There are a lot of factors to balance in trying to determine what fantasy players to target during drafts, and it does sometimes feel like juggling cats. One of the markers that is sometimes unremarked, but that is helpful to use when studying players for drafting in fantasy is to look at what players did in the second half of the year before. This is particularly useful in predicting performance in the upcoming season for three reasons: players are likely to
(This is another in a series of 30 guest columns that will run in October, when optimism reigns supreme across the NBA. The theme will be “Five Reasons to Feel Positive About … ” We encourage you to follow the authors on Twitter and visit their sites. – CS) The fact that the San Antonio Spurs managed to win 50 games in the 66-game lockout-reduced slate should not be a mere footnote; it is remarkable. Translated over a normal schedule, the
Hope everyone in the States is enjoying the holiday weekend. We’re now into September, and that means we’re less than two months away from the start of the new NBA season. We have fresh items for you to check out: LeBron’s pink kicks, and A.J. Mitnick’s extensive update on the qualifying for Eurobasket ’13 that is definitely worth reading all the way through. You should also check out Chris Bernucca’s previews of the playoff pictures in the Western and Eastern Conferences, and Moke Hamilton’s column
As we slowly prepare ourselves for an exciting upcoming season, it’s good to have an idea of who is still left on the market and what teams can go after them. Who still has enough cap room or trade exceptions to land a player of relevance? Moke Hamilton has all the details on the subject. On to today’s news, soon-to-be Hall of Famer Don Nelson had plenty to say about a wide range of topics, including his former player Monta Ellis.
The Spurs stars may be getting old, but their blueprint for winning remains as strong as ever. They were beaten at their own game by former Spurs executive, Sam Presti, this season, but they still have a few more tricks up their sleeve with Erazem Lorbek and Nando De Colo. Since that fortunate day in 1997 when the ping-pong balls magically awarded Tim Duncan to San Antonio, the Spurs have written the instruction manual on how a small market team can achieve
There was a lot of talk about conspiracy theories this week. Seven years ago, the New Orleans Hornets’ outdated arena was underwater following Hurricane Katrina. They played two seasons in Oklahoma City, then returned to a city whose population had been dissipated and disenfranchised. Already one of the NBA’s smaller markets, they struggled to rebuild a consistent fan base. Their owner put the team up for sale, and the idea of relocation became a very real possibility. So the NBA gave New
NEW YORK — The only player to be unanimously selected to the NBA’s All-Rookie Team is the Rookie of the Year, point guard Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Joining Irving (58 points) and Minnesota Timberwolves rookie point guard Ricky Rubio (49 points) on the All-Rookie First Team are Denver’s Kenneth Faried (46 points), Golden State’s Klay Thompson (43 points), New York’s Iman Shumpert (40 points), San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard (40 points) and Detroit’s Brandon Knight (40 points). (The three-way tie for fifth necessitated a
SAN ANTONIO — In the jumble of head-scratching, mystifying plays that have turned Gregg Popovich’s white hair a lighter shade of pale, Manu’s Ginobili’s most famous one doesn’t stick out. In his formative years, Ginobili provided Popovich with many teaching moments, but the outcome of the discussions was sometimes more maddening than the flamboyant approach Ginobili found so inviting. “He would make passes that were unnecessary in certain situations and he could do it in a more efficient manner,” Popovich said. “I