The majority of offseason moves this summer have been completed, and the general landscape of the NBA has settled as everyone prepares for the new season to start. For the most part, the traditional powers remain — Miami, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Chicago — while a few franchises will look to make the leap into elite contention — Indiana, Houston, Golden State, Brooklyn, New York, Los Angeles (Clippers). Once upon a time, the Dallas Mavericks were a part of this class. [Read
The Knicks should really stop trading with Masai Ujiri. Ujiri set the Denver Nuggets’ franchise in the right direction with the Carmelo Anthony trade with New York, and now he achieved something that was once considered nearly impossible not even a month into his tenure as the Toronto Raptors’ head of basketball operations: getting a first-round pick in exchange for Andrea Bargnani’s contract. The team taking on the last two years and roughly $23 million on Bargnani’s contract? The Knicks,
If you’re the general manager of the Golden State Warriors, how should you feel about the state of the team now that they have been removed from postseason action? Pretty damn confident, if you ask me. Lets put things into perspective here: The Bad: They were 23-43 just a season ago, good for third worst in the Western Conference. Brandon Rush, arguably the team’s best perimeter defender and slasher, was lost for the season two games into the season. Andrew Bogut missed 50 games and
The New York Knicks are on the brink of elimination. That, of course, has caused much chatter from the team, with plenty of talk about who deserves blame for the team’s demise. [San Antonio Spurs Tickets] Tyson Chandler somewhat started it all when he said the team wasn’t playing team basketball. Confronted by Carmelo Anthony about the statement, the center had to clarify his statement, from Al Iannazzone of Newsday: [Read more…]
Are the New York Knicks suffering from a selfish brand of basketball? When you think of this team, you primarily think of Carmelo Anthony as the team’s offense. That has always been the case (save for a brief period of Linsanity) for any team that ‘Melo has been a part of. And then, of course, you have J.R. Smith, who is known as volume-shooter number two on the team. So you have to figure that when Tyson Chandler is calling out
Monday brings with it two crucial second round Game 4s—with games between Miami and Chicago as well as Oklahoma City and Memphis—and the NBA announcing the All-Defensive Team. [Read more…]
Can Derrick Rose still come back this season to help the Chicago Bulls against the Miami Heat in the Conference semifinals? Much has been made of why he – despite being cleared to play by doctors some time ago – has still been unavailable to play for the team. Perhaps there wouldn’t have been so much scrutiny on the point guard, who is still in the process of recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in last season’s playoffs, had he
Here’s the bottom line on Carmelo Anthony’s recent play. Using the measuring stick of points per shot, it is his worst four-game stretch of the postseason since the first four playoff games of his career. Furthermore, when compared alongside other worst four-game stretches of contemporary solo superstars, it is near the bottom. Following Sunday’s loss to Indiana in the Eastern Conference semifinals opener, the Knicks are 1-3 in their last four games, including 0-2 at home. Their only win saw them nearly