If You Build It, They Will Come

The NBA Finals are played every year, and every year there is a winner.  The right team doesn't always win though.  No, sometimes the universe makes a mistake and the wrong team wins.  But how do we know who these "Misplaced Winners" are?   Well, this blog circles around one thing, and that's the Iowa Connection.  So, obviously every NBA Champion should have at least one Iowa Connection, but not every one does.  Either I've missed the connection (possible!), or the universe messed up.  Thanos snapped his fingers and the Warriors won.  So lets look at those Iowa-less NBA Champions and see who it should have been. If this universe happened, here number of titles these Iowa Connections would have gained: 9 - Don Nelson 4 - Kyle Korver 2 - Harrison Barnes 2 - Kelvin Cato 2 - Jeff Hornacek 2 - B.J. Armstrong 2 - Jimmy Rodgers 2 - John Johnson 2 - Fred Brown 2 - Willie McCarter 1 - Justin Hamilton 1 - Nick Collison 1 - Will Blalock 1 - Paul Shirley...

        Profile Jimmy Rodgers is a former NBA head coach* with the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves.  He played college basketball at the University of Iowa.  While not having much success as a head coach, he was an assistant coach** on 6 NBA championship teams (3 with Boston, 3 with Chicago). * Other Iowa connected NBA coaches: Bill Fitch (Coe), Nick Nurse (UNI), Terry Stotts (Cedar Falls), Don Nelson (UofI), Fred Hoiberg (ISU), Nate Bjorkgren (Buena Vista),  and Jeff Hornacek (ISU) ** Rodgers first assistant coach job was with Bill Fitch in North Dakota where they coached Phil Jackson. Personal Notes As noted above, Jimmy Rodgers was a successful coach netting 6 NBA championships as an assistant coach.  However, as a head coach he was seen as somewhat a failure.  I find his career fascinating when you dig into it.  His first season with Boston, Larry Bird was injured for most of it, but he still made the playoff...

  Championships Note: Updating this page as I go, but NBA/NFL/NCAAF/CFL/Arena/MLB are pretty close to being complete. Note: I include anyone who coached/played for the team during their championship season.  I don't know who has received rings, but everyone who was with the team helped that team.  Butterfly effect, yada, yada.  So A.J. Derby played for the 2016 Patriots and was traded mid-season but being an Iowa Connection his time with the team helped them become champions. NBA Champions 6 - Jimmy Rodgers , Asst. Coach, Iowa (1981, 1984, 1986, 1996, 1997, 1998) 5 - Don Nelson (1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976) 3 - B.J. Armstrong (1991, 1992, 1993) 1 - Talen Horton-Tucker, Iowa State (2020) 1 - Nick Nurse, Coach, UNI (2019) 1 - Nate Bjorkgren, Coach, Buena Vista (2019) 1 - Harrison Barnes , F, Ames (2015) 1 - Donnie Nelson, GM, Iowa City (2011) 1 - Terry Stotts, Asst. Coach, Cedar Falls (2011) 1 - Matt Bullard, F, Iowa (1994) 1 - Bob Hansen, G, Iowa (1992) 1 - Ron...