The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the great landmarks of our country. And right now, it connects the home boroughs of perhaps the NBA’s two most disappointing teams this season. Remember all the back-and-forth this summer between members of the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets? Jason Kidd retired from the Knicks to coach the Nets. Raymond Felton questioned his Knicks being ranked below the Nets. Paul Pierce said it was time for the Nets to start running the city. J.R. Smith
Last season, our Rookie Rankings were a Who’s Who. This season, it’s more like a Who’s That? Just two weeks into the season, we are startled by the number of lower picks who have played their way into the rankings – or, more accurately, the number of high picks on the outside looking in. Just to make sure our imagination wasn’t playing tricks on us, we went back to the second week of the 2012-13 rankings to see the breakdown of low picks
When you’re an adored star in this league, you get a pass on a lot of things. And Dwyane Wade got a pass for an absolutely rockhead play in Miami’s inexplicable loss to Boston on Saturday. The Heat led by four with less than two seconds to play. On their home floor. Against the Celtics. And lost. In regulation. And most of it was on Wade, who (a) faltered in the clutch; (b) made his own strategic decision without any input from the
For the last decade, the 11th pick in the NBA draft has been a crapshoot. In 2011, the Golden State Warriors rolled a “yo” with Klay Thompson, who has shown All-Star potential. The previous year, however, the New Orleans Hornets selected Cole Aldrich, who has shown D-League potential. For every Jerryd Bayless, there’s an Acie Law. For every J.J. Redick, there’s a Terrence Williams. And let’s not forget the immortal Fran Vasquez, who wants to come to the United States about as
When the deadline for contract extensions came and went Thursday night, point guards Eric Bledsoe and Greivis Vasquez didn’t get paid. But don’t shed any tears for them. Because when the summer rolls around, they will get their money. And it might be GMs Ryan McDonough of Phoenix and Pete D’Alessandro of Sacramento who are crying. As reluctant as McDonough and D’Alessandro may have been to pony up for point guards with plenty to prove, they should have done so. Both GMs are
As you can see, Memphis Grizzlies small forward Quincy Pondexter had quite a treat waiting for him on Halloween. That’s Pondexter, a member of the 2010 draft class, signing his contract extension, reportedly worth $14 million over four years. Pondexter became the sixth member of the 2010 draft to get an extension, and might be the last. Teams have until midnight ET to lock up players drafted three years ago with long-term contracts, and no one else seems close to a deal. Pondexter
Everyone knows the NBA preseason doesn’t mean anything. And everyone is wrong. The preseason is supposed to be when coaches are evaluating their offensive and defensive schemes and players are familiarizing themselves with their teammates. Veterans sit out entire games. Journeymen on make-good deals fight, scratch and claw for minutes to show they deserve that final roster spot. Games are played in exotic faraway places like Taiwan and Rio de Janeiro and domestic outposts from Biloxi to Boise and Asheville to Jacksonville. Referees overuse
Who is crashing the playoff party in the East this season? Conventional wisdom says the two-time defending champion Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are head and shoulders above the rest of the Eastern Conference and – barring a disaster – will secure the top five spots. At the other end of the conference, you can probably toss out the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Bobcats and Philadelphia 76ers, who could pool their rosters to come up with