VIDEO DISCUSSION: NBA Free Agency 2017 took NBA fans on a wild ride with expected and unexpected changes

Yes, NBA free agency was in full effect this past week. There were changes that most of us expected and some that very few people saw coming. Let’s talk about the winners and those who didn't win too much.

Winners

Houston Rockets landing Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers, which seemed to come out of nowhere. But rumor has it that the relationship between Chris Paul and Doc Rivers had soured somewhat because of perceived favoritism towards Austin Rivers who is Doc Rivers’ son. The challenge will be how Chris Paul and James Harden will be able to play together.

Other winners include the Boston Celtics landing Gordon Hayward; OKC obtaining the services of Paul George; Minnesota for adding Jimmy Butler to its roster, the Golden State Warriors because Kevin Durant took a pay cut in order to keep the team intact, and the NBA for continuing to make headlines in mid-July.

Biggest Losers

The Chicago Bulls with the trade of Jimmy Butler to Minnesota Timberwolves by many accounts is the biggest loser in the 2017 NBA Free Agency. 

Also, the Indiana Pacers losing Paul George to OKC, and the Utah Jazz losing Gordon Hayward to the Boston Celtics. Indiana and Utah are both small market teams who are losing their draw and possibly revenue.

Can Knicks center Tyson Chandler make up for his missed free-throw against the Bulls? Breaking down the New York Knicks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves preview

The 2013-14 NBA season is upon us once again and the New York Knicks and their fans are looking for a championship this season. As team orange and blue gets ready to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, one game on the road to hopefully snagging the Larry Obryan Trophy in June, let's do a recap.

Looking Back

The Knicks opened their campaign with an unimpressive 90-83 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at home. On the second game of a back-to-back, the Knicks came two points short of a morale-boosting win against the Chicago Bulls. The Knicks lost a heartbreaker to the Bulls, 81-82. One of the culprits for the loss was a missed free-throw shot by center Tyson Chandler with 10.8 seconds left in the 4th quarter. A bucket could have sent the game into overtime and then with a higher basketball IQ in place and perhaps, luck, a win.

If there are any positives to take away from this loss is that the Knicks can hang with a top tier team in the Eastern Conference. However, on the flip side, Carmelo Anthony and the guys are still dogged by the failure of registering a win against Chicago in five straight contests dating back to last season. What's ironic about the Knicks' struggles against the Bulls is that they have enjoyed overwhelming success against the Miami Heat, the reigning defending champions. The Knicks took three of four victories against the South Beach kids last season.

The Knicks are an enigma, but aren't we all? All-in-all, it's too early in this brand new season to label the Knicks. The team has experienced a roster overhaul replacing nine players from last season to this season's reduced collection of seven additions most notably rookie guard Tim Hardaway Jr., forward Andrea Bargnani, forward Metta World Peace, and JR Smith's little brother Chris, also a guard. So the Knicks need time to gel.

Looking Forward

Tomorrow evening, the Knicks will return home to host a Western Conference opponent, the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:30 pm in the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. Unlike the Knicks, the Timberwolves have yet to experience defeat. They are currently sitting at the top of the Western Conference undefeated at 2-0. They defeated the Orlando Magic in overtime 120-115 and the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-81. Although the Knicks have made significant alterations to their roster gaining youth opposed to last year's AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), the Timberwolves are still younger and probably faster.

Floor General Ricky Rubio, a Spanish import, has established himself as one of the premier point guards in this game due to his advanced ability to find teammates anywhere on the court for easy baskets. He is capable of dominating the game by passing exclusively. Forward Kevin Love, who missed a substantial amount of time last season due to a variety of injuries enters this season relatively healthy. He's looking forward to reminding us all who the best power forward is in the game today behind Spurs future Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan. The rest of the wolves feature a well-balanced team in bigs, wingmen, and guards that include rebounding machine F Nikola Pekovic, F Dante Cunningham, F Derrick Williams, F Corey Brewer, F Chase Budinger, G Kevin Martin, and rookies G Shabazz Muhammad and C Gorgui Dieng.

The Western conference in totality has remained consistent in providing a tough night for any team and that's what I believe the Knicks are in for.

The Wolves are going to look to run as they have the personnel to rebound and push the break. Star players always salivate at the opportunity to play in the Mecca of Basketball. I expect Love to take full advantage in showcasing his skills. I expect the Knicks to come out hungry to relieve the stress of receiving a loss to the Bulls earlier this week. They will offer a spirited effort in their return from a one-game road trip. Every night Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony steps on the hardwood, the NBA community, as well as the fans, expect a scoring clinic and I expect Anthony to deliver the goods. The Wolves desire to be taken seriously within the Western Conference and the Knicks are anxious to step foot on the basketball court to avenge their previous loss. Expect a good quality and grind-it-out back and forth contest.

Lack of execution, turnovers, and iso-ball give Nets its third straight loss

Dion Waiters is having a very productive week. On Monday, Waiters danced on Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson with 2.4 seconds left in the fourth and drained the go-ahead three-pointer to beat the western conference power 105-102. On Wednesday night, Waiters would send the Nets to the same fate.

The Miami Heat overcame an 18-point deficit to begin the fourth quarter and used a 15-2 run in final 4:35, setting up Waiters dagger trey, to lead the Heat to an exhilarating 109-106 victory. With 30 seconds remaining in the final period, Randy Foye found Trevor Booker in the paint for a layup that gave the Nets an opportunity for the win, down one, 104-103. And then it happened.

Wayne Ellington inbounded the ball to Waiters who streaked towards the ball behind the three-point line. He dribbled once defended by Foye, pulled up without hesitation and fired a high-arching, 27-footer, giving the Heat a 107-103 lead with 6.8 seconds left to play.

“I love those type of moments,” Waiters said post-game. “Coach just drew up a play, and I looked at (Ellington) and said, ‘give it to me, I want it.”

It was a play that capped off the Heat’s big fourth quarter in which they outscored the Nets 38-17. And it also highlights the stellar defense they played down the stretch, especially on Brook Lopez, who after torching the Heat for 26 first half points, was limited to a two-point fourth quarter.

With 4:35 remaining in the fourth, the Nets were in good shape. They were up by 10, 99-89 after two made free-throws by Lopez and had the opportunity to put the nail in the coffin and eliminate any chance of a Heat comeback, but they didn’t. They folded.

And while Lopez misfired on two consecutive trips on offense, the Heat, led by Goran Dragic and Waiters, spearheaded a 10-0 run capped off by Ellington’s three, that tied the game at 99-all with 2:16 remaining in the quarter.

A couple possessions later, with the Heat down one, 101-99 on two made free-throws by Nets rookie guard Caris LeVert, Miami rookie forward Okaro White buried a three, assisted by Waiters 102-101, which gave the Heat the lead for good.

“You know (Waiters) drew two at the end and I was wide open in that corner and he had that trust and the faith in me that I’ll knock it down and kicked it right to me,” White said post-game. “I went up into the shot and it was good so it’s nothing but God.”

At the end of the day, the Heat made shots when it counted and the Nets didn’t. The Nets also relied heavily on Lopez to create down the stretch and settled for “iso-ball”. It also doesn’t help that after Waiters’ layup cut the Nets lead to three 99-96 with 2:54 left to play, LeVert turned the ball over coming out of a timeout on the next possession.

After White’s three put the Heat up one, 102-101, the Nets left it up to Spencer Dinwiddie who missed a big three that could have put the Nets up two, with 43 seconds left. Late game execution has plagued the Nets all season long and on Wednesday night, it cost them another contest, this time against the Heat.

“I think we didn’t execute,” Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said post-game. “We started playing iso-ball and they turned us over a few times. We were missing shots, and then on the defensive end, we couldn’t get stops. You can’t give up 38 points in the fourth quarter, that’s way too many.”

Atkinson also said that he has to do a better job coaching, in finding the right balance between getting Lopez the ball and when to run plays and move the ball effectively for good shots. On too many occasions in the fourth, Atkinson said that Lopez wasn’t getting the ball in good positions to score and in doing so felt that it was up to him to save the day.

Despite his shortcomings, the Nets should’ve won this game and Lopez, who said post-game, that he has to do a better job of keeping the Nets offense going, knows that the Nets let one get away in large part to one single quarter.

“We really gave ourselves a chance for 40 minutes tonight, but obviously, it’s a full 48-minute game,” Lopez said post-game.

He led all scorers with a game-high 33 points. Bojan Bogdanovic added 17 points and LeVert, who broke Ellington’s ankles in the third quarter on a vicious crossover step-back three, recorded 12 points.

The hero of the game, Waiters scored a team-high 24 points and dished out eight assists while his backcourt mate, Dragic nearly clinched a double-double with 17 points and nine dimes. Ellington, who hit several big shots in this game and seemed eager to face his former team, handed the Nets 22 painful points off the bench and Willie Reed, another former Net scored 14 points.

This is a young team and you have to think that late game execution and defending for 48 minutes will be issues the Nets will tackle going forward. Like the Philadelphia 76ers, the Nets need to “Trust The Process,” and continue to learn from their mistakes to become a better team in the future.

The Nets will have Thursday off and then face the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers and with Lebron James voicing his disappointment in his team’s play as of late and the inability of his front-office to find a playmaker for their bench, this is the absolute worst time for the Nets to face the Cavaliers.

Following the Cavaliers, the Nets will still be on the road and will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday and the Miami Heat in Miami on Monday. The Nets will be home on Wednesday, February 1 to play the other struggling New York team, the New York Knicks.

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-110

A historical night in New York, while both Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump await results that will determine who will run the country, the Brooklyn Nets were the clear winner in this city. The Nets, seemingly unfazed by the election soared over the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-110 for the win.

Veteran Brook Lopez led his team with 26 points in only 28 minutes. After a small halftime lead (66-65), the Nets knew some offensive adjusting needed to be done.

“Coach (Kenny Atkinson) came in and said our guards only had three rebounds (at halftime),” Lopez said. “That was the battle … Once we had all five guys contributing on the defensive glass, it kind of took care of itself.”

Trevor Booker scored 15 points and Sean Kilpatrick added 14. At least 8 players on the Nets finished with at least eight points—something Kenny Atkinson was pleased with.

“We’re sharing the wealth a little more and in the perfect Utopian motion system, that’s what it should look like, where it’s really everybody’s touching it,” Atkinson said after the game.

Isaiah Whitehead, still in for the injured Jeremy Lin, handled the ball nicely for the Nets, along with some help from Kilpatrick. Whitehead had a little scare in the first quarter after T-Wolves power forward Gorgui Dieng accidently trampled his head. Overcoming the stint, Whitehead returned in the second quarter and finished with six points.

“I’m not sure how many charges he took tonight … Maybe two, but he tried to take like five charges,” Atkinson said while praising the Brooklyn native. “That’s Coney Island toughness.”

The win for Brooklyn will only build up momentum for the team after losing against the Hornets last Friday.

On Wednesday, the Nets will take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden—the first matchup between the New York teams of the season.

Rookie Isaiah Whitehead put up a valiant effort in Jeremy Lin's absence

The Brooklyn Nets fell short to the Charlotte Hornets 99-95 on Friday night at the Barclays Center, stumbling in the final minutes of the game.

The Nets (2-4), who were looking for another early season win, started off the game strong—up at halftime 50-43, but couldn’t seem to keep the momentum. After the game, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson gave kudos to Charlotte for stepping up their defense in the second half.

“I thought that third quarter really hurt us. I thought we got stagnant, I thought the ball stopped moving, and again, they got into us, they started denying some passes (and) got us out of rhythm. So, good job by them; credit to them,” Atkinson said.

Without Jeremy Lin, who is expected to miss at least two weeks due to a strained hamstring, the Nets tried to keep up on both offense and defense, and when the Hornets doubled on Brook Lopez, it made it hard for Brooklyn to stay consistent.

“I just think of the guys that are out there, and I want our offense to run well, whoever is in there. It is just for some reason we just didn’t have any rhythm, and I think they got into us,” Atkinson added.

And that’s what the Hornets did. After keeping the game close, and leading for most of the first half, Charlotte put a stop to the Nets, allowing a 23-6 run in the third.

In Jeremy Lin’s absence, Isaiah Whitehead, made his first NBA start for Brooklyn and in only his fifth career game. Playing 23 minutes, he scored 8 points with three assists and two steals. A Brooklyn native, who attended Seton Hall, Whitehead received some advice from Lin on the bench. Throughout the game, Lin was seen advising Whitehead with a pen and a notepad in his hand. Whatever advice Lin was giving Whitehead during the game, at the top of the list must be learn how to communicate with Lopez.

“We just weren’t finding him,” Whitehead said of Lopez, while criticizing his team’s effort. “We should always find him in the right spots. It’s our job to get him open and call the right plays.”

Lopez, who played 29 minutes, scored 18 points and reached 9,000 points after scoring his 16th point.

Up next for Brooklyn: Minnesota. The Nets will take on the Timberwolves on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8 at the Barclays Center.

VIDEO DISCUSSION: Phoenix, Utah, and Denver Path for Nets to Win on West Coast

Brooklyn Nets have a tough test ahead as the team heads out to the west coast to play the Portland Trailblazers, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Joe Johnson’s seemingly lack of effort is glaring. The second highest NBA player ends with six points and six rebounds and assists

The 10-16 Minnesota Timberwolves came into the Barclays Center on Sunday afternoon (a rare 1:00 p.m. game) needing a road win after losing eight of their last 10 games; and the 7-19 Brooklyn Nets laid out the welcome mat and said, no problem.

The Nets allowed the athletic ‘Wolves to get off to a great start, as they dominated the first quarter. Although Brooklyn tied Minnesota five times during the first stanza, the Timberwolves overpowered the Nets with 47.6 percent field goal shooting compared to the Nets lethargic 28.6 percent, ending the quarter 26-16. For the Nets, Brook Lopez led the charge. Even though Lopez seemingly attracted Timberwolves players every time he touched the ball, the Nets center managed to score half of the Nets first quarter points with eight.

The Nets battled back in the 2nd quarter, outscoring the ‘Wolves 27-26, but it wasn’t enough; Minnesota ended the half with an overall score 52-43. And, where was Joe Johnson? We’re all still waiting for Johnson to show up. The Nets shooting guard ended the half with zero points on 0 of 2 shooting. But, to his credit (tongue in cheek), Johnson did have two assists and one offensive rebound. And, when it was all said and done, Johnson’s tally was triple sixes: six points, six rebounds, and six assists. Not a good showing for the second highest paid NBA player.

Johnson wasn’t the on Nets starter having a bad day. During the third quarter, the fans were so upset with the Nets performance that when Kevin Garnett, former Nets player and now back with the Timberwolves, stole the ball from Jarrett Jack, they started to “boo,” but Ally Love and the Nets entertainment team promptly interrupted and overpowered the disenchanted fans with sheer volume and a T-shirt toss.

“We didn’t play hard, Jack said after the game. “We didn’t show any resistance. The score is very indicative of that.”

At game’s end, Brooklyn Nets superman, Brook Lopez, had 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and one steal.

“Yeah, we haven’t had a complete game in a while and you can see that,” Lopez said responding to whether the Nets energy and effort is worrisome at this point. “We absolutely have to. It takes every person who steps onto the court to set the attitude and we certainly need the bench to come in and you know, do the same or even pick it up.”

Other Nets starters in double digits were Bojan Bogdanovic with 13 points and Thaddeus Young with 12 points. Nets reserve players scoring in double digits were Andrea Bargnani with 11 and Wayne Ellington with 10.

Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns led all scorers with 24 points and 10 rebounds and Gorgui Dieng put up 20 points and 10 boards off the bench. In fact, Minnesota’s bench consisting of Kevin Martin (16), Zach Levine (10), and Andre Miller (2) contributed nearly 50 percent of the team’s total score with 48 points. Andrew Wiggins, a starting guard for Minnesota, chipped in 16 points.

With the loss against Minnesota, Brooklyn dropped its fifth straight.

Next stop for the Nets; Chicago on Monday night.

VIDEO DISCUSSION: Is it too far-fetched to think that Timberwolves shooting guard Andrew Wiggins could be an NBA MVP?

According to rapppler.com, Minnesota Timberwolves point guard, Ricky Rubio believes that Andrew Wiggins, the team's shooting guard, will win an NBA MVP Award someday.

VIDEO Discussion: Brooklyn Nets opens its 2015-16 with its only home game against the Chicago Bulls on October 28

The Brooklyn Nets will open its 2015-16 season at the Barclays Center on Wednesday, October 28, when they entertain the Chicago Bulls, with tipoff at 7:30 p.m. The home opener will be the Bulls' lone appearance in Brooklyn this season.

The Nets will welcome the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors to Brooklyn on Sunday, December 6 at 6:00 p.m., which will tip off a six-game homestand, the longest of the campaign. The homestand also includes an afternoon contest on Saturday, December 12 versus the Los Angeles Clippers at 5:00 p.m.

In addition to the game against the Clippers, the Nets will host four other afternoon contests over the course of the upcoming season. The Nets will entertain the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, December 20 at 1:00 p.m., the Washington Wizards on Saturday, December 26 at 4:00 p.m., the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, January 24 at 3:30 p.m. and the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, April 3 at 1:00 p.m.

Brooklyn will host the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, January 20 and Thursday, March 24, while the San Antonio Spurs visit the borough on Monday, January 11, with all three contests starting at 7:30 p.m.

updated: August 24, 2015

Phil Jackson’s Basketball Legacy May Hinge on the 2015 NBA Draft

After failing its fans during this past NBA regular season, the New York Knicks saved its best disappointment for last. In yesterday’s 2015 NBA Draft Lottery, the Knicks, who owned the second-best percentage to obtain the no.1 overall pick with 19.9 percent, fell out of the top-three selections, settling for the fourth overall pick. Of course, it had to be them. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who had a 25 percent chance of picking 1st overall, landed the top pick, the Los Angeles Lakers finished 2nd and the Philadelphia 76ers landed the 3rd.

The last team to finish with the highest percentage in picking no.1 was the Orlando Magic in 2004, and tonight, the Timberwolves overachieved.

“We were jumping up and down,” Wolves head coach and team president, Flip Saunders told the media following the lottery. “This gives us flexibility…every spot you move up, you have more control of what’s going to happen, you have more people talking to you, cause they’re trying to find out what you’re going to do and where you’re going.”

And it’s the flexibility that the Wolves are enjoying right now, a feeling the Knicks have coveted since the 2014-15 NBA regular season ended. With the 4th pick now a reality, the Knicks may have to change its focus. In early March, reports stated that the NBA fined Phil Jackson, the president of basketball operations for making a comment that could be construed that the Knicks were interested in Ohio State freshman, D’Angelo Russell. Basketball savants consider Russell to be a top-3 pick.

With the Sixers and Lakers both expressing interest in Russell, and the point guard position in general, according to multiple reports, the Knicks may need to look elsewhere and prepare for the reality that Russell might not be there when it is time for the Knicks to make their pick. They can also forget about Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, who shouldn’t slide past the 2nd pick. What seems more likely is Emmanuel Mudiay, the guard who decided to play in China, skipping that one-year college rule.

Mudiay was a highly regarded prospect, like Russell entering college and was slated to play for former NBA head coach, Larry Brown at SMU. But due to personal reasons regarding his family, Mudiay took the Brandon Jennings route and had to grow up quicker than the average 18-year old. In addition to Mudiay, Kentucky big, Willie Cauley Stein, a 7-footer who was honored as the NABC Defensive Player of the Year and Justise Winslow, fresh off of winning the NCAA National Title will be available, all targets of the Knicks as well.

Earlier this month, Winslow sat next to Carmelo Anthony at a New York Yankees game and who knows what was discussed between the current Knick and the soon to be NBA employee. The fact is, the Knicks still have options with the 4th pick. It can’t get any worse.

The 4th pick just hurts because of who the Knicks are and it seems like not winning the lottery and having to settle for the 4th overall pick, sums up the ineptitude the franchise has experienced for the last five years. According to, CBSsports.com, the Knicks are open to trading their 1st-round pick.

Although you can attract some suitors for this pick and maybe pick a player for a team with a substantial player coming in return, this is not encouraging news. The first overall pick could haul a franchise player while the 4th could also yield the type of player that could change the Knicks fortunes for brighter days. Keep the pick.

4th NBA Draft Pick Not So Bad, Knicks Need to Pick Right Guy

Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Mike Conley and Russell Westbrook were all former no.4 overall selections and have made significant contributions to the league that has made them household names. The Knicks can do the same here. They just have to pick the right guy. At the end of the day, the NBA Draft is a lottery in itself.