With the Utah Jazz missing defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert due to a tweaked ankle, it was up to power forward Derrick Favors to step up as the starting center against the Miami Heat on Thursday. And boy, did he step up. [Read more…]
The kinder, gentler NBA schedule is out. First, here’s the stuff you want. Opening Night is Tuesday, Oct. 27 and has a TNT doubleheader with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers visiting the Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Pelicans visiting MVP Stephen Curry and the defending champion Golden State Warriors, who will be handing out rings and hoisting their title banner. Both are rematches of playoff showdowns. The following night, it’s ESPN’s turn with Kevin Durant returning for the Oklahoma City Thunder
Despite it being the dog days of the NBA offseason, there’s always a lot to talk about in the NBA. From the Hornets’ offseason to the NBA playing in Africa, this hour-long podcast covered a lot of ground. In the first episode of a new weekly podcast, Shlomo Sprung of SheridanHoops and Max Kirshblum were joined by ESPN Radio’s Josiah Turner to talk the winners and losers of the NBA offseason and by SheridanHoops contributor Jacob Eisenberg to discuss Noah Vonleh, Kyle
Last I checked, soccer was a pretty popular sport around the globe. More popular than basketball, I might add. And if you’ve ever sat on the sofa and watched a soccer match, you’ve probably noticed that there are no TV timeouts. You get 45 minutes of action, then you can get up and make a sandwich, and then you go back and get 45 more minutes of non-stop action, commercial-free. Why can’t the NBA be quite as enjoyable? Don’t get me wrong …
A few things are certain regarding the Oklahoma City Thunder this season: First, OKC’s best bet to make the playoffs rests solely on the shoulders of All-Star guard Russell Westbrook. Second, Westbrook’s string of triple-doubles makes him the team’s best candidate for the NBA MVP award, which Kevin Durant won last year. Finally, any success that the Thunder have this season will be without Durant, who will undergo his third foot surgery in less than six months, thus ending his season,
There is a procedure for determining the MVP. Ballots are e-mailed to 126 media members who cover the NBA on a regular basis, and they are due back at the league office the day after the season ends. The league then tallies the votes and decides when to announce the winner. That, folks, is a procedure. Which brings us to proper use of the word “procedure,” and how it relates to the media’s coverage of the NBA. Specifically, the Oklahoma City media
Just 52 games into the NBA season — not yet at the All-Star break, and the Orlando Magic have unloaded a sizable amount of talent. That’s coaching talent. Thursday’s breaking news was that of Magic CEO Alex Martins and GM Rob Hennigan had decided to cut ties with head coach Jacque Vaughn and assistants Wes Unseld Jr., Brett Gunning and Zack Guthrie. Assistant coach James Borrego will take over as interim head coach. [Read more…]
There can, at times, be a rather contentious relationship between the media and the superstars that it covers. Some times, it may be warranted. Others, perhaps not so much. Former ESPN NBA writer Chris Palmer seems to have earned the ire of Kevin Durant over the years, in large part for his polarizing opinions. Tuesday, Palmer had another opinion to share. [Read more…]