Stan Van Gundy, who lost his coaching job as part of the “Dwightmare” saga that surrounded the Orlando Magic, said in a radio interview Monday that CEO Alex Martins showed “naivete” in his belief that the coach could not relate to players. Van Gundy appeared Monday morning on Orlando Sentinel writer Mike Bianchi’s show on 740 AM. He was fired by Martins after Orlando’s first-round playoff exit to Indiana – without the injured Dwight Howard – following his fifth straight winning
UNDER CONTRACT: F Kevin Durant, G Russell Westbrook, C Kendrick Perkins, G James Harden, G Thabo Sefolosha, G Daequan Cook, F Nick Collison, C Cole Aldrich, G Eric Maynor, F-C Serge Ibaka, G Reggie Jackson, F Lazar Hayward, C Hasheem Thabeet, C Daniel Orton DRAFT PICKS: F Perry Jones FREE AGENTS: G Derek Fisher MOVES: The Thunder were very quiet during the moratorium period. They did sign free agent center Hasheem Thabeet to a two-year deal at less than $2 million. The erstwhile
UNDER CONTRACT: F Ryan Anderson, G Eric Gordon, F Al-Farouq Aminu, F Jason Smith, G Xavier Henry, G Greivis Vasquez, C Robin Lopez, F Hakim Warrick, G Roger Mason, G Brian Roberts DRAFT PICKS: F-C Anthony Davis, G Austin Rivers, F Darius Miller FREE AGENTS: F Lance Thomas MOVES: The Hornets are taking this rebuilding thing very seriously. Before they even began looking at next season’s roster, they created some flexibility for the 2013-14 squad by trading Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza – two starters
Basketball is an increasingly global game, and more worldwide flavor is on the way for the 2012-2013 NBA season. One or more foreigners will soon be playing at an arena near you, and these international men of mystery shall remain enigmas no longer. With a wide range of youngsters and seasoned veterans heading to the NBA for their rookie seasons, this year’s international rookie crop should provide some interesting additions to the league. They come in all sizes and shapes, some are young
If you play pickup basketball at all, then you have come across the guy at every court or gym who always calls a foul when he takes a love tap on the arm. That same guy usually does all he can to disrupt the flow of the game by reciting the rulebook and calling every minor violation. According to Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, that guy is Mitt Romney. Not literally, of course. The Republican presidential candidate is 65 years old and appears to
No American has ever played on four Olympic men’s basketball teams. LeBron James wants to be the first. In an interview with Tom Withers of the Associated Press, who just returned from covering the U.S. Olympic team at the London Games, James said he wants to play in the 2016 Olympics if he is healthy — and if the rules allow for it. Commissioner David Stern has proposed limiting the Olympics to players 23 and under, but FIBA secretary general David Baumann shot
As the offseason continues to wind down, keep checking our index and analysis of every team’s offseason moves. And here’s all the latest news from around the world of basketball: Sam Amico of Fox Sports has a piece of Thunder news via Sulia: “Speaking of Kings, Jimmer Fredette would love to go someplace where someone other than just DeMarcus Cousins will pass him the ball. Thunder would love to pry Fredette away from Kings as replacement for Derek Fisher. Kevin Durant is a
About to fly out to NOLA to start my first chapter as a Hornet! — Ryan Anderson (@ryananderson33) August 19, 2012 Anderson will be playing for a coach, Monty Williams, who has some serious job security after signing a new four-year contract. Hornets GM Dell Demps pulled off a steal in acquiring the 3-point shooting machine from Orlando for Gustavo Ayon. But it bears mentioning that although Anderson won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award last season, he really didn’t improve much