Nicolas Batum is likely to stay with Charlotte Hornets as part of a deal with the French national team that would allow the French small forward to play for the Qualifying Tournament ahead of Rio Summer Olympics. FIBA’s qualifying games unfortunately coincide with the start of NBA free agency season.
Houston Rockets give Mike D’Antoni a chance at redemption by hiring him as the new head coach. His famed 'Seven Seconds or Less' fast tempo offense has made Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns a formidable powerhouse and the Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors a champion.
San Antonio Spurs’ aging roster is in need of young talents with rumors suggesting a possible acquisition of either Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel via trade agreement with Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, Lakers could possibly enter into trade talks with the Sixers over Okafor after figuring out what to do with their overall second pick in the draft.
Title contender Cleveland Cavaliers will be on collision course again with defending champion Golden State Warriors in a much anticipated rematch that will pit NBA’s current basketball powerhouses. After last year’s loss, Cavs emerged in fuller form against the Warriors that achieving a streak of NBA records including NBA’s best regular season (73-9) performance and Curry’s first unanimous MVP repeat in decades.
Golden State Warriors emerged as a comeback kid on the brink of elimination following their 3-1 deficit early in the series. The Curry-led team closed in on the gap after tying the series in Game 6 and finally sending Durant-led Thunder home with 96-88 victory in Game 7.
After their exit from the playoffs, Miami Heat is reportedly eyeing to sign in Kevin Durant on a max contract offer in a bid to build a more formidable roster. The Heat may need to think things over as it would force Dwayne Wade on a pay cut while Hassan Whiteside will be offered a max deal.
LeBron James has secured another milestone in his glorious career by marking his 6th trip to the NBA finals this year after overwhelming the Cavs overwhelmed the Raptors in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. For James, his achievement means everything to him after having another shot at the championship with Irving and Love in their best form.
The stunning Warriors comeback 108-101 victory over the Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals elicited massive response on Twitter. After bouncing back from earlier setbacks in the series, the Warriors forced a decisive Game 7 which will take place on Monday night.
A Dallas apartment resident mistakenly shot 23-year-old Bryce Dejean-Jones to death after the New Pelicans guard broke into the wrong apartment. He was in Dallas to celebrate his daughter's birthday and reportedly got into a heated argument with his girlfriend prior to the shooting.
New reports suggest that with New York Knicks’ hiring of Jeff Hornacek, franchise exec Phil ‘Zen Master’ Jackson has now staved off triangle offense in favor of traditional offense. Under traditional offense system, Knicks is reportedly eyeing to get high profile point guards, namely, Jeremy Lin and Rajon Rondo to form the team’s offense next season.
Phoenix Suns has just hired rookie head coach Earl Watson for about $2.5 million per year for a three-year deal, making him the lowest paid coach in NBA today. The team seems consistent in its habit of hiring inexperienced coaches and staff with low pay under Robert Sarver's executive stewardship of the franchise which has experienced its worst record performance in years including a six-year playoff drought under him.
Toronto Raptors broke Cleveland Cavaliers’ winning streak after a Game 3 upset which saw Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving posting a weak performance that left LeBron James practically alone. Cavs lead player James and head Coach Tyronn Lue think that it’s just one of their off-nights in the series and that the Raptors have done quite a good job in their Game 3 win in the Eastern Conference finals.
The LeBron James and Dwayne Wade friendship is probably one of the most celebrated and equally hated high profile relationships among NBA players today. Their friendship goes beyond their uniforms and hardcourt drama- a relationship that’s totally unheard of in the past when manliness, braggadocio, hate were the name of the game.
NBA has just owned up to their officiating mistake of failing to make a call on Russell Westbrook’s obvious traveling violation during the closing minutes of Warriors’ Game 1 loss to Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. Golden State head coach Steve Kerr, on the other hand, thinks that the two-minute ref review is pointless as it is impossible to make a call on every violation.
Unanimous MVP Stephen Curry made a remarkable follow-up to his 17-point overtime play against Portland Trail Blazers by unleashing a 15-point streak in mid-third quarter. The fourth quarter then seemed more like a formality for the Warriors after raining down more than enough points to bury the Durant-led Thunder in a 118-91 win in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
