TERRY MOSHER

 

TOP OF THE TOWN ‑ LeBron James soon will be the all-time scorer in NBA history, and I don’t like it. LeBron is a good business man, a good actor, and a good basketball player, in that order. He also has given back to his community, so is a good guy. But I do not want him to be the all-time top scorer. I don’t know why. I just don’t. He is not the all-time best player. I still think Wilt Chamberlain, a 7-foot-1 center with a wingspan of 7-8, was the best ever. Do you know Wilt averaged 30 points a game over his career and if he had played as many games as LeBron would have just over 42,000 points and have been the all-time scoring leader in league. He averaged 50.4 points the 1961 season and in the 1962 season scored 100 points while playing with the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks.  He averaged 22.9 rebounds for his career covering 14 seasons. He grabbed 55 rebounds in one game, Nov. 24, 1960 against the Boston Celtics and Bill Russell, who had 18 rebounds. So no matter who comes along, Wilt will always be my pick for the best player ever. He could do anything he wanted to do, assist, rebound and score. And nobody could stop him. …One of the things I want to watch this next NFL season is how Sean Payton’s impact will be felt on Russell Wilson. Wilson had his own rat pack around him while with the Seahawks, including his own quarterback coach. He also walked along like he was a diva, owned a house worth millions, and generally acted like he was entitled.  Payton has already promised to hold firm on having just his own coaches around and will not treat Wilson as a special being with special honors. I’m going to watch how that all plays out. It’s going to be a clash of wills. I’m betting on Payton. … So Mark Cuban believes he can conquer the riddle that is the talented but troubled Kyrie Irving. That’s another watch I will focus on. Irving is a great basketball player and just as great for making trouble. If Cuban can tie a rope around Irving and keep him focused the Mavericks may have something. I’m very doubtful, though. Irving seems to have the ability to stir up things without trying very much. It will be interesting to see, also, how he plays with Luka Doncic, the great scoring machine for the Mavericks. Everybody is anxiously waiting to see what Aaron Rodgers will do. Will he in free agency join the Jets, or maybe the Raiders. Or will he stay in Green Bay? I’m getting on Green Bay. His salary is $50 million and that is a lot of money even for the NFL. What team can fit that under their salary cap? Talk about Wilson feeling he is entitled. What around Rodgers? You know, money does funny things to good people. I covered the Seattle Mariners for 30 years and there were only two players in all that time that big money didn’t affect – Alvin Davis and Edgar Martinez. The great Tom Seaver once told me he was shocked when he had to carry his own luggage on road trips. He had moved on from playing to broadcasting and it was shock to his system to learn the team no longer took care of his luggage on trips. He had to carry them himself. He was not being critical or entitled, but found it amusing he was now on his own. I knew how he felt because I went on back-to-back Pac-8 trips in the middle 1970s where everything was done for me. I caved almost immediately and the second I got home Mary told me I had to take out the garbage. For about 5 seconds I was stunned. I thought to myself, “Who me?” Then reality set in. The garbage got taken out. That’s it for today. Stay safe.

Be well pal.

Be careful out there.

Have a great day.

You are loved.