The 2012 NBA Champion Miami Heat won the second title in franchise history last month, and they aren’t doing what they did after the previous one — standing pat (or standing Pat, as in Riley, who felt he owed it to those players to give them a chance to defend their title.) Meanwhile, the team they defeated in the Eastern Conference finals — the Boston Celtics — have had a pretty productive summer of their own. In New York, two basketball teams
The NBA’s offseason is far from over. And as Chris Bernucca told us Monday, there are still at least 20 free agents out there that can provide value to a number of teams. Although it’s still pretty early in the summer, it’s not too early to identify some of the offseason’s biggest losers. And while we fully acknowledge that individual player progression, maturity, and development can improve a team just as much as a splashy free agent signing or witty trade, keep
Although the current Olympic team won’t cause quite the eruption of the Dream Team in 1992, fans in Barcelona will be quite enthusiastic when Team USA plays exhibition games Sunday against Argentina and Tuesday against Spain. The difference in focus and expectations from 1992, however, are profound. International fans were mesmerized by the Dream Team and couldn’t get enough of their American basketball idols. But never in their wildest dreams did anyone from another country think their team would beat the
BARCELONA — The building pictured to your left is the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, which sits atop one of the highest hills in this Spanish coastal city. To get there from the plaza below, they have a series of outdoor all-weather escalators. You can use those, or you can climb about 500 steps. Behind the museum is the Palau Sant Jordi, the modern arena where Team USA will play Argentina on Sunday night and Spain on Tuesday night. From
Dwight Howard and Jeremy Lin. Andrew Bynum and Kyrie Irving. If you were trying to build a team from nothing, which tandem would you rather have? Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey has spent the entire offseason trying to put together the first tandem. He reeled in Lin on Tuesday night but has been unable to get the Orlando Magic to budge on Howard. Cleveland Cavaliers GM Chris Grant may be trying to put together the second tandem. He drafted Irving just over a year
No, this U.S. team isn’t as good as the Dream Team, or even the 2008 team, which five of them played on. Not that there’s any way of demonstrating it, not even the press’s fave, asking Dream Teamers and awaiting the laughter. Of course, the Dreamers had a huge edge, aside from all those centers and power forwards the 2012ers are so light on. The Dreamers were famous. Leaving out out the incomparable Michael Jordan, the 2012ers’ Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant
WASHINGTON — Someone has to say it first, so I’ll take the plunge. Team USA is in trouble unless changes are made. They are too small, they are bringing their best scorer off the bench and making him guard players much stronger than him, and they are brimming with so much overconfidence that they are practically blind to the reality of the situation. If they cannot impose their will on their opponents at the London Olympics, they will lose. They are a one-trick
What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. Take the Las Vegas Summer League, for example. Players such as Klay Thompson and Derrick Williams are trying to parlay strong performances this summer into eventual NBA stardom with their teams. The Las Vegas Summer League is a golden opportunity for players to earn an increased role in the NBA. For young players, their summer performance can earn them a rotation spot. For players hooping overseas, the summer is a chance to show NBA