30. New Jersey Nets (4-42)
Last week: Beat L.A. Clippers; lost to Washington; lost to Philadelphia.
With Kris Humphries being able to step in and immediately become Jersey’s second-best big man, is that a credit to Humphries’ talent or an indictment of the team’s lack of talent? We’ll go with “B.”
29. Los Angeles Clippers (20-27)
Last week: Lost at New Jersey; lost at Minnesota; lost at Cleveland.
Technically, they could have had a worse week. At least the players’ paychecks didn’t bounce. Read More »
I don’t know why, but when I was growing up and coming into my identity as a Black male, I felt I was supposed to pick a side between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Whether it’s the same old divisiveness that’s stood in the way of progress for decades or it’s something else, I can’t explain it. But that said, I was more of a Malcolm fan: Read the autobiography, bought the posters, romanticized “By any means necessary” even if I didn’t completely understand what it meant. Read More »
After Chris Paul shredded their D for an easy layup with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter, OKC trailed by three. Obviously they would have to go to Kevin Durant, as he’s not only their go-to superstar, but also the only real three-point threat on the court, with James Harden (35% from deep) running a distant second. Read More »
Of all the WTF-inducing headlines I expected to see coming from Golden State Warriors camp this season, “Anthony Randolph is on the trading block” definitely wasn’t one of them.
Not to say I straight-up inhaled the Kool-Aid being served around the Bay Area over the summer, but I could originally see why a lot of people would think Randolph is the future of the franchise. Read More »
To put it lightly, Dwight Howard had a hard time getting easy looks at the basket against the Pacers last night. One of the few opportunities where he was able to do what he does best without much interference came in the second half, when Vince Carter drove left seemingly on a mission to draw a foul, and when no whistle came, threw up a blind … something … with his back to the basket that turned into a perfect lob for Dwight at the rim.
It was kind of strange to see: One guy who used to be (and sometimes still is) in that special category of “Just throw the ball somewhere near the rim and he’ll dunk it,” working the other end of the equation and finding today’s premier finisher of bad passes. Read More »
Dwight Howard is going to snap. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, exactly what it’s going to entail, or which sad soul will take the brunt of it … but it’s coming.
Last night, Howard made 22 trips to the free-throw line in a win over the Pacers, three days after he shot 17 free throws in a loss to Phoenix. In both games, the defensive strategy was clear: Don’t let Dwight dunk on you at a 98 percent clip when you can send him to the line and take your chances 50/50. Read More »
In basketball and every other major pro team sport, we always seem to be in the middle of a period where one position is enjoying a “Golden Era.” Right now, a lot of people would say this is a Golden Era for point guards in the NBA. And if you haven’t seen Dime’s NBA preview issue yet, there I wrote that we’re seeing the beginning of a Golden Era for small forwards.
At the beginning of this decade, though, we were in the age of the power forward. Read More »
During the obligatory, “Where will LeBron and D-Wade end up in 2010?” segment of last night’s Cavs/Heat game, Reggie Miller talked about his own experiences as a free agent.
The Indiana Pacers icon admitted there was a time when he seriously considered signing with the Knicks, but New York chose to spend their money on Allan Houston instead. Read More »
