With the All-Star break on the not-so distant horizon, three of California’s teams are in various stages of a positive identity forge, while a fourth remains the stuck in “Fugitive-esque train wreck” mode. (Spoiler alert! The odd team out is the Sacramento Kings!) With that in mind, here’s a look at what’s brewing on the left coast. [Read more…]
We welcome aboard the Kamenetzky brothers, Brian and Andy, who were must-reads at ESPN-Los Angeles but were let go at Christmas by the WorldWide Leader In Shedding Talent. Each week, the Cali Report on Sheridan Hoops will take a trip around the golden state, examining the fortunes of its four teams – CS. [Read more…]
Say goodbye to 2012 and the prediction of the Mayans. 2013 is here! May the New Year bring us plenty of exciting and unexpected moments from the NBA. So what are some of the things we can look forward to in the upcoming year? Here are some notable questions heading into January: [Read more…]
After the Los Angeles Clippers demolished the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night for their franchise-record 13th straight win, there were two telling quotes coming out of the losing locker room. The first came from Suns coach Alvin Gentry, who was very impressed. “That is the best team we’ve played,” said Gentry, whose club has faced Miami, Memphis, New York and Golden State but has yet to play Oklahoma City or San Antonio. [Read more…]
Patience is a must in fantasy hoops. It can be frustrating to hold on to an injured player, especially those like John Wall or Andrew Bynum, whose recoveries take longer than expected. It’s also a nice boost when one of your absent stars comes back. [Read more…]
It’s the Larry Sanders Show. Not the old HBO sitcom starring Garry Shandling, which I never really found to be that funny but ultimately paved the way for similar real-life parody vehicles such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage. No, this is neither parody nor sitcom. It’s more of a reality show, and its star appears as serious as a heart attack about becoming a permanent resident of our Most Improved Player Rankings. [Read more…]
I’m filling in for our peerless, fearless editor-in-chief for this week’s edition – – which means these will be our Most Improved Rankings in more ways than one. This is perhaps the most difficult award for media members, because every season there are dozens of candidates and almost as many parameters for what constitutes improved. A case in point came last season, when the media clearly voted for the wrong guy. [Read more…]
One night, both of last year’s NBA Finalists competing, both NBA Finalists going down. The Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Clippers turned in two of the top performances of the young 2012-13 NBA season, as they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat by 10 and 7 points, respectively, though the point differential isn’t an indicator of how well either team played: [Read more…]