NEW YORK — The more things change is the more they stay the same. And as we count down toward the tip-off of the 2012-2013 season, New York Knicks fans are almost exactly where they were just prior to last season’s commencement. Many questions, few answers. Tick-tock. The clock is ticking. Carmelo Anthony, your time is almost up. An unfair Anthony critic, I am not. So while I remind you of the torch job I did on ‘Melo after he was outclassed by LeBron
(This is another in a series of 30 guest columns that will run in October, when optimism reigns supreme across the NBA. The theme will be “Five Reasons to Feel Positive About … ” We encourage you to follow the authors on Twitter and visit their sites. – CS) New city. New arena. New uniforms. New team. These aren’t your New Jersey Nets anymore. When the 2012-13 NBA season tips off and you see the black-and-white-clad Brooklyn Nets playing on their new
The NBA plans to stop the flop, or at least curtail it. The league announced Wednesday it will institute an anti-flopping rule this season with progressive fines growing as high as $30,000 before a possible suspension kicks in. Before you say “Hallelujah!” keep in mind that a player would have to be found guilty of flopping six times to get to that point. Here is the progression: First violation: Warning Second violation: $5,000 fine Third violation: $10,000 fine Fourth violation: $15,000 fine Fifth violation: $30,000 fine Sixth violation: larger
(This entry is another in a series of 30 guest columns that will run in October, when optimism reigns supreme across the NBA. The theme will be “Five Reasons to Feel Positive About … ” We encourage you to follow the authors on Twitter and visit their sites. – CS) I have often been labeled a Knicks optimist because that’s my personality by nature. Plus, it’s a combination of finding myself having to defend them against what I sometimes find to
(This entry is the second in a series of 30 guest columns that will run during October, when optimism reigns supreme across the NBA. The theme will be “Five Reasons to Feel Positive About … ” We encourage you to follow the authors on Twitter and visit their sites. – CS) There’s absolutely nothing in the NBA worse than mediocrity. It’s a top-heavy league where if you’re not in the top five, the bottom five, or you don’t have a superstar,
Central Division Fantasy Preview Part I The Central is a tough division to handicap behind the overwhelming favorite, Indiana. Thankfully we as fantasy players don’t have to predict the outcomes of the games. The Central probably has less frontline fantasy talent than any other division this season. So far this week, Kent looked at the Atlantic and Southwest, Jeff raved about the the Northwest and I visited the Pacific. There is plenty to choose from in fantasy terms in the Central, where weak competition helps a lot of
On Monday, we looked at the three NBA coaches that will be starting fresh with their respective teams. Each member of that trio has their hands full with rebuilding projects of varying sizes. Today, we will take an in-depth examination of another trio of coaches – those who took over during last season and will hold their first training camps with their teams. Keith Smart in Sacramento and Randy Wittman in Washington both will have the opportunity to implement their own schemes
There are three NBA teams with new coaches for the start of the 2012-13 season, and no one is expecting any of them to work miracles. In fact, ownership and management appear to be expecting just the opposite. The Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic both are undergoing massive rebuilding projects and don’t seem overly concerned with winning. Both teams have hired inexperienced coaches with strong backgrounds in player development, which means they also have strong backgrounds in patience. It remains to be