Remember back in 2010, when Kenny Smith boldly claimed that Kevin Durant would be the best basketball player in the NBA in three years? It sounded pretty crazy then, mostly because of the guy that just won Sportsman of the Year, along with just about everything else you could possibly win over the past calendar year as a basketball player. What separated LeBron James from Durant back then was his ability to create for others on offense, something the Thunder forward had
In order to make things easier for our readers we have decided to split the weekly planner into a weekly review to be published on Saturday and weekly preview on Sunday. For Saturdays, we are replacing our lessons from the Week That Was with an expanded review of roster changes including injuries and rotation updates in addition to our Depth Chart. Come back tomorrow and we will preview the Upcoming Schedule and make our picks of Sits and Starts. Today’s column includes
Warning: I usually guess low on these types of things. Also, I do not know what kind of a mood Stu Jackson David Stern is in today, and that is always a relevant factor. But the fact of the matter is that Rajon Rondo is going to be suspended for instigating a fight in the Brooklyn-Boston game last night. The question is how long? [Read more…]
It’s the same old Spurs. When Kawhi Leonard went down, then Stephen Jackson got hurt, I thought Danny Green would become a fantasy star for at least a couple of weeks. It hasn’t worked out that way. Instead, the veteran stars have stepped up their games. Tim Duncan outscored Nikola Vucevic 13-0 by halftime and Tony Parker (14 PTS, 8 AST) was needed for less than 30 minutes. Manu Ginobili was brilliant as the sixth man, hitting 6-of-9, all from 3-point
What do players and coaches do when things go in the wrong direction? Take a shot, for one. And I’m not talking about a shot of Jack Daniels. Be it a coaching decision or a player’s poor play, the natural reaction is to take a shot at someone – directly or subtly – when the results are negative. Some will even take a shot at themselves at times, if it’s called for. The blame game is the theme of the stories around
What many feel is the deepest team in the West gets a little deeper tonight. Chauncey Billups is expected to play Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, his first game since suffering a torn Achilles tendon Feb. 6 against Orlando. He appeared in 20 games last season for the Clippers, averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 30.4 minutes. “We are all excited to have Chauncey back,” Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said. “I know how hard he has worked to
Fire Mike Brown. That has been the sentiment of many Lakers fans after watching their super team open the season with three straight losses. Don’t believe me? Check out our “When will Mike Brown get fired” poll. It turns out, fans aren’t the only ones having an issue with the scrutinized coach’s methods, from Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld: Fans have already started calling for Brown’s job and many of his players have started wondering if he’s the right person to lead the team. Behind
(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) Heading into the 2012-13 season, the Clippers find themselves in unfamiliar territory: coming off a playoff appearance and a first-round series victory, with high expectations. After just five trips to the playoffs