Now that we’re almost a month into the season, it’s time we look at a few guys who’ve shown serious improvements in their game so far. Who do you think has come the farthest?
Last night, the Lakers lost to the Grizzlies to dip back below .500 on the season. Afterward, coach Mike D'Antoni, 1-2 in his brief Lakers tenure, took a jab at Pau Gasol, standing by his decision to bench him in the fourth quarter and questioning the big man's conditioning. It's not the first time Gasol has drawn such criticism from his coach, as Ramona Shelburne noted via Twitter that Phil Jackson used try to get under the Spaniard's skin at times. Still, D'Antoni's comments seem destined to spark another round of Gasol trade rumors, just a week or so after a report by Marc Stein of ESPN.com denied speculation about a deal with the Hawks.
The Lakers have been linked to Raja Bell and Mickael Pietrus in the last 48 hours, and it seems like GM Mitch Kupchak and company are poised to make some kind of move. Still, Steve Nash will likely be returning from injury soon, and the team's roster coming into the season was perhaps the most impressive in the league. Nash has only appeared in two games so far, so maybe a change would be premature, since the team really hasn't had a chance to play together. How do you think the Lakers should approach their personnel? Let us know below, and feel free to share ideas in the comments.
It's Thanksgiving Day, and based on the first month of action in the NBA, fans of some teams have more reason to be thankful than others. Supporters of the Grizzlies, Knicks, and Clippers, for instance, have to be pleased with the way the season has started.
Heading into the year, the general consensus suggested that the Heat, Celtics, Thunder, Lakers, and Spurs were the big five title contenders. However, a few weeks into the season, that group of legit contenders isn't quite so clear-cut.
The Grizzlies enjoyed an early eight-game winning streak that included victories over the Heat, Knicks, and Thunder. The Knicks knocked off the Heat as well, and beat the Spurs in San Antonio en route to an 8-2 start. And the Clippers' season has already featured two wins over the Spurs, along with victories against the Heat, Lakers, and the aforementioned Grizzlies.
All three clubs have looked better than expected so far, but are you ready to include them in that group of elite teams that have a chance at a championship? Weigh in below with your thoughts.
Brandon Roy's comeback attempt is off to an inauspicious start. He's out for a month after undergoing right-knee surgery today, having already missed the last four games for the Wolves. In the five contests in which he has appeared, he didn't look like his old self, averaging just 5.8 points on 31.4% shooting in 24.4 minutes per game.
He signed a two-year, $10.43MM contract this summer, but only the first year is guaranteed. The second year can become guaranteed if Roy hits at least one of two benchmarks this season: playing 1,400 or more minutes or appearing on the active list for 65 or more games this season. Both will be tall orders for him now. Roy could also have triggered a guarantee for 2013/14 if he were sidelined for any ailment other than his knees, but alas, that's already by the boards.
So, in light of Roy's latest surgery, what do you think of the decision of GM David Kahn and Wolves management to take a flier on Roy this season? Vote below, and if you have other ideas about Roy's deal, let us know in the comments.
Granted, we're only about an eighth of the way through the 2012/13 season, but enough basketball has been played to gauge how well some of the league's stars are impacting their teams. Who do you think is the MVP so far?
Yesterday, I examined some early returns on the biggest free agent contracts signed this summer, noting that at least a couple of them were looking a little shaky early in the season. Eric Gordon's injury woes and Roy Hibbert's on-court struggles have ensured that those contracts look the worst of the maximum-salary deals handed out in the offseason.
If I'd kept going down the list of free agent signees though, I would've come cross a few more players who are off to poor starts after signing for big bucks. Ersan Ilyasova has recorded a dismal 4.4 PER for the Bucks so far after inking a five-year contract to remain with the club. Landry Fields' and Jeff Green's deals were panned even when they were signed, and neither looks a whole lot better now — Fields is sidelined with an elbow injury, while Green is off to a slow start in Boston.
Is there a specific summer free agent signing that you believe is headed for disaster? Submit your vote in the poll and weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts.
Although the season is only a little over two weeks old, a handful of teams have already seen players go down with significant injuries. The Pacers, Timberwolves, and Warriors are among the clubs to lose players for three months or more, having all lost key contributors at shooting guard or small forward.
For the Pacers, Danny Granger is expected to miss three months with left patellar tendinosis. Minnesota's Chase Budinger will miss around the same amount of time after undergoing knee surgery. And the Warriors won't even get Brandon Rush back this season after he tore his ACL in the team's second game.
All three teams have been linked to potential replacements since their players suffered their respective injuries, with free agents like Mickael Pietrus and Josh Howard discussed as possibilities, along with trade candidates such as Raja Bell. So far, none of three teams have made a move, but each club has the flexibility to do so, with fewer than 15 fully guaranteed contracts on the books.
Today's poll question is this: Which of these three clubs most needs to add a player on the wing? Granger is the biggest star of the three, but he should be back in time for the second half for the Pacers, whereas the Warriors will be without Rush all season. Meanwhile, Budinger isn't necessarily a top scorer in Minnesota, but with a handful of players already sidelined by injuries, the T-Wolves may be the team in most immediate need of a replacement.
So which club do you think most needs to make a move?
Earlier today, the Lakers made their hiring of Mike D'Antoni official via press release, bringing closure to a bizarre week in Los Angeles. Unsurprisingly, the announcement placed a strong emphasis on how D'Antoni's up-tempo offensive philosophy will make for a strong fit for the 2012/13 incarnation of the club.
"After speaking with several excellent and well-respected coaching candidates, Dr. [Jerry] Buss, Jim [Buss] and I all agreed that Mike was the right person at this time to lead the Lakers forward," said GM Mitch Kupchak. "Knowing his style of play and given the current make-up of our roster, we feel Mike is a great fit, are excited to have him as our next head coach and hope he will help our team reach its full potential."
Of course, Phil Jackson was among the top candidates considered for the position, and, from the outside, it appeared that the job would be his if he wanted it. It turns out that this was the perception from the inside as well, as Jackson claimed earlier tonight that he was told he was offered the job and would have until today to accept. Instead, Jackson was woken up at midnight by a phone call from Kupchak who informed him that D'Antoni would instead take the reins on a three-year deal.
D'Antoni and Jackson were obviously the top two choices for the Lakers gig and it doesn't appear that the club went any further down their list. Former Blazers coach Nate McMillan was viewed as a possible candidate, but was reportedly never contacted by the club. Same goes for longtime Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who said that he would not lobby for the job without first hearing from Kupchak & Co.
The Lakers are hoping that a reunion between D'Antoni and starting point guard Steve Nash will allow the team to fulfill its vast potential, but there are plenty of question marks when it comes to the former Knicks and Suns head man. While D'Antoni-led teams are known for delivering high-octane offense, they tend to be less-than-tenacious on the other side of the floor, to put it mildly. Having center Dwight Howard to control the low-post should be a major boost to the club, but it's fair to wonder if they'll be playing quality D while putting up shots in seven seconds or less on offense.
Earlier today, HoopsWorld posted an article debating the best-valued contracts in the NBA. Among the names the writers posited were Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Raymond Felton, Kyle Lowry, and Tony Parker.
Which of these contracts to you think is best? Or is it someone else entirely? Weigh in in the comments.
The Lakers have ensured it's an eventful Friday afternoon, dismissing Mike Brown in what former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy called "the most ridiculous firing in the history of NBA," according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Just five games into the regular season, the Lakers are now involved in a search for their next permanent head coach, with assistant Bernie Bickerstaff taking over in the interim.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and executive VP Jim Buss are certainly making phone calls, but for now, Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (Twitter link) says any speculation about the team's new head coach would be just that — speculation. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld hears from a source that the Lakers have yet to zero in on a specific name, and that "everyone is a candidate" (Twitter link).
Still, there are a number of ex-coaches that make sense for the Lakers to varying degrees. I outlined some of the pros and cons for a few of the high-profile candidates in an earlier post. Now it's your turn to weigh in. Which candidate do you feel is the best fit for the Lakers? Who would you hire if you were running the team? Vote in the poll below, and feel free to explain your choice in the comments section.