Hassan Whiteside has been one of the great and unexpected success stories in the NBA this season, thanks to his at-times brilliant play on the court. Unfortunately, he has begun to show signs of serious volatility that is mostly unwarranted. It started when he retaliated against Alex Len last week during a feisty matchup against the Phoenix Suns and received a $15,000 fine from the league. At the time, the center said he “regret doing that” and that “violence is not
Daily fantasy sports is a challenging and enjoyable hobby — competing is fun, there’s satisfaction in breaking even, and of course winning is rewarding. Tonight it’s all about the money. [Read more…]
Devastating. That’s how most basketball fans would describe this past week, particularly ones in the Lake Michigan area. First came the news that former MVP Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls was hurt again, the victim of a torn meniscus in his right knee. And now, All-Stra teammate and Most Improved Player candidate Jimmy Butler is out 3-6 weeks after hyperextending his left elbow. Bulls fans, and the NBA in general, have taken one giant, James Harden-sized kick to the man region.
It certainly wasn’t shocking to see the Denver Nuggets fire Brian Shaw. After all, they’ve lost 12 of 13 games and we’re just days removed from a chant of “1, 2, 3… six weeks!” during another defeat, leading to serious questions about their effort. The 57-win Nuggets of two years ago under George Karl have rapidly transitioned to a laughing stock under Shaw, falling to 36-46 a year ago and now poised to finish much worse this year (currently at 20-39). Shaw, 48,
With the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns both fighting for a playoff spot in their respective conferences, things got quite feisty during their contest on Monday. There were a total of three ejections, five technicals and two flagrant fouls during the game, and things truly boiled over in the third quarter when Alex Len and Hassan Whiteside went at each other. After Whiteside grabbed an offensive rebound off a Dwyane Wade miss and dunked over Len, the Miami Heat center came down
Call them the Road Warriors. Stephen Curry $9800, Klay Thompson $7700 and Draymond Green $6800 are just 3-2 so far on this swing through the East. They fell behind the Celtics by 26 yesterday before rallying to win. Now they must play their fourth game in five nights. [Read more…]
The Oscars are over, and since I once again didn’t watch them or see any of the nominated movies, let’s get this Oscar-themed edition of the Most Improved Player Rankings under way! Because nothing says “entertaining column” like a bunch of misinformed pop culture references! As always, these awards are for the players in the “Rankings Academy” only, meaning they have to be in consideration for our table. The envelopes, please … Best Supporting Actor: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors. I mean, come on.
The injury bug continues to have a negative affect on the NBA, in real life and fantasy. Last night All-Stars Stephen Curry (ankle) and LaMarcus Aldridge (thumb) were scratched, and both their teams lost. [Read more…]