Ashish Mathur Articles - Page 183

Utah Jazz executive vice president Dennis Lindsey has nothing but great things to say about small forward Royce O’Neale. Two years ago, O’Neale was in mini-camp for the Jazz and Summer League with the New Orleans Pelicans. After showing Utah what he could do, the Jazz signed the swingman to a three-year, $3.8 million contract […]

Golden State Warriors point guard D’Angelo Russell says he’s “getting to see a lot of different parts” about the business side of the NBA. Russell will be playing for his third team in five years next season. The new Warriors guard played two seasons each with the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets. “Oh man, […]

Golden State Warriors guard D’Angelo Russell is excited to play for head coach Steve Kerr. Russell, who will start in the Warriors’ backcourt alongside Stephen Curry while Klay Thompson recovers from an ACL injury, says Kerr “brings out the best in his players.” “I’ve had small conversations with him, but nothing too major so far,” […]

Golden State Warriors All-Star point guard D’Angelo Russell says a lot of teams — and not just the Dubs — are “flying under the radar” after the crazy offseason moves which took place this summer. One of the biggest moves this offseason was the Los Angeles Lakers’ acquisition of superstar big man Anthony Davis in […]

Kawhi Leonard’s close friend, Jeremy Castleberry, will be an assistant coach on the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Jabari Young of The Athletic. Castleberry earned his degree at San Diego State University, where Leonard went to college. Castleberry played basketball with Leonard in high school and college. Leonard signed a three-year, $103 million contract with […]

All-Star point guard D’Angelo Russell is “beyond excited” to join the Golden State Warriors, who have been to five straight NBA Finals and won three out of the last five championships. Russell says the Warriors “do nothing but win.” The former No. 2 overall pick is looking forward to learning what it takes to compete […]

Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker believes Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum’s struggles from last season will be “motivation for them” moving forward. The Celtics as a team underwhelmed in 2018-19. Before the season started, everyone thought Boston was going to win the Eastern Conference with ease and Tatum and Brown would play like All-Stars. […]

The Miami Heat believe they can get John Wall back to playing at an All-Star level if they acquire him in a Bradley Beal trade, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Heat are enamored with Beal and would love to get him from the Washington Wizards, who to this point, have no […]

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban thinks 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony should be on the Team USA roster. Cuban says he had to speak up for Anthony and thinks Melo should “absolutely” be on the Team USA 12-man roster which will compete at the FIBA World Cup in China. "Absolutely he should be there" @mcuban […]

Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton says if USA and Greece meet in the FIBA World Cup in China, his Bucks teammate — superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo — is going to take that game “very personally.” Antetokounmpo recently said he would trade his 2019 MVP trophy for a gold medal at the FIBA World Cup. Middleton says […]

Los Angeles Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank says the only thing owner Steve Ballmer wants is “championships.” For the first time in franchise history, the Clippers are title contenders with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the roster. LAC signed Leonard in free agency and then acquired George from the Oklahoma City Thunder. […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have hired former NBA center Roy Hibbert to a player development coaching role, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. During his NBA career, Hibbert played for the Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets and Denver Nuggets. His best years were with the Pacers, where he was a two-time […]

Atlanta Hawks center Alex Len wants to win the 2020 Most Improved Player of the Year Award. Len has been training hard this summer, working on his 3-point shot a lot. Barring something unforeseen happening, Len will likely be the Hawks’ starting center next season. Via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic: One of the trainers […]

Atlanta Hawks big man Alex Len wants to be the team’s starting center next season and he’s been working very hard this summer to ensure that happens. The Hawks lost last year’s starting center, Dewayne Dedmon, to the Sacramento Kings in free agency. Atlanta drafted Bruno Fernando in the 2019 NBA Draft and signed Damian […]

Atlanta Hawks center Alex Len was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. During his time in Phoenix, Len showed small flashes of being a starting-caliber center, but for the most part, his tenure with the Suns was a disappointment. After spending the first five years of […]

Boston Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum is enjoying spending time with his new point guard, Kemba Walker, at Team USA training camp in Las Vegas. Tatum says it’s been “fun” playing with Walker in practice and getting to know the three-time All-Star off the court. Tatum and Walker are joined in Vegas by teammates Marcus […]

Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo is a big fan of San Antonio Spurs guard Derrick White. White is on the USA Select Team and has been turning heads left and right at Team USA training camp in Las Vegas. “I think White has been very, very good,” Colangelo said, via Tom Orsborn of the […]

Chicago Bulls small forward Thaddeus Young says Los Angeles Clippers star small forward Paul George is “better than ever” after suffering that gruesome leg injury in the summer of 2014. George sustained an open fracture of the tibia and fibula bones in his lower right leg. Young and George were teammates on the Indiana Pacers […]

Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo says while Los Angeles Clippers superstar small forward Paul George’s 2014 leg injury “was a travesty” at the time, he admits George’s return to form “kind of minimized what transpired.” At the Team USA scrimmage in 2014, George suffered an open fracture of the tibia and fibula bones in […]

Justin Holiday didn’t sign with the Indiana Pacers just because his brother Aaron Holiday is on the team. While that did play somewhat of a role for the older Holiday brother, the basketball fit on the Pacers just made too much sense for Justin, who signed a one-year, $4.8 million deal with Indiana. "You're going […]

Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox has been turning heads left and right at Team USA training camp in Las Vegas. Multiple reports have come out of Las Vegas stating Fox has been the early standout. All signs point toward the Kings’ floor general making the 12-man roster which will compete at the FIBA World […]

Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins is enjoying his summer. Cousins is currently in the Bahamas with John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and Draymond Green. The new Lakers star also got some work in, playing one-on-one with a fan while wearing slippers. https://twitter.com/FlamingTyrana/status/1159438661294919681?s=20 The Lakers signed DeMarcus Cousins to a one-year, $3.5 million contract this offseason. […]

Atlanta Hawks veteran Vince Carter says New York Knicks rookie RJ Barrett is the “one guy that I’m kind of excited to see how he turns out.” The Knicks selected Barrett with the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Duke. “But there are a lot of great rookies out there. It’s […]

Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker hates that people are only saying the Russell Westbrook-James Harden star pairing won’t work. The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers have two dynamic duos as well, but pundits don’t seem to be skeptical about those duos as much as the Rockets’. “I hate when people talk about certain guys […]

To facilitate his trade to the Houston Rockets, former MVP Russell Westbrook agreed to amend the pay schedule on his contract to make payouts more team-friendly and less front-loaded, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. Westbrook signed a five-year, $206.8 million contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer of 2017. […]

Hall of Famer Jason Kidd is looking forward to helping LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers achieve their goal of winning a championship next season. The Lakers hired Kidd as an assistant coach on Frank Vogel’s staff. Kidd and James have a close relationship. They were teammates on Team USA back in the day. […]

An NBA executive says teams only have “two years” to contend for a championship in today’s NBA before they have to consider making trades or gutting the entire roster and starting over, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic. In the past, teams used to have a five-year window to win a title. That’s not […]

Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd can’t wait to coach superstar power forward Anthony Davis next season. Kidd, a Hall of Famer, is Frank Vogel’s lead assistant on the Lakers. He says Davis “has the total package” and can do everything on a basketball court. “When you talk about Anthony Davis, he can put […]

PJ Tucker says the Houston Rockets are “one of the top three or four teams in the league.” There was a lot of roster turnover this summer, so there are a few new elite teams in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers acquired star power forward Anthony Davis, so they now have AD and LeBron […]

Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker says he’s excited to play with former MVP Russell Westbrook next season. The Rockets acquired Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a blockbuster trade involving Chris Paul. Houston is the only team in the NBA with two MVPs on its roster in Westbrook and James Harden. “[Westbrook] is another […]

Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker firmly believes the Rockets would have won the 2018 championship if All-Star point guard Chris Paul didn’t suffer a hamstring injury in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors. The Rockets had a 3-2 lead over the Warriors, but weren’t able to close the series […]

Miami Heat icon Udonis Haslem says All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler is an “amazing tremendous competitor.” The Heat acquired Butler from the Philadelphia 76ers in a sign-and-trade deal involving Josh Richardson. Haslem and Butler figure to be the two leaders in Miami next season: “Another leader,” Haslem said of what Butler brings to the Heat, […]

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young believes the team has a big opportunity next season to make some noise in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks’ roster is headlined by Young, John Collins, Kevin Huerter, Vince Carter and rookies De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish and Bruno Fernando. Atlanta also acquired veteran small forward Evan Turner from the […]

Charlotte Hornets big man Miles Bridges says he’s “coming in hungrier” next season after three-time All-Star point guard Kemba Walker left for the Boston Celtics in free agency. With Walker gone, Bridges knows he has to be more aggressive and productive on offense for the Hornets to compete on a nightly basis. “I knew this […]

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart says his left calf injury is “nothing serious.” Smart is out indefinitely for Team USA and will be re-evaluated by doctors next week when Team USA heads to Los Angeles for the second week of training camp. Smart, the heart and soul of the Celtics, says he’s just being cautious. […]

Golden State Warriors All-Star power forward Draymond Green reportedly has nearly $50 million in “advance payments” in his new contract, according to Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights. Green signed a four-year, roughly $100 million extension with the Warriors. Per Siegel, Green will get 25 percent of his annual salary on July 1 of each […]

New York Knicks guard Allonzo Trier and Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant are very close friends off the court. Trier and Durant have been good friends for close to a decade and attended the same high school. The Knicks guard visited Durant one day after finishing a workout in Los Angeles. Durant is recovering from […]

Kevin Durant says he still thinks about the night he tore his Achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. The former Golden State Warriors superstar, who is now on the Brooklyn Nets, is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season. “Yeah, I still think about that night,” Durant told Chris […]

Brooklyn Nets superstar small forward Kevin Durant says he’ll be “back playing at a high level” once he returns from his Achilles injury. Durant knows it’s going to be a long process, but the two-time Finals MVP is ready to put in the work. “Man, life is good,” Durant told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. […]