On August 11, 2012, the Los Angeles Lakers completed their second blockbuster trade of the offseason. After luring two-time MVP Steve Nash away from division rival Phoenix, they worked out a four-team deal that brought Dwight Howard to the bright lights of L.A. Expectactions immediately went through the roof, a team with four future Hall of Famers (Nash, Howard, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant) was supposed to keep the Pacific Division title away from the pesky upstart Los Angeles Clippers, supposed to reclaim the Western Conference title, and supposed to challenge the Miami Heat for NBA supremacy. Read More »

As the fantasy playoffs are either here or on the horizon, depending on your league settings, player values have fallen in place. Of course there are some exceptions. However, by this time statistics have evened out. The early hot streaks dissolve, and the underachievers have worked their way back into the fantasy hierarchy. Read More »

One of the best games all season went down in Milwaukee last night. With both the Bucks and the Jazz literally playing for their playoff lives, they staged a wild back-n-forth overtime matchup that ultimately swayed Milwaukee’s way because of one man: Monta Ellis. Read More »

The case of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith is peculiar, one where a former No. 1 pick languished, then found a career rebirth. And then, today, he was traded to Kansas City because Colin Kaepernick took his job with an out-of-nowhere run in December and January. In NBA terms, the only player eligible for such a career twist would be former No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani — though he still hasn’t found the career rebirth part yet. Read More »

Say what you will about the Heat’s rebounding problems against bigger teams such as Indiana this season, but the Heat’s turnovers are reliably the larger indicator for its wins or losses. That’s why its 102-89 loss to Indiana was a little worrisome even if LeBron (28 points) and Dwyane Wade (17 points) sounded afterward as if they’d just lost a charity game, insisting it’s no big deal at all. Read More »

You know you have a good team when you can withstand five three-pointers from Jose Calderon, 36 combined points off the bench from a journeyman (Alan Anderson) and a rookie (Terrence Ross), and a turnover and missed shot from LeBron in the final minute. Read More »

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While things are getting dicey in Los Angeles because the Lakers will rely on D-League call-ups and 10-day contracts to get them through the next few weeks, it’s the opposite in Utah. It has been all season. Before the year began, I noted that Utah’s imposing frontline was a double-edged sword: too much talent, too many bodies, not enough playing time. Read More »

On one hand, you have Sunday being defined by a Seahawks team coming out of relative nowhere to crush the 49ers and become the NFL’s hottest team. In the NBA, its best team right now is on just the same kind of roll — 13 straight wins after Sunday — and even though you can say we’ve seen the Los Angeles Clippers coming for a couple of seasons now, it’s still remarkable that they’re the class of the West. Read More »

As the first month of the NBA season comes to a close, player values are starting to fall in place. Of course there are some exceptions, like if some of these players just happened to start off ice cold or riding a hot streak. However, by this time statistics begin to even out. The early hot streaks dissolve, and the underachievers slowly work their way back into the fantasy hierarchy. Read More »