The NBA’s return grows nearer, but new doubts bubble up each day thanks numerous players testing positive for COVID-19 tests and surging virus numbers in numerous states — including Florida, where games will be hosted. Regardless as to whether or not we all agree with its return, we are fewer than 30 days away from
Charlotte Hornets
Last week, Basketball Insiders ranked who was the best of the best of each position in the NBA, including executives. This week, Basketball Insiders is taking a look at who are among the most underrated executives in the NBA. What makes an executive underrated? It’s actually a pretty loaded question. Their work may have led
To grasp how one can be underrated, the definition for rated must be first observed, obviously. Taking a page out of the apathetic/lazy/Jeff Winger best man speech how-to guide and textbook, Webster’s Dictionary states that rate (and its many tenses) is to “assign a standard or value to (something) according to a particular scale.” In
Basketball is back! Well, technically – 16 NBA players will be playing basketball. Online. In a video game. Hey, that still counts, right? Along with a few shining moments of optimism, the sporting world is slightly less of a barren hellscape than it was a week ago – even though the rest of the planet
To say the events of the past three or so weeks were irregular would be the understatement of the year. And during an already tragic year for the NBA, the league made the tough choice to postpone the season, prior to government intervention, on Wednesday, Mar. 11. In the two-plus weeks since the COVID-19 outbreak
LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of his generation and arguably of all-time. No matter how old he is or how many miles he has on those tires — 48,014 minutes total as of Feb. 20, good for eighth-most all-time among NBA players =- he is not to be underestimated. The Los Angeles Lakers
Despite the fact that the Knicks haven’t been a traditional trade deadline buyer in almost a decade, every trade deadline in recent memory has seen its share of Knicks rumors and activity, including last year’s paradigm-shifting trade with Dallas. This year will be no different. The Knicks added a number of salary-cap friendly veterans who
With the trade deadline only a few weeks away, teams are zeroing in on potential deals. Some teams hope to improve for a playoff push, while others are looking to capitalize on the urgency of contenders. Whichever side of that equation your favorite team finds itself on, they are surely weighing all of their options.
Lottery picks are viewed through rose-colored lenses in the NBA. As the draft approaches, teams, fans and the media alike increasingly overvalue top players and picks. Player comparisons provide unrealistic evaluations, and they put a ton of pressure on young players. Meanwhile, top prospects are mostly under 20-years-old and – more often than not –
The New York Knicks are playing better basketball of late. They’re 3-3 under interim head coach Mike Miller and they’ve won three of their last four games. They also recently added former EuroLeague and Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt as a basketball operations consultant. That, naturally, is an improvement on the usual state of affairs,
The New York Knicks are playing better basketball of late. They’re 3-3 under interim head coach Mike Miller and they’ve won three of their last four games. They also recently added former EuroLeague and Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt as a basketball operations consultant. That, naturally, is an improvement on the usual state of affairs,
In his first two seasons, it looked like Malik Monk was playing himself out of the Hornets’ future. Now, he’s finally found a formula that works. Malik Monk’s first two NBA seasons did not go according to plan. The prolific scorer from Kentucky was billed as a potentially scheme-busting shooter in the NBA — running
Remember when Carmelo Anthony was out of the NBA? That seems so long ago now even though his stint in Portland started less than a month ago. Let’s go back to that time. In ‘Melo’s almost one-year exodus from the NBA, fans, media, and even players alike were begging for his return. To be fair,
The Charlotte Hornets nailed the draft during the tail end of the Kemba Walker era and hired the right coach, meaning they could compete in the Eastern Conference soon. While Kemba Walker thrives in Boston, the team that let him go for nothing has charted a course forward. The Charlotte Hornets, subjected to the worst
As of this writing, James Harden is averaging 38.4 points per game. Yes, 38.4. He’s within striking distance of 40 – a number that would put him in the most rarified of air, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player in NBA history to accomplish this feat. Of course, Wilt averaged over 40 twice
The NBA season is still very young, but some disappointing starts are just that – disappointing. Meaning that they can exist on their own without knowing the end result. Certain players and teams around the league surprised us with their unexpectedly strong play, and others have left us scratching our heads and wondering what’s went
Devonte’ Graham is hitting shots and winning games for the Hornets. What did we all miss about this former second-round pick? I’d love to be able to generalize Devonte’ Graham, to look at the leap he’s taken from his first to his second season and derive some sort of timeless wisdom about the developmental trajectory
It may be just a few weeks into the season, but a myriad of storylines have already made their social media and television rounds, chief among them players that seem to have taken a leap on the court and are emerging as game-changers or even potential stars. Many of these spots could be taken by
Almost to a fault at times, making a comparison is so easy when it comes to the NBA. Whether if it’s comparing teams or players, we always like to think someone or something reminds us of Team X or Player X. This season is still in its infant stages, yet we’re already seeing reminded of
As the young NBA season rolls into November, storylines have swirled in every which way. The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors have flip-flopped, the Boston Celtics look to be real and Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns are clearly not friends. There is a buzz, some good, some bad, around almost every team, with plenty
With the 2019-20 NBA season less than a month away, we’re exploring the most interesting players for each team in the Southeast Division. We’re now less than a month away from the start of the 2019-20 NBA season. Coming off one of the most interesting offseasons in recent memory, it feels like an appropriate time
A new era has finally dawned for the Charlotte Hornets. Facing another half-decade of sustained mediocrity, Michael Jordan and Mitch Kupchak elected against re-signing the beloved Kemba Walker, giving the Hornets a much-needed reset but ridding the roster of the only player who ever really propelled them to success. The rebuild, for the long-term better
In any given year, the NBA is chock-o-block with surprises. Whether it be the out-of-the-blue trade, the surprise breakout or the unlikely contender, there is never a lack of the unexpected. True to form, the 2018-19 regular and postseason had unexpected in spades. There were a number of anomalies last year, both good and bad.
What? You thought all the bizarreness stopped on Monday? Oh, no, dear friends. We’ve got some more to cover. The following plotlines that are soon to be mentioned below are not as wild as the ones that were mentioned on Monday. However, they still fit the ongoing theme of oddities that much be mentioned. Teams
Last week, Basketball Insiders started a “Grading The Offseason” series, breaking down teams and the summer each has had thus far. Today, we’ll continue that series as we take a look at the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers had quite the up-and-down year; they went into the season with sky-high expectations, but things quickly spiraled
The Boston Celtics have reportedly initiated talks on a major 3-team deal, but at least one of the other teams should want no piece of it. Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker are, according to the NBA free agency tea leaves, headed to the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics respectively. Irving is a little less certain,
Basketball Insiders recently started a new series detailing the top free agents by position as a primer for the free agency period beginning on July 1. Let’s get caught up. Drew Maresca covered point guards, Jordan Hicks shooting guards. Then, Spencer Davies detailed small forwards and Ben Nadeau wrote about power forwards. First, a look at
Basketball Insiders has recently started a new series detailing the top free agents by position as a primer for the free agency period beginning on July 1. In continuing where Drew Maresca left off with top point guard targets, we will now take a look at the top 10 shooting guards that are headed to
Tony Parker, who’s been one of the top point guards in the NBA for the majority of the past 18 seasons, has announced his retirement. Tony Parker can now claim his spot on the Spurs Retirement Club. After 18 seasons, the future Hall of Fame point guard announced via The Undefeated he was retiring. “I’m going
The Charlotte Hornets are entering into perhaps the most important offseason of their 29-year history. After eight fun-yet-painful years with Kemba Walker in town, Charlotte is now faced with the challenge of determining the value of the best player they’ve ever had. In 2011, Charlotte selected Walker ninth overall and preceded to win just seven