Kevin Durant and the small-market Oklahoma City Thunder are the darlings of ABC, according to the NBA national TV schedule. Durant and the Thunder will appear on ABC six times this season, more than any other team. The games are against six different opponents, with three at home and three on the road. Among the NBA’s multiple TV partners, ABC is the only network available in every American home with a TV. It is the home of the NBA Finals but not the
On Tuesday afternoon the San Antonio Spurs did what the San Antonio Spurs do best: make history quietly. The Spurs announced via the team website that they have hired WNBA star Becky Hammon as an assistant coach. While there have been two previous females who have had assistant roles in some capacity with NBA teams — Lisa Boyer with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Natalie Nakase with the Los Angeles Clipper summer league team — Hammon is believed to be the first female hired
The San Antonio Spurs continue to be pioneers the modern NBA. This afternoon, a day after the San Antonio Stars announced the impending retirement ceremony for WNBA veteran Becky Hammon upon completing her 16th season, the five-time NBA champion Spurs trumped that news with something more historic and nearly unprecedented. They hired Hammon as their newest assistant coach, joining European legend Ettore Messina who was hired earlier this offseason. [Read more…]
PHILADELPHIA – Let’s begin with a question. In the three-plus decades since David Stern took the reins as NBA commissioner from Larry O’Brien and handed them to Adam Silver, what do these franchises – the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers – have in common? Answer: None has gone to the NBA Finals. Furthermore, among that group only Denver, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Sacramento and
It might sound ridiculous to try to compare Aron Baynes, an undrafted reserve with four career starts, to Bill Laimbeer, a four-time All Star and NBA champion. However, the two have more in common than you would expect. Before Laimbeer became the ringleader for the Pistons’ Bad Boys and a namesake for a Super Nintendo videogame, he was an afterthought. Sandwiched in the draft between two players who never appeared in the NBA, Laimbeer – the 65th overall pick in 1979 – was forced to
The NBA, like most sports, can often be defined by its different eras. And those eras are often defined by players, teams and rivalries. LeBron James has come to define this era of basketball, and he continues to shift the landscape of the NBA, specifically the Eastern Conference. In terms of competition, the East has been in another league compared to the Western Conference. And not it a good way. [Read more…]
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
In actual basketball news, the San Antonio Spurs were able to secure a key component to their recent championship run. While rumors are running amok over key free agents around the NBA, the Spurs have quietly retained their teams core. Deciding to break the news himself, Boris Diaw announced through social media that he would be returning to the Spurs. By agreeing to terms on a multi-year deal, Diaw ensures that the Spurs will be able to maintain the core roster