The NBA season is heating up, with contenders looking to pull away from the pack and others struggling to keep up.
Check out the latest news and rumors below.
Lakers Should Consider Trading Kobe, Columnist Says
Kobe Bryant has become the subject of trade rumors as the Los Angeles Lakers keep losing and it becomes apparent they won’t make the playoffs.
The group, which some fans considered a possible contender for a low seed, lost Steve Nash and rookie Julius Randle in the preseason or early season, and sixth man Nick Young is also out due to an injury.
The rumors appeared to start with pure speculation from an ESPN reporter, but prompted Bryant to tell Yahoo Sports that he’s not going anywhere.
But Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated says that the Lakers should consider trading Kobe.
Los Angeles Lakers News, Rumors: Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin, Jordan Hill, Julius Randle
“The Lakers are bad. Really bad. They may not challenge the ‘72-73 Sixers for the worst record of all-time, but at the very least they will keep pace with this year’s tanking Philadelphia team.The Lakers are inefficient on offense (No. 16 in the NBA), a disaster on defense and have a weird aversion to shooting the three, a weapon that virtually every successful team of this era has utilized in one form or another. Bryant has attempted nearly a third of the Lakers’ triples during their 0-5 start, suggesting that he has unilaterally decided there is still value in them,” Mannix said.
“It’s hard to see things getting much better, either. The schedule is brutal -- a Nov. 28 home date with the Wolves is the Lakers’ first game against a non-playoff contender -- and help isn’t exactly on the way. Steve Nash is gone, Julius Randle is out for the season, and if you are banking on Nick Young to make a measurable difference, well, I’ve got Ernie Grunfeld’s office number for you.
“So I'll ask: Why not trade Kobe? Or, at the very least, have a real discussion with Kobe about if he wants to be traded.”
Ray Allen Spotted in Chicago?
One rumor going around is that Ray Allen, the target of many of the best teams in the league, was spotted in Chicago.
The Bulls, along with teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Washington Wizards are targeting Allen, an unrestricted free agent.
Allen played for the Heat the last several years but few expect him to return there since LeBron James left.
Marc Silverman of ESPN 1000 reported the rumor that Allen was spotted in Chicago on Wednesday.
Allen and his agent have maintained that the 3-point ace hasn’t chosen where to go.
Allen said in late October that he’s going to watch the season unfold before he chooses.
“I’ve just been home, taking my kids to school,” Allen told the Hartford Courant.
“I’m working out, taking care of my body. I’m in great shape. I‘ll just watch how the season progresses, and if I do feel the desire to continue to play, then I’ll decide what situation is viable for me…”
Warriors, Rockets, Grizzlies Remain Unbeaten
The Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Golden State Warriors remain the only unbeaten teams in the NBA.
The Rockets are now 6-0 after trouncing the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. The Grizzlies, also in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference, are 5-0. The Warriors are on top the West’s Pacific Division at 4-0.
All three teams look to be early contenders that can go deep in the playoffs, although the Rockets schedule in particular has been fairly weak so far despite four of the wins coming on the road.
The Warriors knocked off the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday to remain unbeaten. The 121-104 win seemed to be over early in the game.
Miami Heat News, Rumors: Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Josh McRoberts, Chris Andersen
Stephen Curry had 28 points and seven assists, and Draymond Green scored a career-high 24 points to go with eight rebounds and five assists as the Warriors showed off the swagger of a confident and complete contender.
They built a 25-point lead in the second quarter and held off the Clippers the rest of the way, getting a small slice of revenge after losing a heated first-round playoff series to Los Angeles last season.
“You’ve got to be able to enjoy it,” Curry said. “We’re playing well right now.”
A number of teams have only one loss, including the Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, and Sacramento Kings.
Cavaliers Not Clicking as They’re Off to Rough Start
LeBron James looked over his shoulder, almost in disbelief.
This isn’t what he — or anyone else — imagined for the Cavaliers.
As Utah’s Gordon Hayward was mobbed by teammates after hitting a fadeaway shot over the outstretched arm of Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson at the buzzer to beat Cleveland 102-100 on Wednesday night, James peered back incredulously at the celebration one last time. He shook his head and walked to the locker room after a second stunning loss in 24 hours.
The Cavs: James, fellow All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, picked by Vegas oddsmakers to win it all, are 1-3 and look nothing like championship contenders.
Four games into the season, they are not gelling and something of a mess.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” James said.
Neither are NBA title teams.
Cavaliers News, Rumors 2014: LeBron James, Tristan Thompson, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love Updates
Just a week into the season, the Cavaliers have major chemistry issues, a motionless offense and defensive holes they might not be able to address without making a trade or two. Rookie coach David Blatt has preached patience, but has already toyed with his starting lineup, replacing guard Dion Waiters with veteran Shawn Marion.
One day after James played passively in a loss at Portland to prove a point to his young teammates, Cleveland tied a franchise record with just six assists against Utah. According to STATS LLC, the six assists are the fewest in a game for any NBA team scoring at least 100 points since 1985-86.
“There’s no way you can win a basketball game like that, just having six assists,” said James, who had four of the six assists. “We just can’t win like that. We have to figure out a way to help each other and not make it so tough.”
Irving scored 34 points against the Jazz, but Cleveland’s starting point guard did not record an assist in 45 minutes — an alarming statistic for a player supposedly running his team’s offense. Irving’s performance came after James, without naming names, pointed toward some teammates playing selfishly in the 19-point loss to the Trail Blazers.
“There’s a lot of bad habits, a lot of bad habits been built up the past couple years,” James said.
Irving did speak with reporters following the loss in Portland, which included another statistical anomaly: James did not score in the second half.
James is conflicted. He’s trying to decide whether to carry the Cavs or let them learn tough lessons through losses. The easy solution would be for the four-time MVP to take over games the way he used to, but James has a long-term vision for the Cavs.
He’s willing to accept failure as long as it stimulates growth.
“I still got to figure out ways to get my teammates involved, too,” James said after scoring 31 points, including Cleveland’s final six, in the loss to the Jazz. “'Cause it just can’t be a one-, two- or three-man show. We have to do it together.”
He’s been through this before. When James joined Miami in 2010, the Heat ended up in the finals but started 9-8. James was subjected to the same scrutiny he’s enduring now except he said there was “anger behind the questions.” This time around, the inquiries are less emotional but equally direct: What’s going on?
For starters, James is still learning how to play with his new teammates and vice versa. There have been some sloppy moments as James, Love and Irving mesh after not being on the court together much in the preseason. The timing will come, but it’s going to take time.
The Cavs, who play at Denver on Friday, have been atrocious defensively. They’re giving up wide-open shots and their interior rotations were too slow against the Jazz, who scored 46 points in the paint and outrebounded the Cavs 41-30.
“We’re going to get every team’s best shot and we’ve got to understand we’ve got to play defense,” Marion said. “We’ve got to guard somebody. It’s easy to get points, but if you don’t play defense you’re not going to give yourself a chance.”
Blatt’s offense, based on the precise cutting and screening principles he learned while playing guard at Princeton, isn’t working. The Cavs are standing and watching each other. They’re not moving the ball in search of a better shot. There have been flashes, not nearly enough.
Back when he announced his return to Cleveland, James cautioned the Cavs would face challenges. In his Sports Illustrated essay, James forecast failing would be part of the path to a title.
“I’m not promising a championship,” he said in July. “I know how hard that is to deliver. We’re not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I’m realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested.”
Perhaps sooner than he thought.
Metta World Peace Looking to Return to NBA
Metta World Peace, currently playing in China, is looking to return to the NBA.
The 34-year-old was interviewed on the Dan Patrick Show this week and he said he’s having a good time in China but wants to return to the NBA after the Chinese season ends.
“Potentially, the couple people I spoke to -- I don’t want to mention who -- I could be back this year,” he said.
But he won’t be playing for the Lakers or Knicks.
“I'd rather play in Angola. Send me to Africa,” World Peace said.
Jordan Rookie Card Could Bring More Than $80,000
DALLAS—A Michael Jordan rookie card in top condition is expected to earn more than $80,000 at auction.
Heritage Auctions in Dallas is offering the card from 1986 in an online auction where it’s expected to sell after midnight Thursday. The consigner wishes to remain anonymous.
Chris Ivy, Heritage’s director of sports collectibles, says the Fleer card is one of only five Jordan rookie cards to get Beckett Grading Services’ top grade of “Pristine 10.”
Ivy says the card is dated to 1986, even though Jordan’s first year with the Chicago Bulls was 1984, because basketball cards weren’t manufactured from 1982 to 1984. He says Topps made them from 1968 until 1981 and then Fleer began printing them, offering “what is acknowledged by collectors as the true Jordan rookie.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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