ORLANDO — For one week in July, a small portion of the basketball universe converges upon central Florida to watch and participate in the Summer League. The Orlando event is always outshined by its Las Vegas counterpart, partly because there is no strip and partly because only eight NBA teams participate. The Orlando summer league is very intimate, and it is very common to see media, agents, and NBA executives conversing. The basketball is very opportunistic as players try to secure
With the NBA Draft over, evaluations of the decisions were made from general managers, owners, players, writers and even fans. See our exclusive sights and sounds of the Draft here, and check who said what, along with today’s biggest news below: Mo Williams has cleared the path to complete the Lamar Odom deal, and he was never in the way, reported by Ramona Shelburne: “Los Angeles Clippers guard Mo Williams has officially picked up his option for next season, clearing the way
How did your favorite team do in Thursday’s NBA draft? Did they follow form or reach a bit? Did they fill a need or take the best player available? Should they have traded the pick or kept it? Are you tired of players being stashed in Europe? We break it down below, and we are not grading on a curve. Atlanta Hawks: C-plus Picks: John Jenkins (23), Mike Scott (43) The Danny Ferry Era began much as the Rick Sund Era ended: quietly, and still without a
Miami Heat: F Picks: Justin Hamilton (45) With their fingers freshly fitted for rings, the Heat could have rolled the dice on Perry Jones III with the 27th pick. If they wanted another ballhandler behind Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole, Marquis Teague was right there. Or they could have gone big, snagging either Arnett Moultrie or shot-blocking specialist Festus Ezeli. Instead, they made a cost-cutting move by trading the 27th pick to Philadelphia for a future first-rounder and the rights to Hamilton,
The NBA draft can make or break the future of a franchise. Using the third overall pick to select Adam Morrison ahead of Rudy Gay can set your franchise back for over a half a decade. Landing a gem such as Tony Parker with the 28th overall pick can put a team in position to be a title contender for years. With the increased luxury tax penalties of the new CBA set to be implemented in the 2013-2014 season, it has become
The countdown to the NBA draft is now inside of two weeks. Workouts are taking place at gyms all around the NBA. Promises are being made, trades are being discussed. Some players are seeing their stock rise, others are falling. This going to be a very deep draft, especially at the big man positions, which is quite a contrast to last year when it was more or less a point guard-dominated draft. So as we count down the days until June 28
All eyes are on the huge Game 7 between the Heat and the Celtics Saturday night, but the rest of the league isn’t quiet either. Here’s a roundup of the latest news from the NBA: Stan Van Gundy defended Erik Spoelstra pretty vehemently on the Dan LeBatard Show in Miami yesterday. In response to Chris Broussard of ESPN saying Spoelstra is in over his head, Van Gundy said “My first thought is that Chris Broussard has no knowledge of coaching and
NEWS Rookie Kyrie Irving will miss 10 more days after aggravating his right shoulder. Kentucky coach John Calipari said Wednesday he isn’t going to coach the New York Knicks or any other NBA franchise for the foreseeable future. “Kentucky is the best job in basketball coaching,” Calipari said. “Why would I leave? We just won the national title. We’re chasing UCLA.” ESPN.com NOTES Portland almost certainly will retain restricted free agent Nicolas Batum, but if not, their cap room would balloon to $25.9 million without his cap