Blog Archives

When you consider the success of long-term NBA contenders, there’s perhaps no controversy more irrelevant than the San Antonio Spurs’ decision to bench their stars in their nationally televised contest on a Thursday night in November against the Miami Heat. Coach Greg Popovich’s decision to sit Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green will be only an afterthought come playoff time, when the Spurs resume sitting in their annual spot atop the Western Conference. At 13-4, San Antonio is only a half...

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As meaningless preseason games wind down and teams start the unenviable process of cutting their rosters down to 53, it is becoming more and more evident that NFL football is on the horizon. The season is fast approaching, and the countless hours of speculation and projection will finally come to a halt once teams first step onto the field next week. The NFL is chock-full of league-wide parity, which makes it all the more compelling. Seasons can turn in the blink of an eye...

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If you have any rooted interest in the NBA, you’ve probably heard about the reported blockbuster trade sending Dwight Howard to the Lakers by now. The trade is sure to shake up the outlook of the upcoming season, as the Lakers will add a three-time Defensive Player of the Year to a core that already included two former MVPs (Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash) and a perennial All-Star (Pau Gasol). That the Lakers were able to land Howard while giving up only Andrew Bynum...

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We’re still less than a week into NFL training camp, but some tight position battles have already begun to emerge at the skill positions. These competitions are important to watch for fantasy owners and well as real-life football fans, as many of the players involved could wind up being real contributors for their teams this coming season. While we have to remember that preseason positions battles aren’t the end-all-be-all—many of these players will wind up splitting snaps once the real games start—they give us...

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The Las Vegas Summer League came to an end on Sunday, but NBA fans shouldn’t fret—there’s more basketball to come, as Team USA’s men’s basketball kicks off its Olympic run this Sunday against France. But for all those basketball fans looking ahead to the upcoming regular season, the Summer League provided the first glimpse into which under-the-radar players have a chance to emerge from the end of the bench and contribute to their NBA teams. Josh Selby, Memphis Grizzlies Selby must have sensed his...

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Any fan of the New York Knicks has inevitably wrestled internally with inescapable truth that owner James Dolan is controlling the team, for better or for worse. Whether this resigns the Knicks to perpetual mediocrity is debatable, but disapproval of Dolan’s reign atop the franchise has been harsh and frequent. Of all the criticism Knicks fans have given Dolan, the one thing you can’t say about the owner is that he’s afraid to spend. Perpetually over the salary cap, Dolan has exhibited a willingness...

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The loss of starting pitcher Dillon Gee for the New York Mets has sparked debate about whether we will (and should) be seeing a new, heavily-anticipated face taking the mound in the orange and blue. When news of the blot-clot in Gee’s shoulder surfaced, the buzz surrounding a potential call up of Matt Harvey became audible. After Gee was officially ruled out for the season, the calls have grown louder and louder in Queens. Few wonder whether Harvey, 23, is physically prepared to perform...

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With the 2012 NBA Draft firmly in the rearview mirror, the start of the Orlando Summer League allows for our first look at how heralded draft picks can acclimate themselves to NBA-style competition. While the offense may be sloppy and unorganized at times, summer league play provides unheralded youngsters with the opportunity to impress coaches and fans in their quest to prove that they belong in the NBA. Every year, a few second round picks and undrafted players emerge as significant pieces on NBA...

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The final roster for the 2012 USA Olympic basketball team was announced on July 7th, and the decision from chairman Jerry Colangelo added James Harden, Andre Igoudala, and Blake Griffin to the mainstays of the international roster. The trio got the call over the likes of Rudy Gay, Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis, who were also competing for the right to round out the USA roster this summer in London. Though invaluable to their teams in NBA play, Harden, Iguodala, and Griffin will be...

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