Blogs

There will be no relaxation on the Miami Heat’s watch, apparently. Dion Waiters and James Johnson, two newcomers to the team this past season, were in the best shape of their lives. They, in turn, became billboards for the Heat’s commitment to player conditioning, which, it seems, is psychopathic in nature, but kind of in [...]

When the first-ever NBA awards show airs on June 26, it won’t just be revealing which players won MVP, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and all that good traditional stuff. There will be new titles doled out—including an award for Best Style, because, why not? AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today has [...]

Denver Nuggets rookie Jamal Murray played in all 82 games this season…injured. That’s impressive. Perhaps reckless. But mostly impressive. Next season should be different, though. The 21-year-old underwent successful surgery to repair some core muscle injuries, per RealGM: Jamal Murray has undergone successful surgery to repair core muscle-related injuries. The surgery was performed by Dr. [...]

Gregg Popovich had some high praise for Kawhi Leonard following the San Antonio Spurs’ Game 6 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. The highest praise, actually. He called Leonard the best player “in my opinion”: [tweet https://twitter.com/danfavale/status/857815607848443904] What Popovich said isn’t egregious, but the best player in the NBA isn’t Leonard. It’s LeBron James, who remains superhuman. [...]

Blake Griffin’s latest setback, a season-ending big toe injury, hasn’t changed the Los Angeles Clippers’ plans this summer: They are still going to re-sign him. From The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via RealGM): “Griffin is still a significant part of the Clippers’ future. Management remains committed to signing him to a long-term deal this summer, league sources tell [...]

With three first-round draft picks and a ton of guaranteed contracts on the books, the Portland Trail Blazers are bound to look different next season. Anything they do, given their cap situation, must be executed via trade. But the Blazers are also unique in that they are an unfinished product with two cornerstones, Damian Lillard and [...]

LeBron James played all but 17 minutes of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first round sweep over the Indiana Pacers. He’s averaging 43.8 ticks per game overall, a ridiculously high number no one else in the postseason is matching thus far. Might the Cavaliers be worried about overworking James, their 14-year veteran, who has logged the fourth-most playoff [...]

Maybe the Denver Nuggets won’t go superstar-hunting this summer after all. Danilo Gallinari owns a player option worth $16.1 million for next season that he is expected to decline. If the Nuggets renounce his cap hold, they can squeeze out more than $34 million in cap space—enough to offer almost anyone a max contract. Waive [...]

The New York Knicks and Kristaps Porzingis are ready to bury the hatchet—insofar as each party acknowledging the other exists qualifies as burying the hatchet. Since Porzingis skipped his exit interview with team president Phil Jackson, ostensibly sending a message that the status quo won’t stand, it was unclear if the two sides would break [...]

Good news, Golden State Warriors fans, as well as any decent human being on the planet: General manager Bob Myers thinks head coach Steve Kerr’s back issues are fixable, and that he will return to the sidelines. Now for the bad news: That doesn’t mean Kerr will be back in the fold this season. From [...]