Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes turned plenty of heads during his first postseason appearance this past season – particularly against the San Antonio Spurs in the second round. He has become a fan favorite and a candidate to become a future star in the league. Along with teammate Klay Thompson, Barnes has been spending time showcasing his multiple skill sets in training camp for the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship team. Both players were invited for the camp
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
Basketball is a team game, but it is also a game that can easily be altered by a single player, moreso than any other major sport. And that player doesn’t even have to be a starter. In many games this season, there has been a fairly strong correlation between the success of the Los Angeles Clippers when Jamal Crawford is doing well – and when he isn’t. The same can be said for J.R. Smith in New York. With two weeks in the
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. As cliché as that may be, it’s something that NBA coaches tend to live by in terms of player rotations. However, sometimes things break, and it’s the coach’s job to fix the mess. The Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics both have had to deal with adversity of late and have had to make the tough choice to put their most productive sparks off the bench – Gordon Hayward and Jeff Green, respectively – into the
A month of the regular season remains. There is still plenty of basketball to be played and still plenty of chances for teams around the league to solidify their playoff positions. On the other hand, there is a handful of teams whose executives may be forced to look at the draft lottery and beyond, even with about 15 games remaining for most teams. The key players off the bench around the NBA are all over the league. They play for teams competing
It’s amazing what an injury to a single player, especially a star player, can do to the entirety of a 15-man roster. Recent injuries to the likes of Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo and Knicks forwards Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire have raised serious questions about how these teams cope without indespensable players. Some of the NBA’s best sixth men are trying to take full advantage of these very situations. What can be especially amazing about a star-driven
Consecutive win number 18 was anything but a typical game for LeBron James (13 PTS, 7 AST, 6 REB) but the Heat went to Rio. That’s what they call Mario Chalmers, who scored 26 points on fantastic shooting (5-of-6 from deep, 7-for-9 overall and 7-for-7 on free throws) while adding seven rebounds. [Read more…]
Finally, a chance for some our candidates for the Sixth Man Award to get time in the national spotlight. With TNT airing two extra games Tuesday, the week was filled with national TV showcases. While some candidates were able to step up, others didn’t look quite as prepared. While it’s likely that the televising network didn’t have much to do with their success, or lack thereof, the difference in production for a couple players seemed to change when the likes of