In the land of the NBA expat, the standard being set by the Golden State Warriors has not gone unnoticed — and in a few cases, it has nearly been matched. No team has duplicated what the ‘Dubs have done in the NBA, opening 24-0 en route to a 30-2 record that they took into their Saturday night matchup with the Denver Nuggets. But behind Andray Blatche, Andrew Goudelock and future lottery pick Zhou Qi, the Xianjing Flying Tigers are not all that
With a triple-double of 14 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks on national TV, Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside has shown that impactful midseason signings can be found in the strangest of places. Whiteside was a 2010 second-round pick of the Sacramento Kings. He was waived by both the Kings in 2012 and the Memphis Grizzlies three months ago. In between, Whiteside was playing for Jiangsu Tongxi in the second tier of Chinese basketball. With the regular season of the Chinese Basketball
In a day where all 24 teams played in the FIBA World Cup leading up to Thursday’s frenetic first round finish, it was The Manimal who again stood out in another Team USA victory. After a closely contested first quarter, Kenneth Faried helped the Americans (4-0), once again propelled by their big men, take the second and third quarters by a combined 26 points and defeat the Dominican Republic (2-2) 106-71 to advance to 4-0 and clinch the best record in
In a highly patriotic coincidence, Team USA was off on this Labor Day Monday as they prepare for Tuesday’s match with New Zealand, the only Group C team without a win here in this FIBA World Cup. Groups A and B played on Monday with the hosts separating themselves from the pack, one big upset, one huge Freakish dunk and an emerging dark horse for the all-tournament team. Group A Serbia (2-1) outscored Iran 25-13 in the decisive third quarter and defeated Iran
Have you ever wondered what became of Delonte West? How about Randolph Morris? Hamed Haddadi? Marcus Williams? They are all part of the growing contingent of former NBA players in the Chinese Basketball Association. The CBA is definitely a league of its own and well worth following for its American star power. Defense is not a priority in the CBA, an offensive-minded league which emphasizes transition and the 3-pointer. It is a great place for undersized guards, tweener forwards and big men not
In a seemingly minor trade, two former first-round picks from Syracuse were swapped for one another Thursday. Boston sent 2012 first-rounder Fab Melo to Memphis for the non-guaranteed contract of Donte Greene. This trade has relatively minor implications, but an impact nonetheless that will be laid out. It would be a surprise if Greene plays a single minute for the Celtics. The former Sacramento King didn’t play last season after breaking his ankle last summer. This was after a 2011-2012 season
The 7-foot Iranian center (now the property of the Phoenix Suns) has been traded two times in the past several weeks, but a piece of his heart clearly still remains in Memphis, where the Grizzlies learned Saturday that former owner Michael Heisley had been hospitalized due to a stroke. My prayers to mr. Heisley and his family. A true gentleman. Hope for fast recovery. — Hamed Haddadi (@HamedHaddadi15) February 24, 2013 Heisley was stricken last weekend soon after returning home from Houston, where
Some moments in life take you by surprise and some leave you flabbergasted. Then, there are times where something leaves you completely speechless. Enter Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley.
