FanHouse JerryWest

Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Sunday, there are 44 days remaining -- the same number the Lakers retired in 1983 for Jerry West.

Sometimes the basketball gods smile upon you even if you're not really part of the game. That's what happened to me on Nov. 12, 2004.

OK, so maybe it wasn't any kind of hoops deity that hooked me up; it was Raymond Ridder, the Warriors' director of public relations. Still, I remember to this day my brick of a cellphone ringing that cold morning in Memphis with Ridder at the other end.

"You want to go to lunch with Jerry West?" he asked. Ridder had worked for the Lakers and knew West from his days in L.A., so they were going to catch up. And I was coming along.

Over the weekend, the Boston Globe offered up a report suggesting the Clippers could be looking to replace Mike Dunleavy as general manager this summer. In 2006, Dunleavy, you may remember, signed a fat extension that pays him more than $5 million a year and runs through 2011. Either way, Clippers owner Donald Sterling is willing to take on the losses by either canning Dunleavy or forcing him to reliniguish his personnel duties and have him focus on coaching.

To that effect, KNBC in Los Angeles reports that the Clippers recently reached out to Lakers legend Jerry West regarding to GM position. Surprising no one, West apparently declined.

You may not know what he looks like, who he was and why people felt he was special enough to teach them but Pete Newell was one of the best coaches college basketball has ever seen.

Newell died yesterday at the age on 93.

Newell was a legend and held the respect and admiration of the game's other legends. Newell coached for 14 years at San Francisco, Michigan State and California. He compiled a 234-123 record and won the 1959 NCAA Tournament while at Cal. His final head coaching gig came the very next year when he took an Olympic team with Oscar Roberston, Jerry West and Jerry Lucas to a gold medal.

He also beat UCLA's John Wooden the last eight times they met.

He's legacy lives on with his "Pete Newell Big Man Camp". The camp has been going on for over 30 years and has taught the likes of Lew Alcinder, Bill Walton, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. The camps have become a mandatory stop for any big man wanting to get into the NBA.

In the immediate aftermath of the Lakers' series-clinching victory, Laker great Jerry West got on the mic to spread Christmas joy and regale Kobe with compliments (as pictured to the right). Again, West is a Laker great. He was the architect of the last 200 Lakers teams which made it to the Finals. He looks unequivocally comfortable amid all that Forum blue and gold. His presence at center court in-and-of-itself is worth only a glance.

But considering his consultant role in Memphis, following several years running the Grizzly show, and considering a significant reason the Lakers have gotten to the Finals is named Pau Gasol, and considering the Lakers acquired Gasol in a deal which was universally considered heavily lopsided, to the point in which executives from several NBA teams reacted by openly saying there should be a committee of team execs which is allowed, fantasy-style, to veto such lopsided trades, and considering that last summer Kobe made an ultimatum which consisted of "bring back Jerry West or trade me," and considering West has a history of seriously not giving a flip about what anyone thinks about anything he does ever, and considering once again that West is for all intents and porpoises a lifelong Laker ... should we be concerned with him showing up on TNT before Marv's brow even dries?

West has been connected deeply to the Lakers franchise since 1960. I'm not saying he locked Chris Wallace and Michael Heisley in a cell and forced them to trade Gasol for a highly questionable package of ifs, ands, and maybes. But as a trusted consultant (and one of the top basketball minds in the world), he could have been in their ears, arguing the overblown "flexibility" perspective and talking up Javaris Crittenton as the next coming of Wade as simple ruse to get his real loyalties the steal of the decade.

Back in February, West denied involvement. But we wouldn't be talking about any of this if West wasn't on TV ten seconds after the final whistle. (And, of course, it's unlikely West gives a giggle that we are talking about it.)

It would be very easy to assume that Jerry West had his grubby little old man hands all over trade that sent Pau Gasol to the Lakers for what some important NBA people, like Gregg Popovich, are calling "beyond comprehension." He is, after all, the strongest possible link that you could find between the Lakers and Grizzlies. But in reality, West's hands are probably as far from grubby as they get and he had absolutely nothing to do with the deal, if you're willing to believe him.

Mitch Kupchak's acquisition of 7-footer Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and two first-round draft picks -- a trade West said he was not involved in, contradicting the rumors and conspiracy theories that have buzzed around the Internet -- was a good one, he believes.

West also added that it was a "... terrific deal for the Lakers ..." and a "... steal for the present ..." Well, I think everyone has heard more staunch denials (at least act like it was good for both sides, Jerry), but West, in my book, has enough cred to trust his word. On the other hand, it's pretty freaking ludicrous to try and ignore the fact that West has worked with and molded two organizations, Los Angeles and Memphis, over the recent years, and those two teams just happened to be involved in a blockbuster deal that got them both exactly what they wanted. Then again, when has force feeding Chris Wallace a fifth of Grey Goose over the course of eighteen holes and having him sign "your scorecard" at the end of the round* actually count as being "involved" in anything? Seriously though, even if West called Wallace up and told him to take the Lakers' deal ... who cares? Since when has being in the business world not been about who you know?

*Most likely a fictional scenario.

When Baron Davis went loud with his contract extension demands this summer, Warriors fans/admirers worried. After all, if Stephen Jackson is the straw which stirs Golden State's drink, Boom is the liquor which makes the drink a drink. (In less mutilated words: No Baron, no Warriors.) Suddenly, though, once Chris Mullin pushed back and said there'd be no extension offered before the season... Baron got quiet. As such, Golden State's won 23 of the past 34 games and looks to be in good position for another postseason run.

Why did Boom pipe down? Credit a chance meeting with Jerry West, reports the San Francisco Chronicle's Scott Ostler.

Talking to West, Davis talked tough, said he was going to let the Warriors know he was unhappy. Davis expected that West, who had his contract squabbles as a player, would lend a sympathetic ear. He did not.

West told Davis he would look bad, alienate everyone, ruin his image. ... He told Davis, "The most important thing is that you're in a good place, playing for a coach who lets you play your game, uninhibited. You're in a perfect position with the Warriors. Be positive. Just go up there, shut up and play."

You know, that's not bad advice for anyone in a contract squabble. Danny Ferry, I suppose, is mad West didn't spend his summer in Brazil so he could've talked some sense into Anderson Varejao. (Oh, and read the whole thing; Ostler's the Bay Area's best sportswriter and the whole column is worth it.)

As the Celtics roll into Los Angeles for a showdown with the Lakers tonight, the Boston Globe's Shira Springer tracked down L.A. legend Jerry West for a discussion of the central stars for each team. Given prior and lasting relationships, it isn't surprising that The Logo prefers Kobe Bryant to Kevin Garnett. But his justification is certainly interesting.

"The degree of excitement with Kobe Bryant is like going to an action movie instead of seeing a great film. Kevin Garnett would be in a great film and Kobe Bryant would be the action-hero figure. He's going to supply the jumps off the tops of bridges, dunks, going through 10 people, driving to make a layup. Kevin Garnett is just going to be the steady, steady, steady guy there every night. But I think from an all-around standpoint, Kobe is the best."

Even if West wasn't closely lashed to Kobe's star, you'd think he'd pick the other-worldly scorer over the elite rangy big based just on West's playing station in the 60s and 70s.

The differentiation, though, is odd. Sure, the action movie might be more exciting than the great film. But is it better? You might choose it to view on a Friday night, but when it comes to winning something, the great film will usually do the trick. I mean, more people may go out to see National Treasure, but isn't Atonement going to get all the Oscars? Of course, if making money is the goal (which it might be for Jerry Buss), the action movie will win out. I think Boston wants the trophy, though.

Not to disparage Memphis general manager Chris Wallace, but no one saw this coming. And by 'this,' I mean 'doing a passable job heading up the Grizzlies.'

I mean, Memphis lost the lottery. They had a 50/50 chance of landing Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, and it was practically impossible for them to slide out of the top 3. In true Grizzlies form, they slid out of the top 3. That leaves them with an unhappy superstar (Pau Gasol) and no one to replace him should you bend to his will and trade him. Oden/Durant gave Memphis options; Mike Conley, sadly, did not.

Chris Wallace, though, fresh off one of the least inspiring front office runs ever in Boston... he pulls through. Need another big? Let's get Darko Milicic to cover Pau on defense. Need to get Pau happy? Let's get his best friend Juan Carlos Navarro. The most insane things are the price tags. Darko? $7 million for three years. Navarro? The worst case is giving Washington the #13 pick in 2013.

Wallace pillaged the Magic and robbed the Wizards. (He's, like, Voldemort.) This is a really nice looking young team he's put together overnight. Only one of the key players (Mike Miller) is 30. Rudy Gay, Conley, Kyle Lowry, and Hakim Warrick are all under 25 and cheap for a few more years. Mike Miller and Navarro are just entering their prime. I'm not ready to give up on the Sonics, but this squad could turn some heads before Durant and Friends.

Wallace's improbable performance proves the NBA's new slogan. Or, it proves Jerry West's mind control ability is greater than we'd thought.

How big are Jerry West's balls? Mark Montieth of the Indianapolis Star presents evidence:

An exceptionally well-connected league insider once told me the story of how Brian Cardinal got his mid-level. Seems Memphis owner Michael Heisley, frustrated by general manager Jerry West's lack of activity, walked into West's office one day and asked why he hadn't signed anyone yet. So an exasperated West picked up his phone, called Cardinal's agent and offered the mid-level on the spot. Then he turned to Heisley and said something along the lines of "There, you happy now?"

And you wonder why Memphis is having a hard time getting behind its NBA team.

Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports that Memphis will announce the hiring of Chris Wallace as the team's new general manager today.

Wallace had been the rumored leading candidate for a few weeks now. The slow process can be partly attributed to some golf in Scotland for Memphis bosses Michael Heisley and Jerry West.

Probably the biggest news tied into this story, though: West will apparently stay on as a consultant following the end of his tenure on June 30. That's good news for Memphis, obviously... and it's terrible news for Lakers fans. Remember Kobe Bryant's stipulation that West be brought back to Los Angeles as a condition of the withdrawal of KBB's trade demand? Something tells me The Logo won't be allowed to consult for two teams... just a hunch.

I thought the rhetoric coming out of Kobe's camp couldn't get more feverish. But we're about to see it happen.

As for the Grizz: Wallace doesn't come off as an inspired hire; he's an unsuccessful retread, more or less. The inability to lure David Griffin from Phoenix was obviously painful. But keeping West there to mentor and help Wallace is a boon, no doubt. All in all, it might end up being a wash.