So this is how it ends for Kobe Bryant, huh? A top-10 all-time player, Bryant will spend his last four years as the face of arguably the most storied franchise in NBA history, watching it plunge into unprecedented irrelevance. What has happened to the Lakers happens to a lot of successful family-owned businesses. It was handed from the patriarch to the next generation, which was in over its head. It took its brand for granted and treated the competition with disdain rather
All anybody wants to talk about these days is two guys — Stephen Curry, who has shattered the record for most 3-pointers in a postseason — and LeBron James, who has an opt out in his contract that he’d be nuts to exercise. He’ll be a free agent in the summer of 2016, after he has had two chances to bring that elusive first professional sports title to Cleveland since 1964. We’re about to have a heck of an NBA Finals, and
Beyond the young stars who will receive their first max contracts this offseason, few players have improved their stock and value in the NBA this postseason more than Atlanta Hawks small forward DeMarre Carroll. The only Hawk starter who wasn’t an Eastern Conference All-Star this season, Carroll brings energy, intensity, strong perimeter defense and a smooth 3-point stroke. At a time when the NBA emphasizes “3 and D” players more than ever before, Carroll (22nd in our Free Agent Rankings) is set to
The summer’s free agent market will not be as crazy as last year’s, when LeBron James left Miami for Cleveland, or next year’s, when Kevin Durant and his agent, Jay-Z, will decide where he will continue his career. In fact, this summer’s market could be a relative dud given the incentive teams now have to match any reasonable offer their restricted free agents receive. And with the influx of new TV money coming into the NBA, “reasonable” is a relative term. But
There is not much for New Yorkers to look forward to over the remainder of the Knicks season, unless Jim Dolan decides to write another nasty over-the-top e-mail to an elderly fan. There is a slim chance Phil Jackson can find a taker for Jose Calderon on the trade market, but aside from that there will likely be no Carmelo Anthony, no Amare Stoudemire, and no hope. The Knicks are all-in on free agency and the draft, but here is the
Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has been the subject of trade rumors in the summer before he becomes a restricted free agent. The Warriors brass has refused to include the lesser acclaimed Splash Brother in a trade with Minnesota for Kevin Love, opting to keep one of the league’s most dynamic backcourts intact for at least one more calendar year. Just a year ago, the Los Angeles Clippers had another star player in the making in the backourt, Eric Bledsoe.
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
The pursuit of free agent Carmelo Anthony has reached a fever pitch on both coasts, with the Knicks and Lakers both having reportedly offered max contracts to the superstar scorer in hopes of luring Anthony to their respective franchises. But the money should not be the top motivating factor in Anthony’s decision, according to New York Knicks legend Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. “Everyone’s throwing a lot of money at him,” Monroe told SheridanHoops in a one-on-one interview Monday morning. “It should be about