When I cast my Coach of the Year vote for George Karl, I had no idea so many others would do the same. More than half the voters made the same choice. The final individual award given out by the NBA was announced this morning, and Karl was the Coach of the Year in a runaway. with Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat second and Mike Woodson of the Knicks third. [Read more…]
Any of the residual gratification felt by the New York Knicks and their fans was quickly erased Sunday when the Indiana Pacers came into Madison Square Garden and manhandled the Knicks to take away home court advantage. Indiana’s top-ranked defense protected both the rim (eight blocks, five by Roy Hibbert) and the arc (the Knicks made just seven 3-pointers, one less than the Pacers) as they led for the entire second half and took away many of New York’s secondary weapons.
BROOKLYN — On the bright side, the Nets’ season ended with a playoff game, in a new arena, in a new home, with a young, urban crowd decked out in black Brooklyn gear. Walking through the Barclays Center during the night, I counted one — yes, just one — “New Jersey” jersey being worn by a fan — equaling the number of “Sex and Drugs and Rap” t-shirts I saw. Sitting to the right of me near the mid-level press row
My pick lies within this podcast with Richard Neer of WFAN Radio in New York: [Read more…]
Vinny Del Negro will be coaching his final game with the Los Angeles Clippers tonight when they lose Game 6 to the Memphis Grizzlies. Wait a minute, is that fair to say? And is that fair to surmise? No, and maybe. This much we know: The Clippers have lost three in a row, Blake Griffin is iffy with a sprained ankle, the Clippers are getting virtually nothing from anyone not named Chris Paul or Jamal Crawford, and the time to take desperate measures
I have been sounding like a broken record talking about Prop 30, the so-called millionaire’s tax, that was adopted by voters last fall in California and levies a 10 percent surcharge on the state’s highest earners. This tax negates whatever financial advantage the Lakers would have in being able to offer larger annual raises to Howard to convince him to stay in Los Angeles. [Read more…]
California has a new millionaire’s tax, an item known as Prop 30 that was passed by voters last fall. The state takes 10 percent if you make beaucoup bucks and live in L.A., which many expect Dwight Howard to do for the next 5 years. Texas, on the other hand, has no state income tax. And Texas also happens to be the home of the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, two of the teams that will be courting Howard when he
If you asked most folks around the NBA that question — the one in the headline — 80 percent or more would have answered Jennings. And then this weekend happened. And now it is time to reassess what each player might be worth on the free agent market this summer. Robinson is making himself millions. Jennings, who was swept out of the playoffs today, cost himself a fortune. [Read more…]