As the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers completed a deal Tuesday that will send three players and a future first-round draft pick to Cleveland in exchange for forward/perennial D-Leaguer Jon Leuer, we must all become more aware of the bigger picture at stake. The clock is expiring on the NBA’s practical, dollar-for-dollar luxury tax era. The rules are changing, and these deals will become more of the norm than the exception. [Read more…]
On the plus side for Memphis Grizzlies fans, they don’t have to worry about new owner Robert Pera having to reach deep into his wallet to pay the punitive repeater luxury tax in the years ahead. As if Grizz fans care about Pera’s wallet. The verdict here is that the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a heist Tuesday in making their 3-for-1 trade with the Grizzlies, acquiring Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington and Josh Selby and a first-round pick in exchange for Jon Leuer.
Forget small ball. The NBA’s best team plays bully ball. The Memphis Grizzlies don’t have a fleet of sharpshooters standing on the arc. They don’t have a stretch 4. They don’t have a dual point guard backcourt. Heck, their shooting guard can’t even shoot. [Read more…]
It won’t be a Phil Jackson encore after all. Mike D’Antoni is the new coach of the Lakers. A friend of Kobe Bryant and the perfect choice to revive Steve Nash once his leg heals, he’s also a hero to fantasy owners like me who rode his fast-paced Suns and Knicks teams to a league championship or two. Last night, with interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff calling the shots, Dwight Howard scored 23 points and grabbed 18 rebounds against a Kings team
When the Oklahoma City Thunder traded James Harden on Saturday night, they revealed to everyone that they are a team far more concerned with the bottom line than the top of the heap. Probably a bit ahead of schedule, the Thunder reached the NBA Finals last season. As we have said before, they were a questionable foul call away from opening a 2-0 lead on the mighty Miami Heat that would have cultivated the doubt and derision that has swirled around
(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) Two seasons back, the Grizzlies were a Game 7 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder away from making it to the Western Conference finals. To that, they entered the 2011-12 season with
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been very active thus far in the offseason as they remodel their roster to satisfy the needs of their franchise power forward Kevin Love. They have already gotten some “bad blood” out of the locker room with players such as Darko “Mana from Heaven” Milicic and Michael “Tito Jackson” Beasley, while acquiring a great player and character in Brandon Roy. The team loaded itself with another major piece today, as you will see in today’s news
