Pencils down and papers forward, please. Here are my grades on how teams did at the trading deadline. We aren’t going to evaluate whether Dallas was helped or hindered by Thursday’s wheeling and dealing. The Mavericks – and 13 other teams – didn’t make a deal, so consider their grade to be incomplete. Or a withdrawal, if you prefer. No one got an F, although the Nets came awfully close. At the other end of the scale, the Rockets are officially the teacher’s
Bernucca: Thunder may have a toughness complex
Do the Oklahoma City Thunder have a toughness complex? One of the reasons the Thunder have the NBA’s second-best record is because they have three young, explosive players – Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden – who simply cannot be contained off the dribble. When defensive schemes cannot prevent a player from getting to the basket, teams usually resort to rough stuff as discouragement. Michael Jordan went through it. So did Allen Iverson. Tony Parker still gets thrown to the floor
Bernucca: These players have to be traded
There’s still more than two weeks until the March 15 trading deadline, but the rumor mill already is churning. Most of the buzz is around Dwight Howard, whom the Orlando Magic don’t have to trade. Really. However, there are a handful of players who have to be traded for the greater good of their teams. Whether it be removing a problem, creating financial flexibility or moving someone one year early rather than one year late, some big names will be changing teams
Hamilton: Time to trade Stoudemire, with suggestions
NEW YORK – Back when the NBA released its truncated 66-game schedule on December 6, tonight’s South Beach matchup featuring the New York Knicks and LeBron’s beach bums was supposed to be a clash of the titans. Instead, it’s an NBA version of Jack and the Beanstalk. Exactly one year ago today, the Amar’e Stoudemire-led Knicks beat the Miami Heat in Madison Square Garden. To that point, it was probably Stoudemire’s most proud moment as a Knick. After the win, his team
Wizards fire Flip Saunders
Another one bites the dust. The news broke today just before noon EST that Flip Saunders has been fired as coach of the Washington Wizards, whose 2-15 record is the NBA’s worst. That improbable victory last week over the Oklahoma City Thunder apparently bought Saunders only one extra week of job security. The news was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. From Woj’s breaking news story: “The Wizards have talked to assistant Randy Wittman about taking over as the interim head
Thunder stunned by Wizards in nation’s capital
Wait a minute, wasn’t Friday the 13th last week? Bad fortune befell many of the NBA’s best teams last night, with the Thunder, Magic, Sixers and Pacers all losing. None of the losses was as shocking as Oklahoma City’s, coming in the nation’s capital against a Wizards team that had won only once all season. Especially since Kevin Durant usually plays his best there, with a career average of 31.1 points in his hometown, and especially since he broke a 10-game drought
Wizards finally win; Wade returns, Kobe erupts
// Dwyane Wade came back, but so did the Golden State Warriors. Derrick Rose dueled Ricky Rubio. And Kobe Bryant erupted for 48 points. But they all have to take a momentary backseat to the Washington Wizards, who finally won a game. All it took was an overhaul of their starting lineup, a spark from their previously invisible prized rookie and a visit from the weary Toronto Raptors. The last winless team in the NBA broke through Tuesday night with a 93-78 win
Celts stumble; Bulls streaking, Wizards falling
Friday was not a good day for the Boston Celtics. First came David West’s assertion that his supposed free agent snubbing of the C’s was nothing of the kind. Then there was the news that the Celtics withdrew their qualifying offer to Jeff Green in December when they learned he had a heart ailment, making him an unrestricted free agent. And to cap things off, the Celtics had their worst offensive showing of the season in an 87-74 home loss to the