Have you ever read the book “When the Game Was Ours”? It’s about the rise, rivalry and friendship of two of the finest players in the history of the NBA in Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, and how their love and passion for the game of basketball helped shape the NBA into what it is today. What you also find out in the book is the role of one David Stern, who wasn’t always hated and booed at every basketball event he
As we prepare for the big drafts in our main leagues this weekend, there is an all-star team of injured players clouding the old crystal ball. Derrick Rose, Stephen Curry, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire and Kevin Love are my starting five. You want defense? Sorry, this is the fantasy department. John Wall, Eric Gordon, J.R. Smith, Nene and Andrew Bogut are the second unit. Every one of those guys is draftable, depending on your league settings. Just not as high as usual.
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.
(This is another in a series of 30 guest columns that will run in October, when optimism reigns supreme across the NBA. The theme will be “Five Reasons to Feel Positive About … ” We encourage you to follow the authors on Twitter and visit their sites. – CS) For the past few seasons, Phoenix Suns fans watched their two favorite players slip from peak performance as age and injury conspired to erode their skills. Steve Nash was 38 and Grant
Even for hoops addicts, watching NBA preseason games presents a challenge. The baseball playoffs are under way, the college football and NFL seasons are in full swing, and there is this small matter of a presidential election. There is no subscription package for the preseason. League Pass takes a pass until the regular season starts later this month. So the only way you can watch games right now is on NBA TV, which isn’t part of the basic package of a number
In Sunday night’s preseason game between the Lakers and the Warriors, we witnessed something that may take a while to get used to: Steve Nash was running the floor alongside Kobe Bryant in a Lakers uniform. If you’re not a Lakers fan, what we saw was bad news because Nash – as he always does – made the game look so darned easy for everyone else. The Warriors actually blew the game open for a 110-83 victory and showed promising
So it’s finally happening: the NBA will punish players for the act of flopping. Will the rule change help clean up the game? Only time will tell, but it’s a start to help distinguish the difference between basketball players and those that may wish to pursue a career in acting. Some will surely be unhappy with the idea of losing money over such a subjective issue – the NBPA is already taking action – but others are quite happy with
Here are this morning’s top NBA news stories: “Harden expects extension by deadline,” by Susan Bible from HoopsWorld “Utah Jazz: Derrick Favors key in loaded frontcourt as Utah opens camp,” by Bill Oram from the Salt Lake Tribune “Charlotte Bobcats pondering Gerald Henderson’s contract extension,” by Rick Bonnell from the Charlotte Observer “Rasheed Wallace, New York Knicks have not yet agreed to terms,” by Marc Berman from the New York Post “‘Spur for life’ star emphasizes winning over 54 percent pay cut,” by Jeff McDonald from the San Antonio Express-News “Kobe
