I always wait until the final game of the NBA season is in the books before handing in my postseason awards ballot, and the reason is twofold: If the deadline is not until Thursday afternoon, what’s the hurry? (This is how journalists work when it comes to deadlines. Most of us, anyway.) The second is because you always want to wait and see if something happens on the final night of the season to change either your ballot or your
This D’Angelo Russell thing is really confusing, so I want to make sure I’ve got it right. Pledging your lifetime love, support and fidelity to a woman in the form of a highly public engagement, then displaying your unequivocal callousness for that woman’s dignity and feelings by cheating on her while your wedding is being planned, that’s OK, right? But secretly recording a teammate who talks about this callous behavior as if it is the equivalent of brushing your teeth, that’s not
There is an NBA team that started this season with a roster that included an MVP winner from this decade; a recent Defensive Player of the Year; the runner-up in the most recent Rookie of the Year voting; and two All-Stars, including one deemed the league’s Most Improved Player. The roster also included some highly promising youngsters and a handful of savvy, playoff-tested veterans. The team seemed to be a lock for the postseason, having made the playoffs every year but
Although he sat out on Wednesday with a bruised knee, DeMarcus Cousins $10300 is expected to return tonight in Phoenix. It’s like an exhibition game for both lottery teams — better for fantasy purposes than a struggle between playoff clubs battling for position. [Read more…]
No matter whom you like in the race for NBA Rookie of the Year, one thing is certain: Both Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis will be watching the playoffs on TV. That’s no dig at either player. It is usually what happens to high draft picks during their first couple of seasons. You have to go back to Derrick Rose in 2008 to find a top overall pick who reached the playoffs in his rookie season. In fact, among the last 40
Many of the brightest NBA stars are out on Wednesday — eight players cost $9700 or more at DraftKings. Theoretically, you could construct an extreme lineup using three of them. Building around even two leaves an average of $5000 or less for six other spots. Choosing only one is not easy. [Read more…]
Right now, the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers have a lot in common. Both teams are on the cusp of the playoff race while being carried by an All-Star. Both teams have made a decision to go with a big lineup by reinserting a rookie who was injured earlier this season. And both teams hope things improve quickly. The Kings have gone back to starting sixth overall pick Willie Cauley-Stein at center, which moves monstrous DeMarcus Cousins to power forward and Rudy
The original 10-game NBA schedule is down to eight, with postponements due to snow in Philadelphia and Washington. All eyes are on Cleveland, where LeBron James $9700 will break in new coach Tyronn Lue. The best value might be Kyrie Irving $6800, as it remains to be seen whether Kevin Love $7200 will be featured or forgotten. The Bulls dropped a 9-point decision in Boston last night despite 28 from Jimmy Butler $8500 and 27 from Derrick Rose $5800. Fatigue could be a