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At one point, once superstars like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan hung their sneakers up for good, the NBA was floundering. Fans who grew tired of the league's me-first attitude and the one-on-one mentality that polluted the league just weren't all that interested in the product on the floor. But a new era of stars has dawned, with Carmelo Anthony, Gilbert Arenas, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James leading the way. Together with veterans like Tim Duncan, Steve Nash and the Shaq Daddy, the NBA is showing fans that there is, in fact, life after M.J.
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Where do the Suns, Mavs and Nuggets go from here?
(J. Paulsen, 05/06/2008)
The season came to an abrupt end for the Suns, Mavs and Nuggets when they were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. John Paulsen looks at the offseason and suggests some good (and bad) roster moves as these teams try to go from a bunch of also-rans into legitimate title contenders.
2007-08 NBA Year-End Awards (J. Paulsen, 04/15/2008)
With the NBA regular season winding down, it's time for John Paulsen to hand out his
own prestigous year-end awards. Durant or Horford for ROY? Kobe or CP3 for MVP? Or
will a darkhorse like LeBron or KG buck the odds and take home the trophy? John
makes his predictions.
Biggest bang for the buck (J. Paulsen, 03/04/2008)
Everyone loves a good deal and the NBA is no different. John Paulsen identifies the
league's best bargains, including Jamario Moon and Monta Ellis. But good deals can
be had on higher-priced players as well, which means GMs need to spend wisely at all
salary levels to produce a winner.
The recalibrated NBA playoff picture (J. Paulsen, 02/26/2008)
After a flurry of deals that led up to the NBA's Feb. 21 trade deadline, it's a good time to take a deep breath and reexamine the playoff contenders and pretenders. With the deck reshuffled, John discusses what the top 10 teams have to do to win a ring this postseason.
The All-Underutilized Team, and random thoughts from the All-Star Game (J. Paulsen, 02/19/2008)
The superstars were all on display Sunday night at the NBA All Star Game, but John wants to talk about those players who just don't get enough love. His All-Underutilized Team is filled with guys like Jordan Farmar and Hakim Warrick who put up good numbers in limited minutes.
Expiring contracts: Who’s got ’em? (J. Paulsen, 02/12/2008)
When the Grizzlies gave away Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown's expiring contract, it proved just how valuable salary cap flexibility can be in the NBA. John identifies several players with expiring contracts that could be moved before the trade deadline, perhaps for another Memphis player.
Breakdown of the Gasol trade, the Lakers’ next move and Kidd trade ideas (J. Paulsen, 02/05/2008)
The Lakers made a terrific deal in acquiring Pau Gasol, but they shouldn't stop there. John Paulsen looks at their revamped roster and suggests the Lakers move
Lamar Odom for a better fit at small forward. He also discusses several deals that could entice the Nets to part ways with Jason Kidd.
Can the Lakers weather the coming storm? (J. Paulsen, 01/22/2008)
Kobe's team is off to a great start, but the loss of Andrew Bynum and a grueling upcoming schedule will be a tough test for the Lakers. If they're going to weather
the storm, John Paulsen says the young team needs Kwame Brown to ignore the boo birds and step up his game in Bynum's absence.
Nods and snubs: Who should go to the 2008 NBA All-Star Game? (J. Paulsen, 01/15/2008)
The Celtics own the NBA's best record and are lapping everyone else in the East, but
will their success translate into All-Star votes for Boston's Big Three? John
Paulsen reveals his All-Star picks, which include no-brainers like LeBron James and
Kobe Bryant, along with a few surprising selections.
One month in: efficiency per minute leaders (J. Paulsen, 12/07/2007)
What's the best way to gauge an NBA player's productivity? John prefers the
Efficiency Per Minute stat, which basically subtracts all the bad things a player
does from all the good things he does. One month into the season, John checks out
the EPM leaders at all five positions.
Kobe trade talk (J. Paulsen, 11/09/2007)
It's fun to speculate, and let's face it: at this point, all Kobe Bryant trade talk
is pure speculation. John checks in with his own thoughts on potential Kobe trade
scenarios, including hypothetical deals involving Shawn Marion, Tracy McGrady,
Michael Redd and Gilbert Arenas.
Five rookies to watch and a longshot blockbuster
(J. Paulsen, 11/02/2007)
Greg Oden may be out for the year but John says there are plenty of NBA rookies who
should make a splash this season, led by Seattle's Kevin Durant and Atlanta's Al
Horford. Speaking of making a splash, John says the Lakers should consider dealing
Kobe Bryant to a division foe.
East vs. West: Has the power shifted in the NBA?
(J. Paulsen, 08/08/2007)
Kevin Garnett, Rashard Lewis, Ray Allen and Zach Randolph are all in the Eastern
Conference now, which has many NBA fans wondering: Has the balance of power shifted
from West to East? John says things have definitely evened out a bit for next
season, but what about the long-term outlook?
The Yi Jianlian debacle: There's plenty of blame to go around
(J. Paulsen, 08/01/2007)
What happens when you draft a player who doesn't want to play for your team? Ask
Bucks GM Larry Harris, who finds himself engaged in a standoff with draft pick Yi
Jianlian, the Chinese import who apparently wants nothing to do with Milwaukee. John
says both team and player are at fault here.
Free agency report card (J. Paulsen, 07/26/2007)
With eight of the 10 players he highlighted in his free agency preview already inked to new deals, John Paulsen hands out his free agency report card. What grade did he give the Magic for signing Rashard Lewis? Did the Nets make the right call by resigning Vince Carter?
NBA draft impressions (J. Paulsen, 07/03/2007)
Last week's NBA Draft didn't provide many early surprises, but John Paulsen, a Bucks fan, was as surprised as anyone to see Milwaukee tab Yi Jianlian at #6. It's just one of the notes John offers up in his Draft Impressions, along with his thoughts on the Ray Allen and Jason Richardson trades.
Greg Oden or Kevin Durant? (J. Paulsen, 06/20/2007)
So who's it going to be: Greg Oden or Kevin Durant? With the NBA Draft approaching, John Paulsen pits the Ohio State center against the Texas swingman to figure out who the Portland Trailblazers should select #1 overall. So who came out on top? Well, it wasn't an easy choice.
Six ways to improve the NBA (J. Paulsen, 06/13/2007)
Most would agree that the NFL has surpassed baseball as "America's Pastime," but where does that leave the NBA? John Paulsen says there are ways to improve the game and make it more accessible to the fans, starting with a shortened season and the elimination of guaranteed contracts.
NBA Mock Draft (J. Paulsen, 06/08/2007)
May 22 was a great day for the Trailblazers and Sonics, not so much for the Celtics. Portland and Seattle netted the top two spots in the NBA Draft Lottery and the right to select either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. How will the rest of the draft's top 15 picks go? John's NBA Mock Draft looks for answers.
Believe it or not, I'm siding with Kobe (J. Paulsen, 06/01/2007)
So Kobe wants to be traded. Actually, check that, Kobe has hope that the Lakers will right the ship and now he doesn't want to be traded. What the heck is going on in LA? John looks at the Kobe trade mess and wonders if anybody even has enough to make the Lakers deal their superstar.
Is Deron Williams better than Chris Paul? (J. Paulsen, 05/30/2007)
The Utah Jazz took a lot of heat for drafting Deron Williams over Chris Paul in 2005, especially when Paul ran away with the ROY award while Williams spent half the year on the bench. But now that Williams has the Jazz in the conference finals, John says the doubters have been silenced.
San Antonio Spurs = NBA Villains? (J. Paulsen, 05/23/2007)
Once considered the classiest of NBA franchises, a series of incidents (along with some grating habits) have cast the Spurs in the role of NBA villain. Here are five reasons why the Spurs have become the team that everyone (outside of San Antonio) loves to root against.
Which forwards and centers had the best statistical seasons?
(J. Paulsen, 05/09/2007)
Last week, we took a look at which guards had the best statistical seasons, so now it’s time to look at forwards and centers
Which guards had the best statistical seasons?
(J. Paulsen, 05/02/2007)
People like to argue about who’s the best point guard or shooting guard in the league, but since this is mostly opinion (or based on a player’s potential) there’s no real way to prove anyone right or wrong, which is a shame because that’s the purpose of any good sports debate.
2006-07 Year End Awards (J. Paulsen, 04/23/2007)
With the NBA regular season wrapping up and the playoffs in full swing, it’s a fine time to wax nostalgic about the year and to discuss potential award winners. Let’s take a look at a few of the awards and try to predict some winners.
Who's the best at getting to the line? (J. Paulsen, 04/18/2007)
Announcers often say that a certain player is great at getting to the free throw line. But what does this really mean? Does the player get to the free throw a certain number of times per game? Or does he have a high ratio of free throws per minute or per shot attempt?
NBA Profiles
Charles Barkley l Corey Brewer l Mike Conley l Kevin Durant l Jeff Green l Al Horford l LeBron James l Steve Nash l Greg Oden l Joakim Noah l Dirk Nowitzki l Shaquille O’Neal l Dwyane Wade l Brandan Wright l Julian Wright l Yi Jianlian
From the Archives
Second to none: The NBA's best second-round picks
(06/27/2006 - By John Paulsen)
Think you can fall asleep once the first round of the NBA Draft is over? Think again. John Paulsen lists his Top 10 second-round picks from the past 20 years, with guys like Manu Ginobili, Jeff Hornacek and Dennis Rodman leading the way.
The Next Jordan
(10/28/2005 - By John Paulsen)
For years, fans have been looking for the "Next Jordan," with players like Grant Hill, Kobe Bryant and even Harold Miner being saddled with some lofty expectations. These days, LeBron James is getting the "Next Jordan" pub. How do these players' careers stack up to MJ's? We take a closer look.
Cavaliers now working with a four-year plan
(07/11/2006 - from The Scores Report)
With reports saying that LeBron James has agreed to a three-year extension instead of a max deal, it's clear that the Cavaliers now have four years to prove to LBJ that Cleveland is, in fact, where he wants to be for the rest of his career.
Efficiency Per Minute
(05/26/2006 - from The Scores Report)
John Paulsen examines the complex efficiency per minute statistic (EPM) and breaks down the top 10 EPM players by position.
The best point guards ever?
(05/11/2006 - from The Scores Report)
ESPN and SI.com recently released their lists of the best point guards of all time. Magic Johnson topped both lists but, beyond that, there are few similarities.
History says Kobe's image will survive
(07/31/2003 - By Jamey Codding)
Foretelling the demise of Kobe Bryant's love affair with NBA consumers has become chic in the wake of the sexual assault charges filed against the Lakers guard, but Jamey says fans have proven they're willing to look past the personal problems of star athletes like Bryant and Jason Kidd.
Too good to be true? Nah
(05/27/2003 - By Jamey Codding)
For years, conspiracy theorists have been claiming that the NBA Draft Lottery is fixed. But now that the league's sorriest team actually landed the first pick this year, Jamey wonders why everybody's still suspicious.
2006 NBA Preview
(10/27/2006 - By John Paulsen)
Bullz-Eye.com breaks down the league, ranking each team division-by-division.
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NBA Blog
Courtesy of The Scores Report, the National Sports Blog
Mehmet Okur needs to learn how to block out: Utah center Mehmet Okur has played pretty well against the Lakers; he’s averaging 18 points and 11 boards against L.A., which is a pretty nice jump from his regular season stats. But the guy needs to stop flopping in crunch time and get his team a defensive rebound.
With 1:53 to ... [Continued at The Scores Report. Comments?]
Bill Simmons channels Doc Rivers: In the Sports Guy’s latest column, he transcribes Doc Rivers’ imaginary pep talk before Game 5.
First, Ray Allen wants to stop using the phrase “Big Three”…
ALLEN: Well, let’s stop using the phrase “Big Three” then. I’m not that type of player anymore — really, I’m a spot-up jump shooter and ... [Continued at The Scores Report. Comments?]
“LeBron James, with no regard for human life…”: This is a great dunk and a great call by the play-by-play guy (whose name I can’t remember at the moment).
[Continued at The Scores Report. Comments?]
Is D’Antoni the right fit for the Knicks?: In a word… yes. But the Knicks probably aren’t the right fit for Mike D’Antoni.
This may not make much sense, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Given the right personnel, D’Antoni’s brand of up-tempo basketball can win over any group of fans, even the rough and tumble fans ... [Continued at The Scores Report. Comments?]
Ranking the top 30 point guards by total value: Over the next five weeks, I will go position by position and rank the top 30 players by total value. The NBA is a business, so it doesn’t make sense to purely rank the players only by their talent or stats, or by some other qualitative measure (though those factors ... [Continued at The Scores Report. Comments?]
The Lakers have a hole at small forward: Vladimir Radmanovic: good shooter, horrible defender
Luke Walton: poor shooter, good defender
If you combine the strengths of these two players, you have a pretty good small forward. If you combine their weaknesses, you have the worst player in the NBA.
Walton had a couple of bad plays at the end of Game ... [Continued at The Scores Report. Comments?]
NBA Web Guide
NBA.com
This official site of NBA game is well done and slammin! As part of the ESPN Network, you can also click over to ESPN.com for more news and commentary.
ESPN.com
Some of the best NBA writers on the 'net along with comprehensive stats, team-by-team breakdowns, rumors, excellent draft coverage, message boards, expert chats and much, much more. As always, you can't go wrong with ESPN.com.
Alleyoop.com
This site claims to be the basketball page for the thinking fans. It's very well organized and generally lives up to its claim with thorough and interesting coverage.
ONHOOPS.com
This is a fun site that is not affiliated with the NBA. You'll find some off-the-wall articles here.
SportingNews.com
The Sporting News has really done a fine job with the NBA portion of the online version of this magazine. You can keep up with your favorite players and teams with rosters, bios and schedules.
CNNSI.com
As usual, the guys at SI show that they got game! This site offers complete coverage of the NBA in a well-designed format.
USAToday.com
It doesn't get the credit that ESPN.com generates, but you can't go wrong with USA Today's NBA coverage. You know what you'll find here: scores, stats, sensational writers, team notes, transactions, TV schedules and more.
Hoopsology.com
"Your source for anything basketball!" They're not lying. Part of the Sportsology.net family, Hoopsology is crammed with useful information. Solid columnists, draft recaps, headlines, schedules, message boards, stats, schedules, scores and team breakdowns are just some of the highlights of this site, and you'll also find news about basketball video games, basketball books, basketball cards and basketball movies.
FanStop.com
FanStop employs freelance beat writers for most of the teams in the league. You'll also find interesting message boards and in-season Power Rankings.
Worst Hair in Basketball
Asylum.com pays tribute to those NBA players who sported an awful do during their career.