The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the great landmarks of our country. And right now, it connects the home boroughs of perhaps the NBA’s two most disappointing teams this season. Remember all the back-and-forth this summer between members of the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets? Jason Kidd retired from the Knicks to coach the Nets. Raymond Felton questioned his Knicks being ranked below the Nets. Paul Pierce said it was time for the Nets to start running the city. J.R. Smith
It’s now or never for Deron Williams to prove he is worthy of being the $100 million face of the Brooklyn Nets. Is Williams still an elite point guard? Is he a winner? Or is he the reason his coaches are sent packing and his teams don’t quite measure up? Despite a blockbuster trade to acquire Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, who have championship rings and 25 combined All-Star selections, it is Williams who holds the key to Brooklyn’s title hopes. Consider this: Brooklyn
This summer, the Brooklyn Nets transformed themselves from pretenders to contenders. However, the transformation came at a steep price. Owner Mikhail Prokhorov has the NBA’s only nine-figure team payroll, which translates to an $87 million luxury tax bill. (He can afford it. He is the NBA’s George Steinbrenner). Nets GM Billy King also mortgaged the future by trading first-round draft picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018 with the right to swap first-round picks in 2017 as part of a trade with Boston
When a player signs a maximum contract in the NBA, everything changes in that moment, as he is automatically recognized as the face of a franchise. The responsibilities grow on and off the court, and whatever he does – big or small – is suddenly put under a microscope. That’s what Washington Wizards point guard John Wall can expect after signing a maximum contract worth $80 million over five years on Thursday, and he appears to expect nothing less. On Friday, Wall
Former player and coach Kurt Rambis has long been known for being the main assistant to Phil Jackson for a better part of the Zen Master’s tenure as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in the ’00s. The two are very close, and Rambis openly slammed Jim Buss back in November for the way he mistreated Jackson during the hiring process. Knowing these things, it was quite a surprise to hear that Rambis would be a real candidate to
Hello and welcome to the Evening News. As the offseason continues, we’ll keep you updated every evening. What’s happening today? [Read more…]
After Friday’s dispiriting home loss to the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni could not take it any longer. D’Antoni went on a wide-ranging rant against his team, targeting its lack of commitment and effort on both sides of the ball. He said the Lakers were “messing with the basketball gods” and called their championship aspirations “laughable.” Although D’Antoni mentioned no one by name, very few wearing the forum blue and gold appeared exempt. [Read more…]
For once, Miami didn’t give their opponents a big head start, and their 25th consecutive win was never in doubt. LeBron James (29 PTS, 8 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL) made 12 of 15 shots, Dwyane Wade (19 PTS, 4 AST, 3 REB, 3 STL) helped out and the second unit outscored Detroit’s bench 35-13. [Read more…]