Desert News

When Margo Dydek was drafted first overall by the Utah Stazz in the 1998 WNBA Draft, I was living in Salt Lake City. As a result, I spent the next four summers rooting for her and watching her game develop.

At 7’1″, she was monster in the paint, sometimes a foot taller than her opponents. Since the WNBA allowed for zone defenses, she owned the paint, forcing her opponents to depend on their perimeter shooting well before anyone dared to drive on her inside.

Still, if given the choice, she loved to shoot the ball, usually stepping out to the three point line and nailing it.

She was loved in Salt Lake City. She was a media darling and a role model for her fans.

The Utah Starzz never amounted to much in the WNBA. Their best season was 2002. They finished 3rd in the West but battled to the Conference Final before losing to Los Angeles.

The Starzz were relocated to San Antonio the following year, and Dydek continued on until 2008, retiring as a Los Angeles Spark. When everything was said and done, Dydek led the WNBA in blocks and blocks/game in 8+ seasons, led the league in defensive rebounds in 2001 and owns the record for most blocks in a career (877 blocks in 323 games, or 2.71 a game).

On May 11th, pregnant with her third child, Dydek suffered a heart attack and was placed in a medically induced coma. She never regained consciousness, passing away yesterday. Her child also died.

Here are some links if you’d like to learn more about her:

• NPR provides a look at Dydek’s life
• ESPN illustrates Dydek’s on-court personality
• The Deseret News (Salt Lake City) remembers her fondly

Kobe is the Smoke Monster has it’s first iPhone app, built thanks to Jason Losdgon. The 2011 Playoff Primer is for everyone who enjoys the game, but hasn’t stayed up to speed with the latest on this year’s Playoffs teams and who’s who on those teams. This guide will help you quickly learn the backstory on more than 50 of the players in the playoffs, along with notes on what to look for as you watch them play.

Check it out here, and if you like it, do me a favor and give it a positive review.

Thanks!

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Image via Wikipedia

According to the Detroit Free Press, Dennis Rodman has been elected to the NBA Hall of Fame. The official announcement is expected at some point during Final Four weekend (i.e. the next 48 hours).

The Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will take place Aug 11-13th.

Rodman just concluded the ceremony to retire his number 10 to the pantheon of Piston greats.

During his press conference prior to the ceremony, Rodman broke down in tears.

“I just loved playing the basketball game and I just loved the people that gave us so much energy,” Rodman said. “It wasn’t about Dennis Rodman or Isiah Thomas or Joe Dumars, it was a whole group.”

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In honor of all things Rodman, here’s a link to a article I posted a month ago on Saving the Skyhook debating Rodman’s Hall of Fame merits.

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• Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and center Joakim Noah support Dennis Rodman’s bid for Hall of Fame (sports.espn.go.com)

My thoughts on Saving the Skyhook.

Utah Jazz: Anatomy of a Collapse.

Robertson will present the award to Fredette on Friday, April 1st in Houston, as part of the Final Four festivities.

UPDATE: It was also announced today that Fredette was the leading vote getter (64 of 65 first team votes) to be among this year’s NCAA All-American First Team. Based on that vote tota, methinks the AP Player of the Year is coming next…

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What’s Notable

Knicks Keep Losing, Don’t Lose Ground

The bad news is that the New York Knicks have now lost their last six games (dating back to March 17th). The good news, I suppose, is that in that time, they have yet to be knocked from their slot in the playoffs. Such is life in the Eastern Conference, I suppose, wherein the Knicks and Pacers both look to be playoff bound despite having records below .500.

Still Scrambling Out West

Technically speaking, there are still three teams in the Western Conference who can make a run at Memphis in that 8th seed (Rockets, Suns, Jazz). However, only Houston looks to actually be making a play for it, and even then, their playoff hopes were seriously challenged last night as Miami handed them a critical loss.

Utah, meanwhile, appears to still be in a free fall, having lost their last five, seven of their last ten, fifteen of their last twenty (i.e. since Sloan left), and 25 of their last 34 (i.e. when things started going south).

Which Non-Playoff Teams Can Make a Run?

Of all the teams currently on the board, it seems like Charlotte is a candidate to slip in there at the end and grab that spot from Indiana. I still say Houston can get hot and challenge Memphis, but time is starting to run out.

Who Comes Out of the West?

Since last week, the Lakers have extended their win streak to seven, while the Spurs have now lost three in a row, so I have to tip the balance of power back to the Lakers, again. As I pointed out in pre-season, the West belongs to the Lakers until someone takes it from them.

In other news, the Thunder are looking awfully strong.

Who Comes Out of the East?

It still seems like Boston has yet to hit it’s end of season groove, having gone 5-5 in their last 10, while Chicago has gone 9-1 in their last 10. Based on that, it sure looks like Chicago may have the edge heading into the playoffs, but it’s probably important to remember that the Celtics lost 7 of their last 10 games last year, and that didn’t seem to affect their drive to the Finals.

So then your Finals Prediction Is?

Based solely on how teams are playing right now, I say we’re looking at a Game 7 showdown between Chicago and Los Angeles, with Chicago getting the win thanks to home court (though, keep in mind that currently Chicago is 53-19 while Los Angeles is 53-20). That said, I still see Oklahoma City, Boston and yes, Miami as the most likely playoff X-factors at this stage.

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