When you think of JaVale McGee, you probably think of all the goofy things he has done on the court to earn the unofficial title of the clown prince of TNT’s “Shaqtin’ a Fool.” But you should probably think of McGee in a different way. McGee is the only active NBA player from Flint, Michigan, a city that has produced fellow players Charlie Bell, Mateen Cleaves, Jeff Grayer, Roy Marble, Morris Peterson, Glen Rice and Trent Tucker. And if someone doesn’t do
As a personnel man, Stan Van Gundy has broken a lot of the so-called contemporary rules. Since being lured back to the NBA by Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores in May 2014, Van Gundy has not exactly followed the usual NBA blueprint in rebuilding the once-proud franchise, which has not been to the playoffs in six years. Van Gundy has flat-out waived four veterans with fully guaranteed contracts, accumulating nearly $32 million in dead money to be paid over the next five
With much of the national discourse centering on Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, the reality of the matter is that a lifetime ban and a $2.5 million fine is the limit to what NBA commissioner Adam Silver is capable of doing. The rest falls on the shoulders of 29 team owners, as they—according to the NBA’s Constitution and By-Laws—must vote with a 3/4’s majority to force the sale of the team. Players, media pundits and people all across the nation
You could be forgiven for not thinking too much about basketball today. With the Super Bowl taking all of the sports-related attention, and only one game (and that Orlando-Boston) on the schedule, it’s one of the quietest days of the NBA season, right up there with Christmas Eve. I, on the other hand, would not be forgiven if I didn’t think too much about basketball, because it’s my job to bring you the latest news from around the NBA every weekend.
Some of the teams around the league had tough decisions to make on Thursday with the talented but unproven players they have on their rosters. With the deadline approaching for rookie extensions, do you pay big money knowing those players could hit the market and sign huge offer sheets? Or do you let the season play out and hope that they don’t exceed your expectations? With Eric Bledsoe and Gordon Hayward, their respective teams have decided to take a risk. STORY
(This is another in a series of 30 guest columns that will run in October, when optimism reigns supreme across the NBA. The theme will be “Five Reasons to Feel Positive About … ” We encourage you to follow the authors on Twitter and visit their sites. – CS) After seven straight years of 50-plus wins from 2001-2008 – including one championship – it has been a rough half decade for the Detroit Pistons. The trade of fan favorite Chauncey Billups was supposed
Pity poor Paul Allen. He only came in at No. 20 on the Forbes list of the 400 Richest Americans. But at least he’ll have something to hold over the heads of the other owners when they convene next month for the Board of Governors meeting in New York (then again, Allen– worth 15 billion– may not attend. He usually sends someone in his place). The only owner who can flex muscles with him is Mikhail Prokhorov of the Brooklyn Nets, with $13.2