This offseason was an eventful one for the Bobcats and their fans. It started the same as the previous one: looking for a new coach. This time, the search did not last quite as long as they snapped up long-time Jeff Van Gundy assistant Steve Clifford. Then they stunned analysts and fans alike at the draft by selecting Cody Zeller over Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore and Alex Len at fourth overall. With newfound financial flexibility because of DeSagana Diop’s expiring contract, the
First it was Grant Hill who made waves with news of his retirement. Two days later, the man who shared Rookie of the Year honors with Hill in 1995 took his turn. New York Knicks point guard and NBA journeyman Jason Kidd has decided to hang up the sneakers after 19 seasons of professional basketball. [Read more…]
They say all good things must come to an end. This is the final edition of the Most Improved Player Rankings and I— I’m sorry … I … told myself I wasn’t going to cry. (sniffle) It’s been an amazing run here at the Most Improved Player Rankings. We’ve talked about donut races, wildebeests, and Andy Enfield’s wife. We’ve made fun of just about every basketball announcer out there and also Jim Nantz. But now it’s finally time to get down to the business
There are less than three weeks left in the NBA season. Three weeks. And I’m having a breakdown. It’s up to me to rank the Most Improved Players in the league this season, but I might as well be tasked with coming up with the goofiest Lopez brother, the dumbest “Real World” contestant, or the craziest old lady on “The View.” Here’s the thing: I just can’t decide which of the candidates have risen above the rest. There are so many players
It’s Week 2 of possibly the most ill-conceived bracket columns in sports history — the prelude, not the rankings. Last week, we introduced you to Most Improved Player Madness with a special three-page blowout edition of the Rankings. I sense a lot of excitement out there about Week 2. So without further adieu, we present to you the Most Improved Sweet 16! Let it fill your senses with indescribable excitement and joy! [Read more…]
To owners wise enough not to trust Amar’e Stoudemire’s knees who traded him at peak value, I applaud you. Both in real life and in fantasy, having Amar’e on your team is a serious injury risk. Those who have followed his career should not be surprised when hearing this report. [Read more…]
Here at the Most Improved Player Rankings, we’re known for our hard-hitting journalism. We’ve been told that we make Anderson Cooper look like Ahmad Rashad. Woodward and Bernstein still wonder how we found out about Greivis Vasquez. So in that tradition, I decided to go ahead and interview our top candidate for the Most Improved Player award, Magic big man Nikola Vucevic. It hardly matters that Vucevic told me that he’s never heard of me or the column, or that he responded with
It’s not the most predictable week in the NBA. Some teams are better prepared than others following the All-Star beak, and others are affected by trade rumors. Even after tomorrow’s deadline, fantasy teams will have key players unavailable if they are traded, as it often takes two or three days for everyone to pass physicals and report to their new teams. [Read more…]