Sat, 25 May 2013 17:00:39 PDT
The NBA is taking a closer look at an errant elbow thrown by Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade that caught Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson in the head during Friday's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Sat, 25 May 2013 10:10:28 PDT
The Toronto Raptors are closer to hiring Masai Ujiri to head their front office.
Fri, 24 May 2013 19:46:10 PDT
Executive of the Year Masai Ujiri looks ready to leave the Nuggets after receiving a lucrative offer from the Raptors.
Fri, 24 May 2013 15:55:07 PDT
While the Miami Heat might not have played their best game yet in these 2013 playoffs, the Indiana Pacers know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they didn't play their best game in Wednesday's Eastern Conference finals opener, either — and they still came up just one remarkable play by LeBron James (and one arguably unwise decision by Pacers coach Frank Vogel) from scoring an upset overtime win that stripped home-court advantage away from the No. 1 overall seed. They were right there, and they think — they know — they can get there again. Still, they've got some stuff to clean up in Friday night's Game 2 if they want to close the deal and send the series back to Indiana tied up with a chance to take a commanding lead at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Here are three areas where the Pacers must improve to come away with a win: 1. Slow the march to the front of the rim. In our series preview , I noted that the Pacers had done an excellent job during the regular season of keeping the Heat from feasting on shots from their favorite, and the most valuable, spots on the floor — the restricted area (the semicircle directly in front of the basket) and the 3-point arc, especially the shorter corners. That's the centerpiece of the philosophy that made the Pacers the league's best defensive team this year — play tight D outside, don't give shooters space to rise and fire, stay true to your one-on-one assignments and close out like demons when you have to step away, offer help without over-helping and force drivers/pick-and-roll ball-handlers to have to pull up from midrange rather than meet 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert at the basket. It figured to be a critical element in the Pacers' attempt to overcome the Heat, and Indiana didn't do the best possible job of it in Game 1.
Fri, 24 May 2013 13:57:59 PDT
DENVER (AP) -- Masai Ujiri has done a masterful job of reshaping the Nuggets into a Western Conference contender ever since Carmelo Anthony forced his way out of Denver.
Fri, 24 May 2013 12:16:00 PDT
COMMENTARY | Has Chris "Birdman" Andersen found a permanent nest with the Miami Heat? Or will he flock to a more lucrative locale when he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1?
Fri, 24 May 2013 12:10:34 PDT
The Toronto Raptors asked the Indiana Pacers for permission to interview general manager Kevin Pritchard for their head of basketball operations job, CBS Sports reported Friday.
Wed, 22 May 2013 09:40:44 PDT
It’s not the worst thing in the world that Bryan Colangelo is staying with the Toronto Raptors in a nebulous, barely-specified role. It’s not the weirdest thing in the world, either, or even the weirdest decision that Raptors-owning Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment has ever made. It is suitably strange, though, to see Colangelo both promoted and being told to mind his manners when it comes to future personnel moves by his new boss, MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke. The Toronto Raptors’ general manager, Leiweke told reporters on Tuesday, will be the one making the final basketball-related decisions, and “he’s going to have to live with that,” along with living and working with the new Toronto Raptors GM. A GM that has yet to be named, by the way. Good thing Colangelo already traded away his 2013 lottery pick.
Wed, 22 May 2013 07:25:03 PDT
About four months ago, some NBA people were seriously discussing whether or not Tony Parker could make a legitimate claim to being the league's Most Valuable Player this season. That discussion was mostly bunk , on account of LeBron James existing, but it was an important step up in recognition for the evolution of the San Antonio Spurs point guard's game over the past few years — the vision, pace and timing he's added to his speed and quickness, the subtle in-and-out moves and slight feints he's mastered to keep even first-rate defenders off-balance, the feel he's developed for when to hunt his own offense and when to facilitate for others to make sure San Antonio's offensive machine is in prime working order. After skewing a bit toward the former with a team-high 14 shots and a game-high 20 points in the Spurs' Western Conference finals-opening win over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, Parker clearly veered back to the latter in Tuesday's Game 2, keeping Memphis' perimeter defenders at arm's length and dominating the opening three quarters of the game en route to a career-best 18 assists in a 93-89 overtime win that gave San Antonio a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Sure, there might have been a little bit of home-scorer's cooking on a couple of those credited dimes, but Parker's overall control of the game and mastery of a hard-working Grizzlies defense was undeniable. "He was unbelievable," longtime running buddy Tim Duncan said after the game . "I know he's exhausted. We asked a lot of him. He was controlling the ball every time down the floor and he was making every right play there was. He was finding people, and people knocked down shots for him."
Wed, 22 May 2013 02:19:00 PDT
Version 3 of our NBA Mock Draft is here. The Cavaliers snuck into the No. 1 spot, the Magic get No. 2 and the Wizards moved up to No. 3.
Tue, 21 May 2013 15:50:29 PDT
The Los Angeles Clippers dismissed coach Vinny Del Negro on Tuesday after the team's first-round exit in the playoffs, according to multiple reports.
Tue, 21 May 2013 08:10:29 PDT
Bryan Colangelo still works for the Toronto Raptors, but is no longer the team's general manager.
Mon, 20 May 2013 16:10:36 PDT
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony will have his sore left shoulder examined by team doctors, the New York Daily News reported Monday.
Mon, 20 May 2013 14:45:56 PDT
Pending free agent J.R. Smith has been an enigma since entering the NBA in 2005. On the basis of pure talent, he should be one of the top wing producers in the league, and he often looks like exactly that. Yet Smith has never managed to put together a consistent string of performances to prove himself worthy of making him the cornerstone of a franchise. He got closest this season with the New York Knicks, earning Sixth Man of the Year honors and receiving standard-issue statements from media and team officials regarding his improved maturity. In true J.R. fashion, he followed that career peak with a sort of greatest hits compilation of his worst tendencies, to the point where many Knicks fans begged for head coach Mike Woodson to bench a player who only a few weeks before seemed essential to fulfilling their postseason aspirations. Nevertheless, Smith has the chance to parlay his award-winning season into a significant deal this summer. Despite the troubles this postseason, J.R. wants to stay with the Knicks for as long as he can. From Peter Botte for the New York Daily News (via SLAM ):
Mon, 20 May 2013 13:35:00 PDT
With every season that ends, for the playoff teams at least, we felt it right to take a look ahead. TNT already has the rights to "Gone Fishin'," and because we're sure that someone, somewhere, still likes that Wyclef song, we're going with "Gone Till November." And, yes, we know the season starts in October. Today? The Golden State Warriors. In spite of the fun – the team turned out to be one of the NBA’s more entertaining watches this season – the Golden State Warriors’ worries ended up right where things started last summer. Yes, the team made the playoffs; hitting the postseason for just the second time since going out in the first round in 1994, but Golden State’s health is still the team’s biggest obstacle. The Warriors will only go as far as Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut’s ankles will take them.
Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:35 PDT
The Toronto Raptors are moving executive Bryan Colangelo out of basketball operations and into a corporate position with the team.
Sat, 18 May 2013 10:00:35 PDT
Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri is the top candidate to take over the Toronto Raptors front office, according to CBS Sports.
Sat, 18 May 2013 08:15:38 PDT
On Saturday morning Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Toronto Raptors were hot to trot for Denver Nuggets personnel chief Masai Ujiri , which is a smart trot to be hot for, considering that Ujiri once worked for the Raptors, and the reigning NBA Executive of the Year. Prior to that news, though, the team was leaning on stranger outfits to guide their search. The Toronto Raptors had been rumored to be hot on Phil Jackson’s trail , not as a head coach, but for a job running the team’s front office. They’re also trying to figure out the direction of the franchise after yet another year lost to the middling depths of the low lottery, while sussing out a payroll that currently is set to send them into luxury tax territory next season. They also have until Monday, because of a contract deadline, to determine whether or not current general manager Bryan Colangelo will be the man to lead them out of the mess that, um, Bryan Colangelo just made. It’s clear that Tim Leiweke (the new CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment) needs some help in figuring out what to do with the team his company owns, and any outside help is appreciated. Instead of going with a basketball mind, someone who has been there before or someone who is willing to think in hoop-related terms while minding this mess, MLSE has gone elsewhere. They’ve hired a head-hunting firm, weirdly. From the great Doug Smith at the Toronto Star : While not officially on the job yet, Leiweke has been given all responsibility to determine Colangelo’s fate. The two men have met and discussed plans for the Raptors future but neither has spoken publicly about their feelings.
Thu, 16 May 2013 23:40:40 PDT
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are back in the Western Conference finals.
Thu, 16 May 2013 22:40:43 PDT
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Tony Parker rebounded from a 1-for-13 start to hit two critical 3-pointers in the final 3:33 Thursday night, and Kawhi Leonard added a third as the San Antonio Spurs broke open a close game late to beat the Golden State Warriors 94-82 and win the Western Conference semifinal series 4-2.
Wed, 15 May 2013 15:26:05 PDT
Mascots are an important part of the NBA, serving as furry mirth-makers in a league that often becomes too self-serious for its own good. There's no joy a mascot can't bring, whether it involves choreographed dancing or simply forcing fans to consider the ridiculousness of an anthropomorphic blue blob's existence . However, the fact of the matter is that most mascots are very similar, both in their antics and looks. It's pretty much impossible to differentiate between the bear mascots of the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies , for instance, and that's even before you see them jumping off trampolines and high-fiving children. So, when a mascot stands out as something special, you know that it's done some amazing work. Kudos to Benny the Bull of the Chicago Bulls, then, for being listed by Forbes as the most popular mascot in America (via TBJ ). From Tom Van Riper:
Wed, 15 May 2013 10:10:53 PDT
There are only really three things you need to know about children: They always want chicken nuggets; if they don't want chicken nuggets, they want fruit snacks; and they love Chris Andersen, the Miami Heat's colorful "Birdman." In these playoffs alone, we've seen a very young Coloradoan celebrate the former Denver Nuggets reserve and an older Heat supporter get considerably inkier in his praise of the Miami big man. We had not, however, seen a Baby Bird who combined both infancy and full faux tats. Finally, thanks to Xiomy Gonzalez and Alexander Balaez , our long national nightmare is over.
Wed, 15 May 2013 00:24:41 PDT
After dropping Game 5 to the Spurs, the Warriors don't have much time to talk or recover if they hope to extend their special season.
Tue, 14 May 2013 19:47:02 PDT
Andre Iguodala said politics were to blame for his being left off both the first and second All-Defensive teams this year. The reigning Executive of the Year, Nuggets VP of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, took it a step further. From Ben Hochman of the Denver Post “It’s mind-boggling to me,” Ujiri said in a statement…
Mon, 13 May 2013 17:20:33 PDT
Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen and Miami Heat forward LeBron James highlight the NBA All-Defensive First Team.