Orlando Magic Senior VP, Pat Williams

Orlando Magic Senior VP, Pat Williams stops by the program and reflects back on winning the NBA draft lottery which landed the team, Shaquille O'Neal as the first overall pick in 92.

But it didn't stop there because the Magic won the first overall pick again in 1993 and as Pat puts it, "Commissioner David Stern wasn't very happy and not real friendly as I was coming towards him".

Click here to listen to the interview with Pat.

The Breakdown with Dave & Audley - For hoops talk, the way it should be!

Inside the Locker Room: Rodney Stuckey

Dave and Audley dive back Inside The Locker Room and catch up with 4th year guard of the Detroit Pistons, Rodney Stuckey. He'll touch on how the season is progressing thus far and how his hard work each year and staying on top of his game is paying off.

Rodney will even share which NBA guards he totally owns, weeeeell not exactly. See for yourself.

Click here to listen to the interview

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!

Highlights from Episode #19 of The Breakdown

It's Oscar Sunday and Dave and Audley are back it once again and are pleased to announce the return of The Slam/Breakdown Trivia Challenge. So what's at stake, none other than an incredible Slam prize pack.

Check out the link for details on how to to win.

The guys are also joined by Detroit Pistons guard, Rodney Stuckey for a chat Inside The Locker Room.

And finally, Senior Vice President of the Orlando Magic, Pat Williams stops by to reflect on the early days of the franchise including the 92 & 93 draft lotteries where the Magic walked away as the big winners.

Get your popcorn, sit back and enjoy the show!

Click here to listen to the entire episode.

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!

Inside the Locker Room: Blake Griffin

When 2011 All-Star and super rookie, Blake Griffin made his first visit to Toronto to face the Raptors, he was mobbed by dozens of reporters for obvious reasons.

Despite the fact that the Clippers lost the game 98-93, the 2011 Slam Dunk champ managed to spend a few moments with Dave and Audley for a quick chat.

Click here to check it out!

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!

Bball Breakdown #16

By: Coach Nick

Nick has been a coach for over 15 years at every level between 5th and 12th grades. He served as a basketball manager at the University of Wisconsin – Madison under head coach Stu Jackson and Assistant Coaches Stan Van Gundy (Orlando Magic Head Coach) and Sean Miller (Arizona Head Coach). He is a basketball historian and has conducted extensive interviews about the history of the game with such luminaries as Pete Newell, Tex Winter, Dean Smith, Bill Guthridge, and Herb Brown. He is a triangle offense guru, having cemented a relationship with Coach Winter while coaching in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles.

Nick is dedicated to the notion that you can’t be the best basketball player you can be until you’re the best person you can be.

Click here to subscribe to his Bball Breakdown on YouTube or follow him on Twitter.

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How Not to Shoot Like Chris Bosh

Coach Nick examines how the worst shooting night in the NBA since 1973 hurt the Heat when they needed it most. Derrick Rose continues to impress with his playmaking, Deng's hustle negated LeBron's big game, and Wade wasn't enough to eke out a win.

The Wright Way - Straight, No Chaser #6

By: Sharone Wright
Sharone Wright was an All-state performer at Macon's Southwest high school as a McDonald's All-American. He played basketball for 3 years in the prestigious ACC conference at Clemson University where he is one of it's top 10 all-time players. Sharone was drafted 6th overall by Philadelphia in 1994 and also played for the Toronto Raptors. After 5 years in the NBA, he went to Europe as a player for 7 years and now coaches.

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Since you been goneeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! I love that Song by Kelly Clarkson and that’s how I’m feeling today after not posting anything for a while.


See it’s been way too long. I’m sorry folks but I’m not a professional writer and my real job says that I spend lots of time coaching and scouting.

Maybe I can ask my boss to let me have some time to write since there is soo much to talk about.

I have to tell you guys that I really enjoyed the NBA All-Star game and weekend.

It never ceases to amaze me how much the NBA league office does to make this event be a hit each year. They do a good job of mixing entertainment and sports. It’s like the Oscars and a The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh all wrapped in one weekend.

I can’t say that the I'm impressed with the selection process. I'm sick and tired of guys not making the All -Star game that deserve it. It’s as if there are about 20 million idiots voting and they are only voting for the players that they either see on Sportscenter or on commercials. If they don’t see a player on ESPN then the fans know nothing about it.

That’s why I think a portion of the voting or most of it should be done by the players and coaches.

Case in point.

China has like 6789 billion people there and on any given chance, will always vote for Yao Ming.

OK, that’s cool when Yao was really balling but hey lets face it, the Great Wall hasn’t done jack crap in 3 years. And how about the fact that he didn’t even play this year and was voted a starter.

I guess they figure he might have been ready for the game? NOT!!!!!!!

How about watch the games people and do your homework. That’s what's wrong with the game.

There’s soo much voting for guys that are so called superstars even if they aren’t having superstar seasons. Tim Duncan was voted as an All -Star despite the fact that he's played like nothing this year. So why stop settling for a well known player and give that spot to NENE who has played not great this year and certainly better than Duncan.

Oh ok, you’re probably saying the Spurs have the best record. That doesn’t mean anything when this is an individual honour.

You know something is wrong when they had to force the issue to get Kevin Love on the team and this kid has like 4000 double doubles already in a first half of a season.

Incredible!!!!

Yet he had to make a rap video With Lil Wayne in order to get noticed for what he has done. Crazy crap! Lets reward these players for their games and their hard work and not their cameos appearances...

I'm venting because that’s kind of what I do well. See I have the ability to see things before they happen. Like for instance I could see the tension with Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams brewing like the Labatt’s Beer company. It was happening all of the time and it boiled over!

The reports are saying that Sloan was growing ever so pissed at Williams and vice versa. My question is why didn’t the GM and team officials step in and police the matter before it boiled over?

Maybe then we wouldn’t be where we are today and asking why a Hall of Fame coach and one of the most respected coaches of all time abruptly just quit in the middle of the season.

It's mind boggling to say the least but what is known all over the NBA is that Sloan himself isn’t always easy to get along with. So the blame can't all go towards Williams. I’ve personally talked to guys that played for Sloan on many occasions and while they all respect and admire him for his career, they all didn’t want to play for him all of the time either.

You know the story. Something like this happens and every person that has played for him starts talking about how great Sloan was and how they learned from him. But they forget to say how some of them hated him.

I know the scenario too.

Not every player will get along with a coach and vice versa but those things should stay in the locker room. That’s the NBA code of silence. Too much is leaked out these days.

The Ric Buchers and the Chris Broussards of the world pester the players too much and when they don’t get what they want, they make up things, I think.

Especially if there are problems in the locker rooms.

When I played we didn’t talk to guys in the media like this. We had leaders who ironed things out and stepped in to mash out anything that could detour our team from winning.

That’s what good leaders do.

Ever get wind of a problem in the Celtics locker room? Wonder why? It’s because the big three plus Shaq have combined years that are older than Robert Parrish and Morgan Freeman put together. Nowadays a rookie comes in to the league and 2 years later this guy is the captain wearing the C on his shirt.

That’s crazy!!

Deron is in Jersey now as we know and they say they hope to build the team around him which would be great but what if he doesn’t want to stay? What then Jersey? I know you guys think because the new owner has 3449 billion dollars (something like that) so you think its ok.

But he and Jay-z will have a Hard Knock life if they don’t get Williams to sign and score a better roster.

That’s why I love the Carmelo Anthony trade to the Knicks.

I had doubts that it would ever get done but it did only because James Dolan the owner has the cake to do it with.

Melo is one of my favorite players because he has a mentality that he can score on anyone. He has that scorer’s mindset, he brings 27 points per game and lots of rebounds to match it with Amare's 25ppg.

So you could argue that it’s on and popping but Chauncey Billups will also contribute. Some say that NYC gave up too much. Well let’s look at that. Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Timovfey Mozgov and Raymond Felton. Three of these guys were starters yet the Knicks were a basic .500 team and not really playing that great lately.

The comparison of Felton and Billups is a wash to me but honestly Billups has soo much more playoffs experience. Gallinari has been too inconsistent to pinpoint which way is up or down with him.

Erratic shooting and no defence plague him.

Wilson Chandler is a player that I felt they should have tried to keep. He’s a very high energy defender and his offence has really come around since coming out of college. But they kept Landry Fields and he has been a steal in the draft for them.

He has been a starter all year. Great scouting will do that for ya. But when you have a chance to get a player of Melo's calibre, you have to jump on that.

He’s a once in a lifetime player. Don’t ask George Karl though. He sounded like he was glad Melo was gone in a recent interview and really made a case that he only would miss Billups and not Melo.

Saying that Melo has a personality that is hard to deal with. Woww talk about waiting until the guy leaves to throw him under the bus?

Beep beeeeep.

Seriously though Melo will be a monster in the Garden and with Amare in tow, this should be interesting once all of the Knick pieces are put on the chess board. BTW I love the way they added Corey Brewer. Talk about defence? This kid can do it. Some where I hope Glen Grunwald had some thing to do with the Knicks getting Melo. I'm also looking forward to the new LALA and Carmelo realty show. Hey it beats the hell out of watching Glee...

Baron Davis to Cleveland, Bibby to the Wizards, Mo Williams to the Clippers, Devin Harris to Utah for Deron Williams, Landry to the Hornets, Battier back to Memphis. Wowwww soo many deals that made sense and a lot of them made none. It’s like that game show Deal or no Deal. Only this time there seem to be no real prizes after Deron Williams and Melo.

The state of the NBA continues to be up for grabs. It seems that every day that the NFL gets closer to what both sides want in that league, our CBA is getting further and further away. I feel that this is not going to get it done. There must be more meetings and more attention must be paid to the demands of both sides.

My sources tell me that if it is to be done, the owners say they are not going to budge. Let’s hope the demand of the game and the fans yelling for the game that they love will halt this pending Lockout. If not, it’ll be harder to look at than those Black Mamba commercials with Kobe and Kanye West. Ouch!!

I can certainly understand some of the teams in the NBA that are losing their superstar players and getting nothing in return for them. It’s not an easy thing to see. Toronto losing Mcgrady, Carter and Bosh. Cleveland losing Lebron, Denver losing Carmelo.

The feeling now is that certain players force their way out of town and I'm not for that. But I am for the rights of the player to do what he wishes if he has played and played hard and given all that he has.

In your contract year it is your decision to make.

It was Lebron's and it was Bosh's, it was Melo's and for sure it will be Dwight Howard's and Chris Paul's very soon. Let’s not forget that this is their life and they cannot live it for fans, owners and common folk who only get to see them on the court for 2 hours a night.

This is most always a family issue and you have to do whets best for yourself and your family. The owners at the end of the day will do whets best for their teams.

Remember my blog post about the Clippers owner making fun of Baron Davis and mocking him at games? Well Davis started balling after he got healthy. And what happened then?

The Clippers trade him to the worst team in the NBA.

See what I mean about loyalty?? There is none... To some owners you’re just a piece of meat at the market.

Let’s see how things pan out with the newly structured teams.

Straight From The Rook #15

Mat MacDonald AKA The Rook The Rook is currently enrolled in Human Kinetics at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. A frequent contributor to all NBA and Raptors debates along with other sports. Witty, quick and never afraid of a challenge, Mat's here to talk hoops with you and dish out his two cents whenever!

Click here to follow him on Twitter!

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Breaking Down The Deadline

Itʼs that time of the year again, folks. The point in the NBA season where basketball fans get their 48 hours of trade talk and hoopla that NHL fans thrive on. Itʼs the time of the season where pretenders make moves to become contenders, and the top of the pack laugh at the idea of trading away valuable pieces to the Cavaliers. Yes, itʼs the NBA trade deadline week.

Breaking down the big deals, we take a closer look at whatʼs transpired and how it looks for each team moving forward in the second half of the season.

The Deals

NYK: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups

DEN: The world

Yes, thatʼs what went down. An NBA franchise was shipped off to Denver in order to bring in one superstar player. Is it worth it? Depends who you are. Are you Spike Lee and the rest of the New York faithful whoʼve been waiting for a contender since the days of Houston and Ewing? Or are you another Hollywood buzz who made their way down to the Big Apple for some R&R and enjoy the flashing lights and big stars?

Regardless of who/what you are, the dealʼs a good one for both teams. The Knicks get a chance to pick up their real face of the franchise. Sure, Amarʼe was great, but at some point you had to realize that he wasnʼt going to be the leader the Knicks needed come playoff time. With Carmelo Anthony you have a scorer. A big scorer. A man who can give you double figures in two categories on any given night.

In his debut with the Knicks, Melo went off for 27 points and 10 rebounds. Mind you, it took 25 shots to net all 27 points, but Iʼm sure the New York faithful can turn their shoulder to that. With less of a leading role, Amarʼe still had a decent game and that may be how the rest of the season unwinds with him taking a second role. Thereʼs no doubt that the two of them combined plus Landry Fields and Chauncey Billups make a dangerous group to guard on the floor.

Perhaps the biggest addition to the Knicks is Billups. A proven winner, the Knicks now have a floor general whoʼs been in big situations and lead his team to the NBA Finals. No disrespect to Raymond Felton, because he deserves zero, but the Knicks making the playoffs wasnʼt all that they planned on doing, and besides signing him in the offseason, it was clear that New York was looking to upgrade. The job that Felton did was hands down better than any other PG in the past few years for New York, but in the end, itʼs a business, and with business comes change.

The Nuggets pick up some good pieces in this trade. Taking four starters - if you include Wilson Chandler - the Nuggets donʼt find themselves in the rebuilding phase that Cleveland and Toronto do. Gallinari, Chandler, Felton and Mozgov should provide stability to a now young Nuggets team fighting for the playoffs. If they could do it in New York, thereʼs no doubt that thereʼs a chance they can still do it in Denver. Are the NBA Finals in the picture for the Nuggets? Absolutely not. But if you think those four players are going to consider themselves loose change and fold for the rest of the season, youʼre way off.

The grade for NY: A
The grade for DEN: B

NJ: Deron Williams

UTA: Devon Harris, Derrick Favors, 2 1st Rd. Picks

Ok, so you donʼt get the man you want, you believe you run an empire and you still struggle to comprehend a classic high-five. Thatʼs the life of a Netsʼ manager right now. But still youʼre out there to prove that you mean business and that youʼre going to keep throwing Jay-Zʼs name out there for a reason. So, what do you do? You make a trade to shake up the world - or at least Utah and New Jersey.

Deron Williams obviously takes the role of star in New Jersey now and becomes the new face of the franchise. But was it the right move? Thereʼs been no signal that Williams is going to re-sign in New Jersey when his contract expires, nor is there any sort of idea that Williams ever wanted to go to Jersey in the first place. That being said, the Nets have a lot of work to do. Being traded from a playoff team to a non-contender overnight isnʼt exactly something many players enjoy, but can the Nets swing Deronʼs views?

For Utah, the deal works out great. You get something instead of waiting around and losing your All-Star for nothing. Favors is a bright rookie with tons of potential. Thereʼs no doubt that heʼll be a solid double-double player in Utah, but with all the depth up front you have to wonder where he fits in? Harris is another big name player for Utah that can score. But really, why him? The reason: Dallas. The Mavs have had him on their radar for a long, long time. With his contract coming up, Utah knows that they can use him as leverage and make a move that will give them something good in return.

The logistics of this deal baffle me. It was something no one really expected, but needless to say was an unbelievable steal for either team. The question is, who really lucked out?

The grade for UTA: B+
The grade for NJ: B

CLE: Baron Davis
LAC: Jamario Moon, Mo Williams

One night youʼre throwing balls of out a Kia, the next youʼre in Cleveland. That sounds like it should be a line from the movie The Hangover. What a situation. Baron Davis may have just fallen off the map with this one. In a season that started with him on the bench out of shape, and then throwing lobs to the most athletic big in the NBA, Baron Davis now finds himself as the lone ranger in the depleted Cavaliers back court. One can only hope Dan Gilbert didnʼt introduce him to the media in comic sans.

As for the Clippers, they get a solid guard in Mo Williams and an journey man in Moon. With another option to fly above the rim, the Clippers certainly have an exciting team to watch, but do dunks and highlight-reel plays win games? Again, time will tell. This trade should be swept under the rug, thereʼs no reason for anyone to talk about it. Itʼs clear Baron Davis is very, very sad.

The Clippers and Cavs grade? Let's just say...Kia?

POR: Gerald Wallace
CHA: Dante Cunningham, Joel Przybilla, Sean Marks, 2 first-round picks

Honestly, Charlotte stays the same with this deal. They donʼt really get better, and if anything they get a bit worse, but the reason that they stay ʻthe sameʼ is because this sheds money from their franchise and helps them look ahead at signing a big name free-agent in the future. Draft picks are always helpful for a team looking to add young faces, and without a doubt you can bet Michael Jordan will be on his high horse trying to make deals to get his team to his expectations.
Portland lucks out. If Wallace can stay healthy, the Blazers have that wing scorer back that theyʼve been missing from Brandon Roy - even when heʼs been on the floor.

Wallace is healthy, a vet, and can get the job done. Playing for a good playoff position is an even bigger incentive for Wallace to play at a high level. Heʼs known as a hard worker and a strong player on both ends of the floor which is exactly what the Blazers need. Now they have to make sure he doesnʼt drink the water thatʼs loomed the injury bug over the heads of every Blazer.

Portlandʼs grade: A Charlotteʼs grade: MJ

HOU: Gorgan Dragic, 1st Rd. Pick
PHX: Aaron Brooks

Great deal for the suns...if youʼre an Aaron Brooks fan. This can only mean that the timetable for Steve Nash is ticking down by the second. Sure, heʼll stay for the rest of the season and play out the year, but past 2011, who knows? All signs point to Nash being traded in the off-season if the Suns donʼt make a dramatic push at becoming a team that can win a championship. Playing year after year at such a high level, fans have to expect that at some point the man has to win a championship, no matter where heʼs at. That being said, who knows what the future holds for the Suns.

Houston sent Shane Battier away, shopped Aaron Brooks and found a seller, and now have Gorgan Dragic as their point-guard. One things for sure; Houston needs to make sure Dragic sweeps his floors after his big house parties. In Houstonʼs other “deal” for the day, it saw their best perimeter defender Shane Battier go to the Grizzlies for Hasheem Thabeet and a bag of chips.

Terrible deal for Houston, because honestly, Thabeet is a less sculpted Mutombo. Iʼll hold my judgement back since he is a big man and heʼs young. But god, Iʼll tell you right now that the Grizzlies just got a lot better, and for sure O.J. Mayoʼs going to punch someone in the face.

Houstonʼs rating: C
Phoenixʼs rating: B
Memphisʼ rating: A+

Now, the biggest deal of the day...

BOS: Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, 1st Rd. Pick
OKC: Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson

Wow. Can you win without a center? Sure. But can you beat the elite? Maybe. Itʼs been a head scratcher that the Celtics would move their biggest piece of their defensive puzzle in Perkins, but holy smokes the Thunder just got a lot better. Finally OKC has the big man in the middle that theyʼve always wanted. An enforcer who will grab rebounds and not demand the ball, Perkins fits perfectly into the Thunderʼs system. Will he bring that swagger and anger all the way to the west? Yeah, heʼll bring it.

As for the Celtics and picking up Jeff Green, itʼs great. Heʼs an athletic tweener that can play the three and four. The Celtics need someone that can move on the perimeter, and with Green they have those young legs. Now, will that mess up the chemistry of the Celts core, or will they let Green into their circle?

Thatʼs another story.

As for the others...

Nate Robinson is a spark off the bench, and Iʼm sure the Thunder faithful will love him. Krstic was on the cover of SI and used to play a big role in a playoff team. That being said, maybe heʼll get the time to revive his career, but once again, who knows?

With that, the biggest deals are broken down right here on The Breakdown. Oh boy, what a day.

Highlights from Episode #18 of The Breakdown

It's All Star Weekend and Dave and Audley get you up to speed with all the fun and festivities. They are pleased to be joined live from the Staples Center by the one and only, Bobby C.

Plus you'll also hear from slam dunk sensation, Blake Griffin.

Click here to check out the full episode.

The Breakdown with Dave and Audley is your home for hoops talk the way it should be!

Pistons Guard, Rodney Stuckey & Magic Senior VP, Pat Williams Are Here!

How's it going everybody?!

Thanks for stopping by. We're serving up another quality episode this Sunday night at 9pm EST. This week, we'll go Inside The Locker Room with Detroit Pistons leading scorer, Rodney Stuckey for a brief chat about how he and the team are doing this season.

We'll also have Orlando Magic Senior Vice President, Pat Williams on the program. We spoke with him before it was revealed he had multiple myeloma which is a form of blood cancer. We definitely wish him a speedy recovery. Pat, we know you'll beat this and we look forward to speaking with you again!

During Pat's interview, he reflects back on the Magic drafting Shaq first overall in 1992 and...

Chris Webber first overall in 1993 and...

how Commissioner, David Stern wasn't a fan of it.

It's interesting stuff. Be sure to check it out!

The Breakdown -- For Hoops Talk, The Way It Should Be!!!

A Word From Ryan #5

Ryan Ward is a passionate and opinionated sports writer that has dedicated himself to his craft over the past five years writing about all the sports he loves from the US and overseas, from International soccer to NFL football, but with an especially passionate interest in NBA basketball and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Follow Ryan on Twitter

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NBA Trade: Carmelo Anthony finally gets dealt to the New York Knicks

The NBA trade rumors involving superstar forward Carmelo Anthony have been swirling around the league for most of the season as it became clear that the All-Star wasn’t going to sign the $65 million dollar three-year contract extension offered by the Denver Nuggets. Even though Melo was almost certainly headed out of the Mile High City, seemingly countless trade proposals were shot down from the Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets and the New York Knicks.

Fortunately for the Knicks, their last attempt to land the superstar was successful. New York may have been reluctant to trade young players like Danilo Gallinari and recent free acquisition Raymond Felton, but when with the trade deadline looming and the Nuggets dedicated to making a deal before Feb. 24, the Knicks were forced to pull the trigger.

On Tuesday morning, the deal was officially announced as the Denver Nuggets finally agreed to a trade that would send Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman and Anthony Carter to the New York Knicks. In exchange, New York has agreed to send Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov and a 2014 first-round draft pick to Denver.

So despite being reluctant to parts ways with some of their promising young players, the New York Knicks may have greatly increased their chances of becoming a title contender in the near future. The immediate future will be much harder to determine as it is uncertain whether or not All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony can co-exist.

In my opinion, this move was made by the New York Knicks not only to improve their team immediately, but to secure their future as one of the best teams in the league and a perennial NBA title contender. With the addition of Melo alongside Stoudemire, big-name free agents will almost certainly take notice as All-Star point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams might be the next superstar to head to the Big Apple.

Whether or not the New York Knicks can land another big-name this summer remains to be seen, but in the meantime it will be interesting to see what this new one-two punch can do in the Big Apple. Another thing that will make this squad better after this trade will be veteran point guard Chauncey Billups in the backcourt. Even though Melo was most likely on cloud nine after this deal was finalized, Billups wasn’t all that happy about yet another move as Denver was his hometown and he loved playing for George Karl and the Denver Nuggets.

Although Billups is probably not in the Knicks long term plans, the veteran point guard will give New York some stability at the point with Raymond Felton heading into the Mile High City. Along with solid outside shooting and ability to hit the big shot, Billups also brings the kind of veteran leadership that this team will need moving forward.

On Wednesday night, the New York Knicks will play host to the Milwaukee Bucks in what will most likely be the first game that Carmelo Anthony suits up for his new team.

R.I.P. Troy Escalade Jackson...You'll Be Missed!

Many were shocked to learn the news that streetball legend, Troy "Escalade" Jackson had passed away in his sleep in his Los Angeles hotel room during NBA All Star Weekend.

I literally received a text moments before The Breakdown was set to go to air on Sunday night and I like many was in disbelief. At 6-foot-10 and over 350 pounds, Troy was spectacular on the court and one of the nicest people you'd meet off it.

He understood what it meant to put on a show and once shared during one of his many appearances on The Breakdown that he genuinely wanted to make people happy and put smiles on kid's faces.

His older brother and retired NBA player, Mark Jackson was spot on when he said in a statement to the New York Post, "He traveled all around the world and touched so many lives,"

Troy did just that everywhere he went and it was always a pleasure to have him on as a guest on the show whether we were dissecting playoff series or listening to his childhood stories about being the younger brother of an NBA player.

I'll never forget a conversation we had with Troy once when we asked him how he would want to be remembered.

Here's what he said:

"I just want folks to say that Troy Jackson did it the right way, that's it. I want folks to remember me as a good guy."

And that's exactly how you'll be remembered Troy.

Thanks for the great times, the laughs and the lasting legacy you left for us all.

Rest In Peace ESCALADE!