For the most part, opinions were split when Ben Gordon signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Pistons last summer reported to be worth $55 million.
On one hand, the 26-year-old BG was just coming off the best season of his pro career, which he capped by averaging 24.3 points and hitting a slew of clutch shots in a close playoff series loss to the defending champion Celtics. On the other hand, was it smart for the rebuilding Pistons to give All-Star type money to an undersized two-guard (with zero All-Star nods) who is widely regarded as a one-dimensional scorer? Read More »
30. New Jersey Nets (7-56) — Garbage in, garbage out, garbage up, garbage down.
29. Minnesota Timberwolves (14-50) — In Monday’s loss to Dallas, Kurt Rambis sat Kevin Love most of the night and played Darko in his place, claiming he wanted to have a more active big man to give Dirk some problems. You’re over-thinking it, homeboy. Play the double-double kid. Read More »
Weekend Wonder:LeBron James put up 40 points, 3 threes, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 4 turnovers on Friday. He shot 59 percent (16-27) from the field and 83 percent (5-6) from the line, and sprained an ankle in the process. He sat out his first game of the season the next day but should be back on the court soon. Read More »
Down 10 going into the fourth quarter against the reigning Eastern Conference champs, it seemed Kobe was just waiting for the perfect set-up to steal another team’s heart. Scoring a modest 16 points through three quarters, Kobe hit back-to-back jumpers to open the fourth, then later went on a personal 7-0 run to cut Orlando’s lead to two with about 4:30 remaining. Read More »
Dwyane Wade needed a team like the Warriors on the schedule last night. In just his second game back from the calf injury that cost him four crucial games as the Heat try to stay in the playoff picture, Wade was coming off a 6-for-17 effort against Orlando; G-State’s crew of D-League call-ups running Nellie’s defensive “system” was the perfect opportunity to get back in rhythm … Wade finished with 35 points (15-23 FG) and 12 assists — throwing in crazy-angle bankers, pull-ups, finger rolls and one alley-oop from Carlos Arroyo where he had to move his head out of the way so he wouldn’t hit the rim — but the Heat still got all they could handle for a Warriors squad whose roster of injured guys would beat the healthy guys more often than not. Read More »
Last night I was looking for a video of the move Manu Ginobili put on Tayshaun Prince during Spurs/Pistons — picture Magic Johnson breaking Latrell Sprewell’s neck with a ball fake in his ‘96 comeback game and you get the idea — and I came across these. Who knew Manu had one of the better commercial resumes of anybody in the NBA? Check out the one below, and then another after the jump:
We’ve been over the winners. Following a hectic NBA trading season where 39 players changed addresses leading up to Thursday’s deadline, here are the trade deadline losers:
1. Los Angeles Lakers — It’s easy to see why the defending champs would be content with what they’ve got, especially when they’re currently sporting the best record in the West. But the Lake Show does have some noticeable flaws that could have been addressed with a trade. Namely, L.A. needs a guy who can handle the ball and deal with fast guards. Remember the ‘09 playoffs against Aaron Brooks? Last night it was tough watching Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar trying to stay in front of Rajon Rondo, and at some point that defensive hole could come back and bite L.A. in the butt. Read More »
With a day off in between the All-Star Game and the continuation of the NBA schedule, Monday was a time for trades, post-trade fallout, and trade rumors … As we wrote this column, the Blazers and Clippers were reportedly very close to closing a deal that would send Marcus Camby to Portland for Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake. The Blazers have to do something to cover the hole left at center by Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla’s injuries, because going into the playoffs with Juwan Howard starting in the middle is just asking for a first-round exit. Read More »
