(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) Basketball analytics in their current state have become quite hypocritical, and while that’s a bit of a random statement off the top, it works hand-in-hand with the present perception of the Houston Rockets. The
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
Congratulations if you were a winner last night. I’m pleased with my results, including a couple of championships. Finishing second in the 20-team elimination was satisfying and rebuilding went very well in some deep keeper leagues. Every other year, fantasy basketball has ended with the regular season, but I didn’t know about Draft Street before. Looking forward to the challenge of that game throughout the playoffs. There’s also Fantasy Postseason if you like the idea of drafting a team and collecting points
Things have officially gone wild in the Wild Wild West. Over the past five seasons, at least one team with a winning record has failed to make the playoffs in the Western Conference as the competition has always been fierce and close until the final day of the season. It may never have been this close, however. Currently, 1 1/2 games separate the fourth seed and the ninth seed. Two teams — the Clippers and the Mavericks — are tied for the fourth seed
The marriage started out so beautifully. Chris Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers from the New Orleans Hornets as Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan jumped for joy and proclaimed themselves as “lob city.” The team got off to a tremendous 19-8 start and looked destined to be an immediate contender. Soon after losing Chauncey Billups to a torn Achilles tendon, however, the team’s lack of cohesion became more apparent by the game. Caron Butler fell off the map, Griffin’s offense proved to be limited
There’s another Freeroll tonight on DraftStreet. Even if you haven’t been following my daily adventures there (scroll to the bottom of this page) you should give it a try. Just click the link to enter. Bragging rights against Chris Sheridan are valuable enough, but there’s also $350 in cash prizes and it’s completely free to enter. You just have to pick eight players who fit under a $100,000 salary cap. The rules are easy; winning is a challenge. Thursday Recap LAC @
