Q&A; WITH MICHAEL CAGE:Can’t Cage former pro’s words

Some professional athletes head for charity golf tournaments when retirement hits. Others opt for “Dancing With the Stars,” or lazy days at exotic beaches.

Many, like 15-year NBA veteran Michael Cage, offer their services as experts for television or radio. Cage is a color analyst for Grizzlies games broadcast on FOX Sports.

But Cage, a former 6-foot, 9-inch power forward who was drafted in the first round by the Clippers in 1984, has elected to spice up his life as a retiree with another activity as well.

After all, at 45, he hardly qualifies for AARP membership.

Cage is a referee for youth soccer games, and the Daily Pilot caught up with him after he’d worked the girls’ fifth-and sixth-grade Gold DIvision final of the Daily Pilot Cup tournament.

Even seven years removed from the NBA — Cage ended his career in 2000 with the Seattle Sonics, his fifth team — Cage still has an opinion about everything NBA. Cage topped Chicago’s Charles Oakley in 1988 for the NBA regular season rebounding title as a member of the Clippers. He lives in Newport Coast with his wife and three children.

Question: How in the world did you start officiating youth soccer games?

Answer: In my spare time, this is what I do. I love youth soccer. I love youth sports, basketball, football, baseball, and I have three kids who are playing club soccer and also participating in the Pilot Cup this weekend.

I got involved in soccer because of my wife [Jodi]. She was a tremendous soccer player. She played for 17 years. She has such a love for it and passion for it. When I met her, during my pro career, she always talked about soccer, so I started playing soccer with her in the off-season. It just took off from there, and I’ve stayed an active participant ever since.

Q: How would you feel if the Sonics, whose new owners are based in Oklahoma City, moved the team there?

A: What a shame that would be. I had some of the best years of my professional career in Seattle and it doesn’t sound right. It’s certainly looking like it at this point, because obviously the biggest political situation going on is them being able to get an arena. The city has said, “We’re not going to do it right now. We’re not interested in trying to work something out right now.”

They didn’t say they’re not interested, but that wasn’t good enough, obviously, for the owners from Oklahoma City. I met my wife in Seattle, she was born and raised in Seattle, in Mercer Island. I played most of my pro career there. It would be a shame to see such a wonderful franchise that’s been in Seattle for 40 years move to Oklahoma City.

Q: What the heck is going on with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers?

A: You gotta admit, there’s a little frustration in there. It’s their second year of being eliminated in the first round [of the playoffs]. Certainly, they were not the better team in the first round. Unfortunately, they happened to draw a team like the Phoenix Suns, who are a very good team.

I don’t think the ingredients are there for them to compete at the level the Lakers are used to. They’re used to being in the Western Conference Finals. And such a storied franchise of winning NBA titles, and then to see them have two consecutive first-round exits, I’m sure it’s frustrating.

Kobe’s trying to figure out, obviously he doesn’t have a whole lot of years left in this league, even though he’s under 30. That’s a lot of miles on his legs. He wants to win now. I think that’s just the competitive nature of him today: “I want a team right now or in this next year or two. I don’t want to be part of a rebuilding process.” And that’s been mentioned in the Laker camp, rebuild, rebuild. I’m sure that panicked him and he said, “Wait a minute. I don’t want to be part of a rebuild.”

Q: There have been rumblings of a trade that would send Jermaine O’Neal to L.A. to play with Kobe. Is this a good idea?

A: Jermaine O’Neal would be a great fit because he’s another big guy who can play on the box. He can play with his back to the basket. He can rebound. He’ll make the big shots. He’s a good free-throw shooter. And, I think he wants to win. He’s another guy coming from a bad situation wanting to do good — if they’re able to get him. I was on the Kevin Garnett bandwagon last summer, but I’m not sure if Minnesota would part ways with him. More importantly, what’s Kevin’s feel on that? Is he thinking the same as Kobe — hey look, I don’t want to be a part of a rebuilding process — which has already started in Minnesota. So possibly, he could be looking. All he has to do is say the word to Kevin McHale.

Q: Does being a referee for youth soccer make you more receptive to David Stern’s decision to come down harder on players arguing with officials? Is it different on the other side of the fence?

A: In the early part of the year, let’s get that straight. That was ridiculous. The whole basketball thing, the synthetic ball, I never liked that ball from Day One. Players like to play with a ball that you can feel in your hands.

To play with a ball that will not wear in, that’s ridiculous. That’s why you always see us, before we start the game, the ref hands the ball to the player and says hey, “Is this the ball you like?” We rub it, we like it, we take it. We usually pick the oldest ball, the one that looks like it’s been run over by a truck. That was ridiculous, the synthetic ball. OK, that’s gone.

And then, the thing with the technicals, in the early part of the year, I just had a major problem with that. Now you’re giving too much control to people like myself in youth sports. I don’t want that much control in youth soccer. I just want to let them play the game. I don’t want to have a ref T me up twice in the first half because the rules say that.

He says you can’t argue a single call. This is an emotional game.

Guys play off of energy. They’re going to say something. We’re not robots. You can’t just flip a switch and turn us off, and we just sit there and don’t do anything. So I thought that was tampering with the historical features of the game. So, they toned that down, and I was real happy about that.

Q: What about the physical play in this year’s playoffs?

A: I really don’t think San Antonio is a dirty team, to be honest. I played very physical in my 15-year career. I played very hard. I’d challenge you on every play. Don’t try to change the nature of the game. Basketball is not a non-contact sport. Don’t try to change what the game has already been built on: physical play and physical challenges.

Now, when guys throw punches like Carmelo in the early part of the year — OK, that’s an easy one there. Yes, you should be removed from the game, for a number of games. He paid the price for it.

But when you start trying to judge, with Robert Horry, should he or should he not have been kicked out? Maybe, maybe not.

The Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw situation, where they left the bench, I have a big problem with that. Because, now, you’re saying the guys are supposed to stay in their bench area. They never touched the floor, never got involved with the fight.

But they looked at the tape the next day and saw that they left the bench. I thought that destroyed that whole series because now, you’ve taken two starters away from a team that was playing extremely well. I really think that was just too much thinking from our league office. Way too much thinking. The rule book says this, but what’s the spirit of the law? Were they actually involved in the on-court confrontation? Did they even bother anybody that was involved in that big melee on the floor?

No, they didn’t. I have a big problem with that.

I think the league is trying to keep borders and garnish players’ attitudes, and I’m OK with that. But let it fall within the spirit of the game.

Q: What did you think about John Amaechi choosing to come out?

A: John’s a good friend of mine. I played with John for a year in Cleveland. I had no idea that he was gay. Wouldn’t have had a problem with it anyway. It’s something I think it’s something more of the gay community is making a really big issue of it than the non-gay community. He’s a big ex-NBA player.

Hey, this is America. You can do, be, worship, have any preference for whatever religion, sexuality that you want to. So that’s what makes America, America. So for a guy like John Amaechi to say hey, “I’m gay, I was playing basketball, but I’m coming out of the closet now,” I really have no opinion on it, because hey, this is America. You can do what you want to do.

Q: Would he have been able to come out while he was playing basketball?

A: I’m not gay, so I don’t know what his thinking is. Obviously, in a sport where there are no gay athletes that I know of, that played or said they played and were gay, it’s more of a decision that they chose. He chose to say, “Hey, I’m going to stay in the closet, and now that my pro career is over, I’m going to say what I want to say.”

I just wish that they don’t try to use it for political gain. That’s what I have a problem with. Hey, if that’s your preference, that’s fine. But don’t try to use the system for political gains. If that’s your motive, then yeah, I have a problem with it.

People are people, and if they don’t say that they’re gay, is that our fault? No, it’s not. Is it his fault? Yes it is. I don’t have a problem with him being gay. I like John. I mentored John when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at soraya.mcdonald@latimes.com.