You know the regular season is upon us when the TNT crew starts sharing their thoughts on who is primed to succeed and what teams will be most relevant in the upcoming season. Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Kerr and others had plenty to say about a number of topics with USA Today, and that’s where we’ll kick things off in today’s blog. Story of the day: Which team is good enough to take on the Heat this season? Barkley shared his
Who is crashing the playoff party in the East this season? Conventional wisdom says the two-time defending champion Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are head and shoulders above the rest of the Eastern Conference and – barring a disaster – will secure the top five spots. At the other end of the conference, you can probably toss out the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Bobcats and Philadelphia 76ers, who could pool their rosters to come up with
It was 12 years ago today that the horrors of 9/11 were etched into the annals of history, yet the events of that day still seem so recent. Two airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City causing them to collapse and two other planes flew towards targets further south—one crashing in a field in Pennsylvania, the other hitting the Pentagon in Washington. Today, as many across the United States take time to reflect on the tragedy that
The Washington Wizards are the NBA’s Rorschach Test team. Coldly visualize last season’s 29-53 record. In the context of a fifth straight year without a postseason appearance, we’re talking demolition time. Yet others – most notably, the team’s ownership – warmed to the clear improvement over the second half of last season after ingloriously bottoming out early on. Washington kept its primary core of players and inked some – including point guard John Wall – to lucrative deals. Coach Randy Wittman and
Success is not a destination, it’s what happens along the way. Whether we are talking about NBA franchises or individual players, they all will experience this journey in one form or another. Successful or unsuccessful. Recently speaking, the Heat, Spurs, Thunder, Pacers, Bulls, Knicks, Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers have all experienced, in some form, a journey of success. [Read more…]
It’s a simple, yet complex decision for the Washington Wizards. John Wall is the team’s unquestioned franchise player. It would be incredibly difficult to replace him and build around someone else. From that standpoint, it makes sense that Washington is locking him up for five years and the maximum $80 million it can give the former top overall pick. The problem? Wall is nowhere near as good as other point guards given max contracts in recent years. He has to sound confident when he
Before we begin our journey up to the 2013 NBA Draft, I personally believe it is very important to get a brief history lesson when it comes to previous drafts. Here were a few proposition bets prior to last years NBA Draft for a decent brief comparison: Anthony Davis was the unanimous selection to go number one in the draft, which was made obvious by the fact that you had to lay almost $5,000 to win $100. When it came to the
The NBA announced the All-Rookie Team on Tuesday. Sheridan Hoops announced it on April 11. We ran a weekly Rookie Rankings this season, and while the Rookie of the Year was decided sometime before the All-Star break, it remained to be seen who would join Portland’s Damian Lillard among the NBA’s top five rookies. [Read more…]