(This is another in a series of 30 guest columns that will run in October, when optimism reigns supreme across the NBA. The theme will be “Five Reasons to Feel Positive About … ” We encourage you to follow the authors on Twitter and visit their sites. – CS) After seven straight years of 50-plus wins from 2001-2008 – including one championship – it has been a rough half decade for the Detroit Pistons. The trade of fan favorite Chauncey Billups was supposed
As the time for training camp reaches near, we will start to hear more in detail about about the mindset and the health status of players around the league. It’s a small dosage, but we have some updates on the health situations of Chauncey Billups, Earl Watson and Ronnie Brewer today. You can also dive into the mind of second year player Brandon Knight heading into the season, how Mitch Kupchak feels about his transactions over the summer, what Tyson
NEW YORK — The only player to be unanimously selected to the NBA’s All-Rookie Team is the Rookie of the Year, point guard Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Joining Irving (58 points) and Minnesota Timberwolves rookie point guard Ricky Rubio (49 points) on the All-Rookie First Team are Denver’s Kenneth Faried (46 points), Golden State’s Klay Thompson (43 points), New York’s Iman Shumpert (40 points), San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard (40 points) and Detroit’s Brandon Knight (40 points). (The three-way tie for fifth necessitated a
NOTES The Eastern Conference’s two best teams since the All-Star break go head-to-head tonight when the Chicago Bulls host the Boston Celtics (TNT, 7 p.m. ET). Only the San Antonio Spurs (14-4, .778) have a better winning percentage than the Bulls (15-5, .750) and Celtics (15-6, .714) in the second half. The league-leading Bulls (42-13, .764) have had success despite reigning MVP Derrick Rose missing significant time due to injuries. According to NBA.com, Chicago has been without Rose for 21 games this season, including
Through the first half of the season and leading into the All-Star break, the MVP award was LeBron James’ to lose. The way the Miami Heat has played since the All-Star break, however, may re-open the MVP discussion for debate. After losing just seven games through the first two months of the season,”The King” and the Heat have lost six of 14 games in March. More alarmingly, all six losses have come on the road against some of the top teams in
Did David Stern unintentionally direct Jeremy Lin to the New York Knicks? The commissioner vetoed the first Chris Paul trade, which would have sent Houston Rockets point guard Goran Dragic to the New Orleans Hornets. The Rockets had five point guards in training camp – Lin, Dragic, Kyle Lowry, Jonny Flynn and Bulgarian combo guard Ibrahim Jabeer, who did not play in either preseason game. Lin didn’t exactly burn, either, getting eight total minutes. Lowry, Dragic and Flynn had guaranteed contracts, so the
Wanna see Ricky Rubio throw lobs to Blake Griffin? How about John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins teaming up again, as they did at Kentucky? It could happen in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, which revealed its player pool Wednesday. As we reported Tuesday, the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge is no more. NBA assistant coaches picked the pool of nine rookies and nine sophomores listed below, but TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal will serve as GMs and draft teams Feb. 16 on the
The random luck of picking league owner names out of a hat for draft positions has always been the bane of my fantasy basketball existence. Each year upon receiving the e-mail with the draft order results from one of my two leagues’ commissioners, you’ll typically read my team’s moniker, “Krewtime”, between sixth and ninth in either nine-team league. Lebron James was the first selection in both our 8-CAT and 9-CAT league drafts, and he’s more than lived up to that status.