FanHouse Sam Smith

Had it happened in this era, somebody would have been watching multiple games on television monitors. The game would have been stopped and the ball shipped to the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

But that was hardly the case on Oct. 12, 1979. Early in the first quarter of a game against Houston at the Boston Garden in the regular-season opener, Celtics guard Chris Ford drilled a straightaway three-pointer.

Later that month, Ford heard from a Celtics public relations official.

"More than a week after the game, I discovered that I had hit the first three (in NBA history),'' Ford recalled. "I guess it took them that long to line up all the plays of all the games (that night). I was definitely surprised when I heard that.''

Just as Ron Bloomberg of the New York Yankees had done six years earlier by becoming baseball's first designated hitter, Ford turned into the answer to a trivia question. It was 30 years ago Monday he became the first NBA player to drill a three-pointer.

Stories from a trip to Media Day for the Phoenix Suns.

NBA players have occasionally had a tense relationship with long-time league journalist Sam Smith. Fellow NBA scribes have questioned Smith's tactics, and we know how Smith feels about bloggers. Or maybe that should be,"felt" about bloggers, since he pretty much is one himself now.

The reason I mention all of this is because Sam decided to ask Shaquille O'Neal about his weight heading into the season, and as you might imagine, Shaq was not appreciative of the question. In fact, he responded to Sam by name as he wondered why he seemingly asks the same questions every season.



If there's one thing we know about Shaq, it's that he's a little sensitive when it comes to the topic of him missing games or possibly being out of shape. I'm not sure why Sam decided to pursue the topic this season, especially since Shaq looked to be in amazing physical condition. Dude was lean, had his jersey tucked into his shorts with no sign of any gut whatsoever, and appeared to be pretty chiseled in the upper body. With Shaq looking the way he did, the question seemed to be completely off base, and you can't fault Shaq for being a bit annoyed by it given the circumstances.

A quick search of "Kevin Garnett" with "author: Sam Smith" on the Chicago Tribune website yielded 611 hits. During Kevin Garnett's Timberwolves days (1995-2007), Tribune columnist Sam Smith made quite a living off of messing around with trade machine and spouting off any concoction he could come up with that would bring Garnett to the Bulls. In 2003, moments before KG's MVP season, Smith suggested "Jay Williams, Tyson Chandler, Jalen Rose, Eddie Robinson and their first-round pick (provided it's not the No. 1 or 2 overall pick) for KG." Later he wrote vaguely more realistic ideas about the Bulls offering Tyrus Thomas, PJ Brown, and some draft picks that might actually have been true. During the times that the Bulls were seemingly out of the KG sweepstakes, Smith couldn't help himself, still focusing his column largely on KG but pitching him to other teams such as the Pacers and Lakers. For whatever reason, Smith hated the sight of Garnett in a Timberwolves uniform.

Now that Garnett is donning Celtic green, still KG's presence has remained strong in Smith's columns. At least Smith has been good-natured enough to admit his obsession in a recent article praising Garnett's selflessness and his play for the Celtics:

"See, this is what I've been writing about for three years in proposing all these trade scenarios for the Bulls to get Kevin Garnett. Though it turns out to be yet another tale of unrequited love...OK, I admit it: I love Kevin Garnett as a player."

And even as Smith (pictured above with another potential crush) took a recent opportunity to discredit the current Celtics squad as "no powerhouse," he still managed to do so praising KG all the way. In Smith's article--a treatise on the Celtics' inability to match the 72-10 record of the 1995-96 Bulls (SINCE WHEN IS THIS A QUESTION)--he notes that "some flaws in the Celtics' makeup that have been obscured by the brilliant play of Garnett and a relatively soft schedule." For Smith's sake, I hope KG retires a Chicago Bull, being finally led to the promised land by the 2013 version of Shaq and Kobe: Aaron Gray and Romeo Miller.

Chicago's young core is very close to cashing in on some decidedly grown-up dollars: Kirk Hinrich will make $11 million next season, Andres Nocioni is a restricted free agent this summer, and Luol Deng and Ben Gordon have just one season remaining on their rookie contracts before being able to cash in on high-priced extensions of their own.

Gordon led the team in scoring this year, but he may also be the most replaceable member of the bunch: he's undersized, inconsistent (at least during this year's playoff run) and contributes little on the defensive end -- attributes which have not gone unnoticed by the front office brass. Sam Smith writes in the Chicago Tribune:

In his postseason wrap-up, GM John Paxson talked about size in the backcourt and uncertainty about contract extensions. He seemed to be referring to Gordon, who views himself as a starter and was the Bulls' leading scorer. But his size deficit often compromised the backcourt. Hinrich had to defend the bigger shooting guards, which probably affected his play.

So what's a GM to do? Smith mentions Ray Allen, Jason Richardson and Paul Pierce (?!) as possibilities before suggestion the following scenario:

Bobcats part-owner [Michael] Jordan has long been a big fan of Gordon's, though it's hardly likely he would part with Emeka Okafor given Charlotte's issues in the frontcourt. But Gerald Wallace could be an intriguing name. Yes, he plays small forward, but his shooting is improving and he'd bring great defense and size to the to the shooting-guard position. Wallace is opting out of his contract, so perhaps there's a sign-and-trade possibility.

Note: this is not a rumor. Aside from stating that Jordan likes Gordon, Smith doesn't actually claim to have any insider info. But does it make sense? Well, even mentioning Okafor is a waste of time -- you don't (well, rarely) trade big for little, especially when the "little" is as one dimensional as Gordon. But Wallace would be an excellent addition to Chicago's lineup. He'd be a big two-guard, a very strong defender and someone capable of driving the lane, which would fit in nicely on a team mostly comprised of jump shooters.

From Chicago's perspective, I'd do a Wallace-for-Gordon deal straight up, though Chicago would have to throw in something extra to get the salaries to match. From Charlotte's perspective, of course they'd do the team, especially considering the alternative is getting nothing in return for Wallace. Here's to hoping Paxson subscribes to the Tribune.

Any conspiracy theorists out there? Then you'll love this one. It comes from Bulls coach Scott Skiles, courtesy of (friend of the bloggers) Sam Smith. From Smith's column in the Chicago Tribune:

Does the NBA favor the Orlando Magic? Bulls coach Scott Skiles says he thinks so. The Bulls play Miami on Wednesday and then Orlando on Thursday, the fourth straight season with the Magic the second on the back to back. "I do have an issue when we always play Miami before Orlando," Skiles said. "To me, that gives Orlando the advantage. It's every year I've been here." The last time the back to back started in Orlando was 2002-03. Could the NBA be trying to boost the Magic in hopes of getting the community to build that long talked about arena?

Alright, let's just ignore Smith's asinine comment about the arena and focus on Skiles' paranoia. Here's a little history lesson: the Bulls went 3-1 against the Magic last year, winning the game after the Miami game. The year before, the Bulls went 3-0 against the Magic, again winning the game after the Miami game. And during the 2003-04 season, the Bulls went 3-1 against the Magic ... wait for it ... winning the game after the Miami game.

But in 2002-03, the last time all was right in the world and the Bulls played the Magic before Miami on their Florida road trip, they went 1-3 against the Magic, losing to both the Magic and Heat.

By failing to trade for a certain seven-footer from Memphis and by not getting Andres Nocioni back as soon as they'd hoped, the Bulls have often found themselves looking up to their opponent ... literally.

Scott Skiles has favored a three-guard lineup lately that features Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Chris Duhon -- none of which stand taller than 6-foot-3. Toss in the fact that (lanky but slight of build) Luol Deng and Ben Wallace (sans 'fro) stand just 6-9 and, well, it's not a surprise this team has been outworked on the glass the past few games.

Everyone is railing against this doomed strategy, which has resulted in the team getting out-worked on the glass, from an angry Matt Bernhardt from Blog-A-Bull to crotchety old Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune:

Skiles referred to his players as having the "thousand-yard stare" of a tired team. But it could be a team tired of finishing most games with three guards and no one taller than 6 feet 10 inches.

Not surprisingly, though, there is at least one supporter of the three-guard lineup ... and it happens to be the one who stands to gain the most playing time: Chris Duhon.