1. Re-Grading the NBA Deals from Last Year's Deadline

    The hope is that this year's NBA trade deadline will be more exciting than last year's. At the 2012 deadline, there were only two massive deals...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 8,044 reads 25 comments

  2. Pivotal Trades That Shaped the Current NBA Landscape

    Big trades rarely happen in the NBA , but when they do, it changes the league landscape. Right now, we're watching a league that has, in large part, been shaped by the Knicks-Nuggets trade, Clippers-Hornets trade and Rockets-Thunder trade...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 38,660 reads 84 comments

  3. Why the 2013 NBA Trade Deadline Was Such a Dud

    The drum roll started on Monday as we eagerly anticipated what would happen between then and Thursday's trade deadline. And the drum roll kept on going. And going. It's still going, even though the deadline has passed...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 31,314 reads 60 comments

  4. How Each NBA MVP Hopeful Could Win the Award

    Most would agree that LeBron James is the clear MVP leader. The questions, then, become "by how much?" and "can someone else topple him?" The biggest challengers hail from the ...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 15,320 reads 126 comments

  5. Is Phil Jackson Angling for a Future Front Office Job with LA Lakers?

    Phil Jackson has not been shy about commenting on his former team. Jackson's most recent public foray into Lakers commentary was a lengthy interview with the venerable Jack McCallum for Sports Illustrated ...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 6,049 reads 28 comments

  6. Eric Gordon Trade Makes Perfect Sense for Golden State Warriors

    According to the New Orleans paper The Times-Picayune , the Hornets are exploring an Eric Gordon trade. Specifically, they're exploring an Eric Gordon trade to the Golden State Warriors ...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 12,807 reads 60 comments

  7. Josh Smith Is NOT Worth Boston Celtics Trading Paul Pierce

    Trading for Josh Smith would be worth it to any number of NBA teams. You can debate whether he is or isn't a max-level player, but there are franchises so talent deprived that they might as well cash out Josh Smith...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 5,301 reads 31 comments

  8. Kyrie Irving Steals 'King of Cleveland' Crown from LeBron James

    Kyrie Irving finally got a chance to demonstrate how great he is outside of a blurry League Pass feed. All-Star weekend was his showcase, from Friday to Sunday. On Friday, Irving turned Brandon Knight into Kyrie 's own personal shadow puppet...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 11,106 reads 65 comments

  9. 10 Potential Deadline Deals That Would Shake Up 2013 Playoff Race

    It's trade deadline season in the NBA and the rumors are flying fast. Between now and the Thursday, Feb. 21 deadline, there will be a lot of chatter, if not tangible activity...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 30,590 reads 53 comments

  10. NBA Power Rankings: How Each Team Stacks Up After the All-Star Break

    Well, that was a fun All-Star Game. A short week gave way to all the wackiness that is All-Star weekend, culminating in Kobe Bryant defensively hounding LeBron James with a (meaningless) game on the line...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 186,296 reads 251 comments

  11. Grading Every Slam Dunk Contest Contestant

    The dunk contest is dead. Long live the dunk contest. That seemed to be the social-media sentiment as an awful beginning gave way to a series of ending flourishes...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 24,296 reads 101 comments

  12. Amidst Trade Rumors, Can Andrea Bargnani Salvage His Path to Stardom?

    Marc Stein of ESPN has been on the Bargnani beat. The Toronto Raptors are looking to possibly move their former number one pick, after some rocky years in the Great White North...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 9,742 reads 50 comments

  13. Bold Predictions for the Second Half of the NBA Season

    The NBA landscape has dramatically changed, especially in regard to the Los Angeles Lakers. In the preseason, any bold prediction involving them usually addressed if they would win the championship...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 27,786 reads 123 comments

  14. Playing 'Contender or Pretender' with NBA Playoffs Hopefuls

    We have a pretty clear picture of what the playoffs will look like, save for some teams on the bubble. The Los Angeles Lakers are always lurking, and they have been on a hot streak of late...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 24,171 reads 71 comments

  15. Breaking Down Michael Jordan's NBA Legacy and Impact on the Game

    Michael Jordan meant more to basketball than six rings. Had someone like Shaquille O'Neal won those titles, it wouldn't have had the same impact. MJ was a global phenomenon because he won them with grace and style...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 13,018 reads 69 comments

  16. NBA Awards Odds: Pegging Favorites for Every Award Entering the All-Star Break

    The All-Star break is upon us, and over half the season is done. We are all witnesses to LeBron James' continued greatness—and the mess out in Los Angeles. We're also witnesses to some newcomers to relevance...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 37,667 reads 183 comments

  17. Is LeBron James' Dominance of the NBA His New Norm?

    The economist Herbert Stein had a law that is perhaps applicable in this situation: "If something cannot go on forever, it will stop." So no, LeBron will not keep scoring over 30 points while hitting over 60 percent of his shots...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 11,027 reads 51 comments

  18. Predicting Ideal Landing Spots for Biggest Names on 2013 NBA Trade Block

    We're zooming toward the February 21 NBA trade deadline in a flurry of chatter. The Lakers still dominate much of the coverage, but they insist that they're keeping their powder dry this trade season...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 6,814 reads 40 comments

  19. Which Duo's More Dominant, LeBron-Wade in 2013 or Jordan-Pippen at Their Best?

    Chris Tomasson of Fox asked Kobe Bryant to decide between the Jordan-Pippen and LeBron-Wade combo. Kobe's response was succinct: Kobe was asked who’s the better combo, MJ /Pippen or LeBron/DWade: “Come on dude, seriously...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 11,445 reads 203 comments

  20. 7 Biggest Takeaways from Monday Night's Sloppy NBA Action

    The "sloppy" is said with Dallas - Atlanta in mind, and we'll get to the later. In the meantime, we should praise Gregg Popovich for managing the regular season like nobody else...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 16,792 reads 102 comments

  21. Do the NY Knicks Have an Inferiority Complex Against NBA's Elite Teams?

    Al Iannazzone raised the point ( via Sulia ) that the Knicks have a poor record against good teams. The Knicks to date are 1-6 against the Bulls, Grizzlies , Pacers and Clippers...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 3,837 reads 51 comments

  22. Golden State Warrior Players Try to Explain New Uniforms

    Adidas has teamed up with the Golden State Warriors to bring the t-shirt style to basketball. It's a short-sleeve, form-fitting design, one that evokes a sense of soccer aesthetic...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 7,747 reads 17 comments

  23. NBA Power Rankings: How Each Team Stacks Up Entering the 2013 All-Star Break

    Here comes the NBA All-Star break, a goofy intermission to a grueling season. It's a quirky All-Star celebration this year, what with the woeful Lakers claiming two All-Star starters ...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 205,580 reads 376 comments

  24. Updated Chalk Talk for Lakers New 'Facilitator Kobe' Offense

    Kobe Bryant has become the Lakers ' point guard, even if he isn't listed as such. In a bumpy Los Angeles season, the team has at least been able to, as Bryant often tweets, "count on Kobe...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 3,851 reads 13 comments

  25. Revisiting Best-Case/Worst-Case Comparisons for 2012 NBA Rookies

    The 2012 NBA draft has already delivered some positive surprises. There were some guys that scouts just weren't sure about and they've been brilliant in the early going (Andre Drummond and Damian Lillard come to mind)...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 3 months ago 4,799 reads 36 comments