It was Chris Mullin’s jersey retirement night in Oracle Arena. A long time coming for the Warriors legend that wore No. 17, it should have been a joyous time for him, his family, the organization and the fans. And then owner Joe Lacob stepped in and all hell broke loose. After hearing rousing cheers from the fans for Mullin’s speech during halftime of the Warriors game, Lacob grabbed the mic to conclude the night when suddenly, the fans started to boo him. Loudly and
I was on SN590 The Fan in Toronto with Tim Micallef and Sid Seixeiro on Monday afternoon. The topics centered around the NBA in Florida, where kids play baseball year-round and football players grow on trees. I told Tim and Sid that I think Dwight Howard and the Magic can push the Heat to seven games in a playoff series. I also said that while Derek Fisher wants to play for the Heat, they may be better served by a big man. We
When he met reporters before Sunday night’s game, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked if the Orlando Magic are a title contender. “Absolutely,” the coach replied. “There is no doubt about it. Anytime you have an MVP candidate like (Dwight Howard) and then personnel that fits, you’re a contender.” Writers covering both teams took that quote and ran with it, but not in the way you might expect. In Orlando, Spoelstra was taken with a grain of salt. From Josh Robbins of the
In-state rivals clash Sunday when the Orlando Magic take their big one to Miami to play the Heat’s big three. Miami has been a monster at home, going 18-2 and winning its last 12 at American Airlines Arena, allowing just 89.3 points during the streak. The Magic are 13-9 on the road and have won four of their last five behind a hot-shooting Jameer Nelson (27-of-44 from the floor in his last four games). Dwight Howard, the NBA’s leading rebounder (15.0), has tortured
Earlier this week, LeBron James said his situation in Cleveland and Dwight Howard’s dilemma in Orlando were not comparable. So true. Where they differed most was that James ultimately made a decision – however foolishly elaborate and narcissistic it may have played out – while Howard was virtually paralyzed by indecision. When Howard finally made up his mind just hours before Thursday’s trading deadline and opted into the final year of his contract with the Magic, a cool breeze of relief wafted through
So the winner in the Dwight Howard Derby is… Orlando? Dallas? We don’t know and now we won’t before June, 2013, with our big guy leaving more unsaid than said, as usual. If Howard’s heart, soul, spleen, liver and whatever else he listed are in Orlando, why exactly doesn’t he sign long-term so he won’t have to go through this next season, again? Yes, Dwight’s lovable but goofy, but the press may be missing an angle, or the real story—as usual–in the feeding frenzy
It’s another edition of Trade Spin, where we try to sort out the fantasy implications of yesterday’s deadline deals. Tomorrow, the Spin will return to our usual around-the-league format as we catch up on who’s hot and who’s not. The biggest news of a busy Thursday was the three-way swap that sends JaVale McGee to Denver, Nene to Washington and Nick Young to the Clippers. It’s a homecoming of sorts for Young, the former USC star, and means Randy Foye has
