When Paul Pierce signed with the Washington Wizards on July 11, it seemed like Washington downgraded from Trevor Ariza, who departed to Houston. Two months into the season, it’s time for a fresh look. In our own free agency tracker, there were not kind words for the aging Pierce. “And while this may seem like a fine consolation prize for Ernie Grunfeld and Randy Wittman, anybody in Boston or Brooklyn who has been watching Pierce closely for the past two years
Twas the night before Christmas, and all round the league, not a player was stirring, because there are no games on Christmas Eve. That’s because everyone is gearing up for the Christmas Day lineup of games that are assembled. There are five solid games on the docket featuring some of the league’s best teams like the Cavaliers, Warriors, Clippers and Bulls. If you’re like me, you haven’t done any holiday shopping yet. But as long as it isn’t Christmas, there is
Now that Josh Smith is gone, what does the long-term future hold for Greg Monroe? A rival executive believes he will end up with the New York Knicks. “I could see $48 million for four years. I don’t think he’s a max (contract) guy, but he is pretty good. He might get more based on who is left on the board. I could see New York overpaying him,” the executive told SheridanHoops. Monroe has a trade veto after signing his qualifying offer
While many GMs were working the phones this week, Knicks president Phil Jackson was using a different, more contemporary form of communication: Twitter. On Thursday, Donnie Nelson and Danny Ainge swung a five-player trade that sent Rajon Rondo to Dallas and draft picks to Boston. On Friday, Daryl Morey, Flip Saunders and Sam Hinkie worked a three-team deal that landed Corey Brewer and Alexey Shved in Houston and draft picks in Minnesota and Philadelphia. But not Jackson, and not the Knicks. Jackson doesn’t
It’s been 175 days since New York and Dallas completed a six-player trade that sent Tyson Chandler to the Mavericks and Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert and Shane Larkin to the Knicks. Late in the afternoon on June 25, both teams looked like they upgraded in different ways in Phil Jackson’s first major deal as Knicks president. Dallas needed rim protection and added a familiar face in Chandler, a starter on their 2011 title team. New York needed a competent point guard in
Metta World Peace, Ron Artest, Panda Friend. Whatever the name is on his medical form and the roster chart, the diagnosis is still the same: ‘Recurrence of knee injury – recovery time: three-to-five weeks.’ In the NBA, this would mean a spell on the sidelines. But in the Chinese Basketball Association, it is often the end of the season for an overseas player. This is the ruthless nature of life in the CBA, particularly for the league’s American imports. They’re brought in
The three best records in the NBA belong to the Warriors, Grizzlies and Blazers. What do all three Western Conference teams have in common? Continuity. Besides for some minor tweaks, (Shaun Livingston, Vince Carter, Steve Blake and Chris Kaman) Golden State, Memphis and Portland retained their core players and have been extremely successful over the first quarter of the regular season. For Portland, now at 16-4 after Sunday’s win over New York, this is the third season the LaMarcus Aldridge-Damian Lillard-Nicolas Batum-Wes
The Golden State Warriors set their franchise record for consecutive wins in a row on Saturday night with their defeat of the Chicago Bulls 112-102. It was their 12th straight victory, giving them an NBA-best 17-2 record. Golden State’s win ended their five game losing streak at the United Center. The Bulls were the first real test the Warriors have faced during their now twelve game win streak, earning victories along the way against lesser teams like the Lakers, Jazz and