May 22 2013

NBA DRAFT LOTTERY RESULTS (Inc. Original Order By %)

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RESULTS:

cleveland-cavaliers-logo-nba-768x13661. Cleveland Cavaliers

2. Orlando Magic

3. Washington Wizards

4. Charlotte Bobcats

5. Phoenix Suns

6. New Orleans Pelicans

7. Sacramento Kings

8. Detroit Pistons

9. Minnesota Timberwolves

10. Portland Trail Blazers

11. Philadelphia 76ers

12. Oklahoma City Thunder

13. Dallas Mavericks

14. Utah Jazz

Original Post:

The NBA Draft Lottery is coming right up, and with 14 teams having a chance at winning the number one pick in the impending draft, nerves are certain to be creeping up on planty of the league’s GM’s. Amongst the prospects NBA teams will be vying for are Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel,  Kansas Shooting Guard Ben McLemore and Georgetown Swingman Otto Porter. All are expected to go with high picks. Below are the top 14 teams with the lowest winning records from the past NBA season’s chances (%) of winning the 2013 lottery.

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May 22 2013

Jordan Submits Name Change Application; Charlotte To Re-Emerge As The Hornets

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Charlotte Bobcats owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan has today announced that his struggling franchise will be returning to their old moniker the Charlotte Hornets in the 2014/15 season. Jordan advised the team has submitted the name change paperwork which will allow the team to become the Charlotte Hornets once again. This is an exciting prospect for long-time fans of the NBA who all have fond memories of the Charlotte Hornets through the late 80′s to early 2000′s, lead by such greats as Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson and Muggsy Bogues before the team migrated south to New Orleans in 2002.

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May 22 2013

Clippers Will Not Offer Del Negro New Contract; Search For New Coach Begins

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In news this morning reported by Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski, The LA Clippers have informed coach Vinny Del Negro that he will not be returning after 3 seasons with the club. After months of speculation surrounding his job’s stability, the team finally informed Del Negro of their intention to not renew his contract following the team’s disappointing first round exit of the 2013 Playoffs.

Vice President of basketball operations Gary Sacks had this to say of Del Negro:

“We would like to thank Vinny for everything he did during his three years with the organization. Vinny helped this team win a Pacific Division title and we greatly appreciate all that he and his staff helped us accomplish. This was a difficult decision, but we feel this is the best decision for our franchise moving forward.”

Some have questioned the move considering Del Negro guided the Clippers to their most successful season in franchise history including their first 50 win year, a 17 game win streak, a 16-0 line in December, and their first ever Pacific Division title ever. One has to wonder if the playing group had lost their respect and desire to play for Vinny Del Negro with the rise of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin being the team’s main focus moving forward.

There is no word as to what the Clippers have planned in regards to a replacement, but the rumors are sure to escalate as time goes by. Byron Scott has been mentioned as a possible candidate considering his close relationship with Chris Paul. We’ll keep you updated.

Nick C.

May 13 2013

NBA Nation Australia’s Weekly Roundtable Featuring Jabari Davis, Brent Veale and Tom Read

Welcome to another edition of NBA Nation Australia’s Roundtable! This week we’ll be tackling more hot topics from around the league including George Karl, the MVP award, the free agent debate in LA, most improved teams, Derrick Rose and Kobe’s mum (only because it’s Mother’s Day). We also welcome back podcaster and blogger Jabari Davis from The OpinioNation (theopnation.com), Brent Veale formerly of That Basketball Show and Tom Read from the #BelieveTheHype podcast!

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May 10 2013

Season 2012/13 Top Ten Dunks! (Video)

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Here it is – A comprehensive video compilation of the 2012/13 season’s heaviest, nastiest and most awe-inspiring throw downs! From DeAndre murdering Brandon Knight, to LeBron baptizing Jason Terry and Harrison Barnes embarrassing Nikola Pekovic, they’re all here in all their posterizing glory! Which dunk is your #1?

May 2 2013

NBA Nation Australia’s Roundtable – Featuring Tom Read, Alex Young and Terry Goldfain

It’s been some time since our last roundtable, so this week we’ve decided to bring in a couple of new contributors as well as a familiar face or two to discuss some of the recent hot topics in the NBA. We’ll be looking at everything from the Warriors playoff hopes, the Thunder’s challenge without Westbrook, The Knicks chances of taking the East, the Boston Celtics troubles, injures and Jason Collins’ recent news. To kick things off we welcome back Tom Read from the #BelieveTheHype podcast, as well as SidelineAgenda.com contributor and all round sports nut Alex Young, and Houston Rockets/NBA social media commentator Terry Goldfain to the party along with regulars from NBA Nation Australia Nick Caro and Sam Monaghan. Lets go!

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May 2 2013

Portland’s Damian Lillard Named Rookie Of The Year

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Portland Trail Blazers rookie, and 6th overall pick in the NBA Draft Damian Lillard has won the 2012/13 Kia Rookie of The Year Award, the NBA announced this morning. 22 year-old Lillard had a phenomenal year and was considered the clear frontrunner for the honor for the better part of the season, averaging 19 points and 6.5 assists per game over an average of 38 minutes (lead NBA). He was voted as the winner unanimously by a panel of sports journalists totaling 605 votes, nearly double that of second placed Hornets/Pelicans center Anthony Davis. It is the first unanimous vote for the award since Blake Griffin in 2011. Congratulations, Damian Lillard.

Read the NBA’s press release HERE.

Nick C.

Apr 30 2013

Dwight Howard’s Message To Lakers Nation; Where To From Here?

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After yesterday’s embarrassing loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and his untimely ejection from the game early in the third quarter, and what appeared to be a confrontation with GM Mitch Kupchak (later dismissed) Lakers center Dwight Howard finally opened up to the world via Twitter in an attempt to rectify what he felt to be one of the most disappointing seasons of his career. Howard, widely regarded as the league’s best center, was ejected from yesterday’s game following his second technical foul for questioning the officials non-call after what he believed to be a hard foul. In the midst of all this, the Lakers were down by 20 points and Dwight being ejected at this point essentially spelled a loss before the game was even over, and the end of the 2012/13 Lakers season.

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