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Oct. 19, 2005 1) Thanks to Hurricane Katrina, the Hornets, who left Charlotte after the 2001-2002 NBA season for New Orleans, will play all but six of its home games at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City this season. Several cities, including former NBA cities Kansas City and San Diego, offered the Hornets a temporary home, but in the end, the team chose Oklahoma City because of its proximity to Dallas, Houston, Memphis and San Antonio—the cities in which the Hornets’ divisional rivals reside. Hosting the Hornets will be a great opportunity for Oklahoma City. It’s not too far-fetched to believe that it would be considered for a franchise if the NBA decides to expand again or if an existing team wants to move, provided things go well. So when the Hornets tip off their upcoming NBA campaign, with exciting rookie Chris Paul running the point and veterans P.J. Brown and Jamaal Magloire working inside, I won’t just be pulling for them. I’ll be pulling for Oklahoma City, as well. 2) Center Vlade Divac has called it quits after sixteen seasons. The 37-year-old Divac spent most of his career in Los Angeles (with the Lakers) and in Sacramento, and spent two years in Charlotte after the Hornets traded away high-school phenom Kobe Bryant. Back injuries limited his playing time last season. According to CBS SportsLine.com, Divac is one of only three players in NBA history to record at least 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocked shots (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwom being the others). Divac was one of the first European players to have a major impact in the NBA, and that success has opened the doors for others to come here and play. Now, as a liaison and scout for the Lakers, he will report directly to GM Mitch Kupchak on new talent that they may be able to woo from overseas. 3) Guard Allan Houston has also been forced to retire, due to chronic pain in his knees. After spending his first three seasons with the Pistons, Houston moved over to New York as a free agent in 1996. He helped lead the team to the NBA Finals during the strike-shortened 1998-99 season with one of the more memorable shots in history, a running one-hander that eliminated the Miami Heat in the first round. Houston finished his career as one of the league’s all-time three-point shooters, and is fourth all-time among New York Knicks in regular-season scoring. He was also the first Knick to lead the NBA in free-throw percentage, shooting 91.9% during the 2002-03 campaign. Equally impressive are Houston’s off-court contributions in the community, including his work in the classroom, with basketball camps, and hurricane relief. The Sporting News also honored those contributions by naming Houston on of its Good Guys In Sports six straight years. 2) Very little shocks me these days, but the recent sudden death of Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier really got my attention. Here’s a young man, only 28 years old, supposedly at the peak of health and engaged in a profession that a select segment of our population is qualified for, who saw the sunset of his life way too early. It’s sad and it’s frustrating when something like this happens. But it also makes you take stock of what’s most important in life. My heart goes out to the Collier family at this difficult time. My heart also goes out to a franchise that has seen more than its share of problems in recent years. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham has written a number of articles for Useless Knowledge. He works as a business systems analyst. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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