There was a lot of shade in the Valley of the Sun this week. It all started with Goran Dragic, who is far from blameless in this mess. But because the Phoenix Suns sent Dragic packing in a trade, president Lon Babby and GM Ryan McDonough got to write the epilogue and spin it in intelligence-insulting fashion. Dragic is an unrestricted free agent this summer. At 28, it’s his first and last chance at a max contract. And while the idea of
After the Washington Wizards ended a season-high five-game losing streak Saturday with a 37-point victory over the Brooklyn Nets, Marcin Gortat wasn’t quite ready to declare that their earth was back on its axis. “At the end of the day, it was Brooklyn, so we can’t get really excited,” he said. There’s nothing like perspective. And Gortat is right: One win against a plodding, tired team is nothing to get excited about. What the Wizards should be is concerned. Prior to the win
Why do doubts remain about the Atlanta Hawks? The Hawks are 40-8. They have lost twice since Thanksgiving. They have beaten Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Dallas, the LA Clippers, Cleveland again, Portland, the Clippers again, Memphis, Washington, Toronto, Chicago again, Oklahoma City and Portland again. The Hawks just completed the best undefeated month in NBA history, going 17-0 in January. They have won 19 consecutive games, the fifth-longest streak in league annals. They have won 12 straight road games. What seems to be the
For Derrick Rose, the road game against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday could have been one of his most dubious performances ever as the point guard of the Chicago Bulls. Despite scoring 30 points on 13-of-33 (39 percent) shooting from the field, Rose’s assist to turnover ratio was something to behold, as described by Dan Le Batard of ESPN: [Read more…]
Every team wants a player in the NBA All-Star Game. Just this week, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban complained that the voting system is “absolutely, positively broken” and lobbied for the NBA to provide additional roster spots for reserves who may have been overlooked by the fans. His reasoning was that leading vote-getter Stephen Curry received a mere 1.5 million votes, which is a miniscule total when you consider the global, electronic balloting process. As he often does, Cuban made some good
When a player the caliber of Derrick Rose says “We are not on the same page,” that is a mouthful. I have been reporting since Monday that there is a growing belief that Tom Thibodeau has lost the locker room in Chicago, and Rose’s comments after Monday night’s loss to the Cavs poured jet fuel on the still smoldering fire. How much does this have to do with Thibodeau’s methods? Or with his personality? And who might replace him if owner Jerry
I told you yesterday about mutterings I have heard around the league that Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has lost his locker room. Then last night, Derrick Rose poured jet fuel on the fire with some of the strongest comments he has made as a professional, including “we are not on the same page.” Rose rarely if ever uses expletives, but he used them Monday night after the Bulls got crushed by the Cavs, 108-94. A source close to the Bulls
We have 13 games to consider on Big Friday, including several featuring high-salaried superstars. All signs point to a fifth consecutive monster game for DeMarcus Cousins $11300 and another big night for Chris Bosh $8400. [Read more…]