Want to know what David Stern’s legacy will be? Just take a look at NBA rosters on Opening Night. More than 20 years ago – when he was a relative pup as a commissioner – Stern worked with Russ Granik, USA Basketball and FIBA to clear the way for NBA players to play in the Olympics. That led to the creation of the “Dream Team,” which, among others, featured the holy trinity of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Team USA
Everyone knows the NBA preseason doesn’t mean anything. And everyone is wrong. The preseason is supposed to be when coaches are evaluating their offensive and defensive schemes and players are familiarizing themselves with their teammates. Veterans sit out entire games. Journeymen on make-good deals fight, scratch and claw for minutes to show they deserve that final roster spot. Games are played in exotic faraway places like Taiwan and Rio de Janeiro and domestic outposts from Biloxi to Boise and Asheville to Jacksonville. Referees overuse
With preseason winding down, the excitement is building for the start of the NBA season — for the players, that is. The NBA preseason is a necessary part of the game as teams prepare for the long season. However that does not make it fun. If you want fun, think baseball Spring Training. Teams go to some wonderful part of the country for 6 weeks. The players move in, bringing their golf clubs and families. They ease into the season at
Our younger readers aren’t aware of this, but “The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous” was a brand called Schlitz. Not anymore. The Milwaukee Bucks announced Wednesday that their name and team logo will appear during the 2013-14 NBA season on limited edition cans of Coors Light, a long-time sponsor of the team. The cans will only be available in the Milwaukee area beginning Nov. 1. [Read more…]
Who is crashing the playoff party in the East this season? Conventional wisdom says the two-time defending champion Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are head and shoulders above the rest of the Eastern Conference and – barring a disaster – will secure the top five spots. At the other end of the conference, you can probably toss out the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Bobcats and Philadelphia 76ers, who could pool their rosters to come up with
The NBA futures market has opened up across many different sports books and shops, not only in Las Vegas but also across the offshore markets as well. In this column, I am going to list all of the different odds and current opportunities between these shops to see if there are any differences worth noting and where the biggest discrepancies lie. Here are the two Las Vegas Sports Books that we will be comparing: The Las Vegas Hilton and William Hill;
In today’s NBA news, Glen “Big Baby” Davis will be forced to miss training camp due to a foot injury, and the New York Knicks hire a new general manager. [Read more…]
This could be the league’s toughest division from a 1-2 standpoint, as outlined in our August Power Rankings. Adding Luis Scola, not to mention Chris Copeland, for the price of next to nothing amounted to balance-tipping moves by Indiana Pacers executives Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird. Remember, these guys took the Miami Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals – and they did it with Tyler Hansbrough and Gerald Green as two primary options off the bench. Throw that