The New Orleans Pelicans have decided that 60-year-old NBA coaching veteran Alvin Gentry is the best candidate to mold a young roster featuring 22-year-old budding superstar Anthony Davis.
Chris Gatling, a former N.B.A. star, was arrested on allegations he oversaw an online scheme using credit cards of people from across the country.
The Orlando Magic hired Scott Skiles, a 13-year N.B.A. coach, as their next coach.
James missed his first 10 shots but had 37 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 steals and the final two baskets.
Golden State guard Klay Thompson was recovering well from a blow to the head that caused headaches and vomiting and should be ready for the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, his father has said.
The Golden State Warriors guard was feeling better and was on track to return for the N.B.A. finals next week, his father said.
“You put a lot of hard work into your craft,” said Golden State’s Stephen Curry, who scored 34 points in Game 1 and 33 in Game 2.
Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson is feeling better and on track to return for the NBA Finals next week after taking a knee to his head from Trevor Ariza that caused “concussion-like symptoms.”
One time Knicks guard Jim Barnett, now a Warriors analyst, talks NBA Finals, LeBron James' greatness and Phil Jackson's challenge with The Post's Justin Terranova. Barnett will be doing pregames…
It took several weeks to get here — and in the case of the Eastern Conference playoffs, several long weeks — but we finally have the matchup everyone hoped to…
With the order of the draft being settled, the writers of KnickerBlogger thought we’d go over the possible outcomes. But since we were whipping out the ol’ Crystal Ball, we decided to go a little past June & see what fate possibly has to offer…
2015 Draft Order
1 MIN Karl-Anthony Towns
2 LAL Jahlil Okafor
3 PHI D’Angelo Russell
4 NYK Kristaps Porzingis
What happened on Draft Day 2015
Steve Mills, who knows as much about NBA tampering rules as he does about how to avoid sexual harassment in the workplace, already has a deal in place with Greg Monroe before the draft (hence him telling everyone that who the Knicks sign will determine who they draft, while that typically goes in the reverse order), thereby giving Phil Jackson the big butt in the middle that he so greatly desired. With his Andrew Bynum in place in the middle, Jackson decided to try to get his Pau Gasol, well, at least a tall European guy to play the 4. Cue thousands of Knicks fans quickly learning how to spell Porzingis’ name before ultimately deciding to just call him by his nickname, the Zinger.
What will be written on draft day in 2018
As we look into the future, I wish to first look into the past. On June 15, 2014, Kristaps Porzingis withdrew from the 2014 NBA Draft. He was predicted to go roughly at #20 (the Oklahoma City Thunder allegedly promised him that they would take him with the #21 pick, likely with the goal in mind of stashing him overseas for a year or two).
Clearly, Porzingis and his agent, Andy Miller, realized that if Porzingis stayed in Europe and gained strength and muscle, he would go much higher in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Here is Porzingis in 2014…
Here he is in 2015 (both images courtesy of DraftExpress’ profiles on him)…
Here they are side-by-side…
He didn’t add any noticeable muscle or size!! And if you don’t want to go by just those photos, please, by all means, compare videos from him in 2014 to videos of him now. He’s added a little bit of muscle, but just a teensy bit.
So think about that, the one thing he stayed in Europe to do, add muscle and strength, and he didn’t do it!! Do you think that’s because he just said, “Eh, who cares? It doesn’t matter” (which, by the way, would be a problem in and of itself) or do you think the guy just isn’t someone who is going to add much size and muscle? I think it looks increasingly likely that it is the latter. When the guy weighs in at the same bogus 220 pounds (no way is this guy 220) two years in a row,, that is not a good sign.
Therefore, I envision a 2018 where Porzingis is routinely pushed around on the low post. He also didn’t attack the rim or pass the ball in Europe, so if that keeps up, he’s essentially a 7 foot 1 spot-up shooter, or in other words, he’s Ryan Anderson with a good first step…that he never uses because he doesn’t attack the basket (only 2.2 free throws per 40 minutes, because he shied away from contact, which makes sense because he’s a twig). However, as a spot-up shooter, I bet he gets the ball enough times to average a decent amount of pointz per game (also, do note that while he shot 46% from three in EuroCup, he also shot 32% during the Spanish League in twice as many games, so are we even positive that the guy is a great shooter?), so he might very well be the first Knick draft pick in two decades to get an extension from the Knicks. Got to lock down that scoring.
And the Knick fans of 2018 will say, “Okay, but what if Porzingis puts on some weight next year? He’s only 22! There’s still time!” as they look to add a good player with their second-round pick after having dealt their 2018 First Rounder for Kyle Lowry at the trade deadline in 2017 (MASAI!!!).
(NOTE: If you want an optimistic projection, just imagine that he does gain a lot of muscle and therefore changes his entire game, becoming someone who will go right at guys and not back down to other players. Then he’ll be a star. Think a bigger version of Gallo, that’s what he’d be and that’d be pretty darn impressive).
Stephen Curry and LeBron James, this season’s brightest stars taking basketball’s biggest stage.
The Golden State Warriors shook off their bumps and bruises and advanced to their first NBA Finals in 40 years after defeating the Houston Rockets 104-90 to clinch their Western Conference Finals series on Wednesday.
Curry scored 26 points, Harrison Barnes had 24, and Klay Thompson added 20 as Golden State advanced to its first N.B.A. title series in 40 years by winning Game 5 against Houston.
After a generation of wishing and waiting, the Golden State Warriors have finally arrived on basketball’s biggest stage again.
Dwight Howard could miss Houston’s next playoff game after picking up his seventh technical foul of the playoffs.
Golden State star Stephen Curry said he had no lingering effects from his frightening fall before Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Wednesday night.
Some Knicks fans were less interested in the future of two of the winners and more interested in the future of two of the losers Tuesday night after the Cavaliers…
To paraphrase the famous line from “Jaws,” Phil Jackson’s gonna need a bigger boat.
Escorted by family members and friends, LeBron James walked out of Quicken Loans Arena cradling his sleepy youngest son with his left arm while clutching an expensive bottle of champagne in his right hand.
Glory Johnson didn’t expect to be arrested after her fight with Brittney Griner at their home.
Rod Thorn, the N.B.A.’s president for basketball operations, said in a statement that Howard was trying to free himself from Andrew Bogut when Howard “recklessly hit him in the face.”
LeBron James scored 23 points, Kyrie Irving returned after missing two games and the Cleveland Cavaliers reserved a spot in the NBA Finals with a 118-88 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night to win the Eastern Conference title.
LeBron James booked his place in the NBA Finals for the fifth straight year when the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Atlanta Hawks 118-88 on Tuesday to complete a 4-0 sweep of the Eastern Conference Final.
LeBron James booked his place in the NBA Finals for the fifth straight year when the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Atlanta Hawks 118-88 on Tuesday to complete a 4-0 sweep of the Eastern Conference Final.
James had 23 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, and Kyrie Irving scored 16 points in his return from a two-game absence as Cleveland completed a sweep of Atlanta.
Attles, 76, is the bridge that connects the Warriors who won the 1975 N.B.A. championship with the current team’s quest.
Howard, Houston’s center, who hit the Warriors’ Andrew Bogut in the face while trying to free himself, had his flagrant-1 foul upheld by the N.B.A.
Cavaliers All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving will start Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals after missing two games with a sore left knee.
With the order of the draft being settled, the writers of KnickerBlogger thought we’d go over the possible outcomes. But since we were whipping out the ol’ Crystal Ball, we decided to go a little past June & see what fate possibly has to offer…
2015 Draft Order
1 MIN Jahlil Okafor
2 LAL Karl-Anthony Towns
3 PHI D’Angelo Russell
4 NYK Emmanuel Mudiay
What happened on Draft Day 2015
There were no surprises with the first 4 picks of this draft. After the draft, Phil Jackson gave an interview that turned to be one of this oddest. When Howard Beck asked about the risks of Mudiay given the few numbers of games he played, Jackson became uncharacteristically hostile. He belittled Beck as “one of those equation loving fools” and that Jackson “didn’t ask his Casio [calculator] if Jordan could lead the Bulls to a title.” The Knicks President followed by admitting that “he didn’t see much of Mudiay’s games” and that his scouting only consisted of “meeting the young man and see how he handled himself” to know what kind of basketball player he was.
Jackson’s comments made the New York headlines for a day, but summer was a time for the Yankees and Mets. Eventually the back pages turned to the summer classic, and then on to football. Jackson’s admission of failing to scout properly wasn’t forgotten, but no one bothered to poke the bear with follow-up questions about his methods of acquiring players. No one dared take the coach to task. The only thing that mattered was whether or not the Knicks would win in 2016.
What will be written on draft day in 2018
The good news is that Mudiay made his first All Star Game this season. Emmanuel is on a meteoric rise, much like AMC’s Mad-Men spinoff sitcom comedy Peggy & Stan, and is slowly becoming one of the East’s best points. The Knick guard was always able to score at the rim, and is their best distributor since Mark Jackson. In his third year his three point shot has finally come around, and opposing team were no longer able to leave him unchecked on the perimeter. His back-to-back game winning three point shots against Miami and Toronto made ESPN headlines, but also proved to the league that the book on him had to be rewritten.
Which brings us to the bad news. Even with Mudiay making his first All Star Game, the Knicks still landed the 14th pick in the draft. Cap-wise they are strapped with the contracts of the now hobbled Carmelo Anthony who missed 62 games last year, and the mediocre Greg Monroe who unfortunately played in 79 games. New York will be stuck with ‘Melo’s contract for only one more year, and any production he gives the team next year will be a bonus.
While a healthy Anthony could be a boost to the offense, the Knicks have a number of problems to address. They still need a shooting guard, competency on the bench, and the defense is still a joke. New York is stuck in the NBA’s middle ground, not good enough to be among the league’s best teams and not bad enough to help themselves in the draft. Jackson hasn’t made a single good decision since selecting Mudiay, and New York has enough holes that they can do well with a number of players that could be available at the 14th pick. The only catch is that they need to grab one that will succeed at the NBA level, something Jackson has failed to do in the last 2 drafts.
On twitter today, Jim Cavan mused “What do Reggie Jackson and Phil Jackson have in common? They both have struck out a lot in New York!” Jackson hasn’t changed his approach much, eschewing modern methods and strategies, and the team has suffered in acquiring any kind of talent. New York needs a solid player today, or they could alienate their budding star, and risk losing him in free agency to a more competent franchise.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has emerged as the clear winner in a battle for influence over international sports federations as rival organisation SportAccord has been left in tatters.
MVP Stephen Curry was able to walk to the locker room after a nasty spill where he flipped over in the air and his head crashed to the court in Golden State’s Western Conference finals game against Houston on Monday night.
James Harden scored a playoff career-high 45 points and the Houston Rockets led from start to finish to avoid elimination in the Western Conference finals with a 128-115 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 on Monday night.
James Harden scored 45 points, and Houston repelled several Golden State rallies to stave off elimination in the Western Conference finals with a victory at home.
The Golden State Warriors survived a major injury scare to NBA MVP Stephen Curry but still lost the game as a pumped up Houston Rockets staved off playoff elimination with a 128-115 victory on Monday.
James Harden scored a playoff career-high 45 points and the Houston Rockets led from start to finish to avoid elimination in the Western Conference finals with a 128-115 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 on Monday night.
The backup guard Matthew Dellavedova, whom some pundits and fans have labeled a dirty player, is also a big part of the Cavaliers’ success this postseason.
James missed his first 10 shots but had 37 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 steals and the final two baskets.
Kevin McHale’s stride is painful to watch.
James missed his first 10 shots but had 37 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 steals and the final two baskets.
Atlanta forward Al Horford has been ejected in the second quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals for throwing an elbow at Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova.
LeBron James was exhausted and banged-up, but he came through in the clutch as the Cleveland Cavaliers earned a thrilling overtime 114-111 win over the Atlanta Hawks to take a strangle hold of the Eastern Conference finals.
LeBron James shook off an atrocious shooting start and withstood Atlanta’s gritty comeback to record a triple-double, and the Cleveland Cavaliers moved within one win of the NBA Finals by beating the Hawks 114-111 in overtime on Sunday night to take a 3-0 series lead.
On Nov. 21, 2006, before a modest crowd at Davidson’s John M. Belk Arena, Curry shot 10 of 24 from the field against the Colby Mules, finishing with 29 points.
Cavaliers All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving took part in the team’s shootaround and remains questionable for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals with an injured left knee.
When James Dolan brought Phil Jackson “home” to run the Knicks, a veteran of NBA coaching called me up and said: “Wait and see.
Stephen Curry scored 40 points and the Golden State Warriors made it look easy, beating the Houston Rockets 115-80 on Saturday night to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.
The Golden State Warriors are one victory away from the NBA Finals after routing the Houston Rockets 115-80 in Game Three of the Western Conference finals on Saturday.
Curry, who dazzled the crowd into a state of bewilderment, finished with 40 points as the Warriors seized a three-games-to-none lead in the Western Conference finals.
Guard Stephen Curry was unstoppable as the Golden State Warriors moved within one victory of reaching the NBA Finals when they routed the Houston Rockets 115-80 in Game Three of the Western Conference finals on Saturday.