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
After as astoundingly entertaining slam dunk contest on All-Star Saturday, the NBA was again reminded that sometimes the best response to criticism is to ignore it. After the performances of Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon, it is doubtful anyone will suggest the contest should be eliminated, or even slightly altered. But that could change as soon as next year. LaVine and Gordon established a standard that seems impossibly high to top. So if the next slam dunk is not as good as
In the late 1970s I was a very impressionable teenager desperately trying to be cool. But I didn’t want the charm of James Bond or the street smarts of The Fonz or the dance moves of Tony Manero. Besides, they were all fictional characters from movies and TV shows. I wanted my cool to be real. I wanted to be Darryl Dawkins. Dawkins died Thursday, leaving us way too soon at the age of 58. He claimed to be from the planet Lovetron,
This past week, NBA TV released excerpts of an extended interview with LeBron James (airing in its entirety Monday night) in which Steve Smith asked “The King” to name his Mount Rushmore of basketball. James offered a quartet of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson. But it’s really an unfair question, because in addition to those four players, there are at least three more – centers Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell – who are in the
In today’s NBA news, Michael Jordan shared some insight on how he believes he would have fared against other NBA legends in games of one-on-one. Meanwhile, in Phoenix, Marcin Gortat greeted the media with his usual candor in regard to his future in Phoenix. Jordan believes he would’ve beaten LeBron in one-on-one In a recent interview with NBA.com’s Ahmad Rashad, Michael Jordan said he would have loved an opportunity to go up against certain NBA legends in games of one-on-one. Jordan listed LeBron
When you talk about the “Greatest of All-Time” (aka “GOAT”), Michael Jordan is generally in that discussion, along with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Ask some of the past greats, however, and you may be surprised to hear some of the players on their personal lists. Take the great Julius Erving, for example, from Eric Pincus of Los Angeles Times: Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J.” Erving listed his picks as the top five NBA players of all time on Fox Sports
Less than 14 months ago, the Philadelphia 76ers were four minutes away from a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. Four players remain from that team. Less than 14 months ago, the Boston Celtics were one win away from a trip to the NBA Finals. Two players remain from that team. The Celtics prevailed against Philadelphia on that Saturday in May, 2012, with Rajon Rondo recording a triple-double after Paul Pierce fouled out with 4:16 to play and the Celtics clinging to
NBA TV’s airing of “The Doctor” on Monday night had to be a treat for many young basketball fans who never had the privilege of seeing Julius Erving play, I am not one of those young fans. In fact, here is how old I am. I saw Doc play. In the ABA. With the Virginia Squires. [Read more…]