LAS VEGAS – In his first Summer League, it seems like the weight of the world has been lifted off Anthony Bennett’s shoulders. In the city he once called home and the arena he once shined so brightly that the Cleveland Cavaliers made him the unexpected top pick of the 2013 NBA draft, Bennett is playing loose, having fun and suddenly showing the athleticism and versatility that made him such an intriguing prospect in the first place. After scoring 15 points and
Fandom has to hurt for the joy to be most fulfilling — you have to care, you have to risk suffering — and LeBron James has now pushed all of South Florida and Northeast Ohio right to the edge of that cliff. Exactly four years after The Decision, the basketball world still awaits The Decision II. And with LeBron James finally set to meet face-to-face with Pat Riley and the Miami Heat on Wednesday in Las Vegas, we finally may be close to
The United States Men’s National Team fought valiantly in losing 2-1 in extra time in Tuesday’s 2014 World Cup match against Belgium in the round of 16. Goalkeeper Tim Howard was amazing, amassing 16 saves. Yet, his near superhuman effort wasn’t enough. Meanwhile, back in the states, NBA free agency is underway. The Cleveland Cavaliers made waves by announcing that they had secured the future of their point guard, Kyrie Irving, by reaching an agreement on a five-year, $90 million max-contract
On the eve of free agency, teams around the NBA are all preparing to improve their rosters with key signings. With the free agency period officially starting at 12 am midnight, deals will start to take fold from the minute July 1st begins. The Cleveland Cavaliers are no exception to this as they intend to offer a max contract to their All Star point guard, Kyrie Irving. According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard, the Cavs plan to offer a max extension worth
With the 2014 NBA Draft fast approaching, teams have a tough decision to make due to Joel Embiid’s unexpected foot injury. After having surgery on his right foot – believed to be a very serious type of injury – the 7-footer is expected to miss four-to-six months of action. Not surprisingly, this has caused teams to reconsider their plans of drafting the center. The Cleveland Cavaliers, in particular, are looking at Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins now. They may even simply trade
The Cleveland Cavaliers have chosen David Blatt of Maccabi Tel Aviv as their new head coach. They will not be disappointed. I have known Blatt since 2007, when he led the Russian national team to a victory over Spain in Madrid in the gold medal game. I dined with him in Shanghai in 2008 in the prelude to the Beijing Olympics, and our paths crossed again in Istanbul in 2010 when I was covering the world championship. That was when Blatt
As someone who wrote these here blog things during the Dwightmare, I have mixed feelings on the incredibly protracted trade dramas that the NBA is so often subjected to. On the one hand, they take forever, they’re basically one big headache, they’re never resolved in a satisfying manner, and after about a week more people are talking about how they’re sick of hearing about the trade possibilities than are actually talking about said trade possibilities. On the other hand, they make
I recently moved to Ohio, a couple hours down the Turnpike from Cleveland, and a couple hours (but a more complicated drive) from Detroit. I’m not sure how this is going to affect my NBA allegiances. When I lived in Baltimore, the obvious choice was the Wizards, but sharing with Washington people goes against a lot of the things I believe in. In Halifax, the Raptors were the de facto local team, but they played halfway across the country, and