Most Improved Player I don’t vote this award based on a player making natural year-to-year progress, but rather, someone who has significantly upped his game either by adding a new wrinkle, developing consistency or raising his overall play out of the blue. Nobody has done that more than Green, who was out of the league for two years, worked his way to a three-year contract with the Pacers but could never get his footing in Indiana....
The Cavs covered a 15-point spread in nearly 60 percent of simulations, a four-star (out of four) AccuScore hot trend. In the past week, AccuScore is 30-17 (63.8 percent, +1130 units) picking against the spread in the NBA. When picking Eastern Conference games ATS, AccuScore is 12-3 (80 percent, +870 units) in the past week. When the simulated spread has differed by 2 to 4 points when compared to Vegas – as it does in this matchup – AccuScore has gone 16-10 (61....
“We have decided not to hold media availability for our teams for the remainder of our trip in China,” the NBA said in a statement Friday. “They have been placed into a complicated and unprecedented situation while abroad, and we believe it would be unfair to ask them to address these matters in real time.” The league made the decision independent of Chinese authorities, unidentified sources told ESPN. Tensions have been high since Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s now-deleted tweet last Friday supporting anti-government protesters in Hong Kong raised the ire of China, and the fallout has been nonstop since....
With Golden State losing its share of star power to free agency (Durant) and injury (Klay Thompson) and Kawhi Leonard potentially leaving the defending champion Raptors, the NBA is wide open, meaning several teams have enticing championship odds. MORE: Signings, trades from the first day of NBA free agency Despite missing the playoffs last season, the Lakers, who already have LeBron James and Anthony Davis — and could be adding Leonard — have the best odds to win the 2020 NBA Finals at 3/2....
This is a FREE preview of Fantasy Alarm’s NBA DFS Playbook. For even more ways to dominate, check out site-specific advice and the rest of Fantasy Alarm’s great season-long and DFS tools available to subscribers. MORE: SN DFS | Fantasy Alarm PRO tools NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings, FanDuel advice for Thursday, November 2 Golden State Warriors @ San Antonio Spurs (O/U: 216 / GSW -7.5) Warriors Primary Plays In a game with a nice 216 total and the best offensive team in basketball in town, I’m not to excited to roster many Warriors....
“I want to come in and create an impact off the bat, offensively and defensively,” Wiggins said Friday in Cleveland. “Be a good teammate, be a good part of the organization. I want to be on the All-Defensive team, be Rookie of the Year, make the All-Star team.” MORE: Draft grades | Isaiah Austin’s moment | Wiggins’ wild suit | All 60 picks Count new Cavs coach David Blatt as his No....
That would be the shadow of the Cavs’ most prominent No. 1 pick, LeBron James, the one that still looms over the franchise as a whole. Who knows, maybe if things work out just right, Wiggins will be joined in Cleveland by James, who informed the Heat this week that he intends to become a free agent. Wiggins certainly would welcome the prospect. MORE: First-round pick tracker | Isaiah Austin honored | Kobe welcomes Randle | Photos...
In return, Philadelphia will send something of a complicated package of two selections. The first pick going to Boston is the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft. The second, according to Derek Bodner, will be one of either the 2018 Lakers first-round pick, or the 2019 Kings first-round pick. If the Lakers pick falls between No. 2 and No. 5, the pick will transfer to the Celtics. If it is either the No....
Golden State took Michigan guard Jordan Poole with the 28th pick in the draft Thursday. Poole averaged 12.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore for the Wolverines in 2018-19. He was part of one of the best defensive teams in the country last season and shot well from the 3-point line as he finished shooting 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. The year before he went down in Michigan history for hitting one of the biggest shots in program history....
Coming off the back of a playoff appearance this past season, the Pelicans added another exciting young player to their core after selecting Australian Dyson Daniels with the No. 8 overall pick in Friday morning’s NBA Draft. Daniels will get to team up alongside CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram and the returning Zion Williamson, forming what the Pelicans hope will be a contending core for years to come. Daniels becomes the fifth Australian lottery selection since 2014, and the second consecutive after Josh Giddey was taken sixth by the Thunder last year....
In the past week, they’ve done so, sending away Stephenson to the Clippers and bringing back veteran big man Spencer Hawes and trading guard Gerald Henderson and second-year power forward Noah Vonleh to the Trail Blazers for Nicolas Batum. They also acquired point guard Luke Ridnour from the Grizzlies for Matt Barnes, according to Yahoo Sports. MORE: Full NBA Draft coverage | Every team’s biggest draft mistake ever | Why Stephenson trade made sense for both teams...
It’s worth mentioning that, every year, we have a more complete picture of the way players measure prior to the combine. Due to the proliferation of youth events such as Nike Basketball Academy and Nike Hoop Summit — as well as the carefully curated database meticulously kept by DraftExpress — a wide majority of the players attending the combine have publicly available measurements. VECENIE: Latest NBA Draft prospect rankings...
That’s fine, though. Here are all 14 ranked from best to worst. MORE: Who would every team draft first ? | SN’s mock Daft Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves. The Rookie of the Year wins in a runaway. KAT rules . Masai Ujiri, Raptors. Toronto’s GM leapfrogs a bunch of players because a) his team is still playing and b) he stole this pick from the Knicks years ago in the Andrea Bargnani trade....
Well, things did not go as planned for a number of teams on Tuesday, but there was certainly a celebration in the Big Easy led by new executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin. NBA MOCK DRAFT 2019:Pelicans, Knicks, Hawks snag Duke stars; Lakers pick sharpshooter So we’ll start in New Orleans, but the ripple effects from the clattering of the ping pong balls on Tuesday night spread quickly to other corners of the NBA and left with us a pretty clear group of winners and losers....
Before diving into the rankings, here are a couple of principles that shape my board. First, it’s fit agnostic. Fit is obviously something that matters when it comes to an individual team’s board. Phoenix is more likely to select Ja Morant than Cleveland is thanks to the presence of Collin Sexton. It’s simply impossible to take into account fit as a factor in this type of exercise. It’s also likely that where a player ends up will shape what he becomes and force a re-evaluation on these rankings....
The Timberwolves’ first prize in the 2020 draft lottery is basically a $160 pot, depending on whether Grandpa Joe pays on time. The drafts of 2013, 2006, 2001 and 1989 will, in the coming years, have some serious competition on the list of all-time worst vintages for pro basketball prospects. It will take an extraordinary scouting team to find the rare jewels available to be selected on Oct. 16 as part of the NBA Draft class of 2020....
Here’s a look at those who came out on top on Thursday night and those who are ready for the weekend… Winner: Mavericks When a franchise enters the draft with the No. 5 pick and walks away with its best talent, there’s a good chance it did pretty well. The Mavs sent their first-round selection — effectively Trae Young — along with a top-five protected 2019 first-rounder to Atlanta for the rights to Slovenian sensation Luka Doncic in one of the draft’s two biggest deals....
Toronto took down Golden State 105-92 in Game 4 on Friday to go up 3-1 in the series against the two-time defending champions. This one was all about Kawhi Leonard. In the early going nobody on the Raptors team could buy a shot — that is save for Leonard. The 2014 Finals MVP shot 5 for 8 in the first quarter while the rest of his team was 1 for 13....
The man involved in the incident has been identified as Warriors part-owner Mark Stevens, the team confirmed Thursday, while issuing an apology for Stevens’ actions. “Mr. Stevens’ behavior last night did not reflect the high standards that we hope to exemplify as an organization,” the statement read. “We’re extremely disappointed in his actions and, along with Mr. Stevens, offer our sincere apology to Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors organization for this unfortunate misconduct....
The free-agent combo guard has agreed to a contract with the Cavaliers. According to Yahoo! Sports, the deal is for two years and $4.3 million. MORE: Free-agent tracker | Irving says healthy Cavs would have beaten Warriors Williams, borrowing a phrase from James, tweeted confirmation late Monday: The pact will become official after the NBA’s moratorium on signings ends Thursday. Williams, 32, split last season between the Timberwolves and Hornets, averaging 14....
