It feels like I’ve been waiting all summer for October to get here. Not only do I love the fall weather, but my birthday is this month, my Orioles are in the MLB playoffs, and basketball is coming back. Sure, it’s just preseason now, but by the end of the month, we’ll get some real, actual basketball games that count. For now, though, we’ve got a month of relentless optimism, where every team’s new offense is exactly like the Spurs’, every
It’s the dawn of a new era for the Milwaukee Bucks, with new ownership at the helm, a new coach on the sidelines, and (hopefully) a new approach to building a championship-caliber team. The Bucks have really gone through the ringer over the past year, enduring a franchise-worst 15-67 season and a messy coaching change, yet fans might be as hopeful as ever. If anything, that just goes to show how maddening the status quo had become, but the optimism isn’t unfounded.
The Miami Heat had a four-year run from 2010 to 2014 that will not be soon forgotten by NBA fans, writers, analysts, players or historians. Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade formed, “The Big Three,” and took the Heat to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances, winning two titles. The ride was phenomenal, but it had its ups-and-downs for everyone involved. James, a four-time MVP, joined forces with two of the league’s premier players at the height of their abilities. Wade had already won
The Los Angeles Lakers received some bad news on Friday when it was announced that guard Nick Young may miss 6-8 weeks after suffering a torn radial collateral ligament in his right thumb. It apparently happened in practice while he was trying to guard Kobe Bryant, which is a shame given the praise that Bryant gave to Young about his defense just a couple of days ago. The Lakers will look to head into the season without a key player once
It must either be hard or extremely comical to be Philadelphia 76ers rookie Joel Embiid. Day after day he continues to find new and inventive ways to entertain himself and, consequently, his Twitter followers. Friday was no different, as he shared a comical take on the Sixers, if they were a rap group … and that rap group were from Detroit. [Read more…]
The 2014-15 NBA season boasts changes for many teams throughout the league. Of course there’s players switching teams every season, but this year it seems that teams are doing more to change the cosmetics of their franchises. With the Golden State Warriors again unveiling new sleeved uniforms, the Dallas Mavericks bringing about the first fan-based jerseys, and even the Cleveland Cavaliers with a new court with a silhouette of the city’s skyline that was showcased at their scrimmage Wednesday night, teams
The New York Knicks looked like the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus on a nightly basis last season. Carmelo Anthony’s free agency, and the uncertainty it brought, hung over the Knicks like a dark cloud on a rainy day. J.R. Smith had knee surgery before last season and violated the league’s anti-drug policy, resulting in a five-game suspension to start the season. He then became more preoccupied with untying the shoelaces of opponents instead of loosening their laces with his
Pau Gasol had a tough summer in which he failed to win a medal for Team Spain after being upset in the FIBA World Cup by France, but the big man is ready to move on to bigger things as he prepares for the upcoming season with the Chicago Bulls. The past couple of seasons have been rough for Gasol from an emotional standpoint, as he tried to understand his role with the Los Angeles Lakers under Mike D’Antoni’s run-and-gun offense. With