We’ve been waiting all season for LeBron James to pull a Kevin Durant and go for 40 or more points, and the wait has ended. Did LeBron’s 42 against Dallas last night earn him some love in these rankings? Well, sort of. IMHO, James is the best player in the NBA. But “best” player does not equate to Most Valuable, as the operative word when determining that award is “valuable.” A year ago, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe felt that Carmelo
It is time to ask the rhetorical question: Is the MVP race over? Has Kevin Durant wrapped this thing up already by guiding the Oklahoma City Thunder to the highest win total in the NBA (30 games over .500) despite the absence of Russell Westbrook? It was about this time a year ago that LeBron James started creating the separation that would ultimately make him the near-unanimous choice (Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe was the only voter who cast a ballot
NEW YORK — A couple of weeks ago, we posed the rhetorical question: Where will Adam Silver be hated first? And now we have our answer: In the Eastern European country of Slovenia, and in the American city of Phoenix. Silver on Friday chose New Orleans Pelicans forward/center Anthony Davis to replace injured West All-Star Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2014 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans. Davis, who will make his first All-Star Game appearance, is averaging 20.5
Sometimes the best way to evaluate the Most Valuable Player is to watch him ride solo for a while. Yes, stats count. So does his performance in close games, his output against the better teams, his showdowns with fellow candidates and his overall leadership. However, a true indicator can be how the player performs when he has to go it alone. This season, we have all marveled at Kevin Durant. The perennial MVP candidate has been truly spectacular. But what has elevated
Adam Silver is in a tough spot. Silver became the NBA’s fifth commissioner on Saturday. He follows David Stern, whose 30 years as the league’s top executive likely will be unmatched by anyone in any sport. Silver begins his term without facing a major problem that needs immediate fixing or a hot-button issue that requires immediate attention. With TV contracts running through 2016, labor peace assured until at least 2017 and most of the top stars in their 20s, the NBA is
It didn’t necessarily have any marquee names, but a three-team trade that sent Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks to the Golden State Warriors was the talk around the league on Wednesday (before Nick Young threw some punches). See below for some insight and analysis on the who and the why: Chris Sheridan broke down what the trade does for each team involved. Bill Simmons shares his thoughts on the deal, from our Michael Brumagin. Members of Warriors World chime in on how Crawford
When the season was at hand, a number of distinguished correspondents on this site and many others offered predictions that ranged from serious to absurd. Preseason predictions are a little like Donald Sterling utterances – they’re made to be forgotten. But one I would have remembered if anyone had ventured it was this: After the month of December, Jeff Hornacek will be named Coach of the Month. Now that would have been impressive, particularly since the only handicapping involving the Phoenix Suns was their
Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe has a sprained right knee and will miss at least a week. The Suns made the announcement Saturday. If Bledsoe sits out just one week, he will miss games Saturday vs. Milwaukee and the first three games of a five-game road trip – Tuesday at Chicago, Wednesday at Minnesota and Friday at Memphis. Bledsoe was a late scratch from Thursday’s home loss to Memphis with the injury, which left at least one NBA gambler unhappy. The Suns are