“I want to be a free agent,” Carmelo Anthony told the New York Observer prior to the season. By publicly saying so, Anthony’s impending free agency became a constant and colossal distraction as large as the Empire State Building and simultaneously induced a chain reaction of numerous rumors during the season. J.R. Smith playfully alluded to the constant media speculation when asked if he would talk to Anthony about his future this summer. “I’m not going to talk to him at all,” Smith
Isaiah Thomas entered the league as “Mr. Irrelevant” after being selected 60th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. In his third season, he’s now become a candidate for the league’s Most Improved Player award (although colleague Kels Dayton seems to disagree). Thomas’ breakout season couldn’t have come at a better time with restricted free agency looming this summer. With that in mind, Thomas and I discussed his development, Sacramento’s new culture and his free agency plans in an
With NBA training camps now open, every team will be using October to try to answer questions about their rosters. But for teams with injured stars, the questions have greater significance. Like, how long can the Lakers stay afloat without Kobe Bryant? Is Danny Granger going to come off the bench for the Pacers? Are the Warriors really a better team without David Lee? No less than nine current or former All-Stars will start the 2013-14 season with doubt swirling around them because they
After four years in the league, one Rookie of the Year award, two coaches, no playoff appearances and constant rumors of ownership changes and relocation, Tyreke Evans wanted some certainty and stability. When July 1 came and teams had the chance to talk to the new restricted free agent, the first team that called and showed interest was the newly renamed New Orleans Pelicans. Sam Amick reported that Evans and the Pelicans had an “in-person meeting” the minute free agency began.
Of the popular meanings of the word tank, two have roots signifying damage and destruction. There is the blunt military vehicle, and the less subtle term that is popular in our contemporary basketball lexicon. The basketball version of tanking will unavoidably be a central theme in the upcoming 2013-2014 season. Compared to previous seasons, the 2014 NBA draft class is projected to be filled with All-Stars and franchise-changing players, headlined by Canadian wing Andrew Wiggins, who will play at Kansas this coming
Six years ago, the Boston Celtics opened what was supposed to be a three-year championship window after the acquisitions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Along with Paul Pierce, the new “Big Three” won one title and could have won two more if they had remained healthy. Like NASA getting extended use out of an aging Mars Rover, the Celtics trudged along as contenders for a few more years. The three-year window was open for a fourth year. Then a fifth.
Whenever the NBA and the Players Association negotiate a collective bargaining agreement, the media – including Sheridan Hoops – goes to great lengths to understand and explain its rules, exceptions and nuances. But since the first wave of players began making the jump from high school to the NBA in the mid-1990s, the premise of every new CBA could be summed up in six words: To save the owners from themselves. Restraint never has been the collective strength of NBA owners. In
With transactions reduced from a torrent to a trickle, the NBA is now truly in its offseason. Yes, there’s still a few prominent names out there – Lamar Odom, Antawn Jamison, Corey Maggette and Tyrus Thomas among them – but no one who is going to crash our list of the top 10 free agent signings. [Read more…]