The Oscars are over, and since I didn’t watch them or see any of the nominated movies, let’s get this Oscar-themed edition of the Most Improved Player Rankings under way! Because nothing says “balanced sportswriter” like a column full of misinformed pop culture references! The envelopes, please … Best Actor: Anthony Davis. This award goes to the best player in our group, and Davis is the clear choice there. He’s already one of the league’s best big men, and Pelicans fans have already started
I’m kinda high on what the Charlotte Bobcats did with Ben Gordon. The Bobcats waived Gordon on Sunday, preventing him from appearing in the postseason should he sign with another team. While they may have alienated his agent – not a trifle thing in the business world of the NBA – two things should be pointed out. 1. When teams waive or buy out players at this time of the season, they are essentially establishing a price they are willing to pay
Thursday in the NBA meant trades, at least it normally would. It was the trade deadline after all. Trade activity started slow, but picked up as the deadline drew near. A total of nine deals went down Thursday, add the two that occurred Wednesday and a total of 11 occurred before the clock struck at 3:00 PM. If you’re looking for all of the details, SheridanHoops has plenty of trade deadline coverage. Sheridan: Trade Analysis As Deadline Day Deals Go Down Schlomo: Trade Deadline
This column is supposed to be about improvement, so let’s start it off by declaring that Saturday night’s Slam Dunk Contest was without a doubt the most un-improved thing in the history of All-Star Weekend. Seriously, what the hell happened there? After Paul George, John Wall and Damian Lillard – three bona fide stars in the league – actually decided that being considered one of the world’s best dunkers wasn’t beneath them, the league chucked a Snuggie into the Atlantic Ocean and
I was a guest on Sirius XM’s NBA show today, which was co-hosted by former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins. Turning the tables, I opened the segment — even though I was the interviewee — by asking Hollins why he wasn’t in Detroit taking command of the Pistons after the firing of Maurice Cheeks. Hollins came right out and said he is interested in the job, but that nobody from Detroit had reached out to contact him. [Read more…]
We’re nearing the All-Star break, and that means it’s just past halftime in the race for NBA Most Improved Player. So far this season, we’ve discussed Eminem, Seinfeld, the genetic connection between twins, existentialism, John Lennon, Mars Blackmon, and un-seeing the Eastern Conference standings. It’s been a great time, and I think we’ve all learned a lot. I know I have. But now, like middle school gym class, it’s time to separate the men from the boys. So let’s take a look at each candidate,
Chris Paul returned to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. We don’t want to be party-poopers, but it probably should be pointed out that the Clippers were better without him. This does not mean that GM Gary Sacks should start exploring trade possibilities for a top-five player. And it doesn’t mean that coach Doc Rivers should go with the hot hand at point guard at the end of games. But it does mean that if the Clippers want to win a championship this
The power of social media is pretty obvious when millions of people know something before a core group of 12 players do. [Read more…]