Yeah it's great, but...

In a couple of months, the Gonzaga University men's basketball media guide will be released. Inside, there will undoubtedly be a section about "Zags in the NBA," which will feature the words " alumni have included two NBA champions and a Hall-of-Famer."

66 percent of that sentence is strange for me.

Don't get me wrong. I am estatic that Ronny Turiaf has now won a championship ring with the Miami Heat. It was wonderful to see a Zag reach the mountaintop and take the floor for an NBA championship team, especially considering everying Ronny has gone through in his career. I was even happy to see Adam Morrison in street clothes - but on the roster! - for two NBA-champion Los Angeles Laker teams. But there's something ... off, about those accomplishments. Something doesn't seem right. As good as it is to see alumni accomplish success, the way it was done leaves me feeling strange.

It keeps taking me back to the same question: why has it been so hard for Gonzaga Bulldogs to become star players in the NBA?

To date, John Stockton remains the only successful Zag to play in the association. He's a Hall-of-Fame point guard. Member of the 1992 Dream Team. All-time leader is assists and steals. Two Finals appearances. No ring.

In the 30 years since Stockton graduated from GU, and number of other star players have stepped foot in the Martin Center and McCarthey Center. Some have been serviceable role-players. Some helped put Gonzaga in the national spotlight. And a few were considered the best players in the country.

But none have achieved greatness at the next level. Adam Morrison's fall from grace is well-known. Dan Dickau had flashes of promise but ended up with a journeyman career. Ronny Turiaf was felled by his heart condition early in his career and never developed into a star.

As fans, all we want is to see them successful as pros. We want them to win. We want them to show the world how their skills helped put a tiny Jesuit college in the middle of nowhere on the national radar.

It's great to see them win, but we'd always hoped for something ... more.

There isn't really an answer. It is the system they played in at Gonzaga? It it the lack of experience with a power conference? Or it is all just the dumb luck of the draw? Do conferences like the WCC just have the once-in-a-generation player come along (Stockton, Steve Nash)? There's been plenty of examples of NBA players succeeding and failing in all of these circumstances.

Either way, it's something Zag fans are still getting used to.

Congratulations to Ronny. Here's hoping he paves the way for a Zag to someday lead a team to an NBA title.

Morrison: "Suck it, Stockton."

Adam Morrison.

Sure, you may have been the biggest bust of the 2006 NBA draft. And OK, you may not have seen any playing time in two months. But look at it this way: you got paid millions of dollars to sit courtside and give awkward high-fives to your teammates as they won an NBA championship without you.

Which, somehow, makes you the most successful former Gonzaga Bulldog, ever.

Somewhere in Uzbekistan, Richie Frahm is banging his head against a door.

Looks like Orlando wants to lose

The Orlando Magic, down 2-0 to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2009 NBA Finals, faced a must-win game 3. A loss on their home floor would most likely doom the Magic to a finals loss.

In order to get the crowd pumped up and motivate the team, the Magic brought in a guest speaker during pregame introductions.

That person ... Nick Anderson.


Yes, the same Nick Anderson whose missed free throws in the 1995 NBA Finals demoralized his Magic team and led to them being swept by Houston.

Good call...?

POSTGAME UPDATE: Wow, I guess it didn't matter. Magic 108, Lakers 104. The series is now 2-1. Maybe they can get Horace Grant and Dennis Scott for Game 4...