As the All-Star break and Feb. 20 trade deadline draw near, it’s becoming increasingly clear to the neutral observer which teams are going to compete for the remainder of the regular season, and which teams are content on limping to the finish line. Their hopes will then rest on securing a high lottery pick in this, the much hyped 2014 NBA draft. It’s been a while between mock drafts here at SheridanHoops since Joe Kotoch’s ‘Very Early Mock Lottery‘ was published, and
NEW YORK –– Canadian men’s national team coach Jay Triano expects Andrew Wiggins, Tyler Ennis, Anthony Bennett and the country’s talented young core of basketball players to compete in Olympic qualifying in 2015. But he says the big payoff with this group might not come until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “The future’s going to be great,” Triano, an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers, told SheridanHoops.com on Wednesday following a 94-90 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. “But it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s
Adam Silver is in a tough spot. Silver became the NBA’s fifth commissioner on Saturday. He follows David Stern, whose 30 years as the league’s top executive likely will be unmatched by anyone in any sport. Silver begins his term without facing a major problem that needs immediate fixing or a hot-button issue that requires immediate attention. With TV contracts running through 2016, labor peace assured until at least 2017 and most of the top stars in their 20s, the NBA is
The Canadian invasion of the NBA has hit a speed bump. Anthony Bennett, the Canadian chosen No. 1 overall in 2013 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, is trending toward being a full-scale bust. And Andrew Wiggins, the Ontario native widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in 2014 when this college basketball season began, could “fall” to No. 2 or 3 come June. “I think Wiggins is still in the proper range,” one NBA executive told SheridanHoops.com. “No. 1 if things go well,
While Laker haters throughout the NBA are able to enjoy the struggles of one of the two most successful franchises in the league, they perhaps have overlooked the irony of the Lakers’ misfortune. It seems quite evident what is going to happen. The Lakers are not going to make the playoffs and will be in the draft lottery. Regardless of how few chances they have in the lottery, they’re going to win it. And Andrew Wiggins is going to be a Laker. Book
It was kind of hard to figure out what the Milwaukee Bucks were doing this offseason. Allowing their entire backcourt rotation of Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings and J.J. Redick to leave via free agency seemed to indicate a rebuilding project was about to begin. Jennings and Redick brought youngsters and draft picks in sign-and-trades, reinforcing that premise. Then GM John Hammond used his newfound cap space on middle-tier free agents O.J. Mayo, Zaza Pachulia and Carlos Delfino before dropping a big contract
Monday was a happy day for some, ominous for many others. Some big news broke early in the day about the status of Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant. The news on Rose was worse than expected, while some may consider the good news for Bryant not so good. See what all the ruckus was about below. DERRICK ROSE OUT FOR THE SEASON: After undergoing successful knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus, the Chicago Bulls declared that Rose would miss the remainder of
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the great landmarks of our country. And right now, it connects the home boroughs of perhaps the NBA’s two most disappointing teams this season. Remember all the back-and-forth this summer between members of the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets? Jason Kidd retired from the Knicks to coach the Nets. Raymond Felton questioned his Knicks being ranked below the Nets. Paul Pierce said it was time for the Nets to start running the city. J.R. Smith