While he was never that in Cleveland, he was serviceable but his efficiency never reached those heights again. Hughes also struggled with injuries and his absence is a large part of why the Cavs got swept in the 2007 Fin
“I look forward to that matchup,” Butler said after Friday’s practice . “Especially what he’s done this year for that team. I know that it’s going to come at some point in time. I don’t know when — but I’m going to make it tough for him. For anybody that I’m guarding. Not just me, it’s going to be a team effort. I’m going to get beat at times, I’m going to need guys to be there. If not, then we’ll do it over and over again ’til somebody is there if I’m beat. But I look forward to that challenge. I want th
“He’s been that height for a long time now, so he’s mastered it,” Butler said . “He’s really good at what he does. Coming off, pulling up, shooting shots. Getting to the rim, getting to the free throw line. 5[-foot-]8, 6-8, whatever it is, the guy knows how to put the ball in the bask
At 31 years old, Deng is getting a career-lows in points with 7.6 per game, the first season out of 12 in the single-digits. He is under contract for the next three seasons at an average of about $18 million per y
A few Rose surgeries, a firing of coach Tom Thibodeau (now in Minnesota), and some fan favorites on the move later, and the Bulls are fighting for their playoff lives this spring after missing the playoffs altogether a year
Now back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James is back to his title-winning ways. He led the Cavs to their first-ever title last year and is gearing up to make a run at his seventh-straight NBA teams|Https://nbaactioninsight.com/ Finals this y
After spending his entire eight years with the Bulls, the fan-favorite was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline, along with Doug McDermott, for an underwhelming package headlined by point guard Cameron Pa
Coached by Erik Spoelstra, who is still in charge of the Heat, the 2011-12 squad delivered the first of the back-to-back titles of the Big Three era. Here’s where the starting five and key contributors from that year’s team are
Hughes is still one of the more puzzling members of those pre-return LeBron teams, as he was looked at as a legitimate sidekick for The King at the time. He had just averaged 22 points per game with the Wizards and led the league in ste
In the four contests against the Bulls this year, Thomas put up 24.8 points and 5.8 assists per game. However, he shot the ball very well against Chicago, going 53.8 percent from the field along with 48.4 percent from three-point ra
After spending last season with the Shandong Golden Stars in China, Cole signed a contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder in March. He is now averaging 2.3 points and 1.1 assists in limited action as the team’s third-string point gu
Next up is the Los Angeles Lakers, who have the most at stake here. Their 2017 first-round pick belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers, but they attached top-three protection to it. This means if it falls out of the top-three, the 76ers will take the pick and the Lakers are left empty-han
“He’s a big part to what they do,” Butler explained . “We all know that. I think they know that. But you can’t take him out the game and think that you can win. Because they got a lot of other really good players, role players that make shots, create for others. They guard, they rebound, pass the ball. They got a really good team; they’re really good at what they
The Phoenix Suns have the second best odds, riding a massive losing streak for most of the final portion of the season. They’ll have a 19.9 percent chance at landing No. 1, 38.7 percent chance of sticking in the top-two, and 55.8 percent chance of their selection being top-th
His time with the Heat provided flashes, but his body would betray him a lot during his only campaign with the team. The big man is now a student manager for the Ohio State basketball team while he tries to go on to earn his deg
The 5’9″ Thomas is in the midst of a spectacular, career-best campaign, averaging 28.9 points and 5.9 assists. If you’ve watched the Celtics play this year, you know that their entire offense runs through him and he’s what makes them tick. Further, he’s been the best fourth quarter scorer in the league, providing important points down the stretch of most ga
While taking Thomas out of the game with his swarming defense would be wonderful for the Bulls, Butler knows that the Celtics still would have other pieces on their roster that his teammates would need to be ready
The Matrix was pretty much hooked up to a dial-up modem by the time he made his way to Cleveland. He saw minutes early in the season but never really got used by head coach David Blatt, even when his team was gasping for air on offence with 7 bodies in the Fin
King James is near the end of season number 14 for him in his career. He’s played almost an additional season of basketball if you count the postseason and the Finals. In the championship rounds he’s had the aid of players like Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irv
