If you’re a regular reader of my weekend blogs, you might know that I grew up in Baltimore, and I’m more than a little proud of my city. We’ve got a storied history of people who became legends in their fields leaving town and becoming closely associated with bigger cities with brighter lights. Tupac Shakur and Babe Ruth both went to high school in Baltimore, just to name a couple. Another former Baltimore resident is Carmelo Anthony. He attended Towson Catholic
Martin Luther King Day is more than a day of celebration and reflection for the NBA, which probably has done more positive things for race relations than any other sport in the Civil Rights Era. It also has become the unofficial midway point of the season. By the completion of Monday’s action, more than half of the league’s 30 teams will have played half their games. With that in mind, we present our midseason awards with this reminder from the bookie of hopeless
The gambling life ain’t easy, folks — which is where today’s tale begins. But by the time you get to the end of today’s column, hopefully you’ll be amused by my personal adventures and enlightened by my leaguewide analysis. We are at the quarter-pole of the NBA season, and trends have emerged. First, to truly appreciate what it means to gamble on the NBA on a daily basis, you had to experience what it was like to bet on the Philadelphia 76ers
Day 6 of the 2013-14 NBA regular season is officially in the books. While there may not have been feats of historical significance, there were events that helped to re-shape the landscape of the still-young NBA season. Here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s action. [Read more…]
Many fans don’t put much stock in the NBA preseason for some reason, and it’s something that I’ve always found puzzling. Like any good book, the preseason can provide a table of contents for the upcoming season with many interesting details and storylines. For me, it’s always about development and which players are in the right situations at the right time. On top of that, it’s seeing if they know that situation and if they are prepared to own it. I’ve taken
Of the popular meanings of the word tank, two have roots signifying damage and destruction. There is the blunt military vehicle, and the less subtle term that is popular in our contemporary basketball lexicon. The basketball version of tanking will unavoidably be a central theme in the upcoming 2013-2014 season. Compared to previous seasons, the 2014 NBA draft class is projected to be filled with All-Stars and franchise-changing players, headlined by Canadian wing Andrew Wiggins, who will play at Kansas this coming
Because you can only put two forwards on the All-NBA First Team, and as I explained at length in my column detailing my ballot choices, I have Carmelo Anthony 2nd on my MVP ballot. And since that other forward spot on First Team All-NBA is being occupied by LeBron James, who should be a unanimous MVP pick, there’s only so much room at the inn. As I say in this interview with CineSport’s Noah Coslov: “Kevin Durant isn’t second-team anything.” [Read
They say all good things must come to an end. This is the final edition of the Most Improved Player Rankings and I— I’m sorry … I … told myself I wasn’t going to cry. (sniffle) It’s been an amazing run here at the Most Improved Player Rankings. We’ve talked about donut races, wildebeests, and Andy Enfield’s wife. We’ve made fun of just about every basketball announcer out there and also Jim Nantz. But now it’s finally time to get down to the business