BROOKLYN – Mike Conley, the top free agent point guard on the market this summer, threw more wood onto the dumpster fire that has been the Brooklyn Nets’ season. Making the playoffs all but mathematically went up in smoke months ago, and now any hope of Conley signing with the Nets this summer all but went up in flames, too. Before Wednesday’s win at Barclays Center, Conley told reporters that coach Lionel Hollins would have been a “big reason” to consider signing
Monday morning Hall of Fame head coach and NBA broadcaster Dr. Jack Ramsay, 89, died. The cause of death was immediately known, though he had endured a long battle with cancer and had been recently diagnosed with a marrow syndrome. Ramsay, a permanent fixture around the NBA, began his professional career in Philadelphia with the 76ers as their general manager, taking the team to an title. He later became their head coach, staying with the Sixers for four years. He had later
All season, the Indiana Pacers have maintained that homecourt advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs, and their chemistry will give them a great chance to dethrone the two-time NBA champion Miami Heat. Are both slipping away? In the last two weeks, Indiana’s grip on the East’s best record has loosened considerably. And the Pacers’ big move at Thursday’s trading deadline, acquiring Evan Turner, illustrated that their belief in chemistry may have been overstated. [Read more…]
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday that Larry Bird will return to the team as President of Basketball Operations. Bird agreed to a multi-year deal. Donnie Walsh, who held that position the last year, will be a consultant to the franchise and Kevin Pritchard remains as the Pacers’ General Manager. “We are all very happy to have Larry back,” said Pacers’ owner Herb Simon. “When he left last July, Donnie and I both told him the door would be open for him
Even though the Pacers lost Game 1, they had to have impressed many impartial observers. Maybe the Heat won’t have an easy path to the Finals after all. Or maybe the first game was an aberration and they’ll turn on the jets and roll over Indiana from here on out. We’ll see, I guess. For some analysis of what went wrong for Indy at the end of OT, check out Chris Sheridan’s column blaming Paul George. And since we’re about to
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
There is no basketball game on Friday night, which means you can take some time to read about what’s going on around the league, from LeBron James’ epic performance, David Stern’s thoughts on the draft lottery, Indiana’s next move, and much more. Did you see how many shots LeBron James missed in Game 6? You can see every single one of them in this video. Really, though, was James’ performance on Thursday night the best he has ever put on? Statistically, no.