Keeping It Right

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Location: Texas, United States

Monday, February 11, 2008

LZ Granderson: Trying to define Craig Hodges

LZ Granderson: Trying to define Craig Hodges

Expert (adj): having special knowledge of or skill in a subject

If you scan the stats of the Los Angeles Lakers, you will find six players who are currently hitting 3-pointers at a clip several percentage points higher than their career averages.

Part of this has to do with the maturation of Andrew Bynum and the sudden need to double him on the blocks, thus freeing L.A.'s shooters.

But a lot of credit should be given to the team's resident expert, assistant coach Craig Hodges.

Only two players have ever won three consecutive 3-point shooting contests during NBA All Star weekend -- Larry Bird and Hodges. A two-time regular-season 3-point champ, Hodges' chance for a fourth straight All-Star victory was derailed when the Chicago Bulls cut him after the 1992 season and he wasn't signed by another team. Actually, he wasn't even invited to camp for any of the remaining 26 teams, either. Barely 32 and still peppered with confetti from the championship parade, Hodges not only was out of the league as a player but also was unable to find any NBA job until Phil Jackson hired him as a shooting coach in 2005.

"I went from making $600,000 a year to making nothing," Hodges said. "No one would take my calls, no one would give me a chance. I went from helping a team win it all, to all of a sudden not being good enough to play for the worst team in the league.

"Do I think the league had it out for me? You tell me."

To read More: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=granderson/080211

Response: Is this a "so what" story or what? what is the freaking point? Hodges goes to the White House, sportin' a disheiki and a letter to President George HW Bush. Add to that, his support for Louis Farrakhan. And dude is asking why no one wants him around. Look, I'm not putting down his freedom to express himself or choice of religion but he should understand, if no teams wants his service. Let alone, Hodges being a defensive liability and only needed to shoot three's. Come On!

Look Granderson is better than that, and I think it's a reach to look for something that ain't there.