Tag: Eastern Conference (Page 4 of 4)

Rondo’s Mishandling of Bill Kennedy Incident, Combating Homophobia in the NBA

December 20, 2015 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Rajon Rondo’s bounce-back season with the Kings has sadly been obscured by the enigmatic point guard’s poor handling of the unfortunate Bill Kennedy ordeal (Sacramento Kings’ Instagram).

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Last week, longtime NBA referee Bill Kennedy publicly announced that he was gay three days after Rajon Rondo was suspended for twice directing a homophobic slur at Kennedy. Before closing out with some Wizards discussion, this episode primarily focuses on how the Kings point guard badly mishandled the Kennedy incident. The hosts contend that, although the incident was ugly and regrettable, once Rondo used the derogatory term, he had a chance to make things right but instead took on a series of disappointing missteps: 1.) On at least a few occasions, the 29-year-old veteran denied to investigators that he even used the term, which was later confirmed by independent audiologists hired by the NBA. 2.) One day before releasing an apology statement on Dec. 16, Rondo fired off two ill-conceived tweets that were effectively non-apologies 3.) According to reports, as of press time, Rondo has yet to personally apologize to Kennedy outside of the statement he released.

Articles on Rondo-Kennedy referenced in the discussion:
Sam Amick’s column for USA Today
Ben Golliver’s Sports Illustrated piece
Dave Zirin’s column for The Nation

Music: “Who Likes to Party?” by Kevin MacLeod

Mike Prada Gives Wizards 30 Percent Chance at Playoffs

December 16, 2015 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Randy Wittman and John Wall are hoping that the struggling Wizards can turn it around (Keith Allison/Flickr)

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Despite the offseason departure of Paul Pierce, the Washington Wizards and their young core were widely expected to turn in another quality season. Well, things haven’t quite gone that way. SB Nation NBA editor Mike Prada was gracious enough to stop by to discuss what’s holding this young team back, such as a porous defense and an onslaught of key injuries. Here are some of the highlights:

1:55-2:25: On why the once elite defense has taken several steps back this season: “This year, of course, they’re playing small. They only have one big on the floor, and to try to compensate, they’re doing a lot of different switching, overcompensating, and trapping and recovering. It’s not working out very well, they don’t have the personnel for it… Even last year, they didn’t really have great defensive personnel, but they had a system and they had size that they could funnel everyone to. They don’t have that anymore and I think that’s the biggest problem.”

2:35-3:10: On Bradley Beal’s injury: “It’s gonna be really hard, since they don’t have a lot of really good replacements…have to run their offense more through John Wall…hopefully they can hit some 3s…teams are gonna help off Garrett Temple and Otto Porter…it’ll open space a little more…maybe they need to use more of Otto Porter’s playmaking…it’s a bad a injury, they really are going to miss (Beal) quite a bit”

The Still Undefeated Warriors and the Aesthetically Pleasing Hawks

November 21, 2015 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Reigning MVP Stephen Curry has managed to add 9.8 PPG to last season’s scoring average as his team sits pretty at 14-0 (Noah Salzman/Wikimedia Commons).

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Despite Aaron’s absence, Joshua and Loren revisit the Hawks conversation that began with Lang Whitaker earlier in the week. We touch upon Atlanta’s mounting injuries and how those might impact such a well-balanced Hawks squad even more than a typical star-centric team. Although new acquisition Tiago Splitter might not be garnering too many minutes in the early season, we talk about the types of contributions he can make come playoff time.

In the second segment, we reflect on the Warriors’ exhilarating comeback Thursday night against the Clippers. The Dubs’ small lineup of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green has been killing teams in their limited minutes together so far. Should that unit be utilized more? And how integral is the team’s second MVP, Draymond Green? Finally, despite the embarrassing national TV loss, Joshua details what encouraged him about the Clippers’ performance Thursday.

Music: “Who Likes to Party?” by Kevin MacLeod

Sean Highkin Talks Bulls’ Frontcourt Depth and Hoiberg vs. Thibodeau

November 4, 2015 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Can Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls put together another strong season? (Jim Larrison/Creative Commons)

Can the Chicago Bulls put together another strong season? (Jim Larrison/Creative Commons)

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This week, Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report, NBC Sports and Sports on Earth gives us a detailed glimpse into the Chicago Bulls, a talented team that returns much of its roster but is playing under a first-year NBA coach in Fred Hoiberg. Sean highlights the many differences between Hoiberg and his predecessor, Tom Thibodeau, including Hoiberg’s considerably more easy-going nature. He also provides us the latest on Derrick Rose and explains why Chicago’s dynamic offense could make up for most of what the team figures to lose on the defensive end. Among other topics, Sean breaks down the Bulls’ impressive depth in the frontcourt, touching upon why Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah have rarely taken the court together. Despite the Bulls’ 130-105 drubbing in Charlotte, which occurred shortly before the interview took place, Sean looks forward to another strong season in the Windy City.

Music: “Who Likes To Party” by Kevin MacLeod

Tag: Eastern Conference (Page 4 of 4)

Rondo’s Mishandling of Bill Kennedy Incident, Combating Homophobia in the NBA

Mike Prada Gives Wizards 30 Percent Chance at Playoffs

The Still Undefeated Warriors and the Aesthetically Pleasing Hawks

Sean Highkin Talks Bulls’ Frontcourt Depth and Hoiberg vs. Thibodeau

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