Media Day is in full swing for a number of teams, which means we will be flooded with quotes in the next few days or so about championship desires, expectations of making the playoffs (even if your team has no shot at it) and players claiming they can shoot the ball now. We’ll have plenty of that and more in today’s blog. But first, be sure to check out some news on the knee situation of a couple of very important
SH Blog: Brandon Roy admits lift is not what it used to be, O.J. Mayo can be a star?
The Dallas Mavericks acquired loads of solid players over the summer and have put themselves in position to be successful despite losing key players in Jason Kidd and Jason Terry to free agency. But can O.J. Mayo be good enough to become a star in the NBA? Could Chris Kaman become the best offensive center of all time in Dallas? Both are conceivable, depending on who you ask. See the chatter going on in Dallas, along with the true status of
Fantasy Spin: September 16, 2012
(The start of the NBA season is still six weeks away. But we are already filing Fantasy stories each and every day, with a staff that has tripled to three. For previous entries, click here.) SG Tiers Shooting guards are a prime source of points and threes to fantasy owners, but the most valuable ones do other things well. This is not as strong a position as PG, ranked by tiers earlier. There’s more uncertainty surrounding the very best SG, and the
SH Blog: Olajuwon to work with Knicks frontcourt, Brandon Roy ready to be himself again
Hakeem Olajuwon has made quite a name for himself as a mentor to players that wish to improve their games in the paint over the past few years. In particular, he worked with Amare Stoudemire over the summer to refine the post moves of the power forward, and the Knicks were evidently impressed with the results because they plan on hiring the legend to teach a few things to all the big men on the team next week. See what
SH Blog: James Harden and the Thunder far apart on a deal, Derrick Rose brought to tears
As the season inches near, we will have an update of all the offseason moves and analysis of every team in the league from Chris Bernucca. Here is the scoop on three teams from today, with updates: New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets. Also, check out our new writer Bruce Wrigley on our Fantasy Spin. Will Damian Lillard be relevant? And of course, here is your daily dose of news from Thursday around the league: Derrick Rose was brought to tears
SH Blog: Kendrick Perkins said Harden and Thunder are “getting close” on a deal
Will James Harden stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the long run? Will he take less money to do so? These have been the questions surrounding the talented guard through much of the summer, and Sam Presti had some choice words regarding the situation, as you can see in our Tuesday blog. Then, Kendrick Perkins came out and spoke as if he had some sort of inside knowledge regarding the contract talks between the team and Harden. See what was
Fantasy Spin: September 11, 2012
Yesterday we talked about context — especially keeper leagues vs. redraft leagues — being a significant part of any player’s fantasy value. We didn’t even mention custom scoring. There are leagues where missed free throws don’t matter, making Dwight Howard a must-own instead of a category-killer. Turnovers are also not counted everywhere; I’m in more than one league where A/T (assist/turnover ratio) is used instead. Adjust the order of any or all of these names to better reflect your league’s settings. Tomorrow
Preseason playoff picture: Western Conference
Think your team is making the playoffs in the West this season? If you don’t live in L.A., you sure about that? If your team is the Dallas Mavericks or Utah Jazz, you shouldn’t be so sure. The Western Conference has six teams that are postseason certainties and four teams that are locks for the lottery. That leaves five teams vying for two spots. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets are in. Each