Want to know what David Stern’s legacy will be? Just take a look at NBA rosters on Opening Night. More than 20 years ago – when he was a relative pup as a commissioner – Stern worked with Russ Granik, USA Basketball and FIBA to clear the way for NBA players to play in the Olympics. That led to the creation of the “Dream Team,” which, among others, featured the holy trinity of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Team USA
Everyone knows the NBA preseason doesn’t mean anything. And everyone is wrong. The preseason is supposed to be when coaches are evaluating their offensive and defensive schemes and players are familiarizing themselves with their teammates. Veterans sit out entire games. Journeymen on make-good deals fight, scratch and claw for minutes to show they deserve that final roster spot. Games are played in exotic faraway places like Taiwan and Rio de Janeiro and domestic outposts from Biloxi to Boise and Asheville to Jacksonville. Referees overuse
Our younger readers aren’t aware of this, but “The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous” was a brand called Schlitz. Not anymore. The Milwaukee Bucks announced Wednesday that their name and team logo will appear during the 2013-14 NBA season on limited edition cans of Coors Light, a long-time sponsor of the team. The cans will only be available in the Milwaukee area beginning Nov. 1. [Read more…]
Who is crashing the playoff party in the East this season? Conventional wisdom says the two-time defending champion Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are head and shoulders above the rest of the Eastern Conference and – barring a disaster – will secure the top five spots. At the other end of the conference, you can probably toss out the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Bobcats and Philadelphia 76ers, who could pool their rosters to come up with
In a teleconference last week, we asked NBA analysts Chris Webber and Greg Anthony to pick a Western Conference team which missed the playoffs last season but will make the playoffs this season. “Dallas, mainly because of Dirk Nowitzki,” Webber said. “He’ll be back healthy. What he does, with spacing, getting guys involved … We take his game for granted.” “I would go with the Pelicans,” Anthony said. “I think that’s a team that could make sizeable leaps and surprise a lot
This is the time of year where everyone and their mothers offer up a series of fearless prognostications about the upcoming NBA season. Here’s what I can tell you about my skills at predicting the future. If I was really any good at it, I wouldn’t be wasting it on the NBA season. And neither would anyone else. I am not reading tea leaves, interpreting tarot cards, gazing into crystal balls, holding seances, poring over analytics or buying classified information on the
Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star guard Russell Westbrook had a second knee surgery Tuesday and is out until December. Thunder GM Sam Presti announced that Westbrook had an arthroscopic procedure after experiencing swelling in his surgically repaired right knee caused by a loose stitch. Westbrook originally hurt the knee in the 2013 postseason. Westbrook is expected to miss the first four to six weeks of the regular season, which means his entire recovery period could require up to 10 weeks. When Westbrook went down
With NBA training camps now open, every team will be using October to try to answer questions about their rosters. But for teams with injured stars, the questions have greater significance. Like, how long can the Lakers stay afloat without Kobe Bryant? Is Danny Granger going to come off the bench for the Pacers? Are the Warriors really a better team without David Lee? No less than nine current or former All-Stars will start the 2013-14 season with doubt swirling around them because they