En route to the best record in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs have withstood injuries to Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard. Now they will have to do without Tony Parker, their most indispensable player. The Spurs announced Saturday that Parker had an MRI that revealed a Grade 2 sprain of his left ankle that will sideline him for four weeks. Parker was hurt in the third quarter of Friday’s 130-102 home rout of Sacramento. He is averaging a career-high 21.0
It’s March, and that means it’s almost tournament time, and the NBA Draft is less than four months away. As die-hard college basketball fans and casual observers alike watch game after game and see countless numbers of prospects showcase their abilities, NBA scouts are putting the finishing touches on their scouting reports. Every March some prospects play themselves into or out of the first round, but for many others their stock has been cemented. [Read more…]
Kobe Bryant had a stroke of genius Friday morning after being knighted with a new nickname, “vino,” which will replace his long-tenured and patented reputation as the “black mamba.” [Read more…]
Usually a weekly feature, The Bernucca List took its own All-Star break last week. We do that from time to time, when we can’t come up with a challenging list while facing a deadline or simply forget, as we did last week. [Read more…]
One of the most interesting aspects of betting the NBA is keeping a sharp tab on the futures market. It has been discussed in many different forums that betting the futures market is a sure-fire way to throw away your hard- earned profits. But keeping an eye on movement in the NBA future market is a whole other story. [Read more…]
NBA scouts may have overlooked Bradley Beal’s best quality. When Beal declared for the 2012 draft, his combination of 6-5 size and excellent mechanics made him the top shooting guard prospect. After a slow start to the season – somewhat attributed to the injury absence oF backcourt mate John Wall – he has found his rhythm and is shooting better than 46 percent from the field since New Year’s Day. However, Beal also has shown remarkable mental and physical toughness throughout his
Players, coaches and management often talk about the “little things” that win basketball games. These standard cliches and generic quotes lead to the rolling of many eyeballs around the world, but minute adjustments can actually make a difference in a team’s results and could even help change the public’s perception of a team. Case in point: The 2012-2013 edition of the Los Angeles Lakers. [Read more…]
Of course, the Clippers didn’t shop Eric Bledsoe. If you haven’t been paying attention, no one ever shops anybody. It’s just that other teams call and you have to listen in the interest of improving your club. Kind of makes you wonder how talks get initiated if no GM ever says, “Yeah, we called them up, asked for Kevin Garnett, and offered them Eric.” Not that the Celtics were shopping KG, either, but Danny Ainge had to listen in the interests of his