Mike Miller has found himself moving around the NBA throughout his 14-year career. After spending a year playing for the Memphis Grizzlies after he was amnestied by the Miami Heat, he chose to follow his old teammate LeBron James back to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although he has floated around the League, Miller seems to be a much respected, well-liked teammate. Of course there’s the story about King James being angry that the Heat amnestied Miller after they won two straight NBA
Over the weekend, LeBron James called his slumping, underachieving Cleveland Cavaliers “a fragile team.” James is partially right. As a group, the Cavaliers aren’t dealing very well with the lofty expectations put upon them by pundits like me. Right now, they look like a typical front-running team that lacks mental toughness and gives in at the first sign of trouble. That was evident Saturday, when the Cavaliers sprinted to a 26-8 lead in the first eight minutes – and were overwhelmed thereafter
After having missed the playoffs for the past four-straight seasons—ever since four-time NBA MVP LeBron James left home for the warm beaches of Miami to join Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and the Heat, and after surprisingly good luck in the past two NBA draft lotteries gifted the Cleveland Cavaliers with back-to-back top-overall picks, there may have been little hope for any monumental improvement entering the summer of 2014. That was, of course, before James made the decision to go home, rejoining
The Memphis Grizzlies begin the 2014-15 season with high hopes. With the core in place and an exceptionally deep bench, making a return to the Western Conference finals – or further – is the goal. Last season, the injury bug bit the Grizzlies. Multiple key players missed extended time, and the Grizzlies couldn’t separate themselves in the West as a result. Ending the season contemplating what could have been is unpleasant, and it’s a situation the Grizzlies don’t care to find themselves
Many believed the Heat’s loss to the Spurs in the NBA Finals was when LeBron James first began to seriously consider leaving Miami. As it turns out, the wheels may have already been put in motion. Mike Miller, who followed James this offseason to the Cleveland Cavaliers, told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer this week that James initially began questioning the Heat’s brass when they used the amnesty provision on Miller in July 2013, sparing owner Micky Arison millions in salary and luxury-tax fees
Nice how things change so drastically and so quickly in the NBA. In the season preview that I wrote about the Cleveland Cavaliers one year ago, the five things to watch included Andrew Bynum, Anthony Bennett and Mike Brown’s defensive schemes. Obviously, things have changed dramatically as the Cavs head into the 2014-15 season. With a mere 952 words in Sports Illustrated back in July after Chris Sheridan broke the story two days earlier, LeBron James single-handedly changed the direction – and
Friday brought about the first media days for a few NBA teams. The Miami Heat, New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers were among the teams meeting the media before the start of training camp. The Heat are the defending Eastern Conference champions but are retooling. The Knicks are beginning the Phil Jackson era. The Spurs are trying to defend their NBA title. But no team got as much attention Friday as the Cavaliers. [Read more…]
The National Basketball Association is a business. As much as it is both a job and teams are a brotherhood for players, and as much as it is both a sport and an exciting form of entertainment for fans; for all intents and purposes, the league is a multi-billion dollar business. With league revenue reaching $5 billion, franchise valuations escalating and teams selling for anything from $550M to $2B, the proof is in the pudding. NBA athletes often talk about the bonds of