Tuesday’s Lin-tangibles I loved seeing the latest episode of the Jeremy Lin show in person. The phenom was outplayed by red-hot Jose Calderon (25 PTS, 7 REB, 9 AST) until Mike D’Antoni made a defensive switch. In the fourth quarter, with Iman Shumpert on Calderon, Lin took over, as you already know. His fantasy value (like his real value to the Knicks and the NBA) rocketed off the charts the last two weeks. The deeper the league, the more he’s an outlier.
Cavs’ Varejao out with broken wrist
Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao is out indefinitely with a broken wrist. The team announced Saturday that Varejao had an MRI on Saturday at the Cleveland Clinic that revealed a non-displaced fracture of his right wrist. He will undergo further tests this week to determine a timeline for his return. Varejao suffered the injury early in the third quarter of Friday’s home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. He left the game and did not return. It is the second straight season Varejao has
Griffin, Rubio picked for Rising Stars Challenge
Wanna see Ricky Rubio throw lobs to Blake Griffin? How about John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins teaming up again, as they did at Kentucky? It could happen in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, which revealed its player pool Wednesday. As we reported Tuesday, the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge is no more. NBA assistant coaches picked the pool of nine rookies and nine sophomores listed below, but TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal will serve as GMs and draft teams Feb. 16 on the
New format for Rookie Game at All-Star Weekend
The Rookie-Sophomore Challenge is no more. The annual wide-open dunkfest pitting first-year players against second-year players will have a different format this year in Orlando, the NBA announced Tuesday. And under the new format, you might see Ricky Rubio throwing lobs to Blake Griffin. The Friday night affair will now be called the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, and each team will have rookies and sophomores. Each team also will have GMs who will pick from a pool of players selected by NBA assistant
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
Irving, Rubio win Rookies of the Month
To win the NBA Rookie of the Year award, it helps to have the ball in your hands. The rookie race is pretty much acknowledged as down to two players – point guards Kyrie Irving of Cleveland and Ricky Rubio of Minnesota, each of whom were named Rookie of the Month for January, the NBA announced Wednesday. Irving, the top overall pick in the 2011 draft, won for the Eastern Conference. In January, he averaged 18.1 points (tops among rookies) and 4.9
Tonight’s best game: Boston at Cleveland
Thus far, the Boston Celtics have been riding a rollercoaster of wins and losses. As the ride begins another plunge, they would like to stop and get off. The Celtics visit the Cleveland Cavaliers in Tuesday’s best NBA game, hoping to avenge their inexplicable last-second home loss Sunday. Boston held an 11-point lead with 4 1/2 minutes to play and appeared to be headed for a fifth straight win. However, the ride took an unexpected sudden turn as the Cavaliers scored the
Fantasy Spin: Wednesday, Jan. 25
Highlight Performance: Stephen Curry, GS– The former Davidson star had a huge night on wednesday, posting 32 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and hit 6-8 from long
Stephen Curry, when healthy, is a force to be reckoned with.