I was on SN590 The Fan in Toronto with Tim Micallef and Sid Seixeiro on Monday afternoon. The topics centered around the NBA in Florida, where kids play baseball year-round and football players grow on trees. I told Tim and Sid that I think Dwight Howard and the Magic can push the Heat to seven games in a playoff series. I also said that while Derek Fisher wants to play for the Heat, they may be better served by a big man. We
Whether you want to call him “Hibachi,” “Agent Zero” or some other new nickname, Gilbert Arenas is on the verge of a return. The Memphis Commercial-Appeal is reporting that Arenas worked out for the Grizzlies this morning and the team is preparing to sign him to a deal for the rest of this season, according to sources close to the process. Beat writer Ron Tillery said Arenas appeared slender and shot the ball well during the workout, and he is scheduled to take
A year ago, J.J. Hickson was in the running for the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Now he’s not even an NBA player. Hickson, 23, was waived Monday by the Sacramento Kings, the team announced. Yahoo! Sports reported that Hickson received a buyout. The 6-9 Hickson was a 2008 first-round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers and was primarily a starter in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. He was one of the few bright spots in Cleveland’s dismal campaign a year ago, averaging career
Houston Rockets forward Patrick Patterson was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Monday for public criticism of referees. The fine was announced by NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson. Patterson was fined for comments on his Twitter account. The 6-9 forward scored 13 points in Sunday’s 99-86 loss at Phoenix. He is averaging 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds this season.
The Los Angeles Clippers have won two straight games by a total of eight points. Both wins, which allowed the Clippers to shave one game off of the L.A. Lakers’ lead in the Pacific Division, came down to late-game heroics by Chris Paul. Late in Saturday’s 95-91 victory over the Houston Rockets, Paul scored 10 consecutive points in less than 2 1/2 minutes, beginning with a 16-foot jumper at the 2:42 mark of the fourth quarter, to bring the Clippers
The race for playoff positioning is a day-to-day adventure in the ultra competitive Western Conference, and two teams in the thick of it all look to gain ground against each other — despite some separation in Sheridan’s most recent Power Rankings. The Dallas Mavericks — on a three-game winning streak including an impressive win over the Spurs — look to snap their seven-game road skid as they visit the Denver Nuggets in Monday’s best game. It has been a tale of home
If there were rankings for the NBA’s overlooked and underestimated, the San Antonio Spurs would be No. 1. They are the contender people love to forget. That’s not to say they aren’t respected. Four titles since 1999 and the potent management duo of Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford translates to a substantial bottom line. But the last few years, it seems that when championship aspirants are rated, any mention of the Spurs is followed with “yeah, well … but … they
Milwaukee Bucks forward Drew Gooden and Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum were named Players of the Week for the period ending Sunday. Gooden won for the Eastern Conference, leading the Bucks to a 3-0 week by averaging 18.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.0 assists. He had a triple-double with 15 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in three quarters of a 115-105 win over Cleveland. Bynum won for the Western Conference, helping the Lakers go 3-1 and reclaim first place in