LOS ANGELES — Doc Rivers has seen challenges before, as when he went 102-144 in his first three seasons in Boston, before Danny Ainge got him Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to go with Paul Pierce. The rest became Celtics history, leading to their 2008 title and the one they came so close to in 2010 when they led the Lakers by 13 in the second half of Game 7. Not that the Celtics had been forgotten before that… as much as
Metta World Peace, Ron Artest, Panda Friend. Whatever the name is on his medical form and the roster chart, the diagnosis is still the same: ‘Recurrence of knee injury – recovery time: three-to-five weeks.’ In the NBA, this would mean a spell on the sidelines. But in the Chinese Basketball Association, it is often the end of the season for an overseas player. This is the ruthless nature of life in the CBA, particularly for the league’s American imports. They’re brought in
A fire sale could be poised to begin in Brooklyn, with former All-Stars Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez all available in trade discussions, according to multiple media reports on Tuesday. [Read more…]
On Thursday December 4, 2014, the United States Postal Service did something they’ve never done before. They released a new set of USA Forever stamps that feature the great Wilt Chamberlain, who played 14 dominant seasons in the NBA. Chamberlain, who was draft by the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1959 NBA Draft, also played in San Francisco for the Warriors when the team moved there in 1962, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers. He holds multiple records individually, from all-time rebounding
Have you been watching the Knicks and Lakers this season? Yes, it’s hard. Two of the NBA’s biggest spenders in the league’s two biggest markets are playing awful basketball, and it doesn’t look like either one has the personnel or the sense of purpose to turn things around. Both teams will miss the playoffs and land in the draft lottery, again. There’s good news for the Knicks. They were somehow smart enough to keep their first-round pick and should have a chance
Despite a stress reaction in his lower back that was discovered after back spasms at the start of preseason, Jodie Meeks is still finding ways to shoot. It might not be the type of shooting the Detroit Pistons are hoping for, but it’s still a start. Initially diagnosed with the spasms in his back, team doctors for the Pistons urged him to get a CAT scan following his continued pain and discomfort. The injury has sidelined him for the entire regular
My annual Thanksgiving trip to Los Angeles did not hold the promise of trips past. A year ago, I arrived in time to watch the Lakers win a game and even their record at 8-8. Even though there was considerable hand-wringing going on (Kobe had agreed to his new contract and the common opinion of the Laker faithful was that he was greedy, which, makes him different in L.A. how?), there was the always-entertaining Lakers optimism. Lakers fans are my favorites
Steve Nash is known for a lot of things. Of course he was a two-time, back-to-back NBA MVP from 2004-05 and 2005-06, has led the NBA in assists per game in multiple seasons, and has the League’s best free throw shooting percentage of all time. That’s not enough for Nash. He might want to be known for even more than that. Obviously, it will have to come off the court, since he’s out the entire year with a nerve issue in