Far be it for me to criticize the selection process for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. I was once one of the 24 voters. I served a three-year term and kept my mouth shut. I know people on various committees right now and they keep their mouths shut. That’s the way the Hall of Fame wants it. If given the chance, perhaps I would change the voting procedure. Maybe make the panel more than 24 people. Make sure it
ORLANDO — Tuesday can’t get here soon enough. This one was fun for the final 3 minutes. Too bad it took three days to get to those final 3 minutes. And the final 10 seconds? Well, that was quite a special pass LeBron James threw to Blake Griffin (wrong team) rather than attempt the game-winning shot. We gonna see that again in June, ‘Bron? Even Kobe Bryant got up in James’ face after that ill-advised pass, asking him what the hell he was thinking? “He was
We have already focused in this space on the top 10 American draft prospects. Now it’s time to give props to the top 10 senior prospects. While the NBA Draft is all about potential – which often hurts those who remain in college for four years – remember that Jeremy Lin spent four years at Harvard before emerging into the global superstar he is now. 1. Tyler Zeller, North Carolina, C Age: 22 Vitals: 7-0, 250 pounds Stats: 15.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg Skinny: Probably
NEW YORK – After Thursday night’s 102-88 loss to the Miami Heat, the New York Knicks have reached the All-Star break with a 17-18 record. They’re clinging to the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed and hardly resemble a playoff team, much less a championship contender. Good wins. Bad losses. Injuries, disappointments, and pleasant surprises. It’s been a long two months for the New York City Slickers. But for their sake, I hope they’ve been eating their Wheaties and taking their multivitamins, because the next two
All-Star Weekend in the Land of 1,000 Theme Parks, or be careful what you wish for, is upon us. As David Stern noted recently, the All-Star Game will withstand anything Dwight Howard has to say about bailing on the Magic and the host city, Orlando. “We’ll have the usual media experiences like the one I’m enduring now,” said Stern, “but the great thing is the game is going to start and then there’s going to be all this spectacular basketball playing, and
There aren’t many fringe benefits that come with a 66-game schedule, but one cool quirk is that All-Star Weekend is splitting the season almost exactly in half. When the Lakers and Thunder wrap things up late Thursday night, all but six teams will have played half their games as the league takes a four-day break in Orlando, where the forecast is less than ideal. Speaking of less than ideal forecasts, below are our midseason award winners, delivered with the complete understanding that “they
MIAMI – The Miami Heat have been playing better than ever during the past 10 days. Think about that. Better than ever. Last season the Heat had stretches in which they won 21 of 22 games, and 15 of 18 games. Yet this is the best stretch ever. That’s not me talking, that’s Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. The Heat are on a six-game winning streak over the past 10 days, and five of those wins were blowout victories on the road. Those
It is quite obvious that anyone reading this column is a basketball fan, and likely a serious one. Basketball fans are our people. If you’re looking for analysis of political races, that is not the strength of this web site. (And, by the way, some people who are sharp with political analysis should steer clear of sports to avoid embarrassing themselves.) Whether you are a serious or casual basketball fan, there is a must-see program still running on Showtime. If you haven’t