1. 5 NBA Veterans Shining in New Places During the 2012-13 Season

    There were several low-key trade and free-agent acquisitions this NBA offseason, and its surprising how many have paid off. Usually, the trumpeted arrivals are quickly followed by a sad trombone...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 17,104 reads 51 comments

  2. How Pau Gasol-Dwight Howard Pairing Highlights LA Lakers Roster Redundancy

    If Pau Gasol could evolve as a player, we might not be having this conversation. If Pau Gasol wasn't hurting with knee tendonitis (via ESPN), we might not be having this conversation...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 7,093 reads 17 comments

  3. When Lakers Chuck Threes, Good Things Happen

    The Lakers easily handled the New Orleans Pelicans ( Hornets ), coasting to a 103-87 road victory. Much is notable about the game, including Jordan Hill's spirited rebounding, Kobe's eclipsing of 30,000 points and Dwight's defensive mastery...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 3,060 reads 7 comments

  4. Terrible NBA Team Names That Doomed Extinct Franchises

    No offense, Oklahoma City Thunder fans, but your team has a terrible name. Same goes for you fans out there in Miami . Or, as Deadspin framed the plural issue per these teams, "The Thunder Are a Matchup Nightmare For Copy Editors...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 9,158 reads 25 comments

  5. Pau Gasol or Dwyane Wade: Who's More Important to His Team's Title Hopes?

    Pau Gasol and Dwyane Wade have both underwhelmed expectations on teams that play amid high expectations. Their roles are radically different, though both guys are dogged by age...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 10,954 reads 68 comments

  6. NBA Studs Who Would Be Superstars in Bigger Markets

    It's well-known that market size does much to determine one's NBA fame. It's not rocket science; if you play before more fans, then more people will know who you are...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 32,140 reads 83 comments

  7. Trade Targets to Help out Rajon Rondo

    The Boston Celtics are in a tough spot. While they have a young star to build around in Rajon Rondo, few figure them for title contention. Also, much of the team is old, and they're all but capped-out...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 8,385 reads 74 comments

  8. Breaking Down Carmelo Anthony's Favorite New Sweet Spot

    Carmelo Anthony is scorching to the tune of a .522 effective field-goal percentage (a field-goal mark that incorporates three pointer value). He's also playing a new position, which could lead to new habits...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 13 reads 15 comments

  9. NBA Chuckers Who Need to Temper Their Shot Selection

    The very term "chucker" implies that a guy should perhaps pass more often or not involve himself in so many possessions. Deep down, we know that this is a bad tendency for a player to have, but we also tend to most celebrate the guys who shoot...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 12,129 reads 36 comments

  10. Breaking Down What's Wrong with Dwight Howard's Free-Throw Mechanics

    When I criticize NBA players, I'm usually casting stones from a glass house. I cannot play anywhere near NBA level. This is the one exception. The free throw is the odd NBA sub-genre wherein otherwise incredibly coordinated superstars can be inept...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 27 reads 35 comments

  11. Are Deron Williams' Shooting Woes a Temporary Slump or Permanent Pattern?

    Deron Williams has been shanking frequently. It's been that way for a little while, with Deron going from a .439 field-goal mark in 2010-2011, to a .407 mark in 2011-2012, to where we're currently at with his ...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 3,038 reads 30 comments

  12. What an In-Depth Examination of LA Lakers Reveals About On-Paper Champions

    After another Lakers loss has caused yet another media freakout , we should note that this 2012-2013 team has become absolutely impossible to analyze. There are two reasons for this...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 7,922 reads 84 comments

  13. NBA Power Rankings: Where Does Every Team Stand Heading into December?

    After so much flux, you wouldn't be crazy to pick Oklahoma City and Miami as the best teams in the league, or at least the teams most likely to face off in the Finals. It takes a while for anything to change in this league...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 344,763 reads 263 comments

  14. Are OKC Thunder Better Poised to Take Down Miami Heat in 2012-13?

    It wasn't long ago that the Thunder had cast themselves away from major contention status. They traded a Team USA member for the one-year services of the rarely talked-about Kevin Martin, a sure-death knell in the ever-competitive Western Conference...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 4,467 reads 50 comments

  15. 5 Underappreciated NBA Players Who Need More Minutes in 2012-13

    The above photograph is a joke, a gag, an object lesson in how coaches know what they're doing sometimes. For years, I wished former Golden State Warriors head coach Don Nelson would play Anthony Randolph more...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 19,811 reads 71 comments

  16. Comparing 2012-13 LA Lakers to 2010-11 Miami Heat

    The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled 15 games into this season, underwhelming lofty expectations for this "Big Four" fueled roster. Some are citing caution, pointing to the early-season struggles of the 2010-2011 Miami Heat ...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 13,484 reads 25 comments

  17. Breaking Down What Makes Chicago Bulls Defense Elite

    The Chicago Bulls should be dead in the water, their vaunted defense collapsed by the loss of so many crucial members from last year's stingy "bench mob...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 4,175 reads 3 comments

  18. Why It's Critical for Boston Celtics to Get Kevin Garnett More Involved

    It sounds a bit funny when said out loud, but Boston has one of the league's best centers. Kevin Garnett , though largely, publicly defined as a "power forward," has the height and rebounding ability befitting a "5...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 2,171 reads 6 comments

  19. Still Too Soon to Declare Thunder or Rockets Winner in Harden Deal

    The easy reaction per Oklahoma City's Wednesday trouncing of the Houston Rockets would be to declare them winners of the controversial James Harden trade...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 6,361 reads 51 comments

  20. San Antonio Spurs Are Model for Teams That Need to Develop Young Talent

    The Spurs are old, decrepit, crumbling. It's the cycle of life, you know. Once you're on top for awhile, with no high draft picks to replenish your talent level, a team eventually fades...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 4,419 reads 12 comments

  21. Why It's Time to Pump the Brakes on Criticizing Jeremy Lin

    There's an odd phenomenon with Jeremy Lin where many people want to see him fail. I can't tell you how often I peruse my Twitter feed, only to find someone exclaiming that they knew he couldn't play all along...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 7,581 reads 34 comments

  22. Why Some NBA Teams Are Built To Win Immediately and Others Take Time

    It would seem that the Washington Wizards are sticking by Randy Wittman , despite their ignominious 0-12 start. This despite Wittman 's 32.1 percent track record over a long career...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 9 reads 10 comments

  23. The Case for the Brooklyn Nets as the Best NBA Team in NYC

    To Brooklyn fans, Monday night's overtime victory over the Knicks felt a bit like this: THE NETS WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP! — devin kharpertian (@uuords) November 27, ...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 8,200 reads 103 comments

  24. Can Pau Gasol Find His Rhythm in Mike D'Antoni's System?

    The short answer is, "Yes, but he needs to shoot better." Pau Gasol is a fine mid-range shooter, especially for a big man, but Mike D'Antoni 's system requires three-point spacing...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 3,150 reads 15 comments

  25. 5 NBA Players Who Are Merely a Product of Their Team's System

    For the most part, basketball skill exists in a vacuum. If you're good on one team, in one situation, chances are you'll be good in another. Rare are the times when someone so perfectly fits the schematics of one particular coach or roster...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 21,775 reads 56 comments