Before last season began, I wrote a piece predicting 5 players who will have breakout seasons, 5 players who will get traded, and 5 players who will have the biggest impact on the title picture. I whiffed so badly on the players who will be traded and the players that will impact the title picture, that I’m not even going to try again. However, I was 2 for 5 on my five breakout players (Ty Lawson and Paul George), which would win me
Until now, the Brooklyn Nets had been methodical and deliberate about naming a new coach. However, that all changed this week. Sources tell me that the Nets have offered their coaching job to Jason Kidd, their former star point guard and future Hall of Famer who recently retired. The Nets have an interview scheduled with Brian Shaw, but I am told that is just window dressing. They are talking contract with Kidd, who is in the process of building a coaching staff.
When the San Antonio Spurs beat the New York Knicks in the 1999 NBA Finals, it was considered a championship coronation for long-time Spurs center David Robinson. With plenty of help from second-year power forward Tim Duncan, that title validated Robinson’s career. But more importantly, it spawned a run of sustained success that is incredibly unique in the NBA, especially for a small-market franchise like the Spurs. [Read more…]
This is the part of the playoffs where things get interesting — or they don’t. If the Rockets win Game 3 against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that will be without Russell Westbrook, then it’s an interesting series. If the Rockets lose, don’t waste your time on Game 4. Same thing with Spurs-Lakers — although the urge to watch El Lay’s funeral might actually make Game 4 a compelling view. If the Knicks win tonight in Boston, it’ll be another pity party to
(Yesterday, Chris Bernucca tried to influence my official NBA ballot with his choices for postseason awards. Today, we get more of the same from Brian Geltzeiler of Hoopscritic.com and SheridanHoopsRadio. I’ll publicize my picks after I cast my ballot in the wee hours of Thursda morning-CS) The dying days of the NBA regular season are upon us. A few teams that are in the playoffs are still jockeying for seedings, and we won’t know until late Wednesday night whether it is
All eyes in the NBA are on the Miami Heat — and with good reason. They get the Cavs tonight in Cleveland, the betting line has opened at 5 points (?), and the number of the night is 24 — the amount of consecutive victories Miami should have when all is said and done. But enough about them … for now. As we approach the stretch run of this NBA season, we have no shortage of interesting and competitive races for playoff
Fresh off my maiden voyage to the M.I.T. Sloan Sports Analytic Conference in Boston, I have been spending more time dissecting advanced stats. One of the important principles in using advanced stats to draw conclusions is to also know which stats don’t paint a complete picture. I have found that looking at some of these team stats can tell us a lot on why good teams are good and why certain teams overachieve and conversely underachieve. The San Antonio Spurs currently have the
Over the years, the NBA trade deadline has been a time of year that spoils us. Once in a while, there is a year when very little happened, like 2007 when Anthony Johnson was the most meaningful player moved. This year was bizarre because there was sheer volume of trades — yet very few that moved the needle. [Read more…]