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With so much going on in the home stretch of the NBA season, for some reason, what caught my eye is the weird season that Steve Novak is having.  It was only two years ago that Novak was key component on a very good Knicks team as the guy shooting corner threes when Carmelo Anthony was doubled (after which Novak would celebrate with the famed “Discount Double Check Belt” celebration).  Since leaving New York, minutes have been hard to come by for Novak.  Now, Novak has really retreated to his … [Read more...] about Steve Novak Does Not Like Two-Point Land

Deflate Gate is a mostly silly NFL controversy, where the New England Patriots were accused of deflating footballs to help Tom Brady throw the ball more easily.  What does this have to do with the NBA?  Well, pretty much nothing.  Well, almost nothing.  A few writers have stumbled upon a 1986 article by Sam Smith that quoted Phil Jackson admitting that the old 1970s Knicks deflated basketballs to help establish the slower pace the Knicks wanted. The thrust of the articles mostly noted that … [Read more...] about Deflate Gate Sucks In Phil

This time of year, NBA writers’ thoughts turn to the All-Star game.  Some feel real passion about this subject and write long and well-reasoned articles about who the best players in the NBA really are and how they should be recognized.  I can understand that perspective but I am firmly of the opinion that the game is not particularly interesting or meaningful.  By extension, the process by which players are chosen doesn’t interest me that much either.   The NBA All-Star game is probably the … [Read more...] about All-Star Picks

Just yesterday, Kobe Bryant was diagnosed with a torn labrum and some have speculated that he likely could miss the entire season.  What impact will this have for the Lakers?  Not much to be honest.  First, there is no indication the Lakers are any worse without Kobe.  Indeed, 82games.com has Kobe at -2.6 in simple rating (please consider all the usual caveats about +/- and small sample size).  In addition, it really probably is for the best if Kobe sits to avoid wear and tear in a directionless … [Read more...] about Remember Dwight’s Labrum?

The Kobe Bryant Situation is something that has been written ad infinitum here and all over web.  The typical story has focused around whether Kobe’s force of will to be great can overcome the inevitable aging process and whether Kobe was selfish for choosing his path at this stage of his career.  When sportswriters review Kobe, they primarily do so in absolute terms of “right” and “wrong.”  Is Kobe a loser for chucking away on a terrible team when other vets have been more concerned with … [Read more...] about Old Kobe, A Unique Stat Experience

The big story of the week so far comes from Sacramento, where the Kings chose to fire coach Michael Malone, despite the fact that he led the team to a 9-5 record before losing DeMarcus Cousins and going 2-8 (for a total record of 11-13).  While 11-13 isn’t great shakes, it is the best the Kings have played since 2007-08 and Malone had apparently connected with Cousins, the most important player on the roster.  So, this seemed like a strange time to let Malone go. It’s hard to feel too bad for … [Read more...] about Kings Kompetentcy?