Sheridan Hoops Radio

How safe is Tom Thibodeau? From what I am hearing, the coach of the Chicago Bulls is squarely on the hot seat. I discussed on the Boers and Bernstein Show on WSCR in Chicago.

Not many people expected the Cleveland Cavaliers to be sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference two months into the season. When you build a SuperTeam, 5th place is not where you set your sights ... and Cavs fans are grousing about it. But when you have a new coach, two imported superstars who have to change their games, a franchise cornerstone (Kyrie Irving) who is not the franchise cornerstone anymore, there are going to be growing pains. And that is what the Cavs are experiencing now -- though they have shown flashes of dominance during their four- and eight-game winning streaks. So the message to Cavs fans is this ... be patient. And if you need a reminder of what real patience looks like, take a look at the championship starved fans in New York, where the Knicks lead the NBA in losses in the first year of Phil Jackson's team presidency. If Jackson made one major mistake this season, it was predicting a playoff appearance for his hapless band of knuckleheads. Those were two of the topics of discussion today in this interview with Gregg Gianotti on CBS Sports Radio. Enjoy.

The best record in the NBA is now shared by the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors, thanks to Stephen Curry finally sinking a game-winning 3-pointer for the 'Dubs to give them a victory over the Orlando Magic last night. At 15-2, the teams sit atop the Western Conference. Both were highly regarded coming into this season, but neither was expected to get off to a start this good. We will get to judge them against each other in a little more than two weeks when they lay each other for the first time. So until then, we debate. The Warriors have a 10-game winning streak and lead the NBA in point differential at 10.0 per game; while the Grizzlies are third in point differential at 8.1 and take a five-game winning streak into tonight's game against the Houston Rockets. Golden State's two losses came back-to-back against the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs back on Nov. 9 and Nov. 11. The Grizzlies two defeats came Nov. 8 at Milwaukee and Nov. 19 at Toronto. The Grizzlies are 11-0 against the West, and I have Marc Gasol leading Stephen Curry in the latest edition of my weekly MVP rankings.  I talked about the Grizzlies, the Warriors, and the merits of Gasol vs. Curry in the MVP race in this interview with Gary Darby on "The Eric Hasseltine Show" on 92.9 ESPN Radio in Memphis. Enjoy.

Lots of debate in Los Angeles and around the world over whether Kobe Bryant, who is about to surpass Michael Jordan on the all-time NBA career scoring list, is one of the Top 5 players of all-time. Bill Reiter of AM570 Radio in Los Angeles has Bryant at No. 12 opn the all-time greats list, and he is getting some grief for it. We debated the subject on the air, and I can tell you I have Bryant rated a lot higher than Bill does.

Did the San Antonio Spurs use the NBA Finals to expose the Miami Heat as a one-man team?  In their dismantling of the two-time defending NBA champions, the Spurs proved the old basketball adage that five beats one every time - even if that one is LeBron James, the best player on the planet.  In this interview with Tony D of Yahoo Sports Radio that took place less than an hour after Game 5 had ended, Chris Bernucca of SheridanHoops.com talks about how San Antonio's system of incorporating all five players in its offense makes the Spurs nearly impossible to guard, while the disappearance of Heat stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh left James on an island. As the offseason approaches, do the Heat now have less than a "Big Three"? And with the emergence of Kawhi Leonard as NBA Finals MVP, do the Spurs now have a "Big Four"? Those questions and others are answered in this wide-ranging interview.     

The season could end Sunday night if the Miami Heat lose. And if the Miami Heat lose, all bets are off concerning what they might look like next season. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can all opt out of their contracts, and the Big Three could be scattered in three different cities by the time the 2014-15 season tips off. First, however, we have to get through Game 5 of the NBA Finals. And even thouigh the Heat are 6-point underdogs, they remain a formidable team -- despite what happened in Miami in Games 3 and 4. So what will happen Sunday night? And what will happen in the weeks and months ahead? And how will that impact teams such as the Chicago Bulls? My answers and predictions come in this podcast with the Boers and Bernstein show in Chicago.

LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade entered the league as four of the top five selections in the 2003 NBA Draft. Now, 11 years later, they all could join forces in South Beach. With rumors swirling about a possible alliance in Miami, Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher will reportedly meet with Anthony this weekend to discuss the player option on his contract and how he can be a fit in the triangle offense with the Knicks going forward. Can Jackson and Fisher sell Anthony on remaining in a New York state of mind? Can James convince Anthony to take his talents to South Beach? Mick Scotto of SheridanHoops.com joined Chicago’s 670 The Score and host Joe Ostrowski to discuss the chances of Anthony joining the Heat, his upcoming meeting with Jackson and Fisher, and more.

OK, Frank Vogel. You going to make an adjustment tonight to get some more offense out there? The perfect candidate, IMHO, is buried down at the end of your bench. He is the guy who performed so well in the playoffs a year ago for the New York Knicks that your boss, Larry Bird, went out and signed him as a free agent. Free Chris Copeland! And while you are making adjustments, Coach Vogel, how about telling Luis Scola to move in two feet on his jump shots? Or better yet, run a play for him in the low post. That is where Scola is most effective. And with Copeland, give him some run with the starters to see if he can capitalize on the open space and knock down a couple of 3-pointers. Make him the first guy off the bench. If the Pacers are to have any chance of sending this series back to Miami for Game 6, it's going to have to come through producing more points.You cannot stop LeBron James, but you can outscore him. More on the Pacers-Heat series, plus my prediction for the 2-2 Spurs-Thunder series, in this interview with Bob Valvano of AM680 in Louisville.

Nobody in America is going to bat quite as hard for David Blatt as myself and my staff. An open letter to Phil Jackson was part of our push, and in this interview on 1280TheZone in Salt Lake City the subject came up again. Now, I do not know if the Jazz have interviewed or plan to interview Blatt. But I would bet the mortgage that Kevin O'Connor and Dennis Lindsay of the Jazz front office know who he is, and as I said on the air: If the Jazz want to hire the best coach available, they should hire Blatt. Period. For more on this stealth coaching candidate, who just led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Euroleague title, give a listen. You will also get to hear about who will be the most sought after free agents this summer, what the odds are of the Pacers winning the NBA championship, and much, much more. Enjoy.

Like most people, I was a skeptic during the season when folks talked about LeBron James returning to the Cavs next season after he opts out of his contract with Miami and becomes an unrestricted free agent. It just seemed too absurd of a notion. But I am starting to believe that the possibility exists, however remote. Just for kicks, let's throw out a few "What ifs ..." What if the Miami Heat lose to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals? Or lose to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. What then? The Heat will not be considered a dynasty, because you need three consecutive championships to make it into the dynasty category. The Big Three will have the opportunity to return, but what if one of them wants to make it a four-year chapter of his career, then move on to the next big thing. What if LeBron misses the hero worship that embodied his time in Akron and Cleveland? What if he wants to be loved again the way he once was? What if the Cavs are willing to give up the No. 1 pick in the draft to acquire Kevin Love prior to LeBron's free agency on July 1? What if playing with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love is appealing to LeBron? Just a few things to think about, as I discussed in this interview on the Bill and Grant Show on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C.

The Cleveland Cavaliers hit the jackpot by leaving the NBA Draft Lottery with the No. 1 overall pick for the third time in four years. What’s even more amazing than winning the lottery in three of four years? How about the fact that Cleveland’s “human luck charm,” Nick Gilbert, wasn’t in attendance as Joe Kotoch points out in his latest mock draft. Will the No. 1 pick be enough to make a possible trade for Kevin Love and entice LeBron James to return to Cleveland as Chris Sheridan ponders in his latest column? Time will tell. In the meantime, Mike Scotto of SheridanHoops joined Yahoo! Sports Radio and hosts Anthony Pepe and Mark Linehan to discuss the draft landscape and where the dominoes will ultimately fall.

I have already written a column imploring the Knicks to hire Mark Jackson and hire him immediately, which will turn Steve Kerr into Steve Who? The New York Times is reporting today that there are three primary candidates, Brian Shaw (who already has a job with the Nuggets), Luke Walton (who has never coached before), and Kurt Rambis, an assistant with the Lakers. The New York Daily News says also in the mix is Derek Fisher, who can't really be interviewed right now given that he is playing in the Western Conference finals for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Why is it that the new coach coming in has to be a triangle aficianado? Or is that really the case? How about grabbing a guy who just led the Golden State Warriors to a 51-win season and might have made it out of the first round if he had somebody able-bodied enough to match up with DeAndre Jordan. A guy from New York. A guy who played for the Knicks. Twice. You know what it is? It would just make too much sense. And when things make sense, the Knicks are usually not involved. Seriously, has there ever been an owner more reviled than Jim Dolan is? Oh yeah, that Steinbrenner guy. But at least he turned the fans his way before it was all said and done. Dolan has a long, long way to go to get there. More on the Knicks, along with plenty of talk about the NBA playoffs in this interview with Brian Fritz of 740TheGame in Orlando.

Fresh off an appearance on L.A. radio, I went on the air in Oklahoma City today, too, and the mood was a lot different.Shocker, eh? As always, I do not have a rooting interest in who wins this series. Like always, I just hope for a good story. Well, today my wishes were answered as folks around the world debated the blown replay and the thrilling final moments of Tuesday night's Clippers-Thunder game. That was the main topic of discussion in this podcast, but it was not the only NBA matter we touched upon.

Doc Rivers is probably going to get fined by the NBA for saying the Clippers were "robbed" last night in Oklahoma City. That is the kind of comment that crosses the line, no matter how true it might have been. But what about referee Tony Brothers? Is he going to be publicly chastised by the league office for saying replays of the ball that clearly went off of Reggie Jackson's hand were "inconclusive?" And another thing ... if everyone in the arena saw a replay on the Jumbotron that showed the ball going off of Jackson, did the referees see that same replay? Or did they only have access to the replay angles available to the Turner Sports crew that broadcast the game? There are a million questions to be answered today about the thrilling final seconds of the Thunder-Clippers Game 5, and I fully expect the NBA office to release a "we screwed up" statement from Rod Thorn's office. But the most important question in my mind is this: How can the NBA prevent this kind of debacle from happening again?

I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of trying to figure out the Indiana Pacers. Has there ever been a team that was such a power house for 80 percent of the season that has collapsed like these guys have? They are excruciating. One more win gets them into the Eastern Conference finals, but they were nowhere near ready to put the hammer down Tuesday night in Game 5 against the Washington Wizards. Marcin Gortat looked like a Polish Wilt Chamberlain in shooting 13-for-15 with 16 rebounds, and if he can do that again -- and get some help from Brazilian milk carton material Nene -- there is no reason why Washington cannot take care of business at home and force a Game 7. But will the Wizards have a home court advantage? They are 0-2 in this round so far in the nation's capital, including their 65-point stinker in Game 3. Why is that? We take a closer look in this interview with the Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan in D.C.