Talking Points: One coach’s perspective

What’s the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking:

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Monty Williams, the former Trail Blazers assistant coach under Nate McMillan, leads a team these days.

But since his New Orleans Hornets rarely make headlines of their own accord — the team rots near the cellar of the Western Conference with a 25-48 record — Williams has proven to be far more fascinating with his choices and words.

Back in December, Williams inadvertently helped the Blazers seal a victory with his lack of familiarity with the NBA rulebook. He drew up a catch-and-shoot layup play with 0.3 seconds remaining in the game when there was the necessary amount of time to attempt a potential game-tying 3-pointer. The Hornets converted the layup, and lost 95-94.

Now this week, Williams has rained on LeBron James’ coronation. When a Hornets’ blogger asked the difference between James and Michael Jordan, Williams responded: “Jordan played against men. LeBron plays against young boys. That’s the difference.”

In fact, Williams was one of those “men,” having started his playing career in 1995. Though the two played different positions, Williams met up with Jordan several times through the years. According to basketball-reference.com, on March 5, 1997, Williams (19 points) outscored His Airness by three as the San Antonio Spurs defeated Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, 111-69.

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The robots are coming … to soccer pitches, at least.

This weekend, Yahoo! reported that prior to a recent European soccer match, a rectangular-shaped robot mowed the grass in place of a human grounds crew.

Imagine how technology can take over other tasks in sports — a remote-controlled Zamboni or even Rosie the Robot as a PGA caddie. Quite Orwellian, indeed.

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