It’s officially Back to the Future time for the Hornets. After starting the season winning 11 of their first 12 games and eliminating all of the persistent rumors about Chris Paul leaving, they’ve since lost four out of five and reality is beginning to set in. Last night in Oklahoma City — 24 hours after blowing a 17-point lead in a loss to the Spurs — the Hornets led for much of the second half until a flurry of OKC awesomeness sent N.O. home with another loss … Late in the fourth quarter, the Hornets were up by four before Russell Westbrook (25 pts, 11 asts) hit a foul-line jumper. Read More »
While the NBA world readies itself for LeBron James‘ return to Cleveland on Thursday (TNT, 8 p.m. EST), there is a whole week’s worth of games that will fly under the shadow of the Quicken Loans Arena’s answer to Wrestlemania.
It’s perfectly understandable. LeBron’s return to his home state may end up being the most hostile environment any NBA player has ever played in that had nothing to do with race. (Well, partially nothing, but that’s a different column.) But if you’ve got your eyes open to the rest of the League, you won’t want to miss these potential gems: Read More »
For those that don’t already known, actor Leslie Nielsen passed away yesterday at the age of 84. Known for his comedic prowess in films such as Airplane! and the Naked Gun trilogy, Nielsen was one of the greats. And dare we forget, he could hoop too.
We heard this was happening, but we didn’t believe it until now. Antoine Walker is back. According to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, Walker will sign with the Idaho Stampede in the D-League provided he passes a standard background check. And seeing as how the Stampede are affiliated with the Nuggets and Blazers, just think of the possibilities. Read More »
The NBA and adidas may have an exclusive merchandising deal, but the $400 million-plus agreement is definitely not respected on eBay. Even if the Association expands into Europe, Stern won’t be able to stop the movement of Bill Laimbeer video games, old Jordans and bootleg laundry bags from one fan to another. Then again, why would he? eBay’s stockroom beats any store’s, and a fan wearing a jersey is still a fan wearing a jersey. Stay tuned for a look at cheaper, misspelled NBA-related gems, as well as the expensive, hurt-your-feelings stuff. Read More »
It’s real simple: If you’ve been watching the videos put out by Kevin Durant‘s neighbor, there’s a good chance you can win a pair of KD’s new kicks. That is, after he wears them on the court with your Twitter handle written on the side. Check it out: Read More »
Considering the violent and aggressive nature of football — American football, that is — it’s a wonder you don’t see more incidents like the brawl between Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson and Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan that stole NFL headlines yesterday. The main reason? Helmets. If you noticed, Johnson and Finnegan didn’t really start throwing blows until they had each ripped off the other’s protective headgear.
NBA players don’t have to worry about breaking their hand on a plastic shell, which automatically makes for more fights in their sport. But for the most part, basketball players can’t fight. Here are the good, the bad and the ugly of some NBA brawls that stick out in my memory: Read More »
While everyone always says that hindsight is 20/20, I’m pretty sure we can all agree that Tracy McGrady knows a thing or two about trying to assemble a super-team. In the summer of 2000, when the Magic worked out sign-and-trade deals with the Pistons and Raptors (resulting in seven-year, $93 million deals for both Grant Hill and McGrady), some might say this set the stage for the Summer of 2010. And just like how Orlando’s star tandem never worked out, McGrady says he knew that the combination of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade was bound to struggle. Read More »
Five NCAA teams that got my attention this past weekend for various reasons:
1. Arizona (5-1) A national TV win over Kansas would have been a seminal moment for coach Sean Miller as he rebuilds the Arizona program. It didn’t happen Saturday night, but the Wildcats can take a lot away from a close loss against a Jayhawks squad that had been destroying their comp by 40 points per game. Derrick Williams, who put up 27 points and 8 boards against KU, is my early favorite for for Pac-10 Player of the Year. Read More »
Following a year of disappointment that ended without an invite to the Big Dance, North Carolina is still left scratching their heads after a 4-2 start this season. The hype around this year’s Tar Heels surrounds the arrival of Harrison Barnes, the 6-8 versatile small forward who was seen by most as the No. 1 player coming out of high school. Story sound familiar? Barnes is in a similar situation as Carmelo Anthony during the 2002-03 season when he arrived at Syracuse. The Orangemen were coming off a 2001-02 season where they went 23-13 and also missed the tourney. Read More »
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