Elmo Stukes

"He's a big part to what they do," Butler explained . "We all know that. I think they know that. But you can't take him out the game and think that you can win. Because they got a lot of other really good players, role players that make shots, create for others. They guard, they rebound, pass the ball. They got a really good team; they're really good at what they

Injuries have been the main cause for the derailment of such a promising career, one which looked like it could deliver his hometown Chicago Bulls its first NBA championship since the Michael Jordan d

An ankle injury hurt the beginning of his sophomore season, but as reflected by the outstanding 85 rating, Rose made his first All-Star Game and led the Bulls to the playoffs for the second straight sea

He played in a playoff game for the first time in three years and even banked home a winner against the Cleveland Cavaliers to put his team up 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Bulls would lose the ser

He was a walking triple-double during his outstanding 19-year career in the NBA. J.Kidd made it to 11 All-Star games with five First Team All-NBA selections, but the MVP award never came his way as a result of tough competition and talent in the league at the t

The Australian may not have played a single game all season but from what we saw of him in college and in the Summer League, he is still easily the best player from this class and would be selected with the number one pick all the t

Just last month, the 19-year-old posted an impressive 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and five blocks in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. He was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month in February and he will be an important piece of a young core for the Suns in the fut

"I look forward to that matchup," Butler said after Friday's practice . "Especially what he's done this year for that team. I know that it's going to come at some point in time. I don't know when -- but I'm going to make it tough for him. For anybody that I'm guarding. Not just me, it's going to be a team effort. I'm going to get beat at times, I'm going to need guys to be there. If not, then we'll do it over and over again 'til somebody is there if I'm beat. But I look forward to that challenge. I want th

Despite a 12-70 season for the New Jersey Nets, there was reason to believe good things were on the way. Prokhorov wanted stars to help facilitate a move to Brooklyn that was still two years away, and despite the lottery balls not falling in their favor to land John Wall, the Nets still had the third pick in the dr

While taking Thomas out of the game with his swarming defense would be wonderful for the Bulls, Butler knows that the Celtics still would have other pieces on their roster that his teammates would need to be ready

In 2k12, the only players who had better ratings were LeBron James of Miami (98), Dwyane Wade of Miami (96), Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (94), Dwight Howard of Orlando (93) and Chris Paul of New Orleans (93). Rose's 92 was equaled by Kevin Durant of Oklahoma C

The 5’9" Thomas is in the midst of a spectacular, career-best campaign, averaging 28.9 points and 5.9 assists. If you’ve watched the Celtics play this year, you know that their entire offense runs through him and he’s what makes them tick. Further, he's been the best fourth quarter scorer in the league, providing important points down the stretch of most ga

This would be the third of five straight seasons the Warriors would miss the playoffs, and while Curry's rookie year provided some fun moments, he was still two seasons away from feeling the full effects of ankle problems that would threaten to derail his car

"Point guard Rajon Rondo, demoted to the second unit earlier in the season, has the ball back in his hands and has averaged 8.4 assists, compared to 6.4 before Wade’s exit. He is averaging 10.9 points on 47 percent shooting (up from 7.2 on 39.4 percent). And defensively he has been energized, giving hard times most recently to Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving and Atlanta’s Dennis Schrod

With all of the ridiculous numbers being put up by players like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Isaiah Thomas and the entire Golden State Warriors these days, it's easy to lose sight of the most ridiculous stat going in the lea

West finished second in the MVP voting four different times, losing out to Wilt Chamberlain in 1966, https://nbaactioninsight.com Willis Reed in '70, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in '71 and again in '72. In the '65 ballot, West finished third, behind only Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson. It's certainly no shame losing out to those na

With Russell Westbrook and James Harden battling it out for one of the most hotly contested MVP duels in recent years, it will be a shame to see one of these players miss out on the award after both enjoying incredible seas

"He's been that height for a long time now, so he's mastered it," Butler said . "He's really good at what he does. Coming off, pulling up, shooting shots. Getting to the rim, getting to the free throw line. 5[-foot-]8, 6-8, whatever it is, the guy knows how to put the ball in the bask