Coming into the 2014-15 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder figure to continue to be one of the league’s true title contenders. What’s different? A big free agent signing, the continued development of young talent, and finally a change in the starting lineup. Should everything work out, this could be the strongest Thunder team ever. Hovering over this potential perfect storm is a world of doubt. The Thunder have remained contenders for three or four years now but still have little hardware
Seven years ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded their prized power forward (Kevin Garnett) across conferences to the Boston Celtics. This Eastern Conference squad had made headlines a few weeks earlier, acquiring a superstar wing (Ray Allen) to accompany the team’s lone All-Star (Paul Pierce). This summer, the Timberwolves traded their prized power forward (Kevin Love) across conferences to the Cleveland Cavaliers. This Eastern Conference squad had made headlines a few weeks earlier, acquiring a superstar wing (LeBron James) to accompany the
With training camp slated to begin in just under a week, players and teams are putting in the work necessary to get ready for the long, 82-game grind of a season. There are plenty of new faces in new places, and a number of fascinating story lines to follow as the season progresses. One team with a plethora of new faces is the Dallas Mavericks. Owner Mark Cuban and his team had quite an interesting and successful offseason. [Read more…]
Talk about a fresh start … When the freshness starts in the ownership suite — or his courtside seat, as may be the case here, it is truly a new beginning. After a determined and gutty yet ultimately unsuccessful run in the 2014 postseason, the Los Angeles Clippers entered the offseason with a ton of questions regarding the future of their franchise. Although the Donald Sterling story died down a bit nationally a week or so after the initial TMZ audiotapes were released in
HOUSTON — After being unexpectedly jilted by Chris Bosh, the Rockets found themselves in a precarious spot this summer. They are now hoping that Jason Terry, who just turned 37, can be a small part of the solution. General manager Daryl Morey has said since January that Houston needs to acquire the “third-best player on a championship team” to align with established stars James Harden and Dwight Howard, implying he did not believe that player would be found internally on the current
On Thursday, we brought back our Three-Man Weave, taking a look at some of the big picture questions for Eastern Conference teams that the offseason may or may not have answered. Today, we shift our focus to the Western Conference, where the player movement has been less dramatic and more subtle but entirely interesting and thought-provoking. Let’s take a look at some of the bigger issues. 1. Which team has taken the biggest step forward in the Western Conference? [Read more…]
For the second straight year, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s playoff push has been derailed by a season-ending injury. Last year it was All-Star guard Russell Westbrook, who went down in the first round with a knee injury as a result of a collision with Houston guard Patrick Beverley. This year it is forward Serge Ibaka, who suffered a left calf injury in the third quarter of Thursday’s clincher over the Los Angeles Clippers. Ibaka underwent an MRI on Friday that confirmed a left
The NBA doubled down Thursday on the controversial ending of Game 5 of Clippers-Thunder, fining coach Doc Rivers $25,000 for blasting the officials afterward. The fine was announced by NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn and came one day after the league came to defense of the officiating crew, whose replay ruling left most fans baffled by their decision. [Read more…]