We all realize at this point that the Los Angeles Lakers have assembled a team to do some special things this season. There is an incredible amount of talent on the team from Steve Nash’s play-making abilities, Dwight Howard’s defensive presence, Kobe Bryant’s scoring prowess to Metta World Peace’s renewed focus. Then there is Pau Gasol, whose ability to be an all-around player for the team could be the x-factor to help carry the Lakers over the top. See why
Here are this morning’s top NBA news stories: “Ginobli: Contract no cause for worry,” by Mike Monroe from the San Antonio Express-News “Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan not worried about extension,” by Ryan Wolstat from the Toronto Sun “Knicks’ GM: Felton better value than Lin,” by Marc Berman from the New York Post “Kobe calls the Lakers his most talented team ever,” by Marc J. Spears from Yahoo! Sports “Knicks’ Anthony plans to score less, get teammates more involved,” by Marc Berman from the New York Post “Brooklyn Nets feel
At least until there are games to discuss, Sunday is when we reflect on the previous week in fantasy hoops. It’s a blend of news, opinion and self-promotion called Seven Topics or Less. John Wall’s Injury How far do you drop John Wall on cheat sheets for what looks like a month of missed games? (If he returns by December 4 there will be 68 games remaining.) I had him as a Tier 3 PG but have moved him down into 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
When training camps open later this month, a handful of teams will be at less than full strength. And some of them may be that way for a while. The Los Angeles Lakers, a legitimate title contender, will be without the biggest prize of the offseason. The Chicago Bulls, who have the NBA’s best record over the last two seasons, will be without their best player. The New York Knicks, who claim to be contenders, will be without two of their three shooting guards.
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
The Oklahoma City Thunder recently locked Serge Ibaka into a lucrative long-term contract and may or may not look to do the same with James Harden in the near future. Also, Stephen Curry believes the smart thing for the Warriors to do is to lock him up for a “reasonable amount” while they still can. See how the contract situations are playing out for some of the remaining key players that still have yet to sign a new deal, along
