In the past, a handful of players have come over from Europe and made a big impact in their rookie seasons in the NBA. Pau Gasol came from Spain to win NBA Rookie of the Year with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002. Coming off two straight Italian League MVP awards, Manu Ginobili gave the San Antonio Spurs the extra push off the bench they needed to win the NBA title in 2003. Luis Scola and Juan Carlos Navarro were immediate contributors as
The kinder, gentler NBA schedule is out. First, here’s the stuff you want. Opening Night is Tuesday, Oct. 27 and has a TNT doubleheader with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers visiting the Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Pelicans visiting MVP Stephen Curry and the defending champion Golden State Warriors, who will be handing out rings and hoisting their title banner. Both are rematches of playoff showdowns. The following night, it’s ESPN’s turn with Kevin Durant returning for the Oklahoma City Thunder
No division in the NBA was more competitive last season than the Southwest. Every team made the playoffs, and the division champion was not decided until the final night of the season. Now, with the summer signing season all but complete, the division appears as though it will be as competitive in the upcoming season as it was in 2014-15. The San Antonio Spurs have added LaMarcus Aldridge and David West, the Houston Rockets have added Ty Lawson, the New Orleans Pelicans
It takes a lot to make the NBA playoffs if you are in the Western Conference. The West is the grown-up table of the NBA. It has had at least one team finish above .500 and miss the postseason every year since 2007. There will be some shuffling in the West’s playoff picture this season. But who is in the frame, and who gets cropped out? And has any team improved enough to topple the defending champion Golden State Warriors? The staff of
Just about every team in the Western Conference spent money in free agency. Some were trying to close the gap on the NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Some were trying to jump from the lottery to the playoffs. And some were merely trying to keep pace in the arms race. But while some teams spent smartly and found bargains, others threw bad money after good, overreaching and overpaying for players who may not provide the expected bang for the buck. The Sheridan Hoops
The semifinal round is set at the Las Vegas Summer League and seeding was apparently unimportant. The 4th, 7th, 8th and 14th seeds will do battle at the final four on Sunday at the Thomas & Mack Center. The top three scorers in Vegas are in the semifinals. Let’s see how the semifinalists got there: Spurs 95 Celtics 93 It sure doesn’t seem like San Antonio is distracted or impeded by being coached by a woman. Becky Hammon’s Spurs got 21 points from Kyle
We have already looked at the Eastern Conference and told you who has won and lost the offseason. Now it is time to look at the Western Conference, which seems to get stronger and stronger every year. How much did DeAndre Jordan’s indecision really impact the conference? Has anyone closed the gap on the defending champion Golden State Warriors? Our staff takes a look in the Three-Man Weave. 1. Which Western Conference team has had the best offseason thus far? [Read more…]
LAS VEGAS– Thousands of Knicks fans filled the bottom half of the lower bowl inside the Thomas & Mack Center at 1:30 in the afternoon, desperate for something to be optimistic about. Sadly, the Summer League New York Knicks squad had a lot of familiar faces from the 17-win squad, the team’s worst season ever. The one major change was a 7-1 teenage Latvian named Kristaps Porzingis, the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft. After a rude reception on draft night,