The United States will enter the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in August as the second- ranked country in the world.

Yes, the second-ranked country.

For the first time in more than a decade, US men’s basketball slipped to No. 2 in the FIBA world rankings back in November. The top spot currently belongs to Spain, winners of the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket—the championship of Europe for men’s national teams—and the 2019 FIBA World Cup (a tournament in which the Americans finished seventh). The US does not send its A-team to events such as the FIBA AmeriCup, where it came in third last year after being knocked out by Argentina, but the results of those tournaments still impact the rankings. And while the squad put together for the Tokyo Olympics emerged victorious two summers ago, it lost to France during the preliminary round and only won by 5, 87-82, in a rematch in the Final. 

You don’t have to look hard for proof that the game is growing around the world. The three finalists for the 2023 NBA MVP hailed from countries outside the United States—winner Joel Embiid (Cameroon) and runners-up Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)—as well as six of the top eight vote-getters. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) finished fifth, followed by Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania) in seventh and Luka Doncic (Slovenia) in eighth. This marked the fifth straight season that a foreign-born player was crowned MVP, dating back to Antetokounmpo’s first triumph in 2019.

Most of those stars have confirmed that they intend to play in the upcoming World Cup, which will take place in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. This year’s event will be the second to feature 32 teams and the first to be hosted by multiple nations. It’s also the gateway to the 2024 Olympics in Paris, as seven countries will qualify based on their performances: two from the Americas, two from Europe, one from Africa, one from Asia and one from Oceania.

For the US, the tournament will be far from a cakewalk, regardless of who lands on the team’s final roster. 

“There are quality players around the world—I think we’re starting to see that,” says Carlan Gay, deputy editor at The Sporting News and an announcer for international competitions. “Four of the five that finished at the top of the MVP voting aren’t American born—that just tells you that the world isn’t catching up, it has caught up.” 

“I think that we have this idea that, well, if it’s not American, it’s not as good,” says Jeff Taylor, an international basketball commentator since 1997. “I understood immediately watching the [1997] EuroBasket—watching a game between Poland and Germany—I was struck by how good they were.” 

Taylor has covered most of FIBA’s flagship events since then, observing firsthand how the level of talent has risen in other countries. “It’s grown exponentially,” he tells SLAM. “I think it was already good at the time, but I think there are different factors at work here [that have made it even better].”

For one, an increasing number of Europeans jumped to the NBA in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The success of guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker helped erase stigmas about foreign players—mainly, that they were too soft and not athletic enough to succeed in the States—and inspired others to follow in their footsteps.

Emerging talents overseas join top professional organizations as teenagers, where they are exposed to elite coaching and stiff competition that accelerates their development. Doncic signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid at the age of 13, and No. 1 NBA draft prospect Victor Wembanyama has been a pro since he was 15. Of course, those high-level prospects also join their respective national team programs early on, which facilitates even more growth.

“There’s more opportunity for development within your national team program [overseas],” says University of Alabama assistant coach Ryan Pannone, who has previously coached in the NBA, G League, China Germany, Slovakia and Israel. “And the pressure those guys are playing under and the pride for their national teams is really high. [For example], Luka was playing within the national team obviously from a very young age in Slovenia, and he was in the academy within Real Madrid in Spain. So he’s getting professional coaching seven days a week from coaches whose full-time jobs are to make sure he develops; and then in the summer, he’s in the national team system of Slovenia, where he’s playing in high-pressure-filled games.”

Basketball journeyman Scotty Hopson, who has played in 10 countries and suited up for the 2018 USA World Cup Qualifying Team, notes that the “athleticism level” has increased among international players. “Whenever I go to these countries and play against other teams and players, I feel like they always have a knowledge of basketball that’s pretty high level,” says Hopson. “And now you add the component that guys are starting to get more athletic, starting to understand how to take care of their bodies, how to train more.”

It’s important to mention that the FIBA game is different—harder, in a lot of ways. Quarters are 10 minutes long as opposed to 12. The court is smaller (91 feet-10 inches by 49 feet-2.5 inches, compared to the NBA’s 94 feet by 50 feet), and the three-point line is about a foot closer. There’s no defensive three seconds, and goaltending rules are modified: players are allowed to swat the ball off the cylinder as soon as it touches the rim.

All of these changes result in a distinct style of play: more strategic and methodical, less spaced. Teams value possessions more because there are fewer of them. On defense, it’s easier to pack the paint and provide help. Closeouts are faster—there’s not as much ground to cover—so coaches emphasize shooting and making quick reads. “The game internationally can be very physical, very tactical. And if you’re going to play it, you have to be very intelligent,” explains Taylor.

“The game in Europe is way harder than the game in the NBA,” Antetokounmpo said last September. “The talent obviously in the NBA is way higher, but the space [is better]—you have a lot of lanes to drive the ball, a lot of lanes to create. Over there it’s more intense.” 

During the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket last summer, Antetokounmpo had to work extremely hard for his points, as opponents clogged the middle and sent double or triple teams his way. “And in the past, this has helped me a lot, like when I came back from [the World Cup] in 2019,” he added. “That was the year we went to the bubble. The first couple of games, I felt like the court was huge.”

“Is it harder? Yes, because I think you really need to have quick thinking,” Jokic said about the international game after EuroBasket. “In the NBA, if you go by the guy, you can see the help is coming. In Europe, help is always there. So you need to think and play ahead.” That challenge helped Jokic evolve into the playmaker that he is today and made transitioning to the NBA much easier. Similarly, Doncic told SLAM in 2022: “I think from [Europe] comes my reading the game, all the passing skills.”

Thus, current and future NBA players can benefit tremendously from participating in FIBA events, especially given the intensity of those environments. Many of those players also assume bigger roles for their national teams, which allows them to showcase other parts of their games. Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, for example, shined as the number one option for Finland at the 2022 EuroBasket, averaging 27.9 points on 54 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent from three.

When he returned to the States for the 2022-23 NBA season, Jazz head coach Will Hardy encouraged Markkanen to play exactly as he had for Finland—confident, assertive, in more of a central role. And Markkanen had the best year of his NBA career, making his first All-Star team and winning the Most Improved Player award.

Says Coach Pannone, who was an assistant for the New Orleans Pelicans in 2022-23, “Obviously, Lauri Markkanen and the way that panned out doesn’t happen for every [NBA] team, but [FIBA events] certainly give you the chance to see one of your players in more of a star role—how they’re used, how they handle it, how successful they are. And you get that opportunity without it costing you games by trying to experiment with that throughout the NBA season.”

Markkanen will be with Finland again this summer for the World Cup. Other international players expected to compete include Antetokounmpo, Doncic, Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Sabonis, Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert (France), Karl-Anthony Towns (Dominican Republic), Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia), Franz Wagner (Germany), Josh Giddey (Australia), Nikola Vucevic (Montenegro), Jordan Clarkson (Philippines) and more. The US will likely enter the tournament as a significant favorite, but the depth of talent this year will once again make the road to the Naismith Trophy very difficult.

“Whether you’re from the United States or not, there’s going to be amazing competition here because the level of basketball in this World Cup, I think, will be unprecedented,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said during an episode of One Sports’ The Game.

Defending champions Spain should have another formidable roster, led by veteran point guard Ricky Rubio, MVP of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, and Willy Hernangomez, MVP of the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket. Australia, ranked third, should have Giddey and several other NBA players, including Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Matisse Thybulle, Josh Green and Jock Landale. The likely presence of Antetokounmpo, Doncic and Jokic ensures that Greece, Slovenia and Serbia will all be tough opponents. Canada could be stacked with household names: Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Olynyk, Dwight Powell, Lu Dort, Dillon Brooks and more. And then, of course, there’s France, a country that nearly toppled the United States in the Tokyo Olympics and should have a similar squad, plus the 7-4 phenom Wembanyama. 

The list of worthy competitors for the ’23 World Cup title goes on and on—each one composed of prideful players determined to reach the podium for their countries. 

“You can go down the list of guys who really take pride in putting on that [national team] jersey,” says Gay. “I don’t think it’s something that we truly understand in North America—how much passion there is for basketball outside of these borders and how much passion there is for performing on the world stage for your country—because of the NBA factor. I think kids around the world grow up not dreaming to be in the NBA but dreaming to play and win a World Cup and win an Olympic gold medal.”

“Representing your national team, it’s heavy,” said Antetokounmpo in September. “You represent your whole country.”

Asked about facing Antetokounmpo during the 2019 FIBA World Cup, then-United States head coach Gregg Popovich said this of international superstars: “When they play for their countries, we like to say that they become superheroes. They get together and, through their relationships and their views about their game, they just form a team that—they fall in love with each other. They enjoy playing with each other. And that goes across the board for everybody that’s in the tournament. A lot of them have grown up together, a lot of them have spent a lot of time playing together, and you can see that.”

“The biggest advantage I felt like [other countries] had was that those teams play together for years and years and years,” Hopson reiterates. He speaks from experience, having lost to a cohesive and well-coached Argentina squad during qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. “You’re going into a situation where you’re playing against guys who have probably been playing together since they were kids. They have an advantage with that because the chemistry is already built.” 

Combine that chemistry with the rising talent and the hunger of players to win for their countries and the US will certainly have its hands full trying to reclaim the World Cup title and the No. 1 FIBA ranking.

“The gap has closed, but also, the fear factor is gone,” Gay says. “No one’s afraid to play Team USA. In fact, they’re circling that date on the calendar to try to make history.”

SLAM 244 is also available in this exclusive Gold Metal Edition.

Photos via Getty Images.

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Since signing with the Mavs as an undrafted agent in 2016, Finney-Smith has grown to be a strong 3-and-D specialist, with the corner three being his signature shot. The former Florida Gator has former teammate Wesley Matthews to thank for his jumper becoming a lethal strength.

“I was already playing into the corner my rookie year, and once I realized how many corner threes I was going to get, I just worked on it,” Finney-Smith told BasketballNews.com. “Wesley Matthews was a good vet for me. He was always telling me that I needed to get that (corner three) shot down pat if I wanted to be on the court,”

“And I did!”

Finney-Smith’s accuracy as a shooter has gone up every season thanks to his dogged work ethic. As a rookie, he shot 29.3 percent from beyond the arc. Now, Finney-Smith is knocking triples down at a career-high 39.5 percent clip. He’s also hit 46.1 percent of his corner three-pointer attempts, a vast improvement from the 26.3 percent clip he shot as a rookie.

Finney-Smith is smoking the nylon during the Mavs run to the Western Conference Finals, shooting 52.5 percent from the corner.

“I had the confidence that I could shoot. I shot the ball well in college; it just ain’t translated the first couple of years in the NBA,” Finney-Smith said.

He credits his development into a plus shooter to not only Matthews, but teammates like Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, and Luka Doncic, who Finney-Smith says watched him put the work in often enough to trust him when it matters late in the game.

“Repetition builds confidence,” Finney-Smith explained. “Also, I think my teammates seeing how hard I worked, it also built confidence in them. The ones who have been here with me throughout this journey — like Maxi [Kleber], Dwight [Powell], Luka [Doncic] — I think they see the work I put in, and that also gives them confidence to give the ball to me in late-game situations.

“Guys see the work you put in; they can tell if you’ve been in the gym or if you been BSing, and I built confidence with those guys, especially Luka, to pass me the ball in those clutch situations. They have trust in me, even when I miss it.”

Along the way, Finney-Smith earned the trust of the Mavericks front office, who awarded the former undrafted wing with a four-year contract, reportedly with $55 million for all his hard work and being pivotal in numerous regular-season and playoff wins.

During the 2021-22 campaign, Finney-Smith averaged a career-best 11.0 points on 3.2 attempted threes per game, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game on 47.1 percent shooting from the field. Finney-Smith joined Kleber and Jason Terry as the only players in Mavs history to make at least eight three-pointers in a game.

The Mavericks’ season is still alive after they blew the Warriors out in Game 4, extending their season for at least one more game while attempting to become the first team in NBA playoff history to come back from a 3-0 deficit. Golden State hosts Thursday’s Game 5 of the WCF series.

Should the Warriors win, Golden State will be making their sixth NBA Finals trip since 2015.

The post Dorian Finney-Smith Speaks on His Journey to Becoming the Mavs’ 3-and-D Specialist appeared first on SLAM.

Luka Doncic now has the most 40-point playoff games by a player 23 or younger after dropping his 6th postseason 40-piece tonight.

— SLAM Newswire (@SLAMnewswire) May 3, 2022

Doncic has eclipsed Larry Bird, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Tracy McGrady, Chris Paul, and Devin Booker for most 40-point games in just 17 career playoff games. Luka Magic is tied with Stephen Curry and George Gervin. To top off this accomplishment, Doncic’s playoff career average of 33.5 points per game matches that of the GOAT himself, Michael Jordan.

The only thing that Doncic and the Mavs could’ve asked for was a win to go along with his primetime performance. Phoenix went into Game 1 of their second-round series with Dallas focused on preventing the Mavs’ other playmakers from getting into a rhythm. The rest of Dallas’ starters combined for just 39 points; the second time in Doncic’s playoff career, he scored more points than his teammates in the starting lineup.

“He got whatever he wanted, when you look at the shots in the paint, behind the arc, midrange, and then also I thought he got his teammates some great looks that we normally had made,” Coach Jason Kidd said per ESPN. “I thought he played great.

“We’ve just got to get someone to join the party.”

The Suns also made to sure blanket Dwight Powell during pick-and-roll situations and prioritized switching on screens set by Maxi Kleber, who scored 19 points on 6-9 shooting. The breakout star of the first round, Jalen Brunson, had a tough night shooting, scoring 16 points on 6-16 shooting, and Spencer Dinwiddie finished with eight points on 3-8 shooting.

Game 2 of the Phoenix-Dallas series will take place on Wednesday.

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Entering the game, the Mavs knew they’d be without their best player in Luka Doncic. However, even without their star they nearly beat the Jazz. 

 “Hopefully he gets healthy,” said Jazz coach Quin Snyder. “You always want a great player to get the opportunity to play, whether he’s on your team or the other.”

Utah ultimately won Game 1 by a final score of 99-93. It was a contest in which scoring wasn’t plentiful, but also didn’t lack excitement. In a game of runs, it truly came down to the final minutes to determine a winner. 

When it came down to it, the size difference between the two rosters was the primary factor. The Mavericks lack a dominant 7-footer, as Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber (both 6-foot-10) filled out the center rotation on Saturday afternoon. 

That’s simply not enough size to match up against the Utah centers in Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside, who are both 7-foot-1. Additionally they’re both traditional bigs that are great on the glass. This proved to be a key differentiator, as Dallas was outrebounded 53 to 34. 

“We’ve just gotta rebound the ball, especially playing small. It’s just something we’ve gotta get better at,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd postgame. 

Regardless of when Doncic comes back, the battle on the boards is going to continue to be important. This series could ultimately come down to the style of play. If the Jazz continue to outmatch the Mavs with their size, they’ll have a huge advantage. On the flip side, if Dallas can have success with its small ball lineups and play Gobert and Whiteside off the floor, things could swing in the favor of the Mavericks. 

Both teams failed to score 100 points in Game 1, so every bucket really mattered throughout the contest. It was a tale of two halves for the Jazz, as Bojan Bogdanovic carried the offense in the first half while Donovan Mitchell shouldered the load in the second. 

Of the 45 points Utah scored in the first half, Bogdanovic account for nearly half with 20. In the second half, Mitchell produced 30 of his 32 points on the afternoon. 

While the Jazz didn’t have a consistent primary scorer across the entire game, they got the points they needed in bunches from two of their best offensive players. Gobert finished with just five points on one field goal attempt, but made his impact on the glass and on defense. 

“We had a chance, held them under 100 points. That was tough,” said Spencer Dinwiddie after the loss. 

Although Utah came out on top in Game 1, Dallas should feel extremely optimistic. Without their best player, the Mavericks legitimately had a shot to win. You could argue that when Doncic comes back, the Mavs should be favorites the rest of the way.  

The guard duo of Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson combined for 46 points, but will need to be more efficient moving forward. Those two took a total of 39 shots to produce those points. 

The Mavs started hot from beyond the arc, but cooled off as the game went on. They finished 9-of-32 (28.1%) from deep on the afternoon. If just a couple more of those shots would have gone down, the outcome of this game could have easily been different. 

The Jazz got the win, but it wasn’t necessarily convincing against a shorthanded Mavericks team. This series could still go either way. 

“We’ve got to do a better job of making the easy shots,” said Brunson looking ahead to the next matchup. “We missed a lot of easy shots. Gotta follow our game plan and stick together.”

Game 2 will take place in Dallas once again on Monday evening. 

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On the bright side, Jalen Brunson looks spectacular off the bench with his ability to score the ball at a high level. With Kristaps Porzingis set to return to action in just a few weeks, the Mavericks have a light at the end of the tunnel.

For more information about the numbers behind our Heat Check series, hop over to our main Heat Check 2020-21 post.

James Johnson	4.0p, 4.5r, 3.0a	–
Jalen Brunson	10.8p, 2.5r, 3.0a	–
Tim Hardaway Jr.	14.5p, 3.8r, 1.3a	–
Josh Richardson	13.5p, 3.5r, 1.8a
Trey Burke	8.0p, 1.0r, 1.8a
Dorian Finney-Smith	8.5p, 4.3r, 1.0a
Maxi Kleber	8.0p, 4.8r, 0.8a
Wes Iwundu	4.7p, 0.3r, 0.0a
Dwight Powell	6.5p, 3.3r, 1.0a
Boban Marjanovic	4.0p, 2.3r, 0.0a
Willie Cauley-Stein	4.0p, 3.3r, 0.8a
Luka Doncic	23.8p, 5.8r, 6.3a

Team-by-Team Breakdown

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We broke down the Mavericks’ depth chart for the 2020-21 season below. We’ve also previously published a summary of the Mavericks’ offseason.

Biggest Questions

• Can the Mavericks stop anyone on defense? Last season, they had the most efficient offense in NBA history but were among the league’s worst defensively. If they can be a mediocre defensive team, they could be looking at a top-four seed in the Western Conference.
• Is Kristaps Porzingis going to be healthy on a consistent basis? To this point in his career, his knees have been an issue. In fact, they kept him out of some of the most crucial games in the playoffs last season. Without a healthy Porzingis, the Mavericks aren’t nearly as much of a threat.

All NBA Team Offseason Summaries

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The move gives Cauley-Stein a slight pay raise and it gives him an opportunity to break training camp with the franchise. Cauley-Stein was acquired from the Golden State Warriors mid-season last year and then opted out of playing in the bubble.

Cauley-Stein, 27, had a relatively down year between his two stops in 2019-20 but isn’t far removed from two seasons as a near double-double threat with the Sacramento Kings.

Cauley-Stein will help Dwight Powell and Boban Marjanovic man the five for the Mavs.

The deal, Charania adds, has a team option in 2021-22.

The post Willie Cauley-Stein, Mavs Agree to Two-Year Deal appeared first on SLAM.

However, if Dallas wants to be seen as a championship contender, they’ll need to compete with at least the triumvirate of the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. In order to do that, they’ll need to make slight but significant upgrades all over the roster.

Related: Full Boston Celtics 2020 Salary Cap Preview

Mavericks Draft Needs

With the Mavericks looking to add a third star to the roster, the players selected with their picks in the 2020 NBA Draft may not even be on the roster on opening night.

If Dallas was to keep their picks though, addressing their defense would be the obvious priority.

There are quite a few players in the rotation that are difficult to replace but not the most impactful defenders. Of course, if Dallas manages to swing a trade for an additional star, then players with higher salaries will be sent away. As a result, the Mavs have to be even more careful to select the right players.

If Dallas can find a defensive-minded wing or guard with one of their two picks in the upcoming draft, then they should walk way from draft night satisfied. Because of their lack of depth at small forward, the Mavericks would likely prefer a wing.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

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In addition to a summary for each of the 30 teams (accessible in the link grid below), we’ve also tiered the top NBA free agents league-wide and published a general comparison of all teams’ cap space. Follow @SLAMnewswire on Twitter for constant offseason updates as we head into free agency.

Projected Roster Players

Projected Free Agents

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Exceptions Available

• Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception – $9,258,000

Key Offseason Decisions

• Is Willie Cauley-Stein going to opt in? Cauley-Stein is at the point in his career where he could make more than $2.3M on the open market, but it’s not a guarantee. He seems to be fairly happy in Dallas and with Dwight Powell making his way back from a torn Achilles’, Cauley-Stein should have a path to plenty of playing time.
• Will Tim Hardaway Jr. deviate from the plan of opting in? Hardaway will be hard-pressed to find a team that will pay him $18.9M this offseason. He’s also still young enough that long-term security shouldn’t be a concern just yet.

Projected Team Salary

$151,977,957

The Mavericks have one more season before they can be major offseason players. They’ll likely run it back with a lot of the same team as last season, as both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Willie Cauley-Stein are likely to opt in. Look for Dallas to use their MLE to bring in another wing player, but on a short-term contract. This will allow the Mavs to conserve space for the 2021 offseason. (@KeithSmithNBA)

Cap Space Forecast

-$42,837,957 (16^th out of 30). $29,788,398 under the Luxury Tax.

Team Salary Cap Outlooks

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Since the 2011-12 season, there’s been just one player who wins the award as a season-long accomplishment; having five winners demonstrates the league’s view on how important these players have been in such a critical year.

Paul and Brown are both Executive Committee Members for the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), with Paul holding the position of president since 2013 and Brown the youngest of six vice presidents after being voted in back in 2019. Dwight Powell is on the NBPA’s Board of Player Representatives, as the Player Representative for the Dallas Mavericks.

When looking at the accomplishments of this quintet, they’re impressive individually but paint a promising picture collectively.

Each of these players has either led or been a part of a peaceful protest decrying social injustices and pleading for a betterment of society. Sizable donations have been made to programs that aid families and individuals impacted by the Coronavirus. Several programs have actually been started by these players, providing or improving the opportunity for educational and economic success, or funding healthcare for cancer patients.

Recognizing the efforts of these players highlights their character, and because of the influence that professional athletes have, there could hardly be a better group of men to receive the honor and be role models.

Powell perhaps summed it up best, saying that “being a member of a community means lending your neighbor a hand whenever needed and searching for ways to help make your community a better place for all who live there.”

The post Five NBA Players Recognized for Humanitarian Efforts appeared first on SLAM.

We’ve listed the entire roster with comparisons to last year’s launch rating below. We’ve also identified some general NBA 2K21 ratings trends for the league as a whole.

Mavs NBA 2K21 Ratings

View the NBA 2K21 player ratings for other teams below.

The post Dallas Mavericks: NBA 2K21 Ratings appeared first on SLAM.

Porzingis missed Dallas’ past two contests with knee soreness and now the extent of the injury, a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee, is known.

Porzingis averaged 20.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game during the 2019-20 campaign and added 34 points in his final taste of action on Aug. 21. Dallas ended up winning their first contest without the big man but now trail the Los Angeles Clippers 2-3 in their series.

In addition to Porzingis, the Mavericks are already down Dwight Powell and Willie Cauley-Stein, so expect head coach to rely more heavily on Maxi Kleber and Boban Marjanovic.

The knee injury that cost Porzingis the complete 2018-19 was in his left knee.

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Part and parcel with the league’s restart plan is the fact that players can opt out of the Disney World games without breaching their contract, but whether or not players will forfeit a prorated share of their contract when they opt out or not depends on whether they’re formally excused or not due to a medical issue.

Many of the players who will forego suiting up for the squads when the league resumes are facing the same injuries that they faced prior to the shutdown, most notably the likes of Kevin Durant and John Wall, who were expected to be out for the season regardless and will not alter those plans to take part in the unprecedented campaign extension.

Other players that have already revealed that they won’t participate at Disney did not appear on injury reports prior to the shutdown.

In addition to players who will sit out due to recent positive COVID-19 diagnoses – like DeAndre Jordan and Spencer Dinwiddie – there are players like Bradley Beal and Victor Oladipo who will take the opportunity to sit despite being active in mid-March.

To get a sense of where player’s stood when the league shut down in March, I’ve combed through the league’s final injury reports from prior to the shutdown, noting any instances where players were formally listed as “out”.

A total of 19 of the 22 Disney-bound teams had at least one such player in their most recent injury report prior to the shutdown. All told, 49 NBA players from those teams were listed as “out” on their team’s last injury report before the league ground to a halt on the night of March 11.

At least 11 of those players that were listed as “out” in March are not expected to play at Disney World. Many of the rest have long returned to health and will be active in Orlando later this month.

Out Then; Out Now

Of the 11 players that are expected to be out of action when the Disney World games tip off, three had missed the entire 2019-20 campaign. Not all players that spent the first seven months of the season on the sidelines will forego the return, however.

Jusuf Nurkic of the Portland Trail Blazers has been sidelined since breaking his leg in March of 2019 but has been cleared to suit up for his squad after the extended layoff.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson is another example of a player that could make his season debut at Disney. Roberson has been on the sidelines since January, 2018.

A grand total of 30 players that were “out” the day the league stood still are now at least reasonably expected to be back at full health on July 30.

Out Then; Available Now

Naturally, there are a number of cases where availability isn’t known or at least hasn’t been verified. This list could grow with confirmations that players like Nigel Williams-Goss or Justin James are deemed eligible.

In addition to those less documented cases, there’s no consensus yet that a player like Malcolm Brogdon, who has recovered from his right quad injury but now faces recovery from COVID-19, will actually suit up at Disney World, or if a late signee like Jontay Porter, who inked a deal mid-rehabilitation on March 10, will make his debut for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Other players like Memphis’ Grayson Allen and NOLA’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker, much like Roberson, could potentially be capable of returning but don’t yet have a formally revealed clean bill of health.

Additionally, not all players that were available in March are expected to suit up for their teams during the restart. I’ve published a dynamic list of NBA players who’ve voluntarily opted out of the Disney World games but these aren’t the players that I’m concerned about here.

Below is a list of the additional players that won’t play for medical reasons. For several of these players, the hiatus represented an opportunity to undergo surgery to treat nagging injuries. LaMarcus Aldridge of the San Antonio Spurs and Bojan Bogdanovic of the Utah Jazz elected to go this route.

Other players will sit out of the restart after testing positive for the coronavirus during the shut down. A trio of Brooklyn Nets players, DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince, have done exactly that and this list may grow if more players see positive diagnoses closer to the July 30 tip off.

Available Then; Out Now

The post List of Injury Updates Ahead of NBA Restart appeared first on SLAM.

Each member of the SLAM Fam was assigned a team to pick for. Below are the results + explanations.

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1. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Anthony Edwards (6-5 Guard, Georgia)

CLASS: Freshman (18 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 40% shooting from the field

First things first: The Golden State Warriors are not about to draft a third Splash Brother. Anthony Edwards may not be a great three-point shooter, but that’s arguably the only thing he doesn’t already do at an elite level. As he showed pretty much every night during an SEC Freshman of the Year campaign at Georgia—and as comparisons to Donovan Mitchell, Victor Oladipo, and even Dwyane Wade make clear—the 6-5, 225-pound combo guard has all the tools necessary to be a difference maker in the NBA. With Steph and Klay both in their 30s and coming off major injuries, the Dubs need to be thinking about the backcourt of the future. Edwards could be their next All-Star SG. — Ryan Jones

2. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: LaMelo Ball (6-8 Guard, Illawarra Hawks of the NBL)

AGE: 19 years old

2019-20 STATS: 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.6 steals, shooting 38% from the field

I’m gonna ignore that this pick adds a third point guard to a young team and just roll with the kid that I think is an incredible talent that any team would be lucky to have. Last we saw of LaMelo, he was a 6-7 point guard who can shoot from deep, put the ball on the floor and make the smart pass. Now I hear he’s sprouted to 6-8, grown into his lanky frame and become a more confident playmaker. That’s tough to pass on, regardless when the pick is being made. I realize this would create a logjam at the PG spot—LaMelo, Collin Sexton and Darius Garland seem unlikely to successfully share the ball—but it gives Cleveland a hell of a group of young players to develop and/or trade for other guys as the next season nears (or in the distant future). — Adam Figman

3. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: James Wiseman (7-1 Center, Memphis)

CLASS: Freshman (18 years old)

2019-20 STATS (three games): 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, shooting 77% from the field

Karl-Anthony Towns’ capacity to match imposing physical size with guard-like quickness has proven to be the quality that separates him from many of the League’s bigs. James Wiseman has a skill-set, frame and athletic ability that almost mirrors that of Towns. Wiseman, who left Memphis after just three games, has consistent 20-point, 10-rebound potential written all over him. Pairing a forceful yet talented big man duo with D’Angelo Russell could be the right way to finally bring the Wolves back to the hunt. — Max Resetar

4. ATLANTA HAWKS: Obi Toppin (6-9 Forward, Dayton)

CLASS: Sophomore (22 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 20.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, shooting 63% from the field and 39% from three

The 6-9 redshirt sophomore became a SportsCenter regular thanks to his high-flying finishes, but overall was a super-efficient scorer despite a high usage. Prior to the NCAA suspending all remaining games, the Brooklyn native had positioned Dayton as a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Flyers held a 29-2 record—easily the best season in school history.  He was already named National POY by USA Today, CBS Sports, NBC Sports and The Athletic, and is widely considered the front-runner for the prestigious Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year award. Additionally, Toppin was the only unanimous selection for the AP All-America teams. While the Hawks already have John Collins and Clint Capella in the paint, Toppin’s resume is worthy of serious consideration. — Franklyn Calle

5. DETROIT PISTONS: Deni Avdija (6-9 Forward, Maccabi Tel Aviv)

AGE: 19 years old

2019-20 STATS: 7.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, shooting 51% from the field (19.8 mpg)

Four of the highest ceiling prospects have already come off the board, but the Detroit Pistons can still pocket a valuable building block with this No. 5 pick as they turn to the future. Despite the fact that they already have ambiguously tantalizing combo forward Sekou Doumbouya and breakout stretch Christian Wood, the Pistons should take a long look at 19-year-old utility forward Deni Avdija. Avdija has impressed as a transition quarterback in the Israeli Premier League and looks comfortable enough handling the ball and pulling up from beyond the arc to project as an intriguing offensive option at the next level. Defensively, his length and discipline should help him at least make an impact, but if he’s going to see time at the three, or even at the four, in today’s small ball era, he’ll need to show that he can match NBA speed and athleticism.  — Austin Kent

6. NEW YORK KNICKS: Cole Anthony (6-3 Guard, North Carolina)

CLASS: Freshman (19 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, shooting 38% from the field and 35% from three

This just makes sense for so many reasons. 1) The Knicks continue to search for a consistent playmaker at the point guard position. Cole uses his explosive athleticism to get to the paint and put constant pressure on the defense. Which brings us to 2) The Knicks offense currently ranks 29th in the NBA and they desperately covet scoring. Cole averaged just under 20 points per game for the Tar Heels and, while a solid facilitator, is more aggressive than passive. Right now, the Garden needs that. And, of course, there’s 3) Cole grew up in New York City and his father, Greg Anthony, was a PG for the Knicks from 1991-95, when the team was making deep playoff runs. As long as Cole takes care of the ball and RJ Barrett improves his perimeter shooting, the two could form the backcourt that turns things around for a franchise that hasn’t finished over .500 since 2012-13. — Alex Squadron

7. CHICAGO BULLS: Tyrese Haliburton (6-5 Guard, Iowa State)

CLASS: Sophomore (20 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.5 steals, shooting 50% from the field and 42% from three

The underachieving Bulls showed that they need help in several areas—shooting and defense in particular. Iowa State sophomore point guard Tyrese Haliburton excels in those domains, and then some. Haliburton, who just turned 20, averaged 15.2 points (on 50/42/82 shooting splits), 6.5 dimes, 5.9 boards and 2.5 steals this season. A pass-first playmaker, he would fit perfectly alongside scorers Coby White and Zach LaVine. Standing 6-5 with a crazy wingspan, Haliburton could easily guard positions 1-3, giving Chicago more switch-ability on the perimeter. And not to be overlooked, Haliburton brings great character to a team—lauded by Iowa State coach Steve Prohm for his “winning demeanor.” — Ryne Nelson

8. CHARLOTTE HORNETS: RJ Hampton (6-5 Guard, New Zealand Breakers of the NBL)

AGE: 19 years old

2019-20 STATS: 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, shooting 40% from the field

RJ Hampton, a 6-5, 185-pound point guard would be a nice, perhaps long-term fit for the Charlotte Hornets. The 19-year-old, who skipped college and took his talents to Australia, would have an uphill battle for minutes in a backcourt featuring Devonte’ Graham and Terry Rozier. Hampton is an elite ball-handler—able to break down defenses with dribble penetration—and has plenty of athletic ability. Unlike most of his peers in the 2020 NBA Draft, RJ had a taste of the fierce competition that awaits him in the League. His New Zealand Breakers faced both the OKC Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies in a pair of exhibition games last October, and though his jumper struggled, Hampton knows he’s well on his way: “I’m having a lot of fun.” — Marcel Mutoni

9. WASHINGTON WIZARDS: Onyeka Okongwu (6-9 Forward, USC)

CLASS: Freshman (19 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 1.2 steals, shooting 62% from the field

If you’d heard of Onyeka Okongwu before 2018, it was probably as a footnote in a story about his world-famous high school teammates. Okongwu played at Chino Hills with the Ball brothers, where he spent his early years in anonymity before LaMelo left California for Lithuania. Thrust into a leading role, Big O led Chino to a state title, and added a 35-point, 14-rebound, five-block performance against Zion Williamson at the 2018 Hoophall Classic along the way. In one season at USC, the crazy athletic 6-9 big showed enough potential to warrant top-5 pick consideration. Okongwu’s NBA comparisons range everywhere from Montrezl Harrell to Bam Adebayo—at minimum, he’s a versatile defender who can step in right away and protect the rim for a Washington team sorely lacking in that area. Projecting him alongside a healthy Wall, Beal, Hachimura and (maybe) Bertans in 2020-21 would certainly have Wizards fans eyeing a return to the postseason. — Abe Schwadron

10. PHOENIX SUNS: Nico Mannion (6-3 Guard, Arizona)

CLASS: Freshman (19 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 14.0 points, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals, shooting 39% from the field

Nico Mannion is one of the smoothest and most skilled point guards in this year’s draft. His father, Pace Mannion, played in the NBA and finished his career in Italy, where Nico was born. Once they moved back to the states, Nico played in Phoenix at Pinnacle High School and then for the Arizona Wildcats. At 6-3, he has great pace and court vision. He’s smooth off the bounce and can create for himself and his teammates. He’s a shot maker and has all the tools to be an elite guard at the pro level. Phoenix is a good fit for Mannion, as he can learn alongside Rubio in the city where he’s been playing for years. — Bryan LaRussa

11. SAN ANTONIO SPURS: Jaden McDaniels (6-9 Forward, Washington)

CLASS: Freshman (19 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 13.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, shooting 41% from the field and 34% from three

I’m well aware of what happened in his lone season at Washington and what scouts and analysts have said regarding a player that they feel teams should take caution with. I know about the benchings at UW, critiques of his decision-making on the court and the other asterisks that might have been attached to his name. But the Spurs’ culture—and everything they stand for—couldn’t be a better place for McDaniels to start his NBA career. There are valuable OGs on that roster—Patty Mills, DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay and LaMarcus Aldridge—and another Washington guy in Dejounte Murray that could take the incoming rook under their wings. And did I mention being in the same vicinity and learning from a HOFer in Tim Duncan? The Spurs have a “we-over-me” ethos and a track record that speaks for itself. San Antonio is a perfect destination for someone with Jaden’s stature and skill set. — Drew Ruiz

12. SACRAMENTO KINGS: Isaac Okoro (6-6 Forward, Auburn)

CLASS: Freshman (19 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, shooting 51% from the field

A year ago, you might not have known the name Isaac Okoro. Coming out of McEachern High School in Atlanta, GA, Okoro was a four-star recruit who didn’t have the hype he likely warranted. That changed quickly, though. The 6-6 freshman was surrounded by seniors in the starting lineup at Auburn and still separated himself. With his versatility and explosiveness, Okoro climbed the ranks and shouldn’t fall past this spot in the 2020 Draft. Isaac is a lockdown defender who can score in a variety of ways but doesn’t demand the ball offensively. He’ll have no problem letting guards De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovich (should they all return) run the show, sliding in seamlessly right away and hopefully helping the Kings level up after a disappointing 2019-20 season. — Alex Squadron

13. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: Precious Achiuwa (6-9 Forward, Memphis)

CLASS: Freshman (20 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, shooting 49% from the field

First off, this pick is for Queens, NY, being that I can’t remember the last time the borough had an NBA lottery pick. Coming off an eventful freshman season, Precious Achiuwa averaged 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game before the sports world was put on freeze. Achiuwa should be a major addition to the young highlight reel Pelicans. The 6-9, 225-pound forward has all the tools to make an impact right away. With Lonzo Ball coming off his best NBA season and Zion’s short, but dominant, run, the Pelicans should look to add another forward with their star Brandon Ingram possibly testing the FA market this summer. Regardless, Precious will bring more athleticism and explosiveness to a budding roster. — Nick Torres

14. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: Devin Vassell (6-6 Guard, Florida State)

CLASS: Sophomore (19 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals, shooting 49% from the field and 41% from three

With the Blazers set to enter the 2020-21 season at nearly full strength after an injury-filled 2019-20 campaign, the team needs reinforcements to shore up its roster and make a run at the Western Conference’s best. A rookie that could step in and provide shooting and defense on the wing would help strengthen the team’s supporting cast around the Lillard-McCollum-Nurkic core. Enter Devin Vassell. The 6-6 guard from Florida State evolved into the team’s leading scorer (12.7 PPG) after averaging under five points in his freshman season. He showed off his range with the Seminoles, shooting at or above 41.5% from deep in each of his two seasons. Vassell also brings value on the defensive end, with averages of 1 block and 1.4 steals per game. The forward is the essential 3-and-D complement that Portland has lacked in recent years. He projects as an instant contributor with the potential to take over the wing from the Blazers’ older forwards. — Isaiah De Los Santos

15. ORLANDO MAGIC: Theo Maledon (6-4 Guard, ASVEL of the EuroLeague)

AGE: 18 years old

2019-20 STATS: 7.4 points, 3.1 assists, shooting 46% from the field and 37% from three

There are a lot of good guards on the the board that are excellent talents, but from the standpoint of trying to find a solid backcourt mate for Markelle Fultz, the Magic should consider Theo Maledon. Highlights are obviously skewed, but his decision making as a playmaker seems to be there, both in transition and half-court play. He plays with a patience that is rare to see in an 18-year-old in the EuroLeague. This past season for ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, he shot 37% from beyond the arc. If he wants to maintain a spot in the NBA, he’ll need to maintain that shooting percentage as his three point attempts go up. — Arvind Pitchai

16. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (VIA BROOKLYN): Tyrese Maxey (6-3 Guard, Kentucky)

CLASS: Freshman (19 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, shooting 43% from the field

Earlier in this mock, the Wolves snagged James Wiseman with the No. 3 pick, pairing him with star Karl-Anthony Towns to give them a massively talented frontcourt for the foreseeable future. With the recently acquired D’Angelo Russell reliably running point, the Wolves still need a wing who can get buckets. Maxey is super shifty and already sports an impressive floater package. He has a strong handle and can effectively slash into the teeth of the defense. He’s also a fantastic on-ball defender. And while his three-point percentages are subpar, his feathery floater touch and excellent free throw percentage (83% on the season) suggest he will be just fine. His 6-3 frame may be on the small side for a SG, but his tremendous strength compensates for the slight height disadvantage. Maxey is young and has tons of room to grow. The Wolves should take a shot on a kid with huge upside who could transform into a perennial 20-point per game scorer. — Isaiah Freedman

17. BOSTON CELTICS (VIA MEMPHIS): Josh Green (6-6 Guard, Arizona)

CLASS: Freshman (19 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.5 steals, shooting 42% from the field and 36% from three

The Celtics are locked in for the future. They have an All-NBA point guard in Kemba Walker, budding superstars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, a lockdown perimeter defender in Marcus Smart, and the perfect complementary pieces to round out the roster. This gives them the flexibility to take the best, most talented player available—Arizona freshman Josh Green. One of the top defenders in the draft, the shooting guard can cover 1-4 with his 6-6, 210-pound frame and 6-10 wingspan. Offensively, he is an elite athlete who can handle the ball and hit open shots, as he knocked down 39.5% of his three-point attempts in the second half of the season. He fits with what the Celtics continue to stockpile—competitive, versatile wings who can cover and play multiple positions. Green is just 19 years old, but can contribute right away as a role player for a Celtics team that has current championship aspirations. — Ben Simon

18. DALLAS MAVERICKS: Isaiah Stewart (6-9 Forward, Washington)

CLASS: Freshman (18 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 17.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, shooting 57% from the field

Sitting right on the verge of serious contention, the Mavericks will be looking for a player who provides reliable depth and immediate contribution. Washington big man Isaiah Stewart fits that mold. As a freshman, Stewart was a model of consistency for the Huskies. A 250-pound forward with a 7-4 wingspan, Stewart combines impressive athleticism and mobility with a polished finishing ability, making him a perfect fit in a pick-and-roll with Luka Doncic. He shot 77% from the FT line and showed a solid midrange touch. Stewart’s biggest strength, however, is that few, if any players in the draft play with a higher motor. While his back-to-the-basket offensive game may not translate to the next level, his energy and physicality will certainly make him effective as a rim protector and a rebounder on both ends. With Dwight Powell recovering from a ruptured achilles, Stewart can provide immediate depth at the 4 or 5 for a Mavericks team looking to win now. — Sam Squadron

19. MILWAUKEE BUCKS (VIA INDIANA): Vernon Carey Jr. (6-10 Center, Duke)

CLASS: Freshman (19 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, shooting 58% from the field

There’s a reason why Vernon Carey Jr. was voted ACC Freshman of the Year in his lone season at Duke. The 6-10 lefty has an efficient offensive game and can score in a multitude of ways. Vernon has a quick first step and is extremely tough to guard within five feet of the basket. He’ll be joining a team already poised to make a deep playoff run, so there will be little to no pressure for the rook to carry a large load. However, if there’s anything we learned from Vernon Carey Jr in college, it’s that he shows up when it matters most. — Theus McBee

20. BROOKLYN NETS (VIA PHILADELPHIA): Saddiq Bey (6-8 Forward, Villanova)

CLASS: Sophomore (21 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, shooting 48% from the field and 45% from three

Bey is an athletic forward standing at 6-8, 216 pounds that has levels to his game, but the biggest draw is that he’s a knockdown shooter. He shot 45% from beyond the arc in his sophomore year at Villanova, up from 37% in his first year. The Julius Erving award winner could be a perfect fit for the Nets, who are currently the fifth worst three-point shooting squad in the League based on percentage. Brooklyn will be getting back major offensive pieces next year in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but with the contract of Joe Harris in question, Bey could be a strong addition should the Nets need to fill that role. — Camille Buxeda

21. DENVER NUGGETS (VIA HOUSTON): Jalen Smith (6-10 Forward, Maryland)

CLASS: Sophomore (20 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, shooting 54% from the field and 37% from three

Jalen Smith is a rim-running, athletic big with great hands. He’s also a willing and gifted post player who can step out and shoot the three. The 6-10 power forward has a high motor—Smith can bring chasedown blocks, offensive rebounds, and defensive toughness to the Pepsi Center. For good measure, he’s got the lateral speed and shiftiness necessary to defend at the next level. The Baltimore native is fresh off a stellar sophomore season, in which he led Maryland to a 24-7 record and a Big Ten title. Stix was the best player on a Terps team on pace for a 3-seed and poised for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, and Smith would pair well with Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic in Mike Malone’s system. Paul Millsap, Mason Plumlee and Jerami Grant are all free agents this summer. Smith fits Denver’s position need, and he projects to be the kind of player most GMs are looking for in 2020: a stretch-four who defends. — Eli Schwadron

22. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (VIA OKLAHOMA CITY): Aaron Nesmith (6-6 Forward, Vanderbilt)

CLASS: Sophomore (20 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 23.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals, shooting 51% from the field and 52% from three

When JJ Redick fled from the City of Brotherly Love on the first day of free agency last summer, the Sixers’ long-range marksmanship took an immediate hit. Through 65 games, Philadelphia ranked 14th in three-point field goal accuracy (32.6%), down from eighth the season before. The solution? Enter Aaron Nesmith, the best pure shooter in this year’s draft. Vandy’s 6-6 sophomore slinger averaged 23 points and 4.9 rebounds over 14 games while shooting 52% from deep, before a season-ending stress fracture in his right foot. Nesmith was the fifth-leading scorer in the nation and was on pace to have one of the best three-point shooting seasons in college basketball history. Possessing a combination of size, strength, and deadeye shot-making ability, Nesmith’s game is tailor-made for the modern NBA and fills a much-needed void in Philly. — Peter Robert Casey

23. MIAMI HEAT: Killian Hayes (6-5 Guard, ratiopharm Ulm of Basketball Bundesliga)

AGE: 18 years old

2019-20 STATS: 12.8 points, 6.2 assists, 1.5 steals, shooting 46% from the field and 39% from three

Already an Eastern Conference playoff contender, Pat Riley will search for the final pieces of the puzzle starting in the 2020 Draft. As Goran Dragic enters unrestricted free agency, the Heat will likely target youth to take over the reigns. Although he’s only 18, Killian Hayes boasts the experience and toughness it takes to make an impact in the NBA immediately. Originally born in Lakeland, FL, before moving to France due to his father’s pro career, Hayes has used basketball to bridge the gap between both countries. After playing against older opponents his entire childhood in Europe, Hayes turned professional in France at the age of only 16. During his career with Cholet, Killian also represented the French National team. Now a 6-5 PG with a tight handle, sharp vision and the ability to finish at the rim, he holds all the intangibles NBA scouts seek. The Lakeland native took the opposite journey to the League, and the risk may be worth the reward. Once idolizing Dwyane Wade, Hayes now has the chance to honor Flash as he returns to his home state and aims to ignite South Beach once again. — Daren Scarberry

24. UTAH JAZZ: Aleksej Pokusevski (7-0 Forward, Olympiacos B of the Greek A2 Basket League)

AGE: 18 years old

2019-20 STATS: 10.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.8 blocks, shooting 49% from the field and 32% from three

It’s time to meet your future favorite player, and he goes by the name of Poku. Joining the storied lineage of Serbians (Vlade, Peja, Nikola) in the NBA, Aleksej Pokusevski is the youngest prospect in this year’s draft, not turning 19 until the day after Christmas. And while his 7-0 frame has caused folks that have never heard of him or seen him play to make assumptions, don’t get it twisted—Poku is a point guard trapped in a center’s body. Just like KD (6-10), Giannis (6-11), Jokić (7-0), and Porzingis (7-3), he’s a vertically inclined man with playmaking ability and perimeter skills. Unfortunately, he’s barely seen any EuroLeague action for Olympiacos since joining the club at the age of 13, but he’s had the privilege of learning from legendary Greek teammates Vassilis Spanoulis and Georgios Printezis, along with former head coach David Blatt. While this season he was assigned to play with the development team, Olympiacos B, his time spent with the Serbian national squad has been fruitful and excited NBA scouts. Last July, he opened the FIBA U18 European Championship with 16 points, 13 rebounds, 7 blocks, 5 assists, and 3 steals in a win against Germany. If Poku somehow slips this far to Utah, a team who flew to Athens to see him play in November, they’re in for a treat. — Aron Phillips

25. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (VIA DENVER): Jahmi’us Ramsey (6-4 Guard, Texas Tech)

CLASS: Freshman (18 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, shooting 44% from the field and 43% from three

Jahmi’us Ramsey, the highest ranked recruit to ever attend Texas Tech, finished off the 2019-20 regular season as Big 12 Freshman of the Year. He’s an explosive combo guard with a great jump shot who can create space, elevate and finish with authority at the rim. Put simply, Ramsey gets buckets. Ramsey would slot right into an Oklahoma City Thunder backcourt that has thrived under the guidance of head coach Billy Donovan and veteran point god Chris Paul. Integrated into a system with a strong track record of player development, Ramsey could carve out a role as a long-term rotation piece in OKC. — Dave Schnur

26. BOSTON CELTICS: Zeke Nnaji (6-11 Forward, Arizona)

CLASS: Freshman (19 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 16.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, shooting 57% from the field

Two Celtics picks and two Arizona Wildcats. After choosing Josh Green at 17, the Celtics can afford to take a shot on a sleeper. That comes in the form of Zeke Nnaji. I say sleeper, but he was actually much more productive than Green in their one season of college. The Minnesota native averaged 16.1 points and 8.6 rebounds (including 3.1 offensive boards, giving him the highest total in the Pac 12), while shooting 57% from the field, second best in the conference. The Celtics’ roster is filled out, but they do have one glaring need: a big man who can run the floor and play above the rim. Nnaji can do just that… and then some. He’s an elite finisher who even showed an ability to knock down jump shots. The building blocks are there for him to be an efficient three-point shooter. Nnaji still has glaring struggles on the defensive end, but with Daniel Theis, Vincent Poirier, and Robert Williams under contract next season (Enes Kanter is under a player option), there’s time for him to develop. It’s a low risk, high reward pick that could hopefully fill one of the Celtics’ few holes. Oh, and if you’re short on a pregame National Anthem performer, Zeke Nnaji can do that too.  — Ben Simon

27. NEW YORK KNICKS (VIA CLIPPERS): Jordan Nwora (6-7 Forward, Louisville)

CLASS: Junior (21 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, shooting 44% from the field and 40% from three

During the past two seasons, Jordan Nwora established himself as the go-to guy for the Louisville Cardinals and deserves to be taken in the first round of the upcoming NBA draft. At 6-7, he’s extremely versatile and has a well-rounded offensive game. Nwora led the Cards in scoring for the second straight year, averaging 18 points on 44% shooting from the field and 40% from deep. He can spread the floor and create spacing for a Knicks team that ranked dead last in total threes in 2019-20. If the Knicks take Cole Anthony at the No. 6 spot to pair with RJ Barrett, they’re going to be searching for reliable prospects like Nwora—athletic forwards who can run in transition, knock down jumpers consistently and don’t clog the paint. — Alex Squadron

28. TORONTO RAPTORS: Yves Pons (6-6 Guard, Tennessee)

CLASS: Junior (21 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 10.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, shooting 49% from the field and 35% from three

While the SEC’s DPOY doesn’t boast the numbers of other first round picks, he has elite athleticism that allows him to guard positions 1-4. Pons is another skilled defensive player, similar to OG Anunoby, who will help the Raptors in an Eastern Conference that is deep at the G/F position. At 6-6, Pons averaged 2.4 blocks per game last season. He will fit right in to Toronto’s talented bench squad. Although his defensive prowess is what will get him drafted, Pons shot 35% from the three-point line in his last season as a Volunteer. This makes him an intriguing possible deep threat, and given the Raptors’ track record of developing talent (Siakam, VanVleet, Powell), he will have a great opportunity to develop his offensive game further. — Greg Cohen

29. LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Tyrell Terry (6-1 Guard, Stanford)

CLASS: Freshman (19 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals, shooting 44% from the field and 41% from three

LeBron loves a point guard that can shoot, and Terry does just that. He’s a score-first PG who also possesses impressive passing ability. Terry is a three-level scorer and a particularly elite three-point shooter. This past season, he shot 48% on catch and shoot threes and is also capable of knocking down jumpers off the dribble. He has a very good feel for the game, knowing when to pass and when to look for his own offense. Tyrell can operate out of the pick-and-roll and moves very well off the ball, similar to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Overall, he’s a playmaker that will develop into a premier guard in the League. — Christian Quezada

30. BOSTON CELTICS (VIA MILWAUKEE): Tre Jones (6-3 Guard, Duke)

CLASS: Sophomore (20 years old)

2019-20 STATS: 16.2 points, 6.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals, shooting 42% from the field and 36% from three

The oldest position on the Celtics? Point guard. Although Kemba Walker is still earning All-Star appearances, he is less than a month away from being 30. Brad Wanamaker, despite just two years in the NBA, is already 30. Carsen Edwards provides some youth, but might be better served as an off-ball gunner. The Celtics are young and talented at pretty much every other position (center was solved with our last pick). Increased PG depth could provide a nice cushion. Tre Jones brings just that. But the 6-3, 185-pound guard is more than the prototypical backup point guard. Sure, he has a high floor. That happens when you receive ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. Not only can he contribute right away, but he has the chance to grow into a legitimate NBA starter. After shooting just 26% from three during his freshman season, he bumped his average up to 36% this year. He’s a mature, smart guard who can complement the Celtics’ stars by playing defense, facilitating, hitting open threes, and scoring when needed. With Jones and Marcus Smart, they could have one of the best defensive backcourts in the NBA. He’s already a great backup option right now, but as Walker climbs into his 30s, Jones has a chance to be the Celtics’ point guard of the future. — Ben Simon

The post SLAM’s 2020 NBA Mock Draft appeared first on SLAM.

• Dallas Mavericks – Dallas is continuing to deal with injuries. Dwight Powell is out for the season, and now Luka Doncic (ankle) and Jalen Brunson (shoulder) are nicked up. For Doncic, it doesn’t seem serious, but it is a bit troubling that he continues to have ankle troubles. Brunson has a torn labrum in his right shoulder, but he’s a lefty and is planning to try to play through it. The Mavs have lots of guard depth, but getting healthy for the playoff run is key.
• Denver Nuggets – The Nuggets aren’t catching the Lakers for the top spot in the Western Conference, but they’ve been able to hold off the Clippers and Rockets so far. A big reason why is Denver is finally healthy. With their full roster, the Nuggets are legitimately 10 deep. Mike Malone can now use the rest of the regular season to figure out his playoff rotation.

• Golden State Warriors – One star back, one star out for the Dubs. Stephen Curry’s return is right around the corner, but Klay Thompson was ruled out for the season recently. Steve Kerr will get a look at how Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins can work together over the season’s final 20 games or so, and then Thompson will slide in as a plug-and-play addition next season. Golden State also continues to cycle through 10-day players, as Dragan Bender and Mychal Mulder have both signed on recently.
• Houston Rockets – Houston is fully committed to the small-ball style. Unless Tristan Thompson is shockingly bought out in the next couple of days, the Rockets will stick with a “center” rotation of P.J. Tucker and Jeff Green, the latter of whom will sign for the rest of the season. It’s worked so far, as Houston has won five straight games. One worry: Will Tucker have enough in the tank to make this a multi-month thing in a playoff run?
• Los Angeles Clippers – Doc Rivers and a handful of players have recently intimated that it’s time for the Clippers to figure out who they are. Due to injuries, load management and recent trades/signings, LA has about a month and a half to figure out their rotation. Sure, the roster is stacked with talent. But it’s up to Rivers to figure out how all that talent fits and time is starting to running out.
• Los Angeles Lakers – Markieff Morris is now in the fold for the Lakers. That might be the final move for Los Angeles, as the buyout market has really dried up. Morris gives the Lakers some additional depth up front, and that could be key down the stretch. LA hasn’t had a real backup for Anthony Davis, as Kyle Kuzma is more of a swing forward than a true four. With Morris, Frank Vogel can now spot Davis some rest days or keep him out when the inevitable bumps and bruises come. With a 5.5-game cushion in the standings, expect the Lakers to turn the focus to being healthy and rested for the playoffs.
• Memphis Grizzlies – Memphis’ Cinderella season seems to be closing in on midnight. The Grizzlies lead for the last playoff spot in the West is down to just three games, and five teams have closed to within 4.5 games. With Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke and Justise Winslow sidelined with injuries for at least a few weeks, it’s going to be tough for Memphis to hold off the charge.
• Minnesota Timberwolves – The Wolves hope at the trade deadline was to get their new additions on the floor with Karl-Anthony Towns and get a glimpse of their future. Now, Towns is out for at least a couple of weeks with a fractured left wrist. On the flip side, Malik Beasley is playing great since getting to Minnesota. He’s averaged 21.7 PPG on nearly 42% as a Timberwolf. D’Angelo Russell got the headlines as a trade addition, but Beasley may be just as big a part of the future in Minnesota.
• New Orleans Pelicans – Have you seen this Zion kid? He’s pretty good! In all seriousness, Williamson’s debut has jolted the Pelicans into the Western Conference playoff race. New Orleans is now just three games behind Memphis. And the Pels have a very easy closing schedule. Would you like to see a Lakers vs. Pelicans series in Round 1? Us too!

• Oklahoma City Thunder – The Thunder have gone from a nice story to a full-scale playoff team. Did you know OKC is only four games behind for the two-seed? Didn’t think so. And they’re getting some wings back, as Terrance Ferguson and Hamidou Diallo are both healthy now. Neither is a star, but for a team that needs wing depth, they’ll take what they can get.
• Phoenix Suns – Phoenix simply can’t have nice things. Deandre Ayton is back and dominating. Key veterans Aron Baynes and Ricky Rubio are healthy. Devin Booker is an All-Star. So, of course, they lose a key player to injury. Kelly Oubre Jr., who was having a career-year, suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and will likely miss the rest of the season. Oubre is seeking a second opinion, but the Suns are preparing for life without him.
• Portland Trail Blazers – Even without Damian Lillard, the Blazers have hung around the playoff race. Portland is three games behind Memphis and they have one of the easier closing schedules left. There is still no clear return timetable for Jusuf Nurkic or Zach Collins, but if the Trail Blazers can hang in there, they’ll add as much talent as anyone for the final playoff push.

• Sacramento Kings – The Kings are making an improbable run at the playoffs. Sacramento has gone 6-4 over their last 10 games to get back in the race. Luke Walton’s lineup swap of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield has worked as well. Bogdanovic has averaged 14.2 PPG as a starter, while Hield has been instant-offense off the bench at 20.2 PPG on 48.9% from behind the arc.
• San Antonio Spurs – San Antonio is scratching and clawing to extend their playoff streak to 24 years. They’ve been passed by New Orleans in the standings, which means the Spurs will have to pass the Pelicans, Trail Blazers and Grizzlies to get into the postseason. Gregg Popovich is leaning heavily on LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan, but is finally getting improved play from the Spurs role players. It’s a tall task, but bet against San Antonio at your own peril.
• Utah Jazz – To put it simply, the Jazz are a mess right now. Utah has lost four straight games and this week Quin Snyder made a messy lineup shuffle. On Wednesday morning, Mike Conley was informed he’d go back to the bench and Royce O’Neale would open games again. By the time players showed up at the arena, Conley was back in the opening group and Joe Ingles was coming off the bench. That confusing back-and-forth sums up where the Jazz are at right now.

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The Mavs, hard up for frontcourt depth following Dwight Powell’s season-ending Achilles injury, were said to be acquiring Justin Patton from the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier today with the intention of waiving him and creating a roster spot.

Those moves, the trade and release, will have to be completed before the Mavs can take on Cauley-Stein.

In exchange for Cauley-Stein, the Mavs are sending the Warriors a 2020 second-round pick initially belonging to Utah.

The move gives Dallas a formidable five to start alongside Kristaps Porzingis who has played almost exclusively on the perimeter this season and at 26 years old Cauley-Stein could potentially stick with the franchise beyond this season.

Cauley-Stein has a player option for 2020-21 that he may not be inclined to expect given that it’s worth just $2.3M. The big man has averaged 7.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 41 contests with the Warriors this season, a slight regression from his previous two seasons with the Sacramento Kings.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Mavs are able to accommodate Cauley-Stein’s contract by utilizing a trade exception initially acquired in their Harrison Barnes trade last season. They wouldn’t have been able to on-board him otherwise since his deal is worth slightly more than the veteran’s minimum.

By unloading Cauley-Stein, the Warriors are able to inch further below the hard cap while freeing up a roster spot. Given that the team has long been interested in converting Ky Bowman’s deal to a standard pact, this would allow them the funds and roster space to do so.

The Warriors had been content with 14 players because they didn’t have the financial flexibility to easily accommodate a 15th player. With Cauley-Stein headed to Dallas and no incoming salary coming back, they could even add that 15th. Marquese Chriss is the other Warriors player on a two-way contract.

The post Mavs To Acquire Willie Cauley-Stein In Trade appeared first on SLAM.

Heading to OKC in the swap is rookie forward Isaiah Roby while the Mavs additionally collect cash considerations.

The move gives Dallas a big body as they cope with the season-ending loss of Dwight Powell but they may not keep him. Tim Cato of The Athletic writes that the team may cut Patton to free up a roster spot.

While Patton has struggled with his own health issues over the years, he’s averaged 12.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in 23 contests with Oklahoma City’s G League affiliate in 2019-20.

If the Mavs choose to waive Patton because his 2020-21 contract year is non-guaranteed, they’d have a roster spot with which to pursue an available free agent. Earlier this week there were reports that the Mavs had reached out to Joakim Noah.

Swapping Patton for Roby will provide the Thunder modest cap relief. Roby’s 2020-21 contract year, however, is guaranteed at $1.5M.

The post Mavs Acquire Justin Patton In Trade appeared first on SLAM.

The Mavs are also considering several other options from the G League and overseas but have been in touch with Noah specifically. The team does have concerns about the 34-year-old’s health but he proved during a brief stint with the Memphis Grizzlies last year that he’s still capable of providing quality minutes.

Noah worked out with several contenders prior to the regular season, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, but didn’t end up signing a deal.

If the Mavericks do decide to pursue the former Chicago Bulls star, they could utilize him in the middle similarly to how they played Powell alongside star forward Kristaps Porzingis.

The Mavs aren’t at risk of dipping into luxury tax territory but if they wanted to bring Noah aboard they’d need to free up a roster spot. With only Powell and Ryan Broekhoff sidelined, it’s unclear how they would make a case for a temporary hardship exception, which requires four players out for a significant amount of time.

The club could get down to 14 players by buying out veterans Courtney Lee or J.J. Barea but the latter has been a Mavs mainstay for much of the past decade and the former could be an important trade chip ahead of the deadline.

The team could also consider parting ways with sophomore forward and pending restricted free agent Ryan Broekhoff as he recovers from a leg fracture.

The Mavs, of course, could also free up a roster slot in a trade or ultimately just decide to stay pat and hope to fill Powell’s contributions from within their current roster.

The post Shorthanded Mavs Have Contacted Joakim Noah appeared first on SLAM.

A non-contact Achilles injury sustained in the first quarter of the Dallas Mavericks’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers could sideline Dwight Powell for the remainder of the 2019-20 campaign, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reports.

The team seeks to confirm the severity of Powell’s Achilles injury in an MRI on Wednesday but the initial prognosis is grim. Powell set out to drive from the top of the key when he suffered the injury on his right leg. A replay of the big man’s calf reacting to the Achilles injury made its rounds shortly thereafter.

The 28-year-old Powell has been a tremendous rotation piece for a Mavs team that continues to raise its ceiling in the NBA playoff picture, he’s an athletic, powerful center that complements stretch four Kristaps Porzingis in the team’s starting lineup.

Powell has averaged 9.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season and will be missed if the MRI confirms what the franchise is bracing for.

“It’s a somber night with Dwight’s situation,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle told MacMahon and the rest of the media. “He’s going to have an MRI tomorrow. Right Achilles injury feared to be severe, but we won’t know for sure until the diagnostic tests are done. It’s a real tough one“.

The post Dwight Powell Feared Out For Season With Achilles Injury appeared first on SLAM.

In this post, just one of a series of 30, we’ll break down the reports that have started to trickle out about Mavs players that may or may not be on the move. While there’s no guarantee when it comes to a league as wild as the modern NBA, it doesn’t hurt to brush up on each squad’s roster as the deadline draws near.

Players Unlikely To Be Traded

• Kristaps Porzingis
• Luka Doncic

A pair of trades gave the Mavericks their building blocks of the future. The team dealt away a future first-round pick in order to move up in the 2018 draft and select Luka Doncic. Then, prior to last season’s trade deadline, Dallas traded future draft picks to obtain Kristaps Porzingis from New York. It’s unlikely the team makes as big of a splash at this year’s deadline and it’s even more unlikely that it deals away either franchise player.

Biggest Name Available On Market

• Tim Hardaway Jr.

A move to the starting lineup back in November was the catalyst to Tim Hardaway Jr.’s revived season. In 24 starts this year, the wing is averaging 16.0 points per game while making 42.7% of his shots from downtown. 

He’s making $20M this season as a result of the contract the Knicks gave him back in 2017 and the 15% trade kicker that came with it. The uncertainty that comes with THJ could play a factor in teams taking on his deal. He has a player option worth $19M next season and there’s no word on whether he plans to pick it up.

Logical Trade Pieces

• Courtney Lee

Courtney Lee is making $12.8M in the final year of his contract. He came over in the Porzingis deal, though no one really expected him to be a member of the squad long-term. The 34-year-old has played sparingly for the Mavs, appearing in just 10 games this season. His mid-sized salary along with the fact that he doesn’t have a role on the team, makes him a major candidate to be moved. 

Trades Are Possible

• Dwight Powell
• Delon Wright
• Maxi Kleber
• Seth Curry
• Dorian Finney-Smith
• Justin Jackson
• J.J. Barea
• Isaiah Roby
• Jalen Brunson
• Ryan Broekhoff

Dwight Powell inked an extension with the Mavs this past offseason on a deal that will keep him under team control through the 2022-23 season. He’s having another one of his signature under-the-radar, yet efficient campaigns, as he’s currently sixth in the league in true shooting percentage. Delon Wright is having a nice first season in Dallas. He’s seeing 20.8 minutes per game, helping the Mavericks to have one of the better benches in the league. Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith each became trade eligible on January 15, as the team re-signed both players this offseason using some version of Bird rights. Seth Curry’s $32M contract runs through the 2022-23 season. He’s having another fine season from behind the arc. Justin Jackson came to the Mavs in the Harrison Barnes deal last year and in his first full season with the club, he’s seeing just under 16 minutes per game. Long-time Maverick J.J. Barea has the right to veto any trade, as he re-signed on a one-year deal with the club. 2019 second-round pick Isaiah Roby hasn’t yet appeared in an NBA game. The forward is mostly gaining experience with the Texas Legends of the G League. former second-round pick Jalen Brunson has two more years left on his deal, though his contract in 2021-22 is non-guaranteed. Ryan Broekhoff saw action in 10 games for the Mavs before breaking his fibula. There is no timetable for his return.

The post 2020 NBA Trade Deadline Primer: Dallas Mavericks appeared first on SLAM.

The Jazz continued their impressive play, defeating the Nets on the road to win their 10th in a row. Joe Ingles led the way with 27 points on 10-14 shooting and 6-8 from three. Donovan Mitchell added 25 points, and Rudy Gobert finished with 22 points and 18 rebounds. For Brooklyn, Kyrie Irving dropped 32 points to go along with 11 assists in his second game back from injury.

Hawks 123 (9-32), Suns 110 (16-24)

Trae Young was cooking in Atlanta, finishing with 36 points and 10 assists in the Hawks win. Kevin Huerter stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists, and John Collins added 22 points on 10-16 shooting and 10 rebounds. For Phoenix, Devin Booker continued his red-hot scoring, finishing with a game-high 39 points in the loss. DeAndre Ayton added 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

Grizzlies 121 (19-22), Rockets 110 (26-13)

Ja Morant put on an absolute show in Memphis, leading the Grizzlies to their 6th win in a row. Morant finished with 26 points and 8 assists on 10-11 shooting, including a handful of show-stopping highlight plays. The rookie is turning into a star right before our eyes.

For Houston, James Harden dropped 41 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the loss.

Bucks 128 (36-6), Knicks 102 (11-30)

The Greek Freak completely dominated the Knicks, scoring 37 points in just 21 minutes. Khris Middleton added 17 points in the Bucks blowout win. The Knicks were lead by Julius Randle, who had 25 points and 15 rebounds, and RJ Barrett, who dropped 22 points in the loss.

Clippers 128 (28-13), Cavaliers 103 (12-29)

Kawhi went off for 43 points on 14-22 shooting and 6-10 from three to lead the Clippers to the blowout win. Lou Will added 24 points off the bench. Cleveland was lead by Collin Sexton, who dropped 25 in the loss.

Mavericks 124 (25-15), Warriors 97 (9-32)

The Mavericks dominated the Warriors throughout to secure their 25th win of the season. Dallas was lead by Dwight Powell, who dropped 21 points on 9-9 shooting, and Luka Doncic, who added 20 points.

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Houston won in a blowout despite 11 TOs from James Harden. The Rockets outscored the Wolves by 14 in the second quarter to take a 16-point lead into halftime, and led by as much as 41 during the fourth.

James Harden dropped a game-high 32 points with 12 boards and 8 dimes. Russell Westbrook added 30 points and 10 dimes.

Pelicans 105 (14-26, Celtics 140 (26-11)

Boston dominated from the first quarter, taking a 17-point lead into the second. The Celtics would grow the lead to as much as 37 points during the third quarter.

Jayson Tatum need just three quarters to drop a career-high 41 points on 16-22 shooting.

Bulls 108 (14-26), Pistons 99 (14-26)

After taking the lead with 4:36 left in the first quarter, Chicago wouldn’t trail for the rest of the game, eventually snapping a 6-game losing streak.

Zach LaVine dropped a game-high 25 points with 6 dimes.

Lakers 125 (32-7), Thunder 110 (22-17)

No LeBron, AD and Danny Green, no problem. The Lakers led the entire game, and by as much as 32 points during the third quarter.

Kyle Kuzma dropped a game-high 36 points with 7 boards. Rajon Rondo added 21 points with 12 boards and 8 dimes.

The Lakers have won 8 straight games.

Sixers 91 (25-15), Mavs 109 (24-15)

Dallas outscored the Joel Embiid-less Sixers by 27 points during the second half.

Luka Doncic dropped a team-high 19 points with 12 dimes and 8 boards. Dwight Powell added 19 points with 12 boards.

Cavs 111 (12-27), Nuggets 103 (26-12)

Cleveland blew a 17-point fourth quarter lead, but was able to hold on when it mattered most.

Kevin Love dropped 19 points with 15 boards. Collin Sexton added a game-high 25 points.

Bucks 122 (35-6), Blazers 101 (16-24)

Milwaukee took the lead with 6:25 left in the first quarter, and did not trail for the rest of the game. The Bucks would go up by as much as 25 points during the fourth quarter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped a game-high 32 points with 17 boards and 6 dimes. Khris Middleton added 30 points on 11-17 shooting.

The post Post Up: Lakers Rout Thunder Without LeBron, Anthony Davis appeared first on SLAM.

Carmelo Anthony (20 points), Hassan Whiteside (22), Dame Lillard (24) and CJ McCollum (33) led the way as the Trail Blazers shot a blistering 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep.

Portland improved to 4-3 since signing Anthony.

Warriors 91 (4-19), Hornets 106 (9-14)

Terry Rozier got the Hornets rolling early with 12 points in the first quarter and Devonte Graham finished the visitors off with 10 made 3’s en route to a 33-point night. Graham’s 10 3’s tied a franchise-record.

D’Angelo Russell scored 18 points in 25 minutes of action — his first game since Nov. 15 — but it wasn’t enough for the struggling Warriors.

Bucks 127 (19-3), Pistons 103 (8-14)

Giannis Antetokounmpo only needed 28 minutes to put up 35 points (4-for-8 from 3), nine rebounds and two blocks as the Bucks won their 13th straight contest.

Andre Drummond had the highlight of the night, dunking over Antetokounmpo and Robin Lopez. He finished the night with 23 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks.

Suns 114 (9-11), Magic 128 (10-11)

Aaron Gordon shot 5-for-5 from deep and 13-for-15 overall as he clocked out with 32 points, five assists and five rebounds. Evan Fournier added another 21 to help lead the Magic.

Frank Kaminsky scored 21 points in the first half for Phoenix, but he cooled off after the intermission, finishing with just 23.

Lakers 121 (19-3), Jazz (12-10)

There were complaints about the Lakers’ strength of schedule (or lack thereof) to open this season, but back-to-back wins over Denver and Utah have put doubts of Los Angeles’ legitimacy to bed.

Anthony Davis scored 26 on only 11 shots and LeBron turned in 20 points and 12 dimes in just 29 minutes. Rajon Rondo moved up to 17th all-time on the NBA’s assists leaderboard.

Nets 130 (11-10), Hawks 118 (5-17)

Taurean Prince shined against his former team, scoring 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting.

The Nets trailed be four to the end first quarter, but a second quarter surge made the difference in what was an otherwise close game the rest of the way.

Trae Young scored a game-high 39 points and dished out 10 dimes.

Heat 93 (15-6), Celtics (15-5)

Jimmy Butler followed up his triple-double from the previous night with a game-high 37; however, a combined 59-point outing from Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown was too much for his team to overcome.

Grizzlies 99 (6-15), Bulls 106 (8-14)

Zach LaVine continued to shine, scoring a team-high 25 points. All four other Chicago starters (Satoransky: 13 points, Kris Dunn: 10, Wendell Carter Jr.: 16, Lauri Markkanen: 15) scored double-digit points.

The Grizzlies struggled to get its backcourt going as Ja Morant missed his third game due to injury.

Pacers 107 (14-7), Thunder 100 (8-12)

Seven Pacers scored double-digit points as TJ Warren’s 24 led the way.

Steven Adams had 20 on 8-for-8 shooting to lead OKC.

Timberwolves 114 (10-10), Mavericks 121 (15-6)

Dallas’ bench got hot in the fourth quarter — Jalen Brunson was a team-best + 21 with 16 points — as the Mavs closed out the final period with 41 points.

Luka Doncic turned in 22 points, six assists and seven boards to keep the Mavs hot. Dwight Powell added 24 on 9-for-9 shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points, nine boards and seven assists for Minnesota.

The post Post Up: LeBron, Lakers Blow Out Jazz, Bucks Win 13th Straight appeared first on SLAM.

Heat 108 (8-3), Cavaliers 97 (4-7)

How can you not love this Heat team? With a hard-working culture cultivated by coach Erik Spoelstra and enforced by star Jimmy Butler, the Heat have gotten off to an excellent start to the season. Rookie sensation Kendrick Nunn did it again, going for 23 points, five rebounds, eight assists and two steals.

The Cavs have performed above expectations thus far this season, and it’s great to see Kevin Love back to his old double-double ways (he dropped 21 points, 10 boards and four steals).

Pelicans 132 (3-8), Clippers 127 (7-5)

Jrue Holiday (36 points, seven assists, six steals) and Derrick Favors (20 points, 20 boards) spoiled Paul George’s first game as a Clipper in a stunning upset.

George stuffed the stat sheet in his debut with 33 points, nine rebounds and four assists with a perfect 10-10 from the free throw stripe in only 24 minutes, but it simply was not enough.

Bucks 124 (8-3), Bulls 115 (4-8)

Giannis Antetokounmpo continued his stellar campaign, taking care of business against the Bulls by scoring 38 points, inhaling 16 rebounds and swiping three steals. The Greek Freak is on another level right now, and there’s nothing anybody can do to stop him.

For the Bulls, rookie Coby White once again showed his high-confidence, shooting 23 times and scoring 26 points off the bench, while Zach LaVine chipped in 25 points, seven assists and three steals.

Knicks 106 (3-9), Mavericks 103 (6-5)

What a thriller! Anytime a star player returns to the city they left, there are usually some fireworks, and this game did not disappoint. We had Frankie Smokes and Luka Doncic fighting for a loose ball, Dwight Powell tipping a shot with 0.1 seconds left on the shot clock, deafening boos and finally, an icy Marcus Morris step-back dagger to seal the Knicks win.

In what is becoming a regular occurance, Luka indeed dropped another triple double with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, while Porzingis added 20 points, 11 boards and three blocks.

Behind a balanced Knicks effort led by Morris’ 20 points, The Garden was rocking once again.

Suns 128 (7-4), Hawks 112 (4-7)

The Phoenix Suns, man. They were completely disrespected all preseason, and have been taking care of business so far. Kelly Oubre (a League Fits stud by the way) scored 30 points, while Devin Booker (27 points) and Dario Saric (23 points) followed suit.

It was not one of Trae Young’s more efficient games, but the man still put up 21 points, 13 assists and two steals. A respectable effort amidst defeat.

Nuggets 101 (8-3), Nets 93 (4-7)

In a very rare occurrence this season, not one player in this game scored at least 20 points. And while the aesthetics haven’t been pretty, the Nuggets keep gutting out wins. Nikola Jokic contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds, which are modest numbers for the Serbian stud, but hey, whatever it takes.

Expectations were slightly tempered for the Nets because of a certain 6’11 superstar-sized gaping hole in the lineup. A 4-7 start though causes for some mild concern, especially with guard Caris LeVert missing a month of action due to injury. The team lacks shot creation and playmaking outside of Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie, and they just haven’t been able to click as of yet. Definitely a situation to monitor.

The post Post Up: Knicks Beat Mavs in Madison Square Garden Thriller appeared first on SLAM.

We’ve broken down the overall ratings for each player and sorted them by team so that you can see how your squad stacks up against the rest of the league.

Dallas Mavericks NBA 2K20 Ratings

This table is updated as of Nov. 22, 2019

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Below is a list of the contract types the Dallas Mavericks have heading into training camp. This resource will be updated as players are signed and waived. Check back often to see if your team’s roster configuration has changed.

Dallas Mavericks

For a complete list of all the NBA teams and links to each team’s roster breakdown, check out our 2019 NBA Training Camp Index. Follow the curators of this database, Chris Crouse and Austin Kent, on Twitter.

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The post Dallas Mavericks Roster Count: 2019 Training Camp appeared first on SLAM.

Powell’s extension will be worth a total of $33 million and in 2019-20, the last year of his previous deal, he’ll earn $10.3 million.

Over the course of the past five years, Powell has established himself as a solid reserve capable of producing called upon. He projects as a solid fit in Dallas’ front court next to Kristaps Porzingis.

Initially it was reported that Powell would decline his 2019-20 player option in order to pursue a longer deal with the Mavs but that report was ultimately shot down. The end result, Powell inking an extension to keep him in town long term, is more or less the same.

The post Mavs To Sign Dwight Powell To Three-Year Extension appeared first on SLAM.

Tim MacMahon of ESPN has corroborated Townsend’s account, adding that Powell is an ideal frontcourt pairing to roster alongside Kristaps Porzingis. Powell averaged 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for the Mavs this season, solid production given that he played just north of 20 minutes per contest.

If the 27-year-old inks an extension with the franchise, he could stay with the team through the 2023-24 season, although the two parties could explore shorter deals as well.

In April, Mavs owner Mark Cuban mentioned in a radio interview that he would like to extend Powell for three seasons (h/t Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors).

With Powell’s contract on the books for 2019-20, ESPN’s Bobby Marks figures that the Mavs will have between $29 and $30 million in cap space.

The post Dwight Powell To Opt-In, Sign Extension With Mavs appeared first on SLAM.

Dallas Mavericks big man Dwight Powell will decline his player option for the 2019-20 season, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports. The 27-year-old forward was on track to make $10.2 million next season.

Powell’s decision to turn down eight digits despite playing just a shade over 20 minutes per game last season is an interesting move, although an understandable one given that the Mavs will have significant cap space this summer.

Per Haynes, Powell’s priority is returning to Dallas and the club may be amenable to locking him down to a multiyear deal before they fill out the rest of their rotation around Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.

Further, removing Powell’s $10.2 million cap hit this summer will open additional cap space and flexibility for the franchise that will not only need to handle Porzingis’ pending restricted free agency but potentially make a run at a max-level free agent as well.

Powell averaged 17.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per 36 minutes this season and can stretch the floor, so his appeal as a rotation piece is obvious.

The post Dwight Powell To Decline 2019-20 Player Option appeared first on SLAM.

In newer kicks, Devin Booker and Chris Paul both wore “All-Star” colorways with Book rocking the Nike Zoom Kobe 4 Protro Paul wore his signature Jordan CP3.XI. Deandre Ayton continued the All-Star theme with his Puma Uproar and LeBron James also wore a mismatched pair as he brought out a Lakers PE of his Nike LeBron 16.

We’ve got close to 40 kicks from last night’s action so make sure you take a moment and check out the rest of the NBA’s best kicks.

Photos via Getty Images

The post NBA Kicks of the Night appeared first on SLAM.

Nowitzki says Doncic’s court vision and passing at such a young age is something he’s never seen during his 20-year NBA career.

.@swish41 On @luka7doncic: He's Incredible; Better Than Me At 19: https://t.co/TPA7mEUIU0 pic.twitter.com/GvXqaEuzJM

— 105.3 The FAN (@1053thefan) September 11, 2018

Dirk adds, however, that he doesn’t want to put undue pressure on the rook.

Per 105.3 The Fan:

“Yeah, he’s been here now for a week,” Nowitzki said. “He’s scrimmaged every day and works hard. I’m really liking what I’m seeing. He’s incredible with the ball for a big guy. He’s unbelievable in pick and roll play. His court vision is already unbelievable. I couldn’t believe what I saw from a 19/20-year-old. He’s a good shooter when he has time and I think he’s going to be great for us for a long long time.

“Obviously, I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, either. But coming over from a different country, I went through the same thing 20 years ago. It’s tough. You have to adjust to a lot of things. For me, that took a whole year. That year was really really tough.

“He’s an incredible talent. His court vision and passing for his size at his age is something I’ve never seen in my 20 years.”

Is he better than you when you were 19?

“Oh yeah. I could shoot a little bit but I never had the court vision … the savviness that he brings to the game. Just the way he already reads the pick and roll … all the stuff like Chris Paul and these guys do … He’s going to be fun to watch especially with bigs like DeAndre (Jordan) and Dwight (Powell) rolling to the rim … He’s going to pick defenses apart and it’s going to be fun to watch.”

Related
Luka Doncic is the Best International Prospect EVER

The post Dirk Nowitzki Says Luka Doncic is Better Than He Was at 19 appeared first on SLAM.

The Rockets beat the Clippers to finish a perfect February and win their 14th in a row. But what fans will really remember was a play in the first quarter when James Harden pulled off one of the most disrespectful moves you’ll ever see.

JAMES HARDEN. This is legendary. (via @HoustonRockets) pic.twitter.com/KVo9iIlqtE

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) March 1, 2018

A closer look:

Just look at this. pic.twitter.com/6PvsrOMgkx

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) March 1, 2018

That shouldn’t be allowed. The Rockets jumped all over the Clippers early, and while L.A. was able to cut the deficit to a respectable margin in the second half, Houston was never truly threatened. Harden had 25 to lead the way and Tobias Harris had 24 for the Clippers.

Pistons 110 (29-32), Bucks 87 (33-28)

Andre Drummond had 15 points and 16 rebounds as the Pistons dominated the Bucks inside en route to a 23-point victory. Overall, Detroit out-rebounded Milwaukee 57-35 and outscored the Bucks 56-34 in the paint. Eric Bledsoe and Stanley Johnson each had 19 points to lead all scorers.

There aren’t many who are more fun to watch than Giannis (via @Bucks) pic.twitter.com/yTttJkmNCk

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) March 1, 2018

Raptors 117 (43-17), Magic 104 (18-43)

Toronto’s red-hot stretch continued as DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points to lead the Raptors to their 11th win in 13 games. Kyle Lowry had 17 more on 4-8 shooting from three and Toronto shot 54 percent from the field overall. In a game that was close most of the way, the Raptors closed on a 20-8 run. Evan Fournier and Mario Hezonja each had 17 to lead the Magic.

Mario! (via @nba) pic.twitter.com/nKUQDgtUry

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) March 1, 2018

Hawks 107 (19-43), Pacers 102 (34-27)

After the Hawks mascot and Victor Oladipo engaged in a heated game of rock, paper, scissors, Atlanta pulled off a close win in a game that left Pacers coach Nate McMillan frustrated. McMillan said the Pacers got outworked, and to make matters worse, they committed 24 turnovers. Bojan Bogdanovic had 26 to lead the Pacers and John Collins had 16 for Atlanta.

Celtics 134 (44-19), Hornets 106 (28-34)

Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker dueled in the first half, each putting up more than 20 points, but Irving and the Celtics got the better of Charlotte in the second half. The Celtics outscored the Hornets 36-20 in the third quarter to take control and they never looked back. Irving had 34 points on 13-18 shooting and Walker finished with 23. The Celtics are now 4-0 since the All-Star Break.

Kyrie. Stop. (via @celtics) pic.twitter.com/vhuz7G6OKk

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) March 1, 2018

Warriors 109 (48-14), Wizards 101 (36-26)

Kevin Durant had 32 points in a homecoming game in DC to help the Warriors hold off the Wizards. Otto Porter Jr. had 29 to lead Washington, but as a team, the Wizards shot just 40 percent. Golden State has now won four in a row and seven out of eight.

Steph KD (via @warriors) pic.twitter.com/4R350gc4r6

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) March 1, 2018

Suns 110 (19-44), Grizzlies 102 (18-42)

It took until the last day of the month, but the Suns finally won a game in February. They snapped their 10-game losing streak behind 34 points from Devin Booker and 29 from Josh Jackson. On the other side, the Grizzlies have now lost 11 in a row and went 0-for-February. They were led by Marc Gasol, who had 22 points and 13 rebounds.

If Books hands were an emoji…

pic.twitter.com/IvGBqvH5fb

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 1, 2018

Thunder 111 (36-27), Mavericks 110 (OT) (19-43)

Dwight Powell sent the game to overtime on a put-back at the buzzer, but Russell Westbrook won it for the Thunder in the extra session on a three-point play. Westbrook finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. Powell had a career-high 21 points and Harrison Barnes led Dallas with 26. Dirk Nowitzki had 12 more and became the sixth player in NBA history to surpass 31,000 points in his career.

Dwight Powell. Third chance. At the buzzer. (via @nba) pic.twitter.com/fxeUgzvQQO

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) March 1, 2018

Pelicans 121 (35-26), Spurs 116 (36-26)

The Pelicans trailed by as many as 15, but outscored the Spurs 34-21 in the fourth quarter to come back and win. Even worse for the already-short-handed Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge went down with an ankle injury in the first half and did not return. Anthony Davis had 26 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Pelicans, who have now won seven in a row. Rudy Gay had 19 for the Spurs.

Finish strong #DoItBig pic.twitter.com/dX76qh9xVi

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 1, 2018

The post Post Up: Blatant Disrespect appeared first on SLAM.

The Raps just keep rolling at home. They used a monster third quarter to overcome a slow start and build a lead that would hold, albeit barely, for the rest of the night.

Kyle Lowry breaking out the HORSE buzzer-beater (via @TheRenderNBA) pic.twitter.com/a7yXiGL4Te

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2018

Toronto led by 17 at the end of three and looked poised to run away with this one, but the Heat didn’t go away. Miami used a furious 16-2 run to make this one a game and cut the deficit to 114-112 with under seven seconds to go on a Wayne Ellington three. After C.J. Miles split a pair of free throws, the Heat had a chance to send this one to overtime but Josh Richardson‘s heave hit off the back rim.

DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined to score 49 points to pace the Raptors while Goran Dragic (28 points) and the Miami bench (52 points) led the way for the Heat.

Cavaliers 120 (34-22), Thunder 112 (32-26)

The revamped Cavs have only played two games with each other but, so far, they’re making GM Koby Altman look like a genius. Cleveland was in control basically from start to finish and got contributions from the whole roster. LeBron (37 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists) did LeBron things but it was the play of JR Smith (18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three) and some of the new pickups that allowed Cleveland to hold off the Thunder.

Jordan Clarkson hit him with the 2K step-back. (via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/x9pPtYEaSA

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2018

There’s no doubt this Cavs team is more dedicated on the defensive end than the pre-deadline Cavs were, and also just seems to be having more fun. It also helps that they got a lot younger and much more athletic. Oklahoma City got 21+ points from each of the Core Four of Russ (also had 12 assists), PG, Melo and Steven Adams (had 17 rebounds) but only had 20 points from the rest of the roster.

Bucks 97 (32-24), Hawks 92 (18-40)

It wasn’t the most impressive W for the Bucks, who almost blew a 13-point fourth quarter lead, but it kept Milwaukee’s strong play under interim head coach Joe Prunty going. The Bucks have won nine of their last 11 games, with the hot stretch starting the day Jason Kidd was fired.

Bari with the double poster! (photo via Getty Images) pic.twitter.com/heA0Y8QVsd

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2018

Giannis Antetokounmpo (15 points, 15 rebounds) and Khris Middleton (21 points, 7 rebounds) provided most of the scoring, with recent acquisition Tyler Zeller adding 14 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. Atlanta shot just 38 percent from the field.

Rockets 126 (43-13), Timberwolves 108 (35-25)

When James Harden scores 34 points, dishes out 13 assists and commits only one turnover, the Rockets are almost unstoppable. The Timberwolves experienced that firsthand. Houston popped 22 threes on just 47 attempts, with both Harden and Ryan Anderson hitting 6 triples apiece. Also, as Rockets GM Daryl Morey noted, they made history.

The game tonight was a great reminder how special this group is. A different player steps up every night. The 10 three-pointers made in the 4th quarter are an NBA record.

— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) February 14, 2018

Minnesota, of all teams, is pretty well constructed to match up with the Rockets but even the Timberwolves couldn’t stop them tonight. The win moves Houston to within a half-game of the Warriors for the top spot in the West. Karl-Anthony Towns scored an efficient 35 points on 12-of-16 shooting (with 12 rebounds) to lead the way for the home team.

Kings 114 (18-38), Mavericks 109 (18-40)

In a lost season for the Kings, Zach Randolph has been a bright spot. The veteran forward has expanded his range significantly and keeps getting buckets as one of the elder statesman on such a young Sacramento team. His 22 points (in 26 minutes) helped the Kings build an insurmountable halftime lead. Standout rookie Bogdan Bogdanovic helped out with 19. Sacramento had a season-high 30 assists on 47 field goals.

Vince is ageless (via @SacramentoKings) pic.twitter.com/pdglh3jpUZ

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2018

Six Mavericks scored in double figures with J.J. Barea (19 points, 13 assists) the high man. Dwight Powell — who has seen his role increase as of late — scored 18 points for his fifth 17+ point performance in his last six games.

Nuggets 117 (31-26), Spurs 109 (35-24)

The Spurs fell victim to the dreaded “second half of a back-to-back in Denver” and just ran out of gas in the fourth quarter after playing well for 36 minutes. With LaMarcus Aldridge out until after the All-Star break and Manu Ginobili leaving the game early with a sore right foot, San Antonio just didn’t have many healthy bodies left by the end of this one.

Denver’s starting to pull away… (via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/1oLVVfIDYn

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2018

Tony Parker (17 points) and Joffrey Lauvergne (26 points on 12-of-15 shooting with 12 rebounds) were the only two Spurs who were good from start to finish on Tuesday night, and it wasn’t enough. Another triple-double for Nikola Jokic (of the 23-13-11 variety) and 20 points from Will Barton helped put the Nuggets over the top and continue their dominance at Pepsi Center this season, with Denver improving to 23-7 at home.

The post Post Up: The Land Is Back appeared first on SLAM.

Tobias Harris, in his first game as a Clipper, and Danilo Gallinari each scored 24 points to fend off the pesky Bulls. Chicago hung around thanks to 21 points from Zach LaVine, but they couldn’t get over the hump and have now lost six straight games.

Pistons 111 (25-26), Heat 107 (29-24)

Andre Drummond showed up big time today, registering 23 points, 20 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. The Pistons were able to overcome nine ties and eight lead changes, as well as a 33-point performance from first-time All-Star Goran Dragic. Ish Smith scored 25 points and Blake Griffin, in his second game with Detroit, added 16 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.

Pacers 100 (30-24), Sixers 92 (25-25)

The Pacers got their sixth straight home win behind Victor Oladipo and Bojan Bogdanovic, who each scored 19 points. Lance Stephenson added 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal.

Wizards 115 (30-22), Magic 98 (15-36)

Five Wizards scored in double-figures. Washington, now winners of four straight, built a 24-point lead by dishing out 35 assists.

Rockets 120 (38-13), Cavs 88 (30-21)

Chris Paul had 22 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds. And while that’s not the most insane stat line, the 32-year-old dominated the entire game. He started by hitting his first four three-pointers and went on to completely control the tempo, carving up the Cavs’ defense at every chance he got.

Timberwolves 118 (34-22), Pelicans 107 (28-24)

Anthony Davis fought hard, delivering a 38-point performance. But the Wolves never trailed in this game. Jimmy Butler had 30 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 16 boards and Andrew Wiggins scored 15 points.

Jazz 120 (24-28), Spurs 111 (34-21)

Ricky Rubio was blazing hot in the first half, scoring 23 points. He wound up with 34 for the game as the Jazz successfully fought off a furious Spurs comeback in the second half.

Nuggets 115 (28-25), Warriors 108 (41-12)

Will Barton had 25 points, leading the way for five Nuggets that all scored at least 15 points. Denver outscored GSW 38-25 in the fourth quarter. Barton and Jamal Murray combined to score 18 of those fourth quarter points. They knocked off the Warriors one game after beating the Thunder.

Mavs 106 (17-36), Kings 99 (16-36)

The Mavs held the Kings to just 14-fourth quarter points. Harrison Barnes had 18 points, JJ Barea had 11 assists and Dwight Powell pulled down 9 rebounds in the win.

The post Post Up: Chris Paul Demolishes the Cavs, Warriors Lose in Denver appeared first on SLAM.

The Celtics spoiled Isaiah Thomas’s return to Boston thanks to 20 points from Terry Rozier and 15 each from Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart. Thomas played his first game of the season for Cleveland on Tuesday night and rested on Wednesday as he watched his current team battle his former team. LeBron James had 19 to lead Cleveland, but the Cavs shot just 35 percent for the game.

Easy to forget he’s a rookie. (via @celtics) pic.twitter.com/dRpgyT5FsN

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 4, 2018

Wizards 121 (22-16), Knicks 103 (18-20)

Bradley Beal scored 27 points and John Wall had 25 as the Wizards handed the Knicks their sixth loss in seven games. The Wizards led by one at halftime before a 26-14 third quarter opened things up. Michael Beasley scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half, but the Knicks never drew closer than 15 points in the final quarter. Marcin Gortat also had 21 for Washington on 9-10 shooting.

HELLO. @JohnWall #NBAVote #WizKnicks pic.twitter.com/2We2HThIDK

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 4, 2018

Rockets 116 (27-9), Magic 98 (12-27)

Gerald Green scored 27 points to help the James Harden-less Rockets to their second straight win. Green hit his first five three-point attempts and finished the game 7-10 from deep in a game that was never really close. The Magic scored just 12 points in the first quarter and were led by Aaron Gordon, who had 16.

7-0 run for the squad #Rockets lead 80-52. #RunAsOne pic.twitter.com/5nPfAUabRf

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) January 4, 2018

76ers 112 (18-19), Spurs 106 (26-13)

The 76ers initially ruled Joel Embiid out of this one, but Embiid played through it and Philly was glad he did. He scored 21 to go with 11 rebounds while Ben Simmons had 26 more in the win. Patty Mills led the Spurs with 26 points.

LOOK OUT BELOW#NBAVOTE @JOELEMBIID pic.twitter.com/TyLqnTcap0

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 4, 2018

Nets 98 (15-23), Timberwolves 97 (24-15)

Spencer Dinwiddie‘s basket with 10 seconds to go gave the Nets a thrilling win in Brooklyn. Dinwiddie finished with 26 points to go with nine assists as the Nets won their second straight. Joe Harris also had 17 off the bench. Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 30 points.

OK JARRETT pic.twitter.com/G7XNMH1pLm

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 4, 2018

Heat 111 (20-17), Pistons 104 (20-16)

The Heat didn’t trail in the fourth quarter, despite going into the final frame tied, thanks to a few key buckets from Kelly Olynyk. Olynyk finished with game highs in points (25) and rebounds (13) to help get the Heat to three games over .500 for the first time since April 2016. Tobias Harris had 19 to lead the Pistons.

Did the net even move? pic.twitter.com/MFqntRJU0M

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 4, 2018

Raptors 124 (26-10), Bulls 115 (13-25)

Two days after his career-high 52-point performance, DeMar DeRozan scored 35 more to lead the Raptors over the Bulls. Toronto trailed by 10 after the first quarter as DeRozan got off to a slow start, but his 18-point third-quarter proved to be the difference. Justin Holiday shot 7-10 and scored 26 points for the Bulls.

Double team? No problem. #RTZ pic.twitter.com/0wr2lnbAuU

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 4, 2018

Bucks 122 (20-16), Pacers 101 (19-19)

Giannis Antetokounmpo set the tone early, scoring 21 of his game-high 31 points in the first half to help Milwaukee build a 10-point lead at the break. The Bucks shot 59 percent for the game en route to their third win in four tries. Domantas Sabonis led the Pacers with 24 on 10-13 shooting. Indiana was playing without Victor Oladipo, who missed his fourth-straight game with a knee injury.

Giannis first half summary: (via @bucks) pic.twitter.com/fm18ABdX3Q

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 4, 2018

Warriors 125 (30-8), Mavericks 122 (13-26)

Steph Curry‘s three with three seconds to go lifted the Warriors to a thrilling win on the road. It came seconds after a Harrison Barnes layup tied it, completing a late comeback for Dallas. Curry finished with 32 points, while Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson had 25 each. Wesley Matthews had 22 and Dwight Powell had 21 for Dallas.

Steph. Curry. Was there any doubt???? (via @nba) pic.twitter.com/sxyWi6tL4U

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 4, 2018

Nuggets 134 (20-17), Suns 111 (15-25)

Gary Harris‘s 36 points on 14-17 shooting was more than enough for a Nuggets team that shot 62 percent and held Phoenix to just 42 percent. In total, seven Denver players scored in double figures, including Trey Lyles, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Devin Booker had 17 to lead the Suns.

Tell your friends:

We’re a fun basketball team. pic.twitter.com/m68NwoSshT

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 4, 2018

Pelicans 108 (19-18), Jazz 98 (16-22)

Jrue Holiday scored 18 points in the first half and Anthony Davis finished with 29-and-15 to lead the Pelicans over Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz. Mitchell had 24 points but it was not enough to overcome 14 made threes from New Orleans. DeMarcus Cousins chipped in a double-double for the Pelicans (19 points, 11 rebounds) while Joe Johnson had 20 for Utah.

Closing it out. @boogiecousins | #NBAVote pic.twitter.com/FunjDRB7xx

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 4, 2018

Thunder 133 (20-17), Lakers 96 (11-25)

A 37-18 second quarter was all Oklahoma City needed to get going and run away with the win in the evening’s final contest. Four Thunder players scored 20-or-more points, led by Paul George and Terrance Ferguson, who had 24 each. As a team, OKC shot 60 percent from the field and went 14-30 from three. Kyle Kuzma had 18 to lead the Lakers, who also committed 17 turnovers.

PG hits the jumper, gives dad a hug (via @nba) pic.twitter.com/Yx0QQJGngM

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 4, 2018

The post Post Up: All Green appeared first on SLAM.

Barnes, only 25, thrived in his first season in Dallas as he became a primary scoring target for the first time in his career. He averaged a career-best 19 points per game, as the Mavericks began the process of passing the torch from Dirk Nowitzki to Barnes. While some numbers took a dip with the added workload—his three-point percentage was down three percent—Barnes began to show his potential as a stretch four. At 6-8, Barnes is the ideal smallball four and the Mavs are buying into that line of thinking. The question is, can Barnes improve on certain aspects of his game and carry a team back out of the basement of the Western Conference?

With Dirk in the twilight of his career, Barnes is going to continue to see more minutes at the four. After playing about half of his time at power forward in Golden State, Barnes played 60 percent of his minutes on the floor at the four last season, according to Basketball Reference. However, Dallas posted a plus/minus of -3.0 per 100 possessions last season. Could that be due to Barnes’ teammates more than him? Potentially. But if the former Tar Heel is going to be the frontcourt anchor of the new-look Mavs after Dirk retires, he is going to need to improve his rebounding and defensive numbers.

Barnes is a broad bodied forward, but still only weighs in at 210 pounds. A strategy that head coach Rick Carlise may want to emphasize this season with Barnes is pairing him alongside a true center, such as Salah Mejri. Last season, when the two were on the floor together (14th most of any two-man lineup), Dallas allowed a shade under 100 points per 100 possessions and had a positive net rating of 2.0.

Pairing Barnes with a rim protecting big—like Nerlens Noel—could mask some of the issues that come with his lack of rebounding, as pairing Barnes with another versatile big did not go very well. For example, he and Dwight Powell got killed on the glass and the duo allowed more than 111 points per 100 possessions when on the floor together. Barnes’ trajectory in this League may be at power forward, but his unique skill set means that he works best with a select group of players.

The Mavericks have not missed the playoffs in back-to-back years during the 2000s and owner Mark Cuban is always looking for ways to improve the team. While they are still in the beginning stages of a perceived rebuild with Barnes entering the second year of his four-year $95 million contract, Dirk only has so many years left before he hangs them up for good. The team brought in Dennis Smith Jr with the No. 8 pick in the 2017 Draft and he is expected to compete for Rookie of the Year. Along with DSJ, they still have savvy veteran Wesley Mathews Jr, Yogi Ferrell, who had a breakout season in ’16-17, an improving Seth Curry, and Noel, who is playing with hopes of securing a big deal next summer.

This is going to be an exciting year for Dallas with Smith in the fold, but the biggest storyline for them isn’t the explosive rookie but rather if Barnes can live up to his potential as a leader of the next group of stars.

Previous Rankings
Has Never Been Ranked on the #SLAMTop50

Rankings are based on expected contribution in 2017-18—to players’ team, the NBA and the game.

No. 50 – Dion Waiters
No. 49 – Ben Simmons 
No. 48 – Brook Lopez 

The post SLAM Top 50: Harrison Barnes, No. 47 appeared first on SLAM.

Dwight Powell, Sasha Vujacic and former WNBA star Ebony Hoffman were on hand along with multiple NBA assistant coaches, including the Spurs’ James Borrego and the Hawks’ Darvin Ham. The program has produced 46 NBA players since its inception in 2001 and three Americas participants—Kelly Olynyk, Thon Maker and Bruno Caboclo—were on rosters to start the 2016-17 NBA season.

SLAM had a chance to catch up with current free agent Tiago Splitter, who was a guest coach at the event. Splitter is the first Brazilian-born player to win a NBA Championship (2014 with the Spurs) and is currently a free agent after spending the last half of the season with the 76ers.

SLAM: What has it been like coaching these talented players?

Tiago Splitter: It’s been great. I wish I had this opportunity when I was their age. Those kids are going to take what they learn here back to their teams at home. It’s all about their future and about their education as a basketball player.

SLAM: Have you ever been to the Bahamas before? What’s the schedule like outside of the camp?

TS: It’s my first time here…We’ve been busy most of the day, from like 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. I work out a bit and then I go to the pool or the beach for a little bit. We’re staying in a nice hotel and the weather has been nice.

SLAM: How’s your free agency going? Any updates?

TS: I haven’t signed anything yet. There are some ideas, some teams that want me. I’m just waiting, all of the big names are getting signed and then they go after the real people like me [laughs].

SLAM: You spent a few months with the 76ers last season. How good do you think they can be this year?

TS: They definitely have a lot of talent. I’m excited to see how Brett Brown has them play. They signed [J.J.] Redick, a much-needed shooter, but they just have to stay healthy.

Related
NBA & FIBA to Host 1st Basketball Without Borders Camp in the Bahamas

The post Tiago Splitter Talks Basketball Without Borders, Free Agency and The 76ers appeared first on SLAM.

The story of this game was Raptors’ guard Norman Powell, who was inserted into the starting lineup a few days ago.

The second year player out of UCLA had probably the best game of his NBA career, posting 25 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. He also had two highlight slams.

As a team, Toronto shot 57% from the field and 44% from deep. All five starters scored in double figures.

Ibaka making a statement early pic.twitter.com/l47aCJUnge

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) April 24, 2017

Giannis was the leader for Milwaukee, finishing with a playoff career-high 30 points.

Giannis trying to fuel a comeback. pic.twitter.com/irrkiPGt7S

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) April 25, 2017

Game 6 is Thursday at the Bradley Center.

Hawks 111, Wizards 101 (Series tied 2-2)

Atlanta’s frontcourt delivered tonight.

Paul Millsap: 19 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists

Dwight Howard: 16 points, 15 rebounds

Back-to-back lobs to Dwight pic.twitter.com/4fN3KtC1qX

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) April 25, 2017

It was tied at 77 heading into the fourth before the Hawks pulled away. Both John Wall (22p, 10a) and Bradley Beal (32p) showed out, but it wasn’t enough to overcome ATL’s balanced effort (seven players scored in double figures).

Jose Calderon still getting the job done. pic.twitter.com/y4tpKyyZNF

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) April 25, 2017

Game 5 is Wednesday at the Verizon Center.

Warriors 128, Trail Blazers 103 (Golden State wins 4-0)

Sweep complete.

This one was over quickly. The Warriors tied a playoff record with 45 first quarter points and never looked back.

Stephen Curry went off again: 37 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds in just 30 minutes.

So unnecessary pic.twitter.com/MUu9IULnyp

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 25, 2017

Kevin Durant returned from injury and looked fresh, scoring 10 points in 20 minutes of action.

KD BACK. pic.twitter.com/m35Jg4rrxX

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) April 25, 2017

Portland got 34 from Damian Lillard but couldn’t get any stops. They allowed Golden State to shoot 54% from the field and an incredible 59% from three (17/29).

On to round 2 for Dub Nation.

The post Post Up: Dub Nation appeared first on SLAM.

Danilo Gallinari, Will Barton, and Jamal Murray combined for 68 points, and the Nuggets won the final three quarters by 17 to top the 76ers. Embiid continued to impress in limited action, posting 16 points and 5 blocks in 26 minutes.

Cavaliers 116 (14-5), Raptors 112 (14-7)

LeBron put up a season-high 34 points, helping the Cavs break a three-game losing streak. He had some highlight plays along the way:

Unfortunately, Cleveland lost J.R. Smith to a left knee injury in the early stages. No precise diagnosis yet, but hopefully it’s not that bad.

Wizards 118 (7-12), Nets 113 (5-15)

John Wall posted 11 of his 25 in the fourth quarter, propelling the Wizards to a five-point victory over Brooklyn. Washington trailed by 15 at the break, but opened the third with a 13-0 run to get back in it. Brook Lopez had 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists for the Nets.

Thunder 102 (14-8), Hawks 99 (10-12)

Can’t be stopped. Russ notched his sixth straight triple-double tonight (32 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists), giving him the longest streak since Michael Jordan had seven in a row in 1989. The Thunder have won all six of those games. Victor Oladipo contributed 14 and had maybe the dunk of the year.

Trail Blazers 112 (12-10), Bulls 110 (11-9)

Lillard time. The rising superstar showed out in the fourth, dropping 11 of his 30 in the final six minutes of the game. Dwyane Wade did his thing for Chicago: 34 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists.

Spurs 97 (17-4), Bucks 96 (10-9)

LaMarcus Aldridge (18p, 9r, 5a) scored the go-ahead bucket with 21.2 seconds remaining, as the Spurs improved to 12-0 on the road this season. Despite foul trouble, Giannis finished with 22 points and 11 boards, including one crazy putback:

Grizzlies 110 (14-8), Pelicans 108 (7-15)

Reminder: Marc Gasol can shoot the three now. The big man splashed a trey with seven seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game, and Memphis eventually got the win in double OT. Gasol finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. Troy Daniels hit seven long balls and chipped in 29 total. The Pels were led by Anthony Davis’ 28 points and 17 boards.

Rockets 107 (14-7), Celtics 106 (12-9)

Houston trailed by six heading into the fourth, but fought their way back behind James Harden. The Beard had 37, 8, and 8 for the game (his ninth 30-point performance). Al Horford (21p, 9a, 6r) had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but just couldn’t get it to drop.

Hornets 109 (12-9), Mavericks 101 (4-16)

Behind a balanced scoring effort, the Hornets overcame an 11-point deficit to beat the Mavs. Dwight Powell had the biggest highlight of the game, however:

Bogut went down in the first quarter with a right knee injury, which led Charlotte to dominate the boards. According to coach Carlisle, the knee was only hyperextended, so Dallas fans can breath a sigh of relief.

Jazz 107 (13-9), Lakers 101 (10-13)

The Lakers rallied in the fourth, but Utah hung on to their lead to improve to 13-9. Lou Williams balled for LA again, putting up an impressive 38 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds off the bench. Six players scored in double figures for the Jazz.

Warriors 142 (18-3), Pacers 106 (10-11)

It was a historic night at Oracle, with Klay Thompson dropping a career-high 60 POINTS in just 29 minutes of action (21/33 shooting). He became the first player since Kobe in 2005 to hit the 60 mark through three quarters. The sharpshooter had 40 in the first half alone, and the Golden State bench was absolutely loving it:

It was a performance for the ages, and it sparked the Warriors’ to a massive 142-106 victory.

The post Post Up: Klay’s Historic Night appeared first on SLAM.

Aaron Gordon got buckets in this one, shooting a solid 9-14 for 20 points. Evan Fournier, Jeff Green and Serge Ibaka all had 16 for the Magic. As a team, Orlando shot 47% from the field and 13-26 from downtown. Joel Embiid had his fifth double-double of the year, finishing with 25 points and 10 ‘bounds. It wasn’t enough to overcome a deficit that grew to as much as 29.

Celtics 97 (11-8), Kings 92 (7-13)

Al Horford had 26 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks in this one, outlasting DeMarcus Cousins’ 28 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. The big men battled all night and the game was eventually decided when Cousins attempted to draw a foul against Horford with the Kings trailing 95-92 late in the fourth. When the refs didn’t call it, the C’s clinched the game with Horford’s free-throws.

Raptors 113 (13-6), Lakers 80 (10-11)

Kyle Lowry started out on fire. He was the spark for Toronto’s 41-point second quarter. They never looked back after that, getting a season-high 33 point win. Lowry hit 6 three-pointers, as many as the entire Lakers team. Norm Powell and DeMar DeRozan both scored 16 for the Raptors. LA shot only 34% for the game. Brandon Ingram set a career-high with 17 points.

Norm! https://t.co/oRACg3dXxJ

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 3, 2016

Knicks 118 (10-9), Wolves 114 (5-14)

Karl-Anthony Towns went off for 47 points when these teams played each other a few days ago. And even though he was on fiya, the Knicks pulled out that W. KAT only had 20 tonight. Zach LaVine also had 23 for Minny, who put up a fight all game.

Without Joakim Noah, Queens native Kyle O’Quinn stepped up huge for the Knicks. He contributed 20 points, 13 rebounds and infectious energy and passion to the ‘Bockers. Carmelo Anthony had 29 and Derrick Rose added 24.

The Wolves grabbed a one-point lead with 6:33 left, but buckets from O’Quinn and Rose got the Knicks a 110-104 advantage with 2:11 remaining. They held on with free-throws from there on out.

Bulls 111 (11-7), Cavs 105 (13-5)

The Bulls got major stats from Jimmy Butler (28 points and 8 rebounds and 8 assists), a triple-double from Rajon Rondo (15 points, 11 boards and 12 dimes), 23 points and 11 (on 10-13 shooting) from Taj Gibson, and all their life from Dwyane Wade, who contributed way more than just his 24 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

Wade continually went at LeBron James, establishing the Bulls’ attitude for the night. Chicago flipped a one-point Cavs lead at half to an eight-point Bulls advantage after three. They survived surges from Cleveland thanks to their 78 points-in-the-paint and 49-33 rebounding advantage.

.@DwyaneWade going at @KingJames. https://t.co/U5YQU2AdFq

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 3, 2016

The Cavs have now lost three in a row. LeBron James led Cleveland with 27 points and 13 assists (and 8 turnovers). After the game he said, “Last year is last year. After ring night is over with, now it’s a new season and everybody is gunning for us every night and we have to understand that. The honeymoon stage is over.”

Clippers 114 (16-5), Pelicans 96 (7-13)

The Clippers wrapped up their 10-day road trip with a 27 points and 10 rebounds from Blake Griffin and 17 points and 13 assists from Chris Paul. Even without JJ Redick (rest), Los Angeles just outworked the Pelicans. Anthony Davis hurt his right shoulder in the first. He came back to the game but couldn’t dominate enough to stop the Clippers. LA made 10 three’s, New Orleans made only 5.

Pistons 121 (11-10), Hawks 85 (10-10)

The Pistons tied a franchise-record with 17 three-pointers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope nailed 5 from distance, leading the team with 23 points. He was one of eight Pistons to score in double-figures. 10 of the 12 Pistons to get in the game scored.

This was a clinic on both ends. Detroit had 54 rebounds to Atlanta’s 32. The Hawks shot 6-24 from three, and just 36% overall. At one point, Detroit was up by 37.

Atlanta’s now dropped five straight. Dennis Schroder had 17 points and 11 assists. Dwight Howard had 2 points, 6 rebounds and 2 turnovers in 25 minutes.

Spurs 107 (16-4), Wizards 105 (6-12)

John Wall and Bradley Beal showed up big time for the Wizards. Beal had 23, shooting 5-5 from distance. John Wall had 17 points and 15 dimes, with only 3 turnovers. They both hit clutch shots and were in the game till the very end despite just 17 bench points.

In the end, though, Kawhi Leonard was like, “Nah, time for you to lose now, Washington.” The Klaw hit a Kobe-esque fadeaway with 6 seconds on the clock to win the game. Otto Porter missed a potential game-tying floater. Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge both scored 19 for the Spurs.

Kawhi wins it with the fadeaway. (via @spurs) pic.twitter.com/SC6ozXTfBT

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 3, 2016

Rockets 128 (13-7), Nuggets 110 (7-12)

Less than 24 hours after playing double-overtime in Oakland, against the stacked Warriors, Houston scored 42 in the first quarter. It was over after that. Three’s were raining down from everywhere. On misses or makes, the Rockets were pushing the ball up the court. James Harden was the catalyst, Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon were the backbreakers. Anderson scored 16 in the first half, Gordon drove the knife in, finishing the game with 18.

Then there was the play on Sam Dekker, Clint Capela and Montrezl Harrell, who were passing and playing defense like they were possessed. Dekker scored 17, Capela had 13 and Harrell’s 8 points don’t do him justice.

The Rockets shot 45-89 for the game, drilling 17 three’s. Denver just couldn’t keep up, losing the battle at the three-point stripe and free-throw line.

Is T-Mac right about the Rockets? https://t.co/aSMIVhUTCf

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 3, 2016

The post Post Up: Who Gon Stop Us? appeared first on SLAM.

Dwight Powell pressed up on Batum while the Charlotte swingman was coming off a pick. Check out the video above to see how he delivered a pinpoint pass to Cody Zeller.

The post Nic Batum Passes Between Dwight Powell’s Legs appeared first on SLAM.

Deron Williams is returning to his hometown on a one-year, $10 million deal, and will be joined by Dwight Powell who re-upped on a four-year pact worth $37 million.

The Mavs are also in the hunt for Harrison Barnes.

Per the AP:

Powell is a restricted free agent, which means Dallas could have matched any offer from another team.

 

The Mavericks are also trying to pry a restricted free agent from two-time Western Conference champion Golden State, with plans to sign Harrison Barnes to an offer sheet on a maximum contract at four years and $95 million. The Warriors could match the deal if they miss out in their pursuit of Kevin Durant.

 

The three agreements in a span of two days come after the Mavericks missed out on their top targets in free agency for the fifth consecutive year. Memphis guard Mike Conley and Miami center Hassan Whiteside decided to stay with their current teams, both on maximum contracts.

Keep up with the latest signings during the July free-agency period by following our 2016 NBA Free Agent Tracker.

The post Mavs to Re-Sign Deron Williams and Dwight Powell appeared first on SLAM.

We’ve broken down the NBA free-agent signings into two categories: “On The Move” and “Staying Put”. There’s a number of ways we could have done it, but players leaving and players staying is about as basic (and intuitive) as it gets.

Below is a comprehensive look at the agreements made since the free-agency period began at midnight on July 1. Just remember, everything is just a verbal agreement until the moratorium period ends on July 7.

Let us know in the comments who you think has had the best and worst offseason so far!

ON THE MOVE

Kevin Durant: 2-year, $54 million deal with the Warriors

Dwyane Wade: 2-year, $47 million deal with Chicago

Al Horford: 4-year, $113 million deal with Celtics

Dwight Howard: 3-year, $70.5 million deal with Hawks

Pau Gasol: 2-year, $30 million deal with Spurs

Rajon Rondo: 2-year, $28 million deal with Bulls

Chandler Parsons: 4-year, $95 million deal with Grizzlies

Harrison Barnes: 4-year, $94 million deal with Mavs

Ryan Anderson: 4-year, $80 million deal with Rockets

Bismack Biyombo: 4-year, $72 million deal with Magic

Luol Deng: 4-year, $72 million deal with Lakers

Joakim Noah: 4-year, $72 million deal with Knicks

Evan Turner: 4-year, $70 million deal with Blazers

Timofey Mozgov: 4-year, $64 million deal with Lakers

Ian Mahimi: 4-year, $64 million deal with Wizards

Eric Gordon: 4-year, $53 million deal with Rockets

Solomon Hill: 4-year, $52 million deal with Pelicans

Courtney Lee: 4-year, $48 million contract with Knicks

Jon Leuer: 4-year, $42 million deal with Pistons

Andrew Nicholson: 4-year, $26 million deal with Wizards

Matthew Dellavedova: 4-year, $39 million deal with Bucks

E’Twaun Moore: 4-year, $34 million deal with Pelicans

DJ Augustin: 4-year, $29 million deal with Magic

Jeremy Lin: 3-year, $36 million deal with Nets

Al Jefferson: 3-year, $30 million deal with Pacers

Mirza Teletovic: 3-year, $30 million deal with Bucks

Jared Dudley: 3-year, $30 million deal with Suns

Jerryd Bayless: 3-year, $27 million deal with 76ers

Ish Smith: 3-year, $18 million deal with Pistons

Arron Afflalo: 2-year, $25 million deal with Kings

Joe Johnson: 2-year, $22 million deal with Jazz

Gerald Henderson: 2-year, $18 million deal with 76ers

Matt Barnes: 2-year, $12 million deal with Kings

Seth Curry: 2-year, $6 million deal with Mavs

Jeff Green: 1-year, $15 million deal with Magic

Roy Hibbert: 1-year, $5 million deal with Charlotte

Brandon Jennings: 1-year, $5 million deal with Knicks

Zaza Pachulia: 1-year, $2.9 million deal with Warriors

David West: 1-year, vet minimum deal with Warriors

Boris Diaw: Traded to Utah Jazz

Jason Smith: 3-year, $16 million deal with the Wizards

Nene: 1-Year, $2.9 million deal with Houston

Brandon Rush: 1-year, $3.5 million deal with Minnesota

Leandro Barbosa: 2-year, $8 million deal with Phoenix

Festus Ezeli: 2-year, $15 million deal with Portland

James Johnson: 1-year, $4 million deal with Miami

Jarrett Jack: 1-year deal with Atlanta

Greivis Vasquez: one-year deal with Brooklyn

Jared Sullinger: 1-year, $6 million deal with Toronto

Luis Scola: 1-year deal with Brooklyn

Raymond Felton: 1-year, $1.5 million deal with the Clippers

Quincy Acy: two-year deal with the Mavs

Brandon Bass: 1-year deal with the Clippers

Dion Waiters: one-year, $2.9 million deal with Miami

David Lee: 2-year deal with San Antonio

Alan Anderson: one-year deal with the Clippers

Ty Lawson: One-Year Deal With the Kings

Kevin Seraphin: 2-year, $3.6 million deal with the Pacers

Jordan Farmar: 1-year deal with Sacramento

STAYING PUT

Dirk Nowitzki: 2-year, $40 million deal with Dallas

Mike Conley: 5-year, $153 million deal with Grizzlies

DeMar DeRozan: 5-year, $139 million deal with Raptors

Andre Drummond: 5-year, $130 million deal with Pistons

Bradley Beal: 5-year, $128 million deal with Wizards

Nicolas Batum: 5-year, $120 million deal with Hornets

Evan Fournier: 5-year, $85 million deal with Magic

Hassan Whiteside: 4-year, $98 million deal with Heat

Kent Bazemore: 4-year, $70 million deal with Hawks

Jordan Clarkson: 4-year, $50 million deal with Lakers

Dwight Powell: 4-year, $37 million deal with Dallas

Jamal Crawford: 3-year, $42 million deal with Clippers

Austin Rivers: 3-year, $35 million deal with Clippers

Wesley Johnson: 3-year, $18 million deal with Clippers

Deron Williams: 1-year, $10 million deal with Mavs

Brian Roberts: 1-year deal with Charlotte

Richard Jefferson: 2-year, $5 million deal with Cleveland

Marcelo Huertas: two-year deal with the Lakers

Tyler Johnson: 4-year, $50 million deal with Miami

Udonis Haslem: 1-year, $4 million deal with Miami

Sasha Vujacic: 1-year deal with the Knicks

Anderson Varejao: 1-year deal with Golden State

Miles Plumlee: 4-year, $52 million deal with Milwaukee

Mike Miller: 2-year, $6 million deal with Denver

James Jones: 1-year deal with Cleveland

Elton Brand: 1-year deal with Philly

Metta World Peace: training camp deal with the Lakers

The post 2016 NBA Free Agent Tracker appeared first on SLAM.

Dwyane Wade scored 30 points and dished out 9 assists to lead the Miami Heat to their second win in a row. Hassan Whiteside added 27 off the bench to take care of business against the Brooklyn Nets in South Beach.

Thunder 119 (52-22), Raptors 100 (49-24)

The highlights weren’t stopping for the OKC Thunder on Monday night when they traveled up North to take on the Toronto Raptors. Russell Westbrook finished with his 16th triple-double of the season (26 points, 11 boards, 12 assists), and Kevin Durant led all scorers with 34 points, 8 assists and 8 boards of his own.

Hawks 102 (45-30), Bulls 100 (36-37)

#ATLshawty (sup, Lang?). Jeff Teague led the Atlanta Hawks to victory against the Chicago Bulls in the Windy City, finishing with a game-high 26 points to go with his 6 rebounds and 7 assists.

Spurs 101 (62-12), Grizzlies 87 (41-33)

LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 31 points and 13 boards as the Spurs blew out the Memphis Grizzlies on the road. Patty Mills added in 17 points off the bench, as San Antonio shot over 50 percent in the contest.

Timberwolves 121 (25-29), Suns 116 (20-54)

Karl-Anthony Towns, though.

The rook from Jersey finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists to help his Timberwolves earn their third victory in four games. Andrew Wiggins led the way with 32 points.

Pelicans 99 (27-46), Knicks 91 (30-45)

Jrue Holiday returned to the court on Monday, after having been out due to injury. He scored the game-high 22 points to lead his Pelicans to victory. The Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony also finished with 22, this time in a loss. However, Melo did get somewhat of a win when a little kid ran onto the court to give him a hug.

Mavericks 97 (36-38), Nuggets 88 (31-44)

JJ Barea dropped an 18-point, 11-board double-double to lift the Dallas Mavericks over the Denver Nuggets on Monday. Dwight Powell added in 16 points in the win.

Jazz 123 (37-37), Lakers 75 (15-59)

The Utah Jazz cruised to victory when the Los Angeles Lakers came to visit. They led ’em by as many as 53 points, and handed Kobe Bryant his worst loss ever. The Jazz shot over 50 percent from the field, and kept the Lakers right at 30 percent. Rodney Hood got ‘er done for the Jazz, tallying 30 points on 11-13 shooting.

Trail Blazers 105 (39-36), Kings 93 (29-45)

Allen Crabbe finished with 21 points when his team played host to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. The Blazers got the victory, leading by as many as 28 points during the game.

Clippers 114 (46-27), Celtics 90 (43-31)

With double-doubles coming from both DeAndre Jordan (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Chris Paul (13 points, 14 assists), the Los Angeles Clippers had this game in the bag—making the win their third straight victory.

The post Post Up: Sweet 16 appeared first on SLAM.

Cuban, who wasn’t with the team at Oracle Arena, took offense to a travel called on Mavs rookie center Salah Mejri by 28-year NBA official Derrick Stafford.

https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/713570074439786496

But that wasn’t the end of it. Later in the game, Cuban took to twitter after Anderson Varejao appeared to elbow Dwight Powell in the neck and no call was made.

https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/713580112290062336

https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/713581645379403776

Cuban went on to complain that the NBA’s referee management team is being influenced by “politicians.”

@NateDuncanNBA @espn_macmahon I want a ref mgmt team that demands quality instead of brain scans and one that doesn't have politicians

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) March 26, 2016

The post Mark Cuban Bashes Refs During Mavs’ Loss To Warriors appeared first on SLAM.

For years, The North had little juice, hoops-wise, with the exception of a Victoria, BC native with a swashbuckling game by the name of Steve Nash.

But then the Raptors acquired Vince Carter in a Draft day trade in 1998, and bball in our neighboring country rose to new heights—literally. With every above-the-rim magic trick, Carter earned “favorite player” status with another local kid and turned another casual adult fan into a Raps die-hard.

The course of Canadian hoops was changed forever.

Look around today’s League, and you’ll see Carter’s influence. Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Cory Joseph, Dwight Powell, Kelly Olynyk and Tristan Thompson all hail from Toronto. Andrew Nicholson (Mississauga), Nik Stauskas (Mississauga), Robert Sacre (Vancouver), Trey Lyles (Saskatoon) and Tyler Ennis (Brampton) round out the Canadian crop that grew up on highlights of Carter (himself a Daytona Beach, FL native).

Some fans are still salty at VC’s departure for New Jersey in 2004, but one could make the argument that, if it weren’t for his six seasons in a Raptors uni, Toronto wouldn’t be hosting All-Star Weekend in 2016. Hell, the franchise might’ve even dipped out from T-Dot if it weren’t for Carter.

With time, those wounds will heal. Or perhaps already have.

The crowning achievement in Vinsanity’s career was the 2000 Dunk Contest, in which he put on the most bonkers show of any winner to date. That night, the roars inside Oakland Arena could be heard from Alcatraz. Makes you wonder how Twitter would’ve reacted if it had existed for Carter’s aerial chef-d’oeuvre.

Craziest part? Carter almost didn’t show up to Oakland Arena at all that night. Before a December 2015 game between the Grizzlies and Wizards, the 19-year vet explained how he almost botched what turned out to be a defining moment of his career.

“There was so much controversy as far as us getting there,” Carter told SLAM. “Our driver that was supposed to take me there didn’t show up. So we had to bum a ride from [the hotel] in San Francisco to the arena in Oakland, and we got there late—Tracy [McGrady] and I.”

Carter had practiced his dunks for about a month prior to All-Star Weekend with McGrady, his cousin and teammate. But on the night of the contest, Carter decided to scrap everything they’d worked on. Instead, he dunked with pure instinct and in-the-moment creativity.

The decision paid off, to say the least.

VC won in commanding fashion (“It’s over!” will live on forever), leaping out of his red-and-white AND1 Tai Chis to beat a stacked field of McGrady, Larry Hughes, Jerry Stackhouse, Ricky Davis and Steve Francis.

“I got the chance to fulfill a dream,” Carter said. “Of course, being in the NBA is above and beyond, but that was also a dream of mine to be in a dunk contest. And to be able to win and hold the trophy up…holding the trophy up, shaking David Stern’s hand—all of that stuff that actually came to fruition. That was the best thing of all.”

—

Photo via Getty Images

The post How Vinsanity Nearly Never Was appeared first on SLAM.

The League is sticking with the USA vs The World gimmick for the game.

#BBVARisingStars World @44Bojan @CapelaClint @threekola @EmmanuelMudiay @RaulTogni @KPorzee @DwightPowell33 @22Wiggins M.Hezonja & N.Jokic

— 2016 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) January 27, 2016

#BBVARisingStars USA: @JClark5on @ZachLaVine @NerlensNoel3 @JahlilOkafor @JabariParker @Elfrid @Dloading @smart_MS3 @KarlTowns & Rodney Hood

— 2016 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) January 27, 2016

It will take place Friday, Feb. 12 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

From the press release:

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Andrew Wiggins, last season’s Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, and teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, who has won two straight Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards, highlight the list of 20 players selected to play in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 12 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto during NBA All-Star 2016.

 

The New York Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis, who has earned two Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards in a row, joins Wiggins on the World Team. Minnesota’s Zach LaVine, the dunk champion at NBA All-Star 2015, will play alongside Towns on the U.S. Team, giving the Timberwolves three players in the game, all 20 years old.

 

For the second consecutive year, the league’s annual showcase of premier young talent will pit 10 first- and second-year NBA players from the United States against 10 first- and second-year NBA players from around the world.

The post Andrew Wiggins and Kristaps Porzingis Headline Rising Stars Challenge Rosters appeared first on SLAM.

H/T: SB Nation

The post Mavs Forward Dwight Powell Gets Hung by the Rim (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

The yo-yo dribble isn’t a new move, but you don’t see it much in the NBA. If anyone can pull it off in a game though, it’s Chris Paul.

CP3 whipped his hand under the ball, making it look like a pass, and generated the backspin for it to bounce easily back.

Poor Dwight Powell had no idea what hit him.

The post Chris Paul Shakes Defender With Yo-Yo Dribble (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

The tenth annual LudaDay Weekend popped off this past Labor Day in Atlanta and lived up to its well-earned rep. The five-day event brought concerts, a block party, and countless promotional events, culminating with the LudaDay X Celebrity Basketball Game. In front of a sold-out crowd at Georgia State, the DJ kept the atmosphere live with hot tracks and once the game started, the amount of NBA talent on the court could vie for the ‘chip against just about anyone.

John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, Victor Oladipo, Cameron Payne, Iman Shumpert, Terrence Jones, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Nick Young, Kenneth Faried, Josh Powell, Jarrett Jack, Cameron Payne, Quinn Cook, Reggie Evans, and KJ McDaniels were amongst the NBA ballers in the game. Chris Brown, Trinidad James, Dej Loaf, and Omarion were a few of the musical artists who laced ’em up. Ultimately, it was Team Luda that walked away with a 121-117 win over Team Breezy in a dope event that benefited The Ludacris Foundation.

Here are a few of the names who stood out in the relaxed LudaDay X Celebrity Basketball Game:

John Wall, 6-4, PG, Washington Wizards

After what was a breakout season, John Wall appears to be in great shape and while he wasn’t going full go, he still showed his ridiculous burners a time or two throughout the game. A regular at the LudaDay festivities throughout the past few years, the Wizards star was the biggest name amongst the NBA players and ended his birthday evening with a party at ATL’s Gold Room, where he was given a $20,000 painting of himself.

Lou Williams, 6-1, SG, Los Angeles Lakers

The League’s reigning sixth man of the year has been a permanent bucket-getter over the years at the LudaDay games. Able to bomb from 30 feet and finish above the rim, Lou is the type of guy who can easily drop 50 in these types of games. While he’s used to coming in and being an electric scorer with the ultimate green light, one has to wonder if he’s going to be given that same freedom playing with Kobe in LA.

Chris Brown, 6-1

Playing in the Drew League over the years, it was always known that Breezy could go a little bit on the hardwood. Running the point with the Oreo IVs on, he showed off a slick crossover and hit 6 three-pointers in his squad’s narrow defeat. While putting out hit records is what has made him a multi-millionaire, he certainly showed that he is likely one of the better-hooping R&B singers out there against a myriad of NBA players.

Victor Oladipo, 6-5, SG, Orlando Magic

While most players went through the game at less than half-speed, that was not possible for Victor Oladipo. A guy known for his insane work ethic, he looked to rip the rim off virtually every time he got the rock in transition. Oladipo nearly sent Georgia State into a frenzy when he back-rimmed an eastbay during the game, showing off the explosive athleticism that has made him one of the league’s emerging young guards.

Nick Young, 6-7, SG, LA Lakers

Fresh off of battling James Harden at the Drew League, Swaggy P made it to ATL to run with some of the League’s best. He was Iggy-less, but still showed off his handle and bombed a flurry of deep threes. With Kobe pack and the Lakers offseason acquisition of Lou Williams, it’s going to be interesting to see what type of role the ’15-16 season will bring.

Josh Powell, 6-10, PF, Milwaukee Bucks

Making one of the more interesting career transitions, Powell went from the hardwood in 13-14 to an assistant coach with the Rockets for the 14-15 campaign. Fast-forward a year and the 6-10 big man still has that itch to hoop, signing last week with the Milwaukee Bucks. A seasoned vet, Powell looked to be in great shape and should provide the same interior toughness to an emerging Milwaukee squad that he used to help the Lakers win two rings.

Big thanks to David Walker for all photos

The post LudaDay X Celebrity Basketball Game Recap appeared first on SLAM.

.@KyleAnderson5 named MVP of #NBASummer League! He's led @Spurs to title round w/ avgs. of 22.0 PTS/5.8 RBS/1.3 STLS pic.twitter.com/NOsceXPZTO

— NBASummerLeague (@NBASummerLeague) July 20, 2015

“Slow Mo” has dominated the “summer classic”, which features 23 teams competing in 67 games over a period of 11 days.

From the press release:

Anderson has played in six games in Las Vegas, helping the Spurs advance to the Samsung NBA Summer League’s Championship game with a 5-1 record at the event. To date, he has averaged 22.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals, recording his best game in the desert with 25 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks against the Brooklyn Nets on July 16.

 

Joining Anderson on the Samsung All-NBA Summer League 2015 Summer League First Team are Seth Curry (New Orleans), Doug McDermott (Chicago), Norman Powell (Toronto), and T.J. Warren (Phoenix).

 

Larry Drew II (New Orleans), Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver), Dwight Powell (Dallas), Noah Vonleh (Portland) and Alan Williams (Houston) make up the Samsung All-NBA Summer League 2015 Second Team.

The post Spurs’ Kyle Anderson Named Summer League MVP appeared first on SLAM.

The dream he’s living is perfect considering the advice the fast-rising point guard received when he declared for the Draft, following a stellar sophomore campaign.

Don’t wake up.

“I’m dreaming and I can’t wake up,” he says, laughing during a recent phone interview. “I’m just sleeping really good right now, everything has been a dream.”

After being overlooked as a legitimate hoop prospect since his early childhood days in Memphis, TN, you can excuse his prolonged slumber. You can also forgive him for obsessing over the latest mock drafts, and the various online media reports that have Payne’s stock skyrocketing into the lottery conversation leading up to this month’s Draft.

“You know why I look at all of the mock drafts? It’s because I wasn’t on any of them up until right now,” Payne says. “Now that I’m on them and my name is on them, I’m definitely going to follow them [laughs].”

The once non-existent chatter around Payne is now full-blown hoopla, as his current Draft trajectory is suddenly being compared to the sudden rise of other note-worthy mid-major point guards Damian Lillard and Elfrid Payton.

“The fact that people are talking about me so much right now must mean that I’m doing something right,” he says with a sudden excitement to his voice. “I definitely want people and the NBA teams to be comfortable with me. That’s very important. When people really get the opportunity to meet with me, and talk with me, a lot of good is going to come out of it.”

That much has been true, as Payne has already worked out for the Indiana Pacers—who hold the 11th overall pick. Payne also has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Los Angeles Lakers (2nd pick), the New York Knicks (4th) and the Sacramento Kings (6th). The gap seems to be closing fast between Payne and D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mundiay in the battle of this Draft’s best point guard.

There have been national media reports and several mock drafts suggesting that the Oklahoma City Thunder are eyeing Payne at No. 14, but with the way things are trending right now, Payne could be gone by the time Commissioner Adam Silver announces that the Thunder are on the clock.

So just how did things turn so drastically in such a short amount of time?

You can partly attribute that to the gaudy numbers Payne put up this season for the Racers: 20.2 ppg, 6.0 apg and a PER of 30—ranking him in the top 15 in the NCAA in all three categories. He helped lead his team through the Ohio Valley regular season undefeated, including a 25-game winning streak—the eighth-longest winning streak in college basketball since 2002, a trip to the NIT, and topped it off by being named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year.

You can fully attribute his growth and ascension as a big-time player to the enormous chip on his shoulder that he’s played with since he started getting serious about basketball. This comes from not being heavily recruited during his peak high school years or while at the AAU level. Payne also notes that there were some previous and lingering doubts about his still developing slight frame and the level of mid-major competition.

Those who watched him closely and carefully, though, saw a sweet-shooting, crafty, left-handed point guard from the Memphis suburb of Bartlett, who willed and worked his way into becoming a team leader who is on the verge of playing professionally.

“Obviously, he’s from my hometown of Memphis, so I’ve been closely watching him develop as a player since he was a kid,” says Payne’s agent, Travis King, of Relativity Sports.

King also helped prep Utah Jazz’s 2014 first-round pick, Rodney Hood, for the same pre-draft process.

“I really thought he had a good chance since about the 11th grade,” King says of Payne. “I didn’t know it would happen this fast for him, but he had a great season this year, and now he’s really working hard with his training and improving his game. I really believe that over time Cam will be the best pure PG in this Draft class, and that he can become a special player at the NBA level.”

Before coming to Chicago for the NBA Draft Combine in May, Payne added nine pounds of muscle to his body, as most draft analysts had questioned his strength and ability to get into the paint. At the Combine, Payne recalls how he was hanging out with all of the more heralded names, from the bigger programs who were seen frequently on national TV all season long. The players that didn’t elicit a “who? ” after their names were being mentioned like Payne before now.

“It was definitely a big difference,” Payne says of the Draft Combine. “I’ve played against some of them guys, but the players I had on my (AAU) team, they all went to those big Top-100 type camps. I didn’t go. Honestly, the Combine is something that you really have to go through yourself, because it’s a great atmosphere and it’s a one-time thing. So you know you just have to do the best you can. It was a great time.”

Since finishing his sophomore year and declaring for the Draft, Payne has been working out and training daily at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. Other NBA Draft prospects like UNC’s JP Tokoto, IMG’s Satnam Singh and Florida’s Chris Walker have also been participating in the intense pre-Draft training and nutrition program.

Current NBA players such as Hood, Orlando Magic forward Moe Harkless and Dallas Mavs forward Dwight Powell also regularly workout at IMG during the offseason. Payne’s focus has mostly been on increasing his strength and conditioning and extending his three-point range to the NBA distance while fine-tuning other aspects of his game, like his ball handling and footwork. Payne also spends time studying current NBA players such as Tony Parker and Rajon Rondo.

“Honestly, everything has been moving pretty slow to me,” Payne said. “I’m so anxious for the Draft and to just get started. Everything isn’t moving as fast as I would want it to be, but everything has been great. I couldn’t be any happier.”

In between his team workouts and keeping up with the latest buzz surrounding the Draft, Payne has been content to just relax while spending some of his downtime playing the only video game that he plays, NBA 2K15.

“I’ve being a big fan of the game and franchise for so long,” he says. He can’t wait to play as himself once the 2K16 edition rolls around—of course with some modification for a player that’s been overlooked for so long.

“I’m going to make sure that I am starting in the game,” Payne laughs. “I’m going to give myself my real attributes, what I feel I should be and I’m going to start off my Franchise Mode with myself [laughs]. We’re going to get it rocking. I’m definitely going to put myself at an 83 or an 85, but I’m not going to overdo it and give myself a 99. I’m just going to have fun with it and give myself a good solid rating.”

Giving how fast everything is happening to a player that’s never been handed anything, Payne doesn’t ever hesitate to remind himself of the fire that has fueled him up until this point. It’s the same motivation that he says won’t be diminished with the riches of a new NBA contract and from playing at the highest level.

“The chip on my shoulder is going to stay there forever,” he says. “Me being overlooked, it helps me. When people have criticized me, it just makes me go harder. It’s just my knack for being so competitive, being a leader and not wanting to lose and to all the people that didn’t think I was very good. That chip is not going anywhere because when I make it to the NBA, I’m back at the bottom as a rookie, so I have to keep that chip on my shoulder. I’ll be the low guy on the totem pole again next year and I’ll have to work my way back up in the league. I haven’t done anything yet.”

Payne will travel to New York in a few weeks for Draft night and will be sitting in the same Green Room as the other big-name, highly recruited players that are now his peers.

He won’t be hard to notice.

Bright smile, clean new suit, his family nearby, and finally waking up to his dream come true.

The post Dream Come True appeared first on SLAM.

Gerald Henderson (7 points, 3-12 from the field) had a horrendous shooting night against the Sixers but found a way to knock down the biggest shot of the game. After Jerami Grant (10 points, 6 blocks) sunk two free throws with 2:51 to go in the game, Philly held a 91-90 lead. This team lost Nerlens Noel to a cut on his right eyelid in the second quarter, and he would not return to the game. Even without their scrappy center, the Sixers fought all night with guards Ish Smith (15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) and Robert Convington (15 points, 6 assists) firing away through similar shooting woes to Henderson. The six-year guard, though, hit the go-ahead driving layup with 6.0 seconds remaining before Smith missed a layup to make Henderson the hero. Henderson received plenty of help from his fellow guards in Kemba Walker (24 points, 5 rebounds) and Mo Williams (18 points, 5 assists, 8-8 on free throws). If the Hornets are going to find a way to sneak into the playoffs, it’s going to be through these three guards since Al Jefferson might possibly be done on the year. Charlotte didn’t gain any ground on Boston but did pull closer to Brooklyn and Miami.

Hawks 131 (57-19), Nets 99 (35-41)

Brooklyn entered this game as one of the hottest teams in the League and winners of their last six. The Hawks quickly dismissed the notion that the Nets would be a formidable opponent for them in the playoffs by demolishing them in a wire-to-wire blowout and setting a season-high for points in a game (131). Al Horford (20 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, 10-13 from the field) and DeMarre Carroll (20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4-5 on 3-pointers) both had complete games while it still isn’t certain how injured Paul Millsap (8 points, 5 assists) is. Late in the first half, the Hawks forward hurt his right shoulder in a collision with Earl Clark (11 points, 7 rebounds) and wouldn’t return. Mike Muscala (7 points, 2 assists) played many of Horford’s minutes in the second have and fit in seamlessly with the starters. Bojan Bogdanovic (19 points, 3-5 on 3-pointers) had an efficient night but many insignificant baskets. This Atlanta team simply has so much balance and chemistry from the top player to their third-string garbage time players. They finished the game with a 40 assists, compared to only 22 for the Nets. With the loss, Brooklyn still remains in the No. 7 spot but only leads Boston by half a game.

Pistons 99 (30-47), Heat 98 (34-42)

While the Hornets and Celtics found a way to pull out one-point victories, the Heat were on the other end of a game decided by a single point. Midway through the fourth quarter, this game seemed to be locked up for Miami. Dwyane Wade (24 points, 11-18 from the field) and Goran Dragic (21 points, 7 assists) both had their offensive games going while Hassan Whiteside (13 points, 12 rebounds, 6 blocks) shut down the interior for Detroit. With just over five minutes to go, the Pistons only had 78 points and trailed by 15 points. Then Reggie Jackson (29 points, 11 assists) willed his team to a win by scoring 12 points during a 21-5 blitz, including the go-ahead driving layup with 5.0 seconds to go. Aside from his scoring outburst down the stretch, he has established a solid foundation with Andre Drummond (11 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks) as these two are completely in sync in almost every pick-and-roll. And any time the polarizing guard in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (19 points, 3 steals, 2-6 on 3-pointers) can have a decent game rather than one of his dreaded chunking performances, Detroit will likely have a chance. The Heat now trail the Celtics by half a game for the No. 8 seed.

Celtics 117 (35-42), Raptors 116 (45-32) OT

The Celtics have had one of the wackiest and wildest seasons going into Saturday’s game against the Raptors. This game’s ending might top all finishes in the League. The sequence of events started and finished with Marcus Smart (15 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals). The Celtics guard knocked down a triple with 32.9 seconds left in overtime to give the Celtics a 114-113 lead. Then after Brandon Bass split a pair of free throws, Lou Williams (27 points, 4 assists, 3-8 on 3-pointers) hits a tough 3-pointer of his own with 4.9 seconds on the clock to give the Raptors a 116-115 advantage. After Isaiah Thomas (25 points, 4 assists, 3-8 on 3-pointers) takes it the length of the floor, the speedy guard tries to put up a shot, gets blocked by Williams and has the ball land right in Smart’s hand. He then tosses in the game winner to keep his Celtics right in the thick of the playoff race. Before this sprint to the finish, DeMar DeRozan (38 points, 14-25 from the field) got his team to that point, scoring the Raptors final eight points on regulation which included the arriving jump shot with 6.9 seconds to go. However, Toronto’s guard finished with six turnovers and many mistakes throughout the game. With the close victory, Boston moves into the No. 8 spot in the East (for now).

Wizards 92 (44-33), Grizzlies 83 (52-25)

The Wizards have found a little bounce to their step of late, winning two straight games before facing the Grizzlies Saturday night. The winning streak continued thanks to a big first quarter and strong guard play. Washington and Memphis played three even quarters in the first, second and third; neither team outscored the other by more than three points in any of these quarters. However, the Wizards came firing out of the gates and took a 29-18 lead into the second. This is in large part due to John Wall (18 points, 14 assists, 6 rebounds), who was coming off a career-performance in this previous game. After dishing out 18 assists through three quarters against the Knicks, Wall already racked up six assists to go along with seven points in the first 12 minutes. He would finish with 14 assists, which gives him a whopping 32 assists the past two games. Bradley Beal (20 points, 5 rebounds) was on the receiving end of many of these pinpoint passes, finding his midrange touch with his 3-point game being off. Memphis stay in this game with their stingy defense but needed more than Marc Gasol (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Mike Conley (14 points, 8 assists, 0-5 on 3-pointers) putting up 32 combined points to get over the hump. These were the only two Grizzlies in double figures. Conley and the Grizzlies also couldn’t buy a shot from deep, finishing the night 1-15 (6.7 percent) on 3-pointers. Even though they play a grit-and-grind style of basketball, they will need much more offensive firepower and consistent 3-point shooting to make it through the bloodbath known as the Western Conference Playoffs.

Warriors 123 (63-13), Mavericks 110 (46-31)

The Warriors won their 12th straight game by wearing down a Mavs team that seemed to do everything they could to lose Saturday’s game. Even though Stephen Curry (11 points, 3 assists) and Golden State kept going on early runs to put the team in front by double-digits, Dallas kept responding and making it a single-digit game. However, the Mavericks never seemed to get it close enough because of one glaring issue—free throws. For a good portion of the night, they were the aggressors, getting Andrew Bogut (8 points, 11 rebounds), Harrison Barnes (13 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals) and Draymond Green (5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) into foul trouble in the second half. These three all picked their fourth foul in the third, forcing Andre Iguodala (18 points, 4 assists) and Mareese Speights (18 points) to take on larger roles. Klay Thompson (21 points, 5-10 on 3-pointers) was also a consistent force throughout the night despite having four fouls as well. The Mavericks finished the night drawing 14 more fouls and tossing up a total of 54 free throws—22 more than the Warriors. Yet, they could only knock down 39-54 (72.2 percent) and actually shot even worse than that for most of the game before finally starting to sink them once the game didn’t matter. Dirk Nowitzki (18 points, 4 rebounds) and Monta Ellis (14 points) both missed some freebies at important points when their team was trying to cut into the deficit. Raymond Felton, Dwight Powell and Bernard James combined to shoot 8-8 from the line in garbage time, upping the team’s dreadful free throw shooting percentage. When playing the Warriors, you can’t pass up any free chances to score points. And Saturday night, Dallas didn’t want any part in making the challenge of taking on the best team in the NBA any easier.

Magic 97 (24-53), Bucks 90 (38-39)

Right as the Bucks started to build some momentum in winning back-to-back games and making it back to .500, they find a way to let the Magic pull off the upset. This was in large part due to Tobias Harris (23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 5-9 on 3-pointers) and Nikola Vucevic (20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) having a strong performance for the second night in a row. When these two are clicking and fighting on both ends of the floor, they provide a perfect balance for Victor Oladipo (15 points, 6 rebounds) and Elfrid Payton (10 points, 11 assists, 3 steals) in the backcourt. Harris’ 3-point shooting, specifically, is key for Orlando’s spacing and success since Oladipo and Payton don’t necessarily have the most consistent deep shots. Rookie Aaron Gordon (10 points, 12 rebounds) also put on a fun performance off the bench in notching a double-double while sophomore Michael-Carter Williams (8 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals) almost reached a triple-double in the loss. Ersan Ilyasova (18 points, 8 rebounds) started the game off hot but cooled off as it moved along. This Bucks team just hasn’t had the same fervor and fight since Brandon Knight was shipped out for MCW.

Clippers 107 (51-26), Nuggets 92 (28-49)

Once J.J. Redick (25 points, 4-10 on 3-pointers) knocks down his first shot of the game in the first few minutes of play, the race is on for the Clippers. The former Duke guard had a solid just like his former college Saturday night as Redick moved effortlessly without the ball and made the most of his passes received from Chris Paul (23 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals). NBA rebounding leader DeAndre Jordan (14 points, 22 rebounds, 3 blocks) kept gobbling up boards against the undersized and outmatched Denver frontline. Even though Kenneth Faried (10 points, 14 rebounds) has just as much energy as Jordan, he doesn’t have the type of chemistry that Jordan does that helps the L.A. big man know exactly where he needs to be on both ends of the court. Wilson Chandler (17 points, 6 rebounds) led the Nuggets in scoring. Blake Griffin (12 points, 7 assists) continued to show off this radically improved part of his game—passing. The Clippers power forward has really started working with his back to the basket with a willingness to give the ball up if he sees an open teammate, which he is starting to see much more. Los Angeles clearly has one of the best starting lineups in the League, and their 13-0 run to start the game speaks volumes about there potency…and the Nuggets woefulness.

Suns 87 (39-38), Jazz 85 (34-42)

It might be too little too late, but Phoenix broke out of its five-game losing streak by ending Utah’s three-game winning streak. After the first quarter, though, this game seemed like it would be another defensive onslaught by the Jazz with Rudy Gobert (8 points, 15 rebounds) and Derrick Favors (14 points, 7 rebounds) taking it to their opponent’s smaller bigs. The 10th-seeded Suns could only score 13 points in the first 12 minutes and trailed by five. However, then the offense suddenly came alive as they almost tripled that amount in exploding for 34 points in the second quarter. Gerald Green (24 points, 3-5 on 3-pointers) had a mini eight-point run of his own, which put his team up four with a little more than three minutes to go in the half. The streaky play continued in the third, this time for the Jazz as they outscored the Suns 31-18 and took back the lead. In the fourth, though, Green got things going with a 3-point shot and finished off a strong performance off the bench with 10 points in the final quarter to give Phoenix the close victory. Gordon Hayward (21 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) did score eight straight points late in the game before Eric Bledsoe (16 points, 5 assists) made a layup and split a pair of free throws to end the game. Phoenix trailed OKC by three and a half games for the final playoff spot in the West.

Blazers 99 (50-26), Pelicans 90 (41-35)

The Pelicans have slowly but surely climbed back into the playoff hunt by winning four consecutive games going into Saturday’s game against the Blazers. However, that streak came to an end at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon as LaMarcus Aldridge (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Damian Lillard (19 points, 4 assists) led their team to its 50th win on the year. These two have fought all season long to keep up with the other top teams in the conference and now have a division title to go along with a 50-win season. The biggest reason they controlled their game against the Pelicans was rebounding. With big men Aldridge, Robin Lopez (8 points, 12 rebounds) and Chris Kaman (16 points, 11 rebounds) showing no fear against Anthony Davis (19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals), Portland outrebounded New Orleans 51-35 and had twice as many offensive rebounds. This also helped the Blazers get to the line as they shot 21-23 (91.3 percent) on the night. The Pelicans only 5-10 (50 percent) from the stripe. Guards Tyreke Evans (21 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) and Eric Gordon (22 points, 4-6 on 3-pointers) reached the 20-point plateau but allowed Lillard to bring his team back from a fourth-quarter deficit. The Blazers actually held a 81-77 lead about midway through the fourth before the Blazers used a late 18-4 run to put this game out of reach.

The post Post Up: The Race Is On appeared first on SLAM.

In the days before the All-Star break, Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens was asked if his team’s recent success could be traced in part to roster continuity. Stevens chuckled at the suggestion, but later admitted that three weeks without a roster move might truly have represented a lengthy period of time for a team that’s seen its player swap uniforms more frequently than famed halftime act, Quick Change.

 

The Celtics have employed a staggering 40 players since the formal start of the 2014-15 season. You could fill three NBA teams (or maybe two NBA teams and a D-League squad) with players that have been on the roster.

 

Just look at the list of players that are gone but not forgotten (in alphabetical order): Joel Anthony, Chris Babb, Keith Bogans, Will Bynum, Andre Dawkins, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Jarrell Eddie, Vitor Faverani, Tim Frazier, Jeff Green, Kris Humphries, Chris Johnson, John Lucas III, Rodney McGruder, Erik Murphy, Jameer Nelson, Dwight Powell, Tayshaun Prince, Austin Rivers, Nate Robinson, Rajon Rondo, Malcolm Thomas, Marcus Thornton, Christian Watford, and Brandan Wright.

H/T: NBA Reddit

The post The Celtics Have Had 40 Different Players on Their Roster This Year appeared first on SLAM.

Over the past two years, Rondo’s field-goal percentage dipped to 40 percent, a far cry from the 50 percent he averaged during the Celtics’ strongest title runs. The explanation for this lies not with his inherent ability to score, but with the team built around him. Rondo is not meant to be the go-to scorer of a lineup, and thrives when there are star players around him, allowing him to penetrate and dish at will.

With the right players around him, Rondo can become more than one of the best passers in the NBA because defenses cannot focus on him from a scoring standpoint. Rondo has never been a good shooter, but with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett at his side he was an efficiently integral scorer. With the trade to the Mavericks, Rondo can actually be expected to improve his scoring output (just 8.3 ppg this season) to around 10-11 ppg with a field-goal percentage between 47-50 percent from here on out. His new teammates are going to open up these opportunities for him.

There is no reason for the Mavericks to do anything but put the offense in the hands of Rondo. He is an explosive play maker and a visionary passer, and will only enhance the effectiveness of Monta Ellis, Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler. He eventually averaged 11 assists per game in three straight seasons, and is closing in on that number again this year (back to 10.8 apg) with a bad roster around him. The idea that Rondo’s assist numbers would go down with the Mavericks is ridiculous, as it’s going to be pretty easy to retain an 11-assist pace with all the offensive firepower and an alley-oop magnet at the rim in Chandler. Rondo can also be expected to continue to provide fantasy owners with around 2 steals per contest. His rebounding numbers should dip back down slightly, however (currently a career high 7.5 per game).

Simply put, Rondo can be the perfect complementary piece for a well built fantasy team now that he is with the Mavericks. He defines the term point guard, and the Mavs are a much better team with him. The trade also impacts several other players…

Marcus Smart will now be handed the keys to the Celtics, and must be owned in all leagues. Expectations for Smart should be kept in check, but as long as he is healthy the Celtics are likely to give him every chance to succeed. It’s been an up-and-down campaign for Smart, both in regard to his play on the court and his ability to stay on it. Jameer Nelson was struggling with the Mavs, and it’s likely he will slide in as Smart’s backup, providing no value moving forward unless an injury occurs. Evan Turner might handle the ball a little more as well, but it’s doubtful he ever becomes fantasy-relevant.

Brandan Wright, who heads to the Celtics in the deal, hasn’t been receiving many minutes, but he has been making the most of them. Per minute, he has been one of the most efficient players in the League. He is averaging 8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in just 18 minutes per game. He’s worth an add in deep leagues especially, and while he is likely to receive a slight increase in minutes, the Celtics already have Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Zeller in the frontcourt.

It’s possible the Celtics really like the 27-year-old’s potential, even though he has never received over 18 minutes per game before. If that’s the case, there could be a decrease in output from the rest of Boston’s big men. It’s best to keep an eye on the situation because it’s impossible to predict how it will play out. Jae Crowder also heads to Boston, but he will be handed nothing more than a backup role with Jeff Green ahead of him. Keep an eye on Dwight Powell moving forward, who while not worth an add in any league, heads to the Mavericks and might find himself in a Brandan Wright type of role if he proves his worth to coach Rick Carlisle.

On the Mavericks’ side of things, Devin Harris and JJ Barea are going to see even more of a reduced role, but they weren’t fantasy relevant anyway, except in deep and daily leagues. They can back up both guard positions however. Monta Ellis has been entrusted as the primary scorer in Dallas and his 4.7 assists per game is already the lowest Ellis has put up in 6 seasons, so the Rondo addition doesn’t impact him too much statistically, though he should receive better looks on offense. Rondo makes other players around him better, but the impact will be seen on the court more than in the box scores for those individuals. The Mavericks are already playing well across the board so it’s hard to expect much more from them statistically.

Dan Hanna is SLAM’s weekly fantasy basketball columnist and a life-long Bulls fan. Follow him on Twitter @i_am_danhan. For advice on your fantasy team, post questions in the comments section.

The post Fantasy Basketball Update: Rondo To Dallas appeared first on SLAM.

Like say, about those all-black Jordan XIs, with a splash of turquoise in the logo.

“Had to bust ’em out,” Randle said, laughing.

He was asked about the toughest player he’d guarded last season. (Jahii Carson.) Was it weird not having Dwight Powell and Josh Huestis around? (Yes, but the freshmen have been stepping up to fill that void.) He moved on to the way he’d spent his summer. There was an invite to Chris Paul’s elite camp in mid-August. There were the months spent fortifying his already-prodigious offensive arsenal and defensive approach.

Considerable buzz follows him now. Randle was fresh off a spring in which he’d sprung onto the national scene with Stanford, who’d shocked the nation with a run to the Sweet 16, taking down No. 2-seeded Kansas along the way. There was that press conference that had gone viral, when two guffawing Jayhawks (Wayne Selden Jr and Andrew Wiggins) had been asked about Randle.

Q: What about Randle, and his impact on the game?

 

Wiggins: I am not sure right now. What about you, Wayne?

 

Selden: I am along with you.

Whoops. Thirteen points, 6 steals and one victory later, Randle was a media darling, the Jayhawks the latest victims of social media-abetted foot-in-mouth disease. It was one of the prime performances in a sensational junior campaign during which Randle averaged 18.8 points and shot 44 percent—from the field and from three.

Stanford would lose to Dayton in the Sweet 16, but a hurdle had been breached. They were on the verge of something special. The season finished, Randle headed back home.

He had work to do.

***

At Rock Island (IL) High, Randle never received less than an A. He was the class valedictorian. When people talk about him, it usually takes about 10 minutes before they breach the subject of basketball. Kid is special in that rare kind of all-around way. But still. Finishing his degree in African and American Studies, at Stanford, in three years, while maintaining a 3.3 GPA? That takes some doing. As Cardinal coach Johnny Dawkins puts it, “He’s had to take extra courses throughout the school year, and in summer. To balance that with basketball says a lot about him.”

This summer, Randle began work on his thesis for Stanford’s master’s program in Psychology.

That meant numerous trips to Scott County Correctional Facility, in Davenport, IA, just a short drive across the Mississippi River from Rock Island. Randle has volunteered at the facility since the summer before his junior year in high school.

He interacts with the kids housed there, tells them what he’s done with his life, what’s helped him get to where he is today. “I try to give them motivation and some hope for when they’re ready to leave and re-enter schools,” Randle says.

Those experiences served as the springboard for his master’s thesis. “We’re looking at perceptions of juvenile youth who are re-entering schools and how they’re received by their peers and teachers,” Randle explained. “What we’re really trying to do is help their transition in getting back into society and schools. Randle recounts all this in vintage matter-of-fact manner. You begin to see why Dawkins calls him a special kid, and why the first descriptor often attached to him is “extremely driven and incredibly humble.”

So, who better than to lead Stanford as they enter a ’14-15 season intent upon solidifying their foothold on the national scene? Randle has always felt more comfortable leading by example, but this fall, he’s been trying to improve vocally. “I think I’m growing in that area,” he says, “and getting that respect from my teammates.”

Randle once credited his AAU team, the heralded Illinois Wolves, with “bringing out the animal in him.” His commitment certainly couldn’t be questioned: Randle would make a five-hour round trip to practices.

At Stanford, Randle credits Dawkins with taking that on-court aggressiveness to “a whole ‘nother level.”

There’s reason for this, most notably in the two’s shared path as basketball players. Dawkins was a heralded recruit in Washington, DC, who in the mid-’80s became Duke’s (then) all-time leading scorer, keying the program’s rise. During his time in Durham, Dawkins transitioned from off guard to running point. To watch Randle do the same, the coach attests, is pretty cool. “We’re able to talk about certain things I don’t think he could talk about with a big man or a wing. That’s something that’s really special,” says Randle. “I’ve leaned on him a lot, on and off the court.”

The transition hasn’t always been seamless. After an excellent freshman season on The Farm, Randle struggled as a sophomore. Defenses were attuned to him, and his shooting percentages and production dipped accordingly. But Randle flipped the script last season. There were times he was simply unguardable. Like any great teacher, Dawkins knows Randle can give more. He knows this is the type of player that becomes the benchmark of a program.

“He’s kind of quiet,” says Dawkins, “so one of my jobs is to teach him how to lead. He has to continue to be vocal, and he’s really embraced that. He’s learning to be really proactive—not just with his play, which is always proactive, but also with his voice. He has a great voice, and people believe in him.”

***

It seems strange to talk about failure when it comes to Randle, but when the roster for the 2013 World University Games was announced, Randle wasn’t on it. He felt he deserved a spot, and it stung. But, in quintessential fashion, Randle rebounded quickly. He looks back philosophically. “I’ve failed a lot in my life, at basketball and off the court, but I’m driven by those things I’m not able to accomplish—the things that have, in my mind, gone wrong,” he says. “I’ve always been told, once things don’t go right for you, don’t be mad about it, don’t cry about it, turn that energy into working toward what you want to accomplish.”

Randle used the snub as motivation. Dawkins helped him harness it. “We used that disappointment of not being a part of the team and turned it into a positive, an opportunity to get better and show people, ‘Hey, maybe you made a mistake,'” Dawkins says. “I think that last year, he did that. He had one of the best seasons of any guard in the country.”

This season, Randle won’t be sneaking up on anybody. He has a shot at passing Todd Lichti for the program’s all-time points record. (He’s currently 686 points shy.) He’ll run point, and be a leader. Randle likes what he sees from a talented freshman class, which includes the likes of 6-8 forward Travis Reid and 6-2 point guard Robert Cartwright. Cartwright told Stanford’s official website he’s “lucky to learn from Randle.”

That’s music to Randle’s ears. “They’ve seen where we’ve been from afar, and they understand,” he says. “That’s special. They want to win, they want to compete, and they’ve been great at every single practice. They’ve brought a certain level of energy and intensity.”

The post Leading The Charge appeared first on SLAM.

The Cavs will reportedly surrender the non-guaranteed contracts of John Lucas, Erik Murphy and Malcolm Thomas, in addition to Dwight Powell (whom Boston intends to retain.)

Per ESPN:

The combination of ‎Bogans’ contract being non-guaranteed both this season at $5.3 million and next season at $5.5 million — along with Brendan Haywood’s fully unguaranteed $10.5 million salary in 2015-16 — potentially gives the Cavs a combined $16-plus million in unguaranteed salary to dangle in trades for the 2015-16 campaign.

 

That’s a significant amount of cap relief to offer trade partners for Cleveland, which also acquired second-round picks from Boston via Sacramento in 2015 and ’17 that are top-55 protected.

 

Boston, meanwhile, gets a player it likes in Powell as well as second-round picks from Cleveland in 2016 and ’17. Sources said the Celtics also will create a trade exception worth $5.3 million as part of the transaction, which can be achieved by absorbing the various Cleveland players into existing trade exceptions.

The post Celtics Trade Keith Bogans to the Cavs appeared first on SLAM.

Dwight Howard and Josh Powell both grew up in ATL. While Powell is a few years older, the basketball community is small and he formed a bond with Howard that ultimately proved beneficial. The 10-year NBA vet has made stops with the Mavs, Pacers, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Hawks and Knicks. He also went across the pond to win a Euroleague chip in 2013. While his resume speaks for itself, it was ultimately D12’s word that helped lock up his deal with the Rockets.

“He was a big factor. He was also lobbying for me as well,” Powell said. “His input definitely helped with the process. Of course my agent was working, but with Dwight being my brother, he was definitely lobbying for me.”

While Dwight never made it to college, he was still making the rounds on visits early in his high school career. The Atlanta Celtics star was the top player in the Class of 2004 and despite the fact that most expected him to go straight to the League, he went on plenty of college visits. It was on his visit to Raleigh that he and Powell really got tight.

“When he was in high school and I was in college, we knew of each other. We always know the ones coming up,” explained Powell. “NC State had a camp to bring him in and being from the A, they wanted me to be the one to walk him around, talk about college, and get him to come to State.”

Although Howard chose to forgo campus life, the two have remained close ever since—evidenced by how hyped Howard was about the signing of Powell.

“It’s amazing being able to play with someone that you truly cherish as a person,” Howard said. “I’ll be happy to toss him around in practice, but I am excited get out there and play for a ring in the game.”

Getting rings is one area that Powell has plenty of experience in. He was a glue guy on the Lakers back-to-back chips in the post-Shaq era and took on a much bigger role when he led Olympiacos to a Euroleague title last year. Knowing that he’s not going to be putting up huge numbers in Houston, the 31-year-old is prepared to use his experience to take on a different role.

“On the court, I’m going to bring the energy and presence. Playing D, playing hard, communication, energy, demeanor and believing in yourself. Off-court, my experience,” explained Powell. “I’ve been to three Finals and won two. Won Euroleague. Being successful at a lot of stages allows me to be able to express those things to guys who may have not been there. I’m going to be a leader on and off the court.”

He added, “The tough thing about being an NBA player is getting down on yourself when not playing, not making shots, and stuff like that. The main thing is staying positive, whether you’re up 20 or down 20… These are things that I learned from Kobe and Phil Jackson.”

Howard will be counted on to be the team’s focal point. There will be plenty of opportunity for Dwight to get back to his dominant Orlando form. And Powell expects that to happen.

“We’re going to get on the big fella’s shoulders and ride out.”

The post Day One appeared first on SLAM.

The Cavaliers, sources say, are merely exploring options for using their estimated $1.4 million in remaining cap space before signing Wiggins to a contract that will pay him in the neighborhood of $5.5 million as a rookie.

 

The Cavs and Timberwolves have been discussing a Love trade since the return of LeBron James, with sources saying that Minnesota is insistent on getting Wiggins back in any deal that sends Love to Cleveland.

 

One option under consideration for the Cavs, sources say, is using their leftover salary-cap space to create long-term contracts for recent second-round picks Joe Harris and Dwight Powell. Signing Wiggins first would preclude such moves.

The post Report: Cavs to Sign Andrew Wiggins to Rookie Deal appeared first on SLAM.

2014 NBA Draft: First Round Selections

Cavaliers, No. 1: Andrew Wiggins, Kansas

Bucks, No. 2: Jabari Parker, Duke

76ers, No. 3: Joel Embiid, Kansas

Magic, No. 4: Aaron Gordon, Arizona

Jazz, No. 5: Dante Exum, Australia

Celtics, No. 6: Marcus Smart, Oklahoma

Lakers, No. 7: Julius Randle, Kentucky

Kings, No. 8: Nik Stauskas, Michigan

Hornets, No. 9: Noah Vonleh, Indiana

76ers, No. 10: Elfrid Payton, UL Lafayette (traded to Magic)

Nuggets, No. 11: Doug McDermott, Creighton (traded to Bulls)

Magic: No. 12: Dario Saric, Croatia (traded to 76ers)

Timberwolves, No.13: Zach LaVine, UCLA

Suns, No. 14: T.J. Warren, N.C. State

Hawks, No. 15: Adreian Payne, Michigan State

Bulls, No. 16: Jusuf Nurkic, Croatia

Celtics, No. 17: James Young, Kentucky

Suns, No. 18: Tyler Ennis, Syracuse

Bulls, No. 19: Gary Harris, Michigan State

Raptors, No. 20: Bruno Caboclo, Brazil

Thunder, No. 21: Mitch McGary, Michigan

Grizzlies, No. 22: Jordan Adams, UCLA

Jazz, No. 23: Rodney Hood, Duke

Hornets, No. 24: Shabazz Napier, UConn (traded to Heat)

Rockets, No. 25: Clint Capela, France

Heat, No. 26: P.J. Hairston, D-League (traded to Hornets)

Suns, No. 27: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Serbia

Clippers, No. 28: C.J. Wilcox, Washington

Thunders, No. 29: Josh Huestis, Stanford

Spurs, No. 30: Kyle Anderson, UCLA

2nd Round

Bucks, No. 31: Damien Inglis, France

76ers, No. 32: K.J. McDaniels, Clemson

Cavaliers, No. 33: Joe Harris, Virginia

Knicks, No. 34: Cleanthony Early, Wichita State

Jazz, No. 35: Jarnell Stokes, Tennessee

Bucks, No. 36: Johnny O’Bryant, LSU

Raptors, No. 37: Deandre Daniels, UConn

Pistons, No. 38: Spencer Dinwiddie, Colorado

76ers, No. 39: Jeremi Grant, Syracuse

Timberwolves, No. 40: Glenn Robinson III, Michigan

Nuggets, No. 41: Nikola Jokic, Serbia

Rockets, No. 42: Nick Johnson, Arizona

Nets, No. 43: Walter Tavares, Spain

Timberwolves, No. 44: Markel Brown, Oklahoma State

Hornets, No. 45: Dwight Powell, Stanford

Wizards, No. 46: Jordan Clarkson, Missouri

76ers, No. 47: Russ Smith, Louisville

Bucks, No. 48: Lamar Patterson,Pittsburg

Bulls, No. 49: Cameron Bairstow, New Mexico

Suns, No. 50: Alec Brown, Green Bay

Knicks, No. 51: Thanasis Antetokounmpo, D-League

76ers, No. 52: Vasilije Micic, Serbia 

Timberwolves, No. 53: Alessandro Gentile, Italy

76ers, No. 54: Nemanja Dangubic, Serbia

Heat, No. 55: Semaj Christon, Xavier

Nuggets, No. 56: Roy Devyn Marble, Iowa

Pacers, No. 57: Louis Labeyrie, France

Spurs, No. 58: Jordan McRae, Tennessee

Raptors, No. 59: Xavier Thames, San Diego State

Spurs, No. 60: Cory Jefferson, Baylor

The post Andrew Wiggins Selected No. 1 in NBA Draft appeared first on SLAM.

by Rodger Bohn

Canada has been hot as of late and it should come as no surprise. With better coaching at the grassroots level in a culture that has always had a strong love for the game, the country has straight blew up on the national level. With Anthony Bennett and Kelly Olynk drafted in the first round last year, Canada should have a record number of players selected this year. One of whom is Stanford’s Dwight Powell.

Running with Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, Nik Stauskas, Myck Kabongo and an eighth grade Andrew Wiggins on the AAU circuit for Grassroots Canada, Powell was a part of a Canadian team that surprised just about everyone when they took the adidas Super 64 crown in Las Vegas. Spurning offers from many of the elite basketball programs in the country, Powell (who comes from a family rich in academic tradition), opted to go to Stanford for his collegiate career. But his time of playing with future pros on the grassroots level definitely planted the seed to get him ready for the next level.

“The competition, seeing what the other guys did, and the paths they went down helped,” Powell said. “It was motivation and showed that it could be done.”

The motivation was apparent in Palo Alto. Coming in, he was a fluid 6-10 post with a world of upside. Leaving, he was a skilled power forward who could not only score with his back to the basket, but facing up as well. He posted averages of 15 and 9 during his junior season and was an all Pac-12 First-Team selection during his final two campaigns. More importantly, Powell spurned the NBA to return to return and cop a science, technology and society degree from one of the nation’s most prestigious universities.

“Obviously it was tempting and it was my dream to not only get to the NBA, but to play there,” the 22-year-old explained. “I had a plan and I just stayed focused. I’d think about it every day, but I have accomplished both my plan and receiving a degree from Stanford.”

Taking the next step toward accomplishing that dream, we met up with Powell at Impact Basketball in Vegas where he was getting his game right. Standing 6-10 and weighing 240 pounds, he has the ideal physical profile for an NBA power forward. After spending part of his time in college playing the 5, he’s working toward playing his natural position in the League with Joe Abunassar.

“I’ve spent a lot of time on on my ball handling and my shot. I’ve also been working on my reactions to different situations,” Powell said. “A lot of pick and roll stuff as a power forward. I need to be able to knock down jumpers.”

Based on what we saw in our two days observing him, he should have no problem knocking down jumpers at the next level. He shot the rock consistently from mid-range with fluid form and the ability to get it up over taller defenders. In fact, he even extended as far as the NBA three-point line during the drills and while he’s not going to be a 40 percent shooter from the jump, there’s certainly room for optimism that it will be added to his arsenal in the future.

Another aspect of his game that leaves a lot of room for optimism is Powell’s ability to do work from the elbows. He has a quick first step and definite skills to rip against smaller defenders. His back to the basket game is still developing, although he showed that he can still finish around the cup with either hand. It’s these skills, in addition to his athleticism and ability to run the floor, that Powell feels will surprise GMs during workouts.

“My entire game in different situations,” he said when asked what he’d shock teams with. “I think I’ll surprise them with my ball-handling and shooting, especially.”

Projected anywhere from the late first round to early second, this will be an essential month and a half for Powell. He shows out, he’ll be playing for guaranteed money. If he struggles, he could find himself as a second rounder. From what we saw, a team looking for an intriguing face-up four man would be a fool now to grab him in the first round. But no matter what, Powell accomplished his plan of the NBA and a degree from Stanford, something most could only dream of.

The post NBA Draft Tour: Dwight Powell Workout appeared first on SLAM.

by Jeff Fox

NBA LIVE

The Raptors—or whatever their new name turns out to be—might be young in the scheme of things, having only joined the League in 1996, but pro basketball has a rich history in Toronto that far pre-dates the Purple Dinosaurs. As a matter of fact, the first NBA game ever took place in the city—only fitting considering the sport was invented by a Canadian—on November 1, 1946. That fall day, the visiting New York Knickerbockers edged past the Toronto Huskies, 68-66, in legendary Maple Leaf Gardens in front of 7,090 well-dressed spectators. And, unfortunately, the home team’s luck hasn’t gotten much better since that day.

The Huskies only lasted one season, after which the city was an NBA orphan for another 50 years. And since its return, there hasn’t been too much to cheer for, either. An inability to attract elite free agents north of the border, coupled with the constant, premature migration of its stars down south—Tracy McGrady, Damon Stoudamire, Vince Carter and Chris Bosh, to name a few—has made the Raptors a bit of a flaccid franchise. In their 18 seasons, the Raps have only made the Playoffs five times and have never advanced past the second round. Despite the lack of success, the stands at the Air Canada Centre (and the team’s former home, the SkyDome), have remained relatively packed, with the team ranking among the upper half of the League in attendance 12 out of its 18 years. Luckily this fact hasn’t gone unnoticed by all Raptors players.

“I love playing in Toronto,” says four-year vet DeMar DeRozan. “The city is beautiful and the fans are great—they know the game of basketball. I entered the League as a 19-year-old kid and I’ve basically grown up in front of the Raptors fans. They’ve always been supportive and that’s one of the main reasons why I committed to staying in Toronto. I want to be part of something great with the Raptors.”

The Raptors organization is hoping that new management, a possible name change and a roster full of young, eager and hungry players like DeRozan will make their future as bright as the lights on Yonge St.

The city also hasn’t had much more luck producing homegrown NBA pros—yet. The best of the bunch has been Eastern Commerce grad Jamaal Magloire, who played in one All-Star game. All of that is about to change, though, as a young contingent of NBA-level, heck, All-Star level, talent from the city is coming of age, led by current pros Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph. They’ll be joined in the L this fall by fellow Torontonian and 2013 No. 1 Draft pick Anthony Bennett, Kelly Olynyk and (most likely) Myck Kabongo. And that number is only going to grow, as an unprecedented level of young talent is on its way.

On the female side of the ledger, area native Tammy Sutton-Brown is sitting out this season after playing the last 12 in the WNBA, making two All-Star teams and winning a chip last year with Indiana.

BIG MEN ON CAMPUS

Not surprisingly for a city its size, Toronto has a ton of college basketball teams. There are three university teams (Toronto, Ryerson and York) that compete in Canada’s highest collegiate athletic league, the CIS, and another six community colleges that compete in their own league. And while these teams routinely play—and win—exhibition games versus NCAA DI teams every year, the best college hoops talent in Canada tends to head down south to the free rides of the NCAA.

The most talented of the Canadians currently balling for US colleges is, of course, none other than “Canada’s LeBron,” Andrew Wiggins. The GTA (Greater Toronto Area) native is expected to be the first pick in next June’s NBA Draft. First, though, he’ll attend Kansas. Ultimately, before all is said and done, he may go down as the greatest player the country has ever produced, which is saying a lot considering two-time NBA MVP and future HOFer  Steve Nash is also a proud Canuck.

But Wiggins is just the icing on the cake of the best Toronto NCAA freshman class of all time. Joining Wiggins in the NCAA this fall are top recruits Tyler Ennis (Syracuse) and Xavier Rathan-Mayes (Florida State). And the GTA’s NCAA incumbents aren’t too shabby either, with veterans Dwight Powell (Stanford), Nik Stauskas (Michigan) and Melvin Ejim (Iowa State) leading a group of close to 50 GTA ballers currently playing in DI (not to mention around 20 GTA women playing DI as well).

Prep Stars

The best prep talent in Toronto (and Canada in general) usually bounces down to the States in the early stages of their high school careers. That wasn’t always the case, as local legends Leo Rautins (Syracuse, then the NBA), Magloire (Kentucky, then the NBA), and Denham Brown (111 points in a high school game at West Hill before attending UConn), among others, stayed home for school before going down south.

One current player bucking that US exodus trend, at least for the time being, is top-50 Class of 2015 prospect Chris Egi, who is currently playing for his hometown school St. Andrews College in the Toronto suburb of Markham. He’s actually joined in 2015’s top 50 by GTA native Montaque Gill-Caesar, who is playing at Huntington Prep, in West Virginia.

The Class of 2014 isn’t quite as stacked as 2013 or 2015, but it does contain GTA talent Jabari Craig (Tucker High School in Georgia), who is a top-150 recruit.

As for the players who do stay home to play in the GTA, they’ve dominated Ontario’s provincial (state) championships, winning 14 out of the last 26 titles, including three out of the last four years.

Streetball

Despite the popular myth, it doesn’t always snow in Canada, and everyone doesn’t live in igloos, so there is actually a vibrant streetball scene in the T.O. And if you are looking for the best runs, the Harbourfront court on Queens Quay is the place to be. Weekend warriors, streetballers and returning local pros all get a sweat going on this outdoor court, which offers a beautiful view of Lake Ontario. And if it does happen to snow, the game just moves indoors to the adjacent Harbourfront Community Centre.

Runs

When the snow does come, there are plenty of indoor runs in the GTA. For that, we turn to SLAM contributor and T.O. native Ray Bala as our tour guide.

“If you’re thinking pick-up indoor, I’d say the Metro Central YMCA,” Bala says. “It’s the biggest one in the GTA with two full courts and with at least one side always open, you get a run in. The run quality may vary from day to day, but I’ve been playing inside there for about 10 years and outside of the regular guys just trying to get a good sweat in, I’ve seen the likes of local university and returning NCAA ballers to pros playing overseas to random celebs dropping in for a run.

“Other than that, the Hoopdome in north Toronto is a great indoor facility that has four college fullcourts and a set of smaller side rims,” Bala continues. “It’s a trek from just about anywhere since it’s a little out of the way in an industrial park, but the courts are nice and the runs are decent. You’ll usually see high school or college kids getting worked out day or night, and it was actually the place that my friend Kyle Julius worked out Andrea Bargnani for a month a couple of years back. The Hoopdome also hosts various tournaments in the summer and ID camps but can be really humid and sticky since it’s located inside a former airplane hangar.”

See? It does get humid and sticky in Canada…sometimes.

How We Do

The GTA is a sprawling, diverse area where most top players depart for down south in their early teens. This makes it tough to describe a prototypical Toronto baller, but one of the city’s brightest young talents takes a stab at characterizing what type of players the area produces.

“I can’t really generalize all of us,” says Tyler Ennis. “But I’d say players out of the GTA are always hungry. Sometimes laid back, but always playing to prove themselves.”

You could describe T.O. ballers as conquerors. Led by Wiggins, Thompson, Joseph and the like, Toronto is about to make its mark on the basketball map. Or, to quote another Torontonian, “Started from the bottom, now we’re here.”

The post The City Game: Toronto appeared first on SLAM.

By a very considerable margin—try $250 million on for size—LeBron James’ Nikes are the most popular sneakers hawked by an active NBA player. Trailing LeBron in signature shoe sales are Kobe Bryant (Nike), Carmelo Anthony (Jordan), Kevin Durant (Nike), Derrick Rose (adidas), John Wall (Reebok) and Dwight Howard (adidas). Per Forbes, via SportsOneSource: “Nike generated $300 million in U.S. retail sales in 2012 for James’ signature shoes, according to research firm SportsOneSource. Nike’s haul represents a 50% increase from sales of James’ kicks in 2011. ‘The first thing is the aesthetics. The shoes look great and his star stature continues to rise,’ says SportsOneSource analyst Matt Powell. ‘The media attention on him helps him sell more footwear.’ The LeBron X caused a stir last summer when the Wall Street Journal reported that the shoes would be priced at more than $300. In reality, the base LeBron X shoe costs $180 and the technology-embedded shoe with Nike+ sensors, which tracks how high players jump and how far they run, is available for $260. […] The second best-selling active NBA pitchman is Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. His Kobe 8 signature shoes sold $50 million at U.S. stores last year. […] Today’s NBA stars are all still looking up at global icon Michael Jordan. The Nike-owned Jordan Brand has been on fire with $2 billion in U.S. sales in 2012, according to SportsOneSource. Susquehanna Financial analyst Christopher Svezia estimates the brand grew 25-30% globally in 2012. The royalty agreement is worth more than $60 million annually for Jordan, who last played an NBA game in 2003.”

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“What a game! Incredible! Such emotion, such passion. What we live for!”—Bill Walton

I will begin this column with a word of advice: If you’re ever having a bad day/week/month, turn on the TV and listen to Bill Walton call a basketball game (he’s currently working the Pac-12 slate for ESPN).

Listen to the hyperbole, the absurdity. You will instantly feel better. You will rejoice in the glory of college hoops, and all your worries shall be forgotten. The above quote is a mere sampling of the oratorical explosions one may expect from the Great Redhead—he’s the Winston Churchill of broadcasters.

Anyhow, we’re back on schedule here at the Week in Review, ready to recap some of the biggest upsets, rivalries and conference battles of the past seven days. I love this time of year, don’t you? The conference seasons are in full swing, teams are hitting their February stride, and just about every other day we’re treated to a classic barn-burner of a matchup.

Per usual, this past week offered plenty of drama, heroics and intrigue—just the way we like it!

As I embark on my weekly plod across the college hoops landscape, I see a thousand headlines and pulled quotes, a plentitude of insight and commentary, an army of talking heads and broadcast eccentrics and disgruntled columnists and first-rate storytellers, everybody in their own way trying to make sense of this crazy, unpredictable game, flowing along, as it always does, ever so quickly toward March Madness. It’s really quite wonderful, college basketball. In summary, here’s what I’ve gleaned this week from various media outlets:

Michigan is No. 1, for now, but that could change very soon. The Big 10 teams are battering each other into submission. The Pac-12 is a battlefield, with Oregon and Arizona atop the standings. The ACC is all about Miami, Duke and NC State. Gonzaga owns the WCC. Kansas is once again dominating the Big 12. Butler is being Butler, though the Bulldogs have hit a couple of unforeseen snags in the Atlantic 10. The SEC is a crock pot of mediocrity, with the exceptions of Florida and (sometimes) Mizzou. The Mountain West is pretty good, we’re sure of that, but we don’t know how good. Et cetera.

Clearly, there’s a lot going on. Let the recaps begin.

WEEK IN REVIEW—February 1

GAME OF THE WEEK: Northern Iowa 58, Indiana State 59—Saturday

In Missouri Valley country, January is a bleak time of year. The cornfields are barren and drab. The weather is bone-chilling. Luckily, those plucky Midwestern schools from the MVC always put together an entertaining conference season.

Our GOW was a typical Valley affair—two schools with a surplus of pride and tradition going toe-to-toe in Terre Haute. UNI took a one-point lead with about three seconds left in the game, but Jake Koch fouled ISU’s Jake Odum as he attempted a last-second three-pointer. Odum missed the first free throw, and must’ve felt his knees wobble as he stepped to the line for the second one. He calmly knocked down the other two shots, though, and stole a victory for Indiana State.

It was a close game throughout the night: UNI established a four-point lead in the first 20 minutes of play, but Indiana State outscored the Panthers 36-31 in the second frame. Neither team led by more than seven points, according to the AP.

Odum tallied 16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists to lead Indiana State, while RJ Mahurin scored 14 points for the Sycamores. ISU made 10-11 free throws, obviously an all-important stat in a one-point ballgame.

Anthony James had a team-high 15 points for UNI.

At 14-7 overall, with wins over Evansville, Bradley and (most recently) Wichita State, the Sycamores are looking like contenders for the MVC title. They’re a clutch group. As Todd Golden wrote on January 27 for the Tribune-Star (Terre Haute), “In its nine MVC games so far, ISU has outscored its opponent in the final 10 minutes of four of them and has been even in the final 10 minutes of two other MVC games… The Sycamores’ timing is uncanny as the last 10 minutes are obviously the best time to turn it on. The Sycamores have either shot or defended their way into contention in the final minute of nearly every one of its games.”

Keep an eye on this team—few remember it, but the Sycs beat Mississippi and Miami in the nonconference season. ISU might be busting brackets come March.

Saturday

No. 3 Syracuse 71, Villanova 75 (OT)

Syracuse if very talented and could go far in the NCAA Tournament, but Villanova played a fine ballgame and earned a hard-fought Big East victory on Saturday. The Wildcats needed overtime, clutch shot-making and a whole lot of fight, but they got it done in Philly.

‘Nova guard Ryan Arcidiacono knocked down a three-pointer with two seconds left in the second half, tying the score at 61. Teammate James Bell made two three’s in overtime and scored a crucial layup that gave the Wildcats a three-point advantage. Villanova knocked down its free-throws and secured yet another win over a top-ranked opponent, its second such victory in four days.

The Tuesday prior, Villanova had beaten No. 5 Louisville 73-64.

Durran Hilliard was fantastic for the Wildcats, scoring 25 points and grabbing seven boards. Do-it-all forward Mouphtaou Yarou had 14 points, 16 rebounds and eight offensive rebounds. The Wildcats shot 42.1 percent against the Syracuse zone, and shot a staggering 27 three-pointers (they hit nine of them).

Brandon Triche scored a team-high 23 points for Syracuse, which was without second-leading scorer James Southerland, who was out because of an eligibility problem.

Villanova is unranked but clearly capable of beating just about anyone. “It takes time to build a team,” Wildcats coach Jay Wright told the Associated Press. “That’s what we’re doing here. We’re building a team.”

No. 12 Minnesota 44, Wisconsin 45

Ugh. This one looked like a Big Ten football game, with defense being the dominant theme. Wisconsin pulled out a win shooting just 37 percent from the field (17-46). Minnesota managed just 34.8 percent, so it makes sense.

Other Saturday notables:

Maryland 64, No. 1 Duke 84

No. 11 Kansas State 67, Iowa State 73

Washington 76, No. 16 Oregon 81

La Salle 69, No. 19 VCU 61

Dartmouth 77, Harvard 82

Marshall 72, Memphis 73

North Dakota State 53, South Dakota State 69

LSU 70, Kentucky 75

Washington State 71, Oregon State 68

Weber State 74, Montana 76

Air Force 57, Wyoming 48

Sunday

No. 13 Michigan State 70, No. 7 Indiana 75

Sparty delivered a game effort on Sunday against Indiana, but the Hoosiers held serve in Bloomington behind Victor Oladipo’s 21 points, seven rebounds and six steals. This kid is the engine that drives the Indiana offense; his quick hands and cagey court sense make him a great defender, too.

“(Oladipo) had a knowledge base tht he put into his game as to how he was going to defend,” Indiana coach Tom Crean told reporters. “If you’re not cerebral like that and at the same time, quick, it’s hard to defend like that. But he’s been good.”

MSU, atypically, committed 19 turnovers against an active Hoosier D.

The post College Basketball Week in Review appeared first on SLAM.

LeBron “liked” to win. When he loved to win more than just about anything, when he couldn’t accept the alternative, then he could think about joining the icons. Until then, he still had goals to reach for.

I wrote those words a long time ago. I wrote them about a lanky, 16-year-old high school sophomore. I was writing about a player whose coach was already comparing him to Magic Johnson, Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant.

Keith Dambrot is in his ninth season as the head coach at the University of Akron, but when I met him back in 2001, he was coming off a second straight Ohio state championship at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary HS. He’d been coaching LeBron for a few years by then, through middle-school workouts and during his first two seasons of high school ball. Hoops-wise, Dambrot knew LeBron as well as anyone.

“Most guys who dominate at his age do it athletically, but LeBron has done it with skills and knowledge,” Dambrot said. This was in the late spring of LeBron’s sophomore year, and we were in the St. V gym, watching LeBron and a mix of high school teammates and local college kids in a ragged, out-of-season pick-up run. “He’s just got great knowledge. He just understands the game. A lot of it’s instinct, but the other thing is, he’s very bright. In order to get better at the game, you’ve gotta be able to learn. The guy is amazing from that perspective.”

One of the things that always struck me about my first meeting with Dambrot was how blunt he was regarding LeBron’s potential. Even as he acknowledged the young player’s weaknesses—an occasional tendency to coast defensively, to not rebound as aggressively as he could—Dambrot refused to shy away from predicting greatness. “He does everything,” the coach said. “He just needs to fine-tune.”

Dambrot spoke to LeBron’s mental toughness, how he each year he’d seen LeBron become a more determined competitor; the coach’s exact words were, “The guy likes to win.” I don’t remember if I picked up on Dambrot’s body language, or if he said something more specific that I failed to write down. All I know is that he never said LeBron loved to win, or that he hated to lose. More than a decade later, I’m left with the vague sense that Dambrot was implying just that.

When he loved to win more than just about anything… then he could think about joining the icons.

Like I said, I wrote that a long time ago.

[poll id=”486″]

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’12-13 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jake Appleman, Maurice Bobb, Rodger Bohn, Brendan Bowers, Franklyn Calle, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Adam Figman, Eldon Khorshidi, Eddie Maisonet III, Ryne Nelson, Ben Osborne, Allen Powell II, Sam Rubenstein, Jonathan Santiago, Abe Schwadron, Leo Sepkowitz, Dave Spahn, Ben Taylor, Tzvi Twersky, Peter Walsh, Tracy Weissenberg, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Dave Zirin.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

The post Top 50: LeBron James, no. 1 appeared first on SLAM.

According to a 2011 US Census, Oklahoma City proper has a population of 591,967. The greater OKC metro-area population is about 1,252,987 people. OKC is a television market in the mid-40s and that’s smaller than many non-NBA cities. There are no other teams representing OKC in any of the other major sports leagues.

The somewhat controversial shuffle of the Seattle Sonics to the Sooner State to become the OKC Thunder and very quickly NBA Finalists made sense. An NBA team was coming to a town with a brand new arena in 2008 and that team had Kevin Durant. Success was just around the corner.

In their fourth season, the Thunder reached the NBA Finals, falling 4-1, against the Miami Heat and LeBron James. Durant’s greatest heroics came in the Western Conference Finals. Durant played every minute of Game 6 and dropped 34 points in the 107–99 victory over San Antonio. He also collected 14 rebounds and 5 assists in the process. It was the win that really put OKC on the map of the big league world. With that win, OKC fans took claim to one of the many great sports experiences that had been so foreign to them: a trip to the NBA Finals.

The Thunder couldn’t quite break the Heat. Durant played 20 Playoff games and averaged 28.5 points over them. They played tough, but weren’t quite battle-ready enough for the seasoned and very determined Miami Heat. Despite a Game 1 win, the Thunder lost four straight and showed signs of desperation at times.

Still, the Thunder reaching the Finals was the kind of hallmark OKC fans dreamed of when the lanky Rookie of the Year came to town. That progress is something the NBA is betting on, something they’re already seeing returns on. With seemingly supersonic speed, the Thunder are among the most popular teams in the League. Now, it’s all about what the future will hold for Durant and he’s already on pace for where many (I for one) thought he could be.

Durant has a supernatural scoring touch and he’s still learning new ways to get buckets. He’s on his way to being a true rival to LeBron. In the Playoffs, Durant couldn’t help the Thunder beat the Heat, but he officially arrived at a point where he’ll be competing directly against LeBron for a while. If that’s so, eyes from far and wide will turn to OKC and the shape of the NBA will be forever changed. The last NBA Finals was totally new territory for OKC and Durant has a habit of maturing and adapting to new territory quickly.

Over the summer, Durant set a record for the most points scored in an Olympic basketball tournament. By all accounts he’s a dangerous scorer, but his defense needs improvement, maybe even an overhaul. Still, the fact that he’s always been aware of his defensive deficiencies makes you think he’ll get up to par soon enough.

He’s got sloppy footwork and relies on some immature tactics to make defensive plays. But he’s 24, is really only two years into the workforce—if you count his first three NBA seasons as years he still could have been in college. He’s got his whole life ahead of him and he’s already been to the NBA Finals.

So, from now on, OKC is going to be a place that—no matter how small—will have the attention of anyone who cares about basketball. New York, L.A. and Chicago are all taking notice of the Thunder. It’s a unique situation for Durant, who attended a few high schools and made a quick pit-stop at the University of Texas. He’s taken a brand new franchise to the NBA Finals. Chesapeake Energy Arena is literally the “house that Kevin Durant (and a great supporting cast) is building.”

Durant has been to three All-Star games and has won three scoring titles in five seasons. It took the Thunder three Playoff trips to reach the Finals. There’s good reason to think the Thunder will soon return to the NBA Finals. And the reason is Kevin Durant.

[poll id=”485″]

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’12-13 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jake Appleman, Maurice Bobb, Rodger Bohn, Brendan Bowers, Franklyn Calle, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Adam Figman, Eldon Khorshidi, Eddie Maisonet III, Ryne Nelson, Ben Osborne, Allen Powell II, Sam Rubenstein, Jonathan Santiago, Abe Schwadron, Leo Sepkowitz, Dave Spahn, Ben Taylor, Tzvi Twersky, Peter Walsh, Tracy Weissenberg, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Dave Zirin.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

The post Top 50: Kevin Durant, no. 2 appeared first on SLAM.

About a year ago, the fine folks at Brand Jordan invited a mess of editors and writers out to a launch event for the Jordan 2012. We assembled in New Jersey at an airplane hangar, where a full-size basketball court had been put together complete with breakaway-rimmed glass backboards. (In case I dunked.)

To insure we gave the shoes a thorough workout, the Jordan folks brought in Idan Ravin, the trainer known as The Hoops Whisperer (also known as a SLAM columnist) who works with all the best athletes in the NBA. For about an hour, Idan put us through a terrifying workout, doing all sorts of stretches, sprints and jumps. After about 45 minutes, Idan broke out a sack of tennis balls, and he introduced us to a drill that involved having your partner roll a ball away from you, and then you had to basically fetch the ball.

This was a real workout, and these were real drills. By this point I was seriously sucking wind, and it was taking all of my will not to go over to the corner of the court and vomit into a trash can. And so just as I swallowed back my breakfast, my partner rolled a ball through my legs, and I spun and, admittedly half-heartedly, ran after the ball. Idan spotted me and, perhaps sensing a teaching moment, trotted over and got in my ear to try and help fire me up.

“Come on, Lang,” he said. “Get after it. You can do this. This is Chris Paul’s favorite drill.”

I grabbed my hamstrings and, lost in that moment, thought to myself, “Man, I hate Chris Paul.”

I’m pretty sure I’m not the first person on a basketball court to feel enmity toward Chris Paul; if anybody hates Chris, it’s because dude makes a habit out of destroying his opposition. Way, way, way back in 2008, Ryne Nelson and I got into a fake argument in the pages of SLAM and (right here on SLAMonline) about which point guard was better, Deron Williams or Chris Paul. Not long after that issue dropped, Paul would go on that season to lead the NBA in assists per game (11) and steals per game (2.8). But the Hornets lost in the first round of the Playoffs, to Denver, and a year later the Hornets pink-slipped Byron Scott, and then Paul got injured and missed half the season, and then guys like Derrick Rose and John Wall started coming up, and pretty quickly, Chris Paul’s name started to slip from the point guard convo.

The injury and playing in New Orleans seemed to keep Chris out of spotlight. It really wasn’t until almost a year later, when CP3 hung 33, 14, 7 and 4 on the Lakers in L.A. to open the 2011 Playoffs, that everyone kind of remembered, “Oh, yeah, that guy’s pretty good.”

He can score, he has a dead-eye mid-range game, he’s an incredible defender (he’s led the NBA in steals in four of his seven seasons), he commands respect and demands respect (ask Pau Gasol), and nobody in the NBA is better at running a team. I’ve been around the NBA for almost a dozen years now, and CP3 is one of my favorite people I’ve covered. He’s a solid guy, who values family and relationships, who looks you in the eye when he speaks to you. He’s the kind of guy who, if he wants it, could have a career in politics when he retires. Then again, retirement is a ways away: CP3 is still three years shy of 30.

That stuff aside, what is so impressive to me about Chris Paul is that he excels against the best players in the world without being the best athlete at his position. Sure, he’s an elite athlete, but he’s not transcendent like LeBron or even a Westbrook. Chris once told me that he knows he’s not the fastest guy in the NBA, but that what he does have is quickness, so he tries to take advantage of that quickness by stopping and starting, and changing speeds when defenders least expect it.

He is not tall, he is not unbelievably strong, but what really sets him apart is that more than anything else, and maybe more than anyone else, he just hates to lose. And so he works his ass off to make the most of what he has. Chris Paul goes that extra mile, way past where the rest of us stop to go puke in the corner. He’s been an All-Star, he’s a two-time Gold medalist, he even made people believe in the Clippers. The only thing left is a ring.

And knowing CP3, when he puts his mind to, there’s nothing he can’t do.

[poll id=”484″]

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’12-13 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jake Appleman, Maurice Bobb, Rodger Bohn, Brendan Bowers, Franklyn Calle, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Adam Figman, Eldon Khorshidi, Eddie Maisonet III, Ryne Nelson, Ben Osborne, Allen Powell II, Sam Rubenstein, Jonathan Santiago, Abe Schwadron, Leo Sepkowitz, Dave Spahn, Ben Taylor, Tzvi Twersky, Peter Walsh, Tracy Weissenberg, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Dave Zirin.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

The post Top 50: Chris Paul, no. 3 appeared first on SLAM.

What is there left to say about Kobe Bryant? Between his fans and critics, there isn’t an adjective or expletive left in the dictionary. But that’s just idle chatter, utterly useless in moving the discussion forward. A better question is, what do we know about Kobe Bryant?

As always, only these two things: He wants to win and he wants to win his way. They’re alternately admirable and aggravating desires that have driven him to fits of brilliance and at times, made him a bit of a bastard. But that comes with the territory, right? What we need to know is, after 16 seasons, what has Kobe learned about sacrifice?

He’s acknowledged that this iteration of the Lakers is probably the most talented he’s ever played with and many would undoubtedly agree. Yet the first retort would surely be the ‘03-04 Lakers lineup including Shaq, Gary Payton and Karl Malone. So let’s look back at that time, shall we?

All season, Kobe’s usage rate was as low as it’s ever been and he played smart, efficient basketball, often carrying the team through difficult stretches, as Shaq and Malone were hobbled by injuries. But then came the Finals. Tired of playing little brother to O’Neal, dogged by the looming threat of his legal troubles and fueled by his Game 2 heroics, Kobe played like a man possessed. He should’ve gotten an exorcism.

Call it conjecture if you’d like, but the facts remain: Kobe consistently took more—and made less—shots than anyone on the court, slumping through 10-27, 8-25 and 7-21 outings in the series. He clearly wanted to establish his dominance, only to learn that it doesn’t always equate with excellence.

Anyway, it’s been eight years. He’s grown, learned, changed, all that good shit, right? When asked whose team this year’s Lakers were, Kobe dismissed the question with a wave of the hand, asserting that such labels exist only for column fodder, right? That his skills are expertly complemented, just as everyone else’s, making them a dangerous team, long as it doesn’t devolve into a pissing match… right?

“It’s my team.”

Shit.

Kobe Bryant has claimed he doesn’t see himself renewing his contract, which expires in two years and I believe him. With a stacked roster and just enough health to capture two more Championships, Kobe may see himself racking up rings six and seven before riding off into the sunset as Michael should have. It’s the shrewd and appropriate move. “At least Kobe knew when to stop,” they’ll say. “And he did win more than Jordan, you know…” Kobe came in his way and he’ll go out his way; shooting, knowing full well the ire or immortality that awaits him.

These last two years could define his legacy as either ambitious or oblivious. Given his ranking this year, it’s clear that we trust he’ll make the right decision.

[poll id=”483″]

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’12-13 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jake Appleman, Maurice Bobb, Rodger Bohn, Brendan Bowers, Franklyn Calle, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Adam Figman, Eldon Khorshidi, Eddie Maisonet III, Ryne Nelson, Ben Osborne, Allen Powell II, Sam Rubenstein, Jonathan Santiago, Abe Schwadron, Leo Sepkowitz, Dave Spahn, Ben Taylor, Tzvi Twersky, Peter Walsh, Tracy Weissenberg, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Dave Zirin.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

The post Top 50: Kobe Bryant, no. 4 appeared first on SLAM.

Of all the stories that circulated during Dwight Howard’s struggle to flee Orlando last year, the tale of the candies and his ETO top my list.

As he was praying and fasting in March over the difficult decision on whether or not to return to Orlando, Dwight was met by Magic CEO Alex Martins, who hoped to persuade the franchise star to remain with the team. Martins had brought all of Dwight’s favorite candies and foods to help his cause, but the big man could not indulge.

The tale was a classic and Martins eventually received the answer he was looking for as Howard waived his early termination option and committed to a return to the Magic for the ‘12-13 season, citing loyalty as a big part of his decision. It would not last and you know the rest—Dwight didn’t get the trade to Brooklyn that he wanted and ended up West, now starring for the Lake Show in what he describes as “a blessing in disguise.”

And after being caught up in one of the most negative storylines of the season last year, Howard has flipped the script with his purple and gold jersey and trademark smile.

We all know what to expect from Dwight on the court and that is why he checks in at No. 5 on our list. Even with all of the negativity surrounding him last year, Howard produced his standard issue 20 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks, earning the best center in the game All-NBA First-Team honors.

In two pre-season games with the Lakers this year, he has looked good on the defensive end and shined in some nice P&R sets with PG Steve Nash. They struggled in the preseason (0-8), as the team adjusted to a new offense and roster. The Lakers players say their pre-season losses are nothing to worry about and the team will be ready to go once the regular season tips off.

If attention is what Dwight lusted for during his opt-out bonanza last year, he will have access to copious amounts here. The Lakers new network—Time Warner Sportsnet—will be catered to him like no other player. In addition to showcasing his play on the hardwood, the network will tap into his unique personality, allowing him to act out all of his comedic talents for the world. During his Lakers debut, the Time Warner cameras focused on Howard for enough time prior to tip to see him get a pound from Lisa Estrada and then ball up the plastic he dusts his sneakers on at halfcourt, shooting it into the crowd as if it were a fadeway jumper.

During an episode of Backstage, a show on the network that will give fans a behind-the-scenes perspective, Howard was shown getting a tour of the Lakers facility and offices for the first time. In one scene, Howard is in GM Mitch Kupchak’s office and looks on to the Lakers’ practice court through a window, in awe of the retired jerseys of Lakers legends. Kupchak smiles and tells Dwight that he wants his jersey up there in 10 years (that’s two more contracts, BTW).

That, of course, will be a storyline for Howard this season—will Dwight re-sign with the Lakers?—along with many others. Just yesterday, the L.A. Times ran a story with the headline, “Will Dwight Howard get along with Kobe Bryant?”

Yeah, it’s going to be a fun year, that’s for sure.

[poll id=”482″]

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’12-13 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jake Appleman, Maurice Bobb, Rodger Bohn, Brendan Bowers, Franklyn Calle, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Adam Figman, Eldon Khorshidi, Eddie Maisonet III, Ryne Nelson, Ben Osborne, Allen Powell II, Sam Rubenstein, Jonathan Santiago, Abe Schwadron, Leo Sepkowitz, Dave Spahn, Ben Taylor, Tzvi Twersky, Peter Walsh, Tracy Weissenberg, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Dave Zirin.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

The post Top 50: Dwight Howard, no. 5 appeared first on SLAM.

Were we simply on this path all along? Has it really been that Andrew Bynum and Philadelphia were on a collision course for seven years until joining forces as a footnote in a mega-deal?

The parallels are there.

From 2005-2011, the potential of Bynum—which at times jumped off the screen at you in flashes of greatness—also gave way to disappointment on many fronts. Tons of issues—injuries, “not in shape,” attitude, lack of defensive effort, etc.—led to mediocre numbers for a guy with his size and talent. Granted, he did win two Championships with L.A., but questions of his wasted potential never stopped. In fact, they reached their height after the ‘10-11 season when Bynum posted 11.3 points in only 54 games and exited the Playoffs in absolute disgrace.

Meanwhile, since 2005, the Sixers have also been dealing with their respective form of mediocrity. That is, the wretched middle of the pack in the NBA. It’s the worst place to be in this League, especially with no superstar. The Sixers were already on their way down, and once Allen Iverson finally left in 2006, the future looked pretty bleak and rightfully so. The best Philly fans could hope for was a .500 record and a first-round exit, which happened three times from 2006-2011.

All of a sudden, a lockout. A frenzy. A circus. A settlement. A new CBA. Christmas day—a 66-game season starts. And just like that, something changed dramatically for both the 76ers and Bynum.

New ownership—led by Josh Harris and CEO Adam Aron—promised changes to the proud Sixers organization which had suffered greatly in ticket sales the past few years. It worked. The fans started coming back, and the Sixers responded by jumping out of the gate to a 20-9 record, eventually finishing with a 35-31 mark and taking the Celtics to a seventh game in the second round.

Their defense was the story though, as Doug Collins had his players hounding the ball every night. They finished with the third-lowest points surrendered (89.4) in the League, and used their stifling D to overcome a shaky offense that fleeted as the season wore along. Without any kind of superstar to lead the way, it was an impressive year, a breakout year you could say for the entire franchise. But something was still missing.

So, over in L.A., how did Andrew Bynum’s year go? Well, there really isn’t that much to say here other than: 44 to 13. That’s right, Bynum has jumped 31 spots in the Top 50 rankings this year, which is incredible when you think about it. Major props to a guy like Kyrie Irving, who stamped his name at No. 17 after only a year in the League. But this is different with Bynum. We’d seen him for six years. We knew what he was about. We’d heard about the “potential” season after season after season. And now, all of a sudden, he appears right outside the top 10?

What does that tell you? That a guy who had elite talent for seven seasons finally figured out how to be an elite player. That a 7-foot monster finally figured how to stay healthy and use his whole body on both sides of the floor to dominate pretty much everyone. That Andrew Bynum has arrived.

The stats speak for themselves as he shattered most of his career numbers—18.7 points, 11.8 boards, 35.7 minutes and 37 double-doubles in 60 games. Even the six missed games are misleading, as he served a four-game suspension to begin the season and also missed the last game of the year to rest up for the Playoffs.

But it wasn’t just the box scores that stood out as much as Bynum’s sheer presence. Whenever I watched the Lakers this year—teams were scared to go at him and afraid to defend him. He was such a force in the middle at both ends that it was only natural for his numbers to jump so much.

The best and worst part about Bynum’s breakout year? That’s right, they’re the same thing—that Bynum was a third option. To put up those kinds of numbers as the guy behind Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol showed us that his potential still hasn’t been met yet. It was like saying, “Wow, can you imagine if he got the ball in his hands on every possession?” but then realizing, “Well, he’ll probably never get that chance on the Lakers.” Bynum broke out, but something was missing for him too.

Then, the basketball gods smiled down. The timing was right. The Sixers ownership was new and aggressive. L.A. wanted Dwight over Bynum. Other teams wanted in on a potential mega-trade. The opportunity was there for Philly to leech onto the deal and snag the second-best center in the League. And they did.

And just like that, the window has been blasted wide open for the Philadelphia 76ers. Just like that, mediocrity stands in the rear-view, with a 7-foot mammoth driving the runaway vehicle.

While Howard certainly has the edge over Bynum for best center in the League, the gap is not so wide anymore. The fact that people are acknowledging that Bynum’s moving up to Dwight’s level is a testament to Andrew’s season and what he can do a member of the 76ers.

In Philly, he will be the option. Collins will have the ball in Bynum’s hands on almost every possession, and the Sixers should finally have a resemblance of a half-court offense—something that’s been missing for ages. With an up-and-coming point guard in Jrue Holiday, the sky is truly the limit for Bynum who could most definitely put up a season of around 25 points and 12 board a night. Keep in mind—he’s also now going up against the East, where he is far and away the best center since Dwight’s now in La La land.

What’s most important about Bynum being on the Sixers, though? He was made for Philadelphia. He was born in Plainsboro, NJ, an hour outside Philly, and never really felt comfortable out in Cali. The trade truly worked out for both L.A. and Philly in that Howard’s goofy Superman personality fits L.A.’s culture whereas Bynum’s much more laid-back approach will work wonders for him in Philly as long as the effort on the court doesn’t drag.

Nobody in Philly wants to see a guy in a bow-tie and dorky glasses, especially after a loss. When Bynum showed up at the press conference in Philly after the trade, it was clear that his attitude fit the blue-collar feel of the city much more than a guy like Dwight Howard would. And as Bynum commented that he was looking forward to making Philly his long-term home, something just felt right.

In getting Andrew Bynum, the Sixers have made their most important move since drafting Allen Iverson 16 years ago. No question. They got that all-important, elusive superstar. Finally.

Are there questions? Sure. Always. Everyone’s worried about the knees, but just look at it like this. Kobe got the same experimental surgery and it’s helped him and he’s 34. So at the very least, the surgery’s not going to hurt Bynum, and following such a healthy season last year, I don’t think there’s reason for it to be such a huge concern.

There are questions regarding that laid-back attitude. That it reverberates on the court sometimes resulting in bad body language and a lack of effort. That he’s immature (see JJ Barea). That he parties too much. That he’s incapable of putting a franchise on his back.

For a guy like Bynum, who is still trying to figure what his legacy in this League will be, there will always be questions until he cements himself somewhere. Will Philadelphia be just a short stop along the road, or was this his destined city all along? In a way, it seems like Philly and Bynum needed each other, and now we’re about to see the payoff.

Either way, it bears repeating: 44 to 13. Respect.

[poll id=”474″]