By now you’ve probably heard that Kobe Bryant sat out last night’s game against the hallway rivals, the Clippers, because of a torn ligament in his right wrist. And surely y’all remember that cheap shot that Andrew Bynum delivered to J.J. Berea in last year’s playoff sweep, which resulted in a five-game suspension that Bynum will begin serving on Christmas Day. So the big guy is out until the new year, the Mamba is out until nobody knows when, and as Mark
Heisler Column: Taking LA’s other team seriously—the Lakers, we mean
LOS ANGELES — Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses… I know, it’s the inscription on the Statue of Liberty. They’re also thinking of inscribing it on the statue of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul going up outside Staples Center to welcome Laker fans fleeing the oppression of paying $2,700 to sit courtside for geriatric basketball. Wait a moment, am I sleeping? It was all just a dream! It looked so real! They had an exhibition game and the Clips, with five
Silva Column: First Look at Rip Hamilton in a Bulls Uniform
csprtContainer(); CHICAGO — Rip Hamilton didn’t look like a player who was debuting for a new team, something you can chalk up to his 12 years in the league that have exposed him to any and every offensive set and defensive scheme known to man. In a word, I’d describe his first game in a Bulls’ uniform as exceptional. And I still stand behind my earlier claim that he’s a more than suitable fit for this team moving forward. But what should we
NBA highlights from Tuesday night
The news of the night, aside from Rip Hamilton wearing red and white for the first time in his career, was that Stephen Curry sprained his ankle. From Matt Steinmitz of CSNBayArea.com: “Stephen Curry sprained his right ankle, the same ankle that was surgically repaired after last season, with less than a minute to play in the second half of the Warriors‘ final preseason game against the Kings. He was helped directly to the locker room and looked to be in considerable pain; he did
Perkins column: Does the Heat really “have enough?”
MIAMI — Midway through the third quarter of the Miami Heat’s 118-85 victory over Orlando on Sunday, second-year center Dexter Pittman got right in Dwight Howard’s face as though he wanted to start something. The result of the altercation was a double foul — one on Pittman, one on Howard — and a measure of respect. But it didn’t answer any questions about the Heat’s toughness in the middle. Miami’s four-headed center — starter Joel Anthony, Pittman, and power forwards Chris Bosh
Last night’s NBA highlights
From Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: “The Clippers had plenty of fun, turning an exhibition game into an exhibition. Chris Paul wore a Clippers uniform for the first time and had 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, showing why the Lakers wanted him too. Chauncey Billups also looked like a great pickup, scoring 23 points in 20 minutes after being claimed off waivers from New York last week. “It was a little extra for me personally,” said Paul, acquired from New
Odds and ends on slow day in NBA (unless D.Howard gets traded tonight)
Samuel Dalembert should have been signed by now. A shot-blocking and rebounding specialist, the 7-footer would figure to be in his demand simply because capable 7-footers are always seemingly in high demand. Dalembert had been in negotiations with the Houston Rockets, who have been trying to dig out of the rubble caused when commissioner David Stern dynamited their trade with the Hornets and Lakers, ruining their plans to field a front line of Pau Gasol and Nene. But now that the news
Hubbard column: Spurs may be old, but they are hardly sleepers
A strange phenomenon has occurred in the supersonic world of information that is currently embodied by Twitter. Everything is faster now – information, reaction, criticism and analysis. There used to be a 24-hour news cycle. Now it sometimes does not last 24 seconds. There seems to be, however, an unintended consequence. The faster the world; the quicker people forget. A few years ago, there was measured reaction to subjects of the day; now the norm is overreaction. And that’s fine. No complaints here.