Free Ballin’

If Amar’e Stoudemire goes to Cleveland, it would seemingly increase the chances that LeBron will stay in Cleveland.  And who wants that?  I mean, I know a guy from Columbus Ohio, but other than him, who wants that?  If Amar’e sticks in Phoenix, he’ll be pissed, LeBron will be pissed, Wade will be pissed, and [...]

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Henry Abbott’s assessment of David Stern’s comments is clear and thoughtful.  Abbott and I also have the same problem with David Stern’s statements: Stern says the league is great shape in all respects and yet somehow the teams will lose around $400 million this year.  One comment Abbott made caught my attention:
“What’s a fair amount [...]

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Stern spent the first few minutes of the press conference talking about how well the league had been doing – which he always does – especially internationally – which he always always always does.  The whole world is embracing the NBA, yadda yadda.  He even said that the Association’s revenue hadn’t been hit as hard [...]

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Reading Chad Ford is loads of fun.  When he isn’t bubbling over with absurd suggestions, he’s getting other people to do it.  It’s too bad I read Ford’s post in TrueHoop yesterday after I wrote about NBA teams’ salary cap incontinence, because I could have just quoted from the article, in which Ford writes:

A source [...]

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Most Rockets fans I chat with these days take it as a given that the Rockets will make every effort to re-sign Luis Scola this summer.  Now, as much as I like Scola, I don’t see why the Rockets would commit significant money or years to Scola when Carl Landry is going into the last [...]

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I’m not quite sure what to make of the Mavericks.  Their top five players have a lot of talent, but only Dirk is presently in top form.  He’s a machine and doesn’t seem to have aged a bit since their Finals run in ‘06.  But Kidd, Marion, Terry, and Howard have all had better days.  [...]

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If the Rockets want to trade Tracy McGrady, they’ll trade him, (despite my quiet, irrational protests).  But I’m not really sure how they’re going to be able to do it and stick to their healthy obsession with maintaining roster flexibility.  Presently, the Rockets have 11 players under contract next year, for about $40 million.  That [...]

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A great man in his own mind once wrote, “Most NBA coaches are hired to be fired.”  I could just as easily have put it, “Nearly all NBA coaches…”   Phil Jackson’s job is safer than anyone’s this side of Mike Krzyzewski and Gregg Popovich and Jerry Sloan are also untouchable; but no other coach [...]

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I avoid reading deeply into advanced basketball metrics the way little kids avoid booster shots or broccoli: I’m told they’re good for me, but they hurt, and taste lousy.  Also, since much of the readily accessible stuff that passes for advanced metrics (like John Hollinger’s PER) is complete and utter bullsh*t, and the stuff being [...]

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I’m an optimist.  When I was six and the Princess in Voltron dove into the pool and her top surfaced before she did, I was fairly confident that something wonderful was about to happen, network television or not.  I’m even confident that there are women somewhere in the world (somewhere) who might be a little [...]

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