A year can make an enormous difference in the perception of an NBA team. Last summer, the Washington Wizards had the same backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal but they were faced with immense pressure of having to make the playoffs to save the jobs of head coach Randy Wittman and general manager Ernie Grunfeld. Before the season began, Grunfeld made what many perceived as a panicky move and sent its first round pick to Phoenix for Marcin Gortat, who was
The Indiana Pacers have been mired in all sorts of media controversy amidst their late-season swoon and subsequent first round playoff struggles. For all of the talk about Roy Hibbert and his personal struggles to score and rebound, there have been numerous theories as to the possible cause of both his loss of confidence and the team’s lack of chemistry and general malaise. One of the prevailing thoughts is that the mid-season additions of Andrew Bynum and Evan Turner may have
CLIPPERS OWNER DONALD STERLING DOESN’T WANT HIS GIRLFRIEND BRINGING BLACK PEOPLE TO HIS GAMES Okay then. Here’s the original TMZ story, where you can listen to the full audio (it’s about nine and a half minutes long). Sterling certainly doesn’t come across well. Here’s an excerpt: TMZ Sports has obtained audio of Sterling making the racist declaration during a heated argument on April 9th with V. Stiviano … after she posted a photo on Instagram posing with Magic. Sterling rails on Stiviano — who
Washington Wizards forward-center Nene has been suspended one game without pay for head-butting and grabbing Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls around the neck with both hands and attempting to throw him down, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, the NBA’s President of Basketball Operations. The incident, in which Nene received two technical fouls and was ejected from the game, occurred with 8:28 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Wizards’ 100-97 loss to the visiting Chicago Bulls last night at Verizon Center. Nene will serve his suspension tomorrow when the Wizards host Chicago. To view the play, click on this link.
Things got quite testy between the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards on Friday during Game 3 of the first round, particularly between Nene Hilario and Jimmy Butler. After converting a basket early in the fourth quarter, Nene gave Butler a bit of a shove in the back – something Butler wasn’t having any of. From there, things got completely out of control, as the two collided heads together: [Read more…]
Innovation must come from experimentation at the edge, not just from ideas generated by the center. For Frank Vogel and the Indiana Pacers, this is a mantra that must be embraced if they want to turn their fortunes around. What they are doing now isn’t working. There’s nothing else to it. [Read more…]
I’m kinda high on what the Charlotte Bobcats did with Ben Gordon. The Bobcats waived Gordon on Sunday, preventing him from appearing in the postseason should he sign with another team. While they may have alienated his agent – not a trifle thing in the business world of the NBA – two things should be pointed out. 1. When teams waive or buy out players at this time of the season, they are essentially establishing a price they are willing to pay
The NBA has been plagued by injuries for the majority of the past two years. Stars and impact players have been knocked out for extended time, and in most cases, full seasons. With Miami and Indiana looking to be the only legitimate contenders in the East, the conference needs every bit of talent to be healthy that they can get. Tonight, another team will hold their breath as an impact player awaits the results of an MRI. [Read more…]