Of the eight teams that reached the Western Conference playoffs last season, six of them had at least one player among the NBA’s top-20 in win shares. The two playoff teams that did not have a player among the top 20 were Memphis, with stars Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Zach Randolph, and San Antonio, who boasts the famed star quartet of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard. Obtaining, maintaining and sustaining a roster with All-Star level talent
If Derrick Rose wants to sit out games because he doesn’t feel 100 percent healthy, that’s fine. If Rose wants to go to the coaching staff, training staff and management of the Chicago Bulls and develop some sort of maintenance program which allows him to sit out games from time to time, that’s fine, too. In fact, given what the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat have done with their aging stars over the last several seasons – and the success that
There was a lot of attention on the Pacific Division this past weekend. People were wondering when the Golden State Warriors would finally lose and when the Los Angeles Lakers would finally win. Both happened Sunday, with the Warriors – playing without Klay Thompson and David Lee – finally falling at Phoenix and the Lakers – getting production from someone other than Kobe Bryant – knocking off the Charlotte Hornets. But if you ask me, the attention was misplaced. With consecutive playoff
On a night marking the 20th anniversary of the franchise, the Toronto Raptor’s had history made for the club in the stat books as well. Their star point guard, Kyle Lowry, fresh off of a summer in which the Raptors inked him to a four-year contract worth $48 million. On Friday night, the Raptors took the floor wearing their throwback jerseys from their inaugural season. Despite the night being devoted to the team’s 20th anniversary, Lowry made headlines when he broke
The NBA season got started in a big way last night. Anthony Davis absolutely dominated the Orlando Magic, putting up 26 points, 17 rebounds, two assists, nine blocks and three steals, in which the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Magic 101-84. The San Antonio Spurs hung their fifth title banner since 1999 and flashed their championship rings as they took on Dallas at home. The Spurs, playing without Tiago Splitter and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, outlasted the visiting Mavericks by a
Kevin Durant rolled in on a scooter and spoke with Oklahoma City media on Tuesday for the first time since his surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot, reiterating that he wouldn’t rush his return to the court. [Read more…]
If you saw last Friday’s Photo of the Day, you’ll notice the same trend as Monday’s. It’s the 2013-14 NBA MVP Kevin Durant with a cast on his right foot. But, joining him for a photo today is rookie teammate Mitch McGary. The power forward was the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first first-round draft pick at 21st overall, playing his college ball at the University of Michigan. McGary ultimately entered the 2014 NBA Draft after failing a drug test when he
The Denver Nuggets head into the 2014-15 season with ambitious goals. The Nuggets are built around a young core that won a franchise-record 57 games only two seasons ago, only to be derailed by injuries and eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. That early exit precipitated the departure of their GM and coach. Last season, the injuries kept coming and the Nuggets missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003, the year they drafted Carmelo Anthony. The core is