Their names came across the ticker with very little fanfare, but they could hold the fate of teams contending for an NBA championship. The news read like this: the contracts for Joe Smith and Drew Gooden were bought out by Oklahoma City and Sacramento Kings. Gooden was traded to the Sacramento Kings as part of … [Read more…]
Lamar Odom’s game is as volatile as the New York Stock Market. Sometimes it is way up, and sometimes it is way down. When the Los Angeles Lakers season tipped off, the Odom Meter was running low as all eyes were on Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. The casual fan and longtime basketball experts were … [Read more…]
The 2009 McDonald’s All-American boys basketball were recently named and of the 24 names in the West and East rosters, two stood out because of what it said under the last column – undecided. Lance Stephenson of Lincoln High School from Brooklyn, N.Y., and DeMarcus Cousins of LeFlore High School from Mobile, Ala., have yet … [Read more…]
When he was a freshman at USC, O.J. Mayo spent his summer vacation playing one-one-one against Kobe Bryant at Bryant’s basketball camp held at Loyola Marymount in Marina del Rey. Bryant won most of the battles, but Mayo more than held his own against the player regarded as the best in the world. Mayo’s basketball … [Read more…]
Something is definitely wrong with the Boston Celtics. Though the defending NBA champs are still a major driving force in the East, the Celtics’ high-powered engine is beginning to leak and their once tireless energy on defense is showing some wear-and-tear. Coach Doc Rivers also hinted the team is severely missing two key cogs from … [Read more…]
After being selected to his 15th – and possibly his final – NBA All-Star Game, Shaquille O’Neal began reflecting. It is something athletes do when they get to be a certain age and they start to see the finish line, and O’Neal is at that point now. Regrets? Oh, yeah. Shaq’s had a few of … [Read more…]
The rosters for the NBA All-Star game on Feb. 15 in Phoenix are set and, for the most part, the fan voting and the selection of the reserves for the East and West squads were consistent with my picks with the exception of two players: Rashard Lewis and David West. I have a problem with … [Read more…]
Larry Bird, Hall-of-Famer and three-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, once said that a true basketball “assassin” is someone who is not afraid to shoot when the game is on the line. Bird explained that it is easy to shoot a potential game-winning shot when the game is tied, and the worst thing that … [Read more…]
When you look up the word “warrior” in the online dictionary, it reads: one who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity, cause, or conflict. When you look up the picture of a warrior, you see Alonzo Mourning. Mourning, 38, announced his retirement from the NBA after 15 years of engaging in aggressive and … [Read more…]
With just a few days left before the final All-Star Game rosters are set, Joe Johnson is getting shamefully snubbed. The Hawks’ shooting guard is 11th among East guards. He deserved to start in the All-Star Game on Feb. 15. You cannot convince me that Joe Johnson is the 11th-best guard in the East. No … [Read more…]