Even though he hasn’t played in a game since Nov. 10, 2010, you can definitely feel Yao Ming‘s absence in the NBA this season. And with 2012 NBA All-Star Balloting tipping off today, over 1 million people will have to find another suitable candidate among Western Conference centers. (Although I hope people still write him in.) Even though Yao is retired from playing ball, the 31-year-old is not resting on his laurels. His latest endeavor? The Chinese wine scene. Read More »
NBA 2K12 won’t stop with just a few basketball legends. They’re going all out this holiday season, giving us everyone from George Mikan to Jamal Mashburn. It was recently announced that 2K would be offering a special mode – called the “Legends Showcase” – for download at some point soon where gamers would have the chance to hit the blacktop in Times Square and play one-on-one, H-O-R-S-E, 21 and any other number of games like two-on-two teammate challenges against some of the best the NBA has ever seen. We knew that. Now we also know what players will be in the add-on. If you didn’t think you would be purchasing the “Legends Showcase,” this might change your mind. Read More »
When the NBA released its schedule for the 2011-12 season back in July, we all got excited. I mean, who wouldn’t? A new season means a fresh start before any true delusions of grandeur set in. “Believe me, the T-Wolves could go 82-0!”“Why wouldn’t the Magic trade us Dwight Howard for Theo Ratliff?!”“I bet Blake Griffin will dunk from out of bounds this season.” Although I can’t tell you exactly who said these things, just know that they’ve all been said. Somewhere. But until a new collective bargaining agreement is in place, these conversations won’t be happening near an NBA area any time soon. Read More »
Kobe Bryant has maintained his spot as the best basketball player in the world because, even as his nagging injuries pile up and he moves into his 30′s, he relies more on his skills and fundamentals than simple athleticism and explosiveness.
Don’t get it mistaken, though: Kobe can still get up every once in a while, even if some analysts and fans talk about his hops like he’s Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Read More »
Normally birthdays are a cause for celebration. But for basketball fans worldwide, Yao Ming‘s 31st birthday is just another thing to hang on the “What if?” wall. The summer of quite literally the NBA’s biggest retirements (Yao & Shaq) gives us two examples of two different paths. O’Neal somehow avoided serious injuries and was able to play until he was nearly 39, finishing his career with 28,596 career points and 13,099 rebounds. In his first seven seasons, before injuries basically kept him out for all of the last two years, Yao was at 9,196 points and 4,467 rebounds.
There are some things in life more important than basketball. When you’re a kid, if you really love the game, you swear it’s all gonna work out for you and that someday you will make money off this game and someday this game will make you famous. Once you get older, things are put in perspective (usually). Only then, professional athletes become our fantasy world and we view them only as how much entertainment can they provide us? How good can they make our teams? How much joy can they bring to our lives? Sometimes when athletes don’t reach their potential or flame out early or just don’t care as much as we do about the actual sport, we get angry. But at least we can respect Yao Ming for his reasons on leaving the game. Read More »
Professional athletes are involved in a cutthroat business. In a profession where people believe too much is guaranteed, so much is not. Marquis Daniels is one of the recent players who fell tragically to the “what have you done for me lately” mentality. In a routine regular season game in February, Daniels collided with the Magic’s Agent Zero and the famed parquee floor of the Boston Garden. After being rendered temporarily paralyzed, doctors told Marquis that he bruised his spinal cord and, on top of that, was suffering from spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal cord. Read More »
Don’t you all feel like something was stolen from you? Yao Ming. He could’ve been one of the greats, should’ve been one of the greats. But science and physics took him away from us this summer, and for good this time. After the big man missed just two games through his first three NBA seasons, Yao played over 57 in a season just once for the rest of his career. With a number of foot and ankle problems that never quite healed, Yao called it quits at 30 because his body couldn’t take it anymore. Read More »
Yesterday, one door officially closed while another one opened. Yao Ming is finished, his playing days are over. Yesterday, we heard from the big man’s mouth that he is retiring. Yao will return to do some work for the team he once played for, the Shanghai Sharks, and as David Stern hopes, will probably still have some involvement with the NBA. The former Rocket thanked many former teammates and opponents, including Shaquille O’Neal, Chuck Hayes, Aaron Brooks, Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola for helping him along the way, and thanked the entire city of Houston for turning a skinny, young kid into a man. Read More »
Looks like Iggy recently had a change of heart. Philly’s long-time swingman stated his intention to stay a Sixer. Truthfully, it’s all words until players sign on the dotted line. At the same time, we halfway wish the Monta Ellis/Andre Igoudala trade actually happened. Philly’s team defense pretty much got them into the playoffs but they couldn’t buy a bucket on the perimeter. Meanwhile, Golden State has all the offense in the world but continually comes up short on the other end. Ellis and Igoudala’s talents as a scorer and a stopper respectively fill in team needs quite well. So what’s the hold up? Read More »
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