kawhi-leonard Page 9 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes: Like… whoa
Saying Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes are outperforming Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green is accurate. That also makes it seem like Cunningham and Green were somehow mistakes. To be clear, none of the top four picks in the 2021 NBA Draft look like misses, which is awesome for the Pistons, Rockets, Cav...

This Bulls team is legit
No more bullshit in Chicago — these Bulls are good....

Kyle Lowry’s leadership will be key to Heat’s success this season
Miami guard Kyle Lowry’s value to his new team is already being realized, just a couple of games into the season. After blowing out the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Heat suffered their first loss against the Indiana Pacers in overtime, 102-91, without Lowry....

Success won’t be so easy for the Utah Jazz this time around
The NBA is back, and the Western Conference is looking even more stacked than last year. The glamour division of the Pacific looks to be the standout of the association, with a strong possibility of sending four teams to the postseason. The second-best division in the west this year will be the Nort...

If anybody in the Pacific is going to disappoint, it’s Golden State
We here at Deadspin sometimes have differing opinions. That might be hard to believe, but it’s true, and as we get closer to the start of the NBA season, many of us have conflicting ideas on how the season will play out. For example, my co-worker Criss Partee believes that with a healthy Klay Thomps...

Hear me out: The Warriors are ready to contend again out West
Call me crazy, but the Golden State Warriors will be a force in the Western Conference this season. Yes, you heard me correctly. Golden State will be a thorn in the side of every team in the West this year, because everyone is sleeping on them, apparently....

Kawhi Leonard looks like he’d rather be anywhere but this arena groundbreaking ceremony
The LA Clippers will finally have their own arena in Inglewood within the next few years, free from the taunting glare of those 17 Lakers championship banners hanging from the rafters of Staples Center. Even with all the money and resources Steve Ballmer is pouring into this franchise, it will never...

Kawhi Leonard is stealthy
One of the biggest storylines in recent memory around the NBA has been the Los Angeles Clippers’ lack of leadership on the court. ...

Let’s pick apart this list of the NBA’s 22 best point guards
It’s time to break down and analyze the latest sports ranking list. This time we have the top 22 (??) point guards in the NBA as ranked by hoopshype.com. Wondering why hoopshype chose to rank the top 22? ...

I have one question about this Clippers-Grizzlies deal: Why?
Even with the NFL ramping up and the regular season just around the corner, the NBA still finds a way to keep its brand in the news....

From the Clippers, Kawhi still deserves whatever he wants
No one ever really knows what Kawhi Leonard is thinking, but he’s now reportedly under contract with the Los Angeles Clippers for the next few seasons. The deal is reportedly worth $176.3 million over the next four years, which includes a player-option for the final season....

Deadspin fixes NBA free agency, Part IV: Power Forwards
Charles Barkley once said, “What do you call a power forward that only averages six rebounds per game?” Someone said, “what?” And the answer was, “A small forward.” That was funny as shit....

Hear me out: NBA, WNBA should adopt 3x3 format for in-season hoops tourneys
Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young are Olympic gold medalists now. They should also be the catalysts for a permanent change in both WNBA and NBA basketball....

Deadspin fixes NBA free agency, Part III: Small Forwards
Again, if you see a dude here that you label a shooting guard, then whatever. Think of this more as “Swingmen II.” If your favorite swingman wasn’t mentioned on either, then perhaps they’ll make the sleepers for Saturday, Saturday Sleepers, whatever the editors call ‘em. If he is a part of none of t...

Lots of great players were drafted, then immediately traded — and went on to be All-Stars
The weirdest thing about the NBA draft is the longstanding practice that once draft day comes, there’s no more trading draft picks. It makes some sense within the framework of the league rules and salary cap, but every year, it results in weird situations where a player is drafted by a team that he’...

You could tell Mikal Bridges was made for this
Oftentimes one worries about young players heading into their first postseason....

Steve Ballmer and other admirably stupid celebrations of sports team owners
Did you ever have a reason for an impromptu joyous celebration and decide, in that moment, the thing you’re going to do with the people closest to you is… grab their thighs?...

The Phoenix Suns’ Finals trip reeks to high heavens
The Phoenix Suns’ run to the NBA Finals is fugazi....

This is how it always ends for the Clippers, one way or another
It almost feels like the Clippers are being euthanized for the second straight year. Much like Kevin Durant did this postseason, Paul George just ran out of gas trying to make up for what wasn’t there....

A report about the NBA wanting to add games, on the same day Giannis got hurt? The irony
Less is more, even if it causes you to leave money on the table....