Phil Jackson to the Knicks was definitely the story of the day. When a guy with 13 championship rings takes on a new job, there’s no getting around the importance of the moment. But there are 29 other teams making news of one kind or another, and I found time on 1280AM in Salt Lake City to deviate away from Jackson and discuss Coach of the Year, the sleeper teams in the East and the West, and the debate over whether Blake Griffin
New York Knicks All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, who has a shoe deal with Jordan brand sneakers and apparel, unveiled a new colorway to his latest signature shoe. The new colorway brought on a lot of Twitter speculation among fans as to where Anthony, who is expected to opt out of his current contract with New York, may land in the offseason. [Read more…]
How do you score 61 points in a game and not get named NBA Player of the Week? Well, if you’re LeBron James, you total 58 points in the three ensuing games, all losses. James and the Miami Heat had one of their worst three-game stretches of the season, minimizing the impact of his 61-point explosion a week ago and giving Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors to Carmelo Anthony, whose New York Knicks had a rare good week. Anthony averaged 29.0
A look at the overall NBA standings shows four teams at the top – Indiana, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Miami – separated by one game in the loss column. In fact, they were dead even until three of them lost Sunday. Just a notch below them are three more teams – Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland – separated by two games in the loss column. They also would have been dead even had the Blazers held
There are many names for four-time NBA champion and future Hall of Fame great Shaquille O’Neal—many of which he has given himself: The Big Aristotle, The Big Galactus, Shaqtus, Diesel, Steel and Hobo Master (yes, Hobo Master) among others. Thursday O’Neal celebrated his birthday. After a long NBA career and continued success off the court, perhaps it’s time to consider a new name…perhaps The Big Father Time? As he continues to grow older, his popularity still remains. Three of the basketball organizations
Most around the league believe that the conversation for this season’s MVP is already over: It’s Kevin Durant’s award to lose. While that’s probably true, it appears LeBron James may be interested in making a big run in the second half to make things more interesting for the voters. James has been dominant this season as usual, shooting an unheard-of 58 percent from the field. His true shooting percentage is at 65.8 percent – better than Durant’s 63.6 percent – despite the
I’m kinda high on what the Charlotte Bobcats did with Ben Gordon. The Bobcats waived Gordon on Sunday, preventing him from appearing in the postseason should he sign with another team. While they may have alienated his agent – not a trifle thing in the business world of the NBA – two things should be pointed out. 1. When teams waive or buy out players at this time of the season, they are essentially establishing a price they are willing to pay
LeBron James has been all over the internet for the past 24-hours. Thursday night, as he and the Miami Heat hosted the New York Knicks in what became a 26-point home victory, the internet was all abuzz over the carbon-fiber mask he wore to protect his broken nose. The mask drew comparisons to all sorts of popular characters: Zorro, Hannibal Lector and, of course, Batman. The mask garnered so much attention that someone started a Twitter account for it. There were tons