It is not often that I get into a debate with a radio host over whether a player sucks or doesn’t suck, but that was the case Monday afternoon in Miami with Orlando Alzugaray (a.k.a. Big O) on AM640. He thinks Kevin Love is a stiff who always gets injured. I think Kevin Love is the key piece to the championship puzzle in Cleveland. Big O thinks LeBron James will not be competing for a championship in his first year in Cleveland, and
LeBron James can play the rest of his career on the equivalent of one-year contracts. It has exposed a loophole of sorts in the CBA while making him the most powerful man in the NBA. Nobody saw this coming, but when James signed a two-year deal with Cleveland and had an opt-out included after Year One, the entire power structure of the NBA changed. If the Cavs don’t keep him happy, he’ll leave — that is the implication that goes along
Carlos Boozer is joining the Lakers after they made a waiver claim on him, and Jeremy Lin will be aboard, too. Kobe Bryant is returning from injury, and Jordan Hill and Nick Young have been re-signed. So what does this mean for the Lakers? Not much. They are still going to stink in 2014-15, but at least they will be players in free agency next summer after Steve Nash and his nearly $10 million salary comes off the books. The state of
It is very easy to overlook the Washington Wizards. They are in contention for the title about as often as the Earth is under threat of alien invasion, they haven’t had an outsized personality in the locker room since Gilbert Arenas was telling Javaris Crittendon to “Pick One,” and they will undoubtedly be kept off national television next season because they just aren’t sexy. But you know what? They could very well contend for the best record in the Eastern Conference. Many
The title of this podcast is the same as the question I was asked by Steve Somers of WFAN radio in New York. My answer will be revealed during this broadcast, and go ahead and click over to Chris Bernucca’s fantastic column on Nowitzki that was published earlier today. If you are a multitasker, you can read while you listen. [Read more…]
Carlos Boozer was amnestied today by the Chicago Bulls, allowing them to clear the cap space to bring in their newest additions, Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol. They were in the mix for Carmelo Anthony, but the New York Knicks were able to pay him $50 million more than the Bulls could offer, which is a lot of scratch. No matter, the Bulls have emerged as a favorite to be the best team in the Eastern Conference, especially if the Pacers do
One of my good friends in the business is Jay Mariotti, who I first met when I was covering Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls as they were beginning their second three-peat. He and I have both been first-hand witnesses to some of the most magical moments in basketball history, and as we come to the end of this work week and pause a moment to reflect on what we have just witnessed, a day that a lot of us will
So I was listening to the Colin Cowherd show on ESPN Radio this morning, and he was totally misreporting what I have been reporting. Luckily, I have the telephone number to the studio, so I called Colin and he put me on the air. And from there, I put up with him trying to ascertain who my source is on my LeBron James-to-Cleveland story. And I held my ground. Rarely have I been under as much scrutiny as I am now after