There have been exactly a dozen NBA trades made this season, from small to significant. Some teams wanted to clear up money, some teams wanted to continue rebuilding, while others took bold steps in ensuring present and future success on the court. But in our society of instant gratification and unceasing competition, we almost have an unquenchable thirst for deciding winners and losers. [Read more…]
Bernucca: Forget the championship, Thunder want a “sustainable team”
When the Oklahoma City Thunder traded James Harden on Saturday night, they revealed to everyone that they are a team far more concerned with the bottom line than the top of the heap. Probably a bit ahead of schedule, the Thunder reached the NBA Finals last season. As we have said before, they were a questionable foul call away from opening a 2-0 lead on the mighty Miami Heat that would have cultivated the doubt and derision that has swirled around
Heisler: What’s the difference between the NBA and the WWE?
csprtContainer(); Question: What’s the difference between the NBA and the outfit formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation? Answer: Beats me. Actually, there’s a huge difference between a game highlighting athletic grace and hand-to-hand combat between players assuming heroic or villainous personas: The WWF doesn’t have a ball. Otherwise, it’s getting too close for comfort for the NBA, even if league officials prefer to pull the strings from New York rather than issuing proclamations in the ring like Vince McMahon. These playoffs look less like a
Playoffs Day 26: Preview of Heat-Pacers(G6)
The series between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers has been filled with unexpected drama and extracurricular activity with all the trash-talking and posturing – mostly from the Pacers. Things took a turn for the worst in Game 5 when Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough “made a play on the ball” but also swiped hard enough at the head of Dwyane Wade to draw blood from the All-Star guard. What resulted from that play was retaliation by Heat forward Udonis Haslem, who less than
Pittman suspended three games, Haslem for one
NEW YORK — Miami Heat center Dexter Pittman has been suspended three games without pay for striking the neck and shoulders of Indiana guard Lance Stephenson, and Miami forward Udonis Haslem has been suspended one game without pay for striking the head and shoulders of Indiana’s Tyler Hansbrough, it was announced today by NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson. Both Pittman and Haslem had their Flagrant Foul Ones upgraded to Flagrant Foul Twos, as did Indiana’s Hansbrough, who
Sheridan: Can Miami close out Pacers without Haslem, Pittman?
// If Dexter Pittman had done what he did to Lance Stephenson on the street instead of on the basketball court, he’d be facing felony assault charges. As it is, Pittman’s cheap shot in the waning moments of Miami’s Game 5 beatdown of the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night is certain to earn him a multiple-game suspension. (On the Artest scale, this one is worthy of a 10-game suspension, IMHO, because of the degree of premeditation). If you haven’t seen the foul
Playoffs Day 24: Bird calls Pacers “soft” after blowout loss
Larry Bird is entitled to his opinion. I just wish he’d explain it a little more clearly. Bird told Indianapolis Star beat writer Mike Wells that his team went “soft” in Game 5, which is a curious choice of words to say the least. Did Bird want the team’s self-described “smashmouth” style of play to become “smash-face?” Because Udonis Haslem and Dexter Pittman certainly played smash-face basketball, and the opinion here is that both will be sitting out Game 6 in Indiana
Sheridan: Casting blame on both Wade and Spoelstra
// It was completely uncharacteristic for Dwyane Wade to snap at his coach the way he did last night. Part of Spoelstra’s job is to remind his players to get back on defense instead of admiring their bricks while the ball is in mid-air, and that seems to be one of the key things that precipitated the public clash between player and coach. As inexcusable as Wade’s outburst was (you don’t show up your coach like that, ever), what about looking