After examining the biggest losers among NBA players this summer, it’s only right that we examine those that have cashed in. Centers always have and always will be hot commodities in the NBA, but some of the players below have found themselves in new situations with excellent opportunities. Sometimes, winning as a free agent is a result of being in the right place at the right time. And sometimes, it requires falling down before dusting yourself off and finding a new beginning.
After beating Tunisia, Team USA has another tuneup coming up against Nigeria. For a recap of all the Olympic action, check out Nick Gibson’s columns. The first wraps up what we’ve seen through two games, and the second predicts today’s winners. And, with the offseason winding down, check out who Moke Hamilton thinks were the biggest losers among NBA players during free agency. Moke will have a winners column later today. And for all the latest news from around the NBA, start
Russia’s done it with force, Spain with savvy, Team USA with unparalleled athleticism and Brazil with—well, Brazil’s undefeated, too. The South Americans barely snuck by the Aussies in the opener and withstood an indescribably impotent, four-point first quarter to keep Great Britain winless in game two. Thanks to that soft schedule and the even softer touch on Marcelinho Huertas’ floaters, Ruben Magnano’s squad are among the four teams with zeroes in the loss column. The ranks of the undefeated will shrink by
UNDER CONTRACT: C Andrew Bogut, F David Lee, F Richard Jefferson, C Andris Biedrins, G Stephen Curry, G Jarrett Jack, F Carl Landry, G Klay Thompson, C Jeremy Tyler, G Charles Jenkins, G Brandon Rush, G Kent Bazemore DRAFT PICKS: F Harrison Barnes, C Festus Ezeli, F Draymond Green FREE AGENTS: C Mikki Moore MOVES: Financial constraints kept the Warriors very quiet until the final day of the moratorium, when they dealt Dorell Wright to Philadelphia and acquired Jarrett Jack from New Orleans in
Tony Parker’s rough adjustment to life in goggles carried over into France’s game against Argentina on Tuesday. At halftime, he had managed just four points. While eyewear may have slowed Parker in the first half, Pablo Prigioni could do no such thing in the second, and France beat Argentina 71-64, putting them in the catbird seat for the coveted second slot in Group A. The French point guard dribbled around high screens and slower Argentines to get into the lane and, more importantly,