As August and September roll around, the basketball world does NOT calm down. There are FIBA Tournaments set to be held in Slovenia and Caracas, among other places, as teams try to earn berths to the World Cup in Spain next summer. I have gone on rifts before, but sometimes rifts are worth repeating. FIBA basketball is better than NBA basketball for the following reasons: [Read more…]
Quite a month it was, eh? Remember back on July 1 when the moratorium began, there was hope in Lakerland, Metta World Peace was not contemplating another name change and the Bobcats were doomed to hold down the No. 30 spot in these rankings for all eternity? Yes, things have changed. And they will keep changing in August … and then in September when we can get rolling on all the Rajon Rondo and Pau Gasol trade rumors that will keep us
This is the final edition of the Top 25 Remaining Free Agents list. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been committed, yet the No. 1 player on this list remains unsigned. And since every media member in Minneapolis seems to be enjoying time at one of that state’s 10,000 lakes, the latest news we have is that Pek and Wolves GM Flip Saunders were supposed to meet Monday in New York. Maybe it’s just me, but something awfully fishy seems to be
AVALON, N.J. — The start of the week finds us at the beach in South Jersey, where Philadelphians go to get a little rest and relaxation (and keep count of how many bungalows have been torn down and converted to McMansions). I saw a few Philadelphians over the weekend, but the only reason I could tell was because they were wearing No. 3 Allen Iverson jerseys. You want to talk about a team in a hopeless situation? That would be the Sixers, who
Get used to this word: Tankapalooza. There are 10 teams, give or take, who have a legitimate chance to compete for the NBA championship in 2014. Everybody else will suck. Some will suck more than others, and that will be a good thing for them. Because that will improve their chances of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA draft and selecting Andrew Wiggins of Kansas, who will be the next LeBron James. [Read more…]
The Eastern Conference is about to get a whole lot more competitive at the top once a reported trade of Luis Scola to the Pacers comes to fruition. Yahoo Sports reported earlier that the Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns are in the late stages of negotiations of a deal that would send the 33-year-old veteran forward to the Pacers in exchange for Gerald Green and possibly a draft pick or picks. UPDATE: The deal is for Green, Miles Plumlee, and a lottery-protected
The Memphis Grizzlies got themselves a good backup center in Kosta Koufos, retained Tony Allen at an affordable price, had Jamaal Franklin fall into their laps in the second round and acquired the rights to Greek-American point guard Nick Calathes from Dallas. Calathas has a $1.2 million contract with a Russian club, but with a $500,000 buyout. He needs to decide by Friday where he plans to play, and the Grizzlies are waiting with a three-year offer. Want to know more about this
Teri Washington is a good friend who formerly worked in the NBA media relations office. She is now doing work for the Players Association as they transition into finding a replacement for Billy Hunter, who will spend the next couple of years trying to keep himself out of jail. She once told me a funny story (the two of us found it funny, others may not) about how when she was David Stern’s right-hand woman, the two of them had to