There are some things as a child you hear that just stick with you forever. For some reason one line my dad told me when I was probably nine years old has stuck with me until this day. Rarely do I ever think about it, but tonight I did.
Michael Cage dominating the the paint like a real man. He was known as “The Windex Man” for his pension of rebounding or keeping the glass clean.
I was shooting hoops at the RAC tonight with my buddy Spencer. We were just messing around and he was working on his bank shot and I said the line that my dad said to me 22 years earlier.
“You have to shoot the bank shot like Michael Cage.”
Not Tim Duncan, whom is probably the best bank shot artist of our era. I told him to shoot the bank like Michael Cage.
Cage spent seven years in Seattle (88-94) and was never really known for his offensive game. He only scored 20+ points eight times as a Sonic, scoring 24 points three times. All those games came in the calendar year of 1989. He arguably had the meanest Jheri Curl in the history of the game.
His career high in points came in his fourth season in the NBA with the LA Clippers. He reached 26 points on January 6th, 1988 in a road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As a pro he averaged only 10.0 PPG, a solid 10.5 RPG while shooting 51.5% from the field and 66% from the line. Amazingly he attempted only two threes in his career and unsurprisingly missed both of them.
Cage developed the nickname “The Windex Man” while he played in Seattle. He was an absolute beast on the glass, cleaning up everyone’s shots, thus garnering his given nickname.
The only story I ever heard about Michael Cage is how he would buy everyone fried chicken on the road. Sometimes even having room service deliver it to his room at two or three in the morning. I cannot confirm if those stories are true. Just another one of those things a kid hears and doesn’t seem to ever forget. Things you hardly ever think about, but will always be in your head somewhere just waiting for that right trigger to pull it to the forefront of your mind. Just like Michael Cage.
Cage will never be a hall of famer, but he was an extremely solid pro player. His legacy will mostly live on with us die-hard Sonics’ fans. Maybe in 2017 we can draft his son, Michael Cage Jr. MCJ as he’s called on the AAU circuit is the #1 ranked 9th grader in the country and already being talked to by schools like Kentucky to join their program when he starts college in 2016.
Cage is the man. He occasionally does color on San Diego State games. Once heard a teammate say that “he puts up shots just to go get the rebound.”
Great post, Kevin!
Back in 2000 or 2001 when I first stumbled across the old ESPN boards and eventually Sonics Central, I remember trying to think of a handle I could use that would hold up forever (hence the quick elimination of “Oyedejifor3″).
The Sonics were in serious need of an enforcer at the time, and had a total lack of toughness. I thought of Cage, how I loved him growing up and that he was exactly what the current team needed. He was huge, a great rebounder, tough as nails: one serious badass. The 88-89 season was MCs first with the team (and also around the time I first started following the Sonics) so I settled on M_Cage89. Still glad I picked it.
And Kevin Calabro called one of those bankers high off the glass by yelling “KISMET!!!” Still one of my all-time favorite KC moments.
No whales harpooned yet
http://tinyurl.com/a9elcva
as i mention in previous thread why is the word bid being used a lot. There isn’t a bid.
A Michael Cage highlight reel set to “2 Legit 2 Quit” exists. The internet is the best thing ever.
SAC media either has inside info the national media and we don’t have, or they are delusional. I want to say the latter, and that’s likely true, but being burned so many times I don’t even know anymore.
Seriously don’t worry, Sacramento doesn’t have a ace in the hole we don’t know about. Best case scenario for them is they get an ownership group, and arena plan good enough to get them the next franchise put up for sale, or the unmentionable expansion team 3-5 years down the road.
Cage’s curl should’ve had its own name. That thing had some funk!
Who’s the dude guarding him in the pick? Both played the game the right way. These guys wouldn’t tolerate Cousins well.
Pic
That would be the legendary Kurt Rambis my friend.
And I just read your handle and feel a little bit dumber for me previous post. lol
Cage was the first player drafted by the San Diego Clippers who never played for them(they moved that summer to LA). He missed out on playing for his college town’s pro team unlike his basketball teammate at SDSU, Tony Gwynn.
I remember seeing him his Senior year at SDSU and thinking he was a beast. He dominated in college at both ends. Real good guy as well.
Cage and Gwynn. #s 44 &24
http://chrisholdenblog.com/2011/07/20/aztec-for-life/
Cage and Tony G. Numbers 24 and 44. Check before the curls, check out the fros
http://tinyurl.com/bbxb6u6
Yup. Great role players to have on a team. Could rebound like Reggie Evans, and defends as well, but without the baggage of the flopping and grabbing that Evans does. Better on offense although granted that’s not saying much.
There’s some analogies with Collison, another solid role player although Collison’s not as good a rebounder. Good guys to have on your team.
There will always be a place in the NBA for a grown man to patrol the paint.
I was a little bit older than Kevin around the time we acquired Cage. Definitely still a little kid. I would almost always stay after games to get autographs by the player parking lot. I remember two things vividly.
To a kid from the burbs…….at first glance he was a monster to me. One of the biggest human beings I had ever seen in person. I couldnt believe the size of his shoulders. He looked scary, mean, and badass to me to me with that jheri curl.
He was also one of the most soft spoken nicest people you could ever meet. He always stayed and signed pretty much everyones autograph. He talked to all the kids and pretty much made sure everyone who wanted his signature got it. He did this after every game.
The way he tipped rebounds to himself was a thing of beauty
Haha, I must have at least twenty signed Michael Cage cards in my mom’s garage. You could always count on Cage and Scheffler for post-game autographs. Those were the days.
Those were the days. You had full access to players. Their cars were parked right out in the open on the south side of the coliseum. It will never be like that again.
Cage was a great Sonic. Nice guy too. I remember the newspaper headline after a game in 1988-89: Sonics Cage Jazz. The only bummer about him is that the he was essentially obtained at the cost of letting Tom Chambers go to Phoenix as the first unrestricted free agent- for absolutely nothing. I’ll never forget when Tommy Gun torched the Sonics for 60 points down in Phoenix. Now that is one bad personnel move that can’t be blamed on Wally.
LA Times story when Cage won the NBA rebounding title on the last day of the season.
http://articles.latimes.com/1988-04-25/sports/sp-1158_1_michael-cage
By the way, he did it against the Sonics.
Can we do Dana Barros next?
I second that. I had a friend who shaved “Barros” in the back of his bowl cut.
I shaved the Dana Barros lightning bolt/Z in my friends hair
Barros is on the list. But I have another player queued up first.
And skip over Gerald Henderson?
One of these day’s I’ll do my best to tell the Xavier McDaniel/Dale Ellis 2×4 story the same way X told it to me. I think the funny part is his tones of voice however and I’m not sure that the humor of it would translate to something typed.
Dale Ellis and Dana Barros lived pretty close to me growing up. Built a snowman with Dale once. He lived next to a friend of mine. He loved to smoke cigarettes.
But nobody chain smoked like Radmanovic. Was it Mr Lucky’s that was across from the Key? I remember seeing him after a game. Dude must have smoked at least two packs in one sitting. It was damn impressive.
My favorite Dale Ellis memory was him dropping 43 on the Mavs at Hec Ed in the playoffs. It was so hot in the old joint that they handed out paper fans with Red Auerbach’s face on them, with his quote about the Sonics not “finishing anywhere but last” that year.
“I have nothing to say to the Seattle media,” Ellis said. “I despise you all. I really do.”
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19920203&slug=1473661
From the same story:
“I think have to stop defining this team by what it can be and wait until they become,” Karl said. “No one wins with expectations and potential.
I prefer to remember the deadly jumper instead of the jerk.
While I missed the Michael Cage era, I remember reading somewhere that he closed his eyes when he took jumpers (i.e. not the bank shot!)… true?
So Brian sounds like you are right out about spreadsheet trading when the Mastrov meeting was summarized by one of the guppies talking to one of the whales. The way Kings talk about mastrovating he must be a sperm whale
I was too young to remember Cage.
So here’s a thought I had. By the time KJ gets his opportunity to present to the BOG, they will have already vetted the Hansen’s purchase agreement and determined whether his group is financially capable of owning and operating a franchise. Whatever KJ presents to the board, be it Burkle+Mastrov+arena plan, they will not have been vetted by the BOG because they will have not have gone through the formal process yet. Basically, it will be KJ presenting his “whales,” and the BOG will just have to take him at his word that they are financially committed to a plan in Sacramento.
Given that, would the BOG really reject the deal in front of them (one that has been vetted), for one that potentially contains some unknowns? It would be awfully risky if they did. What if they rejected Hansen’s group, and then for whatever reason Burkle+Mastrov decide to back out, or they aren’t as in good financial shape as everyone thinks?
Also, who exactly are they negoitating their “bid” or proposal with, themselves? None of this passes the smell test to me. To many ?’s for me.
Brian on the KJR podcast with Softy said that Burkle will be doing spreadsheet passing and stuff and he isnt really worried about him and Mastrov. Well it sure sounds like the Mastrov meeting with the 1 million dollar investors sounded like some spreadsheet passing and not really talking big financial figures. It sounds like the meeting was Mastrov getting a feel for what kind of corporate sponsorship these investors could or would provide.
Im sure they will be announced but I really wouldnt be suprised if it doesnt become serious. KJ has to get a legitimate offer and legitimate arena design and passed and ready for them to stand a smidgen of a chance. They have to do that quickly to quick to have been double and triple checked. Burkle and Mastrov are worth around 4 billion together so you are talking about combining their wealth and it will cost them what 12-13% of there overall equity to make a fair and competitive offer. I really think they dont go all in and put there name out there nore than getting it out there for future negotiations.
They are simply too far behind and they havent even barely started to organize with an investment group. So they AT LEAST are two years (probably) behind Hansen and his meticulous planning. It isnt an uphill climb IMO its standing next to Rainier hoping to find a rope and harbinger clip or two on the ground
Sale would have to be approved before relocation committee can vet move and make recommendation to BOG anyways. They have to vet both the sale and move. I don’t see them putting the vetting of the move back to after April. Then you could set this thing back another year. Bottom line is, relocation has to be filed and the move has to be vetted by the relocation committee before BOG can consider move. That can’t happen unless sale is approved at least a little bit before move is voted on. Hansen owns team already before move is voted on, making it a formality IMO.
Peter they can push back the relocation deadline.
They cant push it very far though. I think thats why there is momentum gaining that the BoG will aprove after they complete the vetting process of the sale. I dont see the sale getting to April. I also dont see the NBA and its owners having the Kings play next year in Sacramento either. I know the reports out there may conflict this but its going to be done soon IMHO. They just arent saying so because KJ and his whales would throw a coniption fit over not having til April. I think we know by March 1st just my two cents. Now if it goes till April like it has been reported it doesnt mean anything other than the NBA doesnt want a PR nightmare.
Just my two cents but it is a calculated judgment IMO of course :)
There’s just too much that has to happen for them to consider move in April without setting the whole thing back months for them to vote on sale/move same time. I remember when relo committee was vetting Sonics move to OKC, they visited OKC, and there was a few months of work into the vetting of the move. If they want to vote on move April, they cant approve sale much after March 1st. maybe they set relo filing deadline back a few weeks so Hansen applies mid-march, but I don’t see them setting it back months.
How much vetting do you need to do of the Seattle location when it has extensive history as an NBA history as recently as a few years ago?
I bet that the Key Arena portion of this process is already at teh league office. I really do believe that this is way further ahead than people are reporting because they arent at the league offices watching the progress. People are just assuming it takes until April based off historical analysis of how things work. Remember the Maloofs/Hansen already had talks with the relocation committee. This is going to go faster than the fast rate people believe it is already going. Just my 2 cents
Michael Cage needs to get with DeMarcus Cousins and teach him hustle.
It’s taking Cousins on average 8 seconds to get over half court and when he knows the ball isn’t coming to him he won’t come within 10 feet of crossing the three point line.
If I was his coach he’d never see the court.
I think people need to calm down a little bit.
At some point(most likely this week) they’ll announce their guys(probably Mastrov and Burkle) in a press conference.
Then people in SAC will be like, yeah, we’ve don it, while some around here will talk about how everything is doomed and we won’t get anything at all.
Though, you need to realize that the wording they’ll use will be important and not that they’re announcing some guys.
If they talk about just building an arena and makine “a fair bid” they’re not as serious as people in SAC would like them to be.
They’ll have to come out and match what Hansen/Ballmer are offering and not start calculating numbers like having to pay a certain amount less because of the relocation fee, debts or what not.
On top of it they’ll have to deliver on an arena while going through all the steps necessary(financing plan, having it reviewed and voted on, drawings etc.) with only a little over 2 months left.
In the end, I think they’ll try hard but I can’t see a way that Hansen/Ballmer will leave this situation without anything in their hands having walked the walk instead of just talking the talk.
I’m jealous of all your guys’ Sonics memories. I’m a transplant from Sacramento (came here in ’97) who actually grew up a Kings fan, so I can’t partake in sharing anything of the Sonics from my youth (except thinking they had the coolest name ever.)
But I’ve got Duane Causwell stories! And that time Ricky Berry comitted suicide.
And…yeah. Jealous of your Sonics memories.
I’m jealous of all those who were around for the 79 championship. I came two years too late.
i was born 84 so i missed that.
I was there. I’ve never seen anything like it again it Seattle. After we won complete strangers were giving eachother the Number 1 sign.
Nick Licata supposedly was living here at the time so I wonder what he was doing. Watching guys dance around in leotards?
Skipped school to go to the parade with my brother. Rode downtown on a Metro bus and crowded together with half a million other crazies. The Sonics OWNED Seattle back then. They would get 40,000 for games in the Kingdome. It was unbelievable, and in my youthful naievete I assumed they would do it again the next year. Well, it’s been a lot of next year’s since then, hasn’t it!
Chris Hansen is my exact age (hey, where’s my billion?), and he talks about the impact that championship had on him. For those of us in and around the city at that time, it’s something you can never forget. The fact that that era of Sonics basketball has had such a big impact on the future owner of the team is what is one of the coolest things coming out of the St. Chris saga. It seems that the guy is committed to returning our beloved Supes to the glory years. I’m beyond excited for the future of this team!
1978 was actually an even more unbelievable experience than 1979. Because the Sonics had had very little playoff success until then, had started falling apart the season before, and started the 1977-78 season disastrously, 5-17. Last place in the western conference and second-worst record in the league.
They then fired coach Bob Hopkins, moved Director of Player Personnel Lenny Wilken to head coach, who basically replaced the entire starting five, and the rest is history. I don’t know of any team in any sport that turned its season around so quickly, from almost last place to the championship finals all in the same season. And I don’t think there’s ever been an example of a head coach having so much of a huge impact on a team. The talent was there all along, but it took Wilkens to utilize it.
It’s also why the 1996 Sonics, George Karl, and Payton and Kemp, though easily all-time greats in Sonic history still take second billing to the 1978 and 1979 Sonics and Wilkens. Imagine if the 1996 Sonics had come back in 1997 and actually won an NBA championship. Then you’ve got something similar to what the 1978/1979 Sonics meant. Even then though they’d still be missing the miraculous turn-around in 1978, plus the fact that the Sonics had had so little success before, making their sudden Cinderella success in 1978 so unexpected. The Sonics subequently set NBA attendance records, both for the season and for a single game (30,000 in the Kingdome). It was just unbelievable.
Ten years too late here
Someone here said that the NBA has pushed back the relocation deadline before, but only when they were still working in the team’s current city on an arena deal.
it was never ironclad date it can be moved how many times the NBA wants
so as long as Hansen has team and move is approved by this year’s draft, I’m more than OK. It will be great to watch the draft and actually have a team again.
Guys what is Value # 5 of the message and values of this site???
5. Trust Chris the way he has trusted the us!
Do it guys Trust HIM. He has done and delivered every step of the way even when Van Dyk and the arena haters were in full force. Now we have some people assuming that if Sacramento finds a whale we are in trouble. Chris has assumed the worst and has contigencies. He has HEDGED his bet well I guarantee that. Sonics are coming. THE SONICS ARE COMING BACK!!!
+1
Sorry it isnt a BET he has HEDGED HIS INVESTMENT. To Chris it isnt just a monetary investment. Its his investment based on love of the Sonics. Now I know that he isnt just going to jump headlong into a huge investment solely based on emotion but Im guessing it was a driving force in his commitment and going thru every possible scenario and its outcome. He has done his homework and then some. IN CHRIS WE TRUST!!!
+2
In this post Kevin speaks about what his dad told him about Michael Cage. My Supersonic memories were formed around my relationship with my dad. We would watch the NBA on CBS with Brent Musburger doing play by play. At half, the NBA would play recorded 1 on 1 match-ups between its stars. After watching, my dad and I would then go out side to shoot some baskets until the game started again. We would go to several SuperSonic games a year. Dennis Johnson gave me an autograph a a Husky game. I remember going to games and watching Gail Goodrich of the Lakers and Bill Walton of the Trailblazers. Walton was the most heckled player I ever saw. I remember when we won the Chapionship. I was in 7th grage then and you could hear the cheers and horn honking for miles. I want the Sonics back for several reasons, but I am lucky that my dad is still with us and I want to go to a game with him again. He is getting older and I don’t want to wait another 5 years.
I have to be honest. I didn’t grow up a Sonics fan; matter of fact, until I moved to Seattle I kind of hated them (on account of them constantly getting in the Rockets’ way back in the 90′s).
But now that it looks like the Sonics are coming back, I look forward to cheering for the Green and Gold and learning more about the team’s history. So keep these posts coming!
My dad and I weasled ourselves to about 35 feet from the stage at the end of the championship parade route ..I was in 6th grade, took the day off from school and jumped up on a city potted plant to see over the crowd with about two others. Remember DJ’s speech pretty well. It seemed there was a half a million people downtown.
I was there too. 11 years old at the time (5th grade). I think there were about 500,000 people there, but that’s just my memory from 33 years ago.
Unforgettable experience for a kid. Hope we can have another parade someday!
Baker said that he was finish a new post for 2morrow though Brent Barry was distracting him. Well its almost 2morrow. New post soon? BTW seems like some people in Sacramento will get the whales announced though we kind of know who they are. Burkle was at the LA Kings game so I guess he is just a private flight away.
I still dont think that we hear anything other than we are interested in making a fair and competitive offer and taking it to the BoG when its time. Of course they will attempt to get an arena done. Good for them and Im a little envious that they have a mayor with a backbone when their team is out the door. Nickels certainly is not KJ but then again he isnt a lot of things anymore like you know relevant
Cage did have a wicked Jheri curl. Dale Ellis was a friend of a friend of mine. Met him a couple times. Weird guy. Hung out with X Man at one of the SOS after party events. He was super cool. Dude is HUGE too.