In a perfect world, the Philadelphia 76ers would flip a switch and have the calendar turn to 2016 or beyond. By then presumably all their wounded would not only be walking, but running at full speed. Dario Saric, the Croatian sensation, would be ready to show the NBA what made him such a hot draft commodity. Some of those other “assets’’ general manager Sam Hinkie has acquired since arriving in 2013 would have proven their value, justifying the moves that brought them
PHILADELPHIA – Joel Embiid passed the ball effortlessly, the navicular bone in his broken left foot hardly seeming to present a problem. His endearing smile lit up the place and thrilled the crowd, happy to see their hoops savior looking well and wondering if the civic basketball nightmare was about to finally end. Don’t worry, Sam Hinkie. Nobody’s raining on your “parade,’’ which continues to look more and more like the only celebration Philadelphia 76ers fans will ever see — if
PHILADELPHIA – Let’s begin with a question. In the three-plus decades since David Stern took the reins as NBA commissioner from Larry O’Brien and handed them to Adam Silver, what do these franchises – the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers – have in common? Answer: None has gone to the NBA Finals. Furthermore, among that group only Denver, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Sacramento and
What can one write where all has practically been written already? What was once a 100-percent confirmed source has now confirmed itself. LeBron James is leaving the Miami Heat behind and returning to Cleveland to play for the Cavaliers. James made Decision 2.0 known with an Instagram photo and an essay published on Sports Illustrated. [Read more…]
Thursday afternoon the NBA unveiled the 2013-14 NBA All-Rookie Team, celebrating this past season’s top young athletes. One name you will not see on the the team is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ No.1 overall draft pick Anthony Bennett, who only played in 52 games, averaging 4.2 points and three rebounds in just 12.8 minutes per game. He is just the fifth top overall draft pick to miss the All-Rookie team in 26 years. There were quite a few young rookies deserving of the
With the NBA still buzzing from Tuesday’s draft lottery and the anticipation of next month’s loaded draft, it is only fitting that we offer good riddance to one of the worst draft classes in recent memory. Among the 14 lottery picks of the 2013 draft, a staggering eight did not make the NBA All-Rookie Teams announced Thursday. They were top pick Anthony Bennett, No. 3 Otto Porter, No. 5 Alex Len, No. 6 Nerlens Noel, No. 7 Ben McLemore, No. 8
Who ever said the “experts” knew what they were talking about? After getting drafted behind the likes of Victor Oladipo, Otto Porter, Cody Zeller, Ben McLemore, Trey Burke and C.J. McCollum, Philadelphia 76ers rookie guard Michael Carter-Williams was an afterthought when projecting the top rookies in the 2013 NBA draft class. However, after opening the 2013-14 NBA season with a cool 22 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in a four-point victory over the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat, he put
The nice thing about the voting for NBA awards this season is that we don’t always have to concentrate on the winner, we can concentrate on the voters at times, too. Like when the news of who won is not all that unexpected. The most important thing to know is that Michael Carter-Williams of the Philadelphia 76ers won the award with 104 of 124 first-place votes, including mine. Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic was second, picking up 16 first-place votes; and Trey