When the Oklahoma City Thunder traded James Harden on Saturday night, they revealed to everyone that they are a team far more concerned with the bottom line than the top of the heap. Probably a bit ahead of schedule, the Thunder reached the NBA Finals last season. As we have said before, they were a questionable foul call away from opening a 2-0 lead on the mighty Miami Heat that would have cultivated the doubt and derision that has swirled around
Even for hoops addicts, watching NBA preseason games presents a challenge. The baseball playoffs are under way, the college football and NFL seasons are in full swing, and there is this small matter of a presidential election. There is no subscription package for the preseason. League Pass takes a pass until the regular season starts later this month. So the only way you can watch games right now is on NBA TV, which isn’t part of the basic package of a number
On Monday, we looked at the three NBA coaches that will be starting fresh with their respective teams. Each member of that trio has their hands full with rebuilding projects of varying sizes. Today, we will take an in-depth examination of another trio of coaches – those who took over during last season and will hold their first training camps with their teams. Keith Smart in Sacramento and Randy Wittman in Washington both will have the opportunity to implement their own schemes
There are three NBA teams with new coaches for the start of the 2012-13 season, and no one is expecting any of them to work miracles. In fact, ownership and management appear to be expecting just the opposite. The Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic both are undergoing massive rebuilding projects and don’t seem overly concerned with winning. Both teams have hired inexperienced coaches with strong backgrounds in player development, which means they also have strong backgrounds in patience. It remains to be
When training camps open later this month, a handful of teams will be at less than full strength. And some of them may be that way for a while. The Los Angeles Lakers, a legitimate title contender, will be without the biggest prize of the offseason. The Chicago Bulls, who have the NBA’s best record over the last two seasons, will be without their best player. The New York Knicks, who claim to be contenders, will be without two of their three shooting guards.
Amid the cleavage and gadgets in the October issue of Maxim Magazine arriving in mailboxes this week is an interview with Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade. The interview coincides with Wade’s three-week book tour across eight cities. Last week, the tour stopped in Miami, where our Chris Perkins caught up with Wade. Today, he is in Los Angeles, signing copies of A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball. In the Maxim interview, Wade was asked about his name making it into a
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has undergone two major overhauls. It’s time for another one. Not the dramatic architectural changes of 1985 and 2002, in which new buildings were constructed to accommodate the growth of the greatest sport in the world. No, this overhaul will ensure that sort of renovation won’t be needed again for quite some time. It’s time for an NBA Hall of Fame. Tonight’s ceremonies in Springfield will induct 12 new members to the Hall. And as has often
We already told you who we believe will make the playoffs in the Western Conference. The picture in the Eastern Conference is a bit different. Just like the West, the East has six teams that are locks to play in May. They are the defending champion Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, who last season weren’t in (a) Brooklyn or (b) the playoffs. You can find whatever real or imagined faults you’d like with those