The announcement of NBA All-Stars always generates tons of debate and emotion among fans and media alike. Whether it’s a favorite player getting snubbed or fans voting in an undeserving player, we’re never short of folks getting their panties in a bunch over the All-Star Game. There are some complaints that are valid, but for the most part, most of the controversy is biased and at times, contrived. This year’s process had more than its fair share of griping thanks to the
This has been a unique season in terms of NBA coaching firings. There are always coaches who buy it somewhat early in the season (think Paul Westphal last season for Sacramento.) Typically those firings are reserved for particularly heinous starts to the season (think Lawrence Frank with the 2009 Nets). [Read more…]
Dear Rob, I am writing this letter to you to apologize for my excessive criticism when I rushed to judgement. [Read more…]
It was the one-year anniversary of the eruption of Mount Stern, a moment when he made an unprecedented decision in the immediate aftermath of the settlement that ended the 2011 NBA lockout. Commissioner David Stern squashed a trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team deal with the New Orleans Hornets and the Houston Rockets. [Read more…]
In watching all of this Laker drama play out, I had a tough time not invoking memories of a former Bush administration official who shares a name with the recently deposed coach of the Lakers. Michael Brown was the FEMA director when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2006. Brown was famous for being the recipient of President Bush’s famous compliment, “You’re doing a heckuva job Brownie.” Not long after this, Brown was forced to resign as the director of FEMA for an incompetent response
As much as I enjoy the NBA, there is a tedium to the preseason that only makes me feel dissatisfied. I’m that much closer to regular season basketball, but yet I don’t quite have it, kind of like Al Pacino and his retirement in The Godfather 3. Nonetheless, as we enter a new season, I’m always looking for players who will emerge as stars. I also look at who has a realistic chance of getting traded. And then I like to
Jeff Van Gundy is my NBA idol. I like to joke that Jeff is to me what Justin Bieber is to a teenaged girl. If Jeff was a cult leader, I’d not only join, I’d drink Jeff’s Kool-Aid in the jungle. The only topic I’ve ever vehemently disagreed on with Jeff is flopping. Jeff has been condemning flopping on national NBA broadcasts, on the biggest of stages, for years now. The league has gotten embarrassed enough to finally do something and boy, is
The Shell Answer Man is a column theme that was inspired by my 8th grade journalism teacher Bill Ehrlich, who taught me as much about basketball as he did about journalism. The background story is linked right here. Essentially, these are questions I’ve either been asked on Twitter, on the radio, in person, or questions I’ve asked of myself. So let’s get right to it: What can we expect from the Chicago Bulls this season? On the surface it appears as though the Bulls