As dozens of young players struggle to make an NBA squad each fall, veteran big men seem to have no trouble hanging on. Guys like Joe Smith, Eduardo Najera, and others bounce from playoff team to playoff team each year, giving their new teams veteran leadership and some rebounding. Big men are available beyond just these vets who perform their roles. After all, look at the Celtics who in recent years got that production from young guys like Glen “Big Baby” Davis and veteran older guys like Rasheed Wallace who contribute much more than just size. Read more
Heading into the fall and the start of the NBA season, all anyone is focused on is what the Miami Heat will do once their pack of stars hit the court together. The Heat’s success could determine how the NBA goes next year, translating to more interest, better ticket sales, and increased ratings. At the same time, the Heat’s off-season shenanigans have rubbed many fans the wrong way and left them wondering whether the league will ever be the same. One question that must be asked now, though, is whether the NBA is still Lebron’s to take over and conquer, or whether his signing with the Heat has altered his role in shaping the league’s future. Read more
Kwame Brown is one of the major, well-accepted busts of the past decade. A number one pick who hasn’t completely flamed out – he’s somehow managed to stick around in the NBA – Brown set the Washington Wizards back several years with his poor production and even worse attitude. Unloading Brown a couple years later was a relief for the Wiz who could have stuck to him for even longer and wasted minutes on someone who would never pan out. It was nothing short of a blessing to get Brown off the team.
Wizards fans can blame no one else but Michael Jordan for the pick. Jordan coveted Brown in that draft, one that led to the emergence of Pau Gasol (among few others in a dreadful year) and was reportedly the one behind the pick. You’d think that after all this time has past, Jordan would want to put that terrible episode behind him. Alas, no. Jordan, now with the Charlotte Bobcats, has signed Brown again. The only way to make sense of the deal is to assume that Jordan still believes that Brown can contribute something as a role player. Brown’s failures could maybe be attributed to his surge into the spotlight where he was ill-prepared to perform at such a high level so quickly. Now, however, with more reasonable expectations of him, Brown can perhaps become the NBA player he was destined to be. Read more
I’m reminded this NBA off-season of the Google catchphrase: “Don’t be evil.”
That’s what I’d encourage Carmelo Anthony as he plans his future with the Denver Nuggets. Obviously Anthony can leave Denver and go play for another team – but if Anthony’s learned anything at all from the way that his cohorts conducted themselves this off-season it’s that how he leaves matters. Signs so far, however, lead me to believe that Anthony’s taken a different message from the LeBron saga, recognizing the leverage and power than he now has as the biggest free agent and therefore automatic subject of media frenzy. Read more
The 1992 summer Olympics “Dream Team” was honored by the Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies this weekend, marking the incredible accomplishments of the best basketball team ever assembled. It’s by far the most memorable squad ever to compete together in the Olympics and has left an indelible and unmatchable mark. What stands out about the roster – and makes them so incredible as a unit – from a current viewpoint is that a majority of the stars on the roster were the best players to ever play for their NBA teams. And they were all playing together at once. Read more
Since we’re still months away from the start of the NBA season, it seems a bit premature to be predicting win totals for NBA teams in the upcoming season. There’s obviously still loads of time left for teams to improve their rosters and to build their frameworks. But all other teams pale in comparison to the attention that the Miami Heat are getting, and will continue to earn, as we move closer to the fall season.
Even without the Heat roster fully set, Jeff Van Gundy and Steve Kerr are already disagreeing about whether the team will win more than 72 games and break the NBA record. With the way that coaches like Van Gundy are reacting to the news that the Heat will be sporting LeBron, Wade, and Bosh in their starting five next year, you’d think that other teams don’t even stand a chance of competing. It leaves a message, whether Van Gundy intends it or not, with other teams that they need to be intimidated by the Heat’s roster, which plays directly into the Heat’s hands and heads. Read more
You want sports to be about winning. You want sports to be about being better than the other team, about exerting all your resources on Championship. You want sports to be about winning.
But as a Pittsburgher, and by extension a Pirates fan, I have learned that sports is not all about winning; it is a business not unlike any other, whose sole goal at the end of the day is to make money. Normally, this is most efficiently achieved through awards and trophies, but last month’s Forbes report reveals that the most profitable teams are far from the winningest.
I’m hoping to break the record for Lebron content. I may have to move back into my mother’s basement, but I’m going to do it. For my next few posts, I’m going to concoct terrible theories on how this Heat team will never win a championship, because that would be awesome. You see, “That would be awesome” is not just something Miami bandwagon fans can say.
My first theory – and this one ain’t too bad – is the roommate theory.
We should thank LeBron. Love him or hate him (as we know Zach does), he has given us a gift our grandchildren and – depending on the power of Dan Gilbert’s words – maybe even their grandchildren will be talking about. Could it be true? A curse born in our generation? It’s out there, I tell you. And it is coming to a party city near you. Read more
We hear a lot about how Lebron James is a student of NBA history. I’m not sure why we believe this (or even how one achieves student-of-the-game status, seriously, does this mean that Lebron read Bill Simmons’ crappy book?), but I’m getting the sense that the general population no longer believes anything about Lebron. Good for you, you’ve come around. Read more
We are witnesses, witnesses to the slowest moving car crash in basketball history, witnesses to a prodigal son changing families, witnesses to a fire torching the morale of Cleveland, its culture, and its helpless fans. The city is literally pleading for Lebron’s return.He has reduced them to grovelers. And it will not be enough. Read more
I hope everyone tuned in last night to watch ESPN’s Free Agency Summit. It brought together the four most too-cool-for-school ESPN personalities: Tony Kornheiser, Mike Wilbon, Dan Lebatard, and Bill Simmons, a.k.a. the “Sports Guy.”
I’m curious whether or not viewers enjoyed the segment. I found it kind of disappointing. Read more
In 2002, 14 players that had overseas professional experience were drafted in the NBA draft. In 2003 that number jumped to 19. It has remained steadily in the double-digits for the remainder of the decade. Until this year.
Six foreign players were drafted last week, and only one in the first round: France’s Kevin Seraphin who went to the Bulls. It seemed as though the NBA has been inundated with new talent coming from other parts of the world; teams were looking at big men that could shoot and small guys with scrappy fortitude that scouts just couldn’t seem to find in college-bred players. But perhaps it was just a facade and the few major names that stand out are mere aberrations of a larger NBA myth that GMs are finally uncovering.
When it comes to Lebron, I am full fledged believer in the gospel according to Skip Bayless.
Lebron, unlike the true NBA greats, lacks the ability to carry teams. He plays a little selfish and fails to get the most from his teammates (see Carlos Boozer and Mo Williams). And as Skip says, he’s the ultimate front-runner. Sure, he’ll destroy the Milwaukee Bucks in historic fashion, but he also won’t show up against real competition even when the experts have picked him to win (think Spurs, Celtics, Magic).
But much as I can’t stand the guy, I find this summer’s free agency brouhaha quite compelling. I can’t get enough of it. I’m even following Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter, so my interest has pretty much reached dork-status.
But maybe you’re not following free agency in the same stalkerish way as I am. Here are four good reasons you should. Btw, everyone’s doing three, five, or ten reasons these days; it’s become cliche. If you want ten good reasons, check out Mike Florio’s lame-ass posts on Sporting News. If you want to read some wise-ass who thinks he’s awesome, keep reading after the break.
What the hell was Dwyane Wade doing at the Celtics-Lakers game the other night?
There I was, sitting on my couch enjoying an epic battle between two juggernauts, and then, to my disappointment, I see Wade sitting courtside with his kid taking in a little hoops. I’m all for father-son outings, but I couldn’t believe that D-Wade would show his face at the NBA finals. I know D-Wade has won a championship and a finals MVP, but that doesn’t give him cart blanche to attend any finals game as a spectator. I hate to go there, but would Michael Jordan have ever watched a game courtside during his playing days? Read more
