Referees Allege NBA Is Allowing Mark Cuban to Hold Power over Them with Threats
January 12th, 2017 by Alec Nathan No comments »
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has reportedly drawn the ire of the National Basketball Referees Association, which alleged he has attempted to gain an edge by directing "threats and intimidation" toward officials, The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday.
Specifically, Wojnarowski reported NBRA general counsel Lee Seham penned a letter to NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell alleging Cuban has violated the league's constitution by exercising "undue influence of the league's management of its officials."
Seham added the following, per Wojnarowski: "We consider the threat to the integrity of NBA basketball presented by Mr. Cuban's misconduct to be real and growing."
Wojnarowski also shared a statement from NBA spokesman Mike Bass: "We have no specific response to Lee Seham, the lawyer who represents the referees union. This approach is just the latest in a series of steps Mr. Seham has taken in an attempt to undermine the necessary transparency we have brought to ...
The Most Surprising Success Stories of the 2016-17 NHL Season So Far
January 12th, 2017 by Steve Macfarlane No comments »
With half of the NHL season in the books, there is enough evidence to make a few declarations with some certainty.
For example, raise your hand if you thought both the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames would be in playoff positions at this point or if you put money on Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson being among the top 10 scorers.
There have been plenty of surprising success stories in the 2016-17 season so far—from teams performing above expectations to players bouncing back or putting up numbers above their career trajectories.
Read on to see the most surprising of these instances. Begin Slideshow
Midseason Grades for Every NY Knicks Player
January 12th, 2017 by Sara Peters No comments »
F grades for everyone!
The whole New York Knicks roster, the coaches, the trainer, the front office, the guy who mops the sweat off the court. Everyone.
OK, that's severe. In fact, some players have actually improved since the last time I graded them. But in the midst of a repugnant 1-9 stretch, you can understand my reflex to whip out the Red Pen of Rage.
As a refresher, here's how my grading system works: It's a split between usage (up to 30 points), expectations (up to 30), defense (up to 20) and offense (up to 20).
The system is built so that a rotation player who simply does his job earns a C, while a starter who does his job gets a B. Reserves who've played 100 or fewer minutes total are only given pass/fail assessments. Starters get the extra points for usage but are graded harder on expectations. Defense and offense measure their ...
Klay Thompson Contract: Latest News, Rumors on Negotiations with Warriors
January 12th, 2017 by Joseph Zucker No comments »
Klay Thompson is still signed through the next two years after the 2016-17 season, but that hasn't stopped the Golden State Warriors sharpshooter from looking ahead to his future in the Bay Area.
Continue for updates.
Thompson Comments on Desire to Stay with Warriors
Thursday, Jan. 12
In an interview on the NBA A to Z podcast (h/t USA Today's Sam Amick), Thompson said he doesn't envision playing anywhere else:
I try not to think that far ahead, but I'd love to be here for as long as I can. What we've built here is so special, and I love living in the Bay Area, so that would be a huge priority of mine … I just feel like if I play hard and work hard every day, I'll get rewarded no matter what I do, so I'm not going to get caught up with the numbers and how much money I could potentially make because ...
NBA All-Star Game 2017: LeBron James, Stephen Curry Lead 2nd Voting Results
January 12th, 2017 by Adam Wells No comments »
As the NBA All-Star Game approaches February 19, the league has released updated fan voting with LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors as the top two vote-getters.
Here are the full updated standings, per the NBA All-Star Twitter account:
James and Curry are the NBA's two biggest stars right now, so their presence atop the fan voting is hardly a surprise.
It's also not surprising Kyrie Irving leads Eastern Conference guards and Kevin Durant is tops among Western Conference frontcourt players. Irving hit the game-winning shot in Game 7 of last year's NBA Finals and has been better this season, averaging a career-high 23.8 points per game.
Durant has made a seamless transition to the Warriors, leading the team with 26 points per game and 7.7 win shares, per Basketball-Reference.com.
One notable standout is Russell Westbrook. He leads the NBA in scoring at 31 points per game ...
Ranking the Top Signature Sneaker Lines by Sports Stars
January 12th, 2017 by Giancarlo Ferrari-King No comments »
Now that Paul George has become Nike Basketball's latest signature athlete, per Nike News, hopping in a time machine and revisiting all of his contemporaries seemed fitting.
The agenda here was to revisit and rank the top signature sneaker lines of all time by NBA athletes. Our calculations were based on duration of each line, the overall quality of kicks, innovation, popularity and, when applicable, sales.
By revisiting the past we're able to properly honor the future. Check out the ultimate list of Nike's top signature lines below.Begin Slideshow
Jaylen Brown Remains Vital to Celtics Despite Inconsistent Rookie Season
January 12th, 2017 by Michael Pina No comments »
Life isn't easy when you're a 20-year-old NBA rookie. Especially one who was drafted by a competitive playoff team with high expectations and little margin for error, like Boston Celtics newbie Jaylen Brown.
Even though he's appeared in almost every game and remains in head coach Brad Stevens' rotation, mistakes and inconsistent playing time have plagued the first few months of Brown's career. He's a physical marvel who's able to provide energetic spurts of unparalleled athleticism off the bench, but those moments are few and far between.
Still, long-term proclamations are silly so early in a career. Brown's solid instincts, admirable work ethic and versatile skill set have yet to lower his ceiling in any way—especially when you factor in league-wide trends shining a spotlight on the visible strengths that make him such a desirable prospect.
But short-term impact is a pressing issue. From what we've seen so far, is there any reason to ...
Midseason Player Grades for Each Cleveland Cavaliers Player
January 12th, 2017 by Greg Swartz No comments »
The Cleveland Cavaliers lead the Eastern Conference with a 28-10 record nearly halfway through the NBA season, putting them on pace for a 60-22 finish.
The Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are enjoying their best collective campaign, with Tristan Thompson, Channing Frye and Iman Shumpert playing important supporting roles as well.
The roster has fluctuated as of late, with J.R. Smith out until April following surgery for a broken thumb and Chris Andersen lost for the season due to a torn ACL. But veteran shooter Kyle Korver has recently joined the defending champs—acquired from the Atlanta Hawks for Mike Dunleavy Jr., Mo Williams and a 2019 first-round pick.
There's likely more changes coming as well, due to James' plea to acquire a backup point guard as insurance behind Irving. For now, here's how the current Cavaliers have graded out halfway through the regular season.Begin Slideshow
Russell Westbrook Records 18th Triple-Double, Matching His ’15-16 Season Total
January 12th, 2017 by Daily Facts No comments »
Fact: Russell Westbrook had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in the Thunder's 103-95 win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday night, his 18th triple-double of the season. In the 2015-16 season, Westbrook had 18 total triple-doubles.
Bleacher Report will be bringing sports fans the most interesting and engaging Cold Hard Facts of the day, presented by Coors Light.
Source: B/R InsightsRead more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks Betting Odds, Analysis, NBA Pick
January 12th, 2017 by OddsShark.com No comments »
Derrick Rose and the New York Knicks (17-21) will try to rebound from a rough loss in the second game of a back-to-back situation when they host Rose's former team the Chicago Bulls (19-20) as small home chalk. The Knicks are looking to earn only their second post-Christmas win.
Point spread: The Knicks opened as 2.5-point favorites; the total is at 204, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report).
NBA pick, via OddsShark computer: 108-105 Bulls (NBA picks on every game)
Why the Bulls can cover the spread
Chicago is hoping to at least have Dwyane Wade back in the lineup after he was rested in Tuesday's 101-99 road loss to the Washington Wizards. Leading scorer Jimmy Butler also missed the game because of illness, along with top bench player Nikola Mirotic, and neither is expected to play ...