DERON WILLIAMS’ TURKEY DEBUT

Deron Williams, the most recognizable NBA player playing overseas during this ridiculous lockout, scored 11 points and had five assists in a recent Turkish league game. Playing for Besiktas, the New Jersey Nets point guard was just 2-for-10 from the field in 23 minutes in a 107-69 victory over Bandirma Kirmizi, one of the least-talented … [Read more…]

SWEET LOU SHINES IN PHILLY VS. D.C.

Lou Williams scored 53 points in Saturday’s exhibition at Calvin Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C., featuring D.C.-area players against ballers from the Philadelphia area. Let me say that again . . . Lou Williams dropped 53 points in a game! I hope 76ers coach Doug Collins was watching because we may never see Sweet … [Read more…]

2011 LOCKOUT SEQUEL TO ’98 LABOR STRIFE

Back in 1998, the NBA suffered a huge financial setback and public relations black eye when the league wiped 32 regular-season games and the best it could do was put together a 50-game schedule that started in January. Union executive director Billy Hunter was asked who won or lost in the collective bargaining war and … [Read more…]

VIDEO: DREW TEAM TOPS GOODMAN

Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star forward and Washington, D.C. product Kevin Durant has been on a tear this summer, but his OKC teammate Los Angeles native James Harden has been straight up ballin too. Harden, who attended Artesia High School (Calif.), went head-to-head with Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and held his own. But Kobe … [Read more…]

SFL CLASSIC: TEAM LEBRON VS. TEAM WADE

With the absence of a new NBA collective bargaining agreement – and neither side isn’t budging at this point – basketball fans are stuck with glorified scrimmages organized by the league’s superstars. The latest installment of this very expensive pickup game is Saturday night’s exhibition game in Miami featuring a team led by LeBron James … [Read more…]

BARKLEY: NBA OWNERS MAY SIT OUT YEAR

After a nonproductive day on the collective bargaining table with the players’ association NBA commissioner David Stern and his deputy Adam Silver said on Tuesday that the 2011-12 NBA preseason has been wiped out, and if no new deal is in place by Oct. 10 then Stern has no choice but to cancel the first … [Read more…]

WHY ITALY MAKES SENSE FOR KOBE

Kobe Bryant recently said it would be a dream to play in Italy. Well, that dream could soon become reality as Virtus Bologna says it has reached a verbal agreement with the 33-year-old Los Angeles Lakers superstar that would pay him $3 million to play 10 games in 40 days in the Italian League. Assuming … [Read more…]

CAN THE NBA SEASON BE SAVED?

The first significant dent to the 2011-12 NBA season was delivered Friday when the league announced that training camps have been postponed and 43 preseason games were removed from the calendar. All games from Oct. 9-15 are off, the league said. Camps were expected to open Oct. 3 but that seems likely to change too. … [Read more…]