Kobe Bryant is celebrating his 35th birthday today, but the passage of time doesn't bode well for his chances to catch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the top spot on the all-time scoring list. He has 6,671 points to go, notes Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who adds that Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Robert Parish are the only players to score at least that many points after they turned 35 (Twitter link). Of course, breaking records involves outperforming history anyway, so the numbers seem as unlikely to deter the Black Mamba as most of the defenders he's faced over the years. Here's more from the Association:
- Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer outlines the Sixers' priorities for the rest of the offseason, which likely include a few more front office hires. He also says Jason Richardson will likely miss the entire season and Kwame Brown will probably be waived, but that appears to be speculation on both points.
- Brier Dudley of The Seattle Times thinks Steve Ballmer's announcement today that he's retiring as Microsoft CEO is a boost to Seattle's effort to land an NBA team. Dudley also wonders if Ballmer will follow Paul Allen, another tech magnate, as owner of the Blazers (hat tip to Golliver).
- USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo would have interest in making Roy Hibbert part of the program, but Hibbert's appearance with Jamaica during a game in 2010 likely precludes the Pacers center from ever joining Team USA. Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star provides further explanation.
- Ben Golliver of SI.com gives the Thunder a grade of D+ for their offseason moves, but he's high on first-round pick Steven Adams, doesn't think the departure of Kevin Martin will hurt too much, and believes the team could again win 60 games this season.
- Doc Rivers hasn't been with the Clippers for long, but the onus is on him to convert the team's potential into accomplishment, as Zach Harper of CBSSports.com examines.