LeBron James returned from missing a game with the flu and scored 22 points in 19 minutes in a 105-98 preseason loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. James, who said before the game his flu recovery was going well, was 7 of 14 from the field and had six rebounds. He’s still … [Read more…]
John R. Wooden celebrated his 99th birthday on Oct. 14. That’s 99 great years for a man who is considered the greatest coach in sports and one of the most influential people in the world. I had the honor of meeting Coach Wooden in March of 1995. To this day, that was the best interview … [Read more…]
Golden State head coach Don Nelson recently suspended forward Stephen Jackson for conduct detrimental to the team after the “stunt” he pulled during a preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson, who has gone public with his trade demands and has not been discreet about his displeasure with the direction the Warriors are heading, … [Read more…]
It may not be a sexy offseason transaction that made you look, but acquiring Arron Afflalo is a tremendous upgrade for the Denver Nuggets. Last season, the Nuggets used Dahntay Jones at the 2-guard and even though he did a “decent” job, Jones was very limited offensively and he’s not a shut-down, one-on-one defender who … [Read more…]
OneManFastBreak.net lists the second- and third-year players who will make the jump from above-average player to budding superstar. KEVIN DURANT, Oklahoma City Thunder, Forward Mark this down: Kevin Durant will be in the 2009 All-Star Game in Dallas, and he won’t be playing on All-Star Saturday Night. He’ll be playing in the big game on … [Read more…]
Doc Rivers recently sat down with the Real Training Camp crew for NBA TV and gave his state-of-the-Celtics address. He talked about the health of his All-Star forward Kevin Garnett, the addition of forward-center Rasheed Wallace and his expectations for this upcoming season. On the health of KG: “He looks great. He’s got shin problems … [Read more…]
Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas is reportedly dropping his “Hibachi” and “Agent Zero” monikers and vows to focus on just playing basketball, something he has not been able to do the past two seasons. In the past two seasons, Arenas has appeared in just 15 games, two in 2008-09 and 13 in 2007-08, all … [Read more…]
Through the first 29 games last season, the Boston Celtics were on a phenomenal 27-2 run and seemed poised to challenge the 1996 Chicago Bulls’ record of 72-10 mark. But something happened to the Celtics’ bullet train that derailed their championship aspirations and date with history. On Dec. 25, 2008, the Celtics lost to the … [Read more…]
They’ve all heard the unflattering monikers thrown at the direction of the Los Angeles Clippers over the years: Losers, cursed, hard-luck, also-ran, deadbeat and dud. Ron Harper’s infamous “jail” reference to the franchise still resonates in the basketball community. But Blake Grifin, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton and Rasual Butler are having none of that. They … [Read more…]
It was a Thursday afternoon in El Segundo, Calif. The Southern California weather was very accommodating and the players practicing at the Toyota Center had a certain bounce to their step. The Los Angeles Lakers opened training camp this week and based on the sounds and images during a practice session, everything suggests that the … [Read more…]