We have two pieces of news to pick apart today: The announcement that USA Basketball has released a list of 30 finalists for the 2016 Olympic team, and the “non-commitment” from LeBron James regarding whether he will be part of the party. And yes, it will be a party. The games are in Brazil, after all. And LeBron, whose non-commitment is disingenuous at best, does not miss a good party. So let me tell you a little story about the Brazilians. [Read more…]
Monday’s excitement will be a tough act to follow for the NBA. Four games went to overtime, two of them to double OT, and the defending champion Warriors made a convincing statement with 132 points in Cleveland. [Read more…]
Kawhi Leonard is 18% more efficient this season than last season. He ranks 5th in overall efficiency, behind Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and LeBron James. He’s the only player in the top-5 in both offensive (5th) and defensive win shares (1st). Leonard’s overall win shares are second in the NBA to Curry. [Read more…]
A day before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, Stephen Curry joked that he hoped the visiting locker room still smells like champagne. Apparently, that rubbed LeBron James and the Cavaliers the wrong way, and that brought on some unexpected anticipation heading into the contest on TNT. [Read more…]
This is the time of year when we give out our midseason awards. But before we get to the drudgery of Sixth Man Award and Most Valuable Player, let’s start the festivities with a special award for individual achievement that goes to Rashad Vaughn. Vaughn is a shooting guard for the Milwaukee Bucks and the second-youngest player in the NBA. He is one of the dozens of rookies who have made virtually no impact in their first season. He is averaging 2.5 points
It’s a great day to be a basketball fan, with ten NBA games, highlighted by the Warriors in Cleveland for a Finals rematch (and possible preview.) If both clubs have a playoff-level intensity, Draymond Green $9600 will try to contain LeBron James $9800 while Stephen Curry $10500 and Kyrie Irving $6900 make each other work hard for every point. The fascinating nightcap has Houston visiting the Clippers. James Harden $9900 scored 31 points in just 27 minutes last night in a romp over the Lakers.
PHILOSOPHICAL QUOTE OF THE DAY: “You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like there’s nobody listening, and live like it’s heaven on earth.” -William W. Purkey [Read more…]
I’ve learned a ton of things in over 25 years in the game, studying players at every level. First when it comes to projecting a player’s ability and potential and how he will translate to the next level, it’s never an exact science. That’s probably the biggest challenge of all when it comes to evaluating talent. Nowadays, there are many high-tech methods to track a player’s every move. Along with the current analytics movement, there are also countless player workout and