When Pat Riley took over the reigns of the Miami Heat franchise in 1996, he got the ball rolling with two important building blocks: center Alonzo Mourning and point guard Tim Hardaway. Thirteen years later, the Heat will honor Hardaway for helping Riley “get the ball rolling” in Miami as his No. 10 jersey will … [Read more…]
It’s great to be a Los Angeles Laker these days, especially when your name is Lamar Odom. You’re team is the defending world champions and it seems like everywhere you go, you are the toast of the town. Odom is certainly soaking in all the attention being thrown his way, and he now has someone … [Read more…]
Five minutes into Michael Jordan’s Hall-of-Fame induction speech in Springfield, Mass., he said “I shocked the shit out of him” in reference to David Thompson’s reaction when the former North Carolina State star was asked to be his sponsor. What? Did Jordan just say “shit” on national television? Wow. What a way to bust through … [Read more…]
What would the world look like without Michael Jordan? For one, there would be no Kobe Bryant. Two, there would be no Dwyane Wade. And three, there would be no LeBron James. Greatness can’t be measured by statistics. True greatness is defined by a player’s legacy. Michael Jordan’s impact in the sport can be seen … [Read more…]
Bruce Bowen recently announced his retirement from the NBA. It is almost a certainly that 99% of the players in the Association just breathed a sigh of relief now that Bowen has hung up his sneakers for good. Throughout his 12-year career, eight of them spent with the San Antonio Spurs, Bowen was known as … [Read more…]
There is no doubt that John Stockton is a Hall-of-Fame player. But was he the best point guard ever? That is debatable. If you based everything on regular statistics, then Stockton has to be at the top of list because he retired with the most assists (15,806) and steals (3,265) in NBA history. However, playoff … [Read more…]
David Robinson will go down in basketball lore as one of the greatest to ever play the game. As validation, he will be enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., later this month as part of one of the best Hall of Fame classes in recent memory, a class that includes … [Read more…]
Earvin “Magic” Johnson recently celebrated his 50th birthday, a minor miracle considering the man told the whole world 18 years ago that he was HIV positive. Though he’s been out of professional basketball for more than a decade, Magic has found a way to stay relevant. He stays visible as part owner of the his … [Read more…]
Newly hired Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Kurt Rambis says he will install some form of Tex Winter’s triangle offense in the T-Wolves offensive game plan. That’s fine and dandy for post-up guys like Al Jefferson and Kevin Love, but good luck getting perimeter players Jonny Flynn, Rodney Carney and Corey Brewer to buy into. That … [Read more…]
USA Basketball recently finished a mini-camp in Las Vegas – what better place to hold a mini-camp than the entertainment capital of the world – and the system that Jerry Colangelo put in place four years ago seems to be working like a charm. Mike Krzyzewski is back as head coach of Team USA and … [Read more…]