With the NBA “angling” to cancel its season, it’s time to look to next season, whenever that may be. If the Brooklyn Nets want to live up to their expectations and win their first-ever NBA Championship, these are the moves they must make in order to have the best chance of accomplishing that goal. Hire […]
What’s Next for the Nets? — Battle of New York
Ray Allen’s departure from the Boston Celtics wasn’t exactly a smooth one. To this day, he’s in a feud with certain members of the 2008 and 2010 finals teams, specifically Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo. And according to Allen, his beef with Boston goes even beyond that. Allen chronicled what led to his…
Ray Allen Says He Received Death Threats From Celtics Fans When He Left — NESN.com
First-year Celtic Kemba Walker has came up with a unique, and somewhat educational, way to help the community during the coronavirus pandemic. The All-Star point guard announced on Instagram on Tuesday that he has teamed up with JBL Headphones to provide Boston-area children with earphones, in hopes to enhance their virtual learning procedures amid the pandemic.…
Celtics’ Kemba Walker Makes Donation To Boston-Area Kids Amid Coronavirus — NESN.com
Entering this season, I had extremely high hopes for the New York Knicks’ young core. I envisioned RJ Barrett winning the NBA Rookie of the Year, Mitchell Robinson emerging as more than a 20 minute per game shot blocker, and Dennis Smith Jr. becoming a building block for the Knicks. I even thought that either […]
Two Reasons Knicks’ Fans Should Be Positive — Battle of New York
The COVID-19 outbreak may have millions of people stuck at home, but that’s not stopping them from finding creative ways to stay entertained. In Danny Ainge’s case, he’s got a little friend to give him a hand. The Boston Celtics’ president of basketball operations and his French bulldog pup, Weezy, got a bit of fresh…
Watch Celtics’ Danny Ainge Work Out With His Dog During Self-Quarantine — NESN.com
The chasm between Ray Allen and some of his former Boston Celtics teammates apparently remains quite wide. In some respects, it might be wider than ever. Allen has been in a feud with members of the 2008 Celtics — specifically Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo — since leaving Boston to join the Miami…
Ray Allen Non-Committal About Attending Kevin Garnett’s Jersey Retirement — NESN.com
Editor’s note: This is the Tuesday, April 14 edition of the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. It’s getting toward the time when, in a normal year, teams would start working out and interviewing college prospects. But, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka pointed out last week,…
Purple & Bold: All the Lakers’ offseason goals are now moving targets — Daily News
Only NBA greats end up with iconic nicknames, and they almost always come from other stars. Well, it looks like Jayson Tatum may be the latest to coin a new nickname — and he’s cool with it. Before the league suspended play amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the Boston Celtics traveled to the Los Angeles Lakers…
How LeBron James Unintentionally Gave Jayson Tatum This Iconic Nickname — NESN.com
Only NBA greats end up with iconic nicknames, and they almost always come from other stars. Well, it looks like Jayson Tatum may be the latest to coin a new nickname — and he’s cool with it. Before the league suspended play amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the Boston Celtics traveled to the Los Angeles Lakers on February 23. And although the C’s came up short in the 114-112 loss, there was some good to came out of it. LeBron James posted a photo on Instagram immediately following the game, in which the Lakers star gave the then 21-year-old Tatum quite the compliment. “That boi to the left of me is an ABSOLUTE PROBLEM!! Keep going #YoungKing 🤴🏼 #OnelegSleeveGang lol 🙏🏾💪🏾👑” James captioned the photo.
James’ comments left the sports community wondering if he had given Tatum a new nickname: The Problem. During an appearance on Monday’s episode of “The Jump,” Tatum recalled what that night meant to him — and gave the green light on the new name. “I mean, I’ll take that nickname,” he said with a smile. “I remember, he posted, it was like right after we played him. We were in L.A. and I remember was back in my hotel room and I was taking a nap because it was an early game. And I remember my best friend from back home, he called me and he was like, ‘Bro, go on your Instagram! LeBron just shouted you out.’ “And I remember I saw it and I’m a competitor, but I realize at the end of the day, that’s one of the greatest players ever and somebody I looked up to growing up, so I still understand that’s a big deal.”
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/04/how-lebron-james-unintentionally-gave-jayson-tatum-this-iconic-nickname/
David Ortiz was a busy man Monday, but he made sure to share his love and support for Karl-Anthony Towns. The Minnesota Timberwolves center’s mother, Jacqueline, died Monday due to coronavirus complications. Her death comes three weeks after Towns announced his mother’s diagnosis in an emotional video. Many around the NBA shared messages on Twitter…
David Ortiz Shares Heartfelt Message For Karl-Anthony Towns After Mother Dies — NESN.com
The Chicago Bulls fired general manager Gar Forman on Monday after 10 years in the role and 22 years with the team.
Bulls fire GM Forman amid front office changes —
The Chicago Bulls fired general manager Gar Forman on Monday after 10 years in the role and 22 years with the team.
The move came soon after the Bulls confirmed the hiring of Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas as the franchise’s executive vice president of basketball operations, which ESPN reported last week.
The Bulls also announced Monday that John Paxson, who previously held Karnisovas’ position, will stay with the team in the new role of senior advisor of basketball operations.
“Gar Forman worked tirelessly for the Chicago Bulls organization, first as a scout and then as an executive,” team owner Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “He made many significant contributions during his time here and helped to bring some of the brightest young basketball talent to our team, from Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson to Jimmy Butler and Coby White. He has been a trusted advisor and friend to me over the years, and on behalf of everyone I want to thank him for his commitment to the organization. Gar will always be a part of our Bulls family.”
Forman was named the 2011 NBA Executive of the Year. The Bulls reached the playoffs seven times during his tenure as general manager.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to work for the Chicago Bulls for more than two decades,” Forman said in the Bulls’ statement. “There is no better ownership group in professional sports than the Reinsdorfs, and I want to thank Jerry and Michael for their support during my tenure. The Bulls organization will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Karnisovas is planning to start discussing Chicago’s GM job with candidates soon, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week. The pool is expected to include several assistant GMs: Calvin Booth (Denver), Marc Eversley (Philadelphia), Mark Hughes (LA Clippers) and Matt Lloyd (Orlando), among others.
Paxson had been EVP of basketball operations since 2003 and also served as general manager until Forman took on those duties in 2009.
“John has an invaluable perspective on our organization and where we want to be, and he played an instrumental role in this change by bringing forward the idea of a restructure and reorganization,” Reinsdorf said of Paxson. “I have always held his knowledge and basketball insight in the highest regard, and he has earned my respect as well as that of his peers.”
Two of the biggest favorites in NBA stars Trae Young and Chris Paul, along with ex-Boston Celtic Paul Pierce, were all eliminated in Sunday’s quarterfinal round during the NBA’s HORSE Challenge. And now the Final Four — Chauncey Billups, Mike Conley, Zach LaVine and Allie Quigley — have advanced to Thursday’s semifinal round, with the finals…
Paul Pierce, Trae Young Among Four Eliminated In NBA’s H-O-R-S-E Challenge — NESN.com
Rudy Gobert was the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19 before the league suspended the season March 11. Donovan Mitchell was the second. And, as you might have expected, things between the Utah Jazz teammates are a bit strained. Rumors suggest Mitchell is “reluctant” to mend fences with Gobert after Gobert’s stunts before…
Rudy Gobert Confirms Things Between Him, Donovan Mitchell Were Strained — NESN.com
Rumors suggest Mitchell is “reluctant” to mend fences with Gobert after Gobert’s stunts before testing positive for the coronavirus, though it did not appear “salvageable.” Gobert had joked around about the severity of the virus prior to testing positive. On Sunday, Gobert opened up to Bleacher Report’s Talyor Rooks about his relationship with his All-Star teammate. “It’s true that we didn’t speak for a while after (testing positive), but we did speak a few days ago,” Gobert told Rooks on Instagram Live on Sunday. “And you know, like I said, we’re both ready to go out there and try to win a championship for this team. You know, it’s all about being a professional. Everyone’s got different relationships. It’s never perfect. People that are married, it’s never perfect. So, you know, (things between) me and my teammate, it’s far from perfect. But at the end of the day, we both want the same thing, and it’s winning. We’re both grown men and going to do what it takes to win.”
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/04/rudy-gobert-confirms-things-between-him-donovan-mitchell-were-strained/
The view from left field 