The Westgate LV SuperBook posted odds to win each conference the day after James’ decision become known, installing Boston as the odds-on favorite to win the East at a prohibitive price of 5/8. To put that number in perspective, the Cavaliers were priced just a tick lower ahead of last season, at 1/2, for James to get back to the Finals for the eighth straight time. Odds to win Eastern Conference After the Celtics, the 76ers opened at 2/1 odds to win the East, and the Raptors at 8/1....

Two NBA Cares events, one Tuesday involving the Nets at an education center and another Wednesday with the Lakers to benefit Special Olympics, were canceled. The fan event also was scheduled for Wednesday but was canceled. The league would only say that canceling the events was not its decision. The NBA subsequently postponed the Lakers’ and Nets’ scheduled media sessions Wednesday in Shanghai, citing the “fluidity of the situation,” according to The Associated Press, which noted that “it remains unclear if the teams will play in China this week as scheduled....

So finding the finds in the 2018 draft is no easy feat, especially when teams either did really smart stuff (like Memphis taking Jaren Jackson Jr. with the fourth pick, exactly where he belonged) or really shaky stuff (like Orlando betting on Mo Bamba, who wasn’t an overwhelming scorer in college or AAU). There might not have been a lot of steals in this draft, but there at least was some petty crime transacted…...

Of special interest is the effect that newly hired Suns coach Igor Kokoskov will have on the decision. Kokoskov was the head coach of the Slovenian national team last year in its run to the gold medal in the EuroBasket tournament — which featured Doncic averaging 14.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in nine games. That’s led to speculation that Kokoskov would push the Suns to draft Doncic. But sources familiar with the Suns’ thinking told Sporting News on Thursday that’s just not the case....

Or maybe not all that eager. “I really don’t know how much I have to show,” Morant told Sporting News on Thursday. “Not being cocky, I just feel like, most people seen me already. But I mean, it will be an honor just to go out and play in front of those guys, see how the city is and get to know the organization better.” NBA MOCK DRAFT 2019:Pelicans, Knicks, Hawks snag Duke stars; Lakers pick sharpshooter...

The redshirt junior forward announced Wednesday on Instagram that he plans to leave school early to “test the waters” at the next level, becoming the fourth Cavaliers player in three days to declare. “This has been an unbelievable experience and I can’t even begin to put it in to words. I have grown so much from my first day on Grounds both on and off the court, which is why I am confident in announcing my intentions to declare for the NBA Draft,” Diakite wrote, in part....

MORE: Every NBA team’s biggest draft regret The Players of the Year Two guys who will be looking to make their marks in Chicago happen to be players with some of the best name recognition in this draft: Buddy Hield of Oklahoma and Denzel Valentine of Michigan State. Hield is a senior who averaged 25.0 points per game this season, shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from the 3-point line, and was national Player of the Year for several outlets, including Sporting News....

Kansas small forward Andrew Wiggins is the -140 favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, set for Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, according to an amalgam of offshore odds, analysis of mock drafts from around the Internet and expertise among The Linemakers and Sporting News staffs. Las Vegas sports books do not accept wagers on the draft, but we’ll throw out some props on what will transpire tonight because this is the type of fun we like to have....

Orlando will kick off Thursday night’s event after winning the NBA Draft Lottery last month. The Magic will likely choose Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr., Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren or Duke’s Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 pick. The Thunder, Rockets, Kings and Pistons will round out the top five, though there is always the possibility of a blockbuster trade shaking up the draft board. Below you will find the complete order for the 2022 NBA Draft as well as a list of picks for each team....

Overall, some of those concerns ended up being proven right, but the good far outweighed the bad. Ball led UCLA to a complete turnaround season, fostering a culture of unselfishness as he led the Bruins to a 31-5 record and became an All-American. For his part, Ball led the country in assists per game (7.6), averaged 14.6 points and 6.0 rebounds for good measure and put up staggering efficiency numbers that make him the favorite of nearly every analytics system....

The “Embrace Debate” show starring Smith, Max Kellerman and Molly Qerim will go live twice a day during The Finals, which will tip off June 1 on ESPN’s sister Disney network ABC. The shows will be produced on location in front of audiences in Oakland and either Cleveland or Boston. MORE: NBA Finals schedule, TV times Depending on how many games are played in the best-of-seven series, ESPN could air from three to seven live “First Take” specials in the afternoon, evenings and weekends during the Finals....

Supremely athletic and equally cerebral, James, a four-time NBA MVP and three-time champion, is a blend of strength and savvy the likes of which the game has seldom, if ever, seen. Having risen to stardom during the height of the social media era, where every play, game and season is dissected and analyzed to no end, James is as familiar with praise as he is with criticism. For every true fan, there’s a confused fan (that’s what we call haters)....

Golden State is a 4.5-point favorite to close out the Cavaliers in Cleveland in Tuesday night’s Game 6. The total sits in the 194.5, 195 range. Check The Linemakers on Sporting News’ odds page for current Game 6 lines from Las Vegas. AccuScore has the Cavaliers as 53 percent favorites to win Game 6 outright. That translates to money-line odds of -112. Cleveland is available at money-line odds of +165 at multiple Vegas sports books....

The Lakers disposed of the Denver Nuggets in five games in the Western Conference Finals and their reward is a showdown with the Miami Heat, who also took five games to overcome the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and make their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014 which, coincidentally, marked James’ fourth and final season in Florida. The 35-year-old won his first two NBA titles with the Heat and knows ending the Lakers’ wait for a spot in the NBA Finals will ultimately be meaningless, unless the franchise can clinch a 17th title and he adds a fourth ring to his collection....

New York reportedly agreed to deals with three players — Wayne Ellington (two-years, 16 million), Reggie Bullock (two-years, $21 million) and Elfrid Payton (two-years, $16 million). The team reportedly signed three forwards, including Julius Randle, on Sunday, as well. The Knicks had been targeting Durant and Irving, but both inked contracts with the Nets shortly after free agency began. The Celtics, meanwhile, may have found a replacement for Al Horford, as they signed Enes Kanter to a two-year contract....

With college stars like Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Julius Randle possibly entering the 2014 draft, teams with losing records may start dumping veteran talent and tanking games to better position themselves for a high lottery pick. Such moves likely will infuriate fans and bring the league under considerable scrutiny. Grantland.com may have uncovered a potential solution. The website reports that it has obtained a copy of a proposal that would eliminate the draft lottery and replace it with a 30-year wheel system in which each team would pick in each first-round slot only once over a 30-year period....

With Martin Luther King Jr. Day set for Jan. 17, there are 12 games of NBA action for fans to watch. There are a ton of the league’s best players on display, headlined by Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, the Nets’ Big 3, DeMar DeRozan, Ja Morant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, LeBron James… the list goes on and on. If you’re looking for the NBA’s MLK Day schedule along with ways to watch each game, we have you covered below....

Historically, March has been a valuable month for the draft stock of many, as it provides NBA teams with an opportunity to see prospects against high-level competition in a unique environment. Last season, for example, Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo saw his star rise en route to a national title. NBA DRAFT 2019: Latest odds for top pick This time of year is always a good opportunity to get a baseline idea of how June’s draft might shake out before the madness shakes everything up....

Miami Heat at Memphis Grizzlies Coming off back-to-back losses against the Rockets and Spurs, the Memphis Grizzlies will look to get back on track at home against a Heat team struggling to find any sort of rhythm. Expect the Grizzlies to show no mercy as they head into Sunday’s matchup after ending a 22-game home winning streak just a couple nights earlier. AccuScore has the Grizzlies as solid 79.7 percent favorites to win, a number that warrants a -392 price....

Whereas the Wizards and Bulls are at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, the Bucks are playing .500 basketball and find themselves in Play-In territory. The Warriors lead the way in the Western Conference with a 10-1 record while the Lakers (7-5) and Trail Blazers (5-7) continue to struggle with consistency. The season is still incredibly young, but have we seen enough to be concerned with the start of the Bucks, Lakers and Trail Blazers?...