With the start of college football, and more recently, the NFL season, I guess we can say that summer is officially over. Say hello to the fall and the cooler weather, along with the start of school and the end of vacation. Such is the way of the world. All of us are back from Labor Day breaks and are about to embark upon the final months of 2009. Are you ready? Because I am.

I ended the summer with some fun activities. I did two interviews for NBATV. The first was with young Sixers point guard Lou Williams. Lou hails from the Atlanta, Georgia area, and I visited with him while he was conducting his annual community basketball camp.

Lou is an emerging star and is expected to have a break-out season. If he can continue his growth as a floor leader, the Sixers will turn over the team to him along with their other star, small forward Andre Iguodala.

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My second interview was even more exciting, as I caught up with my former Sixers back court teammate Allen Iverson. The future Hall of Fame guard was in Atlanta training for the upcoming NBA season (his 14th), and he took some time away from our private workout sessions to discuss some of his thoughts about his career and impending contract with the Memphis Grizzlies (which he signed on September 10th).

Unfortunately, I don’t have the entire Iverson interview for you to review yet. We are waiting for the full release. But this is Allen Iverson. Even if it is only a little snippet, you can believe that each second you view will be memorable. Allen has always been one of the most charismatic figures to ever put on an NBA jersey.

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You will also enjoy the interview with Lou Williams. He is a budding star, and listening to him telling his story in his own words gives anyone a reason to root for him. I hope you enjoy.

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Eric & DeShawn Snow appear on the Trinity Broadcast Network sharing thoughts on life, faith, and family.

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I could not help but be totally dumbfounded about all of the chatter (much of it negative) surrounding former NFL Star Michael Vick and his desire to return to the NFL. I must admit, I am shocked at the fact that so many people have been so personally vindictive or have publicly shared feelings of hatred regarding his conviction. It’s as if people won’t let this go or allow Vick to get on with his life.

After Vick’s recent release from prison, although he had become fully free from all of his legal obligations, the discussion about his fate became even more venomous. It seems as if everybody from radio talk show hosts to the local paper boy are questioning his sincerity and feelings of remorse, and whether he truly has paid his dues for his obviously poor choices in life.

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I found the 2009 NBA Draft to be very interesting and definitely reflective of the change in NBA rules as it relates to player-to-player contact.  In years past, the first objective for an emerging team was to draft a high-scoring player, especially a post player.  But I saw this draft overall as being unusually top-heavy in combo-type point and scoring guards.  I think the types of players that teams drafted may be a byproduct of the “no touch” rules for the defense.  Such rule changes affecting how defensive players make contact with the offensive players mean that lead guards can have a much bigger impact on the game than in previous eras.

I have seen and played against the quick and explosive players like Allen Iverson, Rajon Rondo, Tony Parker, and Steve Nash, who are usually adept at leaving defenders in their tracks with their sheer speed.  There are also the power lead guards like Baron Davis, Andre Miller, Jason Kidd, and Chauncey Billups, who use their strength to gain their advantage on most occasions.  But now I am seeing a new wave of combo floor generals emerge, and I think it is reflective in large part of the draft. 

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After just hearing about the world losing Michael Jackson, all I could say about the news of Steve McNair’s untimely passing was, “Wow!”

I feel like I lost a close friend even though we had only met one time. I remember Steve as a great guy and an individual who was very thoughtful and generous. I send my prayers out to his family.

I remember speaking to my college classmates and other rookie players in the 1995 NBA draft about Steve.  Here was this exciting quarterback from a small Black college down south.  He was sort of a long shot, and like many of us, he too was hoping to make it in the pros.  Steve was so spectacular in college, and many of us were already fans.  I think we all were sort of hoping that he would get a chance to show what he could do in the NFL.

I hope his legacy can be just as thrilling and encouraging as he was to me when I watched him play, and even more so when I met him.  I thought Steve was a great guy and a great player.  Steve was all of those words that commentators use so often to describe the toughest competitor on a team.  He was a Warrior, a Leader, a Fighter, and a Soldier.  I will remember him for the good that he brought to the game of football and all of the people he touched in charity.  Steve will be missed.

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It was so sad to hear about the passing of Michael Jackson. I remember watching Michael and the Jackson 5 growing up as a kid in Canton, Ohio.  He was the best entertainer I’ve ever seen, and my entire family enjoyed listening to his music.  Michael’s music touched people in every way.  I was one of those kids who wanted the “Thriller” and “Beat It” jackets that I saw on the videos—though of course I was not really feeling the Jheri curl!  Michael will be missed, and I am praying for his family. He was truly the King of Pop.

Favorite Michael Jackson songs:  “Rock with You,” “Billie Jean,” “Man in the Mirror,” and “Remember the Time.” 

Favorite Michael Jackson videos:  “Thriller,” “Bad,” and “Remember the Time.”

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Now that my first full NBA season as a non-player is over, I recently took some time to reflect on my new career as a pro basketball analyst.  Working with Turner Sports was a tremendous experience for me.  I had the great opportunity to remain close to the game, and I also had a chance to share my opinion, experiences, and strategies about basketball.

My first few months as an on-air personality were a bit rocky.  I probably tried too hard to balance my special membership in the NBA fraternity with analyzing the diverse activities that fans witness each time they turn on an NBA game.

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While it is clear that the Lakers still have the league’s best player, I would not be surprised to see the Orlando Magic crowned NBA Champions when the series is officially over.  Sure, they are already down 2-0 in the series to the overwhelming favorite Lakers but they still have the ingredients to win the title.  Here are five “Magical Keys” that will assist Orlando in their quest for an NBA title?

Key #1:  Keep Superman Super:  All year long the Magic have stood on the tall shoulders of Dwight Howard.  There is no reason to stop now.  Sure the Lakers have a few 7-footers of their own that they will try and use against Superman.  But Orlando cannot allow a Lakers defense designed to stop Howard be successful.  He must not be a decoy but the main part of their offense.  If the Magic continues to use Howard as the focal point of their pick-n-roll offense, you could see a lot of 3-pt bombs raining on the Lakers championship parade.  Remember, basketball is played best, “inside-out”.

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If the Lakers expect to get past a tough and determined Orlando Magic team and claim their 15th team title (trailing only Boston’s 17 world championships), they had better study the tapes of the Magic’s six-game series vs. the Cavaliers. If they look closely at how the Cavs played the Magic, they will see five key points that they’d better be prepared to deal with if they plan to reach their goal of earning a championship. These are all points that Cleveland failed to capitalize on, which is why Cleveland is preparing for an early vacation.

Key #1: Home Court Is No Real Advantage. While I am sure the Cavs respected Orlando, it is clear that they did not believe that the Magic were capable of beating them at home because they had enjoyed so much success in Cleveland. The Lakers now enjoy home court advantage and have one of the league’s best home records. But if they think they can just show up and expect the final score to be in their favor, guess again. In each of these playoff series, it should be noted that the Magic have won on the other team’s home floor, including a stunning Game 7 series-closing victory in Boston. L.A. should not rest on their two home victories.  Remember how the Dallas Mavericks went up 2-0 vs the Miami Heat before Dwayne Wade exploded and led his team to four straight victories on route to a World Championship.  The Magic are more than capable of winning all of their home games and giving the Lakers a tough fight in L.A.

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Look, I am not going to be overly critical regarding LeBron for his actions following his team’s loss to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.  By now, I think we all are aware of the major controversy surrounding LeBron James and the way he left the arena without congratulating the newly crowned Eastern Conference Champion, Orlando Magic. As a long-time NBA player and a recent teammate of LeBron’s with the Cavaliers, I was shocked by LeBron’s actions. This kid has always been very comfortable with the media. I was in the NBATV studio the night of the Cavs’ tough loss against the Magic, and I was eager to hear his thoughts on being defeated and not moving on to the finals. When he made the decision to not stand his ground by publicly acknowledging the winning team with the obligatory hug or chest bump, I was as stunned as everyone in the studio.

To make matters worse, LeBron didn’t even face the media after the game, which is mandatory during the NBA playoffs. This is very uncharacteristic of him. I have been around this remarkable young man, and he usually consents to post-game interviews, especially when he is on the big stage. When we got word that there was some controversy surrounding his media availability, I was almost expecting to get word that LeBron had gotten very ill and was physically unable to come to the media for the press conference. There is no doubt that he played his heart out and worked extremely hard during the entire series (an issue that may need to be addressed later). It certainly would have seemed reasonable that his quick exit to the locker room and later decision not to address the media immediately following the game could have been due to a physical illness, depression, or sheer exhaustion.

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Congratulations to my former Cavaliers coach, Mike Brown, who was  recently recognized as NBA Coach of the Year. I have known Mike for almost my entire NBA career.  I actually remember Mike very early on when he was a video coordinator for the Denver Nuggets.

I also recall specifically when Coach Bernie Bickerstaff provided Mike with his first opportunity to coach, influence players, and contribute to actual NBA game plans while with the Washington Wizards. This experience really helped Mike’s development when he moved to San Antonio  and was part of a World Championship Team under Coach Popovich.

What was very easy for me to see was Mike’s desire to be a strong professional early in his career. Mike took his work seriously and most importantly, he took himself seriously.  I think this was something that impressed many coaches who are always looking for strong serious coaches on their staffs.  It was probably one of the reasons why Rick Carlisle chose him as his Associate Head Coach in Indiana.  By the time we connected together in Cleveland during my time with the Cavaliers, I could see a very strong leader in the making.

As a veteran on the team, what I liked was Mike’s attention to detail.  He goes out, studies the game, he asks questions, and he involves his players as well as his assistants.  He provided me and countless numbers of other players in the league a very strong model for how to lead a team.

I have seen his development from the early days in Cleveland to now.   Mike has been able to get guys to buy into  what he is teaching while standing firm in what he believes are the keys to a successful organization.  He has done this all while being open and honest to anything that could help improve the guys as individual people as well as players.

Mike is big on principles and even bigger on sticking to them.  He is all about the common goal of a team and has communicated that very well this year.  I was very happy with the role he asked me to play in providing leadership and developing young players.  All of his hard work in building a strong cohesive unit that takes pride in their personal and professional lives has led to their tremendous success this year.

Job well done Coach Brown.  You got what you deserved.  You are truly the NBA’s Coach of the Year.

Sincerely,
 
Eric  Snow
#20

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