Dennis Johnson dead...?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Rick Barry just reported that DJ died. Still looking for other confirmation.

[sabar]

Confirmed on ESPN, breaking story.

[LEONARD]

Yep, per THE Ticket in Dallas...

[ponky]

on nba.com front page, heart attack today at 52

[lefty]

52y/o only

that sucks... :depressed

[101A]

RIP

[Budkin]

Oh shit he was living here in Austin coaching the Toros. RIP DJ. :cry

[leemajors]

RIP Microwave.

that was vinne johnson, no? is this DJ, coach of the toros?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2007/02/22/austin_toros_coach_dennis_john.html

Austin Toros coach Dennis Johnson dies

Thursday, February 22, 2007, 03:00 PM

Austin Toros basketball coach Dennis Wayne Johnson has died, officials said. Johnson, a former Boston Celtic player, was taken by ambulance to Brackenridge Hospital after apparently falling ill at the Austin Convention Center a short time ago.

[bdictjames]

Was that the one with the baggy eyes and like 5 NBA titles? I dont know my NBA history

[Sam]

Dennis Johnson...DJ. From the Boston Celtics, played with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish and Danny Ainge. Collapsed during practice with the Toros.

[sabar]

"Johnson suffered a heart attack while playing a pick-up game during a practice and collapsed. He was later pronounced dead. Celtics executive director of baskeball operations Danny Ainge confirmed Johnson's passing."

[101A]

that was vinne johnson, no? is this DJ, coach of the toros?


My brain connected dots incorrectly for a few moments; edited it, but you were quicker than I.

[MoSpur]

Wow. Prayers Out To His Family. That Is Sad.

[Solid D]

What a shock! He was a truly great player, both offensively and defensively. He will be sorely missed by NBA fans and the basketball community.

[mikejones99]

Barkley said DJ was turning over in his grave at the all star game cux the Celtics are so bad

[SAtown]

Sad stuff. RIP DJ

[SenorSpur]

Barkley said DJ was turning over in his grave at the all star game cux the Celtics are so bad

I heard that the other night and I thought to myself "hey he's not dead".

[timvp]

Man, that's horrible.

RIP.

[angel_luv]

That is sad. My dad and I were huge Celtics fans when I was a kid. I probably saw him play.

Condolences to his family.

[Kori Ellis]

Wow, how sad. Condolences to his friends and family.

[Please_dont_ban_me]

52 is too young.

[ShoogarBear]

Wow, RIP.

DJ was the light-skinned guard with red hair and freckles.

He won one title with the Sonics and two with the Celtics. He was the guy who made the (just-as-incredible) layup after Bird stole the ball against the Pistons.

Started out as an athletic leaper and dunker, ended his career as Mr. Fundamentals. MAde a few All-NBA teams and a bunch of All-Defense teams. Larry Bird called him the best basketball player he ever played with.

[Kori Ellis]

It's sad that Shoog just had to explain who he was to everyone. I watched him a lot in person when he played for the Suns for a few years in the early 80's. I can't believe basketball fans are confusing him with other players - I guess you all are pretty young.

Anyway, RIP. How sad for his family, friends, players, and associates in the Toros organization.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

It's sad that Shoog just had to explain who he was to everyone. I watched him a lot in person when he played for the Suns for a few years in the early 80's. I can't believe basketball fans are confusing him with other players - I guess you all are pretty young.

Anyway, RIP. How sad for his family, friends, players, and associates in the Toros organization.

I guess this is one of those times those who enjoy the game are separated from those who watch.

[ShoogarBear]

Actually, I forgot he also spent a couple of years with the Suns until Kori reminded me.

The Celtics got him in a trade for Rick Robey in maybe the greatest heist in NBA history.

DJ should have been in the HoF a long time ago.

[FromWayDowntown]

I remember Dennis Johnson was one of my favorite guys to watch when I was a kid. I was always kind of fascinated by the teams he played on -- the back-to-back Finals teams in Seattle and those early-80's Suns teams with DJ, Truck Robinson, and Walter Davis that were always good, but never seemingly good enough to get over the hump and into the Finals.

Truly sad news. RIP and condolences to all in DJ's life.

[Kori Ellis]

Actually, I forgot he also spent a couple of years with the Suns until Kori reminded me.
...

Yeah that was Westphal to the Sonics for DJ, which was a huge trade at the time. He played in Phoenix for about 3 years - he averaged like 18/5/5.

[Kori Ellis]

Suns teams with DJ, Truck Robinson, and Walter Davis that were always good, but never seemingly good enough to get over the hump and into the Finals.

I had a poster of Truck Robinson in my room and a German Shepherd named after him. :lol Good memories.

[duncan228]

I grew up in RI, we didn't have a team so the Celtics were ours. The first game I ever went to was during Larry Bird's rookie year. I followed the Celtics forever growing up and rooted for them against the Lakers all through the 80's even though I was living in California by then.
The 80's Celtics were great to watch and DJ was always incredible. He will be missed.
I recommend to anyone who hasn't had a chance to see those Celtic's teams, grab a DVD from any of their championship years. If you love to watch this game it's worth your time.

[ShoogarBear]

His career stats:
http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=JOHNSDE01

In the stats you can sort of see his evolution from a guard with a high numbers of steals, blocks, and rebounds into more of a point guard role.

Actually, DJ was never a pure 1 or 2, he was a classic 1.5 who could do either role.

Also, even thought his FG% wasn't very impressive he was famous for having a much better FG% in the fourth quarter and hitting dagger Js. Kind of like a less extreme version of Robert Horry. He probably played better defense on George Gervin than anyone else.

All-NBA First Team: 1981
All-NBA Second Team: 1980

All-NBA Defense First Team: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987
All-NBA Defense Second Team: 1984, 1985, 1986

I guess Red didn't like the guard selection in Heaven.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

That's sad to hear. I loved watching him play with Bird, McHale, and Parrish back when basketball was basketball and nothing more. He was an awesome player, but boy was he ugly. R.I.P.

[duncan228]

He was an awesome player, but boy was he ugly. R.I.P.


Harsh.

[Behrooz24]

Barkley said DJ was turning over in his grave at the all star game cux the Celtics are so bad

http://dennisjohnson.ytmnd.com/

[tlongII]

DJ was a tremendous player. I always hated the Celtics, but I couldn't help but respect them. He was one of the top 10 defensive players of all time imo.

[spurtime]

I remember when DJ and Downtown Freddie Brown would absolutely torch us. They were a great backcourt.

[SenorSpur]

I had a poster of Truck Robinson in my room and a German Shepherd named after him. :lol Good memories.

Loved the Truck - especially when he was retrieving all of the Pistol's missed shots and leading the league in rebounds while playing for the then New Orleans Jazz.

RIP D.J.

[SenorSpur]

His career stats:
http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=JOHNSDE01

In the stats you can sort of see his evolution from a guard with a high numbers of steals, blocks, and rebounds into more of a point guard role.

Actually, DJ was never a pure 1 or 2, he was a classic 1.5 who could do either role.

Also, even thought his FG% wasn't very impressive he was famous for having a much better FG% in the fourth quarter and hitting dagger Js. Kind of like a less extreme version of Robert Horry. He probably played better defense on George Gervin than anyone else.

All-NBA First Team: 1981
All-NBA Second Team: 1980

All-NBA Defense First Team: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987
All-NBA Defense Second Team: 1984, 1985, 1986

I guess Red didn't like the guard selection in Heaven.

People forget that he was a helluva rebounder as well. Super all around player in his day.

[Fabbs]

Dennis thank you for some of the best ball on two the best NBA teams ever, 84 and 86 Celts. Were it not for Lenny Bias death I'm sure DJ would have been on two more (straight) and the Laker stench would have been minimalized.

He also has a younger brother who had a 50 inch verticle jump. Thought it was hype until i saw the tape. Played on JC national champ team and then went to Arizona State. Don't know why he did not go pro.

[boutons_]

"boy was he ugly"

Just think how much better a basketball player and coach he would have been if he were really good looking (in your opinion).

[RashoFan]

Rip.

[ChumpDumper]

AUSTIN TOROS GAMES POSTPONED ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

GREENVILLE, S.C., February 22, 2007 – The NBA Development League announced today that Austin Toros home games scheduled for Friday, February 23 against Fort Worth and Saturday, Feb. 24 against Tulsa have been postponed due to the sudden death of Toros head coach and former NBA great Dennis Johnson.

The games will be rescheduled for later this season.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/austin/postponements_070222.html

RIP

[Fillmoe]

Rip....


The Magic Johnson Stopper!

[Fillmoe]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43DrapEn5QA



had to post that

[GrandeDavid]

I'm saddened to hear this. May he rest in peace.

[lefty]

Slam magazine on DJ a few years ago :

Everyone talks about "Bird stole the ball". Well, do you think made the f**kin' basket? DJ was the lesser half of what might have been the toughest perimeter tandem ever (and we don't mean Danny Ainge). The lesser half. Lesser, as in, flamboyance, not skill. He was the original Scottie Pippen, the first Joe Dumars, the second KC Jones. No guard in the NBA history had played D the way DJ played D. From David Thompson to Andrew Toney to Isiah Thomas, he spanned generations, ended careers. "DJ?" Naw, we call him "PE". Why? Because he shut them down.

[slayermin]

RIP. Great point guard. I can't believe he isn't in the HOF. I heard on TNT that he was a Finals MVP and a six time all star.

[SenorSpur]

His career stats:
http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=JOHNSDE01

In the stats you can sort of see his evolution from a guard with a high numbers of steals, blocks, and rebounds into more of a point guard role.

Actually, DJ was never a pure 1 or 2, he was a classic 1.5 who could do either role.

Also, even thought his FG% wasn't very impressive he was famous for having a much better FG% in the fourth quarter and hitting dagger Js. Kind of like a less extreme version of Robert Horry. He probably played better defense on George Gervin than anyone else.

All-NBA First Team: 1981
All-NBA Second Team: 1980

All-NBA Defense First Team: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987
All-NBA Defense Second Team: 1984, 1985, 1986

I guess Red didn't like the guard selection in Heaven.

He helped lead the Sonics to their one and only NBA Championship -along with Gus "the Wizard" Williams. If I remember correctly, he was MVP of the 1979 Finals between his Sonics and Wizards

[spurschick]

RIP :toast

[boutons_]

Former NBA Star Dennis Johnson Dies

By JIM VERTUNO
The Associated Press
Thursday, February 22, 2007; 8:29 PM

AUSTIN, Texas -- Dennis Johnson, the star NBA guard who was part of three championships and teamed with Larry Bird on one of the great postseason plays, died Thursday, collapsing after his developmental team's practice. He was 52.

Johnson, coach of the Austin Toros, was unconscious and in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at Austin Convention Center, said Warren Hassinger, spokesman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate him for 23 minutes before he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, Hassinger added. Mayra Freeman, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, said there will be an autopsy.

The Toros postponed home games Friday and Saturday nights, the NBA Development League said.

"He was one of the most underrated players in the history of the game, in my opinion, and one of the greatest Celtic acquisitions of all time," said former Boston teammate Danny Ainge, now the Celtics' executive director of basketball operations.

"D.J. was a free spirit and a fun personality who loved to laugh and play the game. We had spoken at length just the other night about basketball and his excitement about coaching the Austin Toros. "

Toros spokeswoman Perri Travillion said she was talking with Johnson on the sidewalk outside the building when he collapsed. Johnson was joking about getting a parking ticket.

"We were laughing," she said. "He just collapsed."

Travillion said she called 911 and that Johnson never regained consciousness. She said Johnson did not appear to have overexerted himself at practice and didn't complain of any discomfort before he collapsed.

Johnson, a five-time All-Star and one of the top defensive guards, was part of the last Boston dynasty. He spent 14 seasons in the league and retired after the 1989-90 season. He played on title teams with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986 and with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979, when he was the NBA finals MVP.

"Whether he was leading his teams to NBA championships or teaching young men the meaning of professionalism, Dennis Johnson's contributions to the game went far beyond the basketball court," NBA commissioner David Stern said. "Dennis was a man of extraordinary character with a tremendous passion for the game."

Johnson was a favorite teammate of Bird's, and the two were part of one of the most memorable plays in Celtics history.

During the fifth game of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, Bird stole Isiah Thomas' inbounds pass under Boston's basket and fed Johnson, who drove in for the winning layup. Boston won the series in seven games but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals.

"Dennis was a great player, one of the best teammates I ever had, and a wonderful person," said Bird, now president of the Indiana Pacers. "My thoughts and condolences are with his family at this difficult time."

Bill Laimbeer, the center on that Pistons team, remembered Johnson as a "great player on a great ballclub."

"He played with passion and grit," Laimbeer said. "It was fun to play games like that. You always enjoyed it. It made for not only great games, but great entertainment."

In the 1984 finals, Johnson guarded Magic Johnson effectively in the last four games. In 1985, he hit a last-second jumper against Los Angeles that won the fourth game. In 1986, he was part of a team that featured four Hall of Famers _ Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Bill Walton.

"He was truly one of the good guys to play in the NBA, and he was a great teammate who was fun to be around," McHale said.

Johnson had a reputation for delivering in big games.

"I hate to lose," he once said. "I accept it when it comes, but I still hate it. That's the way I am."

He averaged 14.1 points and 5.0 assists for his career. When he retired, he was the 11th player in NBA history to total 15,000 points and 5,000 assists.

"Dennis was a great player for the Sonics. He helped us win a championship and was the MVP of the finals," said former Seattle coach Lenny Wilkens, now the Sonics' vice chairman. "But more importantly, he was a tremendous person. He seemed to be enjoying coaching in Austin, and was in great spirits. He's left us way too soon."

Johnson made one all-NBA first team and one second team. Six times he made the all-defensive first team, including five consecutive seasons (1979-83).

"As far as a person, he was a great competitor," Sonics teammate Jack Sikma said. "He wouldn't let things pass. He would cause some friction if he felt strongly about something, but with our team that was a good thing."

Johnson was born Sept. 18, 1954, in Compton, Calif. He played at Pepperdine and was drafted by Seattle in 1976. Johnson was traded to Phoenix in 1980 and Boston in 1983.

He is survived by his wife, Donna, sons Dwayne and Daniel, and a daughter, Denise.
© 2007 The Associated Press

==========

no history, no symptoms, no angina, then poof, he's gone.

[baseline bum]

That's sad to hear. I loved watching DJ back in the day. Easily one of the all-time great clutch players, and a guy who was so easy to cheer for. I goit to meet him a couple of times when I was a kid, and he was a really chill guy who was always down to sign autographs for me. RIP, bro.

[T-Pain]

wow that sucks. age 52.

[bigfundamental21]

This is shocking. My prayers go out to his family.

[ATX Spur]

Jeez...

Condolences to his family and friends.

[Spurminator]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070222

DJ should have made Springfield while still alive
By Bill Simmons
Page 2

Sad and angry. That's how I feel.

First, the sad part: Dennis Johnson dropped dead Thursday at the age of 52. I never met him and only followed his career from afar, most notably when he played for my beloved Celtics, so I won't pretend to be as distraught as his family, friends and former teammates. My condolences to everyone who knew him and loved him. At the same time, I am sad, and he's a guy who meant an inordinate amount to me during a time when sports probably meant a little too much. Maybe I wasn't part of his life, but he was a huge part of mine. So it's a sad day for Celtics fans (as well as his fans from Pepperdine, Seattle and Phoenix). As one of my friends e-mailed me today, "It's really hard to dodge the feeling that someone in control has just decided to [bleep] with the Boston Celtics this year. Really hard."

Now, the angry part: DJ passed away before the Basketball Hall of Fame found a place for him. He's going to make it within the next few years -- probably in 2008, when everyone gives him the proverbial sympathy vote (this summer's finalists have already been announced and he wasn't one) -- and they'll have the ceremony without him in Springfield, Mass., and everyone will say, "It's a proud day, but it's also a bittersweet day because DJ wasn't here to see it," and then they'll put up his plaque and we'll go on with our lives.

Not acceptable. He should have made it already. I wrote about this ongoing injustice last fall, when Joe Dumars made the Hall with credentials that weren't any better or worse than DJ's resume (or Sidney Moncrief's, for that matter). It didn't make sense then and doesn't make sense now. DJ played 14 seasons, made five All-Star teams, won the 1979 Finals MVP and three rings overall, and made All-NBA first-team in '81 and All-NBA second-team in '80. Dumars played 14 seasons, made six All-Star teams (in a weaker era of players), won the 1989 Finals MVP and two rings overall, and made the second-team All-NBA in '93. But this isn't about Dumars vs. DJ -- it's about a great basketball player who never got his just due.

Consider the following:

1. Indisputably, DJ was the greatest defensive guard of his era: Nine straight All-Defensive appearances from 1979 to 1987 (six on the first team, three on the second team), and that doesn't even begin to describe how destructive he played on that end (only Scottie Pippen rivaled his talent for completely disrupting another team's offense). When the Celtics traded for him before the '84 season, they did it because they needed someone to shut down Philadelphia's Andrew Toney, who tortured them in the playoffs every spring. As it turned out, the Sixers never beat them again. Also, every Celtics fan remembers how the 1984 Finals turned when DJ demanded to guard Magic before Game 4 (Magic was a shell for the rest of the series), or DJ's singular obliteration of Robert Reid in the '86 Finals. An all-defensive team for the past 30 years cannot include anyone other than these five guys: DJ, Payton, Pippen, Ben Wallace and Hakeem. Nobody else qualifies.

2. DJ will be remembered by everyone who was there as one of the best big-game guards who ever played. Basically, it's Clyde Frazier, Jerry West, Sam Jones, Reggie Miller, Michael Jordan and DJ on the list. From 1978 to 1988 with three different teams, DJ played in six NBA Finals and two other conference finals, going down as the best all-around guard for 11 straight seasons on teams that won 47, 52, 56, 57, 46, 53, 62, 63, 67, 59 and 57 games. He averaged 17.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds for his playoff career -- including an astonishing 23-game run for a banged-up '87 Celtics team on which he averaged 19 points, 9 assists and a whopping 42 minutes a game guarding the likes of John Lucas, Sidney Moncrief, Isiah Thomas, Vinnie Johnson and Magic.

(Note: Seattle traded him for Paul Westphal in 1980 and finished 22 games worse the following season; Phoenix traded him for Rick Robey in 1983 and finished 12 games worse. Nobody ever seemed to appreciate DJ until he was gone.)

3. Larry Bird called him the greatest player he ever played with, which seems relevant since the Legend played with six members of the NBA Top 50 (McHale, Parish, Walton, Archibald, Cowens and Maravich). All of them are in the Hall of Fame.

4. In 14 seasons, DJ played in 1,100 of a possible 1,148 regular-season games, only missed more than five games once (missing 10 in the '89 season, near the tail end of his career) and played in another 180 playoff games (11th on the all-time list). The guy was built like Russian oak.

5. He's on the all-time "We'll never see this guy again" team along with Barkley, Bird, Magic, Maravich, Gervin, McHale, Kareem, Adrian Dantley and wholly unique players from NBA lore. There's never been a guard like DJ before or since.

And it's the last paragraph that should have clinched his spot in the Hall of Fame. Could you compare Dennis Johnson to anyone on the planet? He splashed onto the scene as a high-flying, physical 2-guard for the Sonics, evolved into more of a scorer for the Suns, then reincarnated himself as a heady point guard for the Celtics, peaking as the ringleader of a loaded '86 team that scored a jaw-dropping 114 points a game. He could guard anyone shorter than 6-foot-9 and lock them down. He was such an intelligent player that Bird and DJ had a secret ESP play for six straight years, in which Bird would linger near the basket like he was waiting for someone to set him a pick, then DJ would whip a pass by the defender's ears and Bird would catch it at the last possible second for a layup (and the only way that play happened was if they locked eyes). He was one of those classic only-when-it-counts shooters who could be riding a 3-for-14 game into the final minute, then nail a wide-open 20-footer to win the game.

Everyone loved playing with him in Boston; he was so competitive and carried himself with such a swagger, I can't remember following anyone other than Bird who enjoyed the actual process of winning more than him. There's a great scene in the '87 team video when the Celts are boarding the bus after a Game 6 shellacking in the Pistons series. Sulking about Dennis Rodman's antics at the end of the game (Rodman had been running around waving his right hand around his head), DJ sarcastically waves his hand over his head and says something like, "Yeah, OK, we'll see what happens on Sunday." Sure enough, the Celts pulled out an absolute slugfest of a seventh game, with DJ following Rodman around in the final seconds and sarcastically mimicking Rodman's high-stepped gait while waving his hand over his head. The lesson, as always: Don't mess with the Celtics.

I loved so many things about watching him play: The way he'd suddenly strip an unsuspecting guard at midcourt (you NEVER see that anymore), almost like a pickpocket swiping a wallet; the ESP plays with Bird; the supernatural way he rose to the occasion in big moments (like the game-winner against the Lakers in Game 4 of the '85 Finals); his unsurpassed knack for grabbing big rebounds in traffic; the way he always made one huge play in a must-win game (my personal favorite: in Game 7 against the '87 Bucks, when he went flying full-speed out of bounds to save a loose ball in the final 90 seconds, then somehow whipped it off Jack Sikma as he careened into the entire Bucks bench). Every time I get sucked into an old Celtics game from the '80s on ESPN Classic or NBA TV, there's always a point in the game where I find myself saying, "Holy crap, I forgot how good Dennis Johnson was."

Like everything else about his career, few remember his defining moment: The waning seconds of Game 5 in the '87 Eastern finals, when Bird famously picked off Isiah's pass and dished to DJ for the winning layup. Everyone remembers the steal and Johnny Most's call; nobody remembers DJ standing near midcourt, seeing Bird moving for the pass. Even as Bird snatched the ball out of Laimbeer's hands, DJ was already moving toward the basket with his hands up, ready to make the winning shot. From the mid-'70s to right now, I can only pinpoint a handful of players who would have instinctively known to cut toward the basket even as that steal was in the process of happening -- MJ, Magic, Frazier, Stockton, Reggie, Mullin, Rick Barry, Isiah (ironically, the one who threw the pass), Robert Horry, Dwyane Wade, Jason Kidd, Iverson, Nash, Kobe, and that's about it. Nobody else starts moving until after the steal happens. And by the way, if DJ never made that cut, Bird would have been forced to launch a fall-away 10-footer over the backboard to win the game -- which he probably would have made, but that's beside the point.

One more thought on that layup: the replay never does it justice. DJ was going full speed, hauled the pass from the left, then had Dumars coming at him from his direct right, so he had to shield the ball from Dumars, turn his body to the left and make a reverse layup that was much harder than it looked. My father and I were sitting on the opposite side of the main CBS camera, right in the tunnel where the players entered and exited (you can even see us at the end of this particular game), so you have to believe me on this one: that layup almost missed. Dumars changed the angle at the last second; DJ's layup struck the right side of the rim and somehow dropped home. Believe me, the layup was just as tough as the steal.

Of course, few people remember this, just like few remember how great of a basketball player Dennis Johnson was and how special and dominant that '86 Celtics team was. As my father said on the phone today, "He was the best guard on the best team I ever watched in my entire life."

Me, too. He should have made the trip to Springfield when he was still alive. Instead, he'll be making it in spirit some day. Didn't have to be that way. If you're reading this, and you have a Hall of Fame vote and you didn't vote for Dennis Johnson the last few years, hang your head in shame.

RIP, DJ.

[temujin]

Extremely sad.

Great player. Great attitude.

A defensive textbook.


Just one memory.

"The way he'd suddenly strip an unsuspecting guard at midcourt (you NEVER see that anymore), almost like a pickpocket swiping a wallet;"

Absolutely accurate.
I remember watching and trying to reproduce that.

[timvp]

How do the Toros move on from this? I know that they postponed a couple games, but your coach dying in this manner isn't exactly something that's easy to cope with.

I wonder if there's been talk of just canceling the final month and a half worth of games.

[mabber]

It's sad that Shoog just had to explain who he was to everyone. I watched him a lot in person when he played for the Suns for a few years in the early 80's. I can't believe basketball fans are confusing him with other players - I guess you all are pretty young.

Anyway, RIP. How sad for his family, friends, players, and associates in the Toros organization.

It would be interesting to see everyone's age as it would make understanding some of the responses easier.

[temujin]

46.

[ChumpDumper]

How do the Toros move on from this? I know that they postponed a couple games, but your coach dying in this manner isn't exactly something that's easy to cope with.

I wonder if there's been talk of just canceling the final month and a half worth of games.I imagine that would be the last thing DJ would want. It will be difficult to be sure, but I don't see them just pulling out. It's going to be tough for Dale Osbourne, whom I assume will be taking over, and whoever is brought on as the new assistant. To say nothing of the players -- but I believe Johnson would want them to continue to have whatever opportunity the Toros might give them.

[Budkin]

How do the Toros move on from this? I know that they postponed a couple games, but your coach dying in this manner isn't exactly something that's easy to cope with.

I wonder if there's been talk of just canceling the final month and a half worth of games.

On the contrary, I could see them possibly trying to win the rest of em for DJ and really going all out. You never know when shit like this happens. Man, 52 is way too early to go. I lost my dad to a heart attack last year. He was 70 and I thought that was way too early. I guess when it's your time it's just your time. :depressed

[ChumpDumper]

Got an email from the Toros:

Mike Berry, president of the Austin Toros, released the following statement: " On behalf of the Johnson family and the Austin toros family, we want to thank our fans, partners, and friends in Austin and around the country for your support and sympathy during this difficult time," Berry said.

A public memorial service honoring Coach Johnson will be held Sunday, February 25 at 4 p.m. at David Chapel Baptist Church, 2211 E. Martin Luther King Blvd, in Austin, Texas 78702.

The team is continuing to finalize other arrangements in concert with the Johnson family and the NBA concering Coach Johnson's private service and burial in Los Angeles on Friday, March 2. The Toros next regularly scheduled home game will be played on Thursday, March 1 at 7 p.m. vs the Colorado 14ers at the Austin Convention Center. The team will have further information by Monday concerning the new dates for this weekend's postponed games.

“Again, we want to thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers,” Berry said. “DJ has enriched our lives in a multitude of ways and we will do our best to honor his spirit of kindness and passion.”

[alamo50]

Did anybody else hear Charles Barkley say "Dennis Johnson must be rolling over in his grave" during the NBA Inside edition of Tuesday the 20th when commenting on a Celtics game ?

:wow