Anyone who watches ESPN’s “First Take” knows Skip Bayless’ daily diatribe on Russell Westbrook. Bayless slams Westbrook every chance he gets, pointing out Westbrook’s shortcomings as a point guard and how he is curbing Kevin Durant’s greatness. Bayless is right about one thing, and that is Westbrook is not a true point guard. What Bayless … [Read more…]
The Clippers capped off one of their best seasons in a long time, winning 56 games and finishing fourth in the Western Conference. The last time the franchise won 49 games the team was still in Buffalo and John Wooden was still coaching at UCLA. By firing head coach Vinny Del Negro after the team … [Read more…]
Before Mikhail Prokhorov bought the Nets, New York was all about the Knicks. The Knicks play in the most famous arena in the world, Madison Square Garden, while for years the Nets played their home games at the Izod Center. Even the name sounds cheap. Who buys Izod? The Knicks have a rich hoops history, … [Read more…]
It has been 18 months since Derrick Rose last played in a meaningful game. If you’re a Chicago Bulls fan, it must seem like 18 years. Rose says he’s ready to take the court when the Bulls open the season. That’s all good for team morale, but the bigger question is which Derrick Rose are … [Read more…]
Erik Spoelstra sat in the stands inside Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas looking very relaxed. He happily signed a few autographs, scribbling “Coach Spo” on one program. Life is good for Coach Spo. He’s coming off a second championship season and one day before the start of training … [Read more…]
The FIBA Basketball World Cup, known from 1950 until 2010 as the FIBA World Championship, is arguably the second-biggest sporting event behind the FIFA World Cup. And, based on all the stunning play during the qualifying rounds, the world can’t wait for #Spain2014. Spain will host the first-ever FIBA World Cup a year from now … [Read more…]
The Glove. The nickname fit Gary Payton like Isotoners. He got his nickname “The Glove” when Payton’s cousin called him during the 1993 Western Conference Finals series against Phoenix and told him, “you’re holding Kevin Johnson like a baseball in a glove,” and the nickname was born. The only point guard ever to win the … [Read more…]
Basketball is arguably the second-most popular sport in the world, trailing only soccer. The number of foreign-born players in the NBA has risen dramatically since 1992 when the Dream Team took the sport into a different stratosphere. One of the sport’s greatest international stars is Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt. Oscar is one of 12 new members … [Read more…]
Before King James, there was Bernard King. King was not flamboyant, just effective. He was a formidable offensive force who was at his best when posting up a defender with his back to the basket, then spinning right or left to shake free for a lightning-quick turnaround jump shot. NBA TV recently aired “Unstoppable”, a … [Read more…]
Tracy McGrady officially announced his retirement from the NBA on ESPN’s “First Take.” It wasn’t a complete shock considering McGrady has been relegated to the bench the last three years, most recently this past season with the San Antonio Spurs. McGrady put up some spectacular numbers during his 16-year career, but he also suffered through … [Read more…]