The Charlotte Bobcats will have the most back-to-back sets in the NBA next season. The league's schedule was released on Tuesday and saw a wide range of back-to-backs. The Bobcats lead all teams with 21 while the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets have the fewest with 14 each.
The defending champion Miami Heat has 17 back-to-back sets, while the reigning Western Conference title-holders, the San Antonio Spurs, have 19.
Thankfully, the NBA schedule makers didn't screw the Denver Nuggets with an onerous schedule for a second year season in a row and instead served up a very balanced schedule. Remember last season with those 22 of the first 32 games on the road and had those glut of bad opponent home games in January? This season, the Nuggets get to play eight of their first 15 games at home before embarking on a six-game east coast road trip against mostly crappy opposition. Moreover, the NBA handed the Nuggets a very reasonable 14 back-to-backs.
And in no single month is there a great imbalance between home versus road games (chart courtesy of Nate Timmons):
Month
Home Games
Road Games
Total
October
0
1
1
November
8
6
14
December
6
9
15
January
9
6
15
February
6
6
12
March
8
9
17
April
4
4
8
But despite that tough schedule last season somehow, someway the 2012-13 Nuggets managed to win an NBA franchise record 57 regular season games ... only to piss that incredible regular season away with a shoddy playoff performance against the 47-win Golden State Warriors. A playoff loss that sent immediate ripples throughout the organization from the top down.
Within weeks of that playoff upset, gone was NBA Executive of the Year Masai Ujiri. Soon thereafter gone was NBA Coach of the Year George Karl. And it didn't take long for free agent Andre Iguodala to bolt for (of all places) Golden State.
So with all those coming and going personnel moves, the 2013-14 NBA season should present a few more "save the dates" for Nuggets fans, making for a very intriguing regular season.
Let's breakdown how it all shakes out ...
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER
The Nuggets kick off the 2013-14 regular season with an at-Sacramento visit. For the life of me I can't remember the Nuggets ever opening a season in Sacramento, but that's of little consequence. On opening night (Wednesday, October 30th) the Nuggets will find a Kings team with renewed enthusiasm thanks to having a new owner and a new general manager (former Nuggets assistant GM Pete D'Alessandro), but a roster that remains a big time work in progress. Look for the Nuggets to open 1-0 (and maybe this should be our first STIFFS NIGHT OUT, too?).
When the Nuggets jump into November they get eight of 14 games at Pepsi Center, including a three-game home stand against the Blazers, Spurs and Hawks. That three-game home stand is followed by a pretty balanced schedule, with the toughest games being at Houston and at Oklahoma City in the middle of the month - two early road tests for our Nuggets.
Save the Date: Friday, November 15th Timberwolves vs. Nuggets
Justifiably, Nuggets fans had a love/hate relationship with current Timberwolf Corey Brewer while Brew was suited up in a Nuggets uniform. Electric at (many) times, Brewer single-handedly bailed the Nuggets out of many games they had no business winning, simply by nailing three-point shots that any coach other than George Karl would probably never let Brewer shoot. Conversely, the fans' - and Karl's - faith in Brewer deteriorated quickly as he unraveled in that playoff upset against the Warriors. The "NO, NO, NO ... YES!!!!" regular season Corey Brewer disappeared and was replaced overnight with the "NO, NO, NO ... WHY IS HE IN THE @#$%& GAME?!!!!" Corey Brewer for that first round series against Golden State. SImply put, Brew killed us.
A season later, Brewer has re-signed with the first NBA team he played for - Denver's (pseudo) division rival Minnesota - and finds a franchise thinking playoffs for the first time since they appeared in the Western Conference Finals in 2004. Should Minnesota stay healthy, every game against Denver should be a tight one.
Save the Date: Saturday, November 16th Nuggets at Rockets
When the Nuggets visit this will be the first true road test for the 2013-14 Nuggets. If there's anything we as fans can take away from an otherwise spectacular 2012-13 regular season, it's that the Nuggets stunk on the road ... and it showed come playoff time. The mark of a truly good 50-win NBA team is one that wins more than half of it's road games, not just a team that clobbers lesser talented teams at home. And among all the 50-win teams in 2012-13, our Nuggets posted the worst regular season road record. As such, I'll be interested to see how the Nuggets handle playing at Houston even though it's early in the season.
Save the Date: Friday, November 29th Knicks vs. Nuggets
Even though the Carmelo Anthony"Melodrama" seems to fade farther and farther into the past with each passing day, we as Nuggets fans still haven't experienced a true "Melo vs. the Nuggets" game in Denver yet. After Melo was first traded, the NBA used the 2011 lockout as a convenient excuse not to schedule a Knicks at Nuggets game. And last season, we were once again cheated out of a true post-trade matchup as Melo used an injury to excuse himself from playing in the second half of a Nuggets blowout win over New York in mid-March.
Let's hope Melo is at full health this season when his Knicks arrive in Denver. And let's additionally hope that J.R. Smith has recovered from his knee injury fully by then. Although watching Smith playing on the Pepsi Center floor again doesn't have the same flair to it now that Karl is no longer supervising the Nuggets bench.
DECEMBER
The Nuggets open December with a six-game road trip throughout the Eastern Conference that offers four very winnable road games - at Toronto, at Boston, at Philadelphia and at Washington (the other two games on that trip, at Brooklyn and at Cleveland, will be tough to pull out). When the Nuggets return to Denver, they get a four-game home stand with just one tough opponent (the Thunder) before hitting the road to play the Clippers in Los Angeles for the first time.
Interestingly, the Nuggets were spared playing on Christmas Day this year (meaning they are no longer considered a marquee team for the NBA). And they get to face the newly named New Orleans Pelicans twice in December, and wrap up the month against some pretty interesting opponents ...
Save the Date: Monday, December 23rd Warriors vs. Nuggets
As if the Warriors first visit to Denver after trouncing the Nuggets in a first round playoff series that set the Nuggets on a radical off-season course correction wasn't enough, the Nuggets (arguable) best player in 2012-13 - Andre Iguodala - had the audacity to sign with "The Dubs" as a free agent, even though a) the Nuggets offered him more money and more years and, b) the Warriors have several players in place who play Iguodala's position. So it's not surprising that their first at-Denver matchup will be aired on national television in front of what is sure to be a rocking Pepsi Center crowd. But just as last season proved, any regular season victories against the Warriors mean nothing come playoff time.
Save the Date: Monday, December 30th Heat vs. Nuggets
The Nuggets played the two-time NBA champs about as close as possible (without winning, of course) in both meetings last season, and when the Heat return to Denver for their lone appearance it should be another thriller. Making this game even more fun than last year's Heat game will be the return of Chris Andersen, who didn't sign with Miami until late January but had an immediate impact on the team. Believe it or not, The Birdman - one of the all-time fan favorites here in Denver - deserves a lot of credit for delivering the Heat's second straight NBA championship. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see The Birdman back on the Pepsi Center floor.
JANUARY
Proving once again how balanced the Nuggets' 2013-14 schedule is, following a month that features six home games and nine road games is a month that features nine home games and six road games (compared to last January when the NBA delivered the Nuggets 12 of 15 games at home within the month). But like last January, the Nuggets get an assortment of weak opposition at Pepsi Center that they should feast on, including the 76ers, Celtics, Magic, Bobcats and Raptors.
And the Nuggets only have one back-to-back throughout the entire month, when they play at home against the Pacers before hitting the road to play the Kings towards January's end.
Save the Date: Friday, January 3rd Grizzlies at Nuggets
Kosta Koufos may have flamed out in the playoffs, but so did a lot of Nuggets players. And Koufos - and former head coach George Karl - deserves a tremendous amount of credit for being a solid starting center for the entire 2012-13 regular season. In a somewhat surprising move, new Nuggets GM Tim Connelly traded Koufos on draft night to the Grizzlies for Darrell Arthur, as Connelly fundamentally believes that the game is going smaller and he needs power forwards who can hit mid-range jump shots. Let's hope Connelly is right and in the meantime, let's give KK a big welcome applause when he returns to Pepsi Center.
Save the Date: Sunday, January 5th Nuggets at Lakers
Other than Phil Jackson, Lakers fans have wanted one and only one man to coach their team these past five or so years: current Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw. So it will be very interesting to see how Shaw is received by the Staples Center faithful when the Nuggets play the Lakers early in 2014. And by this time in the season, we'll know just how poorly the Lakers are playing.
Save the Date: Wednesday, January 15th Nuggets at Warriors
Talk about a road test. Even by mid-January, the bitter taste of the Nuggets' 2013 playoff loss to the Warriors will not have worn off which makes the Nuggets first visit to Oakland a special one.
FEBRUARY
Playing just 12 games during NBA All-Star month, the Nuggets get a tough February-opening test when the Clippers visit Pepsi Center for a Monday night affair on February 3rd. Soon thereafter, the Nuggets hit the road for a four-game roadie at New York, Detroit, Indiana and Minnesota and after playing just once at home against the Suns, the Nuggets make their typical at-Milwaukee, at-Chicago visit after the All-Star break.
While visiting Chicago, watch for new Nugget / former Bull Nate Robinson to go guns blazing in front of his former teammates.
Save the Date: Friday, February 7th Nuggets at Knicks
As mentioned above, for the time being whenever the Nuggets play the Knicks it has the makings of a special affair. By adding Robinson to the Nuggets mix this season, the Nuggets will be bringing another former New York fan favorite to Madison Square Garden alongside Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov and Wilson Chandler. (And this game might bring back memories of Robinson inciting the Nuggets vs. Knicks brawl of 2006).
Save the Date: Thursday, February 27th Nets vs. Nuggets
Given the Thursday 8:30pm start, the NBA obviously felt this game could be a good one when Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and the new-look Nets make their lone trip to Pepsi Center this season. I don't know how wide Garnett and Pierce's "windows" are for contending for a championship, but just their presence brings a level of gravitas to a roster that most players cannot bring. I can't wait for this game!
MARCH
With eight home games and nine road games, March presents an assortment of challenges for our Nuggets - particularly mid-month when the Nuggets make a five-game southeastern road trip through New Orleans, Charlotte, Orlando, Miami and Atlanta. The Nuggets finish the month with a "murderers row" of opponents so to speak when they play at Oklahoma City, at San Antonio and then home against San Antonio and Memphis to complete March.
Save the Date: Wednesday, March 19th Pistons vs. Nuggets
You're probably wondering why I targeted this as a "save the date" game, but it's always special when Denver native Chauncey Billups returns to Pepsi Center and this season, he's back playing with the organization that he led to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances (including a title almost 10 years ago ... can you believe it's been 10 years??). It's too bad Billups' return can't make up for all the years of futility that the Pistons have experienced since his departure in the Allen Iverson-to-Detroit trade many years ago.
Save the Date: Monday, March 24th Nuggets at Thunder
By this time in the season, we'll have a good sense for where the Nuggets might land in the Western Conference pecking order and this big road game at rival Oklahoma City will be a bellwether game. Last season, the Nuggets used a late at-OKC game as a catalyst for a terrific end-of-season run. Could that happen two seasons in a row?
APRIL
If there's one glaring error with the Nuggets' 2013-14 schedule it comes in April when six of the Nuggets final eight games could be big losses during their crucial end-of-season playoff push - at Memphis, at Houston, home against Houston, at Golden State, at the Clippers and home against the Warriors to wrap up the season. Amazingly, the NBA scheduled two games for the Nuggets against the hated Warriors just six days apart. The Nuggets might be lucky to finish April .500 at 4-4.
Save the Date: Wednesday, April 9th Rockets vs. Nuggets
I can't stand Dwight Howard and everything he represents, but that doesn't mean he won't be awesome in Houston. And I regrettably believe he will. By signing Howard, the Rockets vaulted ahead of the Nuggets in the pre-season prediction world and Howard's only visit to Denver in a Rockets uniform will prove just how far along JaVale McGee will have come by this time in the regular season.
Save the Date: Wednesday, April 16th Warriors vs. Nuggets
Not surprisingly, the NBA made sure that Nuggets fans get to boo Iguodala twice this season ... with the second occasion coming at the very end of the regular season. And while I hope this game will have no effect on where the Nuggets end up in the Western Conference post-season ladder, why do I fear that it will?
Although no teams openly admit to "tanking," the art of losing games en masse to position oneself for better draft picks, it's pretty clear that a handful of NBA teams this year deliberately made themselves worse in the short term for the hope of a better future.
The Philadelphia 76ers are the most obvious candidate, trading away a young All-Star in Jrue Holiday and not even bothering to hire a coach yet. Alongside them are, without a doubt, the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic, none of whom made any effort to sign free agents this offseason to improve short-term. We'll throw in the Charlotte Bobcats because they're still not going to be very good, and include the Sacramento Kings for the same reason.
These teams play plenty of times early in the season, but, even though they count the same, they won't feel the same as the later games when teams are jockeying for the best odds at drafting Andrew Wiggins, the Kansas freshman who some say is the best NBA prospect since LeBron James. Here are some of the games to watch.
Utah Jazz at Philadelphia 76ers, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 8 Orlando Magic at Utah Jazz, 9 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 22 Orlando Magic at Charlotte Bobcats, 7 p.m. ET, Friday, April 4 Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Bobcats, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 12 Phoenix Suns at Sacramento Kings, 10:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday April 16
For the second straight season, the Sacramento Kings have a pretty home-heavy early schedule heading into 2013-14. Last year, the Kings chose not to take advantage of it. ("A win? Nah, I'll pass.") Eight of the Kings' first 10 games are at home, and the two road games stay on the West Coast (a bus ride to Oakland, a hop to Portland). Only three of those opening home games come against 2013 lottery teams, though. But of the 11 road games the Kings play before Christmas, only five are against teams that made the playoffs in 2013, and one of those games is against the Lakers.
The Kings, like basically all teams, were much better at home as opposed to on the road last season. The Kings were 20-21 (.487) at home and 8-33 (.195) on the road. So, again, that home-heavy start is important in defining how the season goes.
That said, it's well within reason to expect the Kings to come out of November at 7-7 (Akis' official prediction, I think?) and then totally suck for the rest of the season. I'd like to remind you of the 2009-10 season. The Kings were 8-8 at the end of November, and went 17-49 the rest of the way to finish 25-57. Woof. (Literally: Kenny Thomas logged 313 minutes in his final NBA season. Miss you, K-9.) (Well ...)
There's a potential five-game winning streak staring at Sacramento at the start of January (Philly, Charlotte, Portland, Orlando and Cleveland, all at Sleep Train) but then things get hideous until late March. The Kings could potentially finish on a high note with four winnable home games in April (Lakers, Mavericks, Wolves and Suns).
In conclusion, hurray for basketball in Sacramento! The end.
It's Wednesday Mail Sac, and Mike Garza's poking me with a stick: "Which past or present Kings player angered you the most? Everyone has that one guy who makes you throw up a little in your mouth when you see him head to the scorer's table, and I'm interested in knowing who gave Yogi214's stomach a lil' churning."
Hmmm, I'm going to have to give this a little thought.
For the first several years that the Kings were in Sacramento, all players got a free pass from me. I was just thrilled that we had a professional sports team here in the River City, so guys like Martin Nessley and Michael Jackson and even Derek Smith were all met with my appreciation and affection. Even Pervis Ellison was gone before I really had a chance not to like him.
Oddly, Dick Motta was probably the first guy affiliated with the Kings that I just flat didn't like, but he wasn't a player (in retrospect, he wasn't much of a coach while he was here, either). I remember not wanting to like Greg Kite due him being the incoming to Joe Kleine's outgoing, but he was OK. Dwayne Schintzius was probably the first player that elicited a verbal "guh" from me, and Billy Owens marked the first player that I loathed on arrival.
Once the Kings improved, it was hard not to like everyone on the roster. Rick Adelman just had a way of making (almost) everyone look good, or at least if they didn't it was more comical than enraging (I'm looking at you, Greg Ostertag).
I suppose that I should call this the Tony Massenburg award, since T-Mass was the first guy that I truly did not like. He signed with a Kings team (his 12th NBA team, I believe, and that does not count his two year stint in Spain) that had Miller and Divac up front, and Darius Songaila proved to be every bit as good as Massenburg. In spite of his million dollar contract, Massenburg began to whine about his playing time, and the Kings cut him loose as soon as Chris Webber came back.
Kenny Thomas (woof!) was the first "big contract" player that got on my nerves. Thomas actually played fairly well when he first came here as part of the Webber trade, but he headed south after that and never returned. He was really the first player to get worse playing under Adelman. To be fair, Thomas was damned if he did and damned if he didn't as the years went by. He underperformed when he played, and he was an albatross of a contract when he sat. So he sort of ticked me off no matter what he did or didn't do. I guess that you could say that Kenny Thomas introduced me to my inner grumpy old man (which has since been superseded by my outer grumpier old man).
Jason Hart started a run of sub-standard point guards that was absolutely stunning. But Hart had an attitude to match his lousy play. I'm not sure what was worse: his play, or having to watch it. He'd stink up the joint and then complain that he wasn't getting enough burn. He would be on my very short list for all time least favorite Sacramento King.
And Hart begat Orien Greene, and Orien Greene begat Bobby Brown, and Bobby Brown begat Wil Solomon, and Wil Solomon begat Garrett Temple, and Garrett Temple begat Luther Head, and Luther Head begat Pooh Jeter. I won't say that I disliked any of those guys as much as I disliked the fact that we actually had to play them. Residue of a time not soon enough forgotten. (I'll leave the Luther Head commentary to the thread and Heuristic Lineup.)
Hilton Armstrong and Andres Nocioni get honorable mention for the lunatics that they brought to the site when they joined the Kings (not you, NoceOne - you rock!).
I didn't mind Spencer Hawes all that much while he was here (hey, the guy sported a "Peaches" t-shirt!), but he's hit toad status with me with the whole Seattle thing.
So yeah. Tony Massenburg was the first, but Jason Hart was the worst. Thanks for the inspiration for the trip down bummery lane.
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Pick & Droll comes from djrick: "I noticed that the Powerball jackpot had ballooned to $400 million. If you were the lucky winner, what would you do with that kinda money?"
Disclaimer: I don't play the lottery, so if you're a family member or friend and you're reading this, don't get your hopes up.
I buy myself a house, and I also find a cool little place not too far from the new arena site. I pay off the mortgages for both of my sisters, and I buy my daughter a little place, pay off her car and get her going on her career - maybe open a hairstyling place for her if that's what she wants. I get my ex-wife a $25 Starbucks card. Make good on all my debts.
The American Heart Association, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the SPCA would benefit from my good fortune.
I'd plan a lot of golfing/dining trips: a week in Carmel, a week at Pinehurst, etc. I'd like to see a lot of the United States.
Italy.
Floor seats to the Kings games.
Host StR nights at the arena.
And maybe a couple pair of new pants. I've lost a little weight and my charcoal and navy pants are a little baggy and worn.
You?
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Send your questions and topic ideas to asksactownroyalty@gmail.com. If you feel so compelled, you may jack this thread (and only this thread).
It's been nearly three years since Sean May last played in the NBA, but the former first-round pick could be gearing for a comeback. On Wednesday, the free agent forward worked out for the New York Knicks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.
The 13th overall pick in the 2005 draft by the Charlotte Bobcats, May dealt with a number of injuries over five years before heading overseas in 2010. Most recently, he's been playing with Paris-Levallois Basket in the French capital, but he also spent time in Croatia, Italy and Turkey.
A physical guy listed at 6'9 and 266 pounds, May was a star at the University of North Carolina before going pro. He helped lead the Tar Heels to a national championship in 2005, earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors after recording 26 points and 10 rebounds in the title game against Deron Williams and Illinois.
Due to the numerous injuries, May appeared in just 119 NBA games over five years, mostly with the Bobcats. He spent the 2009-10 season with the Sacramento Kings, but again battled injuries to earn limited playing time. Overall, he's averaged 6.9 points and four rebounds in about 16 minutes per contest.
The release of the NBA schedule is always exciting, because even though we know all of the opponents, it means we're that much closer to the start of a new season. And of course, there's usually some interesting quirks in there as well.
So without further ado, here are my top 10 games on the Bulls' schedule for 2013-14 in chronological order with all times in CT. Also, no repeat opponents.
I mean, this one really goes without saying. After seemingly an eternity, Derrick Rose FINALLY makes his return to NBA games that actually matter. And it couldn't come on a much bigger regular season stage: Ring Night for the Heat. The Bulls are sure to be motivated watching the Heat celebrate their back-to-back championships, and we can only hope for a repeat of what happened the last time the Bulls were in Miami for a Ring Night. If you somehow don't remember, the Bulls thrashed the Heat 108-66 back in 2006, and Chicago would later go on to sweep Miami in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Bulls' home opener is another high profile matchup, this one coming against the Knicks on Halloween. The Bulls owned the Knicks last season, sweeping New York 4-0 despite not having Rose. Luol Deng was awesome throughout the year against the Knicks, averaging 25.0 points and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 52.1 percent overall and 50.0 percent from three-point range. For the Knicks, we get an early look at the Andrea Bargnani experience, and there's also the chance that J.R. Smith won't be available due to knee surgery.
The Bulls tip off their annual Circus Trip in Denver against the Nuggets. The Nuggets likely won't be as good as last season, having lost Andre Iguodala while also dealing with Danilo Gallinari's ACL injury. But this game still will have quite a bit of juice, as not only is it the beginning of the Circus Trip, it's also the first time we'll see Nate Robinson in another uniform after his scintillating one-year run in Chicago.
The Bulls end the Circus Trip with a game against the Cavs. On the surface, this is just a ho-hum Central Division game against a team the Bulls have dominated since LeBron James left Cleveland. But it's not just another ho-hum game. It should hopefully mark the first time ever that Rose and Kyrie Irving square off. Irving has been in the NBA for two years, but between his own injuries and Rose's ACL injury, the two have never faced each other. And I know many Bulls fans are chomping at the bit to see Rose put Irving in his place.
Bulls at Rockets, Dec. 18, 8:30 p.m. Bulls at Thunder, Dec. 19, 7 p.m.
I'm grouping these two together because they're back-to-back roadies against two of the top teams in the Western Conference. First up, the Bulls get their first look at the James Harden/Dwight Howard tandem, a duo that should theoretically tear up the NBA. There's also the Omer Asik factor, although he could still possibly be dealt. The next night, the Bulls face the second-best player in the league in Kevin Durant along with his trusty sidekick, Russell Westbrook. Durant's simply a joy to watch almost no matter what, and the Rose/Westbrook battle is simply breathtaking in terms of athleticism.
A Christmas Day game against the new-look Nets will certainly give me plenty of reason to not spend time with the family and just watch basketball instead. The trade for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce made the Nets quite formidable, but I believe the steal of Andrei Kirilenko made them a legitimate threat. While I still think the Bulls are the better squad, the Nets will be a force to be reckoned with. They certainly shouldn't be a team that loses in the first round to an undermanned opponent.
Yeah, the Lakers are probably not going to be any good this year, but playing them on Martin Luther King Day is still pretty cool. And based on what happened last year, we can expect a monster performance from Kirk Hinrich! Plus, Lakers schadenfreude.
Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the rest of Lob City make their one and only trip to the United Center in a game that should feature plenty of highlights. The last time Rose faced Paul, the Bulls' star torched him to the tune of 29 points and 16 assists in Los Angeles. The Clippers have some new faces on their roster, with J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley now key parts of their rotation.
This will be the fourth and final matchup between the Bulls and Pacers on the year, and it could potentially have major ramifications in both the Central Division and Eastern Conference. Many think the Pacers have passed the Bulls in the East hierarchy, however, I still think Chicago has the upper hand given a healthy Rose. Perhaps a rejuvenated Danny Granger changes that, but I'll believe that when I see it.
Some other schedule notes:
- The Bulls will be on national TV 33 times. That includes 10 games on ESPN, nine games on TNT, five games on ABC and nine games on NBA TV.
- The Bulls have 17 back-to-backs.
- The Circus Trip runs from Nov. 21-30 and includes six games against the Nuggets, Trail Blazers, Clippers, JazzPistons and Cavs.
- The longest homestand of the year runs from March 7-17. It includes six games against the Grizzlies, Heat, Spurs, Rockets, Kings and Thunder. Pretty rough stretch.
- Following that brutal homestand, the schedule lightens up a bit over the final month of the season. There are two games against the Pacers in there and also one in New York, but there are some cookies as well, including a pair against the 76ers and games to finish the year against the Magic and Bobcats.
The first thought that leapt out when looking at the 2013-2014 Los Angeles Lakers season schedule was, "uh, that's a rough start." The second might have been that the Lakers still have an awful lot of nationally televised games; a total of 29 appearance including NBA TV. That's more than the back-to-back-champion Miami Heat.
The first set of games
The first national game is opening night for the NBA and Lakers. Pitting the Lakers against the Los Angeles Clippers is an easy draw for TNT. It's opening night anyway, so slapping the cross-hall teams against one another is a safe bet. Los Angeles is a giant market to tap into.
With that said, if Kobe Bryant is ready to start the season, this could pay off in huge dividends for ratings. And you can't tell me you don't want to see what happens when he steps back onto the court after the Achilles tear, anyway, national audience. Plus the added intrigue from the Doc Rivers draw? Well done.
The league cashes the Lakers' first back-to-back series to open the season. Los Angeles shoots up to Oracle Arena to face the Golden State Warriors as they open their new season with Andre Iguodala on board on NBA TV. This is another easy draw, allowing the league to run the Lakers out for both nights of inaugural basketball.
The first three games of the Lakers' season are national games. Friday, November 1 L.A. hosts the San Antonio Spurs. This will also be ESPN's first chance to air the Lakers with NBA TV and TNT taking the first two games.
The Lakers proceed to play the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks out of the spotlight, but the next national gamecomes against the Houston Rockets on November 7. This game will be in Houston and is the first meeting between Dwight Howard and his former team. While there's no telling when Bryant will be back in the lineup, this is another big draw game that will easily sell. Congratulations, TNT, you got the first blow in this one. It's worth noting that all four meetings between Houston and L.A. will be nationally televised.
After the Rockets showdown the Lakers spend six games out of the spotlight until ESPN airs the next meeting with the Warriors on November 22. Airing both meetings with the Warriors seems odd, but stirring the California market by airing the Pacific Division rivals a second time is a safe bet for the second-half of a Friday double header. It's a low-risk, high-reward type of game.
December 13 marks the next national television game for the Lakers who travel to Oklahoma to face the Thunder for the first time in 2013-2014. December enters territory where Kobe Bryant "might" be back if the 7-9 month timetable. This is in the middle of seven-month territory and will have a large draw with Oklahoma City regardless. This also marks the first game of a four-game road trip with games in Charlotte, Atlanta and Memphis.
ESPN will give another roll of the dice for the Lakers on Friday the following week when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit Los Angeles. This will be the first Lakers game at home in 10 days and could be another shot at a Kobe return game with the team returning to L.A.
The Lakers always play on Christmas Day. Christmas Day Lakers games and the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day are the safest bets you could make in the history of sports betting. How many more LeBron and Kobe storylines will the league be able to sell, however? The NBA was never gifted the lustful LeBron James, Kobe Bryant NBA Finals, and time is ticking to Bryant's unsure future and a summer that could see James opting out of Miami.
Thanks for traveling to Los Angeles for Christmas Day, Miami!
Last season the New York Knicks visited Los Angeles and lost 100-94. The game drew the largest audience in history for an "early" game on Christmas Day. Bryant and James haved play on Christmas twice. LeBron has gone 2-0.
Christmas Day is the last nationally televised game for the Lakers in 2013.
To Recount
The Lakers play eight nationally televised games in 2013. The first three games of the season, featuring three conference "rivals" and the dice roll of an early returning Kobe Bryant. The first game between the Rockets and Lakers was an obvious choice, and the Lakers will always play on Christmas Day. Four games are sprinkled in between with the Timberwolves, Warriors and Thunder games not leaping off the page, but still likely enough to draw ratings.
2014
The first nationally televised Lakers game in 2014 will be against the Rockets on January 8. If Kobe Bryant didn't play in the first meet between the teams, this game could serve as the first actual Kobe vs. Dwight meeting. Bryant had surgery to repair his Achilles on April 13 and would be five days away from the nine month mark. TNT may have grabbed the first available game between the two, but ESPN may have the more realistic date for the two to meet.
Following that up, the Lakers next game is against the Clippers on Friday, January 10 and will be nationally televised. ESPN continues pushing salable Lakers games on Fridays and catches the second meet between the two L.A. teams.
The Lakers' seven-game Grammy road trip begins on January 15 in Phoenix, followed by Boston and Toronto.
TNT grabs the next two glamorous Lakers games with the next two Grammy-trip games in Chicago (1/20) and Miami (1/23). Kobe Bryant will have cleared the 7-9 month bar just a week prior to these games.
Orlando is the sixth team in the Lakers gauntlet, which ends at Madison Square Garden on January 26. The 26th marks the first Sunday of basketball aired on ABC and will follow-up an NBA Finals rematch of the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat.
All-Star Weekend
On April 9 the Lakers begin a six-game home-stand by hosting the Bulls. TNT will air this game.
From February 13 through February 23 the Lakers will be televised in each game they play. This is a key NBA stretch with the trade deadline (expect many sauces) and All-Star weekend. The Lakers face the Thunder (2/13), Rockets (2/19), Boston Celtics (2/21) and Brooklyn Nets (2/23) in this stretch.
February 19 may be the biggest hyped game of the year with Dwight Howard visting the Lakers for the first time since he left Southern California. ESPN nabs a huge game with this one.
Oh my
After the run of four straight national games, the Lakers skip ahead to March 6 where they face the Clippers. This begins the toughest six-game stretch for the Lakers 2013-2014 season. After facing the Clippers at home they fly up to Denver to face the Nuggets on the second half of the back-to-back set on March 7.
L.A. returns to national television on March 9 when the Lakers host the Thunder on an ABC Sunday. The Lakers then travel to Oklahoma City (3/13, TNT), San Antonio (3/14, NBA TV) and back to L.A. to face the Spurs again (3/19, ESPN).
This is a brutal stretch of games that leads off with a back-to-back that ends in Denver, one of the places that is often called a "schedule loss" in that situation, and features either the Spurs and Thunder in the next four games. The only upside to this stretch in the schedule is that in the Lakers have eight days without a game over a 12-day span.
The final stretch
The Lakers end a four-game home game stretch on March 25 when Metta World Peace makes his first and only visit to the Lakers since he was amnestied and signed with the Knicks. TNT will have that for you.
If the Lakers happen to be on the edge of a playoff berth, much like they were in 2012-2013 this late in the season, then the national broadcasts have everybody covered. Five of their nine games in April will be nationally televised, beginning with a home game against the Trail Blazers on April 1.
The Lakers visit the Sacramento Kings, who love hosting Los Angeles, and then return to Staples Center to face the Dallas Mavericks.
IF the Lakers be teetering on the eighth seed, the close of the season could be the final blow to any playoff hopes.
The Lakers face the Clippers (4/6, ABC), Rockets (in Los Angeles, 4/8, TNT), Warriors (4/11, NBA TV) and Grizzlies (4/13, NBA TV) for a national audience. The final two games of the season are on the road. The Lakers visit the Utah Jazz and end the 2013-2014 regular season in San Antonio.
Notables
Back-to-backs: 19
Nationally televised Games: 29
Month with most away games: January (10)
Month with most home game (x2): November, March (8)
Yesterday, Zach Lowe took a look at the future of mega-talented and mega-frustrating big man DeMarcus Cousins. Lowe refers to him as a "mystery man", and one that the Kings would be wise to wait on, rather than sign to what would likely be a sizable extension.
It's a fine article, and one that points out some of the reasons a player as good as Cousins remains such a risky bet to make for a franchise.
Though he doesn't specifically mention Dallas as an option in the article, the player Lowe describes Cousins as might fit almost perfectly into the category of "fallen angel", a term Cuban used in his open letter a few days ago. As Cuban wrote, the fallen angel is a player who is "traded or left unsigned because everyone in the league thinks that they can only be the player they saw in another organization". Cuban's contention is that this type of player can succeed in Dallas because of the culture within the organization, from the well-respected coaching staff, to the unselfish on-court play of franchise star Dirk Nowitzki, to the strong veteran presence in the locker room.
Personally, I'm a Cousins fan. He turns 23 next week, and he's already had two seasons where he's averaged a double-double(essentially; he averaged 9.9 rebounds last year). He is an enormous man who is both incredibly strong and surprisingly skilled, possessing a soft touch and quick hands. He has rubs: Lowe notes that his defensive effort is, at times, atrocious, and his maturity has rightly been called into questions on numerous occasions(just ask O.J. Mayo's balls). He also is not the most ideal of frontcourt partners for Dirk, being a poor shot blocker and not the most nimble guy. Still, the upside is tremendous and it would be extremely unsurprising to see it all click for him later in his career, much the way it has for Zach Randolph in Memphis.
It isn't too difficult to connect the dots between Dallas and Cousins: Dallas has been reported as interested in Cousins for a long time. Constructing a realistic scenario where Cousins can be acquired before next offseason is a bit trickier, however. I have seen some of our more optimistic readers suggest this is possible, but I just don't see it. Dallas has very little in the way of tradable assets. When Sactown Royalty's own Tom Ziller explored possible trade packages, his analysis was that Dallas didn't have anything worth considering.
Now, I wouldn't shut the door on this completely. If Sacramento does decide not to extend Cousins, he will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Dallas would be in position to offer the RFA max, which the Kings could in turn match.
If Cousins does not demonstrate the desired level of improvement, and is traded, it's hard to think there won't be a team better equipped to swoop in. Perhaps the best way for Dallas to be a factor in possible trade talks would be by taking on salary along with quality pieces from a third team, and then using those pieces to acquire the man known as "Boogie". We have seen Cuban operate creatively in this way, before. Perhaps now that the Powder era has past and there are no Dwight Howard/Chris Paul level stars to remain in a holding pattern for, we can see that Cuban return to forefront. There really isn't any reason for Dallas not to take a chance on somebody. Certainly not anymore. I fully expect the team to be opportunistic and really listen to substantive trade offers. I could be wrong, but I don't think they had been doing that the last few seasons.
Although this offseason for the Mavericks is all but finished, and many new faces in town, I think it can be said that the real future of the franchise is probably not yet in the building. With Dirk now 35 years old, and many other key players also past 30, the team will be headed towards a rebuild soon enough, one way or another. If Mark Cuban wishes for the careers of Dirk Nowitzki and the next star Dallas Maverick to overlap, it's time to make something happen.
It's time for another episode of The Sactown Royalty Show! This week I'm joined by our newest colleague, Blake Ellington. We discussed the NBA schedule, the offseason, and in a big shock, we even talked about DeMarcus Cousins.
And I try to wrap each show with this, but seriously, thank you for listening. I'm always blown away by how many of you are listening to us each week. I have a lot of fun doing the show, and I hope you enjoy listening to my babbling.
I am admittedly biased, but I think the NBA is the greatest of all major professional sports. One reason that is the case is because it has continued to evolve over the years when the situation has called for it. Today I'm here to tell you what changes I would look to make if I was charged as league commissioner for a day as part of a collaborative effort at SB Nation.
The more I think about it the more this could be the biggest pet peeve I have with the league at the moment because the current 2-3-2 format doesn't make sense. Currently the team without the home court advantage just needs to win one of the first two games on the road and hope to sweep at home to take home the championship. Now I recognize that it is difficult to do but there was much more intrigue when a team would be up 3-2 in a series but have to go on the road to try and close it out. I understand the logistics of the situation with potential Finals teams being from each coast but there are usually at least two days in between games anyway. Who cares about logistics just make the change.
Adopt FIBA's Goaltending Rules
FIBA's goaltending rule permit a player to knock the ball off the rim and eliminates the imaginary cylinder that exists in the NBA game. I have a couple of reasons for wanting this change. First, big men are slowly being phased out in the league and this gives added value to that shot blocker by placing fewer limitations on him. Second, the NBA's rule currently is extremely hard to officiate as we see many replays throughout a season where a player touched the ball while on the rim with the it going uncalled. Take the guesswork out of it for the officials and let them focus their attention elsewhere.
Expand the NBA D-League into a true Minor League system
This suggestion is too large to get done in any single day but I'd like to see the groundwork laid for a true NBA minor league system where every parent club has a one-to-one affiliation with the D-League. Furthermore I'd like all of the players on the Atlanta Hawks' D-League roster to belong to the parent NBA club. The NBA would then have reason to expand the draft and clubs could focus on more of a development model rather than having to take a short look at a guy and then cut him loose quickly. Many clubs are grabbing D-League teams for one-to-one affiliations but many franchises, like Atlanta, are sharing a D-League team with four or five other NBA teams.
Give the fine folks of Seattle another NBA team
I listed this last but this is probably the first thing I would do as commissioner. The Seattle Supersonics were one of the teams I liked most growing up with the league and it isn't right that they no longer have a professional NBA team. I wasn't for moving the Kings because I shudder to think about losing my team to another city. The only answer is expansion and if it requires adding an additional team to keep things even then so be it. Las Vegas seems like another logical choice. Again don't bug me with logistics just bring back the Sonics.
Final Thoughts
I could get off on a tangent about officiating and how it needs to be fixed and also about instant replay on which I am torn. On one hand I like the idea of getting calls right but on the other I don't like the idea of stopping multiple times at the end of an important game to review a call. I will leave those things for others to deal with.
Exit Question: What would you do if you were Commissioner for a day?
You know what’s great? Rivalries! You know what the NBA doesn’t have many of? Well, yeah, same thing. And you know what I’d do as Commissioner? Cackle all the way to the bank! I’d also try to generate some rivalries.
And because I’m greedy, I’d also make changes to playoff seeding. And maybe a whole bunch of other stuff. Man, I really want to be the Commish.
But first: Rivalries! We’ve had threads here at GSoM in the past about what even constitutes a rivalry. Are they measured by longevity? By intensity? Do the players have to care, or is it only about the fans? Are fisticuffs a necessity? (I’ll just get this out of the way: my idea is NOT for hockey-style sanctioned brawling, although I’m tempted to take that fork in the road now that I mention it.)
Longevity is certainly a big part of most historic rivalries, and short of making a grand proclamation of, "somebody build me a time machine so that I can tinker with history and manufacture tension between teams at various points in time and — wait what, that’s impossible, time is linear and temporal paradox isn’t possible? I’m the Commissioner dammit, don’t tell me what’s possible!", I’ll just have to hope that my rules changes take hold of the rivalrous nature of sports fans in the years to come.
If I can’t count on longevity, then you better believe I’m going to leverage intensity. And I think it’ll influence teams and fans alike.
Both MLB and NFL have more contentious matchups, I think, than we see in the NBA. They aren’t all rivalries of a historical nature, but I’d call them micro-rivalries based on intensity; and that’s derived from: 1) high frequency of contests; and 2) high stakes every season on the outcome of those contests.
So this grand plan shakes out in two parts.
Part I: Each team will play each other team within their division 8 times every season.
They’ll then play all other teams twice each, regardless of conference. We can keep conferences and divisions largely as they are, though they can be tweaked geographically, whatever — I’m sure someone else has this covered.
If you all thought those Warriors/Clippers matchups last year were intense, how about if there were twice as many? Two teams, fighting for division supremacy, each game breeding animosity for the next? How about Knicks/Nets, facing each other eight times in the same metropolitan area, battling for fans and regional boasting rights?
Divisions are generally determined by proximity, so this lessens travel time. You could have back-to-backs in the same city, giving the losing team in the first the opportunity to get revenge less than a day later, and look to sweep the next back-to-back back home. Fans have twice the opportunities to catch their favorite team in a respectively nearby competing city, and twice the opportunity to generate a healthy sports-hatred for a burgeoning rival.
Sounds great, right? Of course it does. There are a few flaws, but I think we can address them.
First: wouldn’t decent teams in crappy divisions have an easier time making the playoffs? Answer: yeah, probably, But we’ll tweak the playoffs to separate the chaff in just a moment.
Second: wouldn’t crappy teams in good divisions get pounded year after year? Answer: yeah, probably. But maybe they shouldn’t be so crappy! If they get worked even harder than usual, they’ll have better draft picks, or something. I'm sure they'll figure it out. I can’t be bothered with cellar-dwellers these days.
There might be other flaws in my plan, but I’ll let you jerks call me out on them.
Part II: Tweak the playoff seeding to maximize awesomeness.
First, we’re dropping the number of teams that make the playoffs from 16 to 14. Because really, if your league has more than half of its teams making the playoffs, you’re clearly in it for the money. At the very least, let’s playoffize just under half of its teams. Optics, y’all.
Second, the teams with the two best overall win/loss records in each of the six divisions make the playoffs.
Third, the team with the best overall record in each conference gets a first-round bye in the playoffs. We can call them "Regular Season Conference Champions" or something, give ‘em a little trophy.
Fourth, you have a one-game playoff between the two teams with the best records in each conference, regardless of division, to fill out that last playoff position.
Fifth, the three division winners (or I guess two division winners and one division runner-up, depending on which team gets the first-round bye) in each conference gets home court advantage in the first round. The one-game playoff winner gets seeded 4-6 depending on record.
I love this setup for a few reasons. Having six series in the first round instead of eight gives those games some breathing room, doesn’t force such a slog of a schedule, and fans have a better chance of watching all of the games instead of always having to miss out on that inevitable Pacers/Hawks matchup that gets relegated to NBATV at odd hours of the day. The one-game playoff is obviously thrilling for fans, but it also gives an opportunity to teams in stacked divisions to show their worth and get the seed they deserve. We don’t need to watch the #1 seeds (and probable Finals contestants) beat up on some terrible teams two rounds in a row, so giving them the byes doesn’t detract from the experience for anybody. And lastly, you’re likely going to see those top dogs in each division, who’ve battled all season, face each other at some point in the playoffs.
Hey, how about a bonus fun-rule? The two season conference champs, during their bye series, face off in a 3-on-3 exhibition game for charity? Kind of a little tease for a possible Finals match, set up some bragging rights tension there? Sure, let’s do it.
Look, none of these changes need to happen. The NBA is great, I loved the 2013 playoffs, and there are a ton of rules that really need to be changed before this craziness is considered, many of which you’ve already brought up. But I for one would love to hate the Clippers, or the Lakers, or even the Suns or Kings if they pull their stuff together, even more than I already do. We need villains, and constant contests between the same teams will villainize the opposition in short order. That makes games more meaningful and more fun. The playoff reordering helps maintain that divisiveness through the postseason. Everybody wins. Except probably for the Suns and Kings, who get walloped mercilessly by their superior division rivals. But, whatever.
Bonus rule change!
I should have led with this one, because it might be the most important of all.
BRING BACK STRIPEY SOCKS!!!
And even otherwise-adorned hosiery. Are you telling me this isn’t totally awesome, and wouldn’t sell merchandise?
SB Nation NBA's first theme day this offseason is "Commissioner for a Day." We encourage you to share your "if I were commissioner for a day" ideas in the comments. The highest rec'd one will go on the front page Friday morning.
Sacramento almost lost its Kings because of arena financing. New Orleans almost lost the then-Hornets. Charlotte did lose the Hornets. Seattle lost its Sonics. All because of arena financing. The Bucks and Wolves and even the Pacers are staring down years of drama over arena financing. If only all of those teams belonged to an association that could take a central role in addressing this issue.
I don't know what the fix is. But I do know that arena financing is the biggest issue facing the NBA, and if I were commissioner for a day, I'd spend my time working on it. And because of past failures on this tip, I'd expand the league to 31 (with owners' approval) and add an expansion franchise in Seattle, to begin playing in 2016-17.
What the league did in Sacramento was something I think the league should replicate. David Stern was fully engaged here over multiple years, and we are extremely lucky for it. The 2012 deal the Maloofs tore up even included money straight from Stern's coffers, which was apparently unprecedented. Every proper NBA city needs that sort of dedication and level of commitment. I imagine the Sonics would still exist if Stern had been as involved in Seattle as he was in Sacramento. (Of course, Seattle and Stern had all sorts of additional issues -- let's not rehash all of that.)
The point is that arenas get public funding in all but the largest cities due to relocation threats, plain and simple. It's an awful, adversarial relationship that pops up time and again. I get the sense that the current status quo creates wedges between communities and teams: we all saw how hard it was to enjoy the Kings from 2010-13 given the state of things? That happens far too frequently in the NBA.
Here are the specifics of what I would do.
Expand to 31. It's a first step to righting the wrong of 2008, and it takes the top relocation 'threat' off the table. Seattle deserves a team.
Establish a top-level position dedicated to assisting teams and cities in finding creative financing options for arena replacements or retrofits, as needed. I would have suggested John Moag for this job if, you know ...
Establish a fund out of the revenue sharing pot that serves to:
Serve as a loan guarantee so that cities/municipalities themselves don't have to guarantee bonds.
Contribute bridge amounts or development planning costs to projects (i.e. up-front consulting contracts so that cities don't have to pay for studies before anything is inked).
Be available for actual loans to teams, depending on the size of the fund.
It may seem unfair that high-revenue teams like the Lakers are contributing to arena projects in smaller markets through revenue sharing, especially considering the Lakers' building was privately financed. But consider the alternative: all teams are forced to big markets because that's where it makes financial sense to privately finance buildings. The Lakers can contribute a few bucks to an arena in Milwaukee, or they can meet the Anaheim Bucks. Easy choice, right?
I'm not even sure these suggestions would 'fix' things. But they'd be a start. Sacramento came so, so close to losing the Kings, and I don't want to see any other cities deal with that.
Everyone who knows me knows that I'm a super chill, passive, non-micromanager. No, wait, it's pretty much the opposite. I am easy going, however, I've inherited a number of functional organizational traits from my mother (a mix of perfectionism and OCD -- which I hide very well with how many spelling errors I have in my posts). When I think about having a lot of power (with which to do good deeds with) I end up thinking about one of the most powerful men I have had the chance to meet: David Stern. I got a brief chance to meet Stern at the 2013 NBA Draft. Of course, it's not like I had a long, candid conversation with him (like Mychal and I had with the president of the ref's association at the Draft combine, Mike Bantom's boss) -- but after his last pick (which happened right before I finally finished the Trey Burke interview) we ended up crossing paths under the Barclays center. He ended up mingling with some of the crowd for a bit on the left hand side, where I was coming from (because I got lost).
What would I do if I were commissioner of the NBA for a day?
Well, the OBVIOUS answer is the same answer if you found a genie's bottle -- ask for more wishes. So the first thing I would want is to grant myself the power to be commissioner for a year. (Or for life -- it's a pretty nice job to have) After that, it's game on. In reality, I don't think I could make the NBA changes I wanted in just a day, so I picked the "more wishes" option first. If I could get everything done in a day I would be fine with just a day. I'm not greedy.
My two main campaigns would be because, well, I'm kinda into organization / OCD. For example, it makes absolutely no sense for the New Orleans NBA franchise to be in the Western Conference. This is precisely the kind of buffoonery I would try to resolve. Another problem I have is that the average NBA player has grown in athletic ability, size, length, and speed -- but the court has remained the same. They haven't changed the lines significantly since the days of Wilt Camberlain, and haven't added any new lines since the 1979-80 season when they added the three point line. Purists are awesome, but the game has changed, and changes need to be dealt with -- and not ignored.
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Proposal #1: Expansion and Realignment
People love the NBA, especially basketball crazy places that don't have teams. Look at how crazy Oklahoma City went when they were allowed to help host NBA home games due to Hurricane Katrina causing massive destruction in New Orleans. Some former NBA homes don't even have a team anymore. The NBA can't expand unless there is an even number of added teams, so that makes it hard for a single new franchise to be formed. Making it even harder, is that they have to be divided evenly in the East and West. The only way the NBA is ever going to really get serious and expand is if the NBA opens up some of their coffers to help with some of the cost. The NBA is a many-billion dollar for profit group. In order to expand the brand they should follow through with my plan, as Commish. Well, as Commish they may not have a choice.
Anyway, this plan requires them to help wanna-be owners buy new franchises.
I handled realignment a while back (March 5, 2011) and a number of things have changed since then. First of all, the world went into a super-duper recession. But whatever. I'm Commish for a day, and that day is in the future. Not tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow things are much better economically in the US. Another thing is that while I was into realignment, it doesn't accurately reflect the changing demographics of the world and the globalization of the game.
The current NBA is broken up into 30 teams, 15 in each conference, and 5 in each division. Like the major population and market sizes in the US, many of the teams are inherently in the East. You play 82 games in a season, and it works out quite nicely with two games each (home and away) with each team in the other conference, and the majority of your games played against your conference. The problems here are that the divisions and conferences don't adhere to geography. I know how silly this is as I'm a Detroit Redwings fan and hated them being in the Western Conference. I know it was about money, but I'm glad using our brains prevailed.
We need to use our brains in the NBA.
And we need to use our brains to make a lot of money -- even if the NBA has to dip into not just their operations budget but also some of their savings as well. Why? Because cha-ching. That's why.
NBA is expanding from 30 teams to 48 teams
NBA Conferences are up from 15 teams to 24 teams
NBA is expanding the size of divisions from 5 teams to 6 teams
Duh, four in the West, and four in the East
Each division will have a market size factor that relates to their metro populations and TV deals, etc. This division market size factor will then be applied to the salary cap (*maybe, not sold on this idea)
The number of teams has increased, but the NBA schedule has not -- you will still play a 82 game season
The NBA Season will be Non-Conference Games + Conference Games + Division Games + Rival Games = 82
Each team will play every team in the other conference once (24 teams x 1 = 24 games), so you no longer get a home and home each year. Each year this will switch from a home game vs. Team X to a roag game vs. Team X. They have powerful computers to keep track of this guys.
Each team will play every team in their own conference twice (23 teams x 2 = 46 games). You get a home and home with every team in your conference.
Each team will on top of that play every team in their division one more time (5 teams x 1 = 5 games). It will alternate every season so a team in your division that you play 2 games at home against in this season will be scheduled next season for twice on the road against. Big super computers can figure this out. So you play 3 games against your division opponents, 2 games against every other team in your conference, and 1 game against the opposing conference.
Each team will then play 7 "Rivalry" games. These are open and selected based upon semi-history and geography. The Utah Jazz, for example, on top of their 24 East Games, 46 West Games, and 5 Division Games (75 of their total 82 games), will play an additional one game each against the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle Supersonics (they comin' back), San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. You notice that one of those teams isn't even in the same conference, and (you will notice) that those Western conference teams are not all in the same division as the Jazz. This is a good thing. We get one extra Lakers / Celtics game a year. We get to retain rivalries despite a league with 18 more teams in it. Don't care for the Jazz, well the Knicks would get an extra game against the Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, and Indiana Pacers. Nice. Of course, not every team will have the same number of rivals (almost every team in the West calls the Lakers a rival), so you will not get your first pick of rival every year (again, super computers can figure this out), so this allows for NEW rivalries to happen.
Rivalry games are always on National TV. Period. They get special uniforms for these games too. Legends from each team are on hand, and ON the bench of their teams during the game and mic'd up. They can be in the huddles too during time outs if they want / are not currently being interviewed by the TV crew. So in the case of a Kings/ Sonics rivalry game Chris Webber and Gary Payton will be mic'd up. They can tweet / instagram / vine / whatever as much as they want.
So 24 (non-conf) + 46 (conf) + 5 (division) + 7 rivalry = the 82 game schedule
The NBA regular season is longer, so there is more time for rest, travel, and fewer guys get otherwise avoidable injuries.
There are 2-3 fewer pre-season games.
The season starts in the third week of October (currently starts on the last three days of October), and continues on till the last week of April. Playoffs START in May. Fewer injuries means better competition, and fewer teams going into playoffs hurt. The product will be better. Fewer teams will be forced into tanking as well.
Seriously, unavoidable injuries due to strain loses the league millions a year.
The playoffs will remain unchanged, Top 8 of each conference. This means there will be 32 teams not making the playoffs.
Guess what? 32 team single elimination tournament, where each game is 24 minutes long. Draft rank is somehow tied into this tournament. (Haven't figured this out quite yet, but better than just tanking) The better you do in the tournament the better chance you have of improving your draft lotto probabilities? It's still based upon poor record, but the teams that are "just one piece away" and go for it and get a Top 10 player or something. I don't know. Smarter people than I can figure this out.
Each team can assign up to 3 players (regardless of age or experience) as free transfers to their affiliate NBA-DL team. They have unlimited movement between the teams/leagues. NBA Rosters are now at a maximum of 15 + 3 stashes. You don't have to go for a full 15 + 3 though. Minimums will be at 12 + 1.
Okay, so this all deals with the league . . . but not the actual expansion / realignment. Spill the beans AllThatNBACommish . . .
Four divisions in each Conference
Six teams in each division
Currently playing with the names, maybe naming them off of a legendary player from each zone -- like Mikan Conference will hold over the teams in Minny, Milwaukee, Chicago, etc. I don't know. For ease right now they are West 1, 2, 3, 4, and East 1, 2, 3, 4. Clearly we know some of them are "Atlantic" or "Pacific" though.
This is essentially the Atlantic Division with a little remix. We've added Washington D.C.'s team here. We've also added a new expansion franchise in New Jersey. That means there's 3 NBA teams in a small area -- but to be fair, this is really 6 NBA teams in a small area. But this is the most populated area on the North American continent. If you don't like giving Jersey a team then either a) we move Toronto back in, b) add a team in Baltimore, or c) add a team in Pittsburgh. Whatever. These teams play each other a lot and lots of rival games too. They also have the largest metro score and have a crazy number of sports teams. But there are a lot of people to go around and be fanatics. I can see it that if you are really a fan of a team that has expensive home court tickets you could end up just watching "your" team play as the road team a lot with the new expansion franchise.
I really wanted Minnesota to be here because they are adjacent to Milwaukee -- but it wasn't to be. If we move Toronto into the East 1 division (and they may want to be there because of their ego), then this group either gets an expansion team in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, or even down into Louisville, Kentucky. We can figure it out as we go along. As it stands all 6 teams here are already NBA teams; however, the Metro score is less than 1/3rd that of the East 1 division.
This is another division that is 6/6 NBA teams right now. The main difference is that we've added New Orleans and Memphis from the Western Conference, and moved Washington to the East 1 "Atlantic". I think this works out and less travel time for each of these teams too. There should be no complaints. This division is even smaller in metro size than East 2 "Central".
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East 4: "Europe"
East 4
#
Team
Metro Pop (M)
NBA Team
# of Sports Teams 2013
1
Istanbul Team
13.8
New
6
2
London Team
13.6
New
14
3
Paris Team
12.2
New
5
4
Milan Team
8.1
New
4
5
Madrid Team
6.4
New
4
6
Berlin Team
5.1
New
8
Average
9.9
0 / 6
6.8
Before you start -- shut up. David Stern wants this. He's said it many times. I'm the guy who is going to make it happen. There's too much money at stake here. Expand the brand. Make paper. Give a lot of Euro stash players a chance to play in the NBA while staying at home. A great retirement set of teams for those players. And the fans are basketball crazy there, if you didn't notice. It only makes sense to expand to Europe. And it only makes sense if you realign the schedule to be based mostly on division opponents and rivals instead of having a home and away with every team in the league. Seriously, Los Angeles to Istanbul x 2 (home and away) x 2 (two LA teams) = nuts. The only way this is going to work is my way, or ramjet engines on passenger planes. A six team group of European teams in the biggest cities really helps out. Istanbul has a world class bball arena. London had the Olympics. France produces more European NBA players than any other foreign nation. Milan is the largest city in Italy, isn't as crazy as Rome, and has great sports fans. Madrid? One of the best cities in the world. Berlin? Not as big as other parts of Germany in terms of Media market -- but they already have a great BBALL Gym, and I think their "Capitol" status may mean the team has to be there. Maybe that means the team is in Rome too. I don't know. I think this is a can't fail idea unlike Euro-Disney. For starters, these 6 places already love the NBA and have home town heroes to cheer for. Don't you see 40 yr old Dirk Nowitzki playing 12 mpg for Berlin and stroking jumpers in the 4th quarter to quiet the Istanbul Janissaries crowd? I do. So does David Stern.
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East Overall:
They have a combined metro population of 204.6 million people, and already have 126 major sports teams. I'm asking to build 7 more and I think the population can support that. A lot of these cities already have NBA ball ready arenas (including the East 1 expansion team even if it's not in New Jersey, but where the Pittsburgh Penguins play or where ever.)
Duh, this one is easy. Put the teams on the Pacific in this division. Add expansion franchise in Seattle, and move Portland from the Northwest division. I'm not going to take a team out of Sacramento, even if it would mean allowing for adding a San Diego, or Vancouver (a larger market) in this group. Sacramento deserves a team, and here their team shall stay. This group is bolstered by the LA teams, and after all, California really just cares about themselves. Moving towards more division based 82 game strategies will only further solidify this idea.
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Division 2: "Rocky Mountain"
West 2
#
Team
Metro Pop (M)
NBA Team
# of Sports Teams 2013
1
Denver Nuggets
3.2
Yes
5
2
Vancouver Team
2.6
New
3
3
Utah Jazz
2.4
Yes
2
4
Las Vegas Team
2.3
New
0
5
Calgary Team
1.2
New
2
6
Edmonton Team
1.2
New
2
Average
2.2
2 / 6
2.3
I have a huge problem with the fact that so much of the US and Canada is underpopulated. Geography gets a bit skewed here and I would love nothing more than to NOT have to have two teams in Alberta (but population and actually useful arenas are a thing) -- but all the cities in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, etc are small enough to be considered "households" in some parts of Asia. I would have also liked to get Phoenix up in this biz -- but Vancouver to Phoenix is long. Well, obviously the "secret" would be to move Sacramento to somewhere in this region and put Vancouver in the Pacific? No, not happening. As I said I'm not moving Sacramento. And Phoenix HAS to be in Division 3 in the West for a reason. So the "Rocky" region is on a rocky start. At least we're all pretty much in the same time zone this time -- unlike the current North West which is in 3.
These cities have a much smaller Metro population and our cap benefits will be accrued accordingly! I do like the idea of having one Alberta team and one B.C. team for rivals sake -- and both can be rivals w Toronto too. But too many Canadian teams, I cannot stress enough how much I'm not a fan of that. I do think that the "Destination" team is Las Vegas here. That helps to off-set the smaller markets in this group because that city is all about bling. And you know LV games will be on TV all the time -- which now benefits this division which will be forced to be on TV a lot too.
This is where most people, probably racists or anti-globalists (people who seem to never look at trends and where the money is -- check out some of the Goldman-Sachs projections sometime guys!) get upset. "Three new Canadian teams is already too much, not to mention six in Europe . . . but now two in Mexico? This is it." Mexico City has to have a team. It has a metro population of 21.4 million and only has 4 sports teams. We can't ignore all the money there. And we need another team in Mexico too to help balance out the travel time and rivalry games. Why not Guadalajara? It has 3 teams, and they love sports there. They have near state of the art arenas there too as they were hosts of the Pan Am games. Also, they have the 4th largest non-California market size in the Western Conference. Let's move beyond ignorance and racism and see economic gains. It's a shorter flight from Dallas to Guadalajara than it is from Dallas to New York after all.
Thanks to the Mexican teams this is the second largest metro division in the West, and nearly larger than the massive Euro zone too in the East. Also -- if you ever want to make a stand against FIBA and Soccer/Futbol -- having three legendary NBA teams in the same division doesn't hurt.
I absolutely had to move OKC out of that huge division where they are competing financially against Mexico City (which is more than 10x its' economic size), as much as I dislike them it would be unfair of them to keep them there. They can and will still hold Rivalry games against the teams in Texas -- but they fit in much better with this anemic group. This is the smallest size group, and I just had to struggle to find sufficient places. Minny and OKC headline this group -- but basketball is not unknown to these places.
No group is smaller and these teams are in small areas. But most of them already have pro-style Basketball arenas -- I don't think the arenas in these cities need to be 20k big, they just need to be updated and ready to be similar to the ones in the big cities. Some of them already are.
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West Overall:
Though smaller than the Eastern Conference, the total metro population is 124.5 million people, with 75 current sports teams, while adding *gulp* 11 new teams. I wish the population was larger -- but I think adding new teams in Canada and Mexico will help establish some more national and regional brands for the NBA. It will work out in the end because people want to watch the Lakers play -- and the Lakers have to play each of these teams at least twice a season.
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Bottom Line:
Larger market presence all over North America, and venturing into Europe. Bringing the American brand of basketball and best competition in the world to 329.1 million people in metro areas, and millions more through regional association. A more spread out season with the same number of games -- but more time to rest and fewer injuries. A more competitive lottery system, and a rejuvenation of rivalries that matter. Also Dirk hitting threes in his 40s and Gary Payton swearing at the other team from the bench of a new Seattle NBA franchise. You want this.
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Proposal #2:Larger Court
I mentioned up above that the court dimensions have stayed the same despite players getting bigger, longer, stronger, and faster. Today small forwards have the wingspan of centers not named Wilt Chamberlain, from back in the 60's and 70's. Better training methods, off-season work outs, and nutrition have made this game a different game than a few decades ago. Also with these taller, longer, faster people the risk of stupid injury because of baseline camera men are higher than ever before.
You can train to not get injured. But injuries still happen. I can accept that. I cannot accept completely preventable injuries.
Make the courts bigger. Add a legal dribbling area that extends 2' behind each basket / backboard (94' + 2' + 2' of legal area on the length side of things). And then add a legal dribbling area that extends to 1' on each side (50' + 1' + 1'). Fewer stupid out of bounds calls. Move the cameras back. Fewer stupid injuries. More room for people to make great moves. And more room for stronger, faster, longer players.
The main opposition here is that this would mean losing some expensive rows near courtside. Well, a) too bad, or b) build a larger arena. Even the non-playoff teams get home games in an end of season tournament now, so there's more money to be had in AllThatAmar's NBA. Also use some extra funds to help pay for new arenas renovations: some from the NBA, some from sponsors, and sell TWO ads on the uniforms. (The size of a little shorter strap) One is on the front of the jersey. The other is on the side of the shorts near the hip. Make money. Use money. Make a better product.
Now, making the court larger and the legal area larger is good. I'm not ready to make all the camera people out of jobs and replacing them with fiber optic cameras from under the floor boards yet . . . but push them back and let the athletes do their thing. Good.
But we've made the court bigger? Do we need to make the key bigger like they did in Wilt's time? No. But can we still do something awesome?
Yes.
The new baseline is 52' long. The three point line at the baseline is 22'. That means from baseline three to baseline three you have a span of 44' in a 52' plane. That leaves 8' total on each sideline/baseline junction -- or 4' on each side.
So we have more space now and better players. Let's quit messing around and bring out the dreaded four-point line.
At baseline, at its' shortest, the 4 point line will be 24' from the basket, 2' behind the current 3 point line. And it will follow that curve around the arc and be at 25'9" straight away. (The NBA distance is currently 23'9")
People used to think the three point line was a gimmick -- but now we can't imagine being without it. The three point line is now 34 years old. I can't imagine people 30 years from now would think a larger court built for larger players with greater skill level would find a 4 point line (that is sufficiently out there) as absurd as you think it is today.
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David Stern wants this:
History is about progress and change. And as the NBA Commish I would embrace both of those things -- and make the league more popular and profitable than ever before. Even if it means using some of the NBA's money to help new owners start new franchises and help them then upgrade of build new arenas.
This is precisely the vision David had when we had that meeting of the minds months ago in Brooklyn. He was saying goodbye to the fans. But he was saying "hello" to me as a potential NBA Commissioner for a day.
Thursday Mail Sac, and it's Jimmer time courtesy Steven: "On what NBA team would Jimmer be successful? Personally I don't see Jimmer getting enough playig time in Sacramento to be successful. I think there is an NBA team on which he will become a good backup and successful guard like Scott Brooks when he played in the NBA."
I tend to agree that the Kings roster as currently constructed presents Fredette with quite a challenge. Absent of an exponential leap in his ball handling, he likely falls behind Greivis Vasquez and Isaiah Thomas at point guard. And while he can shoot, he's not a scorer like Marcus Thornton. And make no mistake, there is a difference between guys that can shoot and guys that can score in volume. The last time we saw Fredette, he was not yet in Thornton's class. That pits him against Ben McLemore for backup minutes at shooting guard. Fair or not, McLemore is the first pick of new ownership/management, and he will be given every opportunity to beat out Fredette for those minutes.
Now, the Kings are always just a trade away from Fredette moving up in the rotation, but as it stands, he sure appears to be the odd man out.
Let's look around the league, keeping in mind that guys like Rip Hamilton, Beno Udrih, and Rodrigue Beaubois are still unsigned. Also, I'm not cranking up the trade machine here - I'm just looking for places where Fredette might get a better chance for playing time right now.
Atlanta: Backing up Lou Williams at shooting guard. The Hawks have Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroeder at the point. Fredette's shooting off the bench would benefit the Hawks greatly.
Indiana: You know what? Fredette would be a nice fit behind George Hill. Paul George does a lot of handling from the two guard, so Fredette would work with him or even Lance Stephenson. C.J. Watson currently backs up Hill.
Los Angeles Lakers: Behind Nash (instead of Steve Blake), playing next to Kobe or Jodie Meeks. It could work.
Oklahoma City: Would he be better than Jeremy Lamb as a backup to Thabo Sefolosha?
Philadelphia: Their current backcourt is Michael Carter-Williams, Jason Richardson and Justin Holiday.
Phoenix: After Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic comes Shannon Brown. Fredette would at least have a shot at some burn here.
San Antonio: There is really no room at the Inn here, but Popovich would make a success out of him somehow.
Some folks like to point to Utah, but I don't see it. The Jazz are going all in with Trey Burke at point guard this year, and they have Alec Burks and Brandon Rush at the two (they can even slide Gordon Hayward to the two as they so desire). So that would leave Fredette battling John Lucas for minutes behind Burke. As much as folks like to see Fredette as a hometown boy, I see him as a somewhat divisive character. For every BYU fan there is a Utah or Utah State fan that really doesn't care for him too much.
All in all, some rather slim pickings. But he sure seems right for a Pacers uniform, doesn't he?
And from Chowking: "It's amazing to me that you guys can write about the Kings everyday even at off-season? How often do you think about the Kings in a day?
Michael Beasley might have played he's last game as a member of the SUNS. Another super talented player whose only problem is himself. I can't say who has a bigger problem between him and Cousins since it all depends on the person and what will make them change but do you think Beasley still has a career in the NBA? Would you even consider him for the Kings?"
We think about the Kings as much as Ziller makes us think about the Kings, which is always. Someday I will escape my confines and my parents will pay dearly for ever selling me to him. Someday...
Comparing the issues of Cousins and Beasley is comparing apples and otters. In fact, there are only a small handful of NBA players that can make you say, "Hey, at least DeMarcus Cousins isn't..." Michael Beasley is one of those guys. And Phoenix no longer possesses any assets that you could really package with Beasley to make it even remotely attractive to take him on. He is due to make $12.3m over the next two years (minus whatever money he's going to lose for his most recent marijuana arrest, which I believe was a felony count). The Suns would have to throw 2014 and 2016 1st round draft picks for me to take on the Beas at this point, and that would be a deal that would have them taking Chuck Hayes in trade...and then I would promptly waive Beasley.
And to think that at one point he was thought of as a potential #1 pick in the Derrick Rose draft. What a waste.
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Pick & Droll: Stat pondering.
Reggie Theus averaged 8.3 assists per game during his time in Sacramento, which is #1 all time for assists per game here in the River City. Kenny Smith was next at 7.2, and Spud Webb comes in third at 6.7. Will Greivis Vasquez average more assists per game than any of these guys this year (he averaged 9 per game last year)?
Jason Thompson is currently 10th all-time in games played as a Sacramento King. He will climb to 6th if he plays in 77 games this year, and #1 if he plays in 141 games (basically two seasons or less). Where is JT destined to wind up on this list, and what (if anything) would it mean?
In 1998-99 Chris Webber averaged an astonishing 13 rebounds per game. If DeMarcus Cousins can curtail his fouls a bit and takes dead aim at grabbing every rebound within range, can he eclipse that number? Where do you see Cousins' rebounding average coming in this year?
Webber also averaged an amazing 38.8 minutes per game during his stay in Sacramento. Who is going to lead the team in minutes per game this year, and what will the number be?
Mitch Richmond is the only Sacramento King to average double digit scoring while shooting over 40% from beyond the arc (40.4%...Peja Stojakovic came in at 39.8%). Will any of the Kings this year average double digit scoring and shoot at least 40% from three? 39%? 38%?
In that same vein, Peja's 89.3% from the line is tops for any Sacramento era double digit scorer. Which double digit scorer will lead the team in free throw percentage this year, and at what percentage?
ESPN's Amin Elhassan came out with his rankings today with the teams that have the most talent on their rosters under the age of 25 (insider only) and it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Cavs placed very well on this list. The following qualifiers were put in place when creating this list:
It makes sense for the Cavs to rank high on this list and maybe I'm just being a little greedy but I feel we should be higher. We have a player who could be a top 5 player in the very near future and is coming off two of the best years we've ever seen from a player at his age in the NBA. We have young players who have shown enough glimpses of talent to think they could be borderline all stars if not very good starters in this league in Dion and Tristan. Not to mention the #1 overall pick this year in Anthony Bennett and two players that are likely solid rotation players in Felix and Zeller. Plus Sergey Karasev could easily wind up being in the upper echelon of shooters in the NBA. While the Jazz have good players in Favors, Kanter, and Hayward along with intriguing rookies in Burke and Gobert I don't feel there's a surefire star player in that group. Plus we have no idea what Burke or Gobert are going to be in the league. While Favors is a very underrated player if I was Chris Grant and I got a call asking for Tristan for Favors straight up I probably wouldn't do it. Maybe that's my bias coming through but I just don't think either player has shown yet exactly what they will be in the NBA. To sum things up I feel having a player as good as Kyrie Irving and this much talent around him should place them above the Jazz when ranking which teams have the most talent under 25.
Here's what Amin had to say about the Cavs:
I have previously written about what makes Irving special, and recently seeing him in action at USA Basketball training camp only reaffirmed my belief that it is only a matter of time before he is unequivocally regarded as the best point guard in the league. His superhuman feel, unbelievable ball-handling skills, proficient perimeter game and leadership skills all point toward greatness.
He also had a few things about our other pieces around Kyrie:
Thompson improved greatly from his rookie year as an energy big and outstanding rebounder, Waiters had his moments as a slasher and scorer who needs to get more consistent.
Cleveland brought in one of the more complete rookie classes in 2013, including No. 1 overall pick Bennett, who has the potential to be a versatile inside-outside threat, Karasev as a big wing shooter and Felix as a big wing defender and energy guy.
I mean he's on the money for the most part here but he doesn't provide any explanation as to why he doesn't feel this group of players shouldn't be ranked ahead of the Jazz.
Overall I think they did a pretty good job with these rankings. I also had an issue with the T Wolves being ranked lower than Portland due to having Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio but I guess it depends on how you feel about Damian Lillard and Rubio.
What do you guys think? How does the Cavs young talent stack up when compared to the rest of the league?
Richard Schaefer has said for a long time that he wants to give boxing fans the best matchups and the best fights, and damn it all, it might have taken a greater-than-ever grudge with Top Rank and now HBO Sports, but he's doing everything he can to actually live up to that talk. What a world!
Thurman (21-0, 19 KO) scored the best win of his career on July 27 in his Showtime debut, knocking out Diego Chaves in the 10th round in San Antonio on the excellent Knockout Kings II show. Guerrero (31-2-1, 18 KO) hasn't fought since a spirited but fruitless effort against Floyd Mayweather on May 4, when he was easily outclassed over 12 rounds.
"I'm going to do a very significant card on November 2nd. One fight I would love to see, as a fan - one of those Fight of The Year candidates, one of those fights that are must see TV, something that you know is going to be a hell of a fight, can't miss TV, must tune in - and that's Keith Thurman against Robert Guerrero. It would be an absolute barnburner of a fight. I don't know if I'm going to be able to pull it off, but that's the kind of fight I want to put on November 2nd, as part of a doubleheader or a potential tripleheader," Schaefer told BoxingScene.com.
As Schaefer says, there's certainly no guarantee, but it's a great fight for Thurman. If Guerrero wants it, it's a ballsy fight on his end, too, even if you could argue practically that it's not the best idea for a "comeback" bout after a wide loss. Guerrero's not exactly one to look for easy fights, though, so if he's offered the bout, I'd expect him to take it if the terms are right. As for Thurman, he says he'll fight anyone. If Schaefer can make the fight, then hats off to him. He's doing a pretty fantastic job right now, and I say that with no sarcasm or snark or cynicism or whatever.
Ed Pinckney was a 6'9" power forward from the Bronx in New York City, NY. Born on March 27th, 1963, he played collegiate ball with Villanova, starting for four seasons. He averaged 15 points, nine rebounds, and two assists in 34 minutes per game. After graduating with the Class of 1985, the Phoenix Suns selected him with the 10th overall pick of that seasons draft.
Pinckney spent two seasons with the Suns (160 games), followed by stints with the Sacramento Kings (130 games), the Boston Celtics (340 games), the Milwaukee Bucks (62 games), the Toronto Raptors (47 games), and the Philadelphia 76ers (27 games). The Heat signed him for $300,000 prior to the 1996-97 season.
With Miami, Pinckney appeared 27 times, averaging just over a bucket in 10 minutes per game. He also pitched in an equal amount of rebounds. He only figured into double digits once, on February 6th in a 102-90 win over the Bucks, when he scored 11 points on four-of-six shooting with eight rebounds. Although he only appeared 27 times during the season, he stuck with the team through the whole year, making two postseason appearances (four points in six minutes).
Since his retirement, Pinckney has worked in broadcast and in coaching. He is currently part of the Chicago Bulls coaching staff.
Samaki Walker was a 6'9" power forward from Columbus, OH. Born on February 25th, 1976, he played two seasons of college ball with the Louisville Cardinals, averaging 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds over 50 appearances. In 1996, he declared for the NBA Draft early, and was rewarded with a first round selection, ninth overall, by the Dallas Mavericks.
Walker spent three seasons with the Mavs (123 games), later playing with the San Antonio Spurs (132 games) and with the Los Angeles Lakers (136 games). He helped the Lakers to an NBA title in 2002.
Prior to the 2003-04 season, the Heat signed Walker to a free agent contract for $1,700,000. He appeared 33 times for the Heat that season, averaging just over three points and three rebounds in 12 minutes per contest. He never during his time in Miami scored more than nine points or more than nine rebounds in a game. His best contribution may have been on November 29th, when he scored nine points with five rebounds in 18 minutes of a 78-66 Heat win over the Toronto Raptors. He later played in four games for the Heat against the New Orleans Hornets in the postseason, going scoreless wth one rebound and two personal fouls in 11 minutes of floortime.
Walker later played with the Washington Wizards (14 games) and the Indiana Pacers (seven games). Afterward, he appeared in foreign leagues in Russia, Syria, Lebanon, China, and South Korea. He was last a member of Al-Jalaa Aleppo, a multi-sport club in Syria All-Time HEATline: One season, 33 games, 12.7 minutes, 3.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, 9.9 PER, 0.7 win shares.
Mike Bibby is a 6'1" point guard from Cherry Hill, NJ. Born on May 13th, 1978, he attended the University of Arizona for two college seasons, averaging 15.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 32 minutes per game. He left school after the 1997-98 season, announcing his eligibility for that season's NBA draft. The Vancouver Grizzlies chose him with the second pick overall.
Bibby, son of former New York Knick Henry Bibby, played three seasons in Vancouver (214 games), also playing with the Sacramento Kings (476 games), the Atlanta Hawks (248 games) and the Washington Wizards (two games). Washington waived him per request five days after acquiring him on February 28, 2011. Miami signed him through the balance of the season two days later.
Bibby played 26.5 minutes per game for the Heat over 22 contests, starting 12 of them. He shot 43.7% from the field, including an even better 45.5% from long distance. He finished in double figures six times during the regular season for Miami. On March 12th, in a 118-85 Heat blowout victory over the Grizzlies, he went perfect from three-point range, hitting all five attempts and finishing with 17 points and four helpers. On March 29th, in a 102-90 Heat loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he scored 23 points on seven-of-11 shooting from deep. He then started all 20 of Miami's postseason games, sinking shots at a 28.1% clip and three-pointers at just over a quarter (25.6%). He averaged 3.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in just under 21 minutes per game.
Bibby played the 2011-12 season with the New York Knicks, playing 14.3 minutes per appearance over 39 games.
Alan Ogg was a 7'2" center from Lancaster, OH. Born on July 5th, 1967, he played four seasons in college with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, starting his last two years. After graduating with the Class of 1990, he was not selected in the draft, instead signing a free agent contract with Miami for two-years/$332,000.
Out of 31 appearances during his rookie season, Ogg started once. His average game consisted of two points, two rebounds, and one block in just over eight minutes. In a 109-103 loss to the Detroit Pistons on January 12th, he blocked a season high four shots. January 22nd would see him score 11 points with three rebounds and two blocks in a 118-107 Heat loss to the Atlanta Hawks. It was the only game that would see him finish in double figures.
Ogg played in 43 games in 1991-92, averaging 8.5 minutes and 2.5 points, 1.7 boards, and 0.7 blocks per night. He finished in double figures twice, but his best showing of the year was likely on March 31st. He hit all three shots from the field, scoring six points with six rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes as the Heat lost 123-114 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made three postseason appearances, scoring three points with a rebound and three blocks over 15 minutes. All three games were Heat losses to the Chicago Bulls.
Ogg made six NBA appearances in 1992-93, three each with the Milwaukee Bucks and with the Washington Bullets. He later played several seasons in various CBA outfits, most recently in 1994-95 with the Mexico Aztecas. On November 1st, 2009, Ogg passed away in Birmingham, AL, due to complications from a staphylococcal infection.
Wayne Simien was a 6'9" power forward from Leavenworth, KS. Born on March 9th, 1983, he was selected to the McDonald's All American squad in 2001 as a high school senior. He played four seasons with the Kansas Jayhawks in college. As a senior, he scored 20.3 points with 11 rebounds in 34 minutes per contest. After graduating with the Class of 2005, the Heat selected him in the first round of the draft, with the 29th overall pick.
Simien started two games for Miami that season, appearing in 43 overall. He shot 48.3% from the field, adding 88 rebounds. He never scored in double figures that year, finishing with nine on five occasions. His best showing was on November 9th, when he scored nine points with six rebounds (also a season high) in a 95-90 Heat loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the postseason, he went scoreless in seven minutes over two games as the Heat won their first ever NBA Championship.
Simien played in eight games in 2006-07 for the Heat. On April 18th (his last career game to date), he scored a career high 10 points in a 94-68 season-closing loss to the Orlando Magic. Miami was swept in the opening round of the playoffs by the Chicago Bulls. Simien did not make an appearance. He retired from professional basketball in 2009 to pursue Christian Ministry.
The Bee reports that on Tuesday the Kings will ask the Sacramento City Council to assist in the acquisition of a piece of property in Downtown Plaza where the Macy's men's store sits. That request could include pursuing an eminent domain case, which would likely be tied up in the courts for a while. More likely, this move is intended to force the property owner, New York-based Island Capital, to come back to the negotiating table. (The Bee says the two sides were close to a deal a couple months ago, but Island walked away.)
Meanwhile, Macy's is the tenant and already plans to vacate the site in the fall, moving the men's apparel and furniture to the Macy's women's store at the other end of the Plaza. That Macy's location will remain in place at the Plaza.
The Bee reports that the Kings have promised to pay any costs incurred by city staff working on this issue, and of course eminent domain itself would lead to the property owner getting paid. The Kings will cover all of that. This is really an arrow that the team can line up to put a bit more pressure on the landowner, who -- without a tenant in a couple months, and with no chance another tenant will move into that space at this point -- is just trying to wring a few more dollars out of the Kings. The team's fighting back.
So! Basketball! We have a schedule now, so we're beginning to plan for a few Sactown Royalty Nights! And remember a couple months ago, when some out-of-town fans were asking for a way to help send Kings fans to Kings games as they've been able to do in the past? That's tied into Sactown Royalty Nights.
So here's what we'll do:
* Have x number of Sactown Royalty Nights this season. Group rates, hopefully a perk from the team, good fun with good people.
* Threads where StRers who would go to a specific StR Night but cannot find it in their budgets connect with StRers who would go to a specific StR Night but cannot because they live in, say, Korea or Greece or Kansas City. We did this to great success for Here We Buy Night last season. I like this method better than the anonymous dollar donation + anonymous requests because, frankly, when things were anonymous we got a number of no-shows. Which was very frustrating. That doesn't happen when you're making the personal connection between the donor and the receiver.
* A few StR Nights when the team is on the road. We'll be trying to do these around the region at welcoming bar/pubs.
Here's what we need from you:
* Answer the poll on how many games you'd expect to buy tickets for (either as an attendee or donor).
* In the comments, if you have a Kings ticket rep you use and LOVE, let us know.
* Any specific viewing party candidates you favor. We're looking at Roseville, Natomas and Elk Grove tentatively.
By the way, section214 is the chair of the Party Committee. He threw a mean sock hop back in the day. GET EXCITED!
