LeBron James is back everyone. Okay, so he’s been back for almost a week now, but I mean he’s really back. He helped lead the Cavs to an impressive win on the road over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night that could be a telling sign for their future. Cleveland had lost six in a row before their win over the Lakers on Thursday night in their first of a back-to-back in LA, and were 1-8 without the King. [Read more…]
PHILADELPHIA – There are worse things to be called. So, yes, it’s okay to use the “S” word when you’re talking about the Atlanta Hawks, a team virtually no one has noticed most of this season, and whose dearth of national TV appearances has already been covered on this site. They don’t mind being referred to as the “Spurs of the East.’’ Heck, who wouldn’t? While LeBron’s return to Cleveland , Carmelo and the Knicks’ fall from grace to embarrassment, along with the
The three-team deal sending Jeff Green to Memphis has been completed, adding another top Western Conference contender to the list of teams that have made upgrades. Grades for all the deals made by West teams can be viewed here. To remind you: The Rockets got Corey Brewer in a trade and signed Josh Smith; the Mavericks acquired Rajon Rondo; the Suns picked up Brandan Wright; and the Thunder added Dion Waiters. In the East, the Cavs have brought in Timofey Mozgov, Iman
In today’s NBA, the formula for winning in recent years was simple: Accumulate as many maximum-salary stars as you can without breaking the bank. But when you start piling up eight-figure salaries against the luxury tax, the bank breaks pretty quickly. So teams fill out their rosters with minimum-salary veterans. And if you look at the top of the NBA standings right now, many teams are getting very productive seasons from veterans signed to minimum-salary deals. The Chicago Bulls added Pau Gasol to Jimmy
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
On Sunday night, Kobe Bryant passed Michael Jordan for third all-time on the NBA scoring list. On Friday night in a 112-110 overtime victory over the Spurs, Kobe scored 22 points, leaving him eight short of tying MJ and nine short of leaping him in the record books. He finished Sunday’s game with 26 points and a 100-94 win over the young Minnesota Timberwolves, passing Jordan with an exclamation point. In a season surrounded by uncertainty for the Lakers and Kobe’s future,
We have our first trade speculation frenzy of the 2014-15 NBA season courtesy of Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who is using his bully pulpit at the Worldwide Leader to throw a little something against the wall, saying the Brooklyn Nets have made it known around the league that Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez are available via trades. But as Stein reports, nothing is imminent. And we should further remind you that players who signed contracts over the summer are
We all know what the Philadelphia 76ers are doing. Call it whatever you want – tanking, rebuilding, deconstructing, hoarding – the 76ers are openly, unabashedly and intentionally sinking to the bottom of the NBA, because GM Sam Hinkie has convinced ownership that is the fastest way to get back to the top. Hinkie has constructed a roster that is inherently non-competitive. The Sixers have the fewest first-round picks and the most undrafted free agents of any team. Their highest-paid player makes $6.6