0 comments by Matt Zemek on 10/25/2015
The NBA Atlantic Division is certainly not an example of saving the best for last. We’ve looked at the other five divisions in the NBA through the prism of the most important non-superstar players on each roster, the players who need to be better (or if not better, in tune with their team’s needs and […]
0 comments by Joe Webb
The NBA regular season kicks off Tuesday night, as all offseason trades, cuts, signings, waivers, extensions and other roster moves come into fruition. On October 27th, NBA’s opening day has three games including the Detroit Pistons at the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Pelicans visiting the defending […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 10/24/2015
Which teams are most inclined to disappoint us in the coming regular season? We gave you the teams most likely to surprise, but now we have to turn around and consider a frown. These are the predictions writers want to be wrong about… but don’t think they will be. The envelope, please: * JOE MANGANIELLO […]
ATLANTA, GA – MAY 20: LeBron James #23 and Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers react in the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks during Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena on May 20, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Mags
Getting ready for the 2015-’16 season? I’m asking 50 questions before things get under way. Have an important question for the upcoming NBA season you want answered? Find me on Twitter (
0 comments by Jared Mintz on 10/23/2015
Can you name the player the New York Knicks selected the last time they had a top-four draft pick? That’s right, none other than Mr. Knicks, Tri-Captain Patrick Ewing. The Knicks have had several lottery picks since Ewing (though not as many as their terrible record over the last 15 years would lead you to believe they’d […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
The NBA’s Northwest Division rates as the league’s most mysterious collection of five teams. We know which team will rule the division, but after that, the picture becomes very cloudy. Sure, the Utah Jazz are a strong favorite to finish second in the division and make a push for a playoff spot, but it’s hard […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
The Atlanta Hawks pulled off a major surprise last season, soaring to the top of the Eastern Conference and making the first Eastern Conference Finals in franchise history. Which team might become this year’s Hawks… or simply outperform expectations to a considerable degree, perhaps by nabbing a No. 8 playoff seed instead of being buried […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 10/22/2015
Coaching a Western Conference contender not named Golden State or San Antonio carries a considerable burden this season. So does coaching a team which endured the most humiliating loss in the first round of the 2015 playoffs. Then there’s coaching for James Dolan, a different matter altogether. Our roundtable panel examines the coaches with the […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
The NBA Southeast Division is a garden of thorns and flowers. There’s a little something for everyone in this division, with three teams that could make a run at the East Finals, an intriguing member of the underclass, and a dead-end team which could provide the bizarre fascination associated with watching a trainwreck. Which non-superstar […]
<> during the first quarter at Verizon Center on May 15, 2015 in Washington, DC.
0 comments by Joe Mags on 10/21/2015
Getting ready for the 2015-’16 season? I’m asking 50 questions before things get under way. Have an important question for the upcoming NBA season you want answered? Find me on Twitter (
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Today’s tour of the NBA takes us to the Pacific division, where the distinction needs to be made between an important player and an important player-coach. * LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: LANCE STEPHENSON Paul Pierce might be the most important Los Angeles Clipper outside the CP3-Blake Griffin-DeAndre Jordan trio, but Pierce is — in reality if […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Superstars. New acquisitions. Old NBA players with a rapidly shrinking title window. Which players have the most to prove — to themselves, to the league, to their teammates? Our roundtable panel weighed in: * SEAN WOODLEY It seems bizarre to say this about a former MVP, but Derrick Rose has a lot riding on this […]
Oct 13, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Mario Hezonja (23) looks on against the Miami Heat during the second half at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Miami Heat 95-92 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Jared Mintz on 10/20/2015
The NBA Rookie Countdown continues in Central Florida, where we check on the Orlando Magic and international sensation Mario Hezonja. Hezonja is the fourth lottery pick added to the roster over the past three drafts, and hopefully for Orlando he’ll be able to live up to his ceiling as a high-octane scorer. Why He Was Drafted? I […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Last season, the Coach of the Year Award was contested by two men. Will this season’s race become a more complicated one? That’s hard to discern before a few weeks of regular-season basketball have run their course. On Nov. 20, not Oct. 20, we might not know all there is to know about this plot […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Our survey of the league’s most important non-superstar players continues with the Central division, the one division in the Eastern Conference which has a good chance of producing four playoff teams. * CHICAGO BULLS: NIKOLA MIROTIC The Bulls need a knockdown shooter, and since Mirotic is not gun-shy about launching threes, a big season and […]
