Been too long since the last MVP rankings, nearly two whole weeks. A lot has been happening during that time, and I have a few stories to tell — new and old, before we get into the latest rankings. This morning’s New York Times brings news that the United and Cuba will restore full diplomatic relations. But wait … no tourism for Americans, and no democracy for Cubans? Hey, you never know what kind of a surprise the Old Gray Lady
Okay, sure, being the Houston Rockets general manager, Daryl Morey may have a strong bias when asking people to vote for his team’s players for the All-Star game. That’s a fair point of criticism. However, considering how often shooting guard James Harden is maligned for his defensive ability (or lack thereof), Morey makes a good case for his star guard. [Read more…]
It was a triumph of Grizzlies basketball. Marc Gasol $8700 was brilliant and they held the Warriors — who had won 16 in a row — to 41% shooting. Mike Conley $7900 and Zach Randolph $7400 did what they do, but it was the bench, led by Vince Carter $3000 with 16 points, that helped seal the deal with a tremendous second quarter. [Read more…]
The Knicks finally won! The lowly Pistons defeated a team from the West! Perhaps responding to being called out as “soft” by Kobe Bryant, the Lakers beat the Spurs in overtime, and the Hornets fully extended the Grizzlies before falling in double OT. [Read more…]
Who is the MVP of the young 2014-2015 season so far? It’s only mid-December, so it’s easy to say that this particular topic deserves a discussion further down the road. That said, the narrative of an MVP is a progressive thing. The league pays attention to how deserving players are by watching their performance on a month-to-month basis, so evaluating them a quarter of the way into the season is only natural. Having said that, there are only two true candidates for
We all know what the Philadelphia 76ers are doing. Call it whatever you want – tanking, rebuilding, deconstructing, hoarding – the 76ers are openly, unabashedly and intentionally sinking to the bottom of the NBA, because GM Sam Hinkie has convinced ownership that is the fastest way to get back to the top. Hinkie has constructed a roster that is inherently non-competitive. The Sixers have the fewest first-round picks and the most undrafted free agents of any team. Their highest-paid player makes $6.6
The Prince will go see the King tonight in Brooklyn, and William should see a show from LeBron. The biggest Brit of them all should also take a look at the baseline photographers to see something else that is a freak show: The shutterbugs will be all spiffed up. Word was passed along to the fotogs last week that jeans and sneakers will not be tolerated if they plan to take their usual cross-legged seats along the baseline for Monday night’s
I hope you Beat the Pro — our own Chris Sheridan — last night for an easy two bucks and a share of the $50,000 prize money. The boss finished in 5,568th place to earn a $4 payout and is satisfied with his performance. “Hey, I picked Dirk on his worst night of the season, I got beat by more than 5,000 people, and I still doubled my money. That is why I love DraftKings.” [Read more…]