// Check out this video of Jack Nicholson Mark Heisler, our Hall of Fame columnist, weighing in on the state of NBA basketball coverage in the day and age of social media, the 24/7 news cycle and the journalistic need to sensationalize coverage in order to engage eyeballs. Give a close listen to what Mark has to say. It’ll be the topic of his column Wednesday. It makes a lot of sense, and it comes from the perspective of a super-respected senior writer
NEW YORK — My MVP ballot is sitting on my desk, not yet filled in. I have until 3 p.m. EDT Friday to send it off to Ernst and Young, the accounting firm that has been hired to tabulate the election results (anti-leak strategy?). As of Thursday afternoon, I am still trying to make up my mind as to who I will vote first, second, third, fourth and fifth. Somehow I get the feeling that LeBron James is going to be the winner
Yesterday, this forum was devoted to discussion of the Defensive Player of the Year, and there was a ton of support for Tyson Chandler and LeBron James, with some love for Tony Allen and Paul George sprinkled in. Today we turn to the Most Improved Player award, which is somewhat of a wide-open field this season. I have an official NBA ballot to vote for the award, and I had been leaning toward Ryan Anderson throughout the season. I remember covering the
Tony Allen of the Memphis Grizzlies had eight steals last night. Eight! He is one of the league’s toughest on-the-ball defenders — the type of guy every contending team needs on its roster to sic on the opposing team’s best scorer. Lindsay Hunter made a living out of it for years. So did Bruce Bowen. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute of the Milwaukee Bucks has joined that select group, and Andre Iguodala has made his mark in the NBA and internationally (on the
NEW YORK –The Chicago Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau and the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich each were named Coach of the Month for the second time this season, winning the award for games played in March. Thibodeau led the Bulls to a league-best 13-3 (.813) record including a league-leading 6-0 mark on the road, holding opponents to a league-low 43 percent shooting. Thibodeau recorded his 100th career win on March 19 at Orlando (86-59), his 131st game as head coach, becoming the fastest coach
The New Orleans Hornets lost again last night, dropping their record to 8-27 before an announced crowd of 14,527. They are the worst team in the Western Conference, they are about to trade Chris Kaman for whoever ponies up the best bad offer, and all they are going to have to show for Chris Paul is Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Gordon (if he doesn’t leave as a restricted free agent, and if his knee is ever going to be OK again), along
Jeremy Lin did it again, hitting the game-winning 3-pointer in Toronto. Lin now has at least 20 points and seven assists in six straight games, the longest streak in the NBA this season. So what do you think? The comments section is your forum, folks. Type away. UPDATE: I had my say this morning on the Jorge Sedano Show on 790 The Ticket in Miami, making the point that a future lineup of Lin/Baron Davis at PG, Iman Shumpert/Landry Fields at SG, Carmelo Anthony at