The NBA season is only 10 days old, but there’s been a lot to take in and observe. The “Big Three” in Cleveland have a big three losses against one just one narrow win. The Sacramento Kings didn’t get the memo about returning to the lottery. The Los Angeles Lakers are finding out that winless and glamorous usually are mutually exclusive. The New York Knicks look like a different team from game to game. Here are five things I’ve learned so far
One of the common complaints about the NBA – and a somewhat legitimate one at that – is that there are only a half-dozen teams or so that can truly win the championship. Think about it: Who do you have winning it all this season? Chances are it’s one of the “Fab Five” – Cleveland, Chicago, San Antonio, Oklahoma City or the Los Angeles Clippers. And you’re not off base, either. One of those teams is my pick – our staff’s
Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo is out indefinitely after suffering a facial fracture in practice Thursday. The Magic announced Friday that Oladipo took an inadvertent elbow to the face during a practice drill. The second-year guard will undergo a surgical procedure Saturday. There is no timetable for his return. Oladipo already was nursing a sprained MCL suffered in preseason that had prevented him from playing in any exhibition games. He returned to practice Monday, and the Magic were hoping that Oladipo could
About an hour after I had rolled into the Audi Garage next to the American Airlines Center in Dallas, and about four hours after I left San Antonio, where I had watched the Mavericks lose Game 7 of the first round of the 2014 playoffs to the eventual NBA champion Spurs, members of the Mavs spoke to the media. On the floor of their practice court, Dirk Nowitzki spoke about the disappointment of that game after taking the Spurs to the
Four players – three of them future Hall of Famers – took pay cuts of a staggering eight figures this offseason. Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Paul Pierce all took salary slashes of more than $10 million to extend their careers with contending teams. They head the list of the top 10 individual pay cuts this summer. Our list uses exact salary figures from last season. In some cases, this season’s figures are averages of multi-year deals received by players. For example,
The Cleveland Cavaliers have officially signed the number one overall pick of this years draft, Andrew Wiggins. The team announced the signing Thursday afternoon. Besides getting the top pick in the draft secured to a deal, the signing is significant because it impacts the recent trade rumors circling around Kevin Love. Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that due to NBA rules, any trades with Wiggins would have to be postponed. Wiggins has been involved in trade discussions between the Cavs and
It’s no secret that Kevin Love wants out of town, and that means rumors will circulate throughout the summer as the Minnesota Timberwolves try to figure out what deal will help cope with the loss of their franchise player. On Wednesday, our Chris Sheridan revealed what the Chicago Bulls offered for the coveted power forward, and it may be the best deal out there for Flip Saunders – at least for the time being: The Chicago Bulls have offered a package of Taj Gibson and
No disrespect to Andrew Wiggins, who can fly like a young Tracy McGrady and defend like a future Scottie Pippen. No disrespect to Jabari Parker, who can score like Carmelo Anthony and is our pick to win Rookie of the Year next season. And nothing against Julius Randle, Marcus Smart, Aaron Gordon, or any of the other mega-prospects who will likely be lighting up the league for the next 10 years. But Orlando Magic point guard Elfrid Payton is the coolest player in