A dozen teams have played at least half their schedule and another seven will join them today, when the most of the most significant holidays in this country’s history becomes the season’s unofficial midway point. So Dr. Martin Luther King Day is as good a time as any to examine the current front-runners for the annual awards. Included are links to both our staff’s preseason picks and the current rankings. And as always, we’ve included snide remarks if/when necessary. [Read more…]
Reader Ody P.’s winning streak is over. Ody P. had correctly answered the previous two editions of The Bernucca List. But he was a little slow on the draw on last week’s list, which was a short one but tough one. [Read more…]
Alvin Gentry became the fourth coach to fail to make it to the All-Star break as he mutually agreed Friday to part with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns did not immediately name a replacement – and really don’t have to. They don’t play again until Wednesday at Sacramento, giving the new coach several days to acclimate himself. A release from the Suns said an interim will be named in the next 24 to 48 hours. [Read more…]
Over the last four weeks in our Rookie Rankings, Toronto Raptors guard Terrence Ross ascended from ninth to sixth to fourth before plummeting entirely out of the table. That staged climb and quick descent somewhat resembles Ross in the open court, where he has unleashed some of the more memorable dunks this season. But dunks aren’t enough to get a spot in these rankings. Anyone who regularly reads this piece knows that I cut these kids very little slack. You don’t just
On Thursday, the NBA trading deadline will be exactly five weeks away. One team everyone seems to expect to be active is the Los Angeles Lakers, who can’t quite figure out the right personnel mix for Mike D’Antoni’s offense. [Read more…]
Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith has been suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount for conduct detrimental to the team. The team did not reveal what that conduct was, but the Atlanta Journal-Constitiution reported that Smith was thrown out of Tuesday’s practice. Hawks president Danny Ferry announced the suspension in a news release, saying, “Josh and I discussed the issue and he understood and accepted this course of action. We are confident that he will respond positively, learn from this experience
All-Star Weekend in Houston is just over a month away, and the starters for the All-Star Game will be announced Thursday night on TNT. That makes it as good a time as any to reveal what they will be wearing. [Read more…]
Dwight Howard dominates the paint on both ends, Kobe Bryant plays less than 30 minutes for the first time this season, Steve Nash runs the offense with precision, the defense has its best game in weeks and the Lakers run away with a 20-point win in their Sunday home whites. So, everything’s back to normal again in Tinseltown, right? Who cares that it was against the Cavaliers, who lose three of every four games they play? Or that Cleveland was missing Anderson Varejao, their best