It’s been just over three weeks since the NBA trade deadline and 10 days since the March 1 buyout deadline that saw numerous players joining playoff contenders. So which acquisitions are soaring and which are flailing? We’re going to look at 15 players who were recently acquired via trade or signing and sort them into three categories: Good, Bad and Obscure. The good players are making positive impacts on their teams, the bad players just haven’t been faring very well on their new
In the brave new world of basketball analytics, trends and modules, a simpler stat surfaced this week that was utterly inexplicable. Two teams have lost 10 games this season in which they led after three quarters. One is the league-worst Philadelphia 76ers, who have no one on their roster who knows how to win a game. The other is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have two of the supposed best closers in the game in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. [Read more…]
Welcome back for the first post All-Star break edition of the Gambling Guru column Speaking of All-Star weekend, was Aaron Gordon not absolutely ripped off in the dunk contest? I might be speaking from my wallet but that looked like daylight robbery to me! Greener pastures for Joe-Jesus As predicted in this very column earlier in the season – Joe Johnson found his way onto a contender. Surprisingly to me though, Joe chose a very marginal contender. As it stands, there are only four teams
Our top choice last night fizzled. Denver scored 117 and a bench player was the star, but it was D.J. Augustin, not Will Barton. It happens; all we can do is turn the page. Every night a whole new DFS season begins and ends, with unique handicapping challenges. On a four-game Thursday, it’s a small but top-heavy player pool. [Read more…]
Back during the 2014 Eastern Conference semifinals, Dwyane Wade and a few of his Miami Heat teammates were in the visiting locker room at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center preparing to go up against the Nets. Inevitably, the conversation shifted to the player they feared the most on the opposing team, Joe Johnson. Wade talked about how strong Johnson was, and other teammates agreed about how tough he was to guard. While LeBron James and Miami dispatched Brooklyn in five quick games, the
When the biggest names on the move at the NBA trading deadline are Brandon Jennings, Jeff Green and Markieff Morris, it is a bit of a letdown. There is legitimate reasoning behind last week’s relatively quiet activity. This summer marks uncharted territory for NBA teams and their general managers, none of whom want to be the guy who shoots before aiming. The salary cap is going to jump from $70 million to more than $90 million this summer. That is an unprecedented
Not sure about you, but I am getting sick and tired of waking up each morning and getting a bigger jolt from the political news than the basketball news. If you were given a choice of reading one and only one story today, which would you pick: “Trump vs. Pope” or “Trade Dudline Passes Quietly.” Yes, it is an election year, and it is going to be a lively and historical one. But for those of us who live and breathe NBA
When you think of Joe Johnson’s play for the Brooklyn Nets this year, some of the words that come to mind include underwhelming, disappointing, mediocre and any other word that describes a pretty terrible year for someone who is in a contract year and is getting paid nearly $25 million to average 11.8 points on 40 percent shooting from the field. To be fair, he has been playing worlds-apart better since the calendar hit 2016 compared to the first two months