Here is a prediction you won’t find in too many places: Kevin Durant is going to demand a trade in the first week of February if – and this is a big “if” – things are not going well in Oklahoma City. If you think about it, it makes sense. We all know that the Summer of Durant is only one winter away. We all know that the Thunder would have won multiple titles by now if skinflint owner Clay Bennett
I like the Detroit Pistons and the Sacramento Kings as upstarts in the East and West. I also think the Milwaukee Bucks are going to be the funnest team to watch develop … but I am not alone in that opinion. I am not on the Jahlil Okafor for MVP bandwagon. Other are, but I think it’ll be Stanley Johnson of Detroit (if the Pistons make the playoffs) or Emmanuel Mudiay of the Denver Nuggets for ROY. As far as MVP, it
The 2014-2015 season did not go as planned whatsoever for the Indiana Pacers. As a matter of fact, their season practically ended before it even got started. After reaching the Eastern Conference finals the previous two years, the Pacers had huge expectations heading into the new season. But all it took it was one defining moment in a meaningless game to send the Pacers on a downward spiral. Aug. 1, 2014 is a day that will forever be etched in the minds
Just over two years ago, the Denver Nuggets appeared to be riding high. Flourishing after the trade of superstar Carmelo Anthony, they had posted an NBA franchise-record 57 wins, had both the Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year and were headed into the Western Conference playoffs as the third seed with a glistening 38-3 home record. It is remarkable how quickly things change in the NBA. The Nuggets were upset in the first round by the Golden State Warriors,
As the Los Angeles Lakers slowly and painfully transition away from the Kobe Bryant era, the franchise actually did the right thing in bottoming out last season. The Lakers went a franchise-worst 21-61 last season under first-year coach Byron Scott, losing 29 games by double digits. Forward Julius Randle was lost for the season with a foot injury in the opener, and everything went pretty much downhill from there. Los Angeles had the second-worst defensive rating and scoring defense while finishing 24th
There aren’t many small-market teams that have experienced a run of success like the Memphis Grizzlies have over the past half-decade. The Grizzlies are looking to keep the train rolling this season after an offseason which has perhaps been underrated. Most important, the Grizzlies locked up franchise cornerstone Marc Gasol for the long haul, ensuring they will have a chance to be competitive both now and likely for years to come – assuming Mike Conley, a free agent next summer, is
Two points in time define the last several months for the Los Angeles Clippers. The first came in May, when the Clippers blew a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals before falling to Houston. With DeAndre Jordan becoming an unrestricted free agent and Chris Paul pushing 30, there were worries that the proverbial window of opportunity for this team was beginning to close. That nearly proved to be the case over the July 4th weekend, when Jordan verbally agreed to
Every four decades, the basketball galaxy is in alignment for the Golden State Warriors. And on cue, last season was one of those moments as the Warriors won their first NBA championship since the days of Rick Barry 40 years ago. Last season’s Warriors were a talented group, particularly deep and immune to significant health problems, which they managed to avoid. In a breakthrough season, Stephen Curry achieved NBA Most Valuable Player status. Even their postseason matchups seemed to be hand-picked. And they did all of this with a rookie coach, no less. Now comes