Warszawski: Retirement announcement lets us remember Kobe Bryant as he used to be

Enter the Warzone, bald-faced truther.

▪ When Kobe Bryant announced this will be his last season in the NBA, it came as a great relief to many of his biggest fans.

At least now they can spend the next 4 1/2 months reminiscing about how great a player Bryant used to be, rather than the poor facsimile he’s become.

▪ Very few basketball players (in the prime of their careers) were better or more skilled than Bryant. And even fewer still, perhaps only Michael Jordan, were more competitive.

▪ Further proof that great players don’t necessarily make great coaches: Byron Scott. Or in his case, good ones.

▪ When will the Warriors finally lose?

Sometime on this seven-game trip with two back-to-backs, logic would dictate.

Except this team defies logic with every Stephen Curry 30-foot swish.

▪ Speaking of the new face of the NBA, he cannot grow a proper beard.

▪ Draymond Green became the first Warriors player since Wilt Chamberlain to record triple doubles in consecutive games.

Certainly Wilt did more scoring. Points, that is.

▪ College football had so many coaching vacancies this year that if the Fresno State job came open it would’ve ranked outside the top 10 along with Toledo (which went 9-2 this season), Tulane (3-9) and North Texas (1-11).

Another reason (besides the guaranteed dough) why Tim DeRuyter isn’t going anywhere.

▪ It’s finally official: The Bulldogs will have a different offensive coordinator next season. And from what we hear, a new defensive coordinator as well.

After Colorado State scored three touchdowns on returns in Saturday’s season finale, better add special-teams coach to the list.

▪ Jeff Tedford could be a candidate for the offensive coordinator opening, especially if given assurances he would be the next head coach at his alma mater.

Tedford and athletic director Jim Bartko are tight from their days at Oregon and Cal, but Tedford doesn’t exactly run a spread offense, which DeRuyter wants to keep.

Guess we’ll find out who’s making this decision.

▪ Two seniors who will be missed for their personalities as well as their play: Ejiro Ederaine and Marteze Waller.

No Bulldog is more boisterous and talkative than Ederaine, and none is quieter or has less to say than Waller.

Total opposites who are equally endearing.

▪ Ederaine scored a touchdown on a direct snap in his final college game, a pretty cool feat for an outside linebacker, but said afterward he almost refused the play.

“The money wasn’t right,” he deadpanned.

▪ Wyoming, which is spending $750,000 on athlete nutrition this year, plans to increase that total to at least $2.5 million in 2016-17.

Which ought to make Bartko choke on a chicken bone.

▪ Why in the heck is the NCAA considering making 5-7 teams bowl eligible?

Because coaches and ADs need those bonuses?

▪ Per ProFootballReference.com, only four quarterbacks in NFL history under the age of 25 have four 300-yard, three-touchdown passing games in one season: Dan Marino, Andrew Luck, Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr.

▪ Don’t look now, but Carr is within 10 touchdown passes of matching the Raiders’ season record of 34. Held by none other than Clovis native Daryle Lamonica (who also has the second-highest total of 30).

▪ Sunday night was the Patriots’ turn to get screwed by the NFL’s lousy officiating.

Refreshing, ain’t it?

▪ For no particular reason: Billy Joe Hobert.

▪ Tyson Fury of Great Britain won the world heavyweight championship by unanimous decision over Wladimir Klitschko.

For those who didn’t realize boxing still has a heavyweight division.

▪ Robin Lopez plays for the New York Knicks. Brook Lopez plays for the Brooklyn Nets. But apparently Fresno’s favorite 7-foot twins cannot share a roof because their cats hate each other.

Don’t want to rub anyone’s fur the wrong way.

This story was originally published November 30, 2015 at 5:51 PM with the headline "Warszawski: Retirement announcement lets us remember Kobe Bryant as he used to be."