The Phoenix Suns are a fascinating bunch to watch, in the way fans watch a demolition derby for the promise of imminent destruction. Coach Jeff Hornacek, entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, has to right the ship without the benefit of a rising star to buoy hopes for the future. That Hornacek was able to cobble together an 87-77 record the last two years without a single All-Star is a testament to his coaching ability. But he lost
When the NBA’s incoming rookie class got together last month for rookie orientation, they were polled about a number of things — including which of them would be named the Rookie of the Year. The winner was Stanley Johnson, who went with the No. 8 overall pick to the Detroit Pistons. What are the Pistons getting from the PAC-10 Player of the Year out of Arizona who won four consecutive state titles at Mater Dei H.S. in California before doing his one-and-done?
There are rumblings from several NBA executives agent Rich Paul could deliver another client to his hometown team next summer as I wrote in my latest piece for SheridanHoops. Paul has publicly stated his client Tristan Thompson won’t return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the summer of 2016 if he signs his one-year, $6.8 million qualifying offer. That would make Thompson an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2016 where he would be one of the youngest players on the market
There are rumblings that agent Rich Paul could deliver another client to his hometown team in the near future. Several league executives believe Canadian Tristan Thompson may head north to Toronto in the summer of 2016 if he signs his one-year, $6.8 million qualifying offer with the Cleveland Cavaliers. “I always thought he was going to end up (in Toronto) this year,” one Eastern Conference general manager told SheridanHoops. “There’s going to be so much money next year so I think he
Many teams are preparing for a free agency bonanza in the summer of 2016 when the salary cap is projected to rise to roughly $90 million with stars such as Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah, etc. all potentially be available. However, teams that aren’t in the running for a superstar in 2016 will spend big this summer on players who are valuable but not household names. Any deal signed this summer will ultimately be considered below
All along, the belief was that LeBron James would end up re-signing with the Miami Heat, regardless of whether he opted in or out of his current contract. If he opted in, things would have stayed simple for this summer. Of course, that didn’t happen. Still, the supposed plan was this: he would sign a new deal with the Heat and willingly take a pay cut, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would follow suit, and their unselfishness would ultimately help bring in more
Could LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki join forces in 2014-15? As Carmelo Anthony’s tour concludes Thursday with a meeting in Los Angeles with the Lakers completed and a meeting with the New York Knicks underway. Wednesday night, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban met with Anthony to make a pitch for his services. A day later, he and Dirk Nowitzki made a statement for the younger star free agents to take notice. They want a championship contending team. In addition
The ‘stuff’ hit the proverbial fan Tuesday just before lunch, as ESPN broke the that four-time NBA MVP LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul had informed the Miami Heat that he has elected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent. [Read more…]