It’s still too early to push the panic button, but the situation in Cleveland is becoming more troubling by the day. The Cavs are now 18-12 after an embarrassing home loss Sunday to outmanned Detroit. That record that places them as only the No. 5 seed in the mediocre East, which is hardly what LeBron James envisioned when an apparent “super team” was formed over the offseason with James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Anderson Varejao, one of the team’s only reliable big men, was
Every time someone summons up the nerve to ask, “What’s wrong with the Spurs?” the defending NBA champions have provided an emphatic response: Nothing. They did it in November, beating the Clippers and Warriors on the road on consecutive nights after losses to Houston and New Orleans. They did it again in December, beating the Clippers to end a four-game losing streak that included back-to-back excruciating triple-overtime losses. And they did it again last night, beating the Rockets for the first time
The NBA takes off Christmas Eve, so there are no games or daily action this evening. To celebrate the return of pro hoops on Thursday, the $200K Holiday Classic at Draft Kings will make someone $25,000 richer. [Read more…]
While many GMs were working the phones this week, Knicks president Phil Jackson was using a different, more contemporary form of communication: Twitter. On Thursday, Donnie Nelson and Danny Ainge swung a five-player trade that sent Rajon Rondo to Dallas and draft picks to Boston. On Friday, Daryl Morey, Flip Saunders and Sam Hinkie worked a three-team deal that landed Corey Brewer and Alexey Shved in Houston and draft picks in Minnesota and Philadelphia. But not Jackson, and not the Knicks. Jackson doesn’t
Kevin Durant $10900 scored 30 points in 19 minutes on Thursday before rolling his ankle. Though it’s not a serious sprain, his status tonight is unknown. Russell Westbrook $11500 might have to carve up L.A. by himself, with a little help from Serge Ibaka $6800. [Read more…]
I get pretty tired of all of the complaining about One and Done. It’s time to do something about it. The current rule is a prime example of what happens when two sides are negotiating several major issues simultaneously and a point that deserves a fully thought-out plan becomes something to compromise over. A rule gets made that doesn’t address the actual issues very well, causing distress on all sides. So what’s the plan? How does one actually come up with a
“A good compromise is one where both sides are unhappy.” If you believe that quote, then you must be a fan of the current NBA early entry policy, one of the best compromises in sports history. The policy, informally known as “One and Done,” was reached as a “split the baby” compromise between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association in 2005. As the flow of high school players entering the NBA grew, the league pushed hard for an age limit
The hottest team in the Eastern Conference doesn’t have a three-headed monster like the Cleveland Cavaliers. It doesn’t have a scrutinized superstar returning from injury like the Chicago Bulls or a rapper sitting courtside at every home game like the Toronto Raptors. Heck, it doesn’t even have a national TV appearance, even though it plays in TNT’s backyard. But the Atlanta Hawks have won nine of their last 10 games, flying well under the radar toward the top of the conference. The Hawks