Tag: nba

NBA Playoffs First Round Predictions: The East

Brandon King

After what was, for some teams, was an eighty-two game dress rehearsal, the NBA Playoffs are finally upon us. As the inevitable march toward the Finals ramps up, here is how we see the opening acts shaking out: Eastern Conference 1Toronto v 8Washington Toronto has been head of the class in the Eastern Conference. This season they have revamped their isolation-heavy, over reliance on Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan in favor of a more egalitarian attack where the ball moves more and involves more people. To facilitate this change in…

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Frank Vogel broken off by Orlando Magic after two seasons

Brandon King

The firing of Jeff Hornacek was merely the opening salvo of the annual purging of head coaches in the NBA. The Magic announced in a release earlier today they would not be retaining the services of head coach Frank Vogel. Orlando brought Vogel in after his successful tenure with the Indiana Pacers, but was never able gain any footing on a turnaround, going 54-110 over his two seasons with the Magic. “We would like to thank Frank for his contributions to the Orlando Magic,” president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman…

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Jeff Hornacek reportedly out in New York

Brandon King

According to ESPN’S Adrian Wojnarowski, Jeff Hornacek is out after only two seasons as the Knicks’ head coach. He was shown the door after Wednesday’s season finale. The Knicks finished the season 29-53 and just 60-104 while at the Knicks’ helm. “Jeff is a true professional who has worked tirelessly for this organization the last two seasons,” Knicks president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry said in a statement. “We sincerely appreciate his efforts and considerable contributions to the team and wish him well in his future endeavors.” Forward…

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Kevin Durant plans to opt out contract and restructure deal with Golden State

Brandon King

According to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, Kevin Durant will opt out his current deal with the Golden State Warriors and enter unrestricted free agency. However it seems unlikely this is to be courted by other teams, as this is to allow him to restructure a new deal with the Warriors. The two-year,$51 million contract Durant signed last offseason allowed Golden State to hang on to Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala. “His gesture of taking less gave us the ability to be very aggressive in pursuing Shaun and Andre,” Warriors general manager…

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LaVine to sit tonight against Brooklyn

Brandon King

As the teams who are swirling around the bottom of the NBA toilet bowl fight with each other to get to the bottom the fastest, more of their players will suddenly need “rest” or have “injury issues”. For the Chicago Bulls, who need to get inside the top 5-6 draft picks in the worst way, and a healthy dose of Zach LaVine on the court could be a major impediment to that end. Luckily for them he does not play in both ends of a back-to-back and that will be…

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Jimmy Butler having surgery on torn meniscus

Brandon King

In the third quarter of the Minnesota Timberwolves ‘ game against the Houston Rockets, Jimmy Butler went down with an apparent non-contact knee injury. Initially there was speculation and worry that Butler tore his Achilles’ tendon or even his ACL, however a subsequent MRI revealed that a torn Meniscus was what befell him. The injury will require surgery, and as has been reported by Shams Charania, that will happen within the next few days and that Butler could return in the next four-to-six weeks. Story on Timberwolves All-Star Jimmy Butler,…

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Portland Trailblazers recall Caleb Swanigan

Brandon King

Yesterday the Portland Trailblazers recalled rookie forward Caleb Swanigan from his G-League assignment with the Canton Charge. In his 14 games, 12 of which he started, Swanigan averaged 14.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists , 1.0 steals in 30.3 minutes. In the 15 games he’s appeared with the Blazers, Swanigan has posted averages of 2.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists in 8.9 minutes.

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Derrick Rose questioning his future in the NBA?

Brandon King

As a fan of DRose I was a bit saddened to hear that he was taking time off to evaluate his basketball future, as,selfishly, as I am in no hurry to see Rose’s NBA journey come to a premature conclusion. However I am more a fan of Derrick Rose the man and if that is what he needs to do in order find happiness, I am in total support of it.   As I perused the various sports outlets that covered this topic, what I found particularly disturbing was some…

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