Seventeen. Seventeen minutes is all Dwight Howard could conjure during fourth quarters of a six-game postseason series against the Washington Wizards this spring. Seventy-two minutes possible, 17 played. Two games saw him not even make a final-period appearance for the Atlanta Hawks during their first-round
Pretty much every 2017 NBA free agent you care about has signed a contract—except, for some reason, JaMychal Green and Nerlens Noel. But those are topics for a different day, in a different place. Because right here, right now, in the world of Hardwood Knocks,
If the 1980s saved basketball from sinking into oblivion, the 1990s helped take the game to another stratosphere. Players like Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing formed rivalries and partook in playoff showdowns still revered to this day. But you’d
Fans of the NBA have become numb to LeBron James’ greatness. We no longer see his historic accomplishments for what they truly are. We overlook him at every turn. Last year, for instance, he became just the fifth player in NBA history to average more
About 24 feet from the hoop, the upward trajectory of the orange sphere germinates with a simple flick of the wrist, during which it rotates laces over laces until reaching its zenith and falling gracefully toward the intended target. Mere seconds later, it produces that
It turns out Sam Hinkie wasn’t so crazy after all. The former Philadelphia 76ers general manager was chastised—and eventually resigned—for intentionally losing games and tanking for higher draft picks. But four years after “The Process” began, things are definitely trending towards sunny in Philadelphia. Despite
Comparing point guards to point guards and power forwards to power forwards is fun, but that’s not how the NBA landscape ultimately works. Since the start of the modern Association, plenty of legends have lined up on the hardwood. The 1970s and ’80s produced myriad
Dan Gilbert and, by extension, Koby Altman tried it. They really did. The Cleveland Cavaliers owner and newly-named general manager sat before a mass of media members on July 24 and did their darnedest to present a strong, unified appearance. But regardless of whether the