It’s really no shock that the Lakers are the most valuable franchise in basketball. Duh, right? However, looking at who has the most value is kind of interesting once you get past the Lakers.
Of course, the Knicks were second. Both of those teams garner huge value because of their TV contracts. That’s not really a surprise. Chicago came in third, again, not surprising. Big media markets help.
Dallas, Boston, and Miami are next. We can all see that, right? Plus, I’m kind of surprised the Heat are not higher, but that speaks to the media market in Miami. It’s not as big as we would imagine.
Last night the Mavs got their 2011 Championship rings in a 15-minute pre-gam ceremony. Now you can watch the complete ceremony courtesy of Fox Sports Southwest:
Now that the Clippers and Lakers rivalry is legit, we have to start taking every one of their games seriously. Last night, they fought it out, literally, and the Lakers came out on top. At 96-91, the game ended just about the way we all thought it would, close. However, the tension between the two clubs in palpable. I never thought it would get like this because the Clippers have always been so bad, but here it is. They have actually made something of this rivalry. Now, when you battle for LA, you’re really battling.
Russell Westbrook received a new five-year, $78 million contract less than a week ago. Kevin Love was just given a four-year deal worth in excess of $60 million.
While it’s up for debate if those two players are really worth that kind of cash, there is no disputing the fact that there are quite a few NBAers who are being ridiculously overpaid for bringing very little to the court.
Here are just some that will make some owners, and fans, cringe.
The Washington Wizards have fired the head coach after an NBA-worst 2-15 start.
Even though the Wizards lost their first eight games of the season, Wizards’ management apparently had hoped to avoid firing Saunders, though, the writing was already on the wall. The Wizards were destroyed 103-83 by the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, a game in which they trailed 62-32 at halftime after the 76ers shot 65 percent. With the game being Washington‘s third loss in a row, every one in the organization, including Flip himself, had to know that a change was coming.
The rumors are still out there as everyone talks about how the Celtics should move someone from the Big Three and break them up. It sounds rather objectionable because these guys have been through a lot together and done a lot together, but it is probably time to move on. However, what I never thought of was what you could do with the Celtics if you move one of the big pieces.
The Lakers lost their third in a row, this time to the Pacers. However, it is not a fluke. The Pacers are starting to become something more than a nice story with a nice coach who came out of nowhere to get that job and do it well.
Roy Hibbert looks a bit different, he’s refined his game somewhat, and he was able to handle Gasol and Bynum last night. Remember when we thought that the Pacers were silly for trusting their franchise to Tyler Hansbrough? Yeah. They weren’t doing that. They were waiting for something better and hoping Hansbrough would be a nice get. Roy Hibbert is turning out to be a force on the inside.
Kevin Love drilled a three-point winner the other night to propel the T-Wolves to a victory. After a performance like that, should we restart the talk about K-Love going to Los Angeles? I mean, Dwight Howard could never make it there (that’s a possibility,) and Love is looking pretty awesome.
Let’s think about this for a moment. I know Howard is the defensive MVP going on three years now. I get it. He plays defense better than defense does. He’s that good at it. However, he has offensive problems, and we just saw Love nail a three to win a game. So, maybe versatility is the name of the game here?
At least that’s what they were doing for the first three quarters.
The Clips held a 79-72 lead and at one point had a 15-point lead, which they eventually saw evaporate before UCLA alumnus Kevin Love hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the T’wovles a shocking 101-98 win.
