When you think about what Tracy McGrady used to be and what he is now, it’s generally considered a sad thing. McGrady, who many believed to be an equal to Kobe Bryant (or better, depending on who you ask) in his prime, just finished the previous season as a bench-warmer with the San Antonio Spurs at the age of 34. It just doesn’t sound quite right, does it? No one envisioned the superstar’s career to wind down in such an anticlimactic way, but
When Dwight Howard left the Los Angeles Lakers and bolted to the Houston Rockets, we heard and saw the reactions of plenty – perhaps most notably from Kobe Bryant, who immediately unfollowed his former teammate on Twitter upon hearing the news. The one person most relevant to the situation that we’ve yet to hear from had been Mike D’Antoni, whose offense was cited as a critical reason for Howard’s desire for departure. So what did the coach think of his time
The San Antonio Spurs might be in trouble. On the surface, things appear to be OK. The Spurs have executed their defensive game plan, which is to turn LeBron James into a passer. They have prevented the Miami Heat from turning either game into an extended relay race. And most important, they secured a split of the first two games as the road team, which is practically mandatory in the 2-3-2 format of the NBA Finals. Beneath the surface, however, the Spurs
We’re into June, which means the playoffs are almost over and we’re coming up on the draft and free agency. Fittingly, today’s blog includes a lot of discussion of those two topics. For a look even further ahead, check out Adam Zagoria’s column on why the 2014 draft is even more exciting than this one coming up. The other big topic right now is the coaching and front office shuffle. Some big names have already moved around, including Masai Ujiri to
Well played, T.J. Simers. It was reported late Thursday evening that Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul is very upset with the organization for linking his name to the firing of Vinny Del Negro. Chris Broussard of ESPN has details: Chris Paul is upset with the Los Angeles Clippers organization because he is being widely blamed for the firing of Vinny Del Negro as the Clippers’ coach, according to a source close to the situation. [Read more…]
If there is one person that deserves major credit for the great turnaround of the Memphis Grizzlies over the past few seasons, it’s the work of Lionel Hollins. He brought toughness and a no-nonsense attitude to an environment that became accustomed to losing. He didn’t take kindly to poorly-defended possessions. If you couldn’t step up at that end of the floor, you weren’t going to play as much no matter how good you were on the offensive end. Just ask
It’s always interesting to hear candid thoughts from former players or coaches about the situations of the teams they used to play for or coached. P.J. Carlesimo, the former interim head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, is now an ESPN analyst. Able to share all his thoughts in an objective matter, Carlesimo had plenty to say about what level of talent the Nets really have, why it’s bad for the league to be a players league, and what it really means
Hello and welcome to the Evening News. As the playoffs continue, we’ll keep you updated every evening. What’s happening today? Here’s the latest news from around the league: [Read more…]