As good as Damian Lillard has been in his rookie season, his impact on the Portland Trail Blazers ends April 17. That’s the last day of the regular season, and the Blazers are not making the playoffs. While they currently are just two losses out of eighth place in the Western Conference, they also are in 11th place, with Utah and Dallas in front of them. Lillard is not alone; most of this season’s top newcomers will be watching the postseason on TV. In fact,
Less than three weeks ago, the Los Angeles Lakers were mourning the death of owner Jerry Buss, refuting rumors that Dwight Howard would be traded and staring down the draft lottery. With his team mired in ninth place in the Western Conference, Kobe Bryant defiantly told Sports Illustrated, “It’s not a question of if we make the playoffs. We will. And when we get there, I have no fear of anyone – Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver … whoever. I have
Power forward for the Houston Rockets has been a revolving door. The Rockets have had seven different power forwards on their roster this season. At last month’s trading deadline, they took a bit of a risk and moved the two men who had manned the position for most of the season – Patrick Patterson and Marcus Morris – in separate deals. That shuffling brought back Thomas Robinson in a deal that most believed was a fleecing of the Sacramento Kings, who gave
After the Thunder held on to beat the Clippers on Sunday, coach Scott Brooks praised the composure of Russell Westbrook, his often volatile point guard. There are two ways to look at this. One is that Westbrook is making the necessary strides to gain control of his emotions and make the proper play in big games. The other? When Westbrook is the tone-setter for your team’s composure, you may have issues. [Read more…]
En route to the best record in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs have withstood injuries to Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard. Now they will have to do without Tony Parker, their most indispensable player. The Spurs announced Saturday that Parker had an MRI that revealed a Grade 2 sprain of his left ankle that will sideline him for four weeks. Parker was hurt in the third quarter of Friday’s 130-102 home rout of Sacramento. He is averaging a career-high 21.0
Usually a weekly feature, The Bernucca List took its own All-Star break last week. We do that from time to time, when we can’t come up with a challenging list while facing a deadline or simply forget, as we did last week. [Read more…]
NBA scouts may have overlooked Bradley Beal’s best quality. When Beal declared for the 2012 draft, his combination of 6-5 size and excellent mechanics made him the top shooting guard prospect. After a slow start to the season – somewhat attributed to the injury absence oF backcourt mate John Wall – he has found his rhythm and is shooting better than 46 percent from the field since New Year’s Day. However, Beal also has shown remarkable mental and physical toughness throughout his
When former AAU teammates Dwight Howard and Josh Smith were not traded Thursday, they made the offseason all the more interesting. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak held onto Howard and Hawks GM Danny Ferry was unsuccessful in trying to trade Smith. And there is no guarantee that either player is sticking around this summer, possibly leaving $30 million on the table for a fresh start elsewhere. [Read more…]