Tag: Evergreen

The Business of Golf: Whistling Straits uses GPS technology to keep things moving

GPS helps Whistling Straits keep tabs on caddies and players, allowing the Wisconsin facility to head off problems before they might begin.

Whistling Straits is not an old golf course. Built by Pete Dye in 1997, the Straits Course ranks No. 8 in the United States on Golfweek’s Best rankings of Modern Courses and has hosted three PGA Championships. This September, the course will be the site of the Ryder Cup.

Its relatively young age doesn’t mean things haven’t changed at the Wisconsin resort. Especially when it comes to technology. Perfect example: GPS allows any of the golf staff to know where every player and caddie is on the course and to head off potential slow-play problems before they begin. This helps Whistling Straits stay ahead of its business.

Mike O’Reilly started at the Destination Kohler resort in 1996 as a caddie at Blackwolf Run, and he is now the Golf Operations Manager for all four of the resort’s tracks plus the new Baths par-3 course. On all sides of the business, he has seen how technology has changed the game.

2006 NBA re-draft: The way it should have been

The 2006 NBA draft has gone down as one of the weakest of the century, particularly depth-wise. That year’s lottery is brutal in hindsight, headlined by Andrea Bargnani going first overall, and Adam Morrison and Shelden Williams going in the Top 5. …

The 2006 NBA draft has gone down as one of the weakest of the century, particularly depth-wise.

That year’s lottery is brutal in hindsight, headlined by Andrea Bargnani going first overall, and Adam Morrison and Shelden Williams going in the Top 5.

In total, there’s five All-Stars (three of them selected outside the lottery) in that draft: LaMarcus Aldridge (No. 2 overall pick), Brandon Roy (No. 6), Rajon Rondo (No. 21), Kyle Lowry (No. 24) and Paul Millsap (No. 47, the steal of draft night). Had Roy’s knees not given out on him, he could have gone down as the best player from that group, as he as on his way to having a special career before getting hurt.

Below, we re-draft the forgettable 2006 class.

WATCH: High school basketball highlights of Celtics president Brad Stevens

Ever wonder how Boston Celtics team president Brad Stevens was as a player? Watch these high school highlights to find out.

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Recently minted Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens took time to talk with TNT sportscaster Ernie Johnson in the pandemic hiatus as the league geared up for a resumed 2019-20 season. They discussed his players’ participation in protests going on at the time and his history as a basketball player.

Much of the conversation between the Celtics head coach and NBA analyst focused on the background of Stevens and what led him to become a coach of the league’s most storied franchise. They discussed his time as a pharmaceutical rep as he figured out what to do once his career as a Division III player ended and touched on his experience playing the game.

Johnson even dug up some footage of Stevens while he was still a high school basketball player, allegedly edited to make the Indiana native look a lot better than he supposedly was.

Judge Stevens’ jumper if you want, but it’s a curious window into an era of the NBA executive’s life we don’t often get to see — watch the video embedded above for the clip, and check out the full talk here if you’d like to hear more.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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2020-21 Rockets roster review, offseason outlook: John Wall

While contract buyout talks involving Wall and the Rockets are possible at some point, the 2021 offseason appears to be too early.

(Editor’s note: We are reviewing all players from the Houston Rockets who finished the 2020-21 season on regular contracts, i.e. not hardship. To access other reviews in this ongoing series, click here.)

Rockets Player: John Wall, 6-foot-4 guard, 30 years old

2020-21 statistics in Houston: 20.6 points (40.4% FG, 31.7% on 3-pointers), 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per game

Professional Experience: 10 NBA seasons

Contract Status: Signed at $44.3 million for 2021-22 season, has a player option for $47.4 million in 2022-23

Houston acquired the No. 1 pick from the NBA’s 2010 draft in December as part of the trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Washington. With both veterans on similarly bloated contracts, the Rockets opted for Wall to start their rebuild, since his uncertain health status meant the Wizards needed to include a future first-round draft pick.

2020-21 Rockets roster review, offseason outlook: Kelly Olynyk

Olynyk put up some of the best numbers of his NBA career with Houston, but whether he will re-sign with the Rockets remains to be seen.

(Editor’s note: We are reviewing all players from the Houston Rockets who finished the 2020-21 season on regular contracts, i.e. not hardship. To access other reviews in this ongoing series, click here.)

Rockets Player: Kelly Olynyk, 6-foot-11 big, 30 years old

2020-21 statistics in Houston: 19.0 points (54.5% FG, 39.2% on 3-pointers), 8.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists in 31.1 minutes per game

Professional Experience: Eight NBA seasons

Contract Status: Unrestricted free agent; Houston has full Bird rights to potentially help re-sign Olynyk or facilitate a sign-and-trade

Olynyk was acquired with Avery Bradley and draft considerations as part of the March trade that sent Victor Oladipo to Miami. He put up some of the best numbers of his career in finishing the year with Houston.

2020-21 Rockets roster review, offseason outlook: Kevin Porter Jr.

Porter capped off his encouraging first season in Houston with a historic game of 50 points and 11 assists versus Milwaukee.

(Editor’s note: We are reviewing all players from the Houston Rockets who finished the 2020-21 season on regular contracts, i.e. not hardship. To access other reviews in this ongoing series, click here.)

Rockets Player: Kevin Porter Jr., 6-foot-4 guard, 21 years old

2020-21 statistics in Houston: 16.6 points (42.5% FG, 31.1% on 3-pointers), 6.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds in 32.1 minutes per game

Professional Experience: Two NBA seasons

Contract Status: Signed through 2022-23 season on standard first-round rookie contract (team option for final year)

Porter was acquired from Cleveland via trade following a series of troubling off-court incidents. Given the limited investment cost of a heavily protected future second-round draft pick, the Rockets viewed the 2019 first-round pick as a low-risk, high-upside gamble to help launch their rebuild. They also saw their “support system” for Porter, led by veteran assistant coach John Lucas, as ideal for personal development. To this point, early returns on the partnership are very promising.

Two Boston Celtics among all-time NBA rookie postseason records

The Boston Celtics have a duo of rookies who hold playoff production records decades after setting them.

The Boston Celtics hold several records regarding rookie production that have stood for decades now, and could perhaps stand for decades more.

Our sister site Rookie Wire recently shined a light on historic rookie achievements in the postseason, and five of the records highlighted were set by Celtics rookies in Boston’s glory days of the 1960s. All of them were set by two Celtics legends who just so happened to be part of the same rookie class that sparked the era of Celtics dominance since unmatched in league history.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves — let’s dive into those historic rookie records held by this iconic duo.

Who are the Boston Celtics’ top-10 all-time leaders in postseason points scored?

Can you name Boston’s ten most prolific postseason scorers? Better yet, can you do it in order?

The Boston Celtics have put a whole lot of points on the board in NBA postseasons while they racked up a league-record 17 titles over the course of their seven decades (and counting) of existence.

Some of the greatest of the great have put the proverbial biscuit in the basket for the Celtics over the years, including several staples on lists of the greatest to play the game. But naming the ten most prolific postseason scorers for Boston is still no easy task, even for the most ardent Celtics fans out there. With the golden era of the 1960s, the mid-seventies resurgence, trio of titles in the eighties or the most recent banner in 2008, there’s a lot of options to choose from.

Make your own guesses about Boston’s playoff scoring leaders, and then scroll down to see how you did.

LIST: The greatest NBA rookie playoff records

Rookie Wire salutes Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and the greatest rookie performers in NBA playoff history.

A big reason why many NBA observers are so interested in the draft and rookie performances is to get a glimpse of the future.

But sometimes, teams can’t wait for the future. They need a star rookie to step up now.

To wit, legendary players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell made immediate impacts on their teams — not just in the regular season, but more importantly in the playoffs.

With all that in mind, Rookie Wire commemorates NBA postseason records set by first-year players below.

[Sources: 2021 NBA playoff media guide, statmuse.com]

 

Also see:

• The 101 greatest nicknames in NBA history

• The 10 greatest rookie scorers in NBA history

• Every NBA Rookie of the Year winner since NBA-ABA merger

Who are the Boston Celtics’ top-10 all-time leaders in postseason wins?

Can you name all the Celtics who led Boston to the most playoff wins? Better yet, can you do it in order?

Begrudgingly tied with their longtime rivals the Los Angeles Lakers with the most NBA titles in league history at 17 each, few teams can rival the Boston Celtics in terms of total playoff games won by their players.

Spanning most of the years in its seven decades of existence all the way back to the Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor league to the NBA) era, there has been a Celtics roster playing in the postseason more often than not. But who are the stars and role players who got Boston there and played the games that led to all those banners?

Make your guesses, and scroll down to see how you did.