LeBron James decision to move back home, rejoining the Cleveland Cavaliers, is less than a week old. And, yet, it is old news. At the time of James’ decision, there was ample speculation that Ray Allen would surely put off retirement to play in King James’ court, and he may yet decide to play, though there has been no decision as of yet. However, former Heat teammate Mike Miller, who—against James’ wishes—was annexed prior to last season via the amnesty provision as
Mike Bantom, the NBA’s Executive Vice President of Referee Operations, is cracking down on a very specific point of contention. The issue at hand? Verticality. Secondary defenders are permitted to challenge an oncoming offensive player so long as they stay “vertical.” However, according to a memorandum sent to all owners, general managers, coaches and officials over the weekend, there has been a noticeable increase of players bending, if not breaking, the rule. We have noticed that defenders have been turning sideways when jumping to
When you’re an adored star in this league, you get a pass on a lot of things. And Dwyane Wade got a pass for an absolutely rockhead play in Miami’s inexplicable loss to Boston on Saturday. The Heat led by four with less than two seconds to play. On their home floor. Against the Celtics. And lost. In regulation. And most of it was on Wade, who (a) faltered in the clutch; (b) made his own strategic decision without any input from the
There once was a time when Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant wanted to separate himself from his “nice guy” image. Nike rolled out a marketing campaign just for the occasion, touting a slogan that stated, “KD is not nice.” Au contraire, mon frère, Durant is still (perhaps) the nicest guy in the midwest—if not the entire league. In lieu of the tragedy that has hit residents in Moore, Oklahoma, Durant has pledged to help ease the pain [as reported by Royce Young of DailyThunder.com]. [blackbirdpie