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,
Miami Heat
The NBA season is now a quarter of the way through and the sample size is nearly large enough to make meaningful assessments of players and teams. This sample size is especially important when evaluating the Most Improved Player, as an early-season hot streak could prove to be fool’s gold by Christmas. Two weeks ago,
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,
Just one year after the Sixers traded for Jimmy Butler, he is in Miami and the long term effects of the deal appear to few for all teams involved. Player movement is the new normal in the NBA. Even stars, many of who would have been deemed irreplaceable by their former teams in the past,
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,
Ivy Leaguers are hard to come by in professional basketball. Coming into this season, there have only been 45 players in NBA history whose alma mater come from Ivy League schools. The most notable names among them have been Bill Bradley (Princeton), Rudy LaRusso (Dartmouth), Chris Dudley (Yale) and, of course, the most recent one,
With a game that transcends categorization and convention, Bam Adebayo is carving out a niche as one of the best big men in the NBA. Alvin Gentry did not want to talk about Bam Adebayo. The Pelicans head coach didn’t brush off the question, didn’t act put upon in any way. But when asked about
A month into the regular season, the race for Defensive Player of the Year remains fluid. Even as longtime contenders and preseason favorites further assert their will defensively, a group of position-less wings and dogged guards are making a major impact on that side of the floor, too. More or less, it comes down to
Before the season, Basketball Insiders pinpointed five statistics that could be worth watching in the 2019-20 season. These statistics each helped tell the story of last season and could be vital in determining the standings of the current campaign. A month into the season, here’s an update on how those five statistics, and the impact
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are still figuring things out. Considering the early returns and their vaunted “Heat Culture,” that’s pretty scary for the rest of the East. Heading into a matchup with the Phoenix Suns Thursday night, it was impossible not to see the similarities between the pleasant surprise of Western Conference and
The Miami Heat have a proclivity for finding valuable rotation players other teams have missed. Kendrick Nunn is just the latest example. What one thing does the following list of players all have in common? Udonis Haslem. Joel Anthony. Rasual Butler. Mario Chalmers. James Ennis. Tyler Johnson. Hassan Whiteside. Josh Richardson. Rodney McGruder. Derrick Jones.
In the season’s early going, a familiar cast of characters has emerged in the race for Defensive Player of the Year. In a league increasingly reliant on versatility and the implementation of pace and space, though, some new candidates have emerged, as other, position-less defenders have a greater opportunity than ever to force their way
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
Nate McMillan almost made it seem like the Indiana Pacers’ hand was forced. With Domantas Sabonis eligible for an extension until late October or entering restricted free agency next summer, it was crucial for the Pacers to prove that he’s a part of their long-term plans. Coming off a breakout season that cemented him as
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
Justise Winslow of the Miami Heat spoke about his Hollywood projects, expectations for a breakout season, playing point guard and much more. Whether he has a basketball or a camera in his hands, Justise Winslow is a creative type. Those in South Florida consider last season somewhat of a breakout year for Winslow. During a
The post-Lebron era of the Miami HEAT has seen the team stuck in a cycle of being competent enough to compete for the playoffs, but not talented enough to take the next step. The team has only made it out the first round once in the past five seasons when they lost in the Eastern
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.
When Dwight Howard agreed to return to the Los Angeles Lakers, it was just fitting. It’s not fitting because Dwight fits with the Lakers’ needs. It’s fitting because it’s yet another in what’s been a longline of bizarre storylines this offseason. Seriously, it’s been one after the next. No, it’s not bizarre only because of
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
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – APRIL 21: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers during Round One Game Three of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2019 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that,
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!With those millions in writing,And All-Stars combining to give hope or fear!It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Seriously though, for junkies like us, the NBA offseason is basically the holidays. People always talk about how they can’t stand all the pressure, all the buildup for when
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
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 9: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts to a play against the Toronto Raptors during Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 9, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by
The 2019 NBA Draft started off with more trade activity than expected as most experts even predicted a record-breaking night as far as trades were concerned. With many big-name stars on the move pre-draft, rumors galore and the pending free agency period, all 30 teams were looking to maneuver in a way that best suited
The Miami Heat are masters at developing wing players and should be able to pick up an interesting one in the 2019 NBA Draft. The Miami Heat don’t get enough credit for their development staff. They might be one of the best teams in the league at developing talent, routinely extracting the best out of
MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 03: A Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat fan takes a photo outside American Airlines Arena prior to the game between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics on April 03, 2019 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this
Growing up in South Florida, my first memory of winning came in 2001. The Miami Hurricanes went undefeated and beat Nebraska in the national championship game. Look at this roster. Stacked. That was my first championship, but the last for the once-dynastic Hurricanes. My next memory was only a few years later, in 2004. The
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 10: Teammates dump water on Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat after the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on April 10, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. This was Wade’s final game before retirement. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees
Dwyane Wade was determined to make his last home game special. The Miami Heat helped him out with this video. The first 80 games of this Miami Heat season have served as a celebration of the incredible career and accomplishments of Dwyane Wade. On Tuesday, in his final home game in front of the Heat