This offseason was an eventful one for the Bobcats and their fans. It started the same as the previous one: looking for a new coach. This time, the search did not last quite as long as they snapped up long-time Jeff Van Gundy assistant Steve Clifford. Then they stunned analysts and fans alike at the draft by selecting Cody Zeller over Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore and Alex Len at fourth overall. With newfound financial flexibility because of DeSagana Diop’s expiring contract, the
In 2011, when the Cleveland Cavaliers were awarded the first overall pick at the NBA’s draft lottery, Nick Gilbert – the son of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert – exclaimed on national television, “What’s not to like?!” Two years after using that first pick on Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers were once again awarded the top overall pick at the this year’s draft lottery. On that night this past May, ESPN’s Heather Cox repeated Nick Gilbert’s question back to him. “What’s not to like?”
After jettisoning Dwight Howard in August 2012, the Orlando Magic fully embraced a rebuilding plan, starting over with two young prospects in Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless and a veteran contributor in Arron Afflalo. After a surprisingly strong 12-13 start which had some folks around the NBA wondering if they could make the playoffs, the Magic floundered to the finish, losing 49 of their final 57 games. Along the way, they lost Glen Davis to two injuries – one which would
The Toronto Raptors are a team in flux. Gone is President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo and many of his front office staff. Now in charge – strangely enough – is his one-time understudy in Toronto, Masai Ujiri, fresh off an exceptional run as GM of the Denver Nuggets. Ujiri was lured away from the Nuggets by new Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment CEO Tim Leiweke. Ujiri and Leiweke represent not only a changing of the guard for the Dinos but potentially
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.
In a minor trade which has luxury tax implications for both teams, the Boston Celtics traded project center Fab Melo to the Memphis Grizzlies for Donte Greene. The swap of Syracuse alums was announced Wednesday by the Grizzlies. Dumping Melo’s $1.3 million salary for the 2013-14 season gets the Celtics right to the tax line, according to our salary analysis. They take back Greene, who is scheduled to make $1.03 million in a non-guaranteed deal. [Read more…]
PHILADELPHIA – No, that wasn’t a puff of white smoke emanating from the Philadelphia 76ers offices when their 118-day vigil finally came to an end Wednesday. It was more like they were waving the white flag, as if to say “Okay, we surrender. We’ll hire a coach, even though we all know the goal is to stink so bad this year we have the best chance to win the lottery, and a good coach might mess up the plan…’’ With that, “Nice
The rumors of a Luis Scola trade between the Phoenix Suns and the Indiana Pacers became official on Saturday, when the forward was dealt for Miles Plumlee, Gerald Green, and a 2014 first-round draft pick (lottery-protected). For the Pacers, it’s an immediate win. They now have an established veteran in Scola – who has the ability to shoot from the mid-range to compliment his post game – coming off the bench to spell David West. Losing a draft pick always hurts, but adding a veteran