Russell Westbrook can either rage against the minor humbling he's been due his entire career, or he makes a few changes to his approach and we see how far the Rockets can go with everybody on the same page. Read more »
Basketball Analysis
Russell Westbrook's Full-Blown Conundrum
2019 Western Conference Offseason Chatter From Summer League
With so much turnover this offseason, and another exciting draft class, teams had lots and lots to say. Read more »
Jimmy Butler Gets To Do What He Wants In Miami
Regardless of the mental machinations involved, South Beach Jimmy does seem a purer expression of Jimmy Butler's values. He wants to win, but he also wants status and credit and the ball. Read more »
2019 Eastern Conference Offseason Chatter From Summer League
With so much turnover this offseason, and another exciting draft class, teams had lots and lots to say. Read more »
Chris Paul In Exile
After burning through two franchises in three years, Chris Paul is now what other people make of him, and not the other way around, as he's so strongly insisted over all these years. Read more »
The NBA Can Fix The Broken Youth Basketball System If They Chose To
The NBA is the only organization in America with the prestige, the cultural capital and the incentive to spearhead a more tightly regulated youth club system that prioritizes the safety and skill development of players. Read more »
Has The NBA Transactional Game Fulfilled Any Of You?
You get the sense that for some people, sports are at their purest when the athletic spectacle drops all the way out of the picture, and they can track everything else. Read more »
The Solitude Of Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook is so domineering, so omnivorous as a player that he plays an outsized role in determining his team's fate even if he is not their best player. Read more »
D'Angelo Russell's Weird NBA Journey Now Has Him In Limbo
The Player Empowerment Era looks a little different for D'Angelo Russell: where a guy can get dumped by the team that drafted him, make the best of his new surroundings, and then get shipped to a third franchise that doesn't even want him. Read more »
What Exactly Does Kyrie Irving Want?
What Kyrie Irving is striving for remains as opaque as ever. The irony of Irving's move to the Nets is that he now finds himself in a similar situation to the one he was so eager to leave two summers ago. Read more »
The Free Agency Farce And The Fun Guy Abiding It
The safest claim about Kawhi Leonard's forthcoming decision is that it will be his own. Reverse engineering his decision beyond that will always be a guessing game. Read more »
Toronto Raptors: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview
The Raptors' summer isn't really all that complex. If Kawhi Leonard returns, they will contend for another title. If Leonard leaves, they'll start to pivot towards youth and building for the future. Read more »
Golden State Warriors: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview
While adding depth is important, Kevin Durant's situation is what will drive the Warriors approach to the roster for years to come, and ultimately their ability to get back to being a Finals contender. Read more »
Milwaukee Bucks: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview
The best way to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo with the Bucks is to repeat last year's success. And the best way to do that is to keep the band together as much as possible. Read more »
Portland Trail Blazers: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview
The Blazers have the second-most returning players on guaranteed contracts of any team in the NBA with 10. That group includes four of five starters, but only one of the team's main reserves. Read more »
Philadelphia 76ers: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview
Given the price they paid to acquire Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, and how it pushed the 76ers away from "The Process" years and into contention, it's a good bet they'll do whatever they can to re-sign both players. Read more »
The Maximum Available 2019 Cap Space For All 30 NBA Teams (Eve Of Offseason Edition)
This summer features the perfect combination of superstar talent and available cap space to reset the NBA in a major way. It's going to be a fast and furious summer. Read more »
The NBA Yeoman's Plight
Playing meaningful minutes in games that matter is a new thing for Kent Bazemore, one he's toiled hard for and inarguably earned. Bazemore has taken an indirect route to this moment, but that is the way it always goes for players like him. Read more »
Denver Nuggets: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview
It should be a quiet summer for Denver outside the Paul Millsap decision. Read more »
Houston Rockets: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview
Daryl Morey promised changes this summer, but it's a little hard to see where those changes are going to come from. Read more »
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