One thing you can be assured of when looking at the NBA’s Eastern Conference: Everybody is impressed with the Atlanta Hawks and their 42-11 record. Another thing you can be sure of: Nobody is shaking in their boots at the prospect of facing them in a playoff series. Still, there is no queston the Hawks are going to be a tough out, and they will likely play the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the playoffs. Avoiding
Shame on Jim Dolan for the tone of his e-mail to a 73-year-old fan. Shame on Adam Silver for not penalizing Dolan for his disturbing diatribe. And shame on David Stern for wighing in and supporting Dolan/Silver, saying what Dolan did was undeserving of any kind of punishment. The NBA – where the customer is always disposable. To me, what is most galling about the Dolan e-mail controversy is that Silver described Dolan as the “consummate New Yorker.” AYFKM? Any New Yorker who
NEW YORK — Pardon the ALL CAPS in the headline, but we are going to borrow a device from Jim Dolan and Irving Bierman and use that construction liberally in this post. Because frankly, OUTRAGE is not a strong enough word to describe my feelings on this issue. After writing a hateful, venomous e-mail to a fan who criticized his ownership of the Knicks, Dolan deserves to be suspended by the NBA for A MINIMUM OF ONE YEAR. At the very least
Everybody in the NBA wants top get their hands on the next Hassan Whiteside — a late bloomer who been a force in the middle for the Miami Heat. The guy who may fit that profile is Eli Holman, formerly of the University of Detroit and now playing in China where he finished one assist shy of a triple-double in Game 1 of his team’s first-round playoff series. There are some remarkable similarities between their stories. But whether Holman jumps to
We don’t get many seasons like this in the NBA, with so many trades happening so early before the deadline. It used to be that GMs would hold out until the last minute, and then the trade queue at NBA headquarters would get jammed at 2:59 p.m. on deadline day. But this year? Chances are it’ll be more quiet than usual. Rajon Rondo has already be traded. Jameer Nelson has already been traded twice. The Cleveland Cavaliers solved their problems in
Things can go sour quickly in the NBA, and we all know who pays the price when things go south, right? The head coach is almost always the one who takes the fall, and the coaching hot seat now has two warm bodies sitting atop it — Jacque Vaughn of the Orlando Magic and Brian Shaw of the Denver Nuggets. [Read more…]
Back when his team was under .500 and LeBron James was or was not on strike, I sent a text to David Blatt letting him know that I was hearing rumblings that certain members of the Cleveland media had an intense dislike for him, asking him where he was getting his p.r. advice. He wrote back tersely, the implied message being: Don’t text me anymore. I do not believe you. Well, then this Brian Windhorst column came out saying that folks around
If you have missed the New Orleans Pelicans playing the past two nights, you have missed seeing some of Anthony Davis at his best. On Sunday night, he stole Rajon Rondo’s last inbounds pass (Note to Rajon: Don’t try to lob the ball over this guy) and was fouled, making both from the stripe to give New Orleans a three-point lead. After the game, he leapt into the embrace of a random fan. On Monday night, on the way to a