Earlier today, I watched my favorite soccer team, West Bromwich Albion F.C., suffer a heartbreaking loss to defending Premier League champs Manchester City in a game that featured some very questionable officiating, made more questionable by the idea that players might have been diving. One of the non-calls could have given West Brom a penalty shot in the closing minutes. So maybe I’m a little more happy than I should be that the NBA is cracking down on flopping. We’ve got some
The decision of Dirk Nowitzki to have knee surgery isn’t a complete surprise. It will cost him all of November, a definite setback to his owners, including Mark Cuban. If there’s any consolation, Dirk should be much better in the second half; the non-surgical option might have ruined his entire season, with the Mavericks and in fantasy leagues. You cannot replace a Hall-of-Famer. Elton Brand will start at PF. How much he has left, we’ll find out. Brandan Wright is also in
News has been floating around on Thursday about the possibility of the Lakers looking to acquire the talents of LeBron James when the best basketball player on the planet becomes eligible to hit the market again in 2014. As ridiculous as that sounds right now, it apparently is in the realm of possibility if James chose to test free agency again. Having won a championship with the Heat in just two seasons, though, the chances of him leaving Dwyane Wade
NBA news changes every day, but the Spin format is consistent. If one item has a huge fantasy impact, it leads. Then we look at the previous night’s games for anything (positive or negative) that might help you prepare for a draft or manage your team. Next is a preview of tonight’s NBA games, in a speculative mode, pointing out what to watch for. That segment becomes even more important when the games count; it will include a few tips. Finally, we mention
A loyal reader from Singapore asked about Harrison Barnes yesterday. Almost simultaneously, Bruce Wrigley’s weekly column examined the battle between Barnes and Brandon Rush for minutes at SF. Then the rookie started last night and scored 20 points on 8-11 shooting. Is he suddenly a hot fantasy commodity? Not exactly. The Warriors were playing at home against Maccabi Haifa, which is hardly the best team in Israel, which is not the strongest foreign league. They do have a wealthy owner
What is it about this desire to compare LeBron James to that of Michael Jordan? Clearly, James has a ways to go before you can put him in the “greatest of all time” category. This is not to say that he won’t get there – he is certainly on pace to put up historic numbers when all is said and done – but pitting him against Jordan right now just doesn’t seem very fair, given how much more Jordan has
