The Most Improved Player Award did not irritate me until the seventh year it was awarded. That was in the 1991-92 season when Pervis Ellison won it. Three years earlier, Ellison was the No. 1 pick in the draft. To reward him as the most improved because he played well after underachieving for two years seemed to violate the spirit of the award. He was supposed to be good! In his defense, Ellison was bothered by injuries, but while he was
Former NBA power forward Anthony Mason is in critical condition after suffering heart failure and a heart attack. Longtime New York-based NBA writer Peter Vecsey broke the news with a tweet around in the late afternoon. [Read more…]
When you’ve played the game of basketball at a level as consistent as Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, you’re bound to move past a lot of players in the history books. This year has been the year of passing for the power forward of sorts, as he became the 19th player in NBA history to score at least 25,000 career points. The feat also put him in the most elite of categories, as he became only the second player
Sports journalist Bryan Burwell, who wrote for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and occasionally made appearances on ESPN’s The Sports Reporters and worked as on-air talent for CBS Sports 920 in St. Louis, passed away early Thursday after enduring a brief battle with cancer. He was 59. Burwell was well-respected and well-liked in the industry. His colleague and fellow sportswriter at the Post-Dispatch, Bernie Miklasz, wrote a touching tribute about him. Here is an emotionally evocative excerpt: Until the end of his life,
When Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry gets his shot going from beyond the arc during a game, there’s not a better show in the NBA. After struggling over the past two games with his shot – eight-of-24 shooting from the field, including four-of-12 from beyond the arc – Curry got going against the Miami Heat on Tuesday in a big way after scoring the first three points of the game from beyond the arc. That first shot would end
Considering that the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats dominated the No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks, winning 72-40 with relative ease, the question has since been posed as to whether the Wildcats would be able to defeat the hapless Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers are now 0-11. They are statistically among the worst defensively in the NBA and, likewise, also among the worst offensively. Still, for all of the talented, young big men that Kentucky boasts on their roster, Philly still boasts a lineup of grown
The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled for much of the season in the early going with limited bodies and a tough schedule. So far, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have faced Houston, Phoenix twice, Golden State, L.A. Clippers, Charlotte and Memphis. Aside from maybe Phoenix, those are all squads expected to be tough playoff teams in the West. They’ve lost all the games to the West teams, while managing to beat the Hornets at home. [Read more…]
Monday saw more media days across the NBA, however the most important news seems to have come from a member of the NBA media. Reggie Miller, former Indiana Pacers All-Star guard, 2012 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and current TNT on NBA analyst, shared the concerning news that his niece, Nikki Miller, has gone missing. Nikki, 16, is the daughter of Darrell Miller, the elder brother to both Reggie and Cheryl. She went missing from her home in Yorba Linda,