basketball Page 214 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Zhaire Smith's Rookie Season Is Already A Total Bummer
The 76ers provided an unexpected and troubling update on the condition of rookie Zhaire Smith Thursday afternoon. Smith apparently had a bad allergic reaction to food and required something called a thoracoscopy. Recovery from the procedure, presumably along with whatever required it in the first pl...

Kevin Durant Bemoans Basketball Media's "Pure Hate For Me Obviously"<em></em>
Here’s a recent quote from the 2008 Rookie of the Year, 2014 MVP, and eight-time All-NBA selection, who has won the Finals MVP two years running, and who elected, on two separate instances, to sign with the Golden State Warriors: “You know they’re not going to give me anything.” When asked why he’s ...

So, Uh, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Is Writing For The <i>Veronica Mars</i> Reboot?
Veronica Mars—the comedy/mystery show about a teen girl detective that built a cult following during its initial run in the mid-2000s and helped launch Kristen Bell into her current position as America’s Sweetheart—is coming back for new episodes on Hulu next year. ...

Nuggets Coach Mike Malone Still Has His Handles
Mike Malone might resemble a dirty Baltimore cop with a good heart from some musty procedural, but he could still drop you with his crossover. Watch him ably dribble his way through a defensive drill with his players in Nuggets training camp....

The Lakers' Wayward Bozos Assemble, And LeBron Gives Them A Tender Nickname
One of the funniest arcs of this NBA offseason was watching the Lakers roster coalesce around its new centerpiece, each new contract landing like a punchline. LeBron James is here now—the rest of his California-loving superteam is just dawdling, right? When does Paul George’s flight get in? Can’t K...

Thibs Is Still Working On Jimmy Butler
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is turning up the heat on Scott Layden and Tom Thibodeau to move quickly on a deal to move a disgruntled Jimmy Butler out of town. But that doesn’t mean Thibodeau is ready to abandon the zombie Bulls project just yet—according to Woj, Thibs is staying after Butler whil...

Kawhi Leonard Is Ready To Have Some Fun<em></em>
When the Toronto Raptors officially introduced Kawhi Leonard today, he made it clear he’s trying to distance himself from his reputation as the oddball who mysteriously missed most of last season with the Spurs. ...

At Least One Minnesota Timberwolves Star Doesn't Have A Problem With Commitment
While they’re still in the midst of figuring out what to do with malcontented soon-to-be free agent Jimmy Butler, the Minnesota Timberwolves at least made a bit of good news this weekend, locking up their long-term franchise guy for the foreseeable future. Karl-Anthony Towns, a man who has been indi...

New NBA Rules Clear Up Some Things That Stink
It stinks when a team up late in the game can milk the clock for the better part of a minute just because they snag an offensive rebound and cache the ball deep in the backcourt. The NBA’s newly announced shot clock rule should cut down on that idling, and force more actual basketball plays to occur...

Get That Weak Shit Out Of Tom Thibodeau's Face, Or He Might Just, Uh, Keep Jimmy Butler
The Minnesota meltdown continues, in dribs and drabs, and the framing of the latest Woj Bomb over at ESPN is extremely enjoyable. Just have a nibble from the first three grafs:...

New Mexico Coach Paul Weir Offered Some Refreshingly Honest Thoughts On Amateurism
Over the last decade, athletes and reporters and professors and even shithead Kentucky governor Matt Bevin have come around to the idea of college athletes being compensated for their time and work. But one not-quite-disinterested group has been very noticeable and stubborn in its resistance to the ...

Steve Kerr And Phil Jackson Talk About Managing Player Egos And Baking Bread
The California Sunday Magazine has published an interview with Warriors coach Steve Kerr and his old coach Phil Jackson. The two ring wearers discussed the art of coaching, including the importance of mindfulness (a lesson Carmelo Anthony certainly internalized, along with a warm glass of milk). Ker...

Even Lauri Markkanen Is Popping In For The Timberwolves' Meltdown
Lauri Markkanen, who was drafted at No. 7 by the Timberwolves last year only to be shipped off to Chicago in the Jimmy Butler deal, seems awfully nostalgic about that moment today....

Timberwolves Drama Turns Into Spicy Internet Beef Somehow Featuring Stephen Jackson
You’re going to have to put a little effort into keeping up, here, because it involves multiple different social media platforms, and I am getting too old for this shit....

"League Sources" Say Karl-Anthony Towns Is A Donkey
All the reporting about the souring of the relationship between Jimmy Butler and the Timberwolves points to fit issues between Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Andrew Wiggins. Butler’s “honest conversations” with Wolves brass led in short order to a trade request, and a list of preferred trade partne...

Mavericks Investigation Finds Rampant Sexual Harassment Permitted By "Organizational Shortcomings"
After Sports Illustrated published a report on Feb. 20, 2018 detailing the Dallas Mavericks’ culture of misogyny and sexual harassment, the team hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation into the organization. The result of that investigation, a 43-page report, was released today. It ...
![Report: Jimmy Butler Wants Out Of Minnesota [Update]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/lqylp2y2xhxve5drmgjf.jpg)
Report: Jimmy Butler Wants Out Of Minnesota [Update]
Clearly all was not well in Minnesota. Via The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski, we can now see the full scope of that unwellness: Jimmy Butler, the Timberwolves’ star of the present, has asked to be traded, possibly due to conflict with their star of the future, or maybe it’s just Andr...

Philly's Once Ambitious General Manager Search Finally Lands On, Of All People, Elton Brand
Not too long ago the 76ers were courting Daryl Morey to replace disgraced former general manager Bryan Colangelo, in a sign of the organization’s lofty ambitions for the next chapter of Sixers basketball. By that same token, not too long ago the Sixers were hoping to court LeBron James and Paul Geor...

All Is Not Well In Minnesota
Jimmy Butler helped the Minnesota Timberwolves improve their win total by a whopping 16 games from the 2016-2017 season to last season. Playing with one of the NBA’s most promising young big men and surrounded by, umm, a familiar cast of playoff-tested veterans, it would seem that Butler has landed ...
