(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) The early portion of the free agency period gave off the appearance that the sky was literally falling on the Dallas Mavericks. The chase to try to land Deron Williams fell short as
Dallas Mavericks All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Friday and will miss at least six weeks, jeopardizing the team’s hopes of contending in the Western Conference. According to a release from the team, Nowitzki had the surgery at Texas Sports Medicine, with the procedure performed by team orthopedic surgeon T.O. Souryal. Nowitzki should be able to resume on-court activities within six weeks, making his return sometime in early December. After the Mavericks won the NBA championship in 2011,
Perhaps feeling a bit moody about having to miss a preseason game due to a minor shoulder issue, Kobe Bryant made headlines by insulting the likes of Smush Parker and Kwame Brown to the max a couple of nights ago. So naturally, Parker, who is currently in China, responded to all the negativity in detail and recalled his unpleasant experiences with the personality of Bryant. See what was said from both sides, along with news around the league from Friday: Smush
It was not a good day for the Dallas Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki was scratched with “swelling and soreness” in his knee and the team lost by 14 to FC Barcelona Regal in Spain. OJ Mayo missed all seven of his shots, Brandan Wright went 1-7 and Vince Carter 2-7; Elton Brand played 32 minutes as the emergency starter, for a modest 10 points and 3 rebounds. Chris Kaman was their best player, with a solid double-double. Stay tuned for updates on Nowitzki.
At last, we have “real” basketball games to recap and preview. All the material we’ve published so far — the Depth Chart, six Division Previews, rankings of players at each position by tiers, a series on strategy — has been designed to help you prepare for your draft. Over the next three weeks, our opinions will change according to what happens on the court. In particular, we’re looking at probable rotations and trying to refine our playing-time estimates. Saturday Results DEN @ LAC:
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
DALLAS – The grand experiment begins today with the first day of training camp. Call Mark Cuban, Donnie Nelson and Rick Carlisle crazy, but they believe they have found an alternative recipe for championship success. 1. Take a superstar who may be starting to decline but still is near the top of his game. 2. Add a one-time prolific offensive player who has discovered the joy of defense. 3. Toss in a point guard from Indiana, a shooting guard from Memphis, a center from
