The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Commentary


Bobcats Concede Season, Move Kemba


By Aaron Vickers |ESPN.com


February 18^th, 2013





The Charlotte Bobcats set a historical precedent last year with a losing percentage never seen before in the NBA. Today, the Bobcats have set another precedent for their franchise, sending young PG Kemba Walker – whom some executives in the league see as a future All-Star – to the Dallas Mavericks for Daren Collison, Jared Cunningham, and a 2013 first round pick.


If this seems underwhelming, well, it is. Kind of. The Bobcats have declared three things with this move.


The first is that this season is lost. This, in of itself, is a good thing to see. No more trying to make the unbearable bearable. The season is lost and they’ve done the right thing by telling us now. Now, we don’t have to worry about the games or the players or the coaches … we don’t have to worry about the team. They’ve given us two months to find other teams to get attached to while we keep tabs on the smallest moves of the Bobcats.


The second thing they declared is that the previous regime did little right. In fact, the case could be made that they did nothing right. Kemba was the only player from the previous regime that looked like a future All-Star. Now that he’s gone it seems this new front office has declared, once and for all, that this team as currently constructed can’t do anything. This team is one bungled mess after another … Ben Gordon, Brendan Haywood, Bismack Biyombo, and more all inhabit a list of bad moves.


The third thing that was declared is that future is in the offseason. That pick Dallas gave up is likely going to be in the lottery. The Bobcats, now armed with at least two lottery picks, are preparing for the future this offseason. This offseason looks to be one of the more interesting ones in recent memory, but by no means will it be full of stars. If the Bobcats are really following the model set forth by the Spurs and Thunder, then this team will be build through the draft and free agents will play a supporting role.


Kemba, now residing in Dallas, will be glad to be playing with Dirk. Dirk makes things easier for everyone on his team when he’s healthy and right.


For Darren Collison, he now moves on to his fourth team in four years. He’s a good player but one that hasn’t quite tapped into his potential. Jared Cunningham is a young prospect, one that could develop into something … or maybe not. That first round pick could end up being a starter, a role player, or a waste.


Time will tell which team got the better end of this trade but both made out all right and for the Bobcats, all right is better than most of what they’ve done over their entire existence.

[mpejkrm]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Great deal! Collison is one of my favorite PGs in the league, he's very underrated... hopefully you can lock him up long-term. Cunningham is a decent prospect and the first rounder is a good pick up... what is Dallas' record?

[BlueJays09]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Nice deal for sure...Build with picks and Collision is OK as well

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Rapid Reaction: Bobcats 89, Magic 68


By Aaron Vickers |ESPN.com


February 19, 2013



CHARLOTTE -- It was the first game in the post-Kemba Walker era and the Bobcats responded with something very rarely seen: a win. The big trade made yesterday that sent Walker to the Mavericks paid dividends, as Daren Collison scored 11 points and had 6 assists in his first action with his new team.


More than that, the Bobcats looked like a cohesive unit for the entire game. They outscored the Magic in every quarter and got everyone involved, from Tyrus Thomas (who finished with 9 points and 11 rebounds) to Byron Mullens (who finished with 10 points).


The team they were playing against wasn’t exactly made up of All-Stars however. This is the Magic, who are on track to have the second worst record in the league behind the Bobcats. Still, a win is a win, and the Bobcats will take it.


Here are three takeaways from the game:

Bench Help


The Bobcats got major help from their bench in this game, as the second unit scored an impressive 42 points. The bench has been a problem all year for the Bobcats but with the acquisition of Darren Collison, the involvement of the bench has gone up … at least for one game. If the bench can have a few more nights like this the Bobcats might finish above twenty wins for the year.

No Three for You


The deep shot continues to evade the Bobcats, who finished with a woeful 21 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Snipers such as Ben Gordon and Reggie Williams have been below freezing from the deep end of the court and the Bobcats lack of a deep shot is causing teams to let them have it: they just aren’t afraid the Bobcats will make it.

Renewed Support


The home crowd was noticeable louder and more energized this game than they were the last home game. The difference? The absence of one Kemba Walker. With the crowd actually cheering for the home team the Bobcats seemed to find a new sense of purpose and played hard, but with control. Coach Mike Dunlap seemed pleased with the win and summed up his feelings in one word: “Progress.”

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

You can say you gave Kemba his...

: puts on sunglasses:

WALKING papers!

YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH HHHHhhh

[Liam_93]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Sad to see you and Kemba weren't a fit. A very good logical trade for Collison though with that pick you could land two lotto picks and if one is the number one pick that wouldn't be bad at all. Collison had great speed and is an intelligent point guard. Interested to see how this works out.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

You can say you gave Kemba his...

: puts on sunglasses:

WALKING papers!

YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH HHHHhhh

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

That was great. I was watching this video yesterday and that works wonderfully with it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sarY...layer_embedded

@Liam: Yeah, Kemba and I don't fit well but Darren and I have history. Back in my NBA 2k11 Pacers Dynasty, I rolled with Darren at the point and loved him. I have rediscovered that love of Darren again in 2k13. May retain him in FA, not sure yet ... we'll see how the offseason plays out.

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story


3-8-13

The clock read 3.3 second left. Michael sat on the edge of his seat as the arena’s thunderous roar seemed to envelope him. He wanted to be out there. He wanted to be on the court, out there, and he wanted the ball in his hands.


This was his moment.


It would have been his moment if he was still playing anyway. Instead, he was stuck here right behind the bench, his eyes glued to the clock and the scoreboard.


They were tied 111-111 and the Thunder were crippled at this point. Both Durant and Westbrook had suffered injuries in the first half and reports were that they were serious … they wouldn’t be back for weeks according to the initial diagnosis. The second half had been a battle between the two teams. Kevin Martin had lit up the team from beyond the arc and had kept the Thunder in it.


Michael had been spitting fire for the last hour at his team, telling them to play defense only to watch them give up shot after shot.


And then answer back with more shots. Darren Collison had responded to Westbrook going down with 24 points and a smattering of assists. He was leading this team.


He was doing it better than Kemba could. Michael hadn’t been happy to hear about the trade but it happened … he had no control over it. Since that trade they’d actually won a few games, surprisingly. The team seemed to respond better to Collison than Kemba, despite Kemba being a proven winner.


The official blew his whistle and Michael’s was pulled out of his thoughts.
The arena was the loudest it had ever been.


They were inbounding the ball at half court. Thomas had it, was looking for his man … he was looking for Collison or Gordon but both shooters were covered.


Thomas desperately lobbed the ball into play.


MKG caught it beyond the arc and the rookie shot the ball.


The buzzer sounded as the ball hit backboard and went in.


Michael shot out his chair and so did everyone in the arena. “YES! YES!” He screamed as his fist pumped in the air.


The arena exploded as Bobcats bench rushed the court to surround the young player.


Michael tallied the stats in his head. MKG had just made the first three of the game for himself. He finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. A double-double and a clutch moment.


The great one, his Airness, fell back into his seat as the cheers of victory echoed through the arena.


In his seat he remained hours later, his mind wrestling with questions.


His companion and best friend for years, George, found his way by his side. “You okay?”


Michael looked out onto the court where the rookie had nailed that shot. “I wish it was me.”


George nodded sagely. “Yeah, you would have made it look better.”


Michael chuckled at that. He would have made it look better. “Grab a seat.”


George did as he was told and the two old friends sat there, staring out into the court. “We won,” George observed.


Michael took a deep breath. “We did.” He looked over at George. “Any information?”


George crossed his arms. “I’ve talked with my people. Gold is clean … he has no direct connection with the family.”


Michael narrowed his eyes. “But he does have a connection indirectly.”


George nodded his head slightly. He pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket. It’d been folded and creased a few times, like someone had read over it over and over. “Read for yourself.”


Michael took the paper, unfolded it, and scanned it.


His mouth went dry. “Is this true?”


“From what everyone can tell me … yeah.” George leaned back in his seat. “Gold doesn’t know.”


Michael turned to look at George with surprise. “He doesn’t know?”


“He hasn’t seen him in years.” George shook his head. “He’s not working with the family though. He doesn’t owe them anything.”


“But they owe him,” Michael said as the gears in his mind began to turn. It wasn’t often the family found itself in a position where they owed someone something. He might be able to use this if he played it correctly. “George, we need to know if he’ll be loyal to us when the time comes.”


“You want to bring him in?” It was George’s turn to look surprised. “You don’t do that.”


“I know.”


“You stick with the people who got you here.”


“I know.”


George smirked. “You believe in this guy, don’t you?”


Michael didn’t answer him. Instead, he stared back out onto the court.


Maybe he did believe in Gold.


Or maybe he was just desperate to win.


He wasn’t sure.


But he would be soon enough.

[BlueJays09]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Wow great games and read. Interested to see what connection gold ha with the family

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Rapid Reaction: Bobcats 91, Celtics 86


By Aaron Vickers |ESPN.com


March 12, 2013



CHARLOTTE -- It was a game that is rare for the Bobcats, one that they barely kept up with their opponents in multiple categories from free throws to rebounding, the Bobcats only won one battle and that was the battle of shooting percentage, finishing with 48 percent made to the Celtics 41 percent.


Despite losing in the rest of the categories the Bobcats won this game and that was a testament to the relentless effort from MKG. He finished with 29 points and 6 rebounds in an impressive showing against the veteran Celtics and Paul Pierce. Pierce was held to only 17 points on 7-of-21 shooting, a far different performance from the last time these two teams played where he got the young rookie Kidd-Gilchrist into foul trouble early and often.


The other notable Bobcats performers in this game would have to be Brendan Haywood, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyrus Thomas, who finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Both big men were a focus of the offense early and often as Darren Collison found them in stride for easy dunks and layups.


The Celtics struggled all night long trying to contain Collison’s passing. Collison finished with only 9 points but had 9 assists and made the defense pay at the free throw line when he was fouled.


For the Celtics, this game speaks to how their season has gone since the fall of Rondo. They now barely hold onto the final playoff spot in the East.


For the Bobcats, this game gives hope to a fanbase that has seen little in terms of winning the last two seasons. Though the Celtics aren’t even close to full strength, the victory isn’t diminished: they’re still a veteran team and the Bobcats are just beginning their journey towards becoming what the Celtics are.


Here are three takeaways from the game:

MKG MVP


It’s not crazy to think that someday, a few years down the road, we could see MKG as MVP. The crowd erupted with this chant towards the end of the game as Kidd-Gilchrist was putting the finishing touches on his best game yet as a pro basketball player. Comparisons to current NBA players are unavoidable at this stage. MKG has been compared to a younger Shawn Marion or a defensively minded young Lebron. Bear in mind that at the beginning of this season some were calling him Gerald Wallace 2.0.


MKG doesn’t care to hear the comparisons though. “I find them kind of annoying, actually,” he said after the game. “I appreciate that people think so highly of me but I don’t need that … I just want to win. If I have to play the game like someone else, fine, but I just want to win.”


Thomas Time


Tyrus Thomas has been showing some focus and effort lately, two things that come and go with the troubled and overpaid player. Thomas isn’t known for being consistent but over the last ten games has averaged a near double-double. “He might be turning the corner but we’ve seen him get close before,” said one Eastern Conference scout. “Still, his effort is a good thing for the organization … they may be able to get something for him this offseason."


Collison vs. Sessions


The battle for the future king of the Bobcats point guard spot continues. Both Collison and Sessions have played well of late, but only one has a chance of being retained into next season, a source close to the Bobcats says. If this is indeed true, the Bobcats find themselves in a minor situation. Collison is the younger of the two but will be a restricted free agent this summer. Sessions is signed until the 2014 offseason, so he’s easier to keep though not necessarily the right one.


It may be that Charlotte intends to jettison both point guards, but if that's the case who would be the replacement? Not even the Bobcats know at this point.

[baccVols]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

s love this so far!!!!! keep it up!!

[exposedaking]

Great job. Im following

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story


3-19-13

“So, this is the last of it?”


She looked at him a mixture of sympathy and annoyance. He was such a baby when it came to carrying things. “It’s the last box, I swear.”


Ronnie picked it up and grimaced. “Swear harder.”


“I can talk like a sailor if you want,” she joked as she opened the door to his – no their – new house. Ronnie had been living out of a hotel this past month but finally last week he got to move in. And once he moved in, she got the call to come move in with him.


Leaving her life behind in Texas hadn’t been hard. It wasn’t much of a life. She was working a full-time job as a low level associate at a law firm. She had worked years to get her law degree and all she had to show for it was a crappy job and a barely livable apartment. It wasn’t ideal.


But nothing had been so far in her life … until Ronnie came along anyway.


“God, what’s in here?” He said as he over dramatized the pain in his back. He was smiling all the way so she knew he was faking.


She blew a piece of her raven black hair away from her face and put the rest of it in a ponytail. “It’s my law books.”


“Ah, so that’s why it’s so heavy.” He shot her a mischievous look. “You’d think this box would be filled with hot air like all the rest of your lawyer friends.”


She rolled her eyes. “The law is more interesting than basketball.”


“The law is just as loose with their interpretations of the rules as basketball,” he corrected her. He flopped down on their new couch and melted into it. “God, this season can’t end soon enough.”


She knew what he was trying to do. “I’m not talking basketball.”


“Please,” he begged. “You know how I love it when you do.”


She crossed her arms. “And what do I get out of this?”


“My eternal gratitude.”


“If I can remind you we’re on our seventh ‘one more chance’ so that’s not enough at this point.” She sat down on the carpeted floor and dusted off her sweats. She didn’t mind talking basketball. She just hated talking about it with him. He sometimes got wound up when they did it yet he somehow enjoyed that.


She didn’t like seeing him get wound up. It worried her. He stressed out a lot when he got wound up.


He shot her a pleading look. “Liz, please.”


“You cook dinner.”


“Done.”


“And do dishes.”


He frowned. “Steep price but done.”


She sprawled out on the new carpet and shut her eyes. “What do you want to talk about?”


“I’m not sure what to do about a lot of things.”


“No kidding. You still haven’t decided what spread we’re using for the bed.” She opened her eyes and winked at him. “I think we should go with the dark blue.”


“Green,” he said dismissively. “But I’m talking about the team.”


“The offseason is near. You’ll be able to do whatever you want then.”


He shook his head. “Not in terms of personnel moves but … off the court stuff. I feel like we’re not really a team through and through. Look at OKC and the Spurs … hell, Boston even … they spend time together on and off the court. I think the extra bonding helps elevate those guys. Lebron and Dwade are best friends, always around one another … I think we need a little of that.”


“You want to encourage some office camaraderie?” She folded her hands across her stomach. She made a mental note to start doing sit ups again … things were a bit loose there. “You know, maybe you should throw a pot luck.”


Ronnie opened his mouth to say something but closed it.


She saw the gears in his mind turning. “What did I do?”


He smiled. “You gave me an idea. We won’t do a potluck, we’ll do a cook off. We’re in North Carolina and we have guys from around the world on our team … we’ll make it a competition.”


“And since you’re a bunch of testosterone bleeding men you’ll all get worked up over this and bond while trash talking one another,” she commented sarcastically.


He completely missed the sarcasm. “Exactly! A little competition will help us do some bonding.”


“You’re not going to do it this season, are you?”


He laughed and shook his head. “No way … this team is headed for the

shredder this offseason. Me and Desmond have ideas.”


She sat back up. “You should invite him over for dinner. Does he have a wife or girlfriend?”


Ronnie shrugged. “I don’t know for sure … I don’t think so but he doesn’t talk about personal stuff. He’s always focusing on the team.”


“Sounds like you two were made for each other.”


He smirked at her and dropped to the floor, his hand finding its way to her back. “Jealous?”


She tried not to smile but failed miserably. “And what if I am?”


He leaned in close. “I could prove to you how much you mean to me.”


She leaned in to his ear. “You could,” she whispered. “So get started … on dinner.” She pushed him away and laughed.


He was crestfallen. “That was mean.”


She was still laughing. It was a good thing she was already on the floor.

[BlueJays09]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

interested to see the team shredding! great story lines as well...just graduated from university and have a nice long vacation until the fall so I find myself checking in more than usual for updates! keep up the good work and frequent updates!

[trekfan]

Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story

Rapid Reaction: Knicks 110, Bobcats 66


By Aaron Vickers |ESPN.com


March 29, 2013





NEW YORK – The sound you’re hearing? That’s the sound of the Bobcats crashing back to Earth. It was an abysmal game for the Bobcats as they were soundly outscored in the second half 29-to-58 by the Knicks, who came out firing on all cylinders and made the Bobcats look like the poor team they’ve been all season.


The game started out with J.R. Smith connecting on three straight 3s to put the Knicks up 9-2 in the early goings of the first quarter and that lead didn’t go away. The Knicks never trailed in this game as Smith, Carmelo, and Iman Shumpert each had over 20 points while the Bobcats could get no one over that mark.


Rebounding and bench points were the two areas of the game the Bobcats were soundly defeated in, only getting a paltry 8 points from the bench and gathering 41 rebounds while the Knicks got 52, 15 of them coming off the offensive glass.


After the game Coach Mike Dunlap wouldn’t take any questions and the Bobcats held an impromptu team meeting in the bowels of Madison Square Garden. Whatever happened on that court tonight, the Bobcats never want to have happen again.


Here are three takeaways from the game:

Two vs. Six



Only two Bobcats players scored in double digits tonight and those two were Darren Collison and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Collison finished with 16 points and 5 assists while MKG finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds in a game where neither could will other members of the team to do more. In comparison, the Knicks had six players finish in double-digits, while getting valuable contributions from their deep bench.


Smith Smokes


J.R. Smith was smoking the Bobcats defense the entire game and finished with 22 points, fifteen coming from beyond the arc. Smith was in another zone and no defensive rotations the Bobcats had could stop him. He was unafraid to jack it up and tonight it paid off. A few more performances like this and Smith could find himself a valuable commodity on the free agent market this coming summer.

Help Needed


The poor rebounding numbers the Bobcats have put up have again contributed in a big way to a dismal performance on the court. Haywood and Thomas, both tall and big men, can’t seem to find the position needed to get the rebounds. The second chance points are particularly troubling as neither Haywood or Thomas seem to have the ability or the desire to play defense for more than 24 seconds. The Bobcats will likely move one if not both this offseason but until then they’re stuck with two big men who play very small on the glass.