In today’s news, an Olympic gold medalist officially retires from the NBA. Meanwhile, in Portland, LaMarcus Aldridge is having a change of heart about his stance with the Trail Blazers. [Read more…]
Capping off a mediocrity-defining three-year stretch that saw them finish ninth, ninth and eighth in the East, the Milwaukee Bucks should have entered the summer of 2013 with change as the most obvious mandate. As in change everything. Despite a return to the playoffs and encouraging progress from big men Larry Sanders, Ersan Ilyasova and John Henson, the Bucks had little to show for their efforts last season, as coaching upheaval and a dysfunctional locker room motivated GM John Hammond to take a
It’s always interesting to hear candid thoughts from former players or coaches about the situations of the teams they used to play for or coached. P.J. Carlesimo, the former interim head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, is now an ESPN analyst. Able to share all his thoughts in an objective matter, Carlesimo had plenty to say about what level of talent the Nets really have, why it’s bad for the league to be a players league, and what it really means
We are down to the bargain bin of free agency. Reduced for clearance! Everything must go! Up to 90 percent off! Yes, we know Mickael Pietrus and Derek Fisher aren’t exactly scrap heap material. Both were key players for playoff teams last season, as were Leandro Barbosa and Kenyon Martin. But most of what is left falls into three categories: Olympians, amnesty victims and veterans too proud to take minimum deals. There is some variety remaining at both forward spots and shooting guard but
After beating Tunisia, Team USA has another tuneup coming up against Nigeria. For a recap of all the Olympic action, check out Nick Gibson’s columns. The first wraps up what we’ve seen through two games, and the second predicts today’s winners. And, with the offseason winding down, check out who Moke Hamilton thinks were the biggest losers among NBA players during free agency. Moke will have a winners column later today. And for all the latest news from around the NBA, start
We try to make The Bernucca List somewhat challenging, but last week’s edition appeared to be a bit too challenging. Just one reader chimed in – Dylan, whose incorrect guess was followed by, “This is a tough one.” Apparently so. For the third time in for weeks, our readers were unable to come up with the right answer, which was “Active players who have been suspended or fined for moving violations.” We thought the inclusion of Tyreke Evans, J.R. Smith and Delonte
When the shortened season started and the Philadelphia 76ers came out blazing with a 20-9 record to lead the Atlantic Division, there was little doubt in anyone’s mind about the new direction Doug Collins and the team was headed. They had experienced a tough playoff run against the Miami Heat the previous season, and had looked to grow from the experience. It was, however, noted that they also had one of the easiest schedules to start the season. Looking back, they played the
When he met reporters before Sunday night’s game, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked if the Orlando Magic are a title contender. “Absolutely,” the coach replied. “There is no doubt about it. Anytime you have an MVP candidate like (Dwight Howard) and then personnel that fits, you’re a contender.” Writers covering both teams took that quote and ran with it, but not in the way you might expect. In Orlando, Spoelstra was taken with a grain of salt. From Josh Robbins of the