The Los Angeles Lakers fans and everyone else along the way were absolutely shocked very early on Monday morning, when Mike Bresnahan of Los Angeles Times reported that Mike D’Antoni – not Phil Jackson – would become the next head coach of Kobe Bryant and company. So what exactly happened? It was reported over the weekend that the Zen master and the Lakers met to discuss the coach’s possible return to the team after the firing of Mike Brown. The fact that
How could the Thunder possibly think that signing Serge Ibaka was a higher priority than James Harden?!? Well, we have recent evidence. If you’ve heard the phrase “Defense wins championships,” then you might have some idea as to why the Thunder decided to re-sign Ibaka to a four-year, $48 million deal that helped to ensure James Harden was shipped out of town to the Houston Rockets. ‘Defense’ is the word that helps people to understand Ibaka’s value to the Thunder, but his work
It’s always intriguing to read the minds of general managers of the NBA: they are the ones who produce the teams we watch, afterall. NBA.com’s annual GM Survey was released on Monday and predictably, the Heat and LeBron James were on top of many of the winning categories. Along the way, though, you’ll find some interesting – if not somewhat funny (see “Who will win the 2012-2013 MVP” section) – votes that went to places you may or may not expect.
Perhaps, after his playing career is over, San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili might have a future in filmmaking. Ginobili tweeted out a link to a simple, yet very cool time lapse video that he made after leaving American Airlines Arena in Miami following the Spurs preseason game against the Heat.
When we wrote last month that the Western Conference playoff picture would be filled in by the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves, it was assumed that both teams would have their alpha dogs at power forward. Now that Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Love are both out until at least December, that picture could be changing. Nowitzki and Love both are top-10 players whose presence instantly legitimizes their teams as playoff-worthy, regardless of the other 14 players sharing a locker room and airplane with them.
We all realize at this point that the Los Angeles Lakers have assembled a team to do some special things this season. There is an incredible amount of talent on the team from Steve Nash’s play-making abilities, Dwight Howard’s defensive presence, Kobe Bryant’s scoring prowess to Metta World Peace’s renewed focus. Then there is Pau Gasol, whose ability to be an all-around player for the team could be the x-factor to help carry the Lakers over the top. See why
