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
It has been nearly a year since Brandon Jennings last played in an NBA game after rupturing his left Achilles tendon, but the point guard finally made his way back to the floor on Tuesday against the New York Knicks. Jennings, who suffered the devastating injury back in January 24, came off the bench and provided a boost in 17 minutes with seven points, a rebound and four assists. He will likely be eased back into things as he carves out a new
Reggie Jackson won the Player of the Week honors for the second time this season on Monday, and his overall performance has quietly put him on the map as one of the better point guards in the league, particularly in the Eastern Conference. The Detroit Pistons point guard averaged an impressive 29.3 points on 46 percent shooting from the field to go with 6.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists in three games to win the award. He is just one of seven players
The Los Angeles Lakers played the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, and that meant another ugly-shooting performance was on deck for Kobe Bryant. The shooting guard has been historically bad for someone who has taken at least 16 shots from the field heading into the game, averaging an unfathomable 33.1 percent shooting from the field in his first 10 games. [Read more…]
It’s time for the Los Angeles Lakers to get serious about rebuilding. The Lakers aren’t making the playoffs this season. They are 2-9, with losses already to Minnesota, Sacramento, Denver, New York and Dallas twice. One of their wins came against Brooklyn. The only thing between the Lakers and the bottom of the Western Conference is the New Orleans Pelicans, who have almost as many injuries as the 3rd Ranger Battalion. This is uncharted territory for the Lakers, who already have missed
As a personnel man, Stan Van Gundy has broken a lot of the so-called contemporary rules. Since being lured back to the NBA by Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores in May 2014, Van Gundy has not exactly followed the usual NBA blueprint in rebuilding the once-proud franchise, which has not been to the playoffs in six years. Van Gundy has flat-out waived four veterans with fully guaranteed contracts, accumulating nearly $32 million in dead money to be paid over the next five
Brandon Jennings, at this point, is pretty much known as a basketball junkie and never shies away from a hot debate on twitter. On Thursday, it was his view on who belongs on the list for Top 5 power forward of all-time, which included the still-relevant Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Top 5 PF of All Time!!! — Brandon Jennings (@thinkiminthe90s) October 30, 2015 This is really a subjective topic because there isn’t exactly a set of criteria that determines which player
The start of the NBA season is a wonderful thing and everyone is thrilled to get things going. Until the first serious injury happens and everyone gets bummed out as a result. Players suffer injuries every year, be it minor or devastating. From the 13th man to the best player on any given team, it’s simply unavoidable. Paul George was out for most of last season before the season had even started, Kevin Durant suffered a foot injury that derailed his team’s season,