The Bulls, Knicks, Warriors and Thunder won their first round series, but fell short of reaching the NBA's Final Four. Each team faces a pivotal offseason with many decisions to consider. Read More. Written by Daniel Leroux on May 21, 2013
The event gives front offices the opportunity to evaluate D-League players with the possibility of offering Summer League or training camp invites. Read More.
Tyus Jones, the No. 2 overall recruit for 2014 and an excellent point guard, was selected by Paul Biancardi, Adam Finkelstein and John Stovall. Read More.
Damian Lillard is being accused of standing by while his entourage beat up two brothers in Portland's Old Town district on Saturday morning.
Jermaine Ulinwa said that he took a photo of Lillard with his cell phone after he spotted him walking toward a parking lot.
“So I took a picture. And so Damian Lillard was upset that I took his picture, so when he turned around he's like, "Did you just take my picture?" said Ulinwa.
“And his entourage just turned around too and they're like, ‘Did you just take a picture of Damian Lillard?’ ... and I said 'Yeah, I did.' And so I saw that he was clearly upset, they were upset and I was like, 'Can I apologize to him? I'll go up right now and apologize to him,'” the brother said.
Philip Ulinwa says he was punched and kicked repeatedly, enough to break his nose and require stitches in his lip.
"I'm getting hit from behind, I'm trying to fight the guy in front, trying to defend myself and there's guys trying to hold me down," said Ulinwa.
Lillard was recently named the 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year.
“Damian Lillard basically instigated it, because he actually looked like he was going to go up to my brother and start fighting him. And since he did that, the rest of the guys started getting riled up too and like they thought it was okay to just start fighting out of nowhere,” said Phil Ulinwa.
Police confirmed they are investigating the incident.
“What we do know for certain at this point is Damian Lillard is not a suspect in this incident at all," said Portland Police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson. "Police did talk to him there. He remained at the scene. What we don’t know is if these people were actually associated with him or people standing in a group or hangers on. We're not really sure yet."
The Portland Trail Blazers “really like” Victor Oladipo and are considering moving up in the draft to get him, according to a source close to the prospect.
Oladipo expressed interest in playing for the Blazers.
“I would really love to go to Portland, and I'm not just saying that,” Oladipo said. “I hope, and I don't think I'm dropping that far, but if they decided to move up somehow, I think that would be a great situation for me. It's a place where you can just concentrate on basketball.”
Oladipo is projected to go in the top five of the upcoming draft.
Kaleb Canales is leaving the Portland Trail Blazers to take an assistant coaching position with the Dallas Mavericks.
Canales, a finalist for the Blazers' coaching vacancy last offseason that ultimately went to Terry Stotts, served as a defensive coordinator on Portland's staff this season.
Stotts had said he wanted to remove the "coordinator" label and make both ends of the court a team effort from the coaches.
Canales was the Blazers' interim coach in 2012, when the organization fired Nate McMillan.
Damian Lillard has heard the criticism of his defense and took time during Wednesday’s Rookie of the Year presentation to answer his critics.
“When people say stuff about my defense, it bothers me,’’ Lillard said. “And I’m aware of it. It drives me. It lights a fire under me.’’
Lillard plans to study defense this summer under the direction of Gary Payton, who won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 1995-96.
Payton reached out to Lillard watching the rookie point guard score 37 points at Golden State.
“He said ‘I want to help you,’ ’’ Lillard said. “He said it would take time for me to become a defender, but he said I have everything to become one. So this will be the summer where I get in the gym with him and try to learn from him.’’
Neil Olshey is thrilled at the prospect of Lillard working out with Payton.
“The more time Dame spends with Gary this offseason, the more I know Dame will respect that he has to give an incredible effort on the defensive end,’’ Olshey said. “Because if Gary is going to invest time in him talking about defense, Damian is the type of kid who will feel like he has to deliver.’’
Jermaine O'Neal openly talked about returning to the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason as a free agent.
O'Neal was a first round pick by the Blazers in the 1996 NBA Draft straight out of high school.
“I'm very open to Portland. They're definitely a team I'm looking forward to having talks with this summer,” O'Neal said. “LaMarcus [Aldridge] and Damian [Lillard] along with [Nicolas] Batum are some great pieces to build around. All they need to do is shore up the bench and add a paint presence on defense and they'll be right there. It's hard to put that type of stress on your starting five and I know I can help ease some of that stress.”
O'Neal played for the Phoenix Suns this past season.
“Portland is a team I have to look at this summer. That city has always been in my heart because one: Mr. [Paul] Allen gave me my opportunity, and two: that city took me in as their second child,” he explained. “I didn't play for two or three years but you couldn't tell. The organization and the fans really allowed me to grow at my own pace. It's a special place to me. I met my wife in Portland. At this point for me, it's all about competing and winning and the Blazers are doing those things.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers have held internal discussions of pursuing a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers for LaMarcus Aldridge, according to sources.
The Cavaliers have enough assets in the form of young players and picks to acquire a player of Aldridge's caliber, but the front office is said to value Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters higher than the rest of the NBA.
Damian Lillard has taken pressure off Anthony Davis, allowing him to develop without shouldering expectations to potentially win the Rookie of the Year.
Dion Waiters played in 12 games during February and averaged 15.8 points on .514 shooting, 2.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.2 minutes per game.