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Often in recent years, there has been a sense of intrigue surrounding the no. 1 draft pick and who will be selected, with conceivably as many as four teenagers touted to go #1. Not this year: French teenage phenom Victor Wembanyama appears San Antonio-bound after the Spurs won the draft lottery overnight.
Continue reading “Spurs win draft lottery, as Wembanyama lauds Texas in celebratory interview”
February 9 is now in the rearview mirror, with All-Star weekend almost upon us. After the Kyrie Irving move to Dallas opened up a series of trades – both small and significant – I take a look at them in this piece, assessing where that leaves some ball clubs as well as specific players who’ll find themselves in differing situations over the coming months – like the pair above in Brooklyn. Continue reading “NBA trade deadline day – a week on: A look at moves, winners and losers plus new season projections”
Luka Doncic continued his excellent start to the campaign with a 42-point triple-double helping Dallas eventually overwhelm Portland with a 117-112 victory on Saturday night. With one of the highest usage rates in NBA history, and considering the conundrum which his Mavericks team still haven’t yet solved surrounding the supporting cast, Jason Kidd’s public concerns make sense for a 23-year-old they don’t want to burnout before it matters most in the postseason. Continue reading “Given historical trends, Jason Kidd’s concerns about the Luka Doncic usage rate are natural”
Fresh from their comeback win over the Los Angeles Lakers over the weekend, Damian Lillard and a masterful Anfernee Simons display helped Portland (4-0) maintain their unbeaten start to the new campaign. As for Denver, the manner of this latest defeat against a Western Conference rival reinforces the belief this term is all about patience as things settle into rhythm. Continue reading “Lopsided 135-110 road loss to Portland proves this season centres around patience for Jokic and co”
Armed with a new starting backcourt duo, offseason trade acquisition Jerami Grant, a promising first-round draft selection in Shaedon Sharpe among others from an eventful summer, the Portland Trail Blazers will be quietly hopeful they can settle quickly and vastly improve upon a dismal 27-55 record last season – their worst finish since 2005-06. Will they?
Continue reading “Adjustments, maintaining belief and new additions: Lillard-Simons duo headline newlook Portland”
Bradley Beal became the 10th player in league history to receive a no-trade clause as part of his five-year, $251m max contract extension with the Wizards. Ten days later, another All-Star – Portland’s franchise star Damian Lillard – inked a two-year, $121m max vet deal to remain with the Trail Blazers, now under contract until the 2026-27 season. Will these decisions age well?
Continue reading “Masterful or misguided? Beal and Lillard’s latest contract extensions predictably raise questions”
It appears on the surface as though Detroit have settled with less than they could’ve got for a 28-year-old power forward who has been performing at an All-Star level these last two seasons. However, this move also frees up cap space ahead of an offseason packed with speculation insistent that upgrades are inbound: Suns’ wantaway big man Deandre Ayton among them. Continue reading “Pistons open up cap space and hint at big summer, after trading Jerami Grant to Portland”
After a promising season ended with a forgettable postseason collapse on May 16, the cloud hanging over Deandre Ayton’s long-term future in Phoenix appears to be clearing this summer: multiple teams are readying themselves with lucrative max contract offers for 2018’s no. 1 pick. Continue reading “Atlanta, Detroit and Portland all early suitors in Deandre Ayton sweepstakes”
A few weeks removed from the All-Star break and now into the home straight for another eventful NBA season, I spoke to LA Clippers fan and NBA expert Jack Brown earlier this month – discussing multiple topics including: under-the-radar players, intriguing offseason storylines, the MVP race as well as why he has a surprise team emerging from the West come playoff time. Continue reading “NBA Q&A: Big questions answered, predictions made as 21-22 season into business months”
Midway through his ninth NBA campaign, after 564 regular season games and 57 more in the playoffs, Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum has been acquired as part of a seven-player trade package sending him to the New Orleans Pelicans. It’s the end of an era in Oregon for the 30-year-old, while opening up new opportunities elsewhere. But why now?
Continue reading “CJ McCollum to the Pelicans: This exit from Portland felt inevitable, but also long overdue”
In a three-team trade that has left critics with multiple questions, the Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired Chicago’s wantaway RFA PF Lauri Markkanen. They send PF/C Larry Nance Jr to the Portland Trail Blazers, while small forward Derrick Jones Jr will depart Rip City for the Bulls, alongside two future draft picks (2022 first, 2023 second-round). Is this a good move all-round? Continue reading “New home: Lauri Markkanen joins Cleveland Cavaliers in three-team sign-and-trade”
Entering her eighth season as an NBA assistant coach with Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, already interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs, the 44-year-old – who played 15 years in the WNBA – still awaits a first opportunity to be the first woman to lead a NBA team after being a finalist for the Portland Trail Blazers job, which went to Chauncey Billups this past offseason. Continue reading “Spurs coach Becky Hammon hopes it’ll be normal for women to get NBA jobs”
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