Word on the street today is louder than ever that Carmelo Anthony wants out of New York. How do we know this? Marc Berman and Frank Isola are writing it hard in the New York tabloids, and both of those fellas are as plugged into their team as any beat writers in North America. You can bristle at Isola’s anti-Berman’s tweets – a constant source of amusement for anyone who follows the Knicks – and you can bristle at Berman’s wardrobe, which
Well, it’s happened. The NBA’s early season darling teams have fallen back to earth. The Phoenix Suns, who started 5-2, are now 5-6 and look poised for the early lottery once again. Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division could be historically bad. The Philadelphia 76ers, who have won only twice in their last 10 games, trail the Toronto Raptors by only a half game for first place. And the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are fighting for Gotham’s infamy as they both stand
With wing extraordinaire Paul George signing a max-level, five-year contract with the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, a legitimate argument can be made that the Pacers have the most secure medium to long-term future of any Eastern Conference team. At just 23 years of age, the 6-8 small forward already is one of the top five defenders in the NBA, as evidenced by his regular season advanced numbers, and is quickly developing a really strong offensive game. [Read more…]
It was 12 years ago today that the horrors of 9/11 were etched into the annals of history, yet the events of that day still seem so recent. Two airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City causing them to collapse and two other planes flew towards targets further south—one crashing in a field in Pennsylvania, the other hitting the Pentagon in Washington. Today, as many across the United States take time to reflect on the tragedy that
After Derrick Rose shredded his ACL in the first game of the 2011-12 playoffs, Chicago Bulls management decided the injury shredded the team’s chances at competing for a title and proceeded accordingly. From the instant the front office decided to jettison useful contributors from the famed “Bench Mob” in favor of lesser, slightly cheaper approximations, the 2012-13 campaign was a bit of a throwaway season. Rose seemingly got the message and took it as an opportunity to sit out the entire season
When 5’9″ reserve Nate Robinson was finally given a legitimate chance to be the focal point of an offense with the Chicago Bulls this past season, the guard showed just how devastating he can be when things are clicking. The Brooklyn Nets, ousted in the first round of the playoffs largely due to their inability to better-contain Robinson (and one missed dunk by C.J. Watson), can certainly vouch for that. When things aren’t always clicking, though, he has a way
Before we get to today’s news, a hearty congratulations to our senior columnist, Moke Hamilton, on joining the staff at HoopsWorld. Moke has treated me as his mentor, and I am happy to see him graduate to become a part of the USA Today Sports group. He is a terrific writer, a fast learner, MENSA material (even though he had never heard of MENSA when he joined SheridanHoops), and a wonderful storyteller who covered Game 5 of the 2012 NBA Finals and
One of the most intriguing elements of the NBA playoffs is what the spotlight reveals about certain players – especially those who weren’t expected to be in the spotlight at all. We expect established superstars such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant to welcome the pressure of the postseason and elevate their play. That is part of the reason they are among the game’s best players. It is also not that surprising to see very good players such as Stephen Curry and