Basketball Insiders “First Quarter Grades” series continues by examining the Atlantic Division. And while grading teams is challenging given how every team has its own timeline for success and development, it’s a necessary part of evaluating progress. The division appears to be the Raptors’ to lose. The Celtics have struggled mightily, whereas the 76ers upgraded
Month: November 2018
DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 11: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets tries to block the shot of Brook Lopez #11 of the Milwaukee Bucks at the Pepsi Center on November 11, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting
This version of the Milwaukee Bucks — a night-to-night force capable of burying its opponent on either end of the floor — serves as a testament to what effect coaching and environment can have on an NBA team. It is striking to juxtapose this team with the stagnant, imprecise bunch that limped into the playoffs
12:52 PM ET The Memphis Grizzlies are working through contract language on a one-year deal with free-agent center Joakim Noah and expect to reach a deal early next week, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The New York Knicks waived Noah and stretched the final season of his four-year, $72 million contract prior to the
2:49 AM ET LOS ANGELES — If it seems like LeBron James has been shouldering a disproportionate part of the load for the Los Angeles Lakers so far this season, that’s because he has. The four-time MVP admitted after Thursday’s 104-96 win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday that he’s struggled with striking the right
Jontay Porter will miss the college basketball season with an ACL and MCL tear. While it shouldn’t hurt his draft stock, the injury dampens an already weak 2019 NBA Draft class. The 2019 college basketball season was dealt a big blow on Sunday night, as the Missouri Tigers’ basketball team announced that sophomore center Jontay
LeBron James’ son will most likely have to play college basketball if he intends to go to the NBA, and there is a good chance he might join the Duke Blue Devils. LeBron James never had to worry about what college he would go to because the one-and-done rule wasn’t implemented yet, but his son, LeBron
Just minutes into the Clippers’ Tuesday night matchup with the Thunder, Avery Bradley collected an errant and ill-advised Paul George wrap-around pass to Steven Adams and turned to push the ball up court. Danilo Gallinari, just below the free throw line, worked to get his 6-foot-11 frame moving in the opposite direction, using his long,
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not the most modern point guard of his draft class. That honor belongs to Stephen Curry descendant Trae Young. Nor is he the most skilled floor maestro. Luka Doncic holds that title, rattling off 19.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on 58.1 percent true shooting. But Gilgeous-Alexander is not
9:27 PM ET Sacramento Kings coach Dave Joerger asked assistant general manager Brandon Williams to leave the team’s shootaround Thursday, according to The Athletic. Williams departed with Kings general manager Vlade Divac after Joerger’s request, the reports said. Joerger and Williams have reportedly been at odds for two weeks following a Yahoo! Sports report that
Reports of Lonzo Ball “tearing” his “meniscus” on the same day that LeBron James “opted out” have people second-guessing themselves. “Laser.” A year ago, we saw LaVar Ball’s dream of having his eldest son Lonzo play for the Los Angeles Lakers come to fruition. A year later, his future with the team is in jeopardy.
Basketball Insiders started off this week by giving the Central Division teams grades for their respective performances through the first quarter of the NBA season. We continue the grading by taking a look at the Pacific Division, which features a few teams that are beating early-season expectations, including the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings.
A 20-point loss to the Celtics Saturday night substantiated much of the concern and skepticism surrounding the Pistons’ 4-1 start, which included narrow wins over the Nets, Bulls, Cavaliers and shorthanded Sixers. Detroit is good enough to plow through the bottom of the lackluster Eastern Conference; proving themselves against more robust competition is a standard
He can defend, but Stanley Johnson hasn’t been able to add much else to the Detroit Pistons in his four seasons. The Detroit Pistons are 4-3, neither much better nor worse than anybody would have expected a mere seven games into the 2018-19 regular season. Blake Griffin has been terrific early, which has helped the
12:37 PM ET Nine-year-old Riley Morrison needed shoes for the new hoops season, but after deciding she liked Under Armour’s Stephen Curry model, she couldn’t find them. So she took her problem straight to the top, writing the Golden State Warriors star a letter. Saying she’s a big fan, Morrison wrote that she and her
Wes Unseld, player for the Washington Bullets basketball team. Bellator 210: Joe Schilling is ready to put kickboxing ‘to bed’ for good by Amy Kaplan We are regular-season stans here at the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast. What if we valued the best team in the regular season as much or more as the
The Chicago Bulls need to stop trading away their second-round picks based on how the last couple have turned out so far. The Chicago Bulls rightly took a lot of grief for selling the 38th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft to the Golden State Warriors. As is well known by now, the Warriors
Lauri Markkanen isn’t far off from making his season debut, and that should have Chicago Bulls fans fired up. If you ask a Chicago Bulls fan, they will probably tell you that they want the Bulls to tank the 2018-19 season for a chance at Duke’s Zion Williamson in the 2019 NBA Draft. So far,
1:05 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — A few nights after staying more than two and a half hours after the buzzer for a late-night solo shooting session, Russell Westbrook bounced back with one of his most complete games of the season, which included his 107th career triple-double to tie Jason Kidd for third on the
The 2019 NBA Draft doesn’t look as deep as 2018, but there’s plenty of solid prospects this year. To celebrate the start of the college basketball season, here are our top 100 prospects to watch for the coming year. The 2019 college basketball season is about to begin, and that means that it’s time to
Basketball Insiders started off this week by giving the Central Division teams grades for their respective performances through the first quarter of the NBA season. We continue the grading by taking a look at the Pacific Division, which features a few teams that are beating early-season expectations, including the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings.
DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 09: Caris Levert #22 of the Brooklyn Nets plays the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on November 9, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images
The game was on the line and Gary Harris was in Caris LeVert’s grill, practically tucked inside his Brooklyn Nets jersey next to him. But the third-year wing was unfazed. He twisted and turned, took two dribbles to his left and hesitated. Harris relented for a brief moment before reaching into LeVert’s airspace and putting
2:21 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN After a stalemate over long-term extension talks with current endorser Jordan Brand, Toronto Raptors All-Star wing Kawhi Leonard has agreed to a multi-year shoe deal with re-emerging brand New Balance, according to league sources. The deal was first reported by Yahoo Sports. “It’s not official,” Leonard said at Wednesday morning’s
12:57 AM ET DENVER — Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball sprained his left ankle in a 117-85 loss to the Denver Nuggets but said he will be ready to play against Indiana on Thursday. X-rays on Ball’s ankle were negative, and he is considered day-to-day. Ball injured the ankle late in the second
CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 07: Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers addresses the media during practice and media availability as part of the 2018 NBA Finals on June 07, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is
SAN JOSE, CA – OCTOBER 12: Kyle Kuzma #0 and LeBron James #23 talk to Brandon Ingram #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a pre-season game against the Golden State Warriors on October 12, 2018 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading
For anyone who covered “Linsanity” and Jeremy Lin’s career with the New York Knicks, the crowd response to Lin emerging from the tunnel on Wednesday night was striking for its absence of emotion. There were some scattered boos, less a referendum on Lin it seemed than the typical Madison Square Garden response to any road
OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 13: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks stands on the court during player introductions before their game against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on November 13, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is
9:13 AM ET MEMPHIS, Tenn. — You won’t offend the Memphis Grizzlies by flipping right past them on NBA League Pass. They’ll gleefully admit that 29 other teams are more fun to watch. But as the rest of the league trends toward a fast, beautiful brand of basketball, the Grizzlies play slow and ugly by
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