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 was a performance the entire league was talking about. The prolific scoring forward was going off, just knocking down jump shot after jump shot, rarely subjecting the ball to even the slightest graze of the rim. He had 20, then 30, then 40, and there was still plenty of time left in the fourth quarter. He was at NBA Jam levels of On Fire, replete with the flaming basketball and the echoed enthusiasm of the announcers. It was the type of game that
If you haven’t seen Lance Stephenson’s All-Star video, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with it before we begin this column. I’ll wait. For the rest of you—nice weather we’ve been having, right? Yeah. So, you come here often? I hope so. We’ve got some pretty cool stuff here. It’s a nice website. OK– you’ve seen it? So that was pretty cool, right? It reminded me of the old Michael Jordan-Mars Blackmon commercials. [Read more…]
Not unlike seasons of recent past, the Sacramento Kings are one of the worst teams in the league. Despite a career year from DeMarcus Cousins and despite a mid-season trade that brought in the topical Rudy Gay, the Kings are just 14-25 on the season – second worst in the Western Conference. If there is one positive to take away from another season headed for the lottery (other than a lottery pick), it’s the breakout year that 5’9″ guard Isaiah Thomas
As the great Jerry Seinfeld once said, knowing George Costanza was like taking a walk through the jungle. He didn’t know what he was going to find next, and he was real scared. I feel the same way about this NBA season. All of the injuries – Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, and now Most Improved Player favorite Eric Bledsoe – have basketball fans treading lightly, hoping not to get eaten by a tarantula or something with
Imagine for a second that this column is a talk show. It’s easy if you try. Now, imagine I told you that Isaiah Thomas and Reggie Jackson were going to be on it. Imagine all the people who would watch that show. Yoo-hoo, oooh. You’d be pumped, right? Isiah Lord Thomas. Zeke. One of the greatest basketball players in history. And Reggie Jackson. Mr. October. The man who hit three home runs in a World Series game?! What a show we’ve got for you tonight! You’d be glued
Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the league, not a player was balling, not even Jeff Teague. The Most Improved Rankings were crafted with flair, in the hopes that somebody might actually care. Danny Ainge was nestled all snug in his bed, while visions of Asik danced in his head. J-Kidd in his kerchief, Lopez in his cast, the Nets have settled down for their long winter’s nap. When from the Wells Fargo Center there rose such a clatter, I sprang from
It’s time for people to start taking notice of the rejuvenated Manu Ginobili and his impressive start to the season. San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had good reason to rest Ginobili on Thursday night in Golden State. After all, through eight December games, Ginobili has averaged 14 points, 5.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds. Those numbers are impressive for any bench player. When you consider that Ginobili has put them up in just 22.6 minutes per game, it ranks him among the