After a combined 19-42 record at the end of 2013, the Knicks and Nets have treated 2014 as a clean slate and a springboard to salvage their seasons. Since the start of January, the teams have a combined 12-4 record. The New Year’s winning resolution has removed both teams from the Eastern Conference cellar and back into playoff contention – a seemingly distant thought only two weeks ago when both were the laughingstocks of the league. Below are the three reasons why each
A highly touted player walked in front of two media members at Barclays Center before starting his pregame routine, which elicited an unusual – yet humbling – reaction. One media member turned to the other and asked, “Who is that guy?” That guy was Anthony Bennett, the former No. 1 overall pick of the 2013 draft. [Read more…]
Can money buy happiness? If you’re the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks, the answer is no. The Nets have the league’s highest payroll, while the Knicks rank second. The combined exorbitant payroll has produced a deflating 18-38 record and proven any championship aspirations were merely a pipe dream. Ironically, speaking of the pipe, J.R. Smith was the first Knick to panic back when the team was only 3-8 at the time. Now, it appears Smith’s anxiety was warranted. Thanks to injuries, a lack
The Brooklyn Nets entered the season with championship expectations and one of the most talented rosters on paper. However, Brooklyn has failed to meet those lofty expectations and the roster has failed to develop chemistry thanks largely to injuries. Michael Scotto covers the Nets for Sheridan Hoops as an NBA columnist. In this podcast with FOX Sports Radio he examines Brooklyn’s bleak 2014 outlook and if it’s time to sell at the trade deadline or hold onto the core pieces for
Years ago, Tony Wroten was one of the top high school players attending a basketball camp hosted by star point guard Deron Williams. This week, Wroten was guarding Deron Williams. “It’s crazy because, I remember when I was younger, I went to his camp and he told me pointers, and now I’m in the league going against him,” Wroten told Sheridan Hoops. As crazy as it may have sounded years ago, it seemed just as crazy months ago, when Wroten couldn’t get off
Kevin Garnett accurately described what everyone thought after he and Paul Pierce battled his former coach, Doc Rivers. “It was a bit weird,” said Garnett. You know what’s even more weird? Watching Pierce come off the bench in back-to-back games for the first time in his career and Garnett on a minutes restriction comparable to a role player. [Read more…]
BROOKLYN – Mikhail Prokhorov once vowed to take over New York as owner of the Brooklyn Nets and turn Knicks fans into Nets fans. But on Thursday night in front of a national TV audience, it was the Knicks who took over Brooklyn and Barclays Center. It was so bad, Brooklyn’s introductory video malfunctioned before loud boos for Kevin Garnett and Jason Kidd filled the arena during the starting lineup introductions. Chants of “Let’s go Knicks” began as New York pulled away
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