Bryan Toporek Articles - Page 2

For a group of people that spent years preaching patience, a wide swath of Philadelphia 76ers fans quickly plunged into panic mode Tuesday night. Apparently, it’s Markelle Fultz panic time. The Sixers’ season-opening 105-87 loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden re-exposed warts that the Celtics routinely abused during the Eastern Conference semifinals this past […]

Heading into training camp, the Minnesota Timberwolves have fallen into complete disarray. That should come as no surprise to anyone who paid attention in recent months. Dating back to the spring (if not longer), rumors were circulating about behind-the-scenes discord in the Timberwolves organization. In May, ESPN 1500’s Darren Wolfson said (via NBC Sports’ Dan […]

Last summer, a disgruntled All-Star forward requested a trade. A small-market team with a franchise-caliber point guard swooped in and unexpectedly acquired him, undeterred by persistent chatter about his interest in heading to Los Angeles as a free agent the following summer. That worked out brilliantly for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who won Paul George […]

In LeBron James’ absence, conventional wisdom dictates the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors or Philadelphia 76ers will take his place as rulers of the Eastern Conference. Even if Kawhi Leonard departs Toronto as a free agent next summer, the Celtics and 76ers appear poised to reign supreme over the East for the next half-decade. So long […]

Perhaps no player enters the 2018-19 season with more to prove than Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz. The 2017 No. 1 overall pick was the first player the Sixers actually cashed in assets for, and his injury-plagued rookie season contrasted with flashes of stardom from Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. Fultz played a total of […]

The NBA’s Christmas Day schedule is always a delicate balancing act, and this year’s slate is no different. On one hand, Christmas Day is one of the few days where you can binge 10-plus hours of live NBA action. However, family obligations often prevent even the most hardcore basketball diehards from doing so. If you […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder never quite found their identity during the 2017-18 season. After adding Paul George and Carmelo Anthony last summer, they were certainly going to have some difficulty coalescing, but Andre Roberson’s midseason patellar tendon injury threw them for a loop just as they were beginning to surge. Thanks to their moves this […]

The two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors will enter the 2018-19 NBA season as commanding favorites to three-peat next June, according to oddsmakers. They added DeMarcus Cousins with their taxpayer mid-level exception, while their closest competition, the Houston Rockets, lost both Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute in free agency. Even if the Warriors […]

Kawhi Leonard wants out of San Antonio, according to multiple reports, and the Philadelphia 76ers may be willing to oblige him…at the right price. According to ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers have “been engaged in talks” with the Spurs on a deal involving Leonard. “So far, they have kept three players off-limits” in those conversations, […]

Upon taking over the Brooklyn Nets’ general manager job in February 2016, Sean Marks inherited what could charitably be called a nuclear wasteland. His predecessor, Billy King, had pissed away three unprotected first-round picks along with a first-round pick swap in the ill-fated trade for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in 2013, condemning Brooklyn to […]

The New York Knicks’ toughest decision in the coming weeks has nothing to do with the free-agent class of 2018. Instead, they’ll have to weigh whether to sign star big man Kristaps Porzingis to an extension now rather than next summer. Porzingis became eligible to sign a new deal on July 1, and he’ll be […]

After acquiring Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks have their backcourt of the future set. That makes finding a center their top priority heading into free agency. Dirk Nowitzki spent a career-high 97 percent of his minutes at the 5 last season, according to Basketball Reference, but that isn’t a viable long-term solution. Nerlens Noel meshed […]

The Milwaukee Bucks are headed into a franchise-defining period after losing to the Boston Celtics in the first round. Though star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is signed through the 2020-21 season, vultures will soon begin to circle Milwaukee if the Bucks don’t make substantial progress, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted last summer. .@wojespn says Hayward's exit […]

In the absence of a permanent general manager, it appears the spirit of Sam Hinkie overtook the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers entered the week with six of the draft’s 60 picks, including No. 10 overall. They left Thursday night with three new rookies, an unprotected 2021 Miami Heat first-round pick and three future second-rounders. That […]

With the 14th overall pick, the Denver Nuggets decided the reward outweighed the risk, drafting Michael Porter Jr. In doing so, they may have landed the steal of the draft. The 6’10” forward was the second-ranked player in his high school class, trailing only Marvin Bagley III, according to 247Sports. However, Porter lasted only two […]

Leading up to last year’s draft, the Los Angeles Lakers shipped D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets to escape from Timofey Mozgov’s albatross contract. At the time, general manager Rob Pelinka explained why the Lakers sold so low on Russell, who they selected with the second overall pick only two years priors. The Lakers, he […]

After a franchise-best 65-win regular season and a seven-game slugfest against the Golden State Warriors, the Houston Rockets are headed into a momentous offseason. Chris Paul, Trevor Ariza, Luc Mbah a Moute and Gerald Green will all be unrestricted free agents on July 1, while Clint Capela will be a restricted free agent. That’s not […]

The Detroit Pistons find themselves in dire straits heading into the 2018 offseason. Despite trading for Blake Griffin in January, the Pistons still finished under .500 and missed the playoffs for the eighth time in the past nine seasons. and haven’t won a single playoff game since the 2007-08 season. After the Pistons’ disappointing finish […]

Heading into their most important offseason since Allen Iverson’s heyday, the Philadelphia 76ers received a rude awakening Tuesday night courtesy of The Ringer’s Ben Detrick. Detrick published an extensive report detailing team president Bryan Colangelo’s alleged use of secret Twitter accounts to bash Philadelphia’s players, coaching staff and executives around the league, including his Sixers […]

Try as he may, LeBron James can’t earn another trip to the NBA Finals by himself. If the Cleveland Cavaliers’ don’t reverse a series-long trend and play well on the road against the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, no amount of heroics from James will be enough to stave off […]

No NBA team entered Tuesday with more at stake than the Cleveland Cavaliers. No NBA team left Tuesday feeling more defeated. Not only did the Boston Celtics surge to a 2-0 series lead over the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals with a come-from-behind 107-94 victory in Game 2, but Cleveland didn’t defy the odds […]

Despite winning a franchise-record 59 games during the regular season, the Toronto Raptors fired head coach Dwane Casey on Friday after LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers swept them out of the playoffs yet again. “After careful consideration, I have decided this is a very difficult but necessary step the franchise must take,” team president […]

Fresh off a second-round postseason knockout at the hands of their longtime rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers now must look ahead to a crucial offseason. After finishing the regular season on a 16-game winning streak and notching a first-round victory against the Miami Heat, the Sixers cemented themselves as a legitimate Eastern Conference force. Though inexperience […]

Season Autopsies: San Antonio Spurs | Phoenix Suns | Dallas Mavericks | Sacramento Kings | Denver Nuggets | Milwaukee Bucks | Miami Heat | Minnesota Timberwolves When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for Jimmy Butler and signed Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford in free agency last summer, they appeared ready to snap their 14-year playoff drought. They accomplished that mission by the skin of their teeth, beating the […]

When the final horn sounded Friday night in the Utah Jazz’s series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the countdown clock on Paul George’s free agency officially began. George, who is widely expected to turn down his $20.7 million player option for 2018-19 to become an unrestricted free agent, will be one of […]

In Underpants Gnomes nomenclature, the Philadelphia 76ers’ rebuilding strategy over the past half-decade looked something like this: PHASE 1: Tank to acquire young superstars via the draft PHASE 2: ??? PHASE 3: Win championship(s) With their opening-round knockout of the Miami Heat, the Sixers appear ready to fast-forward through the second phase of that plan. […]

Despite having traded away Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, the Los Angeles Clippers find themselves firmly entrenched in the wide-open Western Conference playoff race. What they lack in star power, they now boast in complementary contributions from their supporting cast. Regardless of how they fare in their playoff chase, the Clippers face another difficult decision […]

How the Philadelphia 76ers could sign LeBron James in free agency Will LeBron James play out the twilight of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers? Considering how easily they can carve out enough cap space to offer him a maximum contract, no one should discount them as a possible landing spot. On Feb. 27, Sixers […]