Category: NBA (Page 561 of 595)

The Maloofs have fired Rick Adelman.

Geoff Petrie, the Kings’ president of basketball operations, wouldn’t give any clear-cut reasons for the decision not to extend Adelman’s contract, which expires in September. But owners Joe and Gavin Maloof, apparently dissatisfied with Adelman for years, are widely thought to be behind the move.

“I came to the conclusion that continuing this way just wasn’t feasible,” said Petrie, who also hired Adelman — his former roommate from their playing days — when both worked in Portland. “The dynamic that needed to be there to help it move forward just wasn’t there.”

Things were looking grim after a 18-24 start, and they were going to miss their first playoffs in eight years. Then Petrie makes a blockbuster trade, sending Peja Stojakovic to Indiana for Ron Artest. What happens? Adelman and Artest lead the team to a 25-14 record after the trade, they make the playoffs, and they take the defending champs to six games. If not for an unfortunate bounce on a Brent Barry three at the end of Game 2, they probably would have beaten the Spurs.

You don’t see a positive dynamic, Geoff? Or are you just covering for the Maloofs?

I don’t know who the Kings are going to hire that is going to do a better job than Rick Adelman. Don Nelson? The guy who made Dallas a decent (but soft) team that couldn’t get anywhere in the playoffs? I think this is a bad, bad move.

This is what happens when people who don’t know anything about basketball take control of a NBA franchise.

New Jersey 100, Miami 88 (Nets lead series, 1-0)
Miami should take this loss seriously – very seriously. The Nets exposed the Heat throughout the entire first half en route to a 64-46 halftime lead. Miami shot the ball horribly (39%) and didn’t pass the ball very well (11 assists on 27 made baskets), while the Nets shot (49%) and passed (20 assists on 34 made baskets) very well. New Jersey has one of the best – if not the best – collections of talent at the PG, SG and SF positions in Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. If the Heat can’t keep Carter and Jefferson in front of them defensively, this is going to be a rough series for Miami. The Nets don’t have the talent up front to get past Detroit (assuming they beat the Cavs), but they can certainly knock off the Heat if Shaquille O’Neal continues to get into foul trouble. Dwayne Wade can’t do it all on his own.

Phoenix 130, LA Clippers 123 (Suns lead series, 1-0)
This one was as fun to watch as the score would indicate. Phoenix jumped out to an 11 point lead in the first quarter, but the Clippers battled back once Elton Brand got it going inside. The All-Star ended up with 40 points on a phenomenal 18 for 22 (82%) shooting, but a critical two minute stretch in the fourth quarter cost the Clippers the game. With Los Angeles down, 103-101, with 7:15 to play, Brand picked up his second foul and came out of the game. Over the next 101 seconds, the Suns went on a 9-2 run, giving them a nine point lead from which the Clippers would never recover. This series will come down to the Clippers’ ability to defend the perimeter, while the Suns have to find a way to slow down Brand and Chris Kaman inside. The Suns have to feel good about getting the win after allowing the Clippers to shoot 59% from the field. The Clippers can run when it’s there, but they need to limit the number of jump shots that they take on the break, because the misses just lead to easy points for the Suns. In short, they need to play efficient basketball and pound the ball inside whenever possible.

Surprise, surprise. Chris Paul is reportedly going to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award. Paul was head and shoulders above every other first-year player in the league and more than deserves the honor. The former Demon Deacon had fantastic numbers this season (16 points, 7.8 assists) for a point guard and helped the Hornets more than double their win total from last season. He led all rookies in most categories and even was the NBA league leader in steals. Paul’s Hornets were even fighting for a Western Conference playoff spot up until the last few weeks of the season.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better rookie season,” Paul said after the Hornets’ season ended in mid-April.

Paul’s a great young player and is going to turn into one of the best point guards in the league in a few years. As a point guard, it’s important to make your teammates better and that’s exactly what he did, especially with David West. Paul has all the tools to be a star for a long time.

The comparison of LeBron James to Michael Jordan is premature, but putting Kobe Bryant in Jordan’s footsteps is a complete joke. I continually argue with my friends about the fact that Kobe’s arrogance and selfishness affects his play and ability to win.

Bryant totally collapsed against Phoenix, then ran off the court without shaking hands with Steve Nash or Shawn Marion after the Lakers had blown a 3-1 lead to lose the series. This is the typical “me” approach that Bryant has always taken. James, on the other hand, respects the game and his opponents. Skip Bayless writes an excellent article comparing the three superstars.