I spoke with James Johnson at Atlanta Hawks media day back in October when he was just another former first-round pick trying to convince another team – his fourth, to be exact – that he was good enough for another shot. [Read more…]
It’s time for people to start taking notice of the rejuvenated Manu Ginobili and his impressive start to the season. San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had good reason to rest Ginobili on Thursday night in Golden State. After all, through eight December games, Ginobili has averaged 14 points, 5.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds. Those numbers are impressive for any bench player. When you consider that Ginobili has put them up in just 22.6 minutes per game, it ranks him among the
Trade season is officially upon us. Of course, don’t tell the Kings: they’ve already gone out and gotten Rudy Gay and Derrick Williams. And the Raptors have dealt Gay and been very involved in discussions around Kyle Lowry. One thing we do know: Omer Asik should be on the move any day now. But nobody knows where to. The Knicks were interested in dealing for Lowry, but that may have fizzled out. So what will they do next? Peter May has a few
Well, it happened. After speculating last week that Sacramento Kings guard Isaiah Thomas would fall out of our Sixth Man Rankings despite his impressive stats, Thomas fell out by default as he was elevated to starter. With Greivis Vasquez shipped to Toronto in the Rudy Gay deal, Kings fans can breathe a sigh of relief that Thomas won’t get screwed out of this year’s Sixth Man Award. [Read more…]
Well, it’s happened. The NBA’s early season darling teams have fallen back to earth. The Phoenix Suns, who started 5-2, are now 5-6 and look poised for the early lottery once again. Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division could be historically bad. The Philadelphia 76ers, who have won only twice in their last 10 games, trail the Toronto Raptors by only a half game for first place. And the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are fighting for Gotham’s infamy as they both stand
Growing up, fans are taught several “facts” about team sports. It’s a fact that teamwork is better than selfish play. It’s usually a fact that a good defense beats a good offense. It’s a fact in baseball that last licks is more advantageous than leading off. Perhaps no “fact” is more emphasized, however, than the notion that the best players in every sport always start. In the NBA in 2013, that “fact” is fiction. It couldn’t be further from the truth. [Read more…]
In a conference call last week, NBA commissioner David Stern made it clear that he wasn’t a huge fan of “homer” announcers. But it’s one thing to watch a broadcast of the Portland Trail Blazers – or any team – and get an earful of blind support for the home team. It’s entirely another when some of these broadcasters extend their undying support when they vote on the NBA’s season-ending awards. Knicks guard J.R. Smith won the Sixth Man Award today. The
Note to all NBA players: a punch against your opponent won’t get you suspended, as long as it’s below the belt and you’re not a repeat offender. That’s the impression the league left most of us with after making the decision to not suspend Serge Ibaka for taking a shot at Blake Griffin’s jewels, fining him $25,000 instead. [Read more…]