Category: Basketball

Australia shocks USA 98-94

Brandon King

From Bleacher Report: The United States men’s basketball team suffered its first loss while using NBA players in nearly 13 years Saturday morning, as Australia pulled off a 98-94 upset in a FIBA Basketball World Cup warm-up game at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. “They wanted it more than us tonight,” Team USA guard Kemba Walker told reporters. “Lesson learned for us.” It marked the end of a 78-game winning streak for the U.S. senior men’s national team. Patty Mills, who plays for U.S. head coach Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio…

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Dwight Howard to sign with Lakers

Brandon King

Dwight Howard’s agent Charles Briscoe told Shams Charania of the Athletic and Stadium that the big man has finalized a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies and plans to sign a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers the moment he clears waivers. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN notes that the Howard deal will be a non-guaranteed contract that the Lakers are proceeding “with caution.” More from Woj: “Howard had several meetings with Lakers officials, and they’ll give him a chance to show he’s made changes in how he conducts himself. Lakers players…

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Kemba Walker and Donovan Mitchell lead Team USA to 102-86 win over Aussie Boomers

Brandon King

From nba.com: After a slow start Thursday, the U.S. Men’s National Team stayed perfect in its exhibition play with a 102-86 win against Australia. Although there was fairly balanced scoring for Team USA, the win was fueled in large part by the play of starting guards Kemba Walker and Donovan Mitchell. The duo sizzled in the second half of the game, with each finishing with double-figure scoring. * Box score: USA vs. Australia Walker led all scorers with 23 points, many of which came in the second half. Mitchell had 13 points, while Kyle…

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Grizzlies grant Dwight Howard permission to speak with other teams

Brandon King

According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the Memphis Grizzlies have given Dwight Howard’s representation the ok to speak with other teams that might be interested in his services. There is a team out west that just recently lost their likely starting center to a season-ending injury and has a gaping hole ( no pun intended) in the middle. Howard played one season for the Lakers, the 2012-13 season and though it was painfully obvious that he had not recovered from the back surgery he had , he still managed to…

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SLAM enters sponsorship deal with NBL’s Illawarra Hawks

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au: The Illawarra Hawks have announced a brand-new partnership with basketball giant SLAM Media Inc. for the 2019/20 season. The announcement with SLAM, a full-service basketball media company, will see them take the lucrative position of Front of Jersey Sponsor on the Illawarra Hawks Home and Away Jersey for the NBL20 season. The deal will catapult exposure of the Illawarra Hawks into an international market, predominately in the USA. Illawarra Hawks General Manager, Mat Campbell said he was excited to welcome SLAM to the Illawarra Hawks family. “Today’s announcement marks…

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DeMarcus Cousins tears ACL

Brandon King

DeMarcus Cousins just cannot catch a break from a health standpoint. The two worst injuries that can derail a basketball player’s career are an Achilles tear and blowing out a knee. Unfortunately, Boogie can now check both of those off his injuries suffered list. After suffering a knee injury Monday during a workout, further evaluation revealed that Cousins had torn an ACL, according to a report from The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania. It’s an unfortunate break for a player in Cousins who was still coming back from the Achilles…

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DeMarcus Cousins injures knee in workout, further testing to come

Brandon King

Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins suffered an injury while working out in Vegas on Monday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Woj adds the injury was apparently suffered when Cousins banged knees with another player. This is the latest in a series of health obstacles Cousins has faced since tearing his Achilles’ tendon during the 2017-18 season when he was with the New Orleans Pelicans. After he signed with the Golden State Warriors, Cousins played 30 games, averaging 16.3, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in only 25.7 minutes before suffering…

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Wizards hire Antawn Jamison as Director of Player Personnel

Brandon King

The Washington Wizards have hired Antwan Jamison as their director of pro personnel, the announced Wednesday. “We are absolutely thrilled to bring Antawn back to the Wizards organization. In addition to his strong feel for the game and basketball knowledge, he has always been a true professional and a dedicated worker. We look forward to him bringing those qualities to our front office.” – Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard Jamison is no stranger to the franchise, having balled for the club from 2004-10, and in his time in the nation’s…

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Portland Trail Blazers unveil special court for upcoming season

Brandon King

This coming season will mark the fiftieth for the Portland Trail Blazers and the court the club unveiled today will commemorate their golden season. Seventies styled font are at the end lines and side lines ( the Blazers won their sole NBA title in 1977) with a specially designed 50 logo at half court. The photos are via Steve Dewald of Blazers Edge:

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Micheal Beasley suspended by NBA for drug violation

Brandon King

NBA free agent Michael Beasley was handed a five game suspension by the NBA on Thursday for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. Five game sit-downs are typically doled out to repeat offenders of the marijuana policy. This is Beasley’s first drug related issue since his 2013 arrest while he played for the Phoenix Suns. Beasley averaged 7.0 points and 2.3 rebounds for the Lakers in the lowest minutes per game (10.7) since his rookie season. Beasley was involved in the trade that sent he and promising young center Ibica Zubac…

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