Think the Lakers have problems? Well, yeah, they do. But if you get all of your NBA news from the Worldwide Leader, you would think the Lakers are the only team that has problems. But this week, three teams with better records than the Lakers started showing some cracks in their foundations. Of course, they don’t have the same 12-car pile-up quality that the Lakers’ problems have, so their issues are overlooked. [Read more…]
Having coached high school basketball for the last two seasons, I have gained a true appreciation for the quality of officiating by NBA referees. Until this week. This was a bad week for the league and its referees, as the NBA admitted there were blown calls that changed the outcome of two games. [Read more…]
A dozen teams have played at least half their schedule and another seven will join them today, when the most of the most significant holidays in this country’s history becomes the season’s unofficial midway point. So Dr. Martin Luther King Day is as good a time as any to examine the current front-runners for the annual awards. Included are links to both our staff’s preseason picks and the current rankings. And as always, we’ve included snide remarks if/when necessary. [Read more…]
Dwight Howard dominates the paint on both ends, Kobe Bryant plays less than 30 minutes for the first time this season, Steve Nash runs the offense with precision, the defense has its best game in weeks and the Lakers run away with a 20-point win in their Sunday home whites. So, everything’s back to normal again in Tinseltown, right? Who cares that it was against the Cavaliers, who lose three of every four games they play? Or that Cleveland was missing Anderson Varejao, their best
There is an unlikely NBA rivalry developing in California. And it doesn’t include the Lakers. The Lakers are too busy battling the unrealistic expectations of their spoiled fans to immerse themselves in a full-fledged rivalry such as one with their neighbors down the hall at Staples Center. No, the developing rivalry is between the Clippers and the Warriors, which went to a new level Saturday night. [Read more…]
Let’s, for a moment, put aside some of the perceptions about Deron Williams. Let’s forget that he eats coaches like they are M&M’s. Let’s dismiss that he complains about everything from set offenses to background lighting in arenas. Let’s overlook that he took a little too much enjoyment in swinging the sledgehammer of free agency. [Read more…]
In the 2012 draft, Thomas Robinson and Damian Lillard could not have been closer together. Robinson went fifth to the Sacramento Kings and Lillard went sixth to the Portland Trail Blazers. In their rookie seasons. however, Robinson and Lillard could not be farther apart. To be fair, Lillard has had a better opportunity to show his wares. Portland basically gave him the point guard position with carte blanche to learn on the job, dumping everyone from last season except Nolan Smith. Robinson wasn’t
After the Los Angeles Clippers demolished the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night for their franchise-record 13th straight win, there were two telling quotes coming out of the losing locker room. The first came from Suns coach Alvin Gentry, who was very impressed. “That is the best team we’ve played,” said Gentry, whose club has faced Miami, Memphis, New York and Golden State but has yet to play Oklahoma City or San Antonio. [Read more…]