Mark Jackson is out as coach of the Golden State Warriors, creating a plum vacancy. Jackson met Tuesday morning with management, and both the San Jose Mercury News and Yahoo! Sports reported he would be let go. The team later made it official. Jackson spent three seasons with the Warriors, his first coaching job of any kind after a successful run as an analyst for ABC/ESPN. Golden State made the playoffs each of the last two seasons under Jackson, its first consecutive
NBA commissioner Adam Silver cannot just suspend Clippers owner Donald Sterling for the rest of the playoffs. Silver cannot just suspend Sterling for a year and drop a seven-figure fine on him the way his predecessor did to Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor in 2000. Taylor broke the rules. Sterling broke the game. Silver has no choice but to suspend Sterling indefinitely, as in until he sells his team. And when Silver suspends Sterling, it is important that anyone and everyone with an opinion on
There were 1,230 games during the NBA season, and I read the stories and boxscores for every single one. That is how I compile Page 2 of my weekly notes column, which features the categories Quote of the Week, Line of the Week, Line of the Weak and the Trillion Watch. It’s also how I find gems like Mo Williams mysteriously playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. After my column is published every Monday, I take the winners of those weekly categories and save
There were 1,230 games during the NBA season, and I read the stories and boxscores for every single one. That is how I compile Page 2 of my weekly notes column, which features the categories Quote of the Week, Line of the Week, Line of the Weak and the Trillion Watch. It’s also how I find gems like Mo Williams mysteriously playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. After my column is published every Monday, I take the winners of those weekly categories and save
Transparency is a two-way street. For years, NBA media members – echoing the sentiments of its passionate fan base – wanted more transparency from Commissioner David Stern and his executive staff. Whether it was a lottery drawing, a suspension in the playoffs or a referee scandal, folks felt like they were entitled to an explanation. And they were. Stern grudgingly came around. He arranged for the media to meet with referees prior to the season about rules changes. He allowed the media
From his first NBA game, Michael Carter-Williams took hold of the Rookie of the Year award. He immediately grabbed the undivided attention of all of us, going for 22 points, 12 assists, nine steals and seven rebounds in Philadelphia’s improbable season-opening win over the two-time defending champion Miami Heat. Before the 76ers started losing – losing frequently, losing historically – Carter-Williams directed his team to two more wins and was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Not Rookie of the Week.
Believe it or not, there’s someone out there who doesn’t think the Indiana Pacers are coming apart at the seams. “Everybody goes through this,” Spurs guard Tony Parker said last week after San Antonio manhandled Indiana, 103-77, on the Pacers’ home court. “I’m not worried about them. They’ll still make it to the Eastern Conference finals and they’ll still play Miami.” Parker is somewhat right. From time to time, every championship contender has a stretch during a season where they look ordinary.
There’s been some talk lately that the 2013 draft could be the worst in NBA history. We could wait more than a year before jumping into the adjoining worlds of shortsightedness and hyperbole, couldn’t we? Yes, this was a bad draft. We’ve said it ourselves several times. For the first time since 2001, the top pick is going to average less than five points per game. For the first time since 1988, the Rookie of the Year is probably going to be