Jim Buss is in over his head. Of course, with the Lakers’ predicament, Jerry Buss, his father, would be in over his head, too. Actually, that remains to be seen. But it goes back to their last time at such a crossroads, after trading Shaquille O’Neal to keep Kobe Bryant, when I wrote, “Mitch Kupchak is in over his head,” adding, “Jerry West would be in over his head, too.” Amazingly, Kupchak and the Buss family tunneled out of that one and were
Notes from around the NBA: February 22, 2012
Sam Amick: Wilson Chandler is visiting Toronto to discuss a possible pairing with the Raptors,according to his agent, Chris Luchey. Twitter Does Deron Williams leave NJ this summer? Chad Ford: Probably. The only scenario where he doesn’t is if the Nets swing a deal for Dwight Howard at the trade deadline. At that point, I think Williams hangs around. If that doesn’t happen, I think Williams will join Dwight Howard (assuming he’s not traded to the Lakers in March) in Dallas next summer. Lots
Fantasy Spin: Thursday Feb. 16
The return of Kyrie Irving (22 points) is great for his fantasy owners and the Cavs. The probable Rookie of the Year showed no ill effects from his recent mild concussion, and made his teammates much better. Semih Erden is suddenly a hot fantasy pickup in many leagues. The big Turk had 18 PTS on 7-8 shooting and grabbed 8 REB, cementing his role as the starting center while Anderson Varejao is out. Coming off the bench didn’t hurt Ramon
Bernucca: Stern & NBA have made a mess of Hornets
When it comes to running franchises, David Stern is doing a great impersonation of Ted Stepien. Stepien owned the Cleveland Cavaliers in the early 1980s and spent most of his time firing coaches, overpaying mediocre players and trading away so many draft picks that the NBA instituted the “Ted Stepien Rule,” which now prevents teams from trading first-round picks in consecutive years. Stepien’s mismanagement of the Cavaliers had to be fixed by the NBA. But the NBA – led by Stern –
Fantasy Spin: Monday Feb. 13
It’s my pleasure to be joining Team Sheridan with a daily look at fantasy hoops. The proud owner of Jeremy Lin and Nikola Pekovic in a competitive 20-team league, my specialty is picking up free agents before they get good. Statistics are useful, of course, but they are available to everyone. Other tidbits of information (injuries and rotation shuffles) can be even more valuable in making your roster decisions. The advice dispensed here is rarely going to concern superstars, or consistent
Hugs and kisses as Lakers top Celtics in OT; Kings upset the Thunder
Lakers forward Pau Gasol received news right before the game that he was not selected for the All-Star Game. He let the Celtics know how he felt about the snub with 25 points, 14 rebounds and a game-saving block to help beat the Lakers escape Boston with an 88-87 overtime win. Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and made a handful of tough shots but was generally ineffective down the stretch. He missed a potential game-tying shot at the end of the fourth
Bernucca: With starters settled, here are your All-Star reserves
Fans who took part in All-Star balloting, take a bow. You got nine out of 10 right. Yes, you again chose with your heart instead of your head, as you have done on an annual basis for as long as we can remember. But unlike past years – when your infinite wisdom voted undeserving players such as A.C. Green, Dan Majerle, Steve Francis, Ben Wallace and an injured Yao Ming as starters – at least this time your choices won’t cost anyone
Kravitz: Most overrated NBA fantasy players after Week 5
The foremost reason fantasy league owners are typically challenged making trades is due to the varying opinions of player values. Everyone loves his or her own guys, most notably following the draft. League drafts have now long since passed and at this point, so too have pre-draft valuations and player expectations. That guy you drafted in the second round might not be more than a Top 70 player at this point (that would be you, Amare Stoudemire!) and that late round