The narrative is only slightly different today, but that much more impactful. According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard, the New York Knicks are expected to finalize a deal with Phil Jackson to bring the legendary head coach into the organization in a major front office role: “Everything is pretty much done,” the source said. “There are just some little things here and there that need to be worked out, but the Knicks are very confident that this is essentially done.” [Read more…]
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…]
This past week, NBA TV released excerpts of an extended interview with LeBron James (airing in its entirety Monday night) in which Steve Smith asked “The King” to name his Mount Rushmore of basketball. James offered a quartet of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson. But it’s really an unfair question, because in addition to those four players, there are at least three more – centers Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell – who are in the
Andrew Bynum is going to spend the next several weeks getting into shape and waving a towel for the NBA-leading Indiana Pacers, who have no plans to rush him into action after signing him last week. Is that a plan that makes sense? In this interview with Jody MacDonald of CBS Sports radio, we debated that question — and I weighed in with the opinion that it is better to have a third option at center behind Roy Hibbert and Ian Mahinmi than to sit
Want to know what David Stern’s legacy will be? Just take a look at NBA rosters on Opening Night. More than 20 years ago – when he was a relative pup as a commissioner – Stern worked with Russ Granik, USA Basketball and FIBA to clear the way for NBA players to play in the Olympics. That led to the creation of the “Dream Team,” which, among others, featured the holy trinity of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Team USA
In today’s news, one legend said good bye to the a formal role within the NBA for good while another legend opened up to why he returned after a one-year hiatus. Doug Collins ended all speculation of an eventual return to coaching and Larry Bird admitted that he was surprised to return to the Pacers after such little time away. [Read more…]
(Readers: This column originally ran during the NBA Finals. It is especially pertinent now that the NBA is switching back to 2-2-1-1-1.-CS) The most important playoff series in NBA scheduling history — the one that changed the NBA Finals from a 2-2-1-1-1 format to the current 2-3-2 — began easily enough. The leisurely pace of the first four games would get lost in the frenzy of the last three, but travel was not an issue the first 11 days of the 1984
Remember all the talk throughout the summer about where Kobe Bryant stands in terms of being able to play in the season opener? The superstar guard gave us great optimism when he confidently jumped into a pool from 40-plus feet above the ground last month. However, we are now just 36 days away before the Los Angeles Lakers play their first game of the season, and there is still no concrete news on when Bryant will resume basketball activities. The only thing