As someone who wrote these here blog things during the Dwightmare, I have mixed feelings on the incredibly protracted trade dramas that the NBA is so often subjected to. On the one hand, they take forever, they’re basically one big headache, they’re never resolved in a satisfying manner, and after about a week more people are talking about how they’re sick of hearing about the trade possibilities than are actually talking about said trade possibilities. On the other hand, they make
San Antonio Spurs general manager R.C. Buford won NBA Executive of the Year on Wednesday. Should he have? Unlike the other postseason awards, Executive of the Year is voted on by fellow executives, not the media. So it’s difficult to question the validity of the winner when he has been chosen by his peers. Still … [Read more…]
After a season-long battle to see who would end up with the eighth and final seed of the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies proved to be the winner of the coveted position – relatively speaking – on Monday after beating the Phoenix Suns 97-91. Unlike teams in the East, where some barely over .500 or even under it made it into the playoffs, the Suns will go home early despite an impressive 47-34 record – good enough to be the fifth
With one week left in the NBA regular season, the pressure is on for two Eastern Conference teams and four Western Conference teams fighting for the final playoff spots. Millions will intently watch what transpires over the next seven days as teams face must-win games, and the effort and intensity pick up. Each of these half-dozen teams have a player who will greatly impact the fate of their clubs the rest of the way. [Read more…]
Giannis Antetokounmpo has truly come a long way to be where he is right now: a wide-eyed, just-turned 19-year-old kid who is learning the ropes of being an NBA player in his first season. He came from a poor background – so poor that he actually shared a pair of sneakers with his brother whenever he had to play basketball. He is a fun character and has shown flashes of brilliance so far, so when you read about the road taken
I went on the radio in Phoenix this morning and played party-pooper, because I don’t think qualifying for the playoffs is such a grand goal. It is a nice goal, don’t get me wrong, especially for an overachieving team like the Suns. But the ultimate goal is to win a championship, and if the Phoenix Suns could have acquired Pau Gasol from the Los Angeles Lakers for the insurance-covered contract of Emeka Okafor, along with a first-round draft pick, they should
Not unlike seasons of past, key players for many teams around the league have missed significant time due to a variety of injuries this season. It looked as though Nene Hilario would suffer a similar fate – and then some – when he went down with a scary looking knee injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Some in the organization feared that it may have been bad enough to be season-ending. Lucky for the Washington Wizards, the power forward suffered nothing
Before the season began, much hype surrounded the possibilities of a revamped Golden State Warriors lineup. They locked up Andrew Bogut to a reasonable deal (although some initially disagreed with the size of the contract), signed Andre Iguodala and brought in useful veterans like Jermaine O’Neal and Marreese Speights. They also had Stephen Curry coming off an incredible playoff run and looking to become a legitiate superstar in the league. Heading into the All-Star break, they expected to be better than 31-22