NBA Nation
By John L. | #THISISWHYWEPLAY
LeBron James issued a strong warning to the Cavaliers for not yet re-signing JR Smith with training camp underway
For the second straight season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are going through training camp without a key player under contract.<p>Last season, the Cavaliers were in a stalemate with Tristan Thompson, going all the way through the preseason before re-signing him. This year, it's J.R. Smith, who remains a …
Lebron JamesPutting the NBA's stars into tiers: There aren't many true superstars
Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook both crack the list, but maybe not the tier you'd expect<p>SAN FRANCISCO -- At Monday's media day, three members of the Golden State Warriors paused for the flashes of the photos and, breathlessly from behind us, someone muttered, "That's a lot of superstars."<p>With …
NBAWarriors Notebook: Why Steph Curry Could Be Better Than Ever with Kevin Durant
After the most scrutinized and pressure-packed season any NBA team has ever endured, there was a visceral sense at Media Day that something loomed large. It had been 100 days since the crushing blow of losing Game 7 of the 2016 Finals, but the Warriors are a much different team as constituted right …
Kevin DurantNBA Preseason 2016: The Biggest Storyline for All 30 Teams
The preseason is already upon us, which means practices are underway and games—real games!—between NBA teams aren't far off.<p>It also means summer's over and you've probably failed to finish whatever offseason projects you had planned.<p>It's fine; you're not alone.<p>The resumption of NBA action is a …
NBASpurs Notebook: Can Kawhi Leonard Fill Tim Duncan's Leadership Void?
Tim Duncan showed up on the San Antonio Spurs' practice court Wednesday morning wearing official Spurs workout shorts, a gray Spurs T-shirt and his Adidas basketball shoes.<p>He even took a few shots.<p>No, he has not come out of retirement, but it seems that the greatest power forward in NBA history and …
BasketballNBA Will Allow Teams to Review and Cut Video on Bench During Games
On-the-fly adjustments in the NBA are about to receive an upgrade.<p>According to <i>USA Today</i>'s Jeff Zillgitt on Thursday, the NBA has passed a rule that will allow teams "to review and cut video for immediate access, transfer video between bench personnel and the locker rooms and access data rather than …
NBAWatch Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant make every shot they take for 75 seconds
Here’s the thing that should make teams nervous — this doesn’t even include the best shooter in the game today. Stephen Curry was on the other end of …
Kevin DurantLA Clippers Notebook: It's Do or Die for Blake Griffin, CP3 and Doc
PLAYA VISTA, Calif. — There’s something different about the Los Angeles Clippers this season.<p>Is it a slimmer, trimmer Chris Paul? No, he didn’t lose any weight, he insisted during the team’s media day. But he appreciates the thought.<p>Is it Austin Rivers’ new hairdo? Not quite.<p>Is it the eight new …
BasketballDwyane Wade Calls Rajon Rondo Best Point Guard He's Ever Played with
With respect to Gary Payton, Mario Chalmers and Goran Dragic, Chicago Bulls star Dwyane Wade believes Rajon Rondo is the most talented floor general he's ever shared a backcourt with.<p>Although the two haven't stepped onto the floor together for a regular-season game since joining Chicago in the …
Rajon Rondo5 NBA Teams Due for the Biggest Regressions This Season
It's never fun to find out your favorite NBA team is ready to collect fewer wins than the previous season.<p>Alas, regression is a part of the Association's fabric and thus a necessary topic to discuss with the 2016-17 campaign inching toward tipoff.<p>Win totals are the focus. We already tackled the …
NBAKG, Kobe and Duncan Amassed 48 All-Star Selections, 4 MVPs and 11 Championships
<i>Fact: Kevin Garnett announced his retirement from the NBA on Friday with a video on Instagram, joining other notable former stars Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. Between the three of them, they amassed 48 All-star selections, four MVP awards and 11 NBA championships.</i><p>Bleacher Report will be bringing …
Kobe BryantKevin Garnett Retiring From Basketball
Kevin Garnett, the 15-time NBA all-star, 2004 MVP, Olympic gold medal winner and NBA champion in 2008, is retiring from basketball, ending what is no doubt a career destined for the Hall of Fame.<p>One of the most fearsome competitors of his generation, Garnett was taken fifth in the 1995 draft out of …
BasketballKevin Garnett Leaves Behind Legacy as NBA's Most Beloved Bully
Kevin Garnett is leaving the Minnesota Timberwolves and the NBA relatively quietly, and that's a little weird for a player whose career has been defined by high volume and confrontation.<p>Kent Youngblood of the <i>Star Tribune</i> reported the iconic forward won't play for the Wolves this season after …
NBAWarriors GM hints team will rest players far more this season
It sounds like Golden State learned its lesson.<p>Because the players wanted it — led in particular by Stephen Curry and Draymond Green — the Warriors …
NBAPound For Pound, Allen Iverson Is The NBA’s Greatest Of All Time
The dust will barely have settled on one of this weekend’s blue-ribbon sporting events before the curtain raises on another. Less than 24 hours after Friday night’s Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony in Massachusetts, boxing’s best and brightest put on a similarly lavish show across the …
NBAJerry West Responds to Adam Silver's Comments on Warriors Signing Kevin Durant
The rich got richer during the NBA offseason when the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant, but Dubs executive Jerry West didn't take kindly to those who questioned the fairness of the move.<p>In an interview with Tim Kawakami of the <i>San Jose Mercury News</i> on the <i>TK Show</i> (h/t Zach Harper of …
Kevin DurantNBA Superstars with the Most on the Line Entering 2016-17
LeBron James is off the hook.<p>This past spring, he fulfilled his promise, carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA championship and, in doing so, vanquishing the city's 52-year pro sports title drought. James and Co. still figure to defend their crown vigorously this season. But there is …
NBASports Illustrated ranks 5 Warriors among NBA’s top 50 players
In July, when they signed Kevin Durant, the Warriors became the third team ever to add a former NBA MVP to a group coming off the league’s best record.<p>Take into account that Golden State’s regular-season mark last season was the best in league history, and it was clear that the 2016-17 Warriors …
NBAThe biggest snubs from SI.com's Top 100 NBA players of 2017
Creating a defined list inevitably leads to snubs, the likes of which run deep with our ranking of Top 100 NBA Players of 2017.<p>In some sense, …
NBAB/R NBA 200: Series Ranks the NBA's Best Players Heading into 2016-17 Season
Ask five people how to organize just the NBA's best players, and you'll probably get five different answers.<p>Now, let's provide the real answer.<p>To do so, we need to use the end point of last season as our starting point for now. And a lot sure did change last year:<p>Until LeBron James and the …
NBADo The Cleveland Cavaliers Really Need J.R. Smith?
Since putting his shirt back on, J.R. Smith has not resigned with the Cavaliers. Could Mike Dunleavy fill his shoes? (And T-Shirt?)<p>From June 19th …
NBA: Coach Kerr worried with Warriors’ lack of rim protection
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. AP File photo<p>After bagging this year’s most coveted free agent Kevin Durant, many would think Golden …
Steve KerrIverson, Shaq and Yao Enter Hall of Fame with a Trail of Memories and Questions
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — <i>Hall of Famer</i> is a powerful phrase, an almost mystical title conjuring greatness and grandeur. Once earned, the moniker becomes a de facto first name, demanding reverence.<p>As of Friday night, he is no longer Shaquille O'Neal, but <i>Hall of Famer</i> Shaquille O'Neal. The man towering …
Yao MingShaq: 'I Had A Great Career, But I Didn’t Get A Chance To Showcase What I Can Really Do'
Shaquille O’Neal will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend and despite his status as one of the most dominant players ever, he feels he …
BasketballIn Allen Iverson, We Saw Ourselves, Even If We Didn't Know It When He Played
It's right there in those eyes.<p>Everything that he has ever felt was projected—or hidden—behind those round jewels.<p>They always seemed to stare right through us. Sometimes they welled with tears. But that was Allen. That was part of the complexity we found so appealing.<p>He came from concrete and …
Allen IversonChicago Bulls Rumors: Derrick Rose Trade To New York Knicks A Blessing In Disguise?
The Chicago Bulls have seemingly gotten a huge burden taken off their shoulders upon the trade of former superstar point guard Derrick …
Derrick RoseCleveland Cavaliers Planning To Trade Kevin Love For Nerlens Noel?
The Kevin Love trade rumors just wouldn’t die down. Speculation emerged over the weekend that the Cleveland Cavaliers are planning to swap the …
Kevin LoveNew York Knicks: The Second Unit Will Play Crucial Role
The New York Knicks’ bench is either going to be a highlight for the upcoming season or a low-light. Here’s an argument for both cases.<p>Despite what …
NBASteph Curry Revisits Warriors' NBA Finals Game 7 Loss: "I Wasn't 100 Percent, But Who Cares?"
Steph Curry doesn't believe in excuses. The Warriors leader and two-time reigning NBA MVP understands that if he's playing in a game while injured, …