// Just one day until the NBA draft, and things have started to heat up. Houston appears to be one of the most aggressive teams trying to trade up. The Rockets just completed a deal with Minnesota for the 18th pick for Chase Budinger and Lior Eliyahu. There are reports that Houston might parlay all their picks and Kyle Lowry into something bigger – like Dwight Howard. Sacramento, for its part, has not only made the fifth pick available, but sources have said that Tyreke
16. Houston Rockets – Moe Harkless, SF, St. John’s With two high picks, Houston will be one of the more aggressive teams on draft night, as GM Daryl Morey must propel the Rockets into the playoffs and is rumored to be willing to package whatever it takes to get Dwight Howard. As a fallback, don’t be surprised to see Houston package both of these picks to move up for a player like Andre Drummond. If the Rockets stand pat, Harkless was the
31. Charlotte Bobcats – Doron Lamb, SG Kentucky Lamb is one of the best shooters in the draft, can play either guard spot in spurts or come off the bench as a shooter. We had the ‘Cats taking Miles Plumlee here in Mock 4.0, but we are now thinking MJ goes for a scorer over a big. Of course, if the Bobcats wheel and deal as many expect, pick No. 30 could be someone else’s. 32. Washington Wizards – Festus Ezeli, C,
The year the NBA got over the hump, even if it didn’t initially look like it was possible … Let’s just say it was a good time for a memorable postseason, with the improbable rise of the precocious Thunder, until going up 1-0 over the Heat, which didn’t turn out to be comprised of choking, mercenary divas, after all. Otherwise, the 2011-12 season would have gone down as the one when the NBA locked the players out until Christmas, then jammed 66
In a not-so-shocking development, Mike Miller will have his ailing back checked by one of the best (apparently) in Dr. Barth Green. Some have openly wondered whether Miller should retire – despite the fact that he is only 32 – due to a constant breakdown of his body, but judging by the tweet above, he doesn’t appear ready to call it quits just yet. His wife doesn’t think so either. After being a non-factor for much of the playoffs,
The Miami Heat celebrated their 2011-2012 championship today with a parade, thanks in large part to LeBron James’ monstrous performance throughout the entire playoffs. James posted pedestrian numbers (for his standards) in his playoff run last season, averaging 23.7 points on 46.6 percent shooting, 8.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists. This postseason, however, his performance level returned to his do-it-all Cleveland days, minus the fourth quarter disappearances. With an improved offensive game and a willingness to play closer to the basket, James
The Miami Heat celebrated their NBA Championship with a parade today. With that, the story line of the 2011-2012 season finally came to a conclusion, which means the beginning of everything else from free agency to trade rumors. See the latest on Kyle Lowry, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Brandon Jennings and more in the news items below. Chris Sheridan described Amare Stoudemire’s poor use of judgment in yesterday’s news, and now the NBA will investigate, according to Marc Berman: “A source
