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?

The Warriors now sit at 20-2 to start this season.  While most thought that the Golden State would be a very good team and a potential title contender, this start is well beyond even the most optimistic expectations.  What is different this year?  Well, to start the Warriors are probably playing a bit over their head.   They obviously won’t end up winning at this current pace (which would lead them to a 74-8 record).  In term of point differential, GS is also playing a bit better than they … [Read more...] about Can Golden State Sustain This?

You can’t help but feel for Julius Randle, whose season ended during the first game of his rookie year.  The timing of such an injury was fairly unprecedented for a top pick.  There have been rookies who missed their entire first season and there have been rookies who missed a lot of the season but going down in game 1?  This seems particularly crushing.  The closest analog I could think of was Stephon Marbury, who sprained his ankle eight minutes into his first game.  Marbury missed the next 18 … [Read more...] about Julius Randle and the One Game Rookies

There is a marked change in the rhetoric that new NBPA President Michelle Roberts has used in discussing the Union’s interests going forward.  The implication of her tone is that the players have been pushed around too much and the NBA will have to give something back after arguably routing the NBPA during the 2011 lockout.  How much of Roberts’ assertions are legitimate and how much is posturing?  Hard to say but let’s take a look at some of her most interesting statements from her recent ESPN … [Read more...] about Michelle Roberts and the NBA: Showdown Looming?