Let’s start with the obvious: Josh Smith is not going to be claimed on waivers. It’s true that Smith, 29, won’t be able to sign anywhere until 5 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, when the league office will announce if Smith was claimed in the waiver process. But the only reason Detroit cut Smith, even with over $35 million in guaranteed money still owed, was because they couldn’t find a taker to trade for him at that contract. In other words, no
Toronto Raptors basketball was non-existent for a long time. There was more booing than cheering, the word “retooling” became too familiar, and games rarely gathered genuine excitement. That was their identity, or lack thereof. I went to my first Raptors game at the age of 13. Toronto had a good team that year, they won 47 games and finished first in the Atlantic Division. The Raps were hosting the Denver Nuggets at Air Canada Centre, a hot team with Carmelo Anthony and
It’s easy to look back at the end of last season and come up with a bunch of “what if?” scenarios about what would have happened if Miami had won the NBA Finals. Well NBA conspiracy theorists can continue coming up with their own possibilities, as word has spread that LeBron James is teasing folks on what this past summers decision could have been. In an interview with Rachel Nichols that is set to air Friday night at 10:30 pm on
OFFICIAL: The #Warriors have relieved Head Coach Mark Jackson of his duties: http://t.co/o8FFN3tbWv — Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) May 6, 2014 Speculation met reality Tuesday afternoon, as the Golden State Warriors fired head coach Mark Jackson. Jackson has led the Warriors to the playoffs in consecutive years—with a 98-66 record over that two-year span, making him the first Golden State coach since Don Nelson to accomplish the feat. However, two years of on-court success—each slowed by nagging injuries—could not prevent team owners from
So what now with Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson? After nearly taking the San Antonio Spurs to the brink in the second round of the playoffs last season, the Warriors came into this season with the highest of expectations after signing Andre Iguodala in the offseason. Unfortunately, with expectations come disappointments. The Warriors weren’t who they thought they’d be. They finished the regular season with a relatively disappointing sixth seed in the West and ultimately failed to come out of
The NBA Playoffs have started. The first game of the day on Saturday saw the Toronto Raptors give the Brooklyn Nets a 1-0 lead in the series between the 3- and 6- seeds in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors committed 17 turnovers in a seven-point 94-87 loss. It was a physical contest, marred by 42 total fouls. However, if you thought the officials let loose with the whistles in the first game, you may have missed the second game. Game 2 of the
In terms of competitiveness and venom, nothing comes close to matching what this series should bring. These teams simply do not like one another, and their rivalry has been building over the course of two seasons in which the hatred between the teams has only grown with each encounter. If you had to pick one series and one series only to watch every minute of, this would be the winner among those who like their hoops with some histrionics. If you had
With the season winding down and holding just a 1 1/2 game lead over the trailing Dallas Mavericks, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors could ill-afford to lose Tuesday’s game on the road at the American Airlines Center. After an inexplicable loss against the New York Knicks on Sunday, the Warriors knew another loss – particularly to the Mavericks – would put them in a neck and neck battle for the remainder of the season with three other teams just to