Lost in the midst, perhaps, of North Carolina getting revenge at the expense of their hated rivals, Duke, on Saturday in Durham was the continued evolution of a sure-fire lottery pick and, to me, the most improved offensive player in the nation. No, I’m not talking about Harrison Barnes. I’m talking about John Henson, who has quietly polished his short and mid range face-up offensive game, which has made him one of the most complete and NBA-ready big men in college basketball. Prior
Rajon Rondo had 18 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists Sunday against the Knicks. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last player to record a triple-double with at least 17 in each category was Magic Johnson, who had 24 points, 17 assists and 17 rebounds on April 18, 1989. The last player to exceed Rondo’s performance in each category was Wilt Chamberlain, who had 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists on Feb. 2, 1968. With performances like the one
One week ago, people around the NBA were debating who would be the runner-up to LeBron James in the MVP race. A week later, and we’re wondering who he’ll throw the ball to next at the end of a tight game. Anybody got Joey Crawford in their office pool? Seriously, the King needs to rule when it comes down to taking the last shot, but he looks like he wants to abdicate. I realize he is having his best season ever statistically,
Over the flu and with no apparent ill effects from sore ribs, Kevin Love torched the Blazers for 42 points on 15-27 shooting, including 5-8 from downtown, as the T-Wolves won on the road. Ricky Rubio had only six points but chipped in a dozen assists. With Wesley Johnson in foul trouble, Martell Webster was terrific in 34 minutes off the bench. Nicolas Batum had 29 and Gerald Wallace 23 for Portland, but recently demoted Raymond Felton shot a brutal
NEW YORK — Just when the New York Knicks looked whole, they will not be for at least another month. The team announced Sunday that forward Bill Walker will miss 4-6 weeks after he undergoes a surgical procedure known as “debridement” on his left elbow on Monday. Debridement is a term used to describe the removal of lacerated, devitalized, or contaminated tissue. Walker has started eight games for the Knicks, scoring a season-high 21 points when he knocked down seven 3-pointers in a loss
When Josh Smith is in the right frame of mind, meaning attack the basket and not settling for perimeter shots, the Atlanta Hawks are a difficult team to beat. In fact, when Smith scores at least 20 points, the team is undefeated. They improved to 11-0 in such situations as Smith scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder — the team with the NBA’s best record coming into the game — 97-90 Saturday night. It was an
Do the Oklahoma City Thunder have a toughness complex? One of the reasons the Thunder have the NBA’s second-best record is because they have three young, explosive players – Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden – who simply cannot be contained off the dribble. When defensive schemes cannot prevent a player from getting to the basket, teams usually resort to rough stuff as discouragement. Michael Jordan went through it. So did Allen Iverson. Tony Parker still gets thrown to the floor
