K.C. Jones passes

[colhenrylives]

One of the Bay Area's greatest athletes died this morning, according to media reports. K.C. Jones, a Commerce HS alum (the SF school closed decades ago), was an all-American guard on two USF national title teams in the mid-1950s (those were days without cable-TV, smartphones, national recruiting services, club sports, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) with Bill Russell, then captured a bundle of NBA crowns with the Celtics (again, with Russell). He also coached the Celtics at one point. Jones was a tough, physical guard who excelled in football as well as basketball as a prep. He was so good on the gridiron, he had some interest by the NFL even though USF did not field a football team during his time on the Hilltop. He chose to stick with basketball. It's worth noting that USF started three Black players (Hal Perry, Russell and Jones) during their historic NCAA run. Russell, among others, has offered that the Dons could have started four Blacks (with Gene Brown being the fourth) but did not. He had a good point. Brown played pro hoops in the old ABL for a time. He was a guard/forward who, like Jones, defended and rebounded tenaciously.

 

[lessgo]

What an amazing talent. Imagine he and Sam Jones, two HoFers, backing up Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman got the Celts.

 

[ankleassassin]

12 NBA title rings as player or coach and a gold medal

 

[colhenrylives]

The second USF NCAA title team in 1956 (unbeaten and barely challenged) was the stronger of the two. It included four future pros: Jones, Russell, Brown and 6-8 power forward Mike Farmer. Brown came off the bench. They were loaded with talent, all of it from California and most of that from the Bay Area and NorCal. Forward Carl Boldt was a SoCal guy and terrific in his own right. You can make a strong argument that the 1956 Dons were one of the best NCAA champions ever. Certainly in the top five or so. UCLA's amazing run does skew the equation, though.

 

[lessgo]

I remember hearing the NBA draft was regional back in the day. Does anyone know how Russell and Jones end up in Boston?

 

[colhenrylives]

Boston traded a draft pick (Cliff Hagen was taken) and high-scoring forward Easy Ed McCaully (sp) to St. Louis for the rights to the Hawks'' No.1 draft selection in 1956 and grabbed Russell with that pick. Red Auerbach liked Jones too and made sure he signed him as well with a No.2 selection. The NBA draft in those long-ago days was regional only in the sense that the league allowed special cases (like Wilt Chamberlain to the old Philadelphia Warriors). However, the draft was hit-and-miss too often because of a lack of sound scouting/budgets and a paucity of good film. So you are right in that, by and large, most NBA teams took a lot of local guys they knew and had seen in person. In 1956, there were no NBA teams west of St. Louis so players out west were often ignored unless they had some East Coast exposure or were high scorers and listed accordingly on the national wire services or got some rep in all-American mentions in national magazines or newspapers. There was a standing joke that some NBA GMs drafted right out of the Sporting News. There was almost no TV of any value at all. Teams were also allowed to draft a host of college players, unlike today. Russell, though, was a known national quantity, with USF having played quite a few games in places like Kansas City, Evanston (near Chicago), New Orleans, New York, etc., not to mention the 1956 Olympic Games in Australia. Jones was with him all the way through and he became well-scouted as well. Soph Mike Farmer (a No.1 draft pick of the Knicks two years later) got a lot of exposure in 1956 too.

 

[colhenrylives]

It should be noted that the wily Auerbach worked his Boston draft magic decades later when he hornswoggled the Warriors, trading the No.1 pick in the draft for Robert Parish and a high draft selection that turned out to be Kevin McHale. What did the Warriors receive? They chose Joe Barry Carroll. It was a deal that resonated for many years for both teams _ nicely for the Celtics, poorly for the Warriors.

 

[colhenrylives]

Is there any doubt that it's the personnel people who make the difference in the NBA? The head coach, well, maybe not. It wasn't all that long ago when the owner of the Warriors declared that his front office/ownership group was "light years" ahead of the rest of the association. Now, not so much. And it's the same coach but different personnel. Hello, front office.

 

[ankleassassin]

Is there any doubt that it's the personnel people who make the difference in the NBA? The head coach, well, maybe not so much. It wasn't all that long ago when the owner of the Warriors declared that his front office/ownership group was "light years" ahead of the rest of the association. Now, not so much. And it's the same coach but different personnel. Hello, front office.

i been waiting for this comment.... equal parts of blame go to all... 4 years ago kerr was the greatest coach to ever suit up in a fine italian suit. stephanie was the greatest player to ever lace up sneakers and the front office were some new genuises who drafted the 3 best players ever.... and here we are.. kerr sits there last year and gave up, this year he is at least standing but still taking 30 pieces... stephanie is proving that you gotta do more than shoot 3's to lead a team and the front office has assembled a team that probably wouldnt beat gonzaga or baylor this season.... and to think mark jackson got ran outta town for this.

 

[rwccaptain42]

i been waiting for this comment.... equal parts of blame go to all... 4 years ago kerr was the greatest coach to ever suit up in a fine italian suit. stephanie was the greatest player to ever lace up sneakers and the front office were some new genuises who drafted the 3 best players ever.... and here we are.. kerr sits there last year and gave up, this year he is at least standing but still taking 30 pieces... stephanie is proving that you gotta do more than shoot 3's to lead a team and the front office has assembled a team that probably wouldnt beat gonzaga or baylor this season.... and to think mark jackson got ran outta town for this.

good points but jackson was just not a good nba coach

 

[colhenrylives]

If Jackson was a solid NBA coach, he'd be back on the bench somewhere. He isn't. There's a reason.

 

[ankleassassin]

If Jackson was a solid NBA coach, he'd be back on the bench somewhere. He isn't. There's a reason.

i mean kerr sure is not looking like a good coach either. i know titles get you some clout, but what is a solid coach? he has knowledge, experience and pedigree. my arguement is not more for jackson it is more versus kerr.

 

[ankleassassin]

good points but jackson was just not a good nba coach

just saying. same results and kerr gets a lot of excuses. he has not done anything when he has not had the 3 or 4 best players in the league on 1 team.

 

[colhenrylives]

The question is: Given the hand (roster) Kerr has been dealt (including injuries to key players), what should he and his staff do differently? They can't create talent out of thin air. One thing Kerr surely did when he had great talent, he didn't screw it up. That has to count for something. Greg Popovich in San Antonio is another example. Give him great talent and he wins. Now, with a diminished roster, he does so only on occasion and with only modest impact. One of the reasons Jackson got the boot in Oakland was his reported contentious, unbending personality that apparently pissed off a lot of key people in the organization. Is Kerr a "great" coach? Who knows? But let's put it this way: If he and his staff can somehow wring a playoff berth out of this current flawed roster (assuming the season proceeds as scheduled), you would have to grant that, at the least, he's solid.

 

[ankleassassin]

The question is: Given the hand (roster) Kerr has been dealt (including injuries to key players), what should he and his staff do differently? They can't create talent out of thin air. One thing Kerr surely did when he had great talent, he didn't screw it up. That has to count for something. Greg Popovich in San Antonio is another example. Give him great talent and he wins. Now, with a diminished roster, he does so only on occasion and with only modest impact. One of the reasons Jackson got the boot in Oakland was his reported contentious, unbending personality that apparently pissed off a lot of key people in the organization. Is Kerr a "great" coach? Who knows? But let's put it this way: If he and his staff can somehow wring a playoff berth out of this current flawed roster (assuming the season proceeds as scheduled), you would have to grant that, at the least, he's solid.

i guess i just like poking the bandwagon. you gotta admit, 5 years ago all the sudden everyone was dub nation, been a fan for years, dad had season tickets and had a we believe bumper sticker. kids in des moines and grown men in charlotte popped up on facebook with curry shirts. locals in oakland yelled kerr was unbelievable and phil, pat and red were in danger of losing the crown as the best coach ever.
so now this is season 2 and the warriors have nba talent, several former 1st picks on the team and kerr has not adjusted. they should not be shooting 3's and should be attacking the basket. he should yanked anyone not named curry who shots a 3 after the first pass.
and this just shows how much better klay is than stephanie. and last year showed how turrrrible draymond is.

 

[colhenrylives]

Agree with much of your analysis. Bad shooters taking bad shots early in the shot clock is a huge no-no. That includes the flawed Draymond Green. By the way, the bandwagon syndrome is rife in the easily distracted Bay Area. It's all about "What have you done for me lately?" in these parts. Happy New Year.

 

[colhenrylives]

Hey, Green and Curry had 63 digits between them tonight. Terrific.

 

[ankleassassin]

Hey, Green and Curry had 63 digits between them tonight. Terrific.

i see what you did here.
and add to that oubre and wiggins a combined 2-10 on 3's. please tell them to stop shooting.