Thomas Robinson just caught a huge break. With the possible exception of Austin Rivers, Robinson had been the most disappointing 2012 lottery pick this season. An All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year, he went fifth overall to the Sacramento Kings, who weren’t exactly loaded in the frontcourt. There appeared to be an opportunity for Robinson to make an impact as a rookie, but he did not. He has averaged 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in just under 16 minutes.
Dwight Howard is the best center in the NBA. Yes, still. He also is (a) incapable of making an elbow jumper, (b) unreliable at the free-throw line, (c) susceptible to long-term injury, (d) hypersensitive to criticism from teammates and coaches, (e) more interested in becoming the next Bill Murray rather than the next Bill Russell and (f) wondering why no one has handed him the icon status he desperately craves. But the worst thing Howard is – and unlike the items above,
Last week, rookie big men Tyler Zeller and Andrew Nicholson weren’t even in these rankings. This week, they are in the Rising Stars contest that kicks off All-Star Weekend on Friday night. Zeller, the center of the Cleveland Cavaliers, was among the original field of nine rookies chosen for the game. Nicholson, a power forward for the Orlando Magic, was added this week to replace injured Detroit Pistons big man Andre Drummond. [Read more…]
Kentucky freshman big man Nerlens Noel has a torn ACL and is out for the season, which could have a huge impact on the top of the 2013 NBA draft. The school is announcing the extent of the injury. Noel is expected to have surgery in two to three weeks and be sidelined six to eight months. Six months from now is August. Eight months from now is mid-October, which means NBA training camps already will be under way. And there is no
A handful of players wear shirts under their jerseys, so adidas has taken that to the next step. The sports apparel giant has teamed up with the Golden State Warriors, who will wear “the first modern short sleeve NBA Uniform System” three times over the rest of the season. That’s Warriors rookie Harrison Barnes wearing his superhero outfit. Oops, his T-shirt. Sorry, his “first modern short sleeve NBA Uniform System.” [Read more…]
Think the Lakers have problems? Well, yeah, they do. But if you get all of your NBA news from the Worldwide Leader, you would think the Lakers are the only team that has problems. But this week, three teams with better records than the Lakers started showing some cracks in their foundations. Of course, they don’t have the same 12-car pile-up quality that the Lakers’ problems have, so their issues are overlooked. [Read more…]
Reader Brian C. is back in a big way. Brian C. had been an active participant in The Bernucca List earlier this season, providing the correct answer for two lists. But we hadn’t heard from him in a while. Meanwhile, fellow readers such as Ody P. narrowed the gap on season leader Brian Rivel, who has nailed the correct answer to three lists. But Brian C. is back in the picture as he was the first with the correct answer to last week’s
All the All-Star stuff came down Thursday night. This year’s All-Star Saturday Night has a new theme of Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference. Like that’s going to turn a weekend where everyone wants to (a) party and (b) not get hurt into serious competition. TNT personalities Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal made their picks as GMs for the Rising Stars Challenge. O’Neal had the first pick and chose Portland guard Damian Lillard. Barkley then chose New Orleans big man Anthony Davis. Yeah, you