NEW YORK — The Charlotte Bobcats’ Kemba Walker and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Love today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week. Walker led the Bobcats to a 4-0 week behind averages of 22.5 points (tied for seventh in the conference), 8.8 assists (second in the conference) and 5.5 rebounds. His 40.5 minutes per game ranked third in the East. Walker tallied 20-plus points three times and eclipsed the 30-point plateau once. He scored 24 points, handed out a
All season, the Indiana Pacers have maintained that homecourt advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs, and their chemistry will give them a great chance to dethrone the two-time NBA champion Miami Heat. Are both slipping away? In the last two weeks, Indiana’s grip on the East’s best record has loosened considerably. And the Pacers’ big move at Thursday’s trading deadline, acquiring Evan Turner, illustrated that their belief in chemistry may have been overstated. [Read more…]
Catch that riveting Celtics-Lakers game Friday night? Yeah, neither did I. Talk about a scheduling nightmare. The game featuring the two marquee franchises – as opposed to teams – was the second of ESPN’s Friday Night doubleheader. It featured two teams who have a combined 13 wins over the last two-plus months. With Kobe Bryant and the calcifying-before-our-eyes Steve Nash out, the Lakers’ only discernible attraction was Pau Gasol. The Celtics had Rajon Rondo, whose much-trumpeted comeback from knee surgery has helped
With the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, there have been some rumors about the interest in Kevin Love from teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. This is no surprise: who wouldn’t want to go after one of the best power forwards in the league? The real question is, why would a report surface about the desire to go after him if he isn’t available? Are the Minnesota Timberwolves considering the idea of shopping him in fear
With the NBA Trade Deadline less than 48 hours away, we have a lot of noteworthy news and rumors around the league to get to. Before we just recklessly cannonball right in, let’s take a look and see how deep the water is. [Read more…]
If Rajon Rondo is truly available, there is one team where he’d be such a good fit that it might make the Miami Heat the second choice among oddsmakers to win the NBA title. And if Larry Bird can get his hands on Rondo, the Indiana Pacers would be that team. Word was spreading on Twitter yesterday that Celtics GM Danny Ainge was seeking two unprotected first-round draft picks in any deal involving Rondo, and I tweeted my immediate reaction. If #Celtics truly
All-Star Saturday is one of my favorite days of the NBA season, because it’s the best chance we get to see players just having fun. More than just about any other sports league on the planet, the NBA likes to show off its players’ charisma, flair, and general ability to entertain. And it’s working. Just ask every company that uses an NBA player in their advertising. Any of the twenty or so of them. I rounded up some NBA players’ reactions
There could only be one reason for a single game NBA schedule on a Sunday in February: the Super Bowl. So, like every other American and plenty around the world, NBA players were more than happy to spend a rare day off watching the biggest event of the year. The Seattle Seahawks absolutely thumped the Denver Broncos 43-8 in the most lopsided Super Bowl in league history. Peyton Manning threw for only 280 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in his second