NEW YORK — On Tuesday night, in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, J.R. Smith checked into the game with 8:24 remaining in the first quarter. Fresh off being minted as the league’s Sixth Man of the Year, Smith received a rousing ovation from the Madison Square Garden faithful. His first four shots found the bottom of the net, and the final one—a buzzer beating 36-footer that gave the Knicks a 26-20 lead after
Busted brackets and baseball. That is what most sports fans are thinking about at the beginning of April. While the great majority of you guys and gals have been distraught over not correctly picking Wichita State to reach the NCAA’s Final Four, many have overlooked the fact that some of the NBA’s playoff races are getting more and more interesting with each passing week. And a bunch of our pending free agents have something to do with that. Josh Smith and his Atlanta
When former AAU teammates Dwight Howard and Josh Smith were not traded Thursday, they made the offseason all the more interesting. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak held onto Howard and Hawks GM Danny Ferry was unsuccessful in trying to trade Smith. And there is no guarantee that either player is sticking around this summer, possibly leaving $30 million on the table for a fresh start elsewhere. [Read more…]
In an effort to close their gaping hole at small forward, the slumping Toronto Raptors on Friday signed veteran Mickael Pietrus. No terms were disclosed. Pietrus spent last season with the Boston Celtics but was not re-signed. During the offseason, he was looking for either a multi-year deal or a one-year contract at more than the veteran’s minimum. The France native also contemplated playing in Europe. [Read more…]
PHILADELPHIA – Attention K-Mart Shoppers. The 30-day warranty on your recent purchase is about to run out. Despite a couple of mechanical failures over the weekend, the buyer has no plans to return the merchandise for the foreseeable future. In fact, the buyer is convinced it won’t be too long until the public is just as enamored with the new product as the old one. Translated, that means the Oklahoma City Thunder is thrilled having nine-year veteran and career 18.3 point scorer Kevin
Welcome to the Sheridan Hoops team-by-team season preview index. In September, we asked bloggers who cover the NBA to give us five reasons why fans should feel positive about their team for the upcoming 2012-13 season. You can read them simply by clicking on the team logo or name below. If the link appears dead, don’t worry. We have published previews for nearly all of the league thus far. As we publish more, they will be linked in this index. You can also
UNDER CONTRACT: G Derrick Rose, F Carlos Boozer, F Luol Deng, C Joakim Noah, G Richard Hamilton, G Kirk Hinrich, F Taj Gibson, G Jimmy Butler, F Vladimir Radmanovic, C Nazr Mohammed, G Marco Belinelli, G Nate Robinson, C Kyrylo Fesenko DRAFT PICKS: G Marquis Teague FREE AGENTS: G Mike James, F Brian Scalabrine MOVES: For the first time in franchise history, the Bulls are going to have to pay the luxury tax – and really don’t have much to show for it. GM Gar
UNDER CONTRACT: F-C Emeka Okafor, C Nene, F Trevor Ariza, G John Wall, F Jan Vesely, F Kevin Seraphin, F Chris Singleton, F Trevor Booker, G Jordan Crawford, G Shelvin Mack, G A.J. Price, G-F Martell Webster, G Jannero Pargo DRAFT PICKS: G Bradley Beal, F Tomas Satoransky FREE AGENTS: G Morris Almond, F Brian Cook, F Maurice Evans MOVES: Before the draft, the Wizards found a taker for the one year and $24 million left on Rashard Lewis’ contract, shipping him to