Every time someone comes forward to attempt to break a story about the breakup of the Thunder, we get hit with a spinning forehand right back at our faces. Recently, a team workout was organized for four days on the University of Texas campus. 10 of the team’s 15-man roster showed up. Out of the players who didn’t show up, some were overseas, another was recently married and the other two were Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson. This came just before there were reports that Perkins and Russell Westbrook had problems last year. A team with rifts and chemistry problems doesn’t do this, trust us. There were no organization personnel on hand (obviously), and everything was set up by Royal Ivey, who just happens to be like, the last man on the bench. Read More »

We argue. You decide.

BLAKE GRIFFIN The 2007 high school senior basketball class might have been the best ever. With players like Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo and Eric Gordon, the class was full of talent. Two of the premier players from that class are Blake Griffin and Kevin Love.

Back then, there was little debate over who was the better prospect. Love won the Gatorade and Naismith national Player of the Year awards, and although Griffin was an All-American, he usually found himself outside the national top-five rankings. Read More »

If Kemba Walker hadn’t decided to turn into Tiny Archibald in Maui, tonight’s Duke vs. Michigan State matchup (ESPN, 9:30 p.m. EST) would be a meeting of the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation.

Despite their blemished record, No. 6 Michigan State is still considered a Final Four favorite and regarded as the toughest challenge the defending national champion Blue Devils will face in the regular season. Currently, these are the top two teams in college basketball. How do they match up historically? Read More »

Perhaps you’ve heard about this thing we’ve got going on called the World Basketball Festival. No big deal, just a blockbuster four-day weekend dedicated to the greatest sport in the world, taking over the greatest city in the world, and attending by the greatest athletes and entertainers in the world. After Day 1 saw a Team USA scrimmage and Jay-Z performance at Radio City Music Hall, Day 2 was spent almost exclusively at historic Rucker Park in Harlem for a star-studded schedule … Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul got it started at the Jordan Breakfast Club clinic. Read More »

What happens to former stars once they pass their prime? Unfortunately in professional sports, most become ring-chasers.

Let me define a ring-chaser: An older player, usually a former superstar or at least an All-Star, who is past his prime and decides to join a championship contender knowing he won’t be a major factor in his new team winning a title. Read More »

Kevin Willis is the oldest man to play in more than one NBA game during a season; he was 44 when he made five appearances with the Mavericks at the tail end of the 2007 campaign. Before that, Robert Parish was 43 years old when he played in 40-plus games (including the playoffs) for the Bulls during their ’97 championship run.

Making an impact as a middle-aged man in a young man’s sport is tough for anybody. Read More »

Heat/Hawks had all the physicality and ill will of a 1990s playoff series — for a minute there we thought Mookie Blaylock and Kevin Willis had checked in unnoticed — but at the same time, it had refs and rules from the 21st century, and Principal Stern was sitting courtside as a constant reminder to everyone not to get too wild … Dwyane Wade was out of control, and not in a good way for Miami. Read More »