Kobe Bryant

Revisting Kobe & Shaq: How Many More Titles Should There Have Been?

September 3, 2019 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

In the depths of the NBA off-season, fans and former players turn their thoughts to the what-ifs. Specifically, last week, Kobe Bryant, speaking off-the-cuff at a convention in Las Vegas, expressed admiration for Shaquille O’Neal’s ability (“[t]his guy was a force like I have never seen”) but regretted that Shaq didn’t always work as hard as Kobe did. Bryant opined that “I would’ve had f-------- 12 rings” if O’Neal would have been so dedicated to working hard. These statements woke Shaq, … [Read more...] about Revisting Kobe & Shaq: How Many More Titles Should There Have Been?

Trae Young and Three-Point Futility

November 25, 2018 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

Time to check in on Trae Young, the player who was considered a Stephen Curry clone last year in college. So far, as a rookie, Young has looked like he has some uses as a playmaker in the NBA. At age 20, he has been a nice passer but the shooting has been bad. Young has shot a decidedly un-Curry .226% from three on 5.6 attempts per game so far. That sounds bad but how bad is it? Here is the list of the worst shooting three-point chuckers who have taken at least four threes per game (in over … [Read more...] about Trae Young and Three-Point Futility

Udonis and Franchise Lifers

September 30, 2018 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, Udonis Haslem accepted a relatively modest one-year deal to return to the Heat for his 16th (and presumably final) NBA season. Haslem represents a rarity—an NBA player who has played his entire long career for a single franchise. U told ESPN that his longevity and exclusively Miami Heat-based career has significant meaning to him: “It's about my love for the organization and my love for the guys. It wasn't about me. If I was looking for playing time, I could have gone … [Read more...] about Udonis and Franchise Lifers

Transactions, Free Agency 2018 Edition

July 5, 2018 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

Most of the big moves are done for NBA Summer 2018, so let’s take stock at the most interesting ones so far… Golden State Warriors Sign DeMarcus Cousins Certainly DMC can really help the Warriors if he’s healthy but this is not the seminal moment where the NBA needs to declare Golden State in violation of antitrust law. The facts are pretty clear….Cousins was not someone that teams wanted to invest in when he was healthy because of his volatile temper. The Kings’ return for Cousins … [Read more...] about Transactions, Free Agency 2018 Edition

The Kyrie Affair

July 29, 2017 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

The drama in Cleveland has dominated the summer downtime in the NBA. Kyrie Irving is apparently unhappy playing with LeBron James and wants to be traded. The situation is serious enough that Irving is reportedly refusing to speak with anyone associated with the Cavs. The Kyrie situation has been well covered but we would be remiss if we didn’t throw in our two cents. Should Kyrie want to be traded? This is obviously a subjective judgment but, let’s assess the facts. At first blush, it … [Read more...] about The Kyrie Affair

NBA 2013 Preview: The MVP Race

October 20, 2012 by Ed Weiland Leave a Comment

The MVP award is as much about team success as it is about individual success. To win the award it is imperative that a candidate pile up impressive stats. But those stats mean little if his team is perceived to have underachieved by the voters. More often than not the MVP goes to a player whose team is a top seed or has experienced improvement. In grading the MVP candidates for 2013, I look first for players who are the best of the best. I’m talking about the elite, the superstars, etc. Next … [Read more...] about NBA 2013 Preview: The MVP Race