LeBron’s headband, or lack thereof, has emerged as the new star of the NBA finals.

As we reported earlier today, LeBron James led a pretty mediocre night up to the final quarter of game 6 of the NBA Finals. He then lost his headband and completely turned the game around during its final minutes.

The game has been dubbed “LeBron’s Headband game” by various sports publications.

Though the Miami Heat star turned the game around, even he made reference to his missing headband post-game.

”I don’t even remember the play much. I was just focused on the job, the task at hand, and just trying to be aggressive, just trying to figure out ways I could help the team get back into the game. And you know, I guess the headband was the least of my worries at that point,” he said.

We have no idea whether or not losing his headband improved his game, but what we can tell you is that the whole Internet is completely taken with the story.

LeBron’s headband has gone viral as the stand-out moment of game 6 and has inspired not only a handful of humorous mentions on Twitter, but a number of hilarious memes as well.

Please put the headband back on, LeBron. It’s like you’re naked. I feel like I’m supposed to avert my eyes.

— SBNation NBA (@SBNationNBA) June 19, 2013

LeBron wanted the lob, but no one recognizes him without his headband.

— Tas Melas (@TasMelas) June 19, 2013

RT @TyLawson3: F**k it!!!!! I’m never wearing my headband again either!!!!!!

— Beyond The Buzzer (@BeyondTheBuzzer) June 19, 2013

And here are some of the humorous LeBron’s headband memes to come out of our strange fixation with the Heat star’s hairline:

LeBron’s Headband Becomes Viral Sensation is a post from: The Inquisitr

LeBron James had a pretty mediocre night up to the final quarter of game 6 of the NBA Finals, and then he lost his headband. The Miami Heat star went into “beast mode” during the final minutes of the game last night which is now being dubbed as “LeBron’s Headband game.”

LeBron has been made fun of his headband for years (mainly because it keeps moving up on his head as his hairline recedes) and last night he finally tossed it off the court. OK, so it happened by accident. Still, LeBron was a new man without his headband.

It happened with about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. Tim Duncan went up for a block and ended up knocking off James’ headband. The Heat star didn’t have time to pick it up and ran back to the other end of the court.

After that, James made a dunk, blocked a shot, and hit an incredible three to help send the game into overtime. According to Yahoo Sports, James scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds, and made three assists after he lost his headband.

James said: ”I don’t even remember the play much. I was just focused on the job, the task at hand, and just trying to be aggressive, just trying to figure out ways I could help the team get back into the game. And you know, I guess the headband was the least of my worries at that point.”

Here’s a video from the NBA. You can skip the first 20 seconds of the video which show LeBron still wearing his headband. And really, who wants to see that?

Here’s another video. Again, skip to the 1:10 mark if you only want to see LeBron James playing WITHOUT a headband.

The Miami Heat were less than a minute away from elimination last night but LeBron James, sans headband, managed to keep the team’s Championship hopes alive. Well, him, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen.

LeBron Headband Game: Heat Star Dominates After Losing Headband [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Chris Bosh led the Miami Heat to a game 6 win against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night after blocking two critical shots in overtime play.

The Heat center said before the game that Danny Green was “done getting open looks,” and he backed up that promise.

With seconds left in overtime, Green attempted one last 3-pointer from the perimeter when Bosh easily blocked his shot and threw the basketball down the court in celebration.

The Miami Heat won 103-100 and forced a game 7 against a tough Spurs opponent.

Bosh not only blocked Danny Green’s three-point attempt, he also blocked a Tony Parker shot 31 seconds earlier. The Miami Heat were up by one point when Parker missed his opportunity to take the lead.

The turn around in play for Chris Bosh was noticeable. Earlier in the game, he attempted to defend against Tim Duncan who ended up making nearly all of his shots. While Duncan managed to knock down shots, Bosh managed to pull off a great personal defensive stance all night long.

The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs will not head to what is sure to be an exciting game 7 showdown. Let the trash talking begin.

Are you impressed with Chris Bosh’s individual game 6 performance on defense?

Chris Bosh Blocks Two Critical Shots, Leads Heat To Game 6 Win [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Blake Griffin could be on the trading block after a proposed mega deal between the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics appeared to fall apart.

There were rumors that the Clippers were shopping Griffin to the Lakers in a deal that would bring Dwight Howard to the Clippers, though that deal was reportedly a long shot and depended on the Clippers-Celtics trade not going through.

It appears the second part of the equation has happened. A proposed deal that would have sent Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and coach Doc Rivers to the Celtics (Rivers would not be traded, rather released by the Celtics and signed by the Clippers) now seems to have blown up.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge insisted that the Clippers send two No. 1 draft picks along with prized young player DeAndre Jordan, which the Clippers deemed too high of a price. The Clippers reportedly would have traded Jordan and one No. 1 pick for the rights to Rivers and to acquire Garnett. Paul Pierce did not appear to be part of the final equation.

The Celtics had once sought point guard Eric Bledsoe as part of the deal, but backed off when the Clippers made it clear he wouldn’t be moved.

The Clippers have viewed Bledsoe as an important tool for the team’s future. The backup to point guard Chris Paul, Bledsoe serves as an insurance policy should Paul not re-sign with the Clippers, and sources close to the team say he could also be a piece in a larger trade down the line.

One proposal had Bledsoe as a player in the proposed trade to send Blake Griffin to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Dwight Howard. Though sources have said the deal is unlikely, the Clippers could still look to unload Griffin, who struggled with scoring beyond a few feet from the basket.

The probability of a Blake Griffin trade appears to be a bit higher now that the Clippers have shown a willingness to make waves. The team won its first Pacific Division title this year, but was upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Blake Griffin Trade A Possibility After Clippers-Celtics Deal Falls Apart is a post from: The Inquisitr

LeBron James and the Miami Heat are facing elimination tonight but Nike still has a lot of confidence in the King of the NBA. The shoe company recently released a pair of sneakers that call James a “Two Time Champion.”

Kix And The City posted a few photos of the new Nike LeBron X Low Floral and the shoe has a few eye catching details. Once you get past the floral print and inspect the shoe a little closer, you’ll notice the words “Two Time Champion” printed on the inside of one show and the dates “11-12, 12-13″ printed in the other.

The shoes aren’t available in stores yet but Nike seems prepared to release the shoes as soon as LeBron hoists the Larry O’Brien trophy for the second time. Of course, that may not happen.

The Heat are down 3-2 in the NBA finals and could be eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs tonight.

James and the Heat were expected to roll through the playoffs with ease so you can’t blame Nike for preparing a championship shoe. Of course, Nike probably should know by now that you never count your rings before they hatch.

What do you think of the new Nike LeBron X Low Floral? Do you think LeBron James will live up to the shoes’ bold prediction and become a two-time champion?

[Image Via Kix And The City]

Nike Sneakers Call LeBron James A ‘Two Time Champion’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Blake Griffin has become the center of attention in Los Angeles after multiple reports suggested that the Lakers would be open to a sign-and-trade deal that would send Dwight Howard to the Clippers. No matter which way you look at it, Howard’s ever-so growing decline within the league should keep Griffin with the Clippers as they look to improve next year.

The Clippers have been in talks with multiple teams since losing in the first round to the Memphis Grizzlies in this year’s playoffs. The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs are now left to battle for the NBA Championship, but with the offseason ahead there’s no stopping the Clippers as they look for an added spark to their roster.

Outside of trying to bring in new talent, the Clippers have also shown interest in the Boston Celtics’ head coach Doc Rivers. The move would take a lot from the team, but the New England Sports Network (NESN) has said that Blake Griffin would not be a “trade piece.”

That leaves the discussion over a trade with the Lakers wide open, and there’s no doubt that Kobe Bryant and company could use Griffin in their starting squad. Dwight Howard put together a solid season in 2013, but his status off the court has made him an easy trade target for the Lakers.

The move really doesn’t add up for the Clippers, as Griffin and Howard are practically opposites outside of their dominance in the paint. Griffin is the quiet type who talks with his game, while Howard tends to stir up trouble within the media.

One thing that’s not up for debate is their competitive drive as big men in the NBA. Both are looking to win their first NBA Championship and will do anything it takes to get that first ring.

Do you believe a sign-and-trade with Dwight Howard for Blake Griffin would be the right decision for both the Lakers and Clippers, or is it even worth discussing?

[Image via Keith Allison]

Blake Griffin To Lakers Deal Is Highly Unlikely is a post from: The Inquisitr

Allen Iverson has returned his five children to their mother but not before he went to court and cleared up the accusations that claims he abducted his own kids at a hotel in Georgia, according to a report by TMZ. The former NBA star has been in the news this week for all the wrong reasons, but it looks to be a huge misunderstanding after it was revealed that he appeared in the Fulton County Court in Georgia last Wednesday.

The story had thousands of fans questioning Iverson’s ability to take care of his children after his ex-wife Tawanna Iverson filed court documents to settle the incident. TMZ originally reported that Tawanna claimed that the former 76ers’ guard asked for permission to take their five kids on a vacation to North Carolina from May 22 to May 26 before never bringing them back home.

By the time the “vacation” was supposed to be over, Iverson had yet to return his kids to their mother, which started the entire ordeal. Tawanna went on to say that she believed Allen Iverson didn’t take the kids to North Carolina at all and that they were being kept at a Sheraton Hotel in Georgia.

Her ex-husband cleared up the claims this past Wednesday, as TMZ reported that Iverson told the judge that his ex-wife had full access to their five children during their stay at the hotel. They also reported that Tawanna testified that she could have picked up the children but didn’t want to make the 45 minute drive.

After the controversial basketball star’s testimony, the judge decided against throwing him in jail and the kids were returned to their mother. This could be the beginning of more problems to come for the former couple, who had their divorce finalized in February. During the hearing, a judge said that Iverson “does not know how to manage the children; has little interest in learning to manage the children and has actually, at times, been a hindrance to their spiritual and emotional growth and development.”

Do you believe the entire ordeal was a complete mix-up or that Allen Iverson actually abducted his own kids?

[Image via Keith Allison | Flickr]

Allen Iverson Appears In Court To Settle Abduction Claims [Report] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Blake Griffin could be headed to the Los Angeles Lakers in what would be a blockbuster deal that all hinges on Dwight Howard.

The Clippers are reportedly interested in trading for Howard, giving up Blake Griffin and guard Eric Bledsoe. But there seems to be disagreement from sources on how serious the teams are and whether Dwight Howard would sign off.

The deal would likely be a sign-and-trade for Howard, meaning the Lakers would be able to reach a contract deal that’s ot more attractive than what other suitors can offer. Both the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks are reportedly interested in Howard and have devised schemes to dump payroll in order to acquire him.

Despite a strong roster that included Griffin and Paul and a team that had a 17-game winning streak, the Clippers fizzled in the playoffs, losing in the first round to the Memphis Grizzlies. With a season that wasted their first ever Pacific Division crown, the Clippers could be looking to shift some pieces.

There is also questions of whether the Blake Griffin to Lakers trade would make sense for Los Angeles. They would be giving up quite a bit on the defensive end by losing Howard and would be letting him go to one of their Pacific Division rivals.

The trade would also depend on whether the Clippers swing what would be a mega deal with the Boston Celtics. The Clippers are interested in acquiring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and coach Doc Rivers, but the Celtics reportedly want Bledsoe in return. The Clippers seemed inclined to keep Bledsoe first as an insurance policy until Chris Paul signs a long-term deal but also as future trade bait himself. If the Celtics deal goes through, that may be the end of the Blake Griffin trade as well.

If Blake Griffin did go to the Lakers, it could be monumental for both teams. The Clippers would have a potent combination in Chris Paul and Dwight Howard while Kobe Bryant would have another piece for the late-career championship he covets.

Blake Griffin To Lakers Trade Rumor All Comes Down To Dwight Howard is a post from: The Inquisitr

San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green is poised to become one of the most unlikely NBA Finals MVPs in league history, as he’s put his team within one win of closing out the Miami Heat with lights-out shooting and strong defense.

Green, a role player for the Spurs during the season, has turned it on against the Heat, setting an NBA Finals record with 23 three-pointers. And he’s been on fire doing it, hitting close to 66 percent of his three-point attempts.

On a team where Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker get the most attention, it’s instead been Green and Kawhi Leonard who have taken over, adding offense and shutting down the Heat’s Big Three.

The performance has NBA insiders saying Green could be in line for Finals MVP, though first the Spurs have to win one of two games in Miami.

But Danny Green, who has scored more points than LeBron James in the NBA Finals, isn’t thinking about anything else but Game 6.

“I’m keeping focus on playing basketball,” he said. “I’m not worried about catching any records. I’m worried about helping my team and playing well and helping us win a game. The numbers are things I don’t like to reflect on or look back on. I don’t want to jinx it, but at this point numbers really don’t matter.”

Danny Green would certainly be an unlikely NBA Finals MVP. The honor is traditionally given to one of the top players, and only on a handful of occasions have role players been considered.

In fact, Green would be the first Finals MVP not to make an All-Star game since Cedric Maxwell in 1981.

Of course, to win NBA Finals MVP, Danny Green and the San Antonio Spurs would have to win one of two games in Miami. The Heat have yet to lose back-to-back games in the playoffs, and have followed up every loss with a double-digit win so far.

[Danny Green image via Keith Allison]

Danny Green Could Be In Line For Unlikely NBA Finals MVP is a post from: The Inquisitr

Allen Iverson’s ex-wife is accusing the former NBA player of abducting his own children.

Tawanna Iverson filed legal documents claiming that her ex-husband asked for permission to take their five children on vacation to North Carolina from May 22 to May 26. When the last day of the vacation rolled around, the 38-year-old had not returned the kids, who range in age from 3 to 16.

Iverson also said that she tried to set up a meeting at a nearby Target on June 4, but the former Philadelphia 76ers player never showed up. Iverson, who has sole legal and physical custody of the five children, believes her ex didn’t take them to North Carolina like he said, and that he is keeping them at a Sheraton hotel in Georgia. She said she is concerned because A.I. is an alcoholic and drinks around the children.

The allegations come a week after Tawanna Iverson claimed that Allen Iverson owed $40,000 in child support. The former All-Star was ordered to pay $8,000 a month — on top of a $3 million divorce settlement — that his ex-wife says she never received. Tawanna Iverson asked that a judge throw her ex in jail for failure to pay. The former Sixers and Detroit Pistons guard blamed his ex-wife for his troubles, which included losing homes in Atlanta and Colorado, saying that she agreed to loans she knew he wouldn’t be able to meet.

When the couple’s divorce was finalized in February, a judge said that Iverson “does not know how to manage the children; has little interest in learning to manage the children and has actually, at times, been a hindrance to their spiritual and emotional growth and development.” The judge also said that Allen Iverson refused to get help for his alcohol abuse which “caused him to do inappropriate things in the presence of the children while impaired.”

Do you think Allen Iverson is guilty of abducting his children?

[Photo credit: Keith Allison / Flickr]

Allen Iverson Accused Of Abducting Children is a post from: The Inquisitr

Manu Ginobili would have been buried on the bench in Game 5 of the NBA Finals had Gregg Popovich listened to conventional wisdom.

Instead the San Antonio Spurs coach decided to put his faith in Ginobili, giving the struggling guard a surprise start — his first of the season.

Manu Ginobili certainly made the opportunity worth it. He broke out of an NBA Finals slump with 24 points and 10 assists to lead the Spurs to 114-104 win and push the Miami Heat to the brink of elimination.

The game was Ginobili’s highest scoring output of the season and the most since June 4 of last year, when he scored 34 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“He’s such a huge part of what we do and how far we’ve come. You can see it tonight in how we played and the results of the game,” Tim Duncan said after the game. “We’re always confident in him. … We know he has it in him. We hope he can bring it forward for one more win.”

The start for Ginobili was a masterful stroke for Popovich, who has devised schemes to keep Miami’s Big Three under wraps for much of the series and gotten great contributions from his role players.

For Manu Ginobili, the game was a break from the frustration he had been feeling in the first four games of the finals. Leading up to Sunday’s Game 5 he was averaging just 7.5 points on 34.5 percent shooting in the finals.

“We are playing in the NBA Finals, we were 2-2, and I felt I still wasn’t really helping the team that much,” Ginobili said. “And that was the frustrating part.”

It was a vastly different Manu Ginobili on the floor from just a few days before, when he was contemplating retirement.

“All season long I kind of knew that I was going to play one or two more years,” he said after Game 4. “But when you are 36 [years old] — I’m going to be 36 pretty soon — everything is a day-by-day basis. Once the season finishes and I see how I feel, I can’t imagine me not playing at least one more year here, but time will tell. We’ll see.”

Manu Ginobili now has a chance to earn his fourth NBA championship ring when the Spurs meet the Heat in Miami on Tuesday.

Manu Ginobili Silences Critics With Dominating Game 5 Performance is a post from: The Inquisitr

Spurs guard Danny Green was the highlight during Sunday’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Green set the NBA Finals record when he made his 23rd 3-pointer of the series.

The former mark of 22 was set by Heat guard Ray Allen in 2008 when Allen played with the Boston Celtics. Green was modest about the accomplishment.

Rather than focusing on the potential of breaking the record, Green instead tried to keep his focus on helping the Spurs win a championship.

Danny Green deflected the attention from himself and the potential record recently when a reporter asked if he knew how close he was to making history. The Spurs guard responded, “No, I don’t want to be aware of it. But thanks.” Green also added:

I’m keeping focus on playing basketball. I’m not worried about catching any records. I’m worried about helping my team and playing well and helping us win a game. The numbers are things I don’t like to reflect on or look back on. I don’t want to jinx it, but at this point numbers really don’t matter.”

And that mentality doesn’t surprise Danny Green’s teammates. Should the Spurs win the series, he is a strong candidate to win the MVP award in the Finals.

Green was able to benefit from the Heat’s defensive focus on Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. He was able to connect on at least three 3-pointers during every game of the NBA Finals. Guard Gary Neal stated of Danny Green:

“That fits his personality. Danny is a humble guy, hard working. I’m pretty sure fore the rest of the series Danny will be locked and loaded. He’s not worried about any records or anything. He’s just worried about coming out and doing his job.”

Not only has Danny Green set the NBA Finals record, he is also ahead of LeBron James for scored points. The Spurs guard was surprised, commenting, “I never thought in a million years that would happen.”

Are you rooting for the Spurs or the Heat to win the NBA Finals?

[Image via Keith Allison]

Danny Green Sets NBA Finals Record is a post from: The Inquisitr

According to recent Boston Celtics trade rumors, the Los Angeles Clippers have expressed interest in a deal that would bring head coach Doc Divers and center Kevin Garnett to the West Coast.

The deal would also send Clippers center DeAndre Jordan and guard Eric Bledsoe, as well as two first-round draft picks, to the Celtics. By some accounts, L.A. doesn’t want to include Bledsoe — who was originally selected as the 18th overall draft pick in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2010 — in the package, but the Celtics want him included.

NESN reported Saturday that the Clippers and Celtics were in “deep” talks about the trade. In order for the deal to work, KG would have to waive his no-trade clause to head to L.A.

Celtics president of basketball operations has said that Rivers will be back in Boston next season. Clippers owner Donald Sterling, however, was willing to offer Rivers — who has been the Celtics’ head coach since 2004 — $7 million a year, which is similar to his current three-year, $21 million contract with the C’s.

Sterling could have ended up paying more for Rivers because of a strict non-compete clause included in his contract, which Boston insisted on when they signed Rivers to a five-year extension in 2011.

However, whatever interest the Clippers had in Doc Rivers apparently waned by Sunday, with Los Angeles Times reporter Brad Turner writing that the Clippers wanted to move forward without the 51-year-old former All-Star.

Clippers moving forward without Doc Rivers, now prepared to offer job to Brian Shaw or Lionel Hollins next week, sources

— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 15, 2013

Doc Rivers been informed Clippers won’t accept Celtics offer. Rivers prepared to stay in Boston, sources.

— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 15, 2013

Not only is the team no longer interested in Rivers, but they also appeared to not be budging on sending Bledsoe and a second No.1 draft pick to Boston.

Clippers won’t budge on their offer of DeAndre Jordan, one No. 1 pick. Clippers will not give Celtics Eric Bledsoe and another No.1 pick.

— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 16, 2013

What do you think of the Celtics trade rumors? Do you think Boston would or should trade Kevin Garnett to the Clippers, even without Eric Bledsoe and a second No. 1 draft pick?

[Photo credit: Keith Alison / Flickr]

Celtics Trade Rumors: Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett To L.A. Clippers? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dwight Howard trade rumors say the Los Angeles Lakers center could end up staying put in L.A. — just not for the same team.

The Los Angeles Clippers, who share the Staples Center with their hometown rival Lakers, are reportedly interested in acquiring Howard. Sources say the Clippers are looking at a blockbuster trade that would send Blake Griffin and Eric Bledsoe to the Lakers in exchange for Howard in a sign-and-trade taking place after July 1, ESPN reported.

It’s not clear just how serious the Clippers are about the Dwight Howard trade, or how a possible blockbuster deal with the Boston Celtics would affect it. The Clippers are said to be in the process of acquiring Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and coach Doc Rivers from the Celtics, though the deal has reportedly stuck on whether Bledsoe would be part of it.

There is still doubt on whether the Dwight Howard trade to the Clippers would be viable. Though sources within the Clippers have confirmed there is interest, Yahoo Sports NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski said it is far-fetched to think the deal could ever take place.

If it could be completed, the deal would help both the Lakers and Clippers. Howard had an uneven season with the Lakers, hampered by injuries and squabbles behind the scenes with players and management. And as the Lakers failed to meet expectations and were swept out of the first round of the playoffs, much of the blame — fairly or not — was placed on Dwight Howard.

Leaving the Lakers would give Howard a chance at a fresh start, and give the Clippers one of the pieces they need to be a true contender. Howard would get a chance to team up with point guard Chris Paul, giving the Clippers a better chance of competing with the likes of San Antonio and Oklahoma City for the Western Conference.

But if the Dwight Howard trade rumors with the Clippers fizzle out, the center is still likely to be a hot item elsewhere. He’s reportedly gotten interest from the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, with both teams angling to dump payroll to make a run at Howard.

Dwight Howard Trade Rumor: Lakers Star Could Be Staying Put, But Switching Teams is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Boston Celtics proposed mega trade with the Los Angeles Clippers now appears to be at impasse, as the teams are in limbo over the status of prized guard Eric Bledsoe.

The teams have been working on what would be a blockbuster trade, sending coach Doc Rivers and players Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Clippers, but Boston is holding out for two of the Clippers star young players.

The Celtics reportedly want Bledsoe and center DeAndre Jordan, but the Clippers have held strong against shipping Bledsoe, who plays backup to Chris Paul. This seems a bit of an insurance policy for the Clippers, who want to hold onto Bledsoe until Paul commits to Los Angeles, then ship off Bledsoe in a separate trade.

If either the Clippers or Celtics don’t back off demands within the next day or two, the trade will likely fall apart. But even then, there are more hurdles to cross. Doc Rivers would not actually be traded but instead released from his contract with the Celtics and acquired by Los Angeles.Rivers has three years and $21 million left on his contract.

Kevin Garnett also has a no-trade clause that must be waived in order for the trade to go through.

If the trade doesn’t seem to be coming together, sources say the Clippers will look to hire either Lionel Hollis or Brian Shaw as their next head coach.

Whether the trade happens or not, it seems that Paul Pierce will likely be elsewhere next season, says Celtics reporter Greg Dickerson believes Paul Pierce is done with the Boston Celtics.

“I don’t think they will (bring Pierce back),” Dickerson said last week on CSNNE. “And I know that the company that Paul Pierce hangs around in, they do not believe – and I don’t think Paul Pierce believes – that he is going to be brought back next year at $15 million. I know for a fact that people around Paul Pierce have pretty much resigned themselves to the fact that he’s played his final game in a Boston Celtics uniform. Again, Paul wants to stay – obviously for $15 million, but he wants to finish his career in a Celtics uniform.”

The Clippers may also be looking for another blockbuster trade outside of the proposal with the Celtics. They are reportedly weighing a deal offering forward Blake Griffin and Bledsoe to the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign-and-trade offer for Dwight Howard.

Celtics Blockbuster Trade With Clippers Held Up Over Eric Bledsoe is a post from: The Inquisitr

Manu Ginobili implied that he’s considering retirement after a season that brought him injuries and uneven play but also a chance to go out on top.

Ginobili struggled with a host of ailments this year. There was a hamstring strain that kept him out for a long stretch, back spasms, a left quadriceps bruise, and a thigh bruise.

The two-time NBA All Star is also at a crossroads after this season, in the final year of a three-year, $39 million contract.

When asked if this could be his final season, Manu Ginobili said he didn’t know.

“All season long I kind of knew that I was going to play one or two more years. But when you are 36 [years old] — I’m going to be 36 pretty soon — everything is a day-by-day basis. Once the season finishes and I see how I feel, I can’t imagine me not playing at least one more year here, but time will tell. We’ll see.”

Ginobili admitted that he considered quitting as he was in the midst of his rash of injuries.

“For three quarters of the season it was the physical part,” Ginobili said. “I’d say, ‘No, I can’t deal with this anymore. I’m tired of rehab and trying to be in shape all the time.’

“But at this point I’m fine physically, so you are a little more optimistic. But you know, it’s been 18 years doing this. You kind of get tired and you want to enjoy a little more time at home sometimes. You go back to Argentina to see your people, and you think about it. I’m going to have time for that too.”

The San Antonio Spurs management said they are committed to keeping Manu on the team, but it’s ultimately up to him.

And Manu just isn’t sure.

“Sometimes I do think about retirement,” he said. “But then I say, ‘No, no. I love what I do. I’m very lucky to be in a franchise like this. So I really can’t picture myself being retired already.

“There’s a small chance. It’s not that I’m really considering, but I can never say ‘no’ for sure, because I sometimes consider it.”

Manu Ginobili could still go out on top. He and the Spurs are tied 2-2 with the Miami Heat, with the final home game of the season — and possibly Ginobili’s career — on Sunday night.

Manu Ginobili Considering Retirement After NBA Finals is a post from: The Inquisitr

Lakers rumors are swirling in the offseason, from the estimated return of Kobe Bryant to the precarious status of center Dwight Howard.

But overlooked in all of the rumors is an emerging situation with the team’s aging guard — and no, it isn’t Kobe Bryant. Steve Nash will turn 40 in the middle of next season and was plagued by injuries in 2012. Now rumors say the Lakers point guard would come back to a greatly diminished role in 2013.

The source of the rumor is Gary Vitti, the Lakers trainer. He spoke to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com about the rash of injuries the team faced last year, including an Achilles tear for Kobe Bryant that ended his season and the team’s hopes of a playoff run.

In the midst of all of it, Vitti shed some light on what could happen to Nash next season. He compared the guard to Robert Horry, who was able to revive his game late in his career by going to San Antonio and reducing his minutes.

Vitti seemed to suggest that a similar role could be in order for Nash.

“But I think he’s going to come back in great shape, and then it’s all about how he’s used,” Vitti said. “You don’t want to beat him up in practice. Save it for the game, figure out the appropriate minutes that put him in a successful situation.”

Nash hasn’t exactly been ridden hard as of late. The guard hasn’t averaged above 35 minutes per game since 2005-06, and he was still able to hit 49 percent of his shots last year, including 44 percent from behind the three-point arc.

If the Lakers rumors about Steve Nash are true, the team could be on the lookout for another point guard. It’s a little thin behind Nash on the depth chart, with only Darius Morris and Chris Duhon on the roster. Combined the two averaged 6.9 points and 4.5 assists last season.

Lakers Rumors: Steve Nash Could See His Role Diminished Next Season is a post from: The Inquisitr

The NBA has been making an attempt to eradicate flopping from the game, but Dirk Nowitzki said it’s unlikely the league will will be able to get rid of it entirely.

The league this year instituted retroactive fines for players caught embellishing contact in order to draw a foul. It was used sparingly during the year but the playoffs have seen an increase in fines. Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat was the latest to get hit, taking a $5,000 fine for flopping in Game 4 of the NBA finals.

The Dallas Mavericks forward said flopping will always be a part of the game as long as players think it will give them an edge. This echo remarks made earlier in the playoffs by LeBron James, who said he doesn’t flop but understands why others do.

“We’re never going to get rid of it,” Nowitzki said recently, according to The Dallas Morning News. “But you got to limit it. It’s part of sports. It’s part of winning. Some people are smart and do a little extra thing to kind of sell the call. To me, that’s part of sports.”

If NBA commissioner David Stern has anything to do with it, flopping would be gone entirely. He’s spoken out against it, and is asking a league committee to reconsider fines in the offseason. But Stern said any new fines must be balanced and the penalties not draconian.

“It isn’t enough, it isn’t enough,” Stern said in his annual pre-NBA Finals news conference earlier this month. “You’re not going to cause somebody to stop it for $5,000 when the average player’s salary is $5.5 million. And anyone who thought that was going to happen was allowing hope to prevail over reason.”

With one season of flopping fines now past, Stern said he and the league will review data to find out what steps must be taken next. Critics have said a $5,000 fine for flopping — equivalent to about $20 for the average person’s salary — isn’t enough of a deterrent.

NBA Won’t Get Rid Of Flopping, Says Dirk Nowitzki is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kobe Bryant says he not only intends to recover from an Achilles tear that abruptly ended his 2013 season, but wants “two more cracks” at winning his seventh NBA title.

The guard on Friday afternoon decided to name his recovery process “The Last Chapter,” leading many Lakers fans to fear that he was considering retirement after the next season. But a source close to Kobe said that isn’t the case at all, and that the NBA All-Pro guard is looking to be “back next season with a vengeance.”

As he rehabs from the Achilles tear, Kobe Bryant has some other business to attend to. He would be a free agent after next season, but both he and the Los Angeles Lakers seem determined to sign a contract extension so he can retire with the team where he’s spent his entire career.

Though the Lakers may not be able to afford the $30 million a year salary he makes now, a source said the team wants to respect the contributions he’s made to the franchise.

As for the near future, Kobe said he’s determined to be back on the floor for the Lakers by the season opener.

“I hope so,” Bryant said in a sit-down interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com. “That’s the challenge. With the tendon, there’s really only but so much you can do. There’s a certain amount of time that they deem necessary for the tendon to heal where you don’t overstretch it and now you never get that spring back.

“So, you just have to be patient, let the tendon heal, and then when that moment comes when they say, ‘OK, we can take off the regulator so to speak and now it’s on you to train as hard as you can to get back to where you want to be,’ that’s going to be a good day.”

Kobe Bryant has always said he would retire when he can no longer play on an elite level, but the 34-year-old certainly didn’t show signs of slowing during the 2012 season. He averaged 27.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game, topping his career averages in every category.

Kobe Bryant Wants ‘Two More Cracks’ At NBA Title, Retirement Not In Plans is a post from: The Inquisitr

Former WNBA player and Olympic gold medalist Chamique Holdsclaw pleaded guilty to charges stemming from an argument and shooting in November.

Holdsclaw pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of criminal damage in the second degree. She also pleaded guilty to criminal damage in the first degree and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The 35-year-old was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay $3,000 and serve 120 hours of community service. She must also avoid violent contact with her ex-girlfriend, 30-year-old Jennifer Lacy, and complete anger management.

Holdsclaw, who played in the WNBA for 12 seasons, was arrested in November after she smashed Lacy’s driver’s side and passenger windows with a baseball bat, and stuck a pistol into the rear driver’s side window, shooting across the SUV to the other door. Lacy, who currently plays for the Tulsa Shock, was still in the driver’s seat at the time, but was not injured in the shooting.

Holdsclaw was charged with aggravated assault, reckless conduct and second-degree criminal damage to property, and held on $10,000 bond.

Holdsclaw was indicted by a grand jury in February and was facing up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all six charges, but she pleaded not guilty in March. Her attorney, Ed Garland, said that Holdsclaw did assault Lacy’s car, but she did not assault Lacy herself. He also said that he would try to settle the case with the District Attorney before the trial began.

Garland said that Holdsclaw decided to plead guilty because she “felt that to honestly accept what her actions were was best for everyone concerned.”

In her 2012 biography, Breaking Through: Beating the Odds Shot After Shot, Chamique Holdsclaw revealed that she had not only battled with depression, but also attempted suicide while she was playing for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2006.

Do you think Chamique Holdsclaw should have gotten jail time after pleading guilty?

Chamique Holdsclaw Pleads Guilty To Charges is a post from: The Inquisitr

NBA draft rumors are heating up with just days remaining before the draft and no clear-cut top pick.

When the draft is held next week, it will be a surprise to see who the Cleveland Cavaliers select first. While there are several strong players entering the draft, there is no LeBron James or Yao Ming, the clear-cut top pick.

Jump back a few months and the picture would have been much clearer. Kentucky standout Nerlens Noel was seen as the top prospect, likely to lead the Wildcats on a deep tournament run before leaving school to become the top pick. But then the 7-foot center went down with an ACL tear, missing the rest of the season while the Wildcats failed to even make the NCAA tournament.

Noel is still atop many draft lists, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are said to be losing interest. NBA draft rumors say instead they could take 6-foot-4 Indiana swingman Victor Oladipo. Once lingering somewhere on the cusp of the top 10 on mock draft lists, Oladipo has shot up draft boards because of the jump he made in his senior year.

“Oladipo is an elite athlete with a high motor who plays with a ton of polish,” wrote SB Nation NBA analyst Jonathan TJarkas. “Given how much he improved during his last season in college, it’s hard to put a ceiling on how good he can become at the next level.”

Oladipo has made a big jump since his junior season, when he was seen much lower on draft boards. But he’s not the only one with a chance of going No. 1 in this year’s NBA draft. Others have projected UNLV power forward Anthony Bennett at No. 1, along with Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore and Maryland center Alex Len.

While the 2013 NBA draft is considered thin at the top, there are a number of solid prospects in the middle to late first round. Tjarkas compares this year to 2011, when there were no real can’t-miss prospects but plenty of serviceable players available later, including Kenneth Faried, Jimmy Butler, and Chandler Parsons.

Fans will get to find out whether there’s any truth to the NBA draft rumors in a few days. The draft will be held in Brooklyn at Barclays Center on Thursday, June 27.

NBA Draft Rumors: Cavaliers Could Make Surprise No. 1 Pick is a post from: The Inquisitr

Chris Bosh was fined $5000 by the NBA for flopping during game four of the NBA Finals.

Bosh is the 8th player to earn a flopping fine this post-season and the 2nd Miami Heat player. LeBron James was fined $5000 for flopping during the Miami Heats series against the Indiana Pacers.

A statement on NBA.com reads: Miami Heat center Chris Bosh has been fined $5,000 by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-flopping rules during Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The incident occurred with 6:07 remaining in the second quarter of the Heat’s 109-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, June 13 at the AT&T Center.”

Bosh was guarding Tim Duncan during a transition play in the second quarter last night when he threw his arms up in the air and did a somersault across the floor. The refs called Duncan for a foul, canceling out a Spurs bucket, and awarded Bosh for his flop.

After further review, of course, the NBA decided that Bosh was barely touched and deserved a $5000 fine for showcasing his acting talents during an NBA game.

Here’s a video of Chris Bosh flopping during Game 4 of the NBA finals.

Flopping fines were introduced this season in order to stop curb the practice in the NBA but commissioner David Stern recently said that the fines were not enough.

Stern said: “It isn’t enough, it isn’t enough … You’re not going to cause somebody to stop it for $5,000 when the average player’s salary is $5.5 million. And anyone who thought that was going to happen was allowing hope to prevail over reason.”

The game’s biggest player, however, argues that flopping is A-OK and is just another way to get a competitive advantage.

LeBron James said: “Some guys have been doing it for years, just trying to get an advantage. Any way you can get an advantage over the opponent to help your team win, so be it.”

Chris Bosh Fined $5000 For Flopping [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sabastian De La Cruz ensured racist insults online after he sang the national anthem before Game 3 of the NBA Finals, but it didn’t stop him from coming back for more.

The 11-year-old boy was back on the court for Game 4, getting a rousing ovation from the Spurs faithful. The young singer, who was discovered on America’s Got Talent, was introduced by San Antonio mayor Julian Castro.

It was a much different reception than the first time Sebastian De La Cruz stepped onto the court to sing. Wearing a traditional mariachi outfit, the boy became the target of racist tirades on Twitter after his Game 3 performance.

One user wrote: “Can’t believe they had the nerve to have a beaner singing the national anthem of America #smh.”

Another added: “There’s a little Mexican kid singing the national anthem… What has the world come to?”

For his part, De La Cruz seemed to have a good attitude about the whole thing.

“I think the people were talking bad because of what I was wearing and it’s not my fault.” he said. “It’s what I love and I’m just proud to be a mariachi singer. It’s their opinion actually and if they don’t like mariachi, that’s their problem. I love it.”

Part of the ovation for Sabastian De La Cruz before Game 4 may have been superstition. The Spurs played so well in a Game 3 blowout of the Miami Heat that the team decided to ask him to come back and sing again, hoping to recapture some of the magic of the blowout.

It didn’t work out as well this time for the Spurs, who lost 109-93 as Miami evened the series. The Spurs haven’t announced if Sebastian De La Cruz will be back to sing the anthem again in Game 5, the final one of the series in San Antonio.

Sebastian De La Cruz Gets An Encore After Enduring Racist Comments is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sebastien De La Cruz, the 11-year-old singer who was subjected to racist criticism after game 3 of the NBA Finals, will return to the court in San Antonio to sing the Star Spangled Banner before game 4.

De La Cruz, who was introduced as the “boy with the golden voice,” was wearing a traditional mariachi outfit when he grabbed the microphone on Tuesday night. After his performance, several people took to Twitter to launch racist insults at the 11-year-old singer.

One user wrote: “Can’t believe they had the nerve to have a beaner singing the national anthem of America #smh.”

Another added: “There’s a little Mexican kid singing the national anthem… What has the world come to?”

De La Cruz wasn’t bothered by the comments, however, and he’s ready to take the stage again tonight.

The 11-year-old singer said: “It’s off my shoulders … I just want to thank everybody for their support … My father and my mother told me that you should never judge people by how they look. You should judge them on the inside. And the saying that I go by is never judge a book by its cover.”

Here’s a video of Sebastien De La Cruz singing the National Anthem.

De La Cruz didn’t score any points for the Spurs, he left that to Danny Green and Gary Neal, but the 11-year-old singer could be San Antonio’s good luck charm. The Spurs beat the Heat on Tuesday night by more than 30 points and they are hoping to take another step closer to an NBA Championship tonight.

Sebastien De La Cruz Shrugs Off Racist Comments, Will Sing National Anthem Before Game 4 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jason Kidd and the Brooklyn Nets have reportedly agreed that the newly retired point guard will become the team’s head coach. A contract is said to be in place for three years.

Kidd, 40, has no formal coaching experience so the hire is somewhat unconventional. Kidd retired earlier this month after 19 years in the NBA even though he had two years left on his playing contract with the New York Knicks. Evidently spending more time with his family as a retired basketball player was not necessarily part of the plans after all.

Apparently Kidd convinced Nets management that he was the man for the job. “Kidd convinced Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and his advisers that he is ready to jump directly into the lead seat on an NBA bench despite the fact that he has no prior coaching experience.” Kidd’s staff will include former Nets and Pistons head Lawrence Frank which should provide him with needed bench experience. He is almost certainly going to hire other experienced coaches to assist him.

Considered a lock for the Hall of Fame, Kidd, retired last week after 19 NBA seasons even though he had two years left on contract with the New York Knicks. A co-Rookie of the Year and 10 time All Star, JKidd is second all-time in assists and steals behind John Stockton, won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks, and earned two Olympic gold medals with Team USA. He played with the Mavs (twice), Phoenix Suns, the-then New Jersey Nets, and the Knicks.

While the captain of the Nets, he led to the team to two NBA Finals appearances and is said to still have strong ties with that organization as well as with star guard Deron Williams. “Perhaps the most interesting wrinkle of this entire affair, though, is what impact Kidd’s hiring will have on the current face of the franchise: veteran point guard Deron Williams … Williams and Kidd already have a relationship from their playing days. How they work together will likely determine the immediate on-court fortunes of the franchise.”

The Nets also strongly considered Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw for the coaching position which became vacant when the team decided against retaining interim head coach P. J. Carlesimo after the Chicago Bulls eliminated the Nets in the first round of the playoffs this year. Carlesimo replaced Avery Johnson who was fired early in the regular season. Carlesimo has been showing up on ESPN lately as an NBA analyst.

Do you think the Brooklyn Nets Jason Kidd hire is a good decision by management?

Jason Kidd, Brooklyn Nets Reach Head Coaching Agreement [Report] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jason Kidd retired from the NBA this June after 19 seasons, but it appears he isn’t going far as the Brooklyn Nets are likely to name him as their next head coach.

The Nets reportedly completed a five-hour interview with Brian Shaw, but it seems that Kidd has won over the Nets ownership instead. Though he has no prior coaching experience, Kidd has been viewed as an intelligent player with an excellent command of the game.

The Nets fired P.J. Carlesimo despite going 35-19 this year after taking over for the fired Avery Johnson. The Nets lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Chicago Bulls. Kidd and the New York Knicks lost in the second round to the Indiana Pacers.

One source told ESPN that the job is Kidd’s to have, and another added, “I would be stunned if Jason did not get it.”

Jason Kidd reportedly met with Nets general manager Billy King, selling him on the idea of bringing on former Nets and Detroit Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank as a lead assistant. Frank would provide Kidd with help while he learns the ropes.

Jason Kidd had another inside track for the Nets coaching job — the team’s star point guard, Deron Williams. The two have been close friends, with Kidd serving as something of a mentor for the fellow guard.

But there are still some concerns about whether Kidd could make the immediate jump from playing to coaching, a move few have pulled.“There are some hurdles to overcome … Kidd — with no coaching experience at age 40 — only would be considered if he could assemble ‘an All-Star cast’ of veteran assistants to support him,” a source said.

During his 19-year career Jason Kidd was co-Rookie of the Year and 10-time All Star, ending second all-time in assists. He won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks and helped lead Team USA to two Olympic gold medals. A longtime guard for the New Jersey Nets, Kidd helped lead the team to two NBA Finals appearances.

Jason Kidd Likely To Be Named Brooklyn Nets Head Coach is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kris Humphries said he was thrilled to be finished with a two-year divorce from Kim Kardashian, but the Brooklyn Nets may be even happier.

As the forward worked in court to dissolve his 72-day marriage, his game on the court fizzled. Once an important part of the Nets frontcourt, Humphries struggled this season and even found himself benched during stretches this year.

Humphries had been seeking an annulment to the 72-day marriage, on the grounds that Kim Kardashian had defrauded him.

His case for fraud seemed to be supported by his family.

“My understanding of marriage is people are going to give it more than 72 days unless there’s serious abuse,” said his aunt, Dedria. “If I felt somebody had duped me and used me in front of the whole world, I would be very angry.”

“An annulment says it wasn’t valid in the first place. She should admit that it was a sham at the very least,” she continued.

Kris Humphries admitted that he was distracted during the 2012-13 NBA season as the divorce from Kim Kardashian dragged on for months. His stats reflected it — Humphries averaged just 5.6 rebounds and 5.8 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting, a poor follow-up to the two consecutive seasons of double-doubles he had averaged leading into this year.

Adding to the pressure was the two-year, $24 million contract he signed after the 2011-12 season.

“I think there’s always a little bit of distraction with any situation like that. Sometimes it’s a tougher situation within the team, as well,” Humphries said last week. “But next year I’m looking to come back, and I’ll be a free agent after next year. Miraculously, NBA players always seem to have a little more fire in that year. I mean, it is what it is, but I’m excited to be back.”

With the distractions in the past, Humphries said he plans to redouble his efforts to improve his game.

“And I’ve always been told, ‘Control what you can control’ — which is right now training hard, living down here in Miami and getting ready for the beginning of the season. This is the first year that I’ve really been training hard before the Finals is over, so that’s where I’m at.”

But Kris Humpries said the divorce being finalized lifted a big weight off his shoulders, adding, “I’m happy. I’ve got a big smile on my face.”

Kris Humphries Can Focus On Basketball Again After Kim Kardashian Divorce is a post from: The Inquisitr

Patrick Ewing has joined his ex-rival in Michael Jordan by agreeing to become the Charlotte Bobcats, or should I say Hornets, newest assistant coach. The move has been considered a confusing one for some who believe he won’t be able to mix well with Jordan, but all signs are pointing to success as the team looks to grow within the NBA.

Ewing’s been pretty busy since retiring from his Hall of Fame career in 2002, and you can primarily put the blame on his focus on creating a mark as a coach. Shortly after retiring, he became an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards, and he’s been on the bench next to head coaches ever since.

From 2003 to 2006, Ewing was an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets before taking the same job under Stan Van Gundy in his first season with the Orlando Magic in 2007. Patrick Ewing played for the Magic in his final season as a pro and his coaching career took off once he came back to Orlando.

The Magic went on a magical run to the 2009 NBA Finals with Dwight Howard as the centerpiece, and the 50-year-old Knicks’ legend believed in the team all along. He guaranteed a win in the deciding Game 7 of the team’s second round match-up that year against the Boston Celtics and they came through with a huge victory.

The Magic eventually went on to lose to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals but not before Ewing was recognized for his major growth as a coach. He’s since been linked to head coaching jobs around the league, but he’ll now join Michael Jordan in hopes of bringing the reeling Charlotte franchise back to life.

The 11-time NBA All-Star may be the perfect fit as he’s respected by practically everyone around the league including the NBA’s top players and obviously his ex-rival in Jordan.

Can Michael Jordan’s team grow stronger with Patrick Ewing as an assistant coach?

[Image via Creative Commons | Mike]

Patrick Ewing To Charlotte May Be A Perfect Fit is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dr. J may be 63 years old, but he can still get above the rim and dunk a basketball like he did decades ago.

Julius Erving was shown in a video online on Tuesday proving a claim that he can still dunk even into his seventh decade. The video arose after a documentary aired on NBA TV on Monday called The Doctor. In the documentary, Dr. J told reporters that he doesn’t have the gravity-defying hops he did as a star of the NBA and ABA, but he can still get high enough to dunk the ball.

Julius Erving, the subject of the documentary, has stayed in the public eye after retirement and is held among the game’s all-time greats. With that the fame comes increased scrutiny: In 2011, Dr. J held an auction for several pieces of memorabilia from his historic career, and had to publicly deny he was doing it to pay off a $200,000 loan he owed.

Erving said it was just a coincidence and added that he planned to donate proceeds to the Salvation Army.

“That irony actually gave me a sleepless night last night,” Ervin said of the timing of it all. “I had to laugh at it and cringe at it that these stories would run concurrent with one another… We decided to do it a long time ago. To claim it’s a firesale or to clear up some debt, I don’t think so. You don’t do an auction overnight. This has been long planned. We had 4,000 catalogs that have been mailed already to people who buy this kind of stuff.”

Dr. J was known for his aerobatic assaults on the rim during his career, including one of the most iconic dunks of all time:

The dunk this year, at age 63, was posted to Twitter by Ryan Kelly.

63 year old Dr. J has still got major ups. #TheDoctor vine.co/v/bl7dlA9JIxg

— Ryan Kelly (@RyanJKelly) June 11, 2013

The video of Erving dunking wasn’t just a one-off, either. Dr. J said he has dunked three times in 2013, as well as at least once a year since he retired from the NBA 26 years ago.

The @officialdrj6 said he has dunked at least once a year since he retired from the NBA, including THREE dunks in 2013 at age 63.

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) June 6, 2013

The video of Dr. J dunking is a bit grainy and cuts out right at the end, just before he slams the ball through the cylinder, but it’s clear that Julius Erving can still dunk whenever he wants to.

Dr. J Dunks: Julius Erving Video Shows He Can Still Throw It Down At Age 63 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Patrick Ewing and Michael Jordan were rivals on the court in the 1990s, when the New York Knicks center could never quite get past Jordan’s Bulls.

Now, even in retirement, Ewing will have to answer to Jordan. The two are pairing up to lead on of the NBA’s most downtrodden franchises, the Charlotte Bobcats, with Ewing as an assistant coach and Jordan as owner.

The Bobcats new head coach, Steve Clifford, has reportedly brought Patrick Ewing on to serve as associate head coach. An official announcement is expected to come later in the week.

Ewing had been angling for the Bobcats coaching job last year, and after he was passed up for St. John’s assistant Mike Dunlap, he took the season off from coaching. But Dunlap was fired after just one season, and now Ewing again has his chance to help lead the team.

It was not too big of a surprise that Clifford would reach out to Ewing. The two worked together on Stan Van Gundy’s staff in Orlando before Clifford followed center Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers this year. Clifford and Ewing also worked for the other Van Gundy, Jeff, for four years with the Houston Rockets.
Patrick Ewing, a former All-NBA center, has focused on tutoring big men in his coaching career. He has worked with Dwight Howard and Yao Ming on their post play, and is expected to work with the Bobcats frontcourt that collectively averaged just 18.3 points per game. Defense will also be key for Ewing. Clifford has a reputation as a defensive-oriented coach along the lines of the Van Gundy brothers and Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.Jordan and Ewing have a history that predates their NBA rivalry. Jordan hit the game-winning shot to lead the North Carolina Tar Heels over Ewing’s Georgetown Hoyas in the 1982 NCAA title game. They later teamed up as members of the Dream Team in 1992, and during their playing careers shared an agent, David Falk.Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing had another famous duel on the court. In the movie Space Jam, Jordan led a team of Looney Tunes characters (plus Bill Murray) against a squad of aliens, one of which was Ewing.

Patrick Ewing Teams Up With Michael Jordan On Charlotte Bobcats is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Atlanta Hawks have been fined by the NBA for tampering along with two other teams. The Hawks are the only team to have addressed the situation on Monday, and the other two franchises haven’t been released by the league.

USA Today Sports obtained an internal league memo that breaks down the reasoning behind the fines.

“The conduct at issue involved statements by a team employee to the media, a team email to prospective season ticket purchasers, and articles posted online on a team website, each related to players who are currently under contract to other teams but who will become free agents this summer,” the memo explains.

In terms of the Hawks, they sent a letter to their perspective ticket buyers that mentioned Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul and Lakers center Dwight Howard as possible future signees. By doing so, the team broke an NBA tampering policy that states teams are not allowed to discuss their interest in players who are under contract with other teams.

Here’s what the Hawks’ letter to possible ticket buyers said, which was sent to USA Today Sports via email: “The buzz around our offseason is more than heating up,” the Hawks’ letter, which was sent via e-mail, said. “With massive cap space, 4 draft picks, and free agency rapidly approaching, we sit in the best position in the NBA. Player interest is skyrocketing as the possibilities of landing Chris Paul & Dwight Howard become more and more of a reality. This is your opportunity to get on board before its [sic] too late. Once we solidify our signings there will be no seats left.”

Both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard will become free agents on July 1, so signing them isn’t out of the question for the Hawks. Nevertheless, they spoke too soon and are now paying the price for it.

Have you ever seen an NBA tampering issue around the league before?

[Image via Creative Commons | Mike Gonzalez]

NBA Tampering : Hawks Fined By League Along With Two Other Teams is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kobe Bryant has settled his dispute with his mother, Pamela Bryant, conceding that she had the right to consign and sell several of the items that she placed with a New Jersey based auction house. On Monday, Ken Goldin, the owner of Goldin Auctions, said that he’ll be selling six Kobe Bryant items in an online sale scheduled from June 17 to July 19.

As I reported in early May, Pamela Bryant had originally asked Goldin Auctions to sell a large number of items that Kobe had left in her home going as far back as his high school days. She said that she’d asked Bryant if he’d wanted the items over five years earlier, and he’d told her that he didn’t.

When she needed funds to buy a house in Nevada, she consigned them to Goldin in exchange for a $450,000 advance.

When he caught wind of the sale, Kobe Bryant asked his lawyer to send a cease-and-desist letter to his mother, telling her that she didn’t own the items and couldn’t sell them.

Goldin Auctions fired back with a lawsuit that would have been heard next week if not for the settlement.

As a result of the agreement, Joe and Pamela Bryant released a statement that said in part, “We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years.”

Hmm. According to ESPN, the Bryants are allowed to auction less than 10 percent of the original items. However, interestingly enough, those items appear to be the most valuable ones.

Like most lawsuits, there’s a confidentiality agreement, and Ken Goldin has said he isn’t allowed to reveal the terms of the settlement. However, he seemed confident that he will still make a profit after paying off Pamela Bryant’s hefty advance.

“If I’d looked at the list from the beginning and picked nine items I wanted to get my hands on, I’ve got five of them,” Goldin said.

The Kobe Bryant memorabilia going on the auction block will include two of Bryant’s high school uniforms, his 2000 NBA All-star game ring, and his medallion and ribbon from a high-school all-star game.

Goldin predicted that each of the uniforms and the All-Star Game ring would fetch six figures ranging from around $100,000 to $250,000 apiece.

Although he did get most of his old stuff back under the agreement, it doesn’t really feel like a win for Kobe Bryant. The pick of the litter seems to be going on sale.

What does he have to say about it?

ESPN reported that Kobe Bryant refused to comment.

[Kobe Bryant photo by Christopher Johnson via Flickr and Creative Commons]

Kobe Bryant, Mom Settle Auction House Squabble is a post from: The Inquisitr

NBA players were asked to read mean tweets about themselves on the Sunday Jimmy Kimmel Live for a segment called, “Mean Tweets: NBA Edition.” I’ve posted the video down below if you need a good laugh.

Most of you already know what this is. Some people can’t resist the urge to knock down the celebrities they love to hate by tweeting something awful in hopes of getting a rise out of them.

Jimmy Kimmel simply asks the celebrity — in this case the NBA player or NBA related person in question — to read the tweet about himself and then react with the appropriate level of contempt or disgust.

Apparently, Jimmy Kimmel has gotten into some hot water for faking this stuff. I guess his fans didn’t realize he was running a comedy store. They thought he was a serious news source or something.

In any event there’s been enough pushback about previous fake mean tweets that sports blogger Dan Devine actually investigated the new Mean Tweets: NBA Edition pretty exhaustively.

Devine’s conclusion? He wrote: “[T]hese tweets all appear to be quite real; even a couple that no longer appear to exist were still acknowledged/copped to by the people alleged to have written them. Because why not take credit for this?”

Some of the NBA players who participated were Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Shaq, and more. And, yah, at least some of the tweets were in fact genuine, although I certainly don’t plan to investigate whether they all were.

Has anyone noticed that #chrispaul has #Michaeljacksons original nose

— Sir. ROBERT JACKSON (@undertaker594) January 10, 2013

So here’s the official Mean Tweets: NBA Edition from Jimmy Kimmel Live:

I have to admit that I never thought of sending a mean tweet to somebody that size. But maybe people get brave when they can hide behind their computer monitor.

Brag in the comments if you ever sent a mean tweet to an NBA player. Double bonus points if the NBA player read your tweet on the show.

[NBA player Kobe Bryant photo by Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com]

NBA ‘Mean Tweets’ Edition From Jimmy Kimmel [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jason Kidd as the Brooklyn Nets new head coach? It could happen according to reports.

The recently retired point guard has reportedly let it be know that he is interested in the gig even though it would be relatively unusual for someone to go immediately from active player to head coach without any assistant coaching in between. Apparently this is more than a rumor. “[H]is candidacy has been discussed within the highest levels of the organization.”

Kidd will apparently sit down with Nets GM Billy King this week to discuss his candidacy for the coaching vacancy. An unnamed person from the Jason Kidd camp has said that “Jason feels he’s really ready to do this.” According to another source, “There are some hurdles to overcome … Kidd — with no coaching experience at age 40 — only would be considered if he could assemble ‘an All-Star cast’ of veteran assistants to support him.”

Considered a lock for the Hall of Fame, Kidd, retired last week after 19 NBA seasons even though he had two years left on contract with the New York Knicks. A co-Rookie of the Year and 10 time All Star, JKidd is second all-time in assists and steals behind John Stockton, won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks, and earned two Olympic gold medals with Team USA. He played with the Mavs (twice), Phoenix Suns, the-then New Jersey Nets, and the Knicks. While the captain of the Nets, he led to the team to two NBA Finals appearances and is said to still have strong ties with that organization as well as with star guard Deron Williams.

The Nets are also considering Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw for the coaching position which became vacant when the team decided against retaining interim head coach P. J. Carlesimo after the Chicago Bulls eliminated the Nets in the first round of the playoffs. Carlesimo replaced Avery Johnson who was fired early in the regular season. Carlesimo has been showing up on ESPN lately as an NBA analyst.

Ironically, Kidd had the reputation as a so-called “coach killer” in that some believe he was responsible for the firing of Byron Scott as Nets head coach.

Kidd’s pursuit of the Nets head coaching gig has been endorsed by none other than the well respected San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. “When you’ve played in the league as long as Jason has and played for a number of coaches, he’s pretty much seen everything that the NBA can offer. So he does have experience. If he’s crazy enough to want to be a head coach in the league, I wish him all the best. But he certainly has the intuitive skills to know what’s going on out there … So if that’s what he wants to do, and that’s who they want to hire, I think that he’s got an opportunity and a possibility to be really, really good at it.”

Do you think Jason Kidd would make a good head coach right now?

Jason Kidd Eyes Brooklyn Nets Head Coach Job [Report] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Former Philadelphia 76ers player Allen Iverson could be heading to prison over unpaid child support payments.

Iverson’s ex-wife, Tawanna, is claiming that the 38-year-old owes $40,000 in child support. In January, courts forced Iverson to pay $8,000 a month for the former couple’s five children. His ex-wife is alleging that Iverson never made any of the payments.

When Iverson’s divorce was finalized in February, a family court judge ruled in favor of maternal custody and said that Iverson had no idea how to be a father.

“[Iverson] does not know how to manage the children; has little interest in learning to manage the children and has actually, at times, been a hindrance to their spiritual and emotional growth and development,” the judge said. “For example, he has refused to attend to an obvious and serious alcohol problem, which has caused him to do inappropriate things in the presence of the children while impaired. He has left the children alone without supervision. He has left his young daughters in a hotel room with men who are unknown to the mother.”

Iverson also paid $3 million to his ex-wife in a divorce settlement.

That same month, Iverson lost his $4.5 million Atlanta home to foreclosure. The former All-Star defaulted on a $1.2 million mortgage and wanted to put the home up for auction to prevent the foreclosure. He claimed that the foreclosure was partly Tawanna’s fault, saying that she agreed to a loan she knew he wouldn’t be able to meet.

Iverson lost another home, this one in Colorado, to foreclosure in 2011.

Allen and Tawanna Iverson are due back in court this week. Iverson’s ex-wife is asking that a judge place him in jail if he fails to pay the $40,000 he owes in child support.

What do you think of Allen Iverson’s failure to pay his child support?

Allen Iverson Facing Prison Over $40,000 In Unpaid Child Support is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dwyane Wade is no stranger to Game 1 defeats in the NBA Finals, as he’s helped lead the Miami Heat to two championships after falling behind due to a loss in a finals’ opener. With two rings under his belt, the 31-year-old understands what it takes to regroup after a disheartening loss to regain control of a series, but it will take a lot more than solid play to knock off the experienced San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

Wade started off Game 1 with a bang as he drove the lane and dunked home a pass from LeBron James to give the Heat an early lead. The crowd at American Airlines Arena went wild, but as the game progressed into the second half, the Heat lost all momentum and Tony Parker took over to give the Spurs a one-game lead.

The importance of Game 2 is rising by the minute, and the Heat’s star wasn’t afraid to admit after practice on Saturday that losing Game 2 would make things very difficult for his team going forward in the series.

“Obviously you don’t want to go down 0-2, going to San Antonio for three straight games,” Dwyane Wade said about Sunday’s match-up. “Odds are not that good. They are not in our favor.”

It’s never a good sign when a team leader is already debating what could happen if the Heat lose Game 2, but he also made comments saying the “playoffs ain’t fun, man,” that have also raised questions and backlash from fans around the NBA.

Nevertheless, his focus remains on Game 2 Sunday as the Heat look to even the series before hitting the road for Games 3-5 in San Antonio.

“We’re not a team that really says too much ‘this is a must-win game,’ but this is a must-win game,” he added while speaking to reporters after practice.

Wade finished with 17 points in Game 1 while LeBron James put together a triple-double, and now the dynamic duo are expected to carry the workload on Sunday as Tim Duncan and the Spurs look to quiet the Miami crowd once again.

Do you believe the Miami Heat can regroup in Game 2 Sunday? Is Dwyane Wade ready to takeover at home to even the series at a game apiece?

[Image via Keith Allison]

Dwyane Wade On Game 2: ‘This Is A Must-Win Game’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have shouldered most of the blame for the Miami Heat’s loss during game 1 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. And that, according to D-Wade, is no fun.

Wade told reporters today that playing in the playoffs isn’t any fun, especially when your team is losing.

Wade said: “Playoffs ain’t fun, man. I’m sorry to bust anyone on the outside’s bubble. As a player in the playoffs, you have no joy until it’s over and you won … If you don’t win, you have no joy for a while. So for us it’s the grind every day as a team of trying to win the series, trying to win four games in the series.”

The Miami Heat were leading going into the fourth quarter in game 1 but they were outscored by the Spurs 19-12 in the final 8 minutes and lost 92-88.

Wade said that the Heat players were a little worn down from their 7-game series against the Pacers and that fatigue may have played a part in their fourth quarter collapse.

Wade said: “By no means, no stretch do I want anybody to think that’s a crutch, that we were tired. So what? We have to play. I said we looked like a team that came out of a seven-game series in the fourth quarter. We died down a little bit physically and mentally by making mistakes. So you have to fight through all that. It’s the Finals. There’s no other series after this. There’s no tomorrow after this, from the standpoint of basketball.”

Fatigue may have heart the Heat during game 1 but it isn’t the team’s only problem. LeBron James put up a triple double during the opening game of the NBA finals while the other members of the “Big 3″ failed to live up to their expectations. Wade has fared better than Bosh but both players aren’t doing much to help the Heat on their quest to win an NBA championship. And losing, according to Wade, just isn’t any fun.

Dwyane Wade Not Having Fun Playing In NBA Finals is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jay-Z is quickly turning Roc Nation Sports into a powerhouse agency that’s already grabbed the attention of popular athletes, and now the hip-hop mogul can add Kevin Durant to the list. The 24-year-old superstar for the Oklahoma City Thunder is planning a move to Roc Nation in hopes of taking his brand to the next level.

Robinson Cano, a Major Leaguer for the New York Yankees, was the first to make the move to Roc Nation, and now athletes from other popular sports are joining in. Roc Nation became an instant hit after being announced in collaboration with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which is already known as one of the premier sports agent groups in the United States.

After Cano’s jump, WNBA player Skylar Diggins followed suit and joined the group. For her graduation from Notre Dame, the popular rap artist gave her a shiny new Mercedes Benz.

Geno Smith, the recently drafted quarterback by the NFL’s New York Jets, was the next athlete to make waves by joining Jay-Z and Roc Nation. Since signing with the sports agency, the NFL has put together an investigation to see if any policies were broken through the deal.

According to a report by Yahoo! Sports, Kevin Durant is now planning to take his talents to Roc Nation, which will end his run with Landmark Sports and Rob Pelinka, who is also Kobe Bryant’s agent.

“KD doesn’t want a traditional NBA agent anymore,” an NBA source told Yahoo! Sports on Friday night. “He wants Jay-Z to handle his branding. …He had a chance to be with his idol and couldn’t say no.”

Bringing in Durant will be Roc Nation’s biggest signing yet, and with the way the agency is growing there are surely more superstars to come. According to ESPN, other athletes such as New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz and Philadelphia Eagles wide out DeSean Jackson are also interested in joining Roc Nation and CAA.

Do you believe Kevin Durant is making the right decision by joining Jay-Z and Roc Nation Sports?

[Image via Creative Commons | Mikamote]

Jay-Z : Kevin Durant Planning Move To Roc Nation Sports Agency is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dennis Rodman claims LeBron James would be an “average” player if James competed in the more physical 1990s version of NBA basketball. And forget about making any comparisons between James and Michael Jordan.

Rodman, now an international “diplomat” and spelling-challenged Celebrity Apprentice contestant, won three championships with the Chicago Bulls alongside Jordan and Scottie Pippen in the 90s.

In the NBA finals, the San Antonio Spurs defeated James’ Miami Heat 92-88 in game one on Thursday night; the teams meet tomorrow night at 8 pm Eastern in American Airlines Arena for for game two.

Rodman, who was nicknamed “the Worm” during his playing days, made his feelings about superstars LeBron James and Michael Jordan clear on the Dan Patrick Show yesterday. “It’s really not a comparison. If LeBron was playing in the late ’80s and early ’90s, he would be just an average player. To do what Michael has done … what he did was more charisma, there was more articulating and stuff like that. LeBron is more like … there’s no flash to his game. He’s a great player, don’t get me wrong, he’s a hell of player, I’ll give him that … But to me Scottie and Michael are probably the two best one-two punches I’ve ever seen.”

Today’s NBA players have it comparatively easy compared to the rough-and-tumble NBA of previous years, according to Rodman: “LeBron came into the age of the game at a perfect time. Michael came into the game when back then you could hit people, knock him down, shoot a free throw and get back up. And LeBron can’t do that. All they do today is bitching about a foul. All they do is bitch.”

MJ — who averaged 30 points a game in his career — would thrive even more in today’s NBA, Rodman insisted: “If Michael played today … really? If he played the game today at 28 years old, he would average 40 points a game, probably more .. I’m just sick and tired of people always comparing [James] and Michael Jordan. It’s a whole different era, man.”

As far as a head-to-head matchup between today’s Miami Heat and Rodman’s Bulls, the NBA Hall of Famer known primarily for his rebounding said it would be no contest. “The Heat has better talent than we had, but we had smarter players.”

Dennis Rodman also claimed that in his prime, he could shut down LeBron James: “If I was 28 years old guarding LeBron … are you kidding me? Rodman said. “If he scored on me, I would be like, okay, thanks. Guess what, though? Sooner or later, somebody’s gotta win, somebody’s gotta lose, and most of the time I don’t lose.”

Watch/listen to the Dennis Rodman interview on the Dan Patrick Show:

Do you agree with Dennis Rodman that LeBron would only be average if he played in Rodman’s era? Are you surprised that to some degree the Worm is turning on James?

Dennis Rodman Describes LeBron As ‘Average’ Compared To Jordan is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dick Vitale surely knows how to stir things up on Twitter as he responded to Eva Longoria’s NBA Finals prediction with one of the oddest numbers you will ever see on social media from a sports figure. Vitale, the well-known basketball sportscaster, sent Longoria a tweet that was meant to be a nice response, but it’s interpretation has since become a laughing matter in sports media.

The 73-year-old has regularly been viewed as one of the most vibrant sports broadcasters of all-time, but his Twitter antics after Game 1 of the NBA Finals has the nation wondering if he knows how to handle social media.

By now, the popular basketball expert has probably re-read his tweet over and over again, wondering why he didn’t word things differently. There’s no possible way he meant any harm behind it, as Vitale has always been an upstanding analyst and rarely makes critical comments about anything other than “diaper dandies.”

Eva Longoria tweeted, “Go Spurs Go! I say Spurs in 5!”

After Tony Parker’s clutch shot at the end of the game, Dick Vitale tweeted a response to the 38-year-old actress that will blow your mind and give you a few chuckles in the process.

Here’s Vitale’s over-the-top tweet to Tony Parker’s ex-wife, who probably enjoyed reading just as much as anyone else. Before you check it out, let’s not forget that Vitale lives and breathes basketball so his approach to this tweet was probably based on the game, and not meant to disrespect Longoria’s past relationship with Tony Parker.

@evalongoria @nba your ex is AWESOME BABY – Mr Clutch!

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) June 7, 2013

The tweet has since been re-posted over 4,500 times and even some of ESPN’s other analysts joined in on the odd comment by Vitale. Jemele Hill, another basketball analyst, sent a basic response that pretty much sums up the entire ordeal.

@jemelehill He was clutch big time – Jemele Parker belongs in conversation as one of the BEST PG’s INTHE game @coachadubato says he is # 1

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) June 7, 2013

No harm no foul, right? Maybe not, as Eva Longoria never responded to Vitale’s tweet, nor does she have any reason to. Do you think Dick Vitale’s tweet to Tony Parker’s ex-wife was a little over the top?

[Image via Creative Commons]

Dick Vitale To Eva Longoria On Twitter: ‘Your Ex Is AWESOME BABY” is a post from: The Inquisitr

The NBA wants flopping to bring harsher penalties for players, and the NBA commissioner appears prepared to outline new and stricter anti-flopping rules.

The issue is on the schedule for next week’s NBA competition committee, being held in San Antonio. This season the league put in place some measures against players who embellish contact in the hopes of drawing a foul, with a system that retroactively fines players for flopping.

But the rules were used sparingly, with only five players fined $5,000 during the regular season and seven fined in the playoffs.

Three of the flopping fines from the playoffs resulted from a single game. Last round the league fined LeBron James $5,000 for flopping in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, a play that also brought a fine to Indiana Pacers David West.

LeBron and West were battling for position on the play when both of them recoiled violently as they made contact. The NBA determined that both James and West were flopping on the play.

The NBA also penalized Pacer Lance Stephenson also exaggerated contact against Ray Allen in Game 4, earning him a $5,000 fine.

The NBA appears ready to increase penalties for flopping after its best player acknowledged the value of it. While denying that he engages in it, LeBron James said he understands that advantage that can come from flopping.

“Some guys have been doing it for years, just trying to get an advantage,” James said Monday before Tuesday’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. “Any way you can get an advantage over the opponent to help your team win, so be it.”

David Stern acknowledged that a $5,000 fine is not enough of a deterrent for players.

“It isn’t enough, it isn’t enough,” Stern said in his annual pre-NBA Finals news conference. “You’re not going to cause somebody to stop it for $5,000 when the average player’s salary is $5.5 million. And anyone who thought that was going to happen was allowing hope to prevail over reason.”

Stern said a new penalty system for flopping needs to strike a balance between swift action and remaining fair to players.

“We could end it immediately if we decided to suspend players,” Stern said. “But that might be a little Draconian at the moment.”

Stern added that the NBA committee will be reviewing data collected over the last season to determine new penalties for flopping.

NBA Looking To Increase Flopping Penalties is a post from: The Inquisitr

Brian Shaw is reportedly meeting with the front office of the Brooklyn Nets, an interview that could leave Shaw with the teams head coaching position.

While Lionel Hollins is still believed to be in the running, Yahoo! Sports recently posted the following notice:

“Nets president Billy King is expected to meet with Shaw shortly to discuss the job and an offer could be forthcoming … Pacers officials say that King has done an inordinate amount of research on Shaw over the past several weeks. Pacers president Donnie Walsh worked with King years ago with Indiana and has kept a close relationship with him.

The publication notes that Memphis Grizzlies Lionel Hollins is still being considered.

The Brooklyn Nets managed to win 49 regular-season games but lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first-round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Nets management believes they need a coach who can bring a sense of “toughness” to the Nets, and they believe Brian Shaw is that coach.

Brian Shaw has served as the Indiana Pacers’ top assistant for the past two years. Before his time with the Pacers, he was on staff with Phil Jackson and the Los Angele Lakers.

Philly.com reported on Wednesday that Shaw was also preparing to interview with the Los Angeles Clippers. Shaw is believed to be the first choice for the Clippers, a choice that could lead to a hard decision for Shaw after he interviews with the Brooklyn Nets.

Given his ties to Los Angeles, some publications believe that Brian Shaw is only interviewing with the Brooklyn Nets so he can gain an upper hand in his negotiations with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Do you think Brian Shaw is a better fit with the Brooklyn Nets or the Los Angeles Clippers?

Brian Shaw To Interview For Brooklyn Nets Head Coach Position is a post from: The Inquisitr

George Karl was honored with the Coach Of The Year award last month, but now he’s looking for a new job. Yep, the Denver Nuggets have fired the NBA’s best coach.

According to Yahoo News, Karl and the Nuggets decided to part ways after a disagreement about the coach’s contract.

Karl had one year left on his campaign and was hoping to sign an extension. Nuggets management didn’t want to commit to any additional seasons and decided to fire Karl instead.

CBS Sports reports that Karl has been unhappy with the organization since general manager Masai Ujiri, who won Executive of the Year this season, left the team for the Raptors. Karl wanted the team to commit to him for another couple of seasons but CEO Josh Kroenke decided to fire the coach instead of dealing with negotiations.

The Denver Nuggets went 57-25 this season, their best record since Karl took over in 2005, but they had a disappointing playoff run.

The Nuggets will reportedly seek out Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins and Indiana Pacers associate head coach Brian Shaw. Karl will undoubtedly have plenty of suitors while many are speculating that the NBA’s Coach Of The Year could end up Clippers, Grizzlies or the Nets.

The Denver Nuggets confirmed the news today on Twitter.

OFFICIAL: Coach George Karl will not return for final year of contract in 2013-14. on.nba.com/ZSfppd

— Denver Nuggets (@denvernuggets) June 6, 2013

Kroenke said: “George has been an instrumental part of our success over the past decade, and we appreciate everything he did to keep us among the top teams in the Western Conference. He is a Hall of Fame coach whose legacy in Denver will last for years to come. George is a legend in the game of basketball and I could not have more respect for him as a person and coach.”

May 2013 – George Karl named NBA Coach of the Year.June 2013 – George Karl out of a job.

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 6, 2013

So we lost a GM now a coach what’s next!?

— Kenneth Faried (@KennethFaried35) June 6, 2013

George Karl earned nine-consecutive playoff appearances with the Nuggets and had a regular-season record of 423-257. Karl’s Nuggets only made it past the first round of the playoffs once.

Coach Of The Year George Karl Fired By Denver Nuggets is a post from: The Inquisitr

Karl Malone and Michael Jordan had quite a rivalry on the court, and it appears the tension between the two NBA greats continues into retirement.

Though Jordan beat Malone in consecutive NBA finals, the Utah Jazz great said he would pass over Air Jordan in creating an all-time starting five list.

During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Karl Malone talked about LeBron James and the best players of all time. When asked who he would put on the floor to assemble the greatest possible lineup, Malone had John Stockton and Oscar Robertson at guards, Wilt Chamberlain at center, LeBron at power forward, and Scottie Pippen at small forward.

Karl Malone said Michael Jordan didn’t carry the Bulls the way Scottie could.

“Scottie Pippen led the team in every statistical category while he was there without Michael Jordan,” Malone explained. “That’s why I have to put him there. So now you know.”

Malone’s preference for Pippen shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. In an interview last year in anticipation of a Dream Team documentary, he again said he would take Jordan’s sidekick over Jordan.

“I would have to start my team with Scottie Pippen,” Malone said according to CSNChicago.com. “This is why I would take Scottie: Do you remember the time that Michael retired? I watched Scottie Pippen when the Chicago Bulls weren’t really good and Scottie led that team in every statistical category, and I just remembered that. Plus, he’s a guy who could care less about scoring. He wants to stop the best player on the other team. That would have been pretty cool, to see Scottie guarding Michael.”

It isn’t just Karl Malone who thinks Michael Jordan isn’t the best all-time. His own coach, Phil Jackson, said he would pick Bill Russell over Jordan if he had to select one player to build a team around.

Karl Malone Snubs Michael Jordan On All-Time Starting Five List is a post from: The Inquisitr

An Alabama kidnapping involved seven people in a complicated revenge abduction of a 6-year-old child, resulting in the arraignment of six of the seven participants in a Mississippi US District Court on Wednesday. Among the accused is 18-year-old Alabama freshman forward Devonta Pollard, who appears to have been pulled into the botched scheme by the plan’s mastermind, his mother Jesse Mae Pollard.

Six of the seven kidnappers were charged with conspiracy to kidnap Jashayla Hopson on April 30 from the Kemper County elementary school in eastern Mississippi. In addition to Devonta Pollard, Wanda Dancy, Shamarius Ruffin, Shaquayla Johnigan, Joyce Johnigan, and James Johnigan, were arraigned at the Jackson, Mississippi federal courthouse.

All six face possible sentences of up to five years.

Jesse Mae Pollard allegedly plotted the kidnapping to pressure the child’s mother in a land dispute. She faces a life sentence and will be arraigned separately. She remains in federal custody and is reportedly outside Mississippi in a facility to evaluate her mental health.

Devonta Pollard has now been released on a $10,000 bond. His trial is set for August 6.

The FBI said that they believe that the University of Alabama basketball player knew in advance that his mother was going to kidnap the young girl, reportedly her cousin’s daughter. In addition to supplying a screwdriver and a wrench, the federal investigators believe that Devonta Pollard gave a ride to co-conspirator Ruffin, her own baby, and the kidnapped child.

After checking them into a hotel in Bessemer, AL, Devonta Pollard then allegedly brought another member of the kidnapping conspiracy to the same hotel.

As a result of the fumbled kidnapping, a once-promising Alabama basketball player’s future is now clouded with doubt.

After some fumbling attempts by his co-defendents to extort up to $50,000 from Jashayla Hopson’s mother, the child was eventually released unharmed.

[Devonta Pollard photo by Devonta Pollard via Facebook]

Alabama Kidnapping Indictment Released, Freshman Forward Devonta Pollard Arraigned is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly interested in Indiana Pacers assistant coach Brian Shaw for their head coaching vacancy.

The Nets are expected to ask the Pacers permission to interview Shaw after Indiana was eliminated in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.

The Nets are also looking into Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, formally requesting permission to speak with him. Reports say they also contacted Jeff Van Gundy to see if they can draw him away from the announcing booth.

Sources say the team is in no rush to replace the fired P.J. Carlesimo, however, and want to conduct a thorough search.

The Nets previously had interest in former coach Phil Jackson for their position, though it didn’t appear he would have been on the sidelines. Nets general manager Billy King said early in the search that he planned to reach out to Jackson,but not necessarily as coach.

Instead, Jackson would have occupied some other kind of front-office role, similar to the arrangement Pat Riley has had in Miami. Jackson would likely have had some kind of ownership stake in the team, and it was believed he had interest in bringing in Shaw as head coach were that to happen.

Despite assembling one the best lineups in years, the Brooklyn Nets had a disappointing end to the season with a first-round exit. It led to the firing of Carlesimo and some harsh words from NBA analysts.

In discussing the Pacers-Heat playoff series, Charles Barkley said the team didn’t have what it took to be title contenders.

“I said, ‘Please Oklahoma City don’t get to the Finals. I said San Antonio, Memphis, I said Brooklyn — I didn’t realize they are softer than tissue paper, and you’ve got Indiana,” Barkley said while making an appearance to discuss the Heat-Pacers playoff series.

The Brooklyn Nets could have some competition for Brian Shaw. The Los Angeles Clippers have already contacted him about their coaching vacancy.

Brooklyn Nets Reportedly Targeting Brian Shaw For Next Coach is a post from: The Inquisitr

Flo Rida’s manager was kicked out of the Miami Heat-Indiana Pacers game for talking trash to one of the players.

Lee Prince was reportedly asked to leave Game 7 of the Eastern Conference playoffs after he said some not-so-nice things to Pacers player Jeff Pendergraph. The referee kicked him out with only two minutes left in the game.

The whole affair started after Pendergraph and Miami Heat’s Norris Cole got into a confrontation on the court. After the referee ejected both players from the game, Flo Rida’s manager decided to share his feelings with the Pacers player.

In addition to talking trash to Pendergraph, Lee Prince reportedly got into a skirmish with the entire Pacers bench. Although the referee asked Prince to take a hike, he refused to leave.

“He and Pendergraph had been going back and forth. He got to be such a distraction that the officials came over and tried to eject him. He wanted to stay put,” an insider told the folks at TMZ.

It was around this point that Flo Rida decided to get involved with the situation. After having a quick chat with his manager, the rapper convinced Prince to leave the court.

“You’re my manager, but you’ve got to get out of here now,” Flo Rida was reportedly overhead saying to his manager.

Whatever he said worked; Prince left the game and everything returned to normal. However, the rapper didn’t accompany his manager as he stormed off. Instead, he returned to his seat to enjoy the remainder of the game.

As you can see from the video embedded below, Flo Rida doesn’t seem too concerned about the situation. Although his manager caused a seen and was kicked out of the game, the rapper was spotted grinning afterwards.

Flo Rida isn’t the only celebrity whose appearance at the playoffs is causing headlines today. Justin Bieber has come under fire for sporting quite a bit of leather while watching Game 7 unfold.

What do you think about Flo Rida’s manager getting kicked out of the Heat-Pacers game?

[Image via Bleacher Report]

Flo Rida’s Manager Kicked Out Of Heat-Pacers Game is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Miami Heat reached the NBA finals thanks to a convincing 99-76 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 at the American Airlines Arena on Monday night.

Lebron James scored 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Dwyane Wade bounced back from a couple of underwhelming performances to chip in with 21 points.

The Heat booked their third consecutive trip to the finals where they will face the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 on Monday in Miami.

James was proud of his display in the deciding game of the Eastern Conference final and revealed that he was not going to let this opportunity slip through his fingers.

“This is what it’s all about,” he said. “I’ve dreamed about this as a kid to have a Game 7, no matter at home or on the road. And that game allows you to advance to the finals. I’ve had multiple dreams about it.

“We just focused on every possession, trying to get stops, play Miami Heat defense, create havoc and I thought we did that.”

The Pacers held a slim two point lead after the first quarter but it was all Miami after that and the home side boasted a 52-37 advantage at halftime.

Indiana did itself no favors by turning the ball over 19 times and had no answer for Miami’s superstars. Wade was relieved after his performance and said that he never let his critics affect his play.

“Everything that happened in the first six games didn’t matter,” he said. “It was all about Game 7.”

Miami never looked back in the third and fourth quarters and now have a chance to defend its NBA title much to the delight of coach Erik Spoelstra.

“We’ll enjoy this win,” he said. “For a short time.”

The Miami Heat reached the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year after the big win over the Pacers and will look to cap off one of the greatest season in basketball history.

[Image via Yahoo.com]

Miami Heat Crush Indiana Pacers To Reach NBA Finals is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kobe Bryant said he wants to return to the Los Angeles Lakers by the start of the 2013-12 season, but he needs to take his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon as it comes.

Bryant, who suffered the injury shortly before the playoffs, said he’s going to be limited by how his rehab comes along. He has already had his stitches removed and his cast taken off.

He said, if all goes well, he’ll be playing in the season opener.

“I hope so,” Bryant said in a sit-down interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com on Monday. “That’s the challenge. With the tendon, there’s really only but so much you can do. There’s a certain amount of time that they deem necessary for the tendon to heal where you don’t overstretch it and now you never get that spring back.

“So, you just have to be patient, let the tendon heal, and then when that moment comes when they say, ‘OK, we can take off the regulator so to speak and now it’s on you to train as hard as you can to get back to where you want to be,’ that’s going to be a good day.”

While he works on his own recovery, Kobe Bryant said he’s also making a pitch to free agent Dwight Howard to remain with the team. Bryant said he’ll give an “opening statement” and hopes he also has the “final word” with Howard.

“For me, you kind of let him do his due diligence and then move in and talk to him and figure out if this is a place he wants to be,” Bryant said. “We all want him here. But then that’s when the selling begins [after Howard is courted by other teams]. You don’t start the selling process right before he goes and does all this stuff. You want to get the last word. You want to have the final word and the closing argument.”

It won’t be easy keeping Dwight Howard. He is reportedly drawing interest from the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, with both teams angling to make trades to free up cap space.

Howard and Kobe Bryant had a bit of trouble during the year. While Howard was out with an injury, Kobe seemed to imply that the center was taking a bit too long in his recovery.

Kobe Bryant Wants To Be Back By Season Opener is a post from: The Inquisitr

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard lost a foul shooting contest to Kelzer Nielsen, and the cameras were rolling for posterity.

Nielsen, identified in some media accounts by the first name of Kelly, a Phoenix mom of three, is the daughter of Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers.

Howard, who may or may not flee the Lakers for the Houston Rockets or another team, is a notoriously poor foul shooter. This season he averaged 49 percent from the free throw line; his NBA career average is slightly better at about 59 percent.

Simers described the matchup that took place at UCLA between Dwight Howard and his daughter in this way: “My daughter, Kelzer, is a mother now with three children, and it’s been more than a decade since she spent much time shooting a basketball. But I flew Kelzer in from Arizona to teach Dwight Howard how to shoot free throws because she still has to be better than he is.”

Howard makes an interesting admission on the video (see embed below) about his struggles from the charity stripe: “I can shoot free throw until the moon turns blue, but if I get into a game and I think too much, I’m going to miss it.”

As quoted by Simers, Howard echoed this the sentiment when he said that “I have only one problem and it’s between my ears. I just think too much.” The star also admitted seeing the team psychiatrist.

Neilsen does a bit of trash talking during the head-to-head competition, first telling Howard that she’s never heard of them, and later saying “Kobe thinks you’re soft.”

She made 5 out of 10, while Howard, shooting with his left hand, was 3-9, after missing his first five attempts. As the loser of the free throw shooting contest, Howard agreed to give $,5000 to the charity of the father/daughter act’s choice. Howard refused any tutoring from Nielsen, however. “He declined Kelzer’s offer to help with his shooting technique, saying he will not change the way he shoots free throws this off-season. He’ll just shoot more of them.”

Last November, Howard lost a free throw contest with Bailey, the Los Angeles Kings mascot.

Dwight Howard becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Housewife Kelzer Nielsen Defeats Dwight Howard In Free Throw Shooting Contest [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr