Dwight Howard said “No” last night when he was asked if he now has interest in playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. The key word in that question is “now.” Because right now, he wants to play for the New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks or Los Angeles Lakers — and the Lakers are a distant third on that list. The Clippers would be something to consider if circumstances over the next several months make those first three destinations unattainable, and as I
Exclusive: Clippers now on Dwight Howard’s wish list – UPDATED
NEW YORK — Dwight Howard now has a fourth team on his wish list: The Los Angeles Clippers. SheridanHoops.com learned exclusively Monday that Howard recently expanded his list of preferred future destinations, adding the Clippers to a list that already included the Nets, the Mavericks and the Lakers. “He’s been watching them a lot. He’s intrigued by the Clippers,” said the source, who is privy to the trade talks that have taken place between all of the aforementioned teams. That source also said
Tonight’s best game: Dallas at LA Lakers
Monday’s best game has the Dallas Mavericks visiting the Los Angeles Lakers in their first meeting since the Mavericks steamrolled the two-time defending champions in the playoffs – and went on to a title of their own. Both teams have recovered from sputtering starts that began with nationally televised losses on Christmas Day. This game also is nationally televised by TNT. Dallas has won five in a row and eight of 10 since losing its first three games. The Mavs appear to be figuring things
Clippers beat Lakers, finally give LA fans a rivalry
csprtContainer(); By sheer numbers, Saturday night has the fewest TV viewers. Kids do sleepovers, singles do bars and clubs, couples do date night. That’s too bad, because that means a whole bunch of people missed an awesome basketball game. The Clippers and Lakers finally battled for something other than column inches Saturday. And when it was over, Los Angeles had what it has been lacking for almost 30 years – a basketball rivalry, thanks to a 102-94 win by the Clippers. For a hoophead,
Kobe wins, LeBron loses, and the argument is alive again
// There’s been a spirited argument over the last several years over who is the best player in the NBA. There is the Kobe Bryant camp, which points to his skill, will and five championships. And there is the LeBron James camp, which points to his freakish athleticism and all-around game. For a couple of years, the argument went back and forth during the regular season, then was settled in the postseason, where Bryant was winning or advancing to championships while
Hubbard: Will ugly turn into beautiful?
Those who thought the NBA would be plagued by inconsistency because of the nutty compressed schedule have been unpleasantly surprised. The NBA has been very consistent. All you have to do is consult the NBA roundup in your local newspaper each day. In recent days, we’ve read that players either missed or will miss games because of: — Strained hamstring (Charlotte’s Corey Maggette). — Groin injuries (Chicago’s Rip Hamilton, Detroit’s Rodney Stuckey, Milwaukee’s Mike Dunleavy, New Orleans’ Trevor Ariza). — Back injuries (Dallas’ Jason
Perkins: Zone defense Heat’s Kryptonite
MIAMI – The zone defense is killing the Miami Heat. OK, it’s not really killing the Heat. After all, they won 58 games and went to the NBA Finals last year, and so far they’re 5-1 this year. But you know what I mean. The zone is hurting the Heat badly when applied correctly by good teams. Dallas did it in the Finals last year. Boston did it this year. And on Monday, Atlanta did it well enough to defeat the Heat,
Sheridan: Ricky Rubio’s coming-out party
// Happy New Year from me, too. Bernucca wrote that lede in yesterday’s roundup, and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But enough of that. We’re here this morning to talk about Ricky Rubio, and you can’t do that without referencing Licky Lubio (more on that below). The Minnesota Timberwolves have become Must-See TV. Readers who are 30 or older might remember the buzz surrounding Jason Williams in the early days of 1998 when the Sacramento Kings were the hep team