Back during the 2014 Eastern Conference semifinals, Dwyane Wade and a few of his Miami Heat teammates were in the visiting locker room at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center preparing to go up against the Nets. Inevitably, the conversation shifted to the player they feared the most on the opposing team, Joe Johnson. Wade talked about how strong Johnson was, and other teammates agreed about how tough he was to guard. While LeBron James and Miami dispatched Brooklyn in five quick games, the
When the biggest names on the move at the NBA trading deadline are Brandon Jennings, Jeff Green and Markieff Morris, it is a bit of a letdown. There is legitimate reasoning behind last week’s relatively quiet activity. This summer marks uncharted territory for NBA teams and their general managers, none of whom want to be the guy who shoots before aiming. The salary cap is going to jump from $70 million to more than $90 million this summer. That is an unprecedented
Russell Westbrook $10800, Kevin Durant $10100 and James Harden $10000 are deservedly the three most expensive players on a nine-game NBA Friday. The Rockets got blown out in San Antonio on Wednesday, while the Thunder won in Minnesota despite allowing 123 points in regulation. [Read more…]
Age has finally caught up to Dwyane Wade, to an extent. The longtime Miami Heat superstar is putting up career lows in field goal percentage, effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage, while his scoring average and PER are at their lowest rates since his rookie season 12 years ago. However, that doesn’t mean Wade is still not a really good player— just one slowly in decline, now 10 days after his 34th birthday. That’s natural for someone who’s played over 35,000
This week, while NBA coaches pick the All-Star reserves, the NBA will pick the All-Star coaches. Neither task is as easy. David Blatt’s dismissal as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers has added a bizarre twist to next month’s All-Star Game in Toronto. The Cavs have the best record in the Eastern Conference, which means their staff was on track to coach the East All-Stars. But Blatt has been replaced by Tyronn Lue, who will coach just five games before the deadline of
In daily fantasy, everyone gets a chance to own the same players and an opportunity to profit. In traditional leagues, it would be foolish to drop an injured Cody Zeller (shoulder) for Spencer Hawes $3100, but the Hornets’ many injuries have created several DFS bargains. [Read more…]
Dwyane Wade scored 2 points last night in a lopsided loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, only the third time that has happened to him in 973 career games. Tyler Johnson started at point guard and shot 0-for-6. The Heat shot a season-low 36.5 percent and failed to break 80 points for the second straight game. As a team, the Heat totaled 13 assists. Was this “rock bottom,” as Michael Wallace of ESPN.com asked? Is there any way Pat Riley can fix this
For the first time in roughly two decades, the Eastern Conference is better than the Western Conference from top to bottom. Nine East teams are at .500 or better – nearly twice as many teams as last season, when sixth-seeded Milwaukee finished 41-41. And the East actually has a winning record against the West this season at 100-98 What changed so quickly from last season, when articles were written about how there was the greatest disparity in conference strength in recent memory? “I