This may become one of the most entertaining seasons in Utah Jazz history. The prospect of Quin Snyder coaching a talented young core led by growing stars Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert has elicited quiet whispers about making the playoffs. Will the Jazz’s supporting cast lift them up or let them down? What is GM Dennis Lindsey doing, and will his risks pay off in the long term? Basketball enthusiasts should watch the Jazz this season just to see how
It’s not easy to take an 11-hour flight, but that’s what former NBA player and current Maccabi Tel Aviv point guard Jordan Farmar was getting ready for on Sunday afternoon as he slowly got dressed in the locker room inside Madison Square Garden. After a two-city tour in NBA arenas, Farmar and his teammates were about to head back to Israel, traveling even further away from his native Los Angeles. Farmar, 28, was born in Los Angeles and went to high
Which are the most underrated NBA players at each position? Which players have the capability to breakout and achieve stardom this season? Let’s take a look at which players are the likeliest and why. [Read more…]
Analytics can tell you a lot of lot of things about a lot of players. Today, I am taking a look at the five players whose defensive analytics are at the top of the charts. Draymond Green was the easiest selection. His ranks and metrics show that he should have won the Defensive Player of the Year award. While DeAndre Jordan finished third in the voting, Rudy Gobert is the choice at the stopper in the middle. Kawhi Leonard’s advanced tools are
We are now about to enter Year 6 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dynasty … Oh, sorry about that. The James Harden trade slipped my mind. Allow me to begin again … We are now about to enter the final season of Kevin Durant’s career in Oklahoma City, and the clock is ticking as well on Russell Westbrook’s departure. In the summer of 2017, when the salary cap is nine figures, the NBA’s best-dressed man will be taking his talents elsewhere, too. And
It takes a lot to make the NBA playoffs if you are in the Western Conference. The West is the grown-up table of the NBA. It has had at least one team finish above .500 and miss the postseason every year since 2007. There will be some shuffling in the West’s playoff picture this season. But who is in the frame, and who gets cropped out? And has any team improved enough to topple the defending champion Golden State Warriors? The staff of
“Tonight was the third game in five days, including the trip back from the West Coast, and it seemed to have an impact on us, yes,” Coach David Blatt responded to a question on whether the team was fatigued following a 21-point loss Thursday to the Golden State Warriors. With forward LeBron James averaging 45-plus minutes a game and guard Matthew Dellavedova playing just north of 38 minutes per contest since Game 2, many of the Cavaliers players looked tired and
After just two seasons in the NBA, Utah big man and storied Frenchman Rudy Gobert is already one of the league’s premier defensive anchors. But if he has his way, he’ll soon be becoming an even more complete player. According to Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune, Gobert is planning to add mid-range shooting to his game by working with Dirk Nowitzki’s famed shooting coach, Holger Geschwindner, in Germany this summer. His offseason plan: [Read more…]