The Phoenix Suns have rolled through three general managers, three coaches and a slew of All-Stars and talented role players since 2005. After the sale of the franchise from long-time sports owner Jerry Colangelo to businessman Robert Sarver, this question looms: How much time does a team under new ownership need to settle down?

Composing winning teams in the NBA means team ownership must pair talented players with adaptable coaches. But championship-caliber teams keep those pieces static. Retaining players and coaches requires that the ownership have patience and trust in everyone in the organization –- no panicking allowed. Read More »

If I could get into the Chicago Bulls’ Christmas party, I’m betting somebody in the organization will be giving out boxing gloves. After playing the first month of the season without All-Star power forward and prized free-agency acquisition Carlos Boozer and his broken finger, then with the news yesterday that starting center Joakim Noah — who was just signed to a $60 million contract extension — will miss 8-10 weeks following thumb surgery, the Bulls may be thinking of investing in protective mitts for the rest of their roster. “Sorry you can’t open your car or use chopsticks, Ronnie, but we need you against Indiana tonight.” Read More »

As the NBA preseason gets underway, we preview the upcoming campaign with the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team.

Added: Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, Kurt Thomas, Omer Asik, C.J. Watson

Lost: Kirk Hinrich, Brad Miller, Hakim Warrick, Flip Murray, Jannero Pargo, Joe Alexander Read More »

There’s an old-school saying: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Whether that means the person who speaks up gets the attention, the person who asks for help receives help, or just the person who most obviously needs assistance gets it, the term can apply to everything from school to dating to self-promotion.

In basketball, it seems the grease doesn’t necessarily go to the squeaky wheel, but rather, the biggest wheel. Read More »

There is no price for experience in the NBA. Actually, I take that back. The price is often the veteran’s minimum. Looking to add some solid big men to their rosters before next season, the Lakers went ahead and signed Theo Ratliff to a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum of $1.35 million, while Kurt Thomas has reportedly agreed to a two-year contract with the Bulls. Can’t say that either of these moves will tip the balance, but when you have injuries, you never know. Read More »

I don’t know much about hockey, but I know the game isn’t easy on one’s body. So whenever I see an NHL player who’s been in the League for 15 or 20 years, it always amazes me.

Earlier this week the New Jersey Devils inked 27-year-old wing Ilya Kovalchuk to a 17-year contract worth $102 million. SEVENTEEN years. When the deal runs out, Kovalchuk would be 44 years old and likely a living legend with Devils fans. (Note: The NHL rejected the contract on Tuesday for salary-cap reasons, but the Devils and Kovalchuk can still renegotiate another deal.)

Nobody in the NBA is ever getting a 17-year deal, but I was thinking of some NBA guys who are locked into their station and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Read More »

This week Major League Baseball played its annual Mid-Summer Classic. As the game’s greatest players took the field in Anaheim for Monday’s Home Run Derby, followed by Tuesday’s All-Star Game, it got me thinking of how some of the NBA’s best compare with MLB’s best: Read More »

Manu Ginobili’s bald spot might signal it’s over for the old guys. But, the San Antonio Spurs are trying to gear up again for one final push with their current roster. Every year, the “Spurs aren’t dead” headlines appear. Last summer, the signings of Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess were supposed to put them over the hump. They didn’t.

Now, the San Antonio News-Express is reporting that Spurs’ 2007 first-round pick, Tiago Splitter really wants to and is planning on coming to the States for next season: Read More »

With Avery Johnson recently being hired by the Nets, and Mark Jackson in contention for the Hawks job, former NBA players continue to populate the coaching ranks. With this steady diet of former players becoming coaches, who are the next five NBA coaches who will be former NBA players? We break it down here: Read More »

On just about every level of basketball, a coach’s fate is largely determined by the expectations preceding him. For proof, look no further than the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.

It’s been a couple of weeks since coach Mike Woodson‘s Hawks waxed Scott Skiles‘ Bucks in Games Six and Seven of their first-round playoff series, and yet today it’s Skiles whose team is considered moving in the right direction, while Woodson is unemployed and his former team faces a mini-rebuilding summer. It worked out that way because the Bucks overachieved beyond preseason expectations that they’d be one of the worst teams in the NBA, while the Hawks fell short of expectations, looking like they didn’t belong on the court with the Eastern Conference’s elite after eliminating Milwaukee.

So with Skiles’ job secure for the foreseeable future, what do the Bucks have to do this offseason to stay on the right track? Read More »