For the first time in roughly two decades, the Eastern Conference is better than the Western Conference from top to bottom. Nine East teams are at .500 or better – nearly twice as many teams as last season, when sixth-seeded Milwaukee finished 41-41. And the East actually has a winning record against the West this season at 100-98 What changed so quickly from last season, when articles were written about how there was the greatest disparity in conference strength in recent memory? “I
The Golden State Warriors’ historic start, led by Stephen Curry’s MVP campaign, and Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour have captured the headlines so far this season. We saw LaMarcus Aldridge become the biggest free agent to change teams and Kevin McHale became the first coach to get fired in Houston. Will Kevin Durant leave the Thunder this summer? Will Jeff Hornacek become the first coach fired in 2016? That’s just the tip of the iceberg. A new calendar year will bring more coaching changes,
When asked recently about the trade value of Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson, one Western Conference scout summed it up in six brutally painful words: “He makes a lot of money.” After 15 NBA seasons and seven All-Star appearances, the 34-year-old Johnson has turned from a very good basketball player into just another contract a team can’t wait to get off its books. Mercifully for Brooklyn, Johnson’s contract expires at the end of this season. When it’s all said and done in Brooklyn—
Jeff Teague is continuing to improve his game. He was named an All-Star for the first time last season during Atlanta’s unexpected 60-win campaign. Now that he and the team will not be overlooked this season, Teague took some time to talk to SheridanHoops about his personal improvement on the court, the Hawks’ new jersey and the team’s new majority owner Grant Hill. Click on the box to watch. Shlomo Sprung is a national columnist for SheridanHoops who focuses on analytics, profiles and
It’s go time. The NBA season finally opens up tonight and it has snuck up on me more than any season I can remember. Anyway, here are my over/under picks for the win totals for each team based on the numbers set at Pinnacle Sports. Atlanta Hawks, 49.5 wins: UNDER This team was simply lights out against the spread last season, and they’ll be a solid team again, but I’m projecting them to fall slightly under 49 wins. Boston Celtics, 45.5 wins: UNDER I love Brad
For almost a decade, the Atlanta Hawks remained stuck in a purgatory of NBA mediocrity. Too good to select prospects in the early draft lottery and not good enough to compete deep into the playoffs, there was no obvious escape route. Although the team had the longest postseason streak in the Eastern Conference, Atlanta’s futile playoff track record overshadowed its strong core of dynamic starters and capable reserves. Then a late summer scandal came in 2014, which eventually led to the sale
It pays to be patient. That is the financial lesson of the NBA’s offseason, which saw the biggest pay raises go to players who turned down contract extensions and gambled on themselves. Among the top 11 pay increases this summer, five went to players who felt like they were being lowballed by their teams — and proved it when they cashed in with bigger deals as restricted free agents this summer. Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, Orlando’s Tobias Harris, Detroit’s Reggie Jackson, Oklahoma City’s Enes
The Atlanta Hawks had a phenomenal 2014-15 season. The team won 60 games, most in the franchise’s history. That was a 22-win increase from the previous season. Here we take a look at some of the numbers, on offense, defense and rebounding, that helped Atlanta become one of the elite teams in the NBA. [Read more…]