For so many years, Monta Ellis had been the subject of trade rumors. Although he was always in discussions, the team could never find the guts to trade the face of its franchise. Until this season. Under the new leadership of owner Joe Lacob, changes were finally made when the Warriors broke up the small back court of Stephen Curry and Ellis. One of the final pieces of the Cohen era, Ellis was traded along with Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to the
Fantasy Spin: Saturday March 17
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It’s not the NBA, but “Irishman” Kyle O’Quinn, wearing green, led Norfolk State to an enormous upset of Missouri in the NCAA tournament yesterday and is now on my draft list next season. In more current fantasy news, Zach Randolph is back. Finally. After injuring his knee in just the fourth game of the season, and teasing his owners for the last couple of weeks, Z-Bo returned by scoring 25 points and grabbing 9 REB, in
Fantasy Spin: Monday, Feb. 27
There will be better recaps of the All-Star game than mine, because the main fantasy takeaway is Kobe Bryant’s broken nose and Luol Deng falling on his already very sore wrist. Neither returned, but both are warriors who won’t miss many games, if any. Andrew Bynum was a surprise starter after having his knee injected two days earlier, and lasted just five minutes. We’re going around the league today, in alphabetical order. The string of numbers after each team is games
Fantasy Spin: Sunday Feb. 26
With fantasy leagues on hold during the all-star break, here’s a quick trip through the rumor mill. There’s interest from multiple teams in Jose Calderon and Leandro Barbosa. The Lakers may have already signed Rasheed Wallace, covet Michael Beasley and have been linked to Raymond Felton. Non-stop speculation about Dwight Howard will continue. A few fantasy VIP — very important players — are expected to return soon: Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, Danilo Gallinari, Elton Brand and Manu Ginobili. Other useful
The Bernucca List – Edition 13
Last week’s edition of The Bernucca List produced a handful of wrong guesses until reader Dashiell broke through with the right answer – former scoring champions who played for the Celtics. Get this: Throughout their illustrious history, the Celtics have never had a scoring champion. Unlucky edition 13 is below. The idea is to correctly identify the list with the proper parameters. First correct answer gets a mention in next week’s list. You can answer via the comments or Tweet me. The Bernucca
Today’s best game: Memphis at Boston
Although the Celtics might not be the team everyone in Boston will be focusing on Sunday, for the hardcore NBA fan, they will be when they host the Memphis Grizzlies in what should be a tight match. If you’re in the mood for a beat down, the Toronto Raptors are heading to get slaughtered by the Miami Heat as well. Rajon Rondo, second in the league in assists (9.2), returned to Boston’s lineup Friday after missing eight games with a sprained wrist
Tonight’s best game: Memphis at Portland
The Memphis Grizzlies have found their rhythm at the right time and take a seven-game winning streak into Portland to face the Trail Blazers in Tuesday’s best NBA game. Saddled with expectations after a strong playoff run a year ago, the Grizzlies stumbled to a 2-3 start, then lost low-post monster Zach Randolph for eight weeks to a torn MCL. But Memphis has not panicked and now leads the Southwest Division with a 10-6 mark. The Grizzlies are coming off a 91-90
Sixers trade Speights to Grizzlies
The Philadelphia 76ers have made a trade before playing a home game. On Wednesday, the Sixers – who become the last team to play their home opener when they entertain Detroit on Friday – sent little-used forward Marreese Speights to Memphis as part of a three-team deal. Here are the details, according to ESPN.com: “The Memphis Grizzlies have agreed in principle to the terms of a three-team trade with New Orleans and Philadelphia that will bring 76ers center Marreese Speights to the