After another up and down season, the Timberwolves find themselves looking at a defining season in 2019-20. There is new leadership in place that is not tied to anyone on the roster, and all of the contracts and commitments made came from the previous regime, which means everyone starts with a clean slate. That said,
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4:37 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN METAIRIE, La. — At the end of last season, things looked like a mess for the New Orleans Pelicans. Anthony Davis wanted a trade. A promising season was dashed. Alvin Gentry’s job seemed to be in danger. The front office didn’t have a clear direction to head in. Fast forward
Don’t worry about your favorite team’s schedule. Research shows the NBA’s regular-season schedule isn’t going to have a major impact on the final standings. Every August, the NBA releases its schedule for the upcoming year. It’s an exciting time as fans pour over the games to see which stretches will be particularly hard or forgiving
Rarely has Sean Miller made good on the promise of this recruits, but Derrick Williams is the man who originally delivered on the hype. It happens every time a new big-time recruit heads to Tucson. A message will pop up from the only diehard University of Arizona fan in my life celebrating, maybe even a
9:44 AM ET NBA 2K game developer Take-Two Interactive, the NBA, the National Basketball Players Association and ESL will launch the NBA 2K20 Global Championship, which will feature over $100,000 in prize money, in October, the four companies announced Tuesday. The multi-event circuit will feature both online and offline events and will run from October
Sometime in July, the internet unanimously crowned the Atlanta Hawks as basketball’s newest darlings — everybody’s favorite upstart, League Pass-worthy, fun-as-heck roster that could shock the world and make a postseason bid through high-tempo and athletically electric hoops. Although such claims may, in truth, be premature — at heart, the sport does love a good
3:28 PM ET The Orlando Magic exercised the fourth-year team options on guard Markelle Fultz and forward Jonathan Isaac and the third-year team option on center Mo Bamba, the team announced Monday. All three players are now signed through the 2020-21 season. Fultz’s option was for $12.3 million. “Mo (Bamba), Markelle (Fultz) and Jonathan (Isaac)
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4:32 PM ET Associated Press Call it the transition game: Michael Jordan and three other NBA owners are getting into the liquor business. The Charlotte Hornets owner has entered the venture with Jeanie Buss of the Los Angeles Lakers, Wes Edens of the Milwaukee Bucks and Wyc Grousbeck and wife Emilia Fazzalari of the Boston
In a season where there will be plenty of wild cards, Dallas just might be the wildest of them all. With the long-awaited return of Kristaps Porzingis, no one knows exactly how this season is going to turn out for the Mavericks. If Porzingis is — or will be — back to normal, there may
11:09 AM ET The Brooklyn Nets are hiring former Turner executive David Levy as Chief Executive Officer, league sources tell ESPN. Levy worked closely with the NBA in his capacity overseeing Turner Sports’ television sports coverage and holds a strong relationship with commissioner Adam Silver. Levy’s appointment will become official shortly after the league’s Board
Donnie Darko and Darko Milicic have more in common than an uncommon name. For NBA Draft Bust Week, the Detroit Pistons’ infamous No. 2 overall pick takes centerstage. In 2001, New Market Films released a science-fiction/psychological thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal called Donnie Darko. Though it raked in just $7.5 million at the box office, the film
10:28 AM ET Associated Press Spain has won its second World Cup championship, defeating Argentina 95-75 on Sunday to give Marc Gasol a rare double-title year. Tournament MVP Ricky Rubio scored 20 points and Sergio Llull added 15 for Spain (8-0), the ninth team to make it through a World Cup or world championship unbeaten.
In a season where there will be plenty of wild cards, Dallas just might be the wildest of them all. With the long-awaited return of Kristaps Porzingis, no one knows exactly how this season is going to turn out for the Mavericks. If Porzingis is — or will be — back to normal, there may
Michael Olowokandi played for three NBA franchises over a span of nine NBA seasons that included minutes logged in 500 regular-season games — and I can’t stress this enough — he was a number one pick who averaged a pedestrian 8.3 points per game and 6.8 rebounds. He is either a largely unknown figure or
3:30 PM ET ESPN News Services The NBA is looking to further crack down on tampering, proposing a new top fine of $10 million for teams conducting the practice, according to a league memo obtained by ESPN. Other maximum-fine levels could be raised significantly as well, provided the league’s board of governors approves the measures
This past summer, the NBA liquefied from a league of super-teams (and wannabe super-teams) to a league of duos. Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors’ championship not only ended an era in Golden State but also may have ended an era in the league altogether. To borrow from Daryl Morey’s Evernote, talent is still the
11:31 AM ET BEIJING — There were a record 54 NBA players that took part in the FIBA World Cup over the last 16 days, a true commitment with training camps scheduled to open in two weeks. The performance of the 12 who played for Team USA was well documented. Though Kemba Walker, Donovan Mitchell
The New York Knicks enter 2019-20 hoping for development and cohesion. As recently as this time last year, the Knicks expected to enter the season with at least one cornerstone piece in Kristaps Porzingis, a free agent superstar and a lottery pick added to the roster. Instead, the team experienced tremendous turnover, returning only six
8:21 PM ET Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan has agreed to sell a portion of the team to a pair of investors, the team announced in a release Saturday. The sale is pending NBA approval. Terms of the deal have not been released. Jordan is bringing in Gabe Plotkin, a founder of Melvin Capital, and
The rest of the world may have caught up to Team USA basketball, but before we blame this loss on external forces, it’s time we face a few harsh internal realities. After Team USA lost its second consecutive game at the FIBA World Cup, Kobe Bryant opined that international competition would never again be a
5:18 PM ET On behalf of certified player agents, the National Basketball Players Association is sending a signed letter to the NCAA that refuses to submit to a proposed certification process to work with undergraduate men’s basketball players “testing the waters” for the NBA draft. The NBPA has been communicating with NCAA officials in recent
The Phoenix Suns have had a bad go of it. In five years, the Suns have managed just 126 wins, tied with the Knicks for the fewest in the NBA over that span. With the exit of Steve Nash in 2012, the team found themselves in a pit that they have yet to dig themselves
7:58 AM ET BEIJING — After finishing seventh in the FIBA World Cup with a victory over Poland on Saturday, Team USA coach Gregg Popovich issued a rebuke for those criticizing his team for its worst-ever showing in a major event. “Some people want to play the blame game, there’s no blame to be placed
The Clippers added two elite two-way perimeter stars but neither Paul George or Kawhi Leonard has much track record as a passer. Could this be a problem? After a summer full of seismic shifts and full-out Steve Ballmer enthusiasm, the Clippers are entering the 2019-20 season as favorites to win the title. And those high
4:53 PM ET The New Orleans Pelicans have named Jeff Bzdelik an associate coach for defense and promoted Chris Finch to associate head coach for the offense, the team announced Friday. Bzdelik, 66, worked the past three seasons with the Houston Rockets and received credit for the team’s defensive turnaround. He began a stint as
The Phoenix Suns have had a bad go of it. In five years, the Suns have managed just 126 wins, tied with the Knicks for the fewest in the NBA over that span. With the exit of Steve Nash in 2012, the team found themselves in a pit that they have yet to dig themselves
5:48 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — New Jersey’s governor has signed a bill allowing Atlantic City’s Golden Nugget casino to accept bets on most National Basketball Association games. Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta owns the casino — and also owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets. When New Jersey lawmakers legalized sports betting last year,
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 05: (L-R) Kyle Kuzma #21, Kemba Walker #26 and head coach Gregg Popovich of the 2019 USA Men’s National Team talk during a practice session at the 2019 USA Basketball Men’s National Team World Cup minicamp at the Mendenhall Center at UNLV on August 5, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
9:36 AM ET BEIJING — Kobe Bryant thinks Team USA might have to get used to a new reality of losing in major events. Bryant was part of likely the second-most relevant Team USA in history. After the original Dream Team in 1992, the Bryant-led 2008 “Redeem Team” that won gold in the Beijing Olympics