Archives › John Krolik
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According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, newly hired Toronto Raptors assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo will make the princely sum of $650,000, along with perks, next season. It does look like a lot of money for an assistant coach, but if Carlesimo can have any significant effect on Toronto’s porous defense, he will be well…
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NBA Finals, Lakers Celtics: Lakers must slow down Rondo by cutting down on mistakes
Jun 8, 2010, 6:59 PM EDT
Rajon Rondo can be something of a mystery. In game one, Rondo looked like a relative non-factor. He only grabbed six rebounds, went 6-14 from the field, and totaled a good-but-not-great eight assists. He had his moments, but for the most part it looked like the Lakers had solved the Rondo riddle. In game two,…
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Well, there you go. Fisher has always been known as one of the NBA’s true class acts, but that certainly doesn’t mean he’s a guy you want to mess with. When asked about Paul Pierce’s comments that the Celtics “won’t be coming back to LA,” Fisher’s facial expression told the whole story. We’ve all…
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Even though Tex Winter’s career record as an NBA head coach is 51-78, he’s one of the true NBA coaching legends to emerge in the past couple of decades. When Winter took over as the coach of Marquette as a 29-year old in 1951, he was the youngest head coach in major college basketball. By…
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Generally speaking, I’m not the biggest fan of these free-agency “campaigns.” The top free agents this summer are grown men making an important decision for themselves, their families, and the franchise they will end up playing for. Fans acting like their city deserves a player’s services because they put together a website or cute little…
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Cavs owner Gilbert, GM Grant say LeBron not involved in coaching search
Jun 8, 2010, 3:31 PM EDT
It’s a fairly common assumption that LeBron James is hand-picking his next head coach. The fact that both the Bulls and Cavaliers hired and will hire a new head coach this off-season seems to support that notion; it seems hard to fathom that either team wouldn’t consider what impact a potential head coach would have…
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According to the Associated Press, former NBA guard Orien Greene has received a two-year suspension for tampering with a urine test. Green had been playing for Eclips Jet MyGuide Amsterdam, a professional team in Amsterdam. (Obvious joke that comes to mind — getting a two-year suspension for failing a drug test is bad enough. When…
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One of the key questions of the statistical movement, both in baseball and in basketball, is whether or not “clutch” performance exists. Most casual fans and basketball cognoscenti are absolutely positive that some players have the capacity to raise their game when it matters most, and other players tend to shrink in those same situations. …
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(skip to the 4:10 mark to see the part with the flare gun) Every once in a while, it’s nice to take a break from NBA Finals coverage to remind everyone just how much crazier they could be. The above is footage from game four of the Greek A-1 league finals between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos.…
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Source says Thibodeau hiring won't influence James' decision
Jun 7, 2010, 7:05 PM EDT
Current Boston Celtics assistant coach and soon-to-be Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau was the mastermind behind the defense that rendered LeBron James ineffective for long stretches of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Thibodeau is also represented by CAA, which gives him ties to LeBron’s representation as well as his mentor, the mysterious and powerful William Wesley. …
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According to the Associated Press, Sunday night’s NBA Finals game drew a very impressive 10.9 overnight rating, up 10 percent from the 9.9 rating game 2 of the 2009 Finals drew. The 10.9 overnight rating is the highest rating for a NBA Finals game two since 2004, when the Shaq/Kobe/Malone/Payton Lakers faced the Detroit Pistons…
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Coming into Sunday night’s game, Kobe Bryant had scored 30 or more points in 11 of his last 12 games. He had not shot 40 percent or lower from the field since April 22nd. He didn’t just defeat the Jazz and the Suns; he completely demoralized them with tough shot after tough shot. In the…
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Kevin Garnett bumps, yells at, curses at, and tries to intimidate every opponent he plays against, no matter how big (or small) that opponent may be. For years, he’s done everything he can to make Pau Gasol’s life miserable whenever the Lakers play the Celtics, and was able to limit Gasol’s production throughout the 2008…
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ESPN’s Chad Ford is reporting that international prospect Donatas Motiejunas has decided to withdraw from the 2010 NBA Draft. Montiejunas is a seven-foot forward/center with an amazing package of skills for his size, but there are concerns about whether the 19-year old has developed enough physically to bang with NBA bigs at this point. Montiejunas…
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There hasn’t been nearly as much speculation about where Celtics head coach Doc Rivers will be next season as there has been about where Phil Jackson will end up. However, there is a sentiment among many NBA fans and executives that Doc Rivers will resign as head coach after this season. There are plenty of…
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According to a press release distributed by the good people at ABC/ESPN today, game 1 of the NBA Finals drew an impressive 10.4 overnight rating on Thursday night. That represents a 17 percent increase from last year, when game 1 of the Magic/Lakers finals drew an 8.9 overnight rating. Thursday night’s game tied the 2008…
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With 8:45 remaining in the very first quarter of game one, the Celtics looked to set up their half-court offense after Ron Artest made a jumper. The Celtics brought the ball up and gave it to Kevin Garnett on the wing, who swung a two-hand pass to Rajon Rondo on the other side of the…
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Obama: LeBron re-signing with the Cavaliers would be a "great story"
Jun 3, 2010, 6:17 PM EDT
On Thursday, President Barrack Obama sat down with CNN’s Larry King to discuss the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. At some point during the interview, King asked Obama about the free agency status of LeBron James, whose own interview with King will air on Friday night. Obama previously said that he could see James “fitting…
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NBA Finals, Lakers Celtics: Jackson says that Gasol/Garnett matchup is the key to the series
Jun 3, 2010, 4:13 PM EDT
There are a plethora of great matchups in the NBA Finals. Kobe vs. Ray Allen. Paul Pierce vs. Ron Artest. The speed, athleticism, and youth of Rajon Rondo against the toughness, savvy, and outside shooting of Derek Fisher. Andrew Bynum vs. Kendrick Perkins and Bynum’s own injuries. All of them are exciting matchups to ponder,…
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While LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chris Bosh are all trying to figure out where they’re going to be playing next year, Kobe Bryant is focusing on the task at hand: trying to get his fifth career NBA Championship ring. Kobe doesn’t have any decisions to make after the series, having signed a…
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According to the Associated Press, a court date has been set for Antoine Walker, the former Boston Celtics and Miami Heat forward who has been charged with three criminal charges of felony bad check for failing to repay a $1 million gambling debt to three Las Vegas casinos. According to prosecutor Bernie Zadrowski, Walker could…
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For all the differences between the 2007-08 Lakers, the 08-09 Lakers, and this year’s Laker squad, one thing remains the same: The Lakers are hoping that they can get a significant contribution from Andrew Bynum, but aren’t sure he’ll be healthy enough to make one. Bynum missed the 2008 NBA Finals due to knee surgery,…
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According to the Associated Press and NBC Miami, the lawsuit that featured two of Dwyane Wade’s ex-business partners suing Wade for $25 million over a restaurant deal that went bad has been settled confidentially out of court: All parties, including Wade, walked into the courtroom at 2:02 p.m., and the settlement was announced eight minutes…
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Courtesy of CNN.com, here’s an interesting excerpt from LeBron James’ interview with Larry King, which is scheduled to air on Friday: King: Do you lean at all toward the place you know the best? I mean do they have an edge going in… JAMES: Oh, absolutely. KING: …your home team? JAMES: Absolutely. Because, you know,…
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(Warning: R-rated language in video) Well, that’s one way to take your mind off a disappointing playoff run and an impending free-agency decision. The Canadian rapper Drake recently performed a concert in Cleveland, and he was joined on stage for a portion of it by none other than two-time MVP LeBron James. Drake and LeBron previously had…
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Video: Bosh: 'We'll see who hits first'
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Video: Clippers, Celtics discussions 'can't be wrong'
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Video: Elliot looks ahead to Game 6
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Video: The Hype: How much would you pay to punch someone?
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Video: If Heat lose, 'all hell will break loose'
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Video: Green breaks NBA finals 3-point record
