the first three quarters. But whatever they required, they found. Chris Bosh had two compelling late blocks.

     You can manufacture reasons to criticize LeBron if you choose. But he finished with a triple double -- 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. This was his game to win or lose, and he choose the former. He never left the game in the second half or overtime.

     Both teams made mistakes. San Antonio came as close to winning as a team can -- without winning.

      But this wasn't about mistakes. It was about emotion and excitement and tension, incredible tension, and plays that made you jump and shout.

      I have no idea what happens in game seven. I don't even want to think about game seven. I want to enjoy game six.

      This was a classic, a victory not only for the Heat but for basketball and the NBA.

Too much (Stephen) Curry? I disagree

    Stephen Curry played in and helped put on the Curry Celebrity Classic Monday, a golf tournament that benefits the Ada Jenkins Center. I wanted to go. But I wrote about Stephen and golf a couple weeks ago.

     Whenever I write about Stephen, I get two reactions. The first is: Great guy, great player. The second is: You're writing about Curry again?

     I'm biased. I feel as if I know three Currys -- Stephen, his father Dell and Dell's sister Jackie. I've interviewed Dell's son, Stephen's brother and Jackie's nephew Seth. But I don't know him. He is the least talkative of the Currys.

     I like all Currys, and I like writing about them. Every city has first family of a specific sport, and the Currys are Charlotte's first family of basketball.

      They have something to say -- Seth in fewer words -- and they say it well. And there's no pretension.

     I don't mind the Curry overkill backlash. I'd rather be criticized by readers than not be read.

     But going to the golf tournament Monday felt like too much.

     Besides, I plan to write about Seth before the NBA draft.

 

 

San Antonio's Boris Diaw is the Glove XXXL

 

  Paul Silas, the former Charlotte Bobcats coach who worked so hard as a player, once told me that if he had Boris Diaw's talent he'd be in the Hall of Fame.

     Diaw (shown on the right in the photo), who played for Silas in Charlotte, offers slick inside moves, handles the ball, shoots all right and is an outstanding passer. When he plays hard, he can be outstanding. But he isn't driven the way some people are.

      Diaw, however, added a quality to his game against Miami Sunday. He became a shutdown defender. He was often matched against LeBron James. According to ESPN, Diaw held james to one field goal in nine field goal attempts. LeBron was one of eight.

        I never understood Diaw but I like him. He was always gracious and courteous, and his game evolved.

      He was a high-flyer when he came to the NBA from France. He doesn't fly anymore. He looks more like a 6-8 nose tackle than a nimble forward. But he provides a nice alternative for the Spurs.

     And, unlike fellow former Bobcat and Spur Stephen Jackson, he doesn't complain about the absence of playing time.

      I picked Miami before the NBA Finals and I'll stick with the Heat. As is their custom, the Heat probably will come out roaring after their loss and push the series to game seven in Miami.

     But San Antonio's poise is remarkable, as is their ability to surprise. Manu Ginobili has looked like a guy who used to be good. Then, for the first time all season, he started Sunday. And for the first time since 2008, he scored 24 points and added 10 assists.

      For perspective, In 2008 LeBron James played for Cleveland.

      Can Miami really overcome Ginobili, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard and Shutdown Boris Diaw in consecutive games?

       Yes.

Jerry Richardson's $10 million donation to Charlotte 49ers a classy move

   Classy move by Panther owner Jerry Richardson donating $10 million to the Charlotte 49ers for their football stadium.

    He knows he'll be criticized by people who think he should have spent the money on elevators and enhanced suites at Bank of America Stadium.

     He knows those people see the public money Charlotte offered as a gift and not an investment.

     He knows a lot of people wake up looking for a reason to be angry and he provided one.

     He, unfortnately worries what people think of him.

      Yet Richardson did the honorable thing anyway.

      It's fitting -- the sometimes maligned owner joining with the often ignored school.

 

 

 

Welcome back Tim Tebow

   Happy to see Tim Tebow get another shot at the NFL. New England didn't sign him to attract attention, or to show up the New York Jets, who allowed Tebow to dangle as a distraction last season before tehy jettisoned him.

    I have no idea if Tebow is an NFL quarterback. I don't know if he's a reliable backup or somebody a team brings in as a chance of pace.

    I respect Tebow much more than I respect his game. Met him through a mutal friend in Florida, and Tebow was gracious and unpretentious and curious and really big.

     The overt religious acts, which are part of who he is, are neither a big deal nor offensive.

      So welcome back to the NFL, Tim. Whether it works or not, you'll get your chance, and Rex Ryan won't be involved.

       What New England coach Bill Belichick does better than any other coach is honor his committment to his reserves. If he says, "You'll play in this situation," you'll play in that situation, regardless of how close the score is.

      If Belichick tells Tebow he'll get a chance, Tebow will get a chance.

      For what more can Tebow ask?

 

 

20-year-old UNC star P.J. Hairston charged with possession of pot. Oh, no.

    If I were a major college basketball coach, and one of my players was charged with possession of marijuana and driving without a license, this is what I'd do:

     Talk to him.

       I'd tell him that because he's a star he'll be scrutinized more heavily than other students. I'd remind him he'll also have opportunities those students lack. I'd advise him to be more careful.

       If I wanted to show him I was tough maybe I'd make him run some steps.

       But I wouldn't suspend him. I wouldn't overreact.

        Hairston won't turn 21 until December. How many of you were once 20-years-old? (Not all of you, I'm convinced.) How many of you were away at school, or with your buddies in your own apartment? Remember the stuff you did?

        This is not a big deal and would not be a big deal if Hairston played for N.C. State, Duke, Wake Forest, Charlotte or Davidson.

          It was just a kid who happens to play big-time basketball being a kid.

 

 

 

 

 

Armanti Edwards makes catch of the day at Carolina Panther practice

     Armanti Edwards lined up with the first team offense late at Carolina's final OTA late Thursday morning. He ran a go route down the left side. Checking him was cornerback Josh Norman.

      The defense was in a cover two and the safety went inside. So it was just Edwards and Norman. Cam Newton lofted the ball high and Edwards leaped, snatched the ball out of the air and held on when he hit the ground.

       Many fans don't expect Edwards to make the team. They didn't expect him to make it last season. Competition was added this offseason when the Panthers signed return man/receiver Ted Ginn Jr. in March and receiver Dominik Hixon in April.

        How did Edwards react to the signings?

         He says Carolina added more talent. He says the Panthers have added receivers every season he's been with the team.

          How he does he react to the criticism?

          Edwards says he doesn't hear it. He doesn't read the newspaper.             

 

 

LeBron and the Miami Heat in six

     Everybody says the same thing about the Miami-San Antonio series.

     They respect the Spurs. They love Duncan's versatility and Tony Parker's ability to run the team. Manu Ginobili is smart and effective and always where he's supposed to be. The bench is deep and the coaching is fantastic.

      Then they pick Miami to win.

      I wish I could disagree. But I can't pick against LeBron and the fellows. I think Dwayne Wade or Chris Bosh will have good games and one of them will have a good series. I think Ray Allen or Shane Battier or Mike Miller will get hot outside.

       As good as LeBron has been in the playoffs, I think he'll be better.

        This is his time. He'll continue to work outside, inside, play superb defense and rebound, and he'll get teammates the ball where they want it when they want it.

          Both teams are selfless.

           If kids are looking for players or teams  to model their games after, this is a fine place to start.

          Miami in six.

 

 

Bobcats draft: Oladipo, McLemore or Len.

   I wrote the night of the lottery that a player the Charlotte Bobcats should consider with the No. 4 pick is Maryland's 7-1 Alex Len. The Bobcats don't have a real center, or didn't last season. Bismack Biyombo, who believe it or not is improving, is a power forward. Brendon Haywood was, at least under previous coach Mike Dunlap, on the end of the bench and out of the rotation.

     But: Either Ben McLemore or Victor Oladipo should be available when the Bobcats choose. They're both shooting guards, they're both athletes and Oladipo is as versatile as any player in the draft.

      I'd love to be one of those columnists who always knows the one true way, but I don't, at least I don't know. But I don't have to. The draft isn't until June 27.

       XXX

       I love our newspaper's new policy: No more anonymity. That's the idea, anyway. From now, readers have to sign their message board posts.

       I get some nasty email. Everybody who has a job that's remotely public does. There are a lot of people who wake up angry, and the majority of them lack names.

        I answer almost every signed email I receive, although if you send five a day, I can't promise I'll answer them all.

       When I receive an email that's not signed, however,  take neither it, nor it's author, seriously.

        If you lack the courage to sign your name, how important can your message be?

        XXX

        The Atlanta Hawks sent letters to potential ticket buyers that at least implied Chris Paul and Dwight Howard would play for the team next season.

         The letter wasn't totally inaccurate. Paul and Howard will play in Atlanta next season. They'll play there on road trips.