Pau Gasol Injury: Updates on Spurs Forward’s Hand and Return
January 19th, 2017 by Timothy Rapp No comments »
San Antonio Spurs star Pau Gasol suffered a fracture of the fourth metacarpal in his left hand during warm-ups before Thursday night's game against the Denver Nuggets, the team announced on Twitter. It's unclear when he will return.
Continue for updates.
Popovich Comments on Gasol's Timeline for Return
Thursday, Jan. 19
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said Gasol will be out "a while," per Melissa Rohlin of the San Antonio Express-News.
Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver reported Gasol will be out indefinitely.
Gasol Provides Consistency on Offense for Spurs' Frontcourt
At 36 years old, Gasol has continued to churn out robust numbers. Entering Thursday night, he was averaging 11.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
He certainly hasn't shown signs of slowing down. Last season he averaged 16.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in 72 contests for the Chicago Bulls. In a season full of injuries and disappointment—along with a failure to reach the postseason—Gasol and ...
B/R NHL Experts Discuss: Stanley Cup Favorites and Award Winners at Midseason
January 19th, 2017 by Adrian Dater No comments »
The Stanley Cup playoffs are not that far off. Yeah, the NHL is in something of the dog days of its 82-game season, but spring is starting to feel closer. And that means only one thing: predictions.
The gist of the following conversation between Bleacher Report hockey writers Adrian Dater and Jonathan Willis, however, can be summarized as follows: There are no clear favorites for anything. There is parity among the top teams, and there are horse races for the individual awards.
Dater and Willis do their best at forecasting the winners, but don't bet the farm on any of it.
Dater: Well, Jonathan, we're a little more than past the halfway mark, and I feel strongly about who the best team in the league is and who will win the Stanley Cup.
No, wait. I don't have a clue, man. There are like five or six teams that have all had major ...
NBA All-Star Game 2017 Rosters: Starters, Snubs and Predictions for Reserves
January 19th, 2017 by Scott Polacek No comments »
If it wasn't evident the NBA is loaded with playmakers this season, the names included—and omitted—in the 2017 All-Star Game starting lineups should drive the point home.
The starting fives that will take the floor Feb. 19 in New Orleans for the Eastern and Western Conferences were announced Thursday on TNT, and many of the usual suspects such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard made the cut.
But a handful of elite players did not earn starting nods, including Russell Westbrook, who is averaging a triple-double this season.
If fans don't see their favorite players on the list, they have largely themselves to blame. Fan choices counted as 50 percent of the voting, while player and media member voting each made up 25 percent.
Here is a look at the full list of starters, as well as snubs and predictions for the reserves. Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated's ...
Grading Every 2017 NBA All-Star Game Starter Selection
January 19th, 2017 by Dan Favale No comments »
The NBA's fans, players and media members have spoken, and the results are in: We have our official starting lineups for the 2017 All-Star Game.
Keep the cork in those champagne bottles, though. You can celebrate later; We have important business that needs tending first.
Blatant and unified sabotage is the only way to assemble bad All-Star starting fives under the new voting process. And while Zaza Pachulia stans tried their darnedest, there are no gross injustices to report. But with a finite number of opening slots divvied out among a deep pool of superstars, there were bound to be some imperfect selections.
Was there controversy in the Western Conference backcourt? Did the Eastern Conference's own guard pairing shake out correctly? Were there any surprise frontcourt victories?
Grades will be doled out with all of this in mind. Individual performances make up most of the scores, but the prospect of more deserving candidates will also ...
NBA All-Star Game 2017 Rosters: Complete Starting Lineups for Both Conferences
January 19th, 2017 by Joseph Zucker No comments »
LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and James Harden will headline the starting lineups for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans on Feb. 19.
Here's a look at the full list of starters following Thursday's announcement on TNT:
The discussion after Thursday's reveal will focus on Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook's omission.
Westbrook is averaging a triple-double with 30.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game this season, but that wasn't enough to earn a starting spot.
ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth provided Westbrook's likely reaction:
Instead, Curry joins Harden in the Western Conference backcourt. The reigning MVP is having a good year, but his scoring average has fallen from a league-leading 30.1 points per game in 2015-16 to 24.6 in 2016-17. He's also shooting a career-low 39.7 percent from three-point range.
CBS Sports' Matt Moore thought it was another example of the Golden State Warriors thwarting Westbrook:
Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron didn't ...
NBA, NBPA Officially Announce New CBA: Latest Comments, Reaction
January 19th, 2017 by Alec Nathan No comments »
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association announced Thursday that the league's new collective bargaining agreement has been signed by both sides. The seven-year pact will run through the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
Thursday's news represents more of a procedural formality than anything. On Dec. 23, USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt reported the agreement became official when the NBPA ratified the new CBA.
According to an official memo from the NBA, players' share of basketball-related income will not change over the next CBA's lifespan. Instead, it will remain in what the league has termed the "49 percent to 51 percent band."
Furthermore, both sides own opt-out clauses that they can exercise following the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.
And as NBA.com's David Aldridge reported when the sides first reached a tentative agreement, compensation will rise for players across the board.
Officially, contracts signed with the mid-level exception or bi-annual exception will increase by 45 percent from the previous CBA to ...
Dwyane Wade: Latest News, Rumors, Speculation on Bulls SG’s Future
January 19th, 2017 by Rob Goldberg No comments »
Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade can opt out of his contract at the end of the season, and the team's decisions will play a big role in whether he decides to become a free agent.
Continue for updates.
Wade's Future Tied to Butler
Thursday, Jan. 19
According to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com, the team is debating whether to trade Jimmy Butler and begin a full rebuild for the future. Wade will base his decision on whether Butler is still with the team heading into the 2017-18 season.
"One of the main reasons I'm here is Jimmy," Wade said Wednesday. "He's the one who called me and got me to come here. So that's a big part of my decision and everything else, is what Jimmy's doing, what his future looks like and all that."
Wade signed a two-year, $47 million contract with the Bulls last summer but has a player option for next season.
Adding the 12-time ...
Sharks’ Joe Thornton Moves to 24th on All-Time Points List
January 19th, 2017 by Bleacher Report Milestones No comments »
San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton surpassed Johnny Bucyk for 24th on the all-time points list with his two assists in Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Kings, per Sportsnet Stats.
Thornton now possesses 1,370 points over 1,412 career games, per Hockey-Reference.com, nearly eclipsing the point-per-game threshold. His next target on the list is former Dallas Stars great Mike Modano, who finished his career with 1,374 points.
The veteran center is known as more of a playmaker than a finisher, tallying 990 assists out of his 1,370 career points. Thornton's total number of helpers places him 13th on the all-time list, while he ranks outside of the top 100 all-time in goals. It's fitting that he moved up the list Wednesday by notching two more assists, but Thornton remains another 50 behind Marcel Dionne to crack the top 10.
The Sharks' 3-2 win pushed the club to 56 points on the season, but the ...
NHL Players Who Have Improved Their Hall of Fame Credentials in 2016-17
January 19th, 2017 by Steve Macfarlane No comments »
For many of the active NHL players who've put up the kind of numbers needed for entry into the Hockey Hall of Fame, this year has been a bit of a downer.
Veteran snipers are showing their age on the cusp of retirement, and while their career accomplishments cannot be erased, the lackluster seasons do invoke a certain sadness.
However, there have been some nice milestone moments in 2016-17, with players joining the 500-goal and 1,000-point clubs and Jaromir Jagr cementing his place underneath Wayne Gretzky among the all-time greats.
Players are chosen for the Hockey Hall of Fame through a complex voting process by an 18-member selection committee, so there isn't low threshold that has to be met to get in. Those with 1,000-plus points and some periods of dominance get long looks. And there are more than a handful of those who have improved their Hall of Fame credentials in 2016-17.
Read ...
NBA All-Star Game 2017: Predicting Starting Lineups for East and West Rosters
January 19th, 2017 by Chris Roling No comments »
Fans receive the long-awaited 2017 NBA All-Star Game starting lineups Thursday evening, ending a winding, debate-filled road.
Which, of course, will only create more debate, both about the lineups and the process (not Joel Embiid) itself.
The game's official Twitter account provided a recent vote tally:
Remember, this year the process altered fan involvement, hence Zaza Pachulia. This isn't a bad thing, of course, though media and players also have a say in how things shake out.
Before the announcement, let's take a look at viewing info and predictions.
Starting Lineup Announcement
When: Thursday, Jan. 19
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Live Stream: TNT Overtime
Eastern Conference
Like it or not, the Eastern Conference is all about the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Point guard Kyrie Irving might be the most controversial slot here. Many would allege he's still coasting on the laurels of the absolute dagger from the Finals last year, but he has upped his scoring (23.6), assists (5.6), shooting percentage (46.1) and percentage from range ...