Bismack Biyombo went ahead of him. So did Jimmer Fredette and Markieff Morris and Alec Burks. Fourteen names were called during the 2011 NBA Draft before Kawhi Leonard made his way to the stage for a congratulatory handshake from then-commissioner David Stern.
Time will tell if LeBron James stepped into a time machine this season and traveled back to Cleveland. That was where he spent seven years trying to resuscitate a corpse.
At one point, it was almost a given that Paul George, the NBA’s next big star, would lead the Indiana Pacers to the stratosphere. The sharps and squares often are at odds and see things differently, but on this point, almost everyone agreed.
The controversy surrounding Donald Sterling and the fact the NBA has the power and desire to make him sell the Los Angeles Clippers opens the door slightly for broader thoughts on the possibility of a team landing in Las Vegas sooner than later.
On any other day, Stephen Curry’s seven 3-pointers would have been the only story. Sideshow aside, Curry shot life back into the Golden State Warriors, and that’s what mattered most to underdog bettors. The Warriors were aiming to get even in a first-round playoff series. The Los Angeles Clippers are tied up in a full-blown media circus.
Khem Birch decided to leave UNLV and declare for the NBA Draft. There’s a question if he’ll get drafted, but no question it’s a big loss for the Rebels.
Everything starts with the coach. Gregg Popovich sets a steady tone for the San Antonio Spurs, who resemble the Aristotle theory that excellence is a habit, not an act.
The quest to open eyes of NCAA suits about their short-sighted views and mistaken opinions when it comes to staging championship play in Las Vegas doesn’t soon appear to be changing.
Connecticut is a national champion for the fourth time because when it comes to the final of each season, this almost always holds up: The side that executes those things thought inessential during a season is the one cutting down nets at its end.
When the Wildcats of Kentucky start a lineup of all freshmen against Connecticut in tonight’s national championship game at AT&T Stadium, it will be the first time in a final since the Fab Five of Michigan did so in losing to Duke in 1992.
