2:51 PM ET Malika AndrewsESPN INDIANAPOLIS — Chicago Bulls players have had 24 hours, one practice and a shootaround to digest the dismissal of Fred Hoiberg as head coach and Jim Boylen’s promotion from associate head coach. “It’s tough,” Zach LaVine said after shootaround on Tuesday morning. “I texted [Hoiberg] right afterwards and let him
2:20 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant says the growing pains LeBron James and the Lakers have endured for much of this season are a necessary evil but that they will square things away soon enough. “They have a determination to figure it out,” Bryant told Lakers play-by-play announcer Bill MacDonald at the team’s
When the Clippers traded Blake Griffin to the Pistons back in January, the motives were obvious for both sides. For Los Angeles, they knew that with the roster as it was, they weren’t going anywhere with Blake leading the way. While Blake was capable of putting up good numbers on a nightly basis, the roster
Basking in the gravitas, magnetism and big smile of one of the best players ever was just as magical as you’d think it’d be. The entire week was a whirlwind. A sleep-deprived, hyper-caffeinated whirlwind. But when Magic Johnson is a guest speaker for a talk at 8:30 a.m., you get there early and lock down
The Los Angeles Lakers’ second-highest paid player isn’t playing well enough at the moment, and it’s hurting the Lake Show. There weren’t super high expectations for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope when he signed his second consecutive one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. KCP is a fine shooting guard who can hit some 3s and play pretty
6:20 PM ET Malika AndrewsESPN CHICAGO — Fred Hoiberg had to go. On an afternoon in late September, the Chicago Bulls head coach was fulfilling his media obligations prior to a preseason practice. As Hoiberg answered questions about his team, his lead assistant, Jim Boylen, called the players into a huddle at the other end
Nassir Little has all of the makings of an elite NBA lead guard. Can he leverage his impressive skills into real production this year? Every class has one or two players that have a meteoric rise throughout their development curves. There always seems to be one physical late bloomer, or a player who was misevaluated
Given the ongoing evolution of basketball, the relationship between usage and efficiency is a work in progress. You pretty much can’t dip your toes in the waters of basketball digital media without hearing something about how 3-pointers are changing the game. The 3-point shot is one of the most obvious points of evolution in basketball
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 21: Houston Rockets Forward Carmelo Anthony (7) looks on before a NBA game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers on October 21, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) UFC Denver: Maycee Barber elbows Hannah Cifers into oblivion
Look out, Western Conference, it appears that the Houston Rockets are done losing games for a while. Most teams would have some trouble coming back quickly from a 4-7 start to an NBA season, but the Houston Rockets are not most teams. Houston has won four straight games to improve their record to 8-7, and
10:01 AM ET The Chicago Bulls have fired head coach Fred Hoiberg after a 5-19 start to the season. Associated head coach Jim Boylen has been promoted to head coach. “Decisions like this one are never easy to make, however I felt this was the right choice for our organization at this time,” said Bulls
As November draws to a close, the NBA has broached the quarter-season mark. Twenty games may not seem like a lot, but there is plenty that can be taken away from the play of any team through this point in the season. The 2018-19 season has been quite a surprising one so far, even more
As November draws to a close, the NBA has broached the quarter-season mark. Twenty games may not seem like a lot, but there is plenty that can be taken away from the play of any team through this point in the season. The 2018-19 season has been quite a surprising one so far, even more
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 27: Miles Bridges #0 of the Charlotte Hornets looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on October 27, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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
CHARLOTTE, NC – NOVEMBER 6: Kemba Walker #15 of the Charlotte Hornets is introduced prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks on November 6, 2018 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms
Bradley Beal might be the easiest player for the Washington Wizards to trade, and the Charlotte Hornets are trying to form a dynamic backcourt. The Washington Wizards are a picture of dysfunction right now, and they may be willing to trade virtually anyone. Breaking up the backcourt tandem of John Wall and Bradley Beal is
Though they may seem like it, the Kemba Walker-led Charlotte Hornets are not a one-man show. Jeremy Lamb is a talented wing with the off-the-bounce jazz; Cody Zeller embodies the role of a low-usage center, setting impenetrable screens and anchoring the paint; Miles Bridges has delighted in his rookie year, carving out a consistent rotation
12:24 AM ET DALLAS — With the media swarmed around Dennis Smith Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith walked to his locker in the next stall Sunday night and jokingly greeted his Dallas Mavericks teammate: “Ruthless toothless!” Smith had most of his right front tooth fly out of his mouth when it was broken near the top by
3:35 PM ET DETROIT — Already down a big man, Steve Kerr doesn’t expect Draymond Green to be able to play on the remainder of Golden State Warriors‘ current five-game road trip. Green has missed the last eight games with a right toe sprain and was hopeful that he could return on this trip. Now
Here’s how you should be setting your FanDuel lineup for today’s games. Sunday’s FanDuel slate: 6 p.m. ET: Utah at Miami, Memphis at Philadelphia7 p.m. ET: LA Clippers at Dallas, Portland at San Antonio My favorite plays of the day can be found on the following slides in FanSided’s FanDuel daily picks. Each day in order
Devin Booker wants to build a superteam in Phoenix — which might be a little easier said than done — but at least he’s committed. If there’s one thing Phoenix Suns fans can’t question about Devin Booker, it’s his determination. Though Booker has spent the early years of his young career playing for a borderline
As this season began, several NBA teams had to make huge decisions about offering extensions to players nearing the end of their rookie contracts. Twenty games later, how are those decisions looking? Before this year’s Halloween deadline for NBA teams to sign players in the fourth year of rookie contracts signed in 2015 to extensions,
12:28 AM ET Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — That gruesome ankle injury that put Gordon Hayward through a grueling year of rehab forced him to adjust his game. However he’s able to make it happen, the Boston Celtics are more than happy to have him making the significant impact they envisioned all along. Hayward had a
Physical anomalies are always some of the most interesting players in the NBA Draft. The league is full of players who have weird or outlandish physical traits that enhance or limit their abilities on the court, and these are often the first things that stick out to us. Everything from JaVale McGee’s 7-foot-7 wingspan, to
As November draws to a close, the NBA has broached the quarter-season mark. Twenty games may not seem like a lot, but there is plenty that can be taken away from the play of any team through this point in the season. The 2018-19 season has been quite a surprising one so far, even more
A while back, I saw the motion picture adaptation of the Uncle Drew series of commercials, presumably for work, I was writing about it or doing a podcast about it or something. It’s a pretty lousy movie, weird from seed to stem, Shaq’s giant nude bottom is in it, and it has a plot that
The Jimmy Butler saga in Minnesota has finally come to a close with a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Timberwolves can finally get back to basketball. It isn’t often losing one of the best players in the NBA qualifies as a relief, but then it isn’t often we see the sort of drama that
2:31 PM ET Malika AndrewsESPN Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen has been upgraded to probable and could make his season debut in Saturday’s game against the Houston Rockets. Markkanen has been sidelined with an elbow sprain since September. Initially, he was scheduled to be out six to eight weeks. He has missed 23 games. He
SAN ANTONIO, TX – JANUARY 5: Kawhi Leonard Jimmy Butler wants Andrew Wiggins to be more like Jimmy Butler by Jeremy Lambert Belgium 3-0 Panama: World Cup highlights and recap by Kristofer McCormack The Los Angeles Clippers could be in the mix for Kawhi Leonard, and they appear to have their starting point in any
The Memphis Grizzlies could potentially end up right back in the playoffs next season with Mike Conley coming back from injury. So maybe they don’t really need the No. 4 pick. The Memphis Grizzlies have the No. 4 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft. It’s been a few years since they’ve had a pick this