Even sadder than watching our BU team get beat by EIU was the experience I had last night....sad like watching Willie Mays late in his career bumbling around like a blind man, errors, couldn't hit, and barely resembling the great player he once was...
So was the feeling last night watching the Purdue-Virginia Tech game with Bobby Knight doing to color commentary.
Man...was he ever bad...and I saw this coming some time ago -- this is not new, but it melted down last night on the national ESPN broadcast of Purdue's OT win at Virginia Tech.
I could excuse a few mistakes, calling players by the wrong names or not knowing the time or the score, but some of Bobby's comments were horrible enough to turn my stomach.
He obviously holds a lifelong, deep hatred for Purdue, and even to some degree the rest of the Big Ten and maybe even all of college basketball -- that he apparently thinks has not bowed down and treated him with enough respect and adulation.
What an enormous ego -- and one senses that he demands you acknowledge that whenever listening to him...and oddly, some uninformed and gullible (maybe bully-able people) do just that and worship the guy like he's the greatest coach ever and still is....weird....what are they smoking???
But I see it like it is, and more and more people are doing just that.
After two hours of hearing little rips and insults about Purdue, I kinda was ready to turn it off, but the game was a great game -- going into overtime and with a Purdue win, the Big Ten would take the Challenge from the ACC!
But then in the final minute of the game, Bobby made a couple more of the most boneheaded remarks, that I felt I couldn't ignore his idiocy. There are people who say he was a great coaching mind...but I am not so sure...
He sure is unique....
--the only coach I have ever seen throw a chair
--the only coach I have ever seen choke one of his own players
--and the only coach I have ever seen at any level, who walked out and paraded to the lockerroom with his entire staff while the game was still going and while there was still a couple minutes on the clock -- he walked out on his own team!
--the only coach who would rather tickle his ego by punching out a student than keep his million dollar a year job...
Say what you want -- but now the proof is clear, he won because of two factors, and neither was because he was always the best coach in the building...
He won because of longevity -- and that'll be proven when a far, far younger Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim pass his wins total shortly...
and he won because he routinely landed the best talent in the nation from the best hotbeds of talent right in his back yard like Chicago, Indy, etc...
Once he got to Texas Tech and didn't have the Hoosier recruiting prowess, his performance was barely mediocre...basically a .500 guy in the Big 12, a conference that is way weaker at the bottom than the Big Ten.
So what were the two profoundly dumb things Bobby said in the final minute of the Purdue game??
First -- with 1:01 left on the clock, and Purdue inbounding with a ONE POINT lead, Bobby said..
"now Purdue can just hold the ball, they don't need to try to score, and by the time Virginia Tech gets it back there'll be only 10-15 seconds left"
....whoa, this comment was way wrong on numerous counts...
first...the shot clock is 35 seconds, not 45-50 seconds, so even if Purdue held the entire 35 seconds, Va Tech would stil have 26 seconds - nearly a full shot clock to win the game! Bobby obviously does not have a math degree, but even 10-15 seconds would have been plenty of time to get a good shot.
Second -- he suggested Purdue didn't need to shoot or try to score, when it is CLEAR that the Hokies are GONNA get the ball back and they'd need only one point to tie and any field goal would win it! If Purdue doesn't at least TRY TO score, it would be profoundly stupid and would be like handing the game to Virginia Tech.
Lastly, You know even if Purdue could hold the ball 'til the game clock expired, that Virginia Tech is gonna foul, so the more important issue isn't holding the ball, but getting the ball into the hands of the best free throw shooter!
OK.....then later Purdue end up getting a 3-point lead, and with just 3 seconds left in the game, E'Twaun Moore was at the line shooting ONE MORE FREE THROW...
So Purdue is up 3 shooting a FT with 3 seconds left and Bobby says this...
"he should miss this free throw and fiorce Virginia Tech to score with only 3 seconds left"
Then Bobby got all wound up and said it again and again -- "he should miss"...."the right play is to miss"...etc...
Now, think about that concept...miss on purpose????
Hey -- a 3-pt lead at that point is pretty good -- but what the heyy ---
a 4-point lead is infinitely BETTER!!!
Why give the ball to the opponent for a shot that could tie the game, and we've seen plenty of times like with Chris Roberts' shot, when -- if you make the FT, you go up by FOUR and then have no chance of losing the game...zilch, zero -- the game would be a 100% lock by making it!
I'll bet not one coach in the USA from junior hi on up to NBA would want their player to MISS on purpose when making the FT would give you a BETTER situation -- a 4-point lead!!
Well -- the other announcer (Musberger) seemed stunned that Bobby was saying that and tried to drag the talk beyond that but Bobby persisted.....and in a few clicks the game was over, and they didn't go back to that stupid statement.
But if that's how Bobby coaches, then how would he explain it to the press, if the FT shooter misses on purpose and some Hokie throws in a long one to tie the game??
Bobby would have had plenty of egg on his face then and I think his silly opinion about missing the FT also placed egg on his face, as any intelligent viewer likely agrees.
Bobby -- your time is up......you've stayed way past your prime...
And there are a whole lot of people who don't drool at every word Knight speaks who feel the same way...and posted it on their twitters while they agonized over his remarks...
Some of these twitter comments are the most hilarious things I have read...
..about as hilarious as watching Dickie Vitale in the next game wearing a blue wig and standing in the Duke student section to cheer for his favorite team..
http://twitter.com/jfishsports/status/10164721479061504
http://twitter.com/kmansworld/status/10164800201957376
http://twitter.com/SandlapperSpike/status/10165450621067264
http://twitter.com/El_Browntown/status/10163312184528896
http://twitter.com/ScottWasilewski/status/10160475929051136
http://twitter.com/shanepayton/status/10152882007449602http://twitter.com/todayhemingway/status/10145794938114048
http://twitter.com/jlehman_7/status/10151011930865665http://twitter.com/atacrawl/status/10149212184387584
http://twitter.com/PowellTime/status/10162114303885312
http://twitter.com/vitti09/status/10155646469013504
http://twitter.com/Caffscorner/status/10162171048632320
http://twitter.com/deeganm/status/10165097183846400
Michigan State would have won if they didn't turn the ball over way too much...
Duke is beatable......
I don't like Maryland or Gary Williams...but their black uniforms are awesome!!!
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