After a practice at the Team USA training camp in Las Vegas before the 2008 Olympics, Jason Kidd sat in the first row of the bleachers and talked about Chris Paul and Deron Williams, who were sitting on the opposite side of the court. At age 35, Kidd knew he would get limited playing time in the Olympics because of Paul (23 at the time) and Williams (24), who were extraordinarily talented although each still had much to learn. Kidd played the
While Dwight Howard was meditating on the great mystery that was his future, NBA veterans were reminded of one of the tenets of free agency that comes in the form of a saying. It is a little raw, even for a writer-friendly site like this one, but to paraphrase, the saying is: “Easy women and greed are undefeated in the NBA.” To be fair, that is pretty much true for all sports, particularly as it relates to cash. Athletes often talk about
One of the popular sports arguments in the Dallas area a few years ago was – as most of these arguments are – silly and pointless. In this case, the subject was trading one franchise for another and since that is not going to happen, why waste time? There are multiple answers to that not-so-great mystery: Newspapers and web sites have space to fill. Talk shows have time to fill. And besides, there is no greater tradition in sports than the
The leading men would never admit this, but is there any athlete in the world who is currently in a better position than 37-year-old Tim Duncan? You’ve got to think anyone would like to trade places with him, even LeBron James. And it has nothing to do with Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs having a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals over James and the Miami Heat. [Read more…]
Among the monumental sports topics that are debated everywhere – from local fine drinking establishments to radio and television shows where participants spend hours shouting at each other – is the issue of dynasties. In sports, identifying and labeling dynasties is a must. It’s part of our DNA. And then when a dynasty is established and accepted as fact, it must be compared to other dynasties. That is mandatory. It is what makes sports sports. [Read more…]
After extensive research and deep thought, I have determined the responsible parties in the conspiracy to devalue the career of San Antonio’s Tony Parker. He is, you might have often read and heard, underrated and not appreciated – not, at least, as one of the best point guards of the past decade. When discussions of the great NBA point guards are in progress, Parker has been an afterthought. Maybe that changes now, after Parker’s 37 points led the San Antonio Spurs
Early in Iron Man 3, the evil Aldrich Killian shows the beautiful Pepper Potts a 3D image of his brain. My immediate thought was: Dwight Howard. Yes, Lakers fans would love to get an idea of what is going on in that big brain, which seems to work slightly different than … well, every great player in NBA history. [Read more…]
The sight of Tim Duncan sitting on the bench during deciding moments of the Spurs-Warriors game Thursday sent me scrambling to the computer. The situation had to be unprecedented. When in playoff history has a player of Duncan’s stature sat down with the game on the line? Did that happen to Michael, Magic or Larry? What about Wilt or Russell? Kareem? Shaq? Kobe? I didn’t even make it halfway when I stopped and started giggling. Michael Jordan sitting for the last