The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | yesterday
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Celtics , Warriors Among all the positive developments perpetuated by the 2008 Celtics title, the new liberty of Kevin Garnett 's mouth has been perhaps the best. Of course, Ticket has always been a big talker. But instead of merely spitting hate at Anthony Peeler ( NEVER FORGET! ) or socking Rick Rickert, KG has taken up a role as the NBA's lead whistleblower. Last...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | yesterday
by Matt Watson Filed under: Raptors When discussing Sam Mitchell 's firing yesterday, my colleague Tom Ziller cited Toronto's dismal defense as a likely contributing factor -- last year the Raptors' defense ranked slightly above average; this year, it's one of the worst in the league. Such a decline put Mitchell in an awkward position, especially since his entire coaching philosophy of rebounding...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | 12/03/2008
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Raptors It's safe to call Toronto's start a disappointment: Canucks were thinking conference championship, not below .500 ball into December. As such, impeccably dressed Sam Mitchell has seen the end of his Raptors tenure. The team has named assistant Jay Triano (a former captain and coach of Canada's national team) as the interim man in charge. Doug Smith of the...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | 12/03/2008
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Lakers , Pacers At TrueHoop , Henry Abbott links to and discusses this surprising Andrew Bynum quote from the Los Angeles Times : "The second unit played well, got a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter. We were all taken out with six minutes to go in game," Bynum said. "We didn't get any rebounds [after that]. I don't know what to say about that." Basically, the Lakers...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | yesterday
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Hornets Forbes has its annual "Business of Basketball" package out for consumption tonight. As usual, it includes a good overall synopsis of the league's financial health as well peeks behind the curtain into the revenues of the individual teams. Since the data is all from 2007-08 -- pre-financial crisis -- the outlook is rosy in most towns ... including New Orleans....
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | 12/02/2008
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Pacers , NBA Police Blotter The Plaxico Burress story stands on its own island in terms of absurd self-satire, but it's surely isn't the first (or last) highly publicized episode involving guns, athletes and night clubs. With Burress as the hook, an Indianapolis sports talk radio show invited a local gun shop owner to talk about athletes and safety. The wonderful...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | 12/02/2008
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Rockets , NBA Injuries It seems like Tracy McGrady 's season has been a start-and-stop affair, with his surgically-repaired knee providing fits of discomfort and leaving Rick Adelman uncertain of his star's health. Mac visited the vaunted Dr. James Andrews, who recommended one week off and a slow return to the court with restricted minutes. Fran Blinebury of the Houston...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | 12/01/2008
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Knicks The Stephon Marbury business is almost over , promise. (Well ... ) In today's New York Post , Marc Berman talks with world's greatest point guard about the role his Knicks teammates played in the bitter fight between Marbury and coach Mike D'Antoni . "When things got bad and then worse, guys like Quentin Richardson say, 'I don't consider him a teammate. He...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | 11/30/2008
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Clippers , Heat , NBA Referees , NBA Videos On Saturday in Los Angeles, the Heat trailed the Clippers by one point with 7.6 seconds left in the game. Baron Davis inbounded the ball ... to Dwyane Wade . Watch below, or cop the high-res version here . Wade runs into referee Courtney Kirkland, who is out of bounds. Even though the refs ruled in favor of the Heat here,...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | 11/30/2008
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Grizzlies , Thunder As we've discussed, Oklahoma City saw two major changes last weekend: Scott Brooks replaced P.J. Carlesimo as coach, and Kevin Durant moved from the two-guard to small forward (which adds a second guard -- Damien Wilkins -- to the lineup). How has Durant taken to the shifts? Well, Durant lead the Thunder to its second win of the season, this one...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | 11/29/2008
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Wizards , NBA Rumors An odd rumor bouncing around the past week had Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl in play for the future Wizards vacancy. Nothing was ever solid -- the only real connection seems to be Washington GM Ernie Grunfeld 's Volunteer history and a smattering of talk that Pearl was considered a year ago as Eddie Jordan 's tenure became more tenuous. The rumor...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | 11/29/2008
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Magic , NBA Injuries Most tallied a downgrade as the Magic lost Carlos Arroyo and Keyon Dooling over the summer while picking up Anthony Johnson and Mickael Pietrus . Pietrus, for one, has done well to buoy Orlando's stature. Johnson? Eh. But now the injuries (which avoided Orlando all of 2007-08) come, and things are dicey in the Magic backcourt. Kyle Hightower of...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | 11/29/2008
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Grizzlies , Trail Blazers , NBA Rumors Since Portland won the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, rumors about the Blazers seeking the rights to Mike Conley have abounded. Conley and Greg Oden have played with each other for years, and call each other best friends. Portland's point guard position remains unsettled (despite the hefty attention paid to it in the draft), and...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | 11/29/2008
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Cavaliers , Knicks , NBA Media Watch We have a feud! Charles Barkley has drawn the ire of another NBA superstar. Barkley responded to all the "Knicks in '10" talk surrounding LeBron James by telling The Chosen One to " shut the hell up ." Barkley argued on TNT Thursday and on Dan Patrick's radio show that Barkley is annoyed by LeBron answering the questions as he...
The FanHouse - NBA (Free subscription) | 11/27/2008
by Tom Ziller Filed under: Knicks The Great Knickerbocker Rebirth of 2008 didn't come without a whole new set of immediate issues for Mike D'Antoni . The trades announced last Friday sent away New York's best guard and a young combo off the bench. In return: two forwards and a two-guard with heart issues that have scared the Knicks into forcing more tests before allowing him to play. Nate Robinson...
