With one game remining in the NFL season, the NBA is making its customary schedule shift from heavy to lighter on Saturdays and light to heavier on Sundays, with some allowances for the compression of the lockout. As a result, Saturday’s slate has just six games, and the best of a weak bunch has the slumping New York Knicks visiting the surging Houston Rockets. Yes, this isn’t exactly a marquee matchup, especially with Knicks star Carmelo Anthony again sitting out with multiple
It’s not too often that a player who has clearly helped a team win gets waived. But that’s what happened Saturday to Mike James. The Chicago Bulls decided four point guards were too many and waived James, an 11-year veteran with a championship ring who was signed out of the D-League earlier this month. The Bulls had considerable injury issues at point guard when Derrick Rose and C.J. Watson both were sidelined. They first turned the reins over to John Lucas III
// After the Orlando Magic’s shameful performance Thursday night vs. Boston, in which they blew a 27-point lead, scored 25 points in the second half and lost to a severely shorthanded team, Jason Richardson said the team was developing a soft reputation. After Friday night’s debacle in New Orleans, coach Stan Van Gundy said it all. From Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “If this isn’t rock bottom, what is? The Orlando Magic completed a forgettable week Friday night, falling to the
Injuries may have finally caught up with the Chicago Bulls. But no one has caught up with them in the Eastern Conference. Late in Wednesday’s loss to Indiana – Chicago’s first at home this season – Derrick Rose turned on the afterburners, sped to the basket and whipped a bullet pass to the weakside corner for a potential go-ahead 3-pointer by his small forward. However, standing in the corner was not Luol Deng, who is out with a wrist injury. In his
The Orlando Magic host the Boston Celtics in the NBA’s best game Thursday night, three days after they were embarrassed in Beantown. And no one should be more embarrassed than Jameer Nelson. Nelson has gotten off to an awful start this season. He appeared to turn a corner last week with a pair of 17-point games, but that turn only took him down a dark alley. In Monday’s 87-56 loss, Nelson “piloted” the Magic’s offense to the lowest total in franchise history.
The first correct answer to last week’s edition of The Bernucca List was given by @mikepilz. It was a list of the last 10 different players to lead the NBA in minutes played. This week’s list is below. The degree of difficulty is not all that high — especially compared to Edition VII. If you think you know the answer, send me a Tweet or post it in the comments. Our staff will respond throughout the day. The Bernucca List Matt Barnes Steve Blake Caron Butler Brian
Kevin Love got paid. So did Danilo Gallinari and Kosta Koufos – yes, Kosta Koufos – as the Nuggets dropped a cool $50 million. The rest of the 2008 draft class, including Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez and Nicolas Batum? Please take a number, young man. A dose of fiscal responsibility by owners – brought on by the new CBA – and a combination of trepidation and smarts by executives make it unlikely for most 2008 first-round picks to get some early financial
// Louis Amundson, Jeff Pendergraph, Gana Diop, Bismack Biyombo, Dexter Pittman, Ed Davis, Gary Forbes, Robin Lopez, Sam Young, Luke Babbitt. No, it’s not another edition of The Bernucca List, because we’re going to give you the answer right away. Of the 115 players who took the floor in Tuesday’s five NBA games, those were the 10 who did not score. Those were also the same 10 who Carmelo Anthony managed to outscore. That’s Carmelo Anthony, fourth in the NBA in scoring at