The communist-run Chinese media is right about Yao. The NBA treats its players like tires on a sports car: it rides them hard and fast, then tosses them aside.

On June 16, 2009, in a blog entitled “Dynasty for Sale or Rent,” I wrote, “Maybe beating Orlando was the easy part. The hard part might be bringing the band back together next year.” I may have jinxed the Lakers because since then Trevor Ariza left the Lakers for the most incomprehensible of reasons, and now, things seem to have fallen apart with Lamar Odom. It’s amazing how many parrots accuse Kobe Bryant of...

Phil Jackson often uses the metaphor of a journey when he talks about winning a championship. Using his metaphor, the road back to an NBA Championship next season looks like it may be a bit harder than it was this last. A few days ago I wrote a blog I called, “The Rich Get Richer.” In it, I looked at this last season’s title contenders and one by one talked about what they had done to get better (or worse) from where they...

During the 2009 NBA Playoffs: Trevor Ariza shot 50% from the floor. Ron Artest shot 39%. Trevor Ariza shot 48% from the arc. Ron Artest shot 28%. Trevor Ariza made clutch defensive stops again and again for the Lakers. Ron Artest, a supposed lock down defender, made boneheaded decisions that resulted in technical fouls and ejections. Trevor Ariza knows the intricacies of the triangle offense and is productive in it. Ron Artest doesn’t, and frankly doesn’t have a reputation for being the brightest bulb in the ceiling. Trevor Ariza is young and getting better. Ron Artest is declining. Ron Artest is a stronger BRAND name than Trevor Ariza, but Trevor is the better player — especially for the Lakers.