Jason Kidd At 21-8, the New York Knicks enter Friday second in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the NBA. Amar’e Stoudemire isn’t expected to make his season debut until New Year’s Day at the earliest and Iman Shumpert isn’t expected to return to the court until sometime after mid-January. [Read more…]
Given his precocious play and the piles of praise he is receiving, Damian Lillard appears to have a stronghold on this season’s Rookie of the Year. And the calendar hasn’t even changed. Some of that recognition came recently from San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who along with a national TV audience watched the point guard light up his squad for 29 points last week. “I think he’s a wonderful player,” said Popovich, who normally isn’t prone to effusive praise. “His skills
NEW YORK — “It’s gonna be a minute, guys, my hand is messed up.” That’s what Raymond Felton said as he glanced over toward me after the Knicks’ 106-99 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Those weren’t the first words anyone expected to hear from Felton, considered he turned in arguably his best game of the season. [Read more…]
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Hyped and magnified. As the New York Knickerbockers and the Brooklyn Nets get set for their showdown tonight at the Barclays Center, they’re surely aware the meaning of this game transcends the sport; the first matchup in what will surely be a long rivalry has all the ingredients to be a dandy: 1. Two good teams: Instead of an uncertain opening night tilt on October 29th, we have teams who we know have confidence in themselves as they head toward
Where to begin? Mike Brown’s exit? Phil Jackson’s overnight disappearance? The unending string of power forward injuries? A reformed J.R. Smith on the undefeated New York Knicks? This season has been full of shocking developments; if you look closely enough you can find a significant surprise in nearly every division and on every team. [Read more…]
If you are Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander or GM Daryl Morey, how much more rope are you giving Royce White? Apparently, not much more. The Rockets are now fining White for every day he is not with the team or does not attend therapy sessions arranged by the team, according to the Houston Chronicle. By all accounts, White is an immensely talented 21-year-old rookie power forward. (I don’t watch much college basketball, so I’ve never seen him play.) He also has
While all of the focus has been on the soap opera swirl around the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA’s other similarly storied franchise has its own set of issues. The Boston Celtics also raised expectations by adding some key pieces in the offseason, then promptly stumbled out of the gate. But there were no death stares, insurrections, coach beheadings or panic moves. But there are some problems in Beantown. Let’s allow team leader Kevin Garnett to explain. “You can’t speed chemistry up,” Garnett said.
The James Harden trade is a week old now, and while the book is obviously not yet written on what it’ll mean for everyone involved, we have a bit of a clearer picture than we did last Sunday. Harden has looked like a true superstar in Houston, dropping 82 points over his first two games, including a career-high 45. The outlook for the Thunder is a little more murky, but they haven’t shown a disastrous dropoff so far. We’ve got several