He will surely be elsewhere in short order, but Kevin Love has professed his desire to play for the Portland Trail Blazers. As the Cleveland Cavaliers moved away from their title-contending teams in the second LeBron James era, Kevin Love has not been a fit. An expensive veteran has to be a leader on a
Portland Trail Blazers
LaMarcus Aldridge signed with the Brooklyn Nets, hoping to win that elusive ring. Instead, a medical scare led to a surprising retirement announcement. On Thursday morning, LaMarcus Aldridge released a statement announcing his retirement from the NBA. The statement revealed that he had suffered from an irregular heartbeat, which sparked the surprising decision. “My last
It’s official: we’re entering the regular season’s endgame. Every game from here on out will have much bigger consequences, a statement even truer in 2021 than perhaps any other season thanks to the NBA’s new play-in tournament. If you’re not familiar, the play-in tournament will consist of two matchups within each conference. The seventh and
“They’ve got a bright future!” Has there ever been a more vague statement in the NBA? Not to mention, something pretty cliche on top of it? The future could mean anything because, well, it depends on what is meant by the ominous ‘future’. Like next year’s future or the far-future five-to-seven years from now? These
Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers competes in the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest during the 70th NBA All-Star Game at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on March 7, 2021. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) LeBron James literally falls over himself after Chris Paul
When the trade deadline passed, there were two knee-jerk questions about the moves Boston made. 1. Just Evan Fournier?2. You traded Daniel Theis to save a few bucks? It is true that the Celtics let a rare opportunity slip through their fingers. Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic were up for bidding and Boston came away
The Miami HEAT must have been dying to add the newly-acquired Victor Oladipo to their lineup. Just coming out of a slight tailspin, Miami managed to win the last three games after dropping six straight. Well, Miami’s wish came true on Thursday night, when the HEAT finally got Oladipo into a game. In the end,
Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports NBA rumors: Kyle Lowry prefers to remain with Raptors or trade to Heat by John Buhler NFL Draft: Kyle Pitts’ blazing 40 could run him right into the record books by John Buhler As the NBA trade deadline approaches the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat are the favorites
It’s rare to see a win-win trade at the NBA Deadline, but credit the Raptors and Trail Blazers for achieving just that with the Norman Powell deal. The Raptors approached the NBA Trade Deadline with quite a few decisions to make. One of their biggest calls was to decide whether or not Norman Powell was
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – MARCH 17: Norman Powell #24 of the Toronto Raptors reacts during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on March 17, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and
Though it may seem like forever ago, it has only been nine years since the Oklahoma City Thunder were playing in the NBA Finals. The young quartet of Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka was unable to stop the Miami HEAT’s “Big Three,” as the team captured their first of two consecutive
It feels like ages ago but, for a short while, Austin Rivers was the most hyped prospect in the draft class of 2012. Sure, that came before a slightly underwhelming freshmen season at Duke. But he was the one. Despite failing to live up to the hype, Rivers still had a successful collegiate season. The
Several teams stand out as clear winners following Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. The NBA trade deadline arrived Thursday afternoon and teams were busy right up until the buzzer. Arguably the biggest news was that Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry stayed put. But there were plenty of trades that did go through, and a few teams
Welcome back to another edition of Deadline Watch. The trade deadline is less than a week away folks. We’ve had a few trades over the past several days that, while they may be inconsequential, it has been fun to see a few swaps go down. However, with the lack of movement that’s gone on since
Damian Lillard ended the NBA All-Star Game in typical style by drilling a half-court shot to give Team LeBron the 170-150 victory over Team Durant. They don’t call it Dame Time for no reason, even when a clock isn’t running. Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard hit the game-winning shot in the 2021 NBA All-Star
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. One of the strangest All-Star weekends in recent memory ended with an incredibly familiar sight — Damian Lillard hitting a contested and wildly clutch shot. The NBA All-Star Game
The Brooklyn Nets acquisition of Blake Griffin is, for all intents and purposes, a declaration of war. Brooklyn is coming — and every other team with championship hopes this season had better pony up to add as much talent as is humanly possible. As we approach the March 25 trade deadline, demand for established talent
Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports Kyle Brandt says Cowboys can’t pay Dak Prescott fortune and win big by Brad Berreman Saints trying to extend Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk to help cap by Steven Kubitza Last night’s NBA All-Star Game made it clear that 3-point range isn’t what it used to be and Paul George knows that
There’s no need really to ask “what’s wrong with the Boston Celtics?” because it seems pretty clear as day what’s wrong with them. Jayson Tatum hasn’t returned to his dominant form since coming back from COVID. Kemba Walker’s slow recovery has led to maddening inconsistency. Marcus Smart’s calf injury put things out of whack. They
With apologies to Immanuel Quickley, Anthony Edwards, Saddiq Bey and a few others, the league’s best rookie is a two-man race. Tyrese Haliburton and LaMelo Ball have staked their claim at the top of the rookie ladder and both show no signs of relinquishing. The two young guards are helping to elevate a mediocre draft
The Boston Celtics rode Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen all the way to a championship. LeBron James captured his first three titles with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and the Miami HEAT. Kevin Durant joined Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the Golden State Warriors and earned his first ring. Last year, Anthony
During the 2000-01 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, finished 22nd in the league for defensive rating. They went on to win the championship, and are still the only team this century to finish outside the top 10 in defensive rating and win a title. One key caveat
For this edition of ICYMI for Basketball Insiders, we’re looking at the Southeast Division. This breakdown follows the recent publications of ICYMI on the Atlantic, Pacific, Central and Northwest. Starting off, this division is the only one in the NBA that has a single franchise above .500, the Atlanta Hawks. This should come as a
Role players may not have the spotlight, the insane contracts or the endorsement deals, but they are vital pieces that contribute to team success. There have been countless examples in the past, including the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers just last year. The focus for the role player is to excel in one or two
Next up in Basketball Insiders’ ICYMI series – where we’re taking a look at the biggest storylines that you may have missed from around the league – is the Central Division. The Central is led by the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers, two playoff teams last season that made aggressive offseason moves to improve this
First Week Finals separates the NBA’s contenders from the pretenders after the first week of every month of the season. Now that a full month of NBA action is in the books, teams are starting to find out how this season’s version of themselves will be able to compete within their respective conferences. While chemistry
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder, Gary Trent Jr., Portland Trail Blazers. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) Bad Coaching in the NFL: Dan Campbell wants kneecaps by Mike Tanier Shai Gilgeous-Alexander found Gary Trent Jr.’s flop to be of the hilarious variety on Monday. There are flops and then there is whatever Gary Trent Jr. of
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder. (Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports) MMA champion Ben Askren to come out of retirement to fight YouTuber Jake Paul by Amy Kaplan Damian Lillard owns the Oklahoma City Thunder with his incredibly petty new Adidas shoes. When Damian Lillard dropped 50 points and eliminated the Oklahoma City
Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are no strangers to a spirited discussion at their expense. In each of the last three seasons, fans and pundits alike have wrangled over their potential as a championship-winning duo. Different sects have formed, sometimes resembling political parties in their rigid viewpoints. The arguments branch off into granular takes on
The Detroit Pistons were one of the NBA’s most competitive franchises at the turn of the century, appearing in six straight Eastern Conference Finals between 2002-2008 and winning the NBA Finals in 2004. But, since that run, the Pistons have been one of the least relevant teams in the league, having not won a playoff
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