You had to know this was coming sooner or later. Flip Saunders is now officially out as the Wizards head coach, according to Michael Lee of The Washington Post. He will be replaced by lead assistant Randy Wittman. When you have some of the most immature talent in the league leading you through a 2-15 disaster of a season, with an offense that is dead last in the entire NBA (and a defense that’s not much better), what do you expect? Washington started slow, and the progress has been so minimal that the front office had no other choice. Read More »

Dirk Nowitzki wants back in. He’s had his vacation, his time off. He wants to ball again. Without the NBA, there are only a few options left for him. He admits he’s not in the greatest shape, but expects he’ll be ready to go within a few weeks. Now it’s just a matter of where. The NBA probably isn’t coming back anytime soon. He’s heard the rumors about Real Madrid’s interest, and says he would play there. There’s also their rival Barcelona who could be a good fit. And finally, there’s his hometown league, the German Bundesliga, which holds weight. It’s the best way to promote this game in the area he grew up, as well as a nice finishing touch. That’s where he started his career. It would be great to go back at some point … Read More »

Anyone remember the 2006 Clippers? The team that came the year after the squad nearly made the Western Conference Finals? Well, if you don’t recall, just as they were supposed to be the next big thing, they fell apart. Management, coaching, the players, everyone butted heads and it wasn’t even a year later before they were out of the playoffs for good. You could make the claim Memphis is eerily similar. Except for one thing: they are determined to keep the ship upright. Read More »

To become an alpha male, you really have to fight. Again and again. If we’re talking animals, it’s an everyday struggle. Only the strongest survive, and the only way you can survive is by beating everyone and doing it nonstop. The challenges never stop coming. The next in line never stops breathing down your neck. You can make a case it’s the same way in the NBA. We assumed LeBron had the title wrapped up for a while. But with the show Kevin Durant has been putting on this summer, who knows? Yes, it’s only summer leagues (where the defense makes the Warriors look like the Bad Boy Pistons). But KD is playing with some of the top talent and outshining everyone. That has to mean something. Right? Read More »

Damn, we didn’t know Wilson Chandler was this big of a risk taker. But the forward is basically giving up the NBA season, and has agreed to a deal with Zhejiang Guangsha of the Chinese Basketball Association. The rumors of an international deal for Chandler were circulating for the last few weeks, but now it’s official with a league that doesn’t allow its teams to sign NBA players under contracts. Chandler is a restricted free agent so his move is a huge one, and he knows it, saying it is a risk but it’s one he believes in. This will be an amazing experience for him. Read More »

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul…on the court…at the same time…during the lockout? No way. There’s no way. You’re telling us four of the best players in the game are playing together in a charity game during the lockout? No way. But the AP reported that LeBron James will be joining fellow NBA All-Stars Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul in a charity basketball game in Baltimore set to take place on Tuesday where this time it’ll be the ‘Melo League taking on the Goodman League. Read More »

We might not believe Miami has it all figured out. But Dwyane Wade seems to think so. During an appearance on ESPN Radio, Wade said himself and LeBron “figured it out” and did a good job working together, in part because they are such good friends and get along so well. It’s still so hard to figure the relationship out because the season was so up and down. One week, they’d look unbeatable. The next, they’d lose a few games in a row. Then, they would storm through the playoffs before finally melting down in the Finals. What exactly was all that? A success? A failure? Read More »

Add the Golden State Warriors to the growing list of teams that own and operate an NBA D-League affiliate. The team’s purchase of the Dakota Wizards makes them the fourth NBA team to own and operate its “minor league” team. They also join seven other teams in having one-to-one relationships with their affiliates. Read More »

On Feb. 1, 2008, Michael Heisley, the owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, and Chris Wallace, the team’s general manager, were the two most vilified men in the NBA. They had just traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers in a move that was seen as one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history. They turned the Lakers into instant championship contenders, while getting pennies on the dollar in return. The package they got included Javaris Crittenton (now out of the League), Kwame Brown, a practically retired Aaron McKie, two late first-round picks, and the rights to Pau’s brother, Marc Gasol. Read More »

The transition from most-loved to most-hated isn’t a rare sight to see for today’s athletes. The old adage “First they hate you then they love you then they hate you again” has become somewhat of a defining statement for some players’ careers, from Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant to LeBron James.

Resilience and the ability to block everything out is what helps the great players succeed despite the criticism, and that’s what Gilbert Arenas has. So it’s only a matter of time before he bounces back as well. Read More »