By this point, David Blatt’s journey – from the suburbs of Boston to Princeton to Israel, followed by a Magellanesque coaching journey around Europe, a Euroleague title with Maccabi Tel Aviv and finally landing a head coaching job in the NBA with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers – is well documented. But what Blatt has learned along the way and what he brings to the professional game is more than worth chronicling. Maccabi Tel Aviv, Blatt’s former team, just completed its
Coming off the first playoff appearance since 2010 and turning the page on some miserable years, Charlotte now has new hope — and a new old nickname. The Charlotte Hornets have rediscovered their sting and are for real. Guided a year ago by first-year coach Steve Clifford, Charlotte restructured its entire defensive system, and along with star big man Al Jefferson saw its win total spike from 21 all the way to 43. According to analyst David Locke, the Hornets shaved off
Finally, we have real basketball action. Yeah, it’s just the preseason, but it’s better than nothing. There are plenty of new story lines throughout the league, and preseason basketball can be a spark to light the fire in some upcoming rivalries. For example, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. They aren’t exactly rivals, but with the “Decision” and “I’m Coming Home” stories that effected both teams similarly, every time the two face off against each other they’ll be under a microscope.
Before Bruce Levenson’s infamous email and Danny Ferry’s infamous scouting recital, the Atlanta Hawks were actually one of the quietest teams in the NBA this offseason. In the face of one of the most active transaction cycles in NBA history, Atlanta’s limited action in free agency was by design. General sentiment within the organization was – and remains – that the team will take an important leap forward as long as they remain healthy. After all, before center Al Horford tore his right pectoral –
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…]
News broke last week regarding Nick Young of the Los Angeles Lakers going down with a thumb injury in practice. An MRI revealed that he completely tore the radial collateral ligament in his right thumb on Friday and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. Young, or “Swaggy P”, apparently injured his thumb when he was guarding Kobe Bryant in practice. The Lakers are hoping for a more definitive return date after he undergoes surgery, which was scheduled for today.
Last season began with championship expectations for the Brooklyn Nets, thanks to the headline additions of three future Hall of Fame stars: Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce on the court, and Jason Kidd on the sidelines. However – less than a year later – Kidd has burned his Brooklyn bridge with the Nets, Pierce signed with the Wizards this summer and Garnett is coming off the worst statistical season of his career. Furthermore, key role players such as Shaun Livingston, Andray Blatche
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said at a news conference in New York on Monday that the league’s new nine-year TV deal with ESPN and Turner “will have a profound effect” on the salary cap. By any measure, the new deal is a doozy. In years, it is the longest ever signed by the league, one year longer than the current deal. In money, it is $24 billion total and an average of $2.67 billion per season, nearly triple the $925 million