Way back in 1979, I got my first taste of Jesuit Education in 9th grade Ancient Greek class. On the first day of high school at Fordham Prep, professor Douglas Tobin gave us our first homework assignment: Learn the Greek alphabet, capital letters and small letters. “There will be a hit or miss quiz tomorrow,” he said. Hit or miss quiz? “You get either a 100 or a zero,” Tobin explained. “If you get one single thing wrong, you get a zero.” Every
Not too long ago, you could make the case that Rajon Rondo was the best point guard in the NBA. At the current moment, you could make the argument that DeMarcus Cousins is the best center in the NBA. And as far as pure scorers go, it is not a reach to say that Rudy Gay is in the top 10. Oh, and George Karl is a very good coach. Not many would dispute that. All of those guys are now members
No division in the NBA was more competitive last season than the Southwest. Every team made the playoffs, and the division champion was not decided until the final night of the season. Now, with the summer signing season all but complete, the division appears as though it will be as competitive in the upcoming season as it was in 2014-15. The San Antonio Spurs have added LaMarcus Aldridge and David West, the Houston Rockets have added Ty Lawson, the New Orleans Pelicans
We are now about to enter Year 6 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dynasty … Oh, sorry about that. The James Harden trade slipped my mind. Allow me to begin again … We are now about to enter the final season of Kevin Durant’s career in Oklahoma City, and the clock is ticking as well on Russell Westbrook’s departure. In the summer of 2017, when the salary cap is nine figures, the NBA’s best-dressed man will be taking his talents elsewhere, too. And
Day 3 of our midsummer report card distribution process brings us to the Central Division, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers and owner Dan Gilbert, whose company, Quicken Loans, will soon be offering 24 percent mortgage rates in order to cover the boss’ luxury tax bill. Just kidding. We think. It has been a busy summer for the former top pizza deliveryman in Detroit. After watching his team lose to the Golden State Warriors in Games 4, 5 and 6 to surrender the
It takes a lot to make the NBA playoffs if you are in the Western Conference. The West is the grown-up table of the NBA. It has had at least one team finish above .500 and miss the postseason every year since 2007. There will be some shuffling in the West’s playoff picture this season. But who is in the frame, and who gets cropped out? And has any team improved enough to topple the defending champion Golden State Warriors? The staff of
The latest NBA news is interesting: If you win your division, you can hang a banner from the rafters. But that doesn’t mean you are going to the playoffs. Which begs the question: Why even have divisions? It makes no sense. Then again, things that make no sense are part of the NBA landscape. Take Andrea Bargnani, for example. He should be playing in Europe. Or China. That has been clear for years and years and years. But the New York Knicks
The dust has pretty much settled on the NBA offseason. Sure, there’s still a player or two out there and a move or two some teams can make. But for the most part, teams have put together their rosters for the 2015-16 season. Have any teams in the Eastern Conference improved enough to climb out of the lottery and into the playoffs? And can any team threaten the Cleveland Cavaliers for conference supremacy? The Sheridan Hoops staff offers its take in this edition