Here we are in the critical stage of the second round of the NBA playoffs, and it seems folks would prefer to talk about Donald Sterling, or the many NBA coaching vacancies, rather than the actual game itself. Why is that? Well, the Sterling case long ago crossed over from the sports realm to the mainstream realm, and scandals never fail to overwhelm normalcy. Also, the basketball fans in NBA cities outside of Indianapolis, Miami, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, San Antonio,
BROOKLYN — No explanation was provided by LeBron James, and no outrage was expressed after Joe Johnson accused the King of flopping on Johnson’s final offensive possession. LeBron was asked about it, but the questioner made the always fatal journalistic mistake of asking a two-part question. Part one was about the flop. That was the tough question, the one everyone wanted answered. The second question was completely benign, and that was the one James answered. Memo to aspiring journalists: NEVER ask a
Eight law firms have reportedly turned down Donald Sterling as he prepares to take the NBA to court over his banishment. Meanwhile, his wife is filing for divorce … and she believes she has a right to take over sole ownership of the Clippers. (The NBA says she is misinformed). Also, Sterling issued an apology of sorts in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, and he begged for forgiveness. Anybody detect a trend here? [Read more…]
I wish I could give you a brief synopsis of what is contained in this podcast, but that is not possible. I covered a heck of a lot of ground in this interview with Mark Malusis of CBS Sports radio, touching on coaching vacancies and playoff battles. So in brief, here’s what we hit upon: _ The Lakers coaching vacancy, which if I had to guess who the next guy to hold the job will be, I’d go with Jeff Van Gundy.
I caught some grief from all corners today after news came out that I was the only voter among 125 who had Blake Griffin second, behind Kevin Durant and ahead of LeBron James, in the NBA’s Most Valuable Player voting. Quite frankly, I am stunned I was the only one. Doc Rivers made the case in April that Griffin was the better No. 2 candidate, and that was something I decided, too, over the final two months of the season — a time
A fairly inclusive list of potential replacements for Mike D’Antoni following his resignation as head coach of the Lakers earlier this week: John Calipari, Kevin Ollie, Byron Scott, Jeff Van Gundy, Stan Van Gundy, Derek Fisher, George Karl, Mike Dunleavy, Kurt Rambis, Lionel Hollins, Tom Thibodeau, Mark Jackson, Steve Kerr, Ettore Messina … Plenty of impressive names, but hardly reflective of some grand organizational philosophy on playing style or priorities beyond, as has been reported, to “make a splash.” It’s an expression
Doesn’t Clay Bennett’s family own the Oklahoman? I believe that is the case. But whatever the case, that was a low blow by the newspaper this morning printing a front page headline that read: “Mr. Unreliable.” I have a headline for Scott Brooks and his strategy in Game 5, which you can hear in this podcast with WHBQsports56 in Memphis. I think you will like it. The hosts, Greg and Eli, loved it. And as far as the Durant headline goes, there is a corollary to be drawn
So we close the door on the Mike D’Antoni era in Los Angeles. OK, we slam the door. At least that is what we would do if we were Lakers fans, whose hopes were astronomically high at the start of the D’Antoni era, and whose egos and now black and blue after the worst season in franchise history. The Lakers had nine non-sellouts, set a team record for losses (55), dropped a game against the Clippers by 48 points, and became second-class