Super Bowl Sunday is now here and gone. Another NFL season is in the books, which means it’s time for the NBA to kick into full swing. However, I would like to talk about Super Bowl XLIX for a minute, even though this is a hoops site. In what was probably one of the best football games I’ve, or anyone else, has ever seen, it was a perfect way to end a tumultuous year for the National Football League. [Read more…]
Sprung: How the Thunder Will Survive Without Kevin Durant
How will the Oklahoma City Thunder do without Kevin Durant for the first six to eight weeks of the season? It’s extremely hard to tell, considering Durant has missed a total of 16 regular season games over the course of his seven-year career, including just two over the last two seasons. Durant’s lone absence last season came on Jan. 24 in a 101-83 win over Boston in which Russell Westbrook did not play, either. With Durant sidelined by a Jones fracture in
Five Things to Watch: Atlanta Hawks
When the Atlanta Hawks hired Danny Ferry as general manager in the summer of 2012, one of the first things he impressed upon the organization was the importance of patience. The Hawks promptly traded Joe Johnson for replacement-level flotsam to keep their payroll flexible and patiently waited for Josh Smith’s contract to expire to determine where their newfound wealth would be allocated. With the exceptions of signing Paul Millsap to a two-year, $19 million deal and re-signing Jeff Teague for four years
Tweet of the Day: With Season Nearing, Hawks Are ‘Rising’
There has been a lot of movement and change in the Eastern Conference this offseason, enough so that the Chicago Bulls have emerged as challengers for the NBA title with a healthy Derrick Rose and an added big man in Pau Gasol. The Cleveland Cavaliers now hold Vegas’ highest odds to win the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy, having reeled in hometown hero LeBron James and All-Star power forward Kevin Love. The Charlotte Hornets are also getting consideration as a challenger in
Buyout Bonanzas: Granger, Gordon, Fredette Could Help Playoff Teams
Does anyone want Danny Granger? How about Jimmer Fredette? This is the last week for contenders to shore up their playoff rosters with NBA players for a run they hope will last into June. Teams have until March 1 to sign players eligible for the playoffs. The Los Angeles Clippers already made a big splash on that front by signing Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who had the final two years of his contract bought out by Orlando. It’s a good fit. The Clippers desperately
Bernucca: Fixing the Fans’ All-Star Mistakes
NBA fans do an awful job of protecting the image of their favorite sport. This is not the NFL, which has been America’s pastime for a generation and can do no wrong in the eyes of its fans. The only time the NFL has an image problem is when a storm affects satellite reception. This is also not baseball, which has a considerable image problem with its collection of prima donnas on PEDS. But it also has more than a century of
Tweet of the Day: NBA, Players Remember Nelson Mandela
Many amazing men have walked the earth having had a profound impact on the world with their lives. Men like Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr.. Their deaths were monumental and the cause of grief to many. Former South African President Nelson Mandela died Thursday at the age of 95. Mandela was instrumental in bringing about the end of Apartheid (racial segregation) and ushering in an era of ethnic equality in South African politics. His efforts earned him the Nobel
Tweet of the Night: Stephen Curry wonders if Russell Westbrook’s game-winning 3-pointer is legit
Just when the Golden State Warriors finally seemed to put away the Oklahoma City Thunder for an impressive 112-110 overtime victory on the road, Russell Westbrook happened. After somehow tapping away a Jermaine O’Neal rebound on Serge Ibaka’s missed shot with about 6.4 seconds remaining in the game, Westbrook saw Thabo Sefolosha jump into the stands to save the ball from going out of bounds and made himself available for the catch. He then went to the 3-point line and launched