As the NBA season finds itself some 30-games into the season, we are starting to get an idea of who’s who around the league. For the most part, we know who will be around to contend in April, May and June. But the question today is who will be a real threat? And who will assert themselves over the next two months while Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul are sidelined. Yes, Paul (separated shoulder) is out, too — for those of you who didn’t
Last week, we ran a post from @Betropolitan listing the incredible odds on winning the Eastern Conference for teams other than the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers. It seemed strange at the time that the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls were the third choice, at 25-1, but it was a reminder that Vegas is all-knowing. And those oddsmakers look even smarter this morning after the Raptors put together their signature win of the season, defeating the mighty Indiana Pacers 95-92 last
Four years ago, when the Los Angeles Lakers were winning their second NBA championship in as many years behind the big bodied, long armed and incredible skill of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum (oh, and that Kobe guy), would it have ever crossed your mind to see the two Laker bigs as the centerpiece of a midseason trade? For each other? [Read more…]
Amid its myriad injuries, its dozen teams below .500 and its 44-98 record against the Western Conference, there is a looming question regarding the Eastern Conference: Can the East even field an All-Star team? A year ago, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Tyson Chandler, Kyrie Irving, Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday were among the East’s All-Stars. You can make the argument – irrefutable in some cases, strong in others – that none of those players should be invited back
After a shaky start, in large part due to injuries knocking out key players for extended time, the Golden State Warriors won their fifth game in a row Sunday night with a 108-104 overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers — the NBA’s longest current win streak. [Read more…]
With the prospect of a dazzling draft class looming in 2014, the word “tanking” has been as much a part of the NBA lexicon as flopping or fouling. Teams with little to no hope of making the playoffs – let alone doing anything there if they did – should just pack it in now and wait for the lottery in May and the draft in June. That’s where the real bonanza lies this season. Tanking has always been part of the NBA,
When the Cavs signed Andrew Bynum last summer to a creatively structured, heavily incentivized contract, it was seen as a low-risk, high-reward move capable of pushing Cleveland at the very least into the lower half of the Eastern Conference playoff ladder. Clearly that last part isn’t happening. At least not with Bynum around. The Cavs have suspended Bynum indefinitely, and according to multiple sources are shopping him heavily. The good news? Aside from completely ruining Andrew Bynum Fathead Night on Sunday at
It’s very rare that the worlds of basketball and mixed martial arts cross paths, but when it does it’s always interesting to see a players take on the sport. With the highly anticipated main event between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman at UFC 168, players from around the NBA watched the bout. With their interests particularly rooted in this match, their reactions were mixed as the fight ended with a shocking injury. [Read more…]