Tag Archives: NBA

2015 NBA Mock Draft: Early Lottery Edition

The 2015 NBA Draft has been hyped as a two-man draft with the top prizes being Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Duke’s Jahlil Okafor. I believe both big men will go onto have nice NBA careers, but this draft is deeper than most people think.

I believe Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell and Duke’s Justise Winslow could both be future NBA All-Stars…but just like any other player, they need to be in the right situation to develop.

Don’t worry international basketball fans, there’s plenty of overseas talent in this year’s draft. You have Croatian Mario Hezonja and Latvian Kristaps Prozingis as the top talents from Europe. Also, there’s an American high schooler Emmanuel Mudiay who went to China in lieu of going to college.

Here’s our early 2015 NBA mock draft for the NBA lottery selection.

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Will the Suns trade Goran Dragic?

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday and many teams are looking make some deals. There are a handful of teams that want improve their roster for the playoffs and the rest are basically trying to dump as many assets they can. Those assets are usually expiring contracts, but a few quality players do get moved at the deadline.

Goran Dragic, who won the Most Improved Player award last season (and even got a few MVP votes), looks to be on the move. He made it clear he won’t re-signing with the Phoenix Suns next year. Even though Phoenix is currently holding onto the 8th playoff spot in the West, they can’t afford to let him walk without getting anything in return.

Where will Dragic end up? What kind of deal will Phoenix get in return?

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Cavs Still Don’t Know How to Make LeBron Happy

The Cleveland Cavaliers have made a couple head-scratching moves. First, they traded Dion Waiters for Iman Shumpert’s flat top and J.R. Smith’s ability to get into VIP rooms. Then today, the Cavs traded a couple protected first-round picks to Denver for Tomofey Mozgov (who apparently survived that Blake Griffin dunk).

I get why the Cavs are making trades, but they feel like panic moves. LeBron James is battling knee and back problems and they need to right the ship in a hurry. It clearly wasn’t working out with Waiters and he needed a new home, but the deal they received could be more toxic than helpful.

Will these move put Cleveland one step closer to being a title contender or is it a step backwards?

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Where Will Josh Smith End Up?

Josh Smith finally ‘perimeter shot’ his way out of Detroit. The Pistons decided to cut him and if he clears waivers (and he will), they will be on the hook for the remainder of his contract…a hefty $26 million.

Head coach and team president Stan Van Gundy put his foot down with this move. Smith could get away with poorly shooting long jumpers when his head coach wasn’t involved with personnel. Detroit has a long way to go to rebuild. Dumping Smith was a smart, long-term decision for the franchise.

Even though Josh Smith is one of the worst players in the NBA, teams are lining up to sign him once he clears waivers.

Title contenders will be at the top of the list, since he will most likely sign a one-year deal and then hit free agency this offseason.

Which NBA team will land Josh Smith?

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The Nets Are Looking to Trade and Rebuild

The Brooklyn Nets have been trying to become New York’s biggest draw since before they moved to Brooklyn. Nets owner, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, tried to spend his way to a championship, but that didn’t happen. He ended up with dried-up veterans and other bloated contracts.

The Nets front office doesn’t like what they have seen so far and have put their three best players on the trading block. Brook Lopez, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson could all be headed out of town…but are any NBA teams willing to take on their large contracts?

Lopez, Johnson and Williams are the highest-paid trio in the NBA at $58.7 million combined. Not only will a trade partner need to worry about this season, but all three players are on the books for future money.

Let’s breakdown each player and if there’s a chance any team would take a shot on them.

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Could the Hornets trade Lance Stephenson?

As many of you know, I’ve been a vocal fan of Lance Stephenson since he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers. I would champion his skills and wonder why he was sitting at the end of the bench. He then took Dahntay Jones’ spot and went on to fill-in for an injured Danny Granger. He took advantage of the opportunity and should have been an All-Star last season.

Stephenson left Indiana and signed a nice deal with the Charlotte Hornets. He hasn’t quite fit in with Charlotte and they find themselves near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Michael Jordan did not expect last year’s 7th seed to fail this bad.

On December 15th, NBA teams can officially trade players they signed this offseason. With all the drama surrounding the situation in Charlotte, could Stephenson have a new home before the end of the calendar year?

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Sports Crush: Jen Hale

We’ve written a handful of ‘Sports Crush‘ posts since we launched America’s White Boy. We’ve spotlighted female MMA fighters, WWE Divas and female sports reporters like MLB Network’s Heidi Watney, ESPN’s Britt McHenry and NFL Network’s Erin Coscarelli. We decided to profile another female sports reporter, current FOX sports sideline reporter Jen Hale.

You can see Jen Hale every Sunday during NFL on FOX broadcasts as a sideline reporter and during New Orleans Pelicans telecasts on Fox Sports New Orleans.

She was a cheerleader at LSU and then went to Northwestern to earn her Master’s degree in broadcast journalism. She has a huge brain behind that smile.

I want to thank Walker for the email requesting her.

We are crushing on Jennifer Hale and once you look at our photo gallery, you will understand why. Continue reading →

2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Washington Wizards

Washington has built a fun team to watch. They have one of the best backcourts in the league with John Wall and Bradley Beal. Washington can do things around the perimeter while also having two huge men in the paint.

The East is a top-heavy conference. Cleveland and Chicago are the two teams many put on top, but shouldn’t Washington also be mentioned?

Could John Wall be a sleeper MVP candidate?

We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Washington Wizards.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Utah Jazz

Utah did the smartest thing they could do this off-season. I’m not referring to drafting Dante Exum or signing Gordon Hayward to an absurd contract. I’m talking about them getting rid of Tyrone Corbin as head coach. He was just horrible at his job. They upgraded by hiring Quin Snyder. He resurrected his career in the D-League and then as a player development-focused assistant coach in the NBA.

Speaking of Exum, Utah can wait to see what he becomes. They have Trey Burke and Alec Burks as their starting back-court. I actually want to see what they do this season.

Utah isn’t expected to compete this season. How many years will this rebuilding process take?

We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Utah Jazz.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the surprise team in the East last season. Their corps of young talent blossomed. They even traded Rudy Gay mid-season, which shed considerable cap space. Toronto GM Masai Ujiri helped turn Denver’s franchise around when he was in charge. He has quickly done the same in Toronto.

Can Toronto upset Cleveland and win the East?

We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Toronto Raptors.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs have been a championship contender for so long that Coach Pop is just ‘over it’. He doesn’t want to talk about basketball or do interviews. He’s been this way for awhile. I don’t blame him. The guy just wants to play games and not do all the extra stuff.

The Spurs are once again one of the best teams in the league. Getting the #1 seed isn’t their goal. They will sit their stars when they see fit. They just want to keep their older players fresh and get in the playoffs, no matter the seed.

How many seasons do Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli have left in them? Could this be their last together?

We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the San Antonio Spurs.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are the most intriguing team in the NBA. Not only do they have Boogie Cousins on the roster, but new owner Vivek Ranadivé pitched the idea of 4-on-5 defense. It would be similar to what Loyola Marymount ran in the late 80’s.

I plan on spending many nights switching back-and-forth between the marquee game of the night and random Kings games. I doubt they will use the proposed defense, but I’m all about outside-the-box thinkers in leadership roles.

We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Sacramento Kings.

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