This past Friday when I was at Madison Square Garden to watch Knicks/Bucks, I got up with Milwaukee’s Jodie Meeks and Hakim Warrick before the game. With Meeks, a rookie from Kentucky, we chatted about his year so far, the rules of the road and his thoughts on John Wall. With Hak, a five-year pro from Syracuse, we talked about comparisons with Wes Johnson, the best pro advice he never received and his PlayStation addiction. Oh yea, and both of these guys think their alma mater (currently No. 2 and No. 3 in the nation) can win the National Championship. It all plays out in the interviews below… Read More »
Less than a minute to go in Orlando, the Wizards were up one with the ball. And as one of the Magic announcers put it, “Their body language is such that they don’t believe they’re really here.” In other words, the Wizards were acting like they knew they were going to somehow blow the game. As if on cue, they committed a turnover, and a couple possessions later, Rashard Lewis stuck a corner three to put Orlando up one with four seconds left. Given all that’s happened to the Wizards this year, you’d think they might as well just go home at that point, but this time they had one reason to stay optimistic: Caron Butler … Read More »
The last time Brandon Jennings played at Madison Square Garden, the then Arizona-bound senior from Oak Hill Academy earned co-MVP honors (along with Tyreke Evans) as he finished with 10 points and an event record 14 assists to lead his team to victory at the 2008 Jordan Brand Classic. Tonight, on basketball’s biggest stage, a couple things have changed. First, Jennings is killing it in his rookie season after spending the season in Italy. Second, he’ll be playing against a team – and in front of a crowd – that he could’ve called his own if the Knicks didn’t sleep on him in this summers NBA Draft. Read More »
LEBRON JAMES (by Austin Burton)
Remember when we weren’t sure if he’d get here? Back then, the King was still a kid, all promise and potential but still unproven to a League waiting to chew him up and spit him out like so many other failed phenoms. Back then, what made LeBron different from the other boy wonders was that he wasn’t the next Shaq or the next Mike or the next Larry: He was the next Magic, the one player who hadn’t yet had a “Next.”
Six and a half years into his pro career, LeBron is undeniably a legend in the making, only now his game is harder to peg. Read More »
The All-Star 2010 Skills Challenge field is set: Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, Steve Nash and Brandon Jennings. Rose won the crown last year, while D-Will and Nash are also previous winners of the Challenge.
For whatever reason, the NBA’s version of the skills competition has been almost exclusive to point guards, whereas the McDonald’s High School All-American challenge is open to anyone: Last year’s winner, current Pitt freshman Dante Taylor, is a 6-9 power forward. Read More »
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 »
Score a few more votes for Lionel Hollins in the Coach of the Year race, because he may have just figured out the best way to guard Kobe Bryant at the end of a game. Last night the Grizzlies were up two on the Lakers with 21 seconds left when Mike Conley blew a chance to ice the win and bricked two free throws. Then it was Kobe’s turn, and as he was going into his move to get space for his trusty mid-range jumper over O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol switched onto him. The 7-footer kept his arms up the entire time, and was quick enough on his feet to stay in front of Kobe long enough to force him to pass. Kobe did find Ron Artest wide open on the wing, but he missed and Memphis won. Read More »
In the free cable TV classic Face/Off, John Travolta the FBI agent and Nic Cage the criminal switch faces (it’s complicated and corny) and go about their good guy/bad guy business while basically being the other guy. Last night was like the NBA version of Face/Off, only instead of Travolta and Cage, it was starring Kadeem Hardison and Dolph Lundgren. Blazers/Mavs saw one guy drop 52 points and absolutely dominate down the stretch, using awkward herky-jerky moves to beat his defenders between sticking jumper after jumper. Dirk Nowitzki? Nope. It was Andre Miller … Read More »
Earlier today, the NBA released the list of 18 players selected for the 2010 Rookie Challenge during All-Star Weekend – headlined by reigning Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose and superstar freshmen Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings and Omri Casspi. The Sophomores have won seven in a row over the first-year players, but the rookies may have the firepower with a talented crop of young guards. Will this be the year the Rookies break through? I don’t think so. Read More »
