I went on the radio in Phoenix this morning and played party-pooper, because I don’t think qualifying for the playoffs is such a grand goal. It is a nice goal, don’t get me wrong, especially for an overachieving team like the Suns. But the ultimate goal is to win a championship, and if the Phoenix Suns could have acquired Pau Gasol from the Los Angeles Lakers for the insurance-covered contract of Emeka Okafor, along with a first-round draft pick, they should
If you are looking for someone to bail on the Thunder because of their recent three-game losing streak, you are looking in the wrong place. The temptation around the country is to couple the return of Russell Westbrook and the three-game loss streak, and to draw a correlation between the two. And the other temptation when it comes to the Thunder is to bash Kendrick Perkins, the least-productive starting center, in terms of offense, in the entire Western Conference. Well, sorry to be
NEW YORK — DeMarcus Cousins has been suspended one game for throwing a punch two nights ago. He also he drew a $20,000 fine for failing to leave the court in a timely manner following his ejection in the same game. Have a look for yourself as Cousins throws a cheap shot to Beverly’s lower midsection as the Rockets guard drives the lane to clear out space for an isolation play. Beverly looked toward an official to complain, but no foul was
This keeps happening: I watch the Knicks lose, then I switch the channel and marvel at an ex-Knick leading his team. It happened again Monday night, when New York was losing to Dallas on Dirk Nowitzki’s lucky bounce at the buzzer, and one click of the remote control brought me to Clippers-Pelicans, where Jamal Crawford was burying another seven 3-pointers. Crawford was once a Knick. So was David Lee. And Zach Randolph. And Channing Frye. Any of those guys might make a nice
Excuse my venom, but the Adam Silver would be OUT OF HIS MIND if he instituted a new rule establishing a 4-point shot. That is the kind of gimmick the Harlem Globetrotters use to sell tickets, and I’d hate to think of Silver as Abe Saperstein 2.0. Thank goodness the NBA called out ESPN for making up a story “that does not exist.” Rod Thorn seemed to divulge yesterday in an interview with ESPN.com’s Henry Abbott that a 4-point shot is one
NEW YORK — Raymond Felton’s night got a whole lot lot worse after the Knicks lost to the Dallas Mavericks at the buzzer. He ended up in jail on felony weapons charges. Felton was due in court this morning after being arrested early in the morning on three counts of criminal possession of a weapon, according to a New York Police Department spokesman. Felton was charged with second- and third-degree criminal possession of a firearm, which are felonies, and fourth-degree possession of
NEW YORK — The Charlotte Bobcats’ Kemba Walker and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Love today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week. Walker led the Bobcats to a 4-0 week behind averages of 22.5 points (tied for seventh in the conference), 8.8 assists (second in the conference) and 5.5 rebounds. His 40.5 minutes per game ranked third in the East. Walker tallied 20-plus points three times and eclipsed the 30-point plateau once. He scored 24 points, handed out a
Glad to see the Brooklyn Nets bringing back one of their New Jersey veterans. The fact that Collins has come out as homosexual means nothing to me, though I have no problem with other writers making a big deal out of it. What matters to me is whether the Nets will run a play for him. Why? Because back during Collins’ first stint with the Nets, they decided to run a play for him in his final game for the team in the