What defines a year? … Is the answer not the events that occurred? And wow! … 2012 was loaded with events. Thankfully, Portland Trail Blazers rookie center Meyers Leonard managed to sum up all of its parts in one compact tweet.
In the 2012 draft, Thomas Robinson and Damian Lillard could not have been closer together. Robinson went fifth to the Sacramento Kings and Lillard went sixth to the Portland Trail Blazers. In their rookie seasons. however, Robinson and Lillard could not be farther apart. To be fair, Lillard has had a better opportunity to show his wares. Portland basically gave him the point guard position with carte blanche to learn on the job, dumping everyone from last season except Nolan Smith. Robinson wasn’t
Less than five hours remaining in the day, yet it just goes on like any other. Seems silly to think that the ancient Mayan civilization had predicted the world to end on Friday, four days from Christmas no less. In the midst of the all of the hoopla, basketball rolls on. John Hollinger, now working for the Memphis Grizzlies as the Vice President of Basketball Operations, had an astute observation today. No longer an employee of ESPN, he is now just like the rest
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
During Wednesday’s game, the NBA announced that Charlotte Bobcats forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had won Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for November. Kidd-Gilchrist later celebrated by throwing a terrible cross-court pass in the closing seconds that became a turnover and led to a buzzer-beater by New York’s J.R. Smith that sent the Bobcats to their fifth straight loss. This is how it often goes for rookies. One minute, they are surprising us all by playing above our expectations and showcasing an
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and Charlotte Bobcats forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were named Rookies of the Month for games November. Lillard won for the Western Conference. He led all rookies in scoring (18.4 ppg), assists (5.9 apg) and steals (1.38 spg) and became first NBA player to score at least 20 points in each of his first three NBA games since Grant Hill in 1994. Lillard scored a season-high 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting and added eight assists without a turnover
The Hornets future in New Orleans is expected to soon come to an end. No, the team is not moving elsewhere. They are, however, expected to change their team name. If you haven’t heard about it yet, just check out the reaction from Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
David Stern is disingenuous. How’s that for one of those million-dollar words that the NBA commissioner loves to use when talking to the hoi polloi about basketball? In slapping the San Antonio Spurs with a $250,000 fine for resting their trio of stars in a nationally televised game, Stern said in his customary, quite lawyerly fashion, “The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case.” [Read more…]
