NBA draft Page 15 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Anthony Bennett Explains His Meteoric Rise: "I'm A Great Guy"
A news conference starring a 20-year-old is generally doomed to devolve into scripted platitudes unless the 20-year-old in question strays into honesty. Therein, we prod Anthony Bennett into discussing the reasons the Cleveland Cavaliers made him the surprise top pick in this week's NBA Draft. His ...
The Bobcats Draft Party Booed The Shit Out Of Cody Zeller's Selection
Via Did Charlotte Win, the scene at the Time Warner Cable Arena as the Bobcats made the 4th selection in last night's draft, a slot where Nerlens Noel, Alex Len, and Ben McLemore were still available. You get the feeling 'Cats fans might have wanted one of those three instead....
How Much Money Did The Knee Injury Cost Nerlens Noel?
If we assume that a healthy Nerlens Noel goes first or second in an historically thin NBA draft, he lost somewhere between $4 million and $5 million over the next three years—all because he vaporized his knee in February while playing amateur basketball as a nominally unpaid intern at Kentucky....
A Supercut Of David Stern Getting Booed And Loving It
Soon-to-be-retired commissioner David Stern presided over his final NBA draft last night, and as has been the case throughout his career, he was enthusiastically booed each time he appeared on stage. ...
Lucas Nogueira's Hair Is Fantastic
Little too much for that hat, I reckon....
"WHOA!": Bill Simmons Steals The NBA Draft, Early
It may not be traditional ESPN TV, but the genuine surprise in Bill Simmons' voice (Update: And on his face!) here is hard to beat....
Live Blog: Let Us Enjoy The 2013 NBA Draft Together
The 2013 NBA draft is here, and, as usual, we have almost no idea what is going to happen over the course of the night. Will the Nets and Celtics consummate a trade sending old people to Brooklyn? Is someone going to take an injured player—either Nerlens Noel or Alex Len, either one works—at No. 1?...
Which NBA Draft Prospects Are Fudging Their Height With Thick Shoes?
Every year at the NBA draft combine, each prospect gets his height measured with shoes on and off. The difference between the two measurements is usually negligible, but not all the time! On this week's excerpt from Slate's Hang up and Listen podcast, Mike Pesca figures out which of this year's pros...
The Cavs Are Willing To Trade The First Overall Pick
The Cavaliers beat the odds—a 15.6 percent chance, third-best in the lottery—to land the 2013 first overall pick. But the consensus top pick has questions, and he's not particularly what Cleveland needs. It would make all the sense in the world for the Cavs to trade down from No. 1, something that h...
Jay Bilas Still Wants To Talk About Men's Bodies
When Jay Bilas wasn't busy talking about "rims" he was busy talking about bodies. Last year it was all about hands, but this year the name of the game was "wingspan," "wingspan," and also "wingspan." Understandably the guy has to find something to talk about in the time that it takes David Stern t...
ESPN's Draft Coverage Buzzword: "Rim"
ESPN's NBA draft coverage has become so predictable it's inspired its own drinking game (one Jay Bilas even referenced on the broadcast). Every year features a buzzword like "length," "scorer," or the always-controversial "character."...
Here's The Absolute Worst Draft Analysis Written Today
It's early—like, 14 hours after the draft, and we empirically don't know how any of the players chosen will perform in the NBA—but I think we have already a winner for the trollingest post-draft column. To be fair to the Denver Post's Mark Kiszla, his job is to stir up shit. But this is something sp...
NBA Draft Spectators Spent Nearly Five Full Minutes Booing David Stern Last Night
The NBA is sometimes accused of being deaf to criticism, and holding last night's draft in the arena recently abandoned by the new Brooklyn Nets seems like an invitation to belligerence. But it's not just Nets fans who have beef with commissioner David Stern, and he hasn't exactly been graceful w...
Nets Fans Will Get Excited For Anything—Even Drafting A Guy Of Whom They've Never Heard
Brooklyn Nets fans had to wait a long time to participate in the NBA draft—the team had no picks last year and didn't select until late in the second round tonight. So when the team chose Turkish forward Ilkan Karaman with the 57th overall pick, they didn't let their unfamiliarity with the big ma...
Why Bernard James Should Be Your New Favorite NBA Player
The first round of the 2012 NBA Draft was a surprisingly dramatic affair, with one NBA scout equating most all pre-draft analysis to "blowing smoke up each other's asses for weeks." But the best story, arguably, came near beginning of the second round when Florida State center Bernard James was se...
Harrison Barnes Appears To Not Know How Baseball Caps Are Worn
Amateur drafts are kind of stupid from a wardrobe standpoint, as athletes wear the fanciest suits their agents will buy for them and then strap on a hideous team-related baseball cap as soon as the commissioner calls their name....
Andy Katz Is The Latest To Be Victimized By "Bulging Dicks"
ESPN's Steve Levy originated the "bulging dicks" blooper, and since then we've seen it committed by, among others, Al Trautwig and Ricky Bottalico....
"A Neat Kid": Your Passive-Aggressive 2012 NBA Draft Scouting Roundup
The NBA draft is getting underway now, which means that it is time for our annual roundup of faint praise, backhanded compliments, and snickering passive-aggression directed at the gifted players about to become honest professionals. Players are listed in the order of Chad Ford's latest mock draft....
How A Career Ends: Danny Manning, No. 1 NBA Draft Pick In 1988, Savored His Garbage Time In 2003
Tell Me When It's Over is an interview series in which we ask former athletes about the moment they knew their playing days were over. Today, with the NBA draft beginning in a matter of hours: Danny Manning, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 draft. ...
If You Are A Projected Lottery Pick, You Should Never Ever Go Back To School
Oh, Jared Sullinger. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back to 2011 and give you this message and tell you all the mean things the draftniks are saying about you. Despite being a projected top 10 pick last year, maybe top five, you were stung by a brutal loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16, and...