In the summer of 1996, the Los Angeles Lakers made two moves that forever altered the organization. In one offseason, L.A. acquired shooting guard Kobe Bryant on draft night and signed Shaquile O’Neal via free agency. In the years since, the Lakers have won five NBA championships. That includes a three-peat with the combination of Bryant and O’Neal intact, and another two with the former leading a new set of stars. For all of their differences, one thing can be said unequivocally: both
Since the day he took over for David Stern as NBA commissioner, Adam Silver has promised change. He’s acted swiftly and abruptly in some cases, and slowly and methodically in others. On Wednesday, October 22, Silver’s attempted reformation of the Draft Lottery will be voted upon by the NBA’s Board of Governors. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, two teams are expected to vote no: the Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers. Lottery reform vote at NBA Board of Governors Wednesday. 23 of
When it comes to the NBA preseason, the general population turns its focus to the relationship between coach and player. Not enough attention goes to what transpires between players and their respective front offices. With the 2014-15 regular season nearing, a number of players approaching the end of their rookie deals are working to put an end to the potential speculation. Restricted free agency isn’t the most popular process, as rising stars Eric Bledsoe of the Phoenix Suns and Greg Monroe of
Love him or hate him, Dennis Rodman is one of the greatest players in history. A five-time NBA champion, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time rebounds leader, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the class of 2011. In a league which embodies the never-say-never mentality, it’s genuinely safe to say there’s no one quite like Rodman. Or is there? On Wednesday, October 15, Rodman took to Twitter to name the reincarnation of himself in today’s NBA. It’s not an elite defensive player, a
The injury heard around the world has been Oklahoma City Thunder small forward and reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant suffering a Jones fracture in his right foot. Durant is expected to be sidelined for somewhere between six and eight weeks, which means he could miss at least the first month of the season. According to Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports, there’s a new complication: Durant doesn’t know if he wants to undergo surgery. Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant is still considering treatment options
The split between LeBron James and the Miami Heat appeared to be both amicable and understood. In recent days, that’s come into question with Chris Bosh making headline-stealing comments. It started with Bosh telling reporters that he hasn’t spoken with James since the four-time MVP signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, per ESPN. Bosh proceeded to tell Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report that recent Cavaliers acquisition Kevin Love would have to sacrifice to play alongside James. James has since responded. [Read more…]
The NBA is an evolving league. Certain aspects of the evolution have caused fans to believe that the level of competition has declined, no matter how fair or foul that theory may be. The most common criticism of this era is that players and teams have a newfound, albeit not previously uncommon mentality: those who hurt you most are the players who must be acquired. For instance, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Shawn Marion—the same Marion who locked down franchise player LeBron James in the 2011 NBA Finals. Similarly, former Chicago
Seriously. It’s only the preseason. Things got heated during a preseason game between the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. A Hall of Fame forward with a chip on his shoulder and an award-winning center whose relentless energy has been known to frustrate many an opponent nearly came to blows. Before the games even begin to matter. [Read more…]