If you ask Brandon Jennings, he probably still thinks Milwaukee is winning in seven games. Everyone else? They know this series is over, especially after the Heat’s predictable shutdown second half in their 104-91 win to take a 3-0 lead. LeBron scored 22, Dwyane Wade had one of the oddest statlines (1-for-12 shooting, four points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, five steals and two blocks) you’ll ever see, and Ray Allen came off the pine smoking. Read More »

In a Q-and-A in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, Brooklyn Nets GM Billy King sat for an interview that ranged from his political aspirations (he would like one day to govern your state), to hobbies (loves The Young And The Restless) and Kris Humphries’ wedding, which I’ll get to later. It’s not long and you should read it, but here’s the best part: Allen Iverson‘s famous “practice” press conference led an embarrassed King to turn in his resignation as 76ers GM. Read More »

The Orlando Magic have two things that no other team involved in the Dwight Howard Sweepstakes have at the moment: Dwight Howard and time. At least for right now. The clock is ticking (the trade deadline will be here before we know it), but the Magic are choosing to be picky in their demands for Howard – as they should be.

The latest news being reported is that Orlando’s on-again, off-again dialogue with the New Jersey Nets (and multiple other teams), is that conversations are dead – for now – despite the Nets’ most recent offer of a monster collection of assets. Read More »

While the current state of the NBA has basketball fans world down, some great things are still happening. Case in point: “The Experience,” compliments of Nets Basketball and the Barclays Center.

The Experience is the brand new mobile unit that the Nets unleashed at Brooklyn Borough Hall yesterday afternoon. Read More »

Back in 2004, part-ownership of an NBA team was called by MTV “the new hip-hop status symbol.” From Jay-Z (Nets) to Nelly (Bobcats) to Usher (Cavs), it seemed like one-named rappers were destined to join the Mark Cubans and Dan Gilberts of the world at the NBA roundtable. (I’m still hoping Magoo can scrape together enough paper to buy-in somewhere.) But unlike Mr. St. Lunatic and Mr. Raymond, Nets general manager Billy King says that Jay-Z’s role with the team is a very active one. Read More »

Yesterday afternoon, the New Jersey Nets announced that for the 2011-12 NBA season, they would be entering into a single affiliate partnership with the D-League’s Springfield Armor. What this means is that the Nets will have total control of the basketball operations for the Armor, while the current local ownership would be in charge of selling tickets, sponsorships and reaching out in the community. Within this framework, the Nets would draft the Armor’s players in the D-League Draft, would decide who to sign to the roster and would also appoint the Armor’s front office and coaching staffs. There is only one other affiliation like this currently in the NBA, as the Rio Grande Valley Vipers are a single affiliate for the Houston Rockets. Read More »

Words. Anthony Rizzuti

How exactly do you transform the ugly duckling into Miss America? Well, you follow a number of elaborate steps. First, you make her over. Give her a modern, beautiful look. Next, you teach her how to perform. Practice her etiquette, show her how to walk down the stage, and give her an interesting talent. And lastly, train her into a winner. Teach and instill the values of winning into this project and make her something the whole country will drool over.

This is the exact situation Mikhail Prokhorov, Billy King and Avery Johnson are looking at. How do you make the New Jersey Nets, the ugly duckling of the NBA, a playoff team? Read More »

New Jersey’s summer of missed opportunities continued today as news broke that they hired former Philly GM and president Billy King into their front office. David Aldridge tweeted this morning: Breaking: Billy King accepts Nets executive position, will be named at Thursday press conference.

This summer held a lot of promise for long-suffering Nets fans: a new owner willing to try anything such as shoving a 222-by-95 foot billboard into the face of the New York Knicks, around $30 million in cap space and a plan to win a championship in short time. Read More »

While I can understand after spending 10 seasons in the front office that former Sixers GM Billy King has a thing or two to say about Allen Iverson, but this just seems to be putting the future first ballot Hall of Famer on blast. Definitely not the kind of endorsement you want from your former boss when you’re currently unemployed: Read More »