I know, technically, this isn’t an NBA Draft trade, but technically, it is a “draft day” trade. So we’ll go ahead and file it here. The Mavericks could find themselves in all-out rebuild mode, and earlier, we saw them turn UNC’s Tyler Zeller into three prospects. Now, they’re on the verge of dumping Lamar Odom. After lasting only about four months in Dallas, the Mavericks are working hard to find a deal for him. As of late Thursday night, there were conflicting
Word is that some members of the 2012 NBA Champion Miami Heat are still a bit hung over—literally—after defeating the Oklahoma City for the NBA’s crown just one week ago today. The Heat selected Arnett Moultrie, a 6’11” Power Forward from Mississippi State with their 27th overall pick in the draft, but they traded his rights to the Philadelphia 76ers for the 45th overall pick, Justin Hamilton, and a future first round pick. Moultrie is a long, athletic big that could probably
Coming into the 2012 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers were one of a few teams that had multiple first round draft picks. After selecting Syracuse’s Dion Waiters with the fourth overall selection, the Cavaliers agreed to send their other three picks—24, 33, and 34—to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the rights to UNC’s Tyler Zeller and reserve guard Kelenna Azubuike. The Mavericks selected Zeller with the 17th pick of the draft while the Cavaliers selected Oregon State’s Jared Cunningham
// MIAMI — As Miami Heat owner Micky Arison tip-toed through his team’s locker-room in his black loafers, cigar in mouth and baseball cap covering his soaked hair, an ESPN NBA analyst gave me an excellent piece of advice. “Learn a lesson from me,” he said. “Next time, wear old shoes.” In the locker room, I stepped in a puddle of what was undoubtedly a mixture of Dom Perignon, Moet, and Budweiser—the three types of alcoholic concoctions sprayed in abundance in the
csprtContainer(); MIAMI — They defied the odds and fooled the world. After dropping the first two games of their conference final showdown against the number one seed—a battle- tested team who had been there and done that—they won four straight games and shockingly won the right to play for the NBA’s crown. They tricked us into believing they had a fighting chance to win the whole thing, but after four games, it became obvious that the NBA Finals was a bit of
// MIAMI — Did the basketball gods just play a cruel joke on us? Tuesday night’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals has come and gone, and although the game was competitive and entertaining, I feel cheated. I wanted LeBron James and Russell Westbrook to go at each other over the final two minutes of the game, continuing their epic showdown. Instead, neither walked proudly off the court as the game ended. In the game’s final minute, the Miami Heat should have needed James—the
// MIAMI — You realize the Thunder had us spoiled, right? All playoffs long, they’ve been a comeback team. In Game 1 and Game 2, they were a comeback team. For nearly 2 months, they’ve looked wise beyond their years. After the Oklahoma City Thunder lost Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, I wrote that squandering an opportunity to take a 2-1 lead after holding the Heat to 37.8 percent shooting and forcing nine fourth-quarter turnovers was a sign
// Do the Miami Heat have the momentum after their second straight NBA Finals win over the Oklahoma City Thunder? Not necessarily. I am not a big believer in momentum, because I believe each game in a series is an opportunity for each team to create its own positive forward energy. In Game 3, the Heat did make a concerted effort to get the ball inside. They held the edge in second-chance points and fast-break points, indicating an advantage in effort. And