BROOKLYN – How many NBA teams could survive the loss of their starting backcourt for nearly a quarter of the season? How many NBA teams could survive that loss when those two players are future Hall of Famers like Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash? Through 17 games, you can count the upstart Los Angeles Lakers among those teams. Thanks to an unlikely effective backcourt rotation quartet of Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks, Jordan Farmar and Nick Young, the Lakers are 9-8 and
Kobe Bryant deserved every penny, if not more, of his two-year, $48.5 million contract extension. And I’ll say this: Bryant doesn’t deserve to be criticized as selfish for the amount of money he will make, and any subsequent cap space the Lakers lose as a result. Two of Bryant’s teammates, Chris Kaman and Xavier Henry, strongly agree. “I personally think he deserved more,” Kaman told SheridanHoops. “I know the only exception with that comment is that it can be hard for teams to
That was an expensive drink Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd spilled on the court Friday night. The NBA fined Kidd $50,000 on Thursday after determining that Kidd intentionally spilled his cup onto the floor to delay the game and buy his team some huddle time. [Read more…]
Trades happen. And when they happen, good things can follow. Need proof? How about Marcin Gortat’s 11-for-12 shooting performance Wednesday night? Granted, it came against the woeful Milwaukee Bucks. But Gortat is 17-for-20 in his last two games, and the Washington Wizards – who dealt the injured Emeka Okafor for him prior to the season – appear to be headed to the playoffs as they float near .500 in the woeful Eastern Conference – which has two, count ’em, two! – teams
We have had Paul George and Kevin Durant atop the first two editions of the SheridanHoops.com MVP rankings, and a new edition is coming out later today. Who is No. 1? You’ll have to wait and see, but a hint is given in this interview with Gordon Monson and Jake Scott on 1280 The Zone in Salt Lake City, where the topics of discussion included the Jazz defeating the Bulls to tie Milwaukee in the win column in Tankapalooze, the sorry state
When it was announced that Kobe Bryant signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, Lakers fans around the world rejoiced. Despite not having seen him play since he tore his Achilles tendon in April, they couldn’t fathom the idea of losing the superstar they’ve known for two decades. Then they heard about the size of the contract, and all hell seemed to break loose on twitter. “He has no interest in winning if that’s what he’s asking for
For the second straight season the Chicago Bulls, from the players all the way up to the front office, will be tested by the loss of Derrick Rose for the remainder of the season. Last season the Bulls could see the light at the end of the tunnel, but this season? [Read more…]
Kobe Bryant has signed a two-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, which means he likely will have a 20-year career. The Lakers did not announce financial terms. Bryant is the highest-paid player in the NBA this season, making $30.4 million. He and Michael Jordan are the only NBA players to make $30 million in one season. Bryant was eligible to receive 105 percent of his current salary, which would put his 2014-15 earnings at almost $32 million. However, reports out