Jeff Olalo Articles - Page 6

NBA fans correctly predicting where an incoming hot shot free agent would land in the offseason isn’t exactly unique or impressive. It’s very easy to make an educated guess given what little information we have. But what if someone was able to predict not one, but two outrageous big moves a few years before it […]

With LeBron James in attendance at one point to support his Los Angeles Lakers’ young talent pool at the Thomas and Mack Center, “The King” personally witnessed the promising skills of incoming sophomore Josh Hart who was consistently turning heads for the Purple and Gold’s Summer League squad. In six games, the 23-year-old put up […]

With the exception of Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker, and Kristaps Porzingis, the 2015 NBA Draft was largely a disappointing class devoid of players that one could truly label as franchise-altering superstars. And of those three, only one (Booker) has quickly wrapped up an extension with his team. So maybe D’Angelo Russell shouldn’t worry too much […]

After star player Kristaps Porzingis suffered a gruesome injury in the middle of a losing streak, the New York Knicks saw their promising season come into a crashing halt. Sure enough, the team only managed to win six of their remaining 27 games, stumbling into a 29-53 finish. Head coach Jeff Hornacek was promptly fired […]

There has never been a player quite like Kawhi Leonard in the NBA. Yes, the San Antonio Spurs forward’s 7-foot-3 wingspan relative to his 6-foot-6 size without shoes, while not unique, is still fairly rare. But it’s his massive hands that are truly the star of his measurables; at 9.8 inches long and 11.3 inches […]

Maybe the Philadelphia 76ers don’t need Kawhi Leonard after all. According to stats compiled by Andy Bailey of the Hardwood Knocks podcast via NBAMath.com, not only was the frontcourt of Joel Embiid and Dario Saric the second most effective big man tandem in the league last season, but the starting five of Embiid, Saric, Robert […]

Prior to the draft, rumors swirled that the Chicago Bulls are in the market for a point guard potentially to replace Kris Dunn after the team has reportedly soured out on his lackluster offseason workouts. With the Bulls drafting Wendell Carter Jr., however, it’s up in the air whether this was merely pre-draft theatrics to […]

Before today, LaMelo Ball was known for two things. The first is being the youngest sibling among the Ball brothers, mostly due to their connection to the outspoken and certainly controversial LaVar Ball. The other one is his haircut, which could be effectively summarized as the biological offspring of Ben Wallace and Elfrid Payton’s do. […]

If you have to guess who is the all-time leading scorer in NBA Summer League history, it’s probably safe to say that it was a high lottery pick or someone that quickly became a superstar in the NBA. Maybe Anthony Morrow? He holds the record for most points with 47 after all, a record that […]

While we wait for further development on the Kawhi Leonard trade front, the San Antonio Spurs may have just gained an additional bargaining chip in getting their unhappy star forward to stay. Besides the departure of Tony Parker (the purportedly quote source of the straw that broke the camel’s back), Bobby Marks of ESPN reports […]

James Michael McAdoo’s young NBA career will have to take a backseat for now. According to Nicola Lupo of Sportando, the two-time NBA champion has signed with Auxilium Fiat Torino of the Italy Serie-A basketball league and will play in the 7DAYS EuroCup (or also known as EuroCup Basketball) next season. Although the typical landing […]

LeBron James made his first public appearance as a new member of the Los Angeles Lakers at the Thomas and Mack Center to show support for the Josh Hart-led Summer League crew who made it to the third round of the playoffs. The former Cleveland Cavaliers star not only drew attention for his reunion with […]

Still reeling from the loss of point guard Rajon Rondo to the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Orleans Pelicans may have tried to replace their departing court general with a former Laker, Isaiah Thomas. During the guard’s Instagram live stream, after becoming the newest member of the Denver Nuggets, Pelicans star Anthony Davis posted a […]

The father and son tandem of Dell Curry and Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry were part of this year’s American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament that started last Tuesday. The interesting part, however, was Dell betting Steph that he wouldn’t trail by more than 20 points when the tournament ends. It’s a little unusual considering that […]

The offseason has barely even started, but most teams are already planning for the summer of 2019 – which is expected to have a host of quality free agents including the likes of Kemba Walker, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, and Kristaps Porzingis, among many others depending on whether they sign extensions or opt in. One […]

Chauncey Billups is remembered for a lot of his on the court stuff, but his journey in the NBA is not over, at least if it is up to him. The typical transition for an NBA player after hanging their sneakers for good is in coaching – mostly from the bottom as one of many […]

Amar’e Stoudemire has been adamant about an NBA return since retiring in 2016. In fact, just a few days ago, he posted an Instagram photo of his new look with the hashtag #NBAReturn. But for now, the former Phoenix Suns center will have to make do with being a member of the BIG3 alongside fellow […]

Trae Young is no stranger to celebrities. The Atlanta Hawks lottery pick (well technically the Dallas Mavericks, but you get the drift) has barely even laced his NBA sneakers and he already has a signed jersey from Kobe Bryant, a deep discussion with Stephen Curry, as well as run-ins with the likes of rap group […]

It didn’t take too long for LeBron James to get his own mural in California shortly after agreeing to terms with the Los Angeles Lakers. The artwork (located in Venice, California) even has the title “The King of L.A.” inscribed — a lofty title given that the decorated NBA veteran and future Hall of Famer […]

With the Golden State Warriors opting to go younger given that their nucleus is getting up there in age, the reigning NBA champions have decided to part ways with centers Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee, while David West and Nick Young are expected to follow suit. While West’s free agency prospects looks dimmer with big […]

As far as the Golden State Warriors’ championship teams are concerned, newly-signed Detroit Pistons center Zaza Pachulia is probably at the bottom of the totem pole. Known for their ultra-small lineups (often to close out games), the Warriors simply have not much need for a traditional center like Pachulia or JaVale McGee any longer – even […]

More than a week since free agency started, the market is nearly dry and only a handful of marquee free agents remain unsigned. Many have predicted that due to only a few teams having cap space (and said teams are not really buyers given their rebuilding phase), there won’t be much spending sprees this summer. […]

The last time the Los Angeles Lakers signed a superstar of incredible magnitude and quickly secured a movie deal, that player brought us one of the biggest critical and commercial failures of all time in Steel. Then again prior to that project, Shaquille O’Neal already gave us an arguably worse picture in Kazaam so there’s […]

The NBA offseason could be exciting or tedious, depending on when you ask. The most exciting moment is certainly the time the clock strikes midnight on July 1 since that’s when the big name free agents start hammering out deals with prospective teams. And for sure, we were on the edge of our seats on […]

Its been awfully quiet for the Dallas Mavericks with regards to the status of the controversy the franchise found itself in after a Sports Illustrated exposé, published earlier in the year, revealed that there have been a spate of sexual harassment incidents as well as the continued employment of a beat writer previously arrested for […]

Rajon Rondo may be outside the Boston Celtics “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, but the 6-foot-1 guard was a major component of that short-lived team that was simply a clinic on both ends of the floor and culminated in an immediate championship as well as a series of deep playoff […]

After the influx of 17 year-olds in the NBA Draft of the mid-90s to early-00s that brought us transcendental talents like Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, and Kobe Bryant — the NBA and the NBPA, mutually agreed to put the nix on drafting high schoolers and set the age limit to 19 during CBA negotiations in […]

Widely speculated to be on the trading block during the latter half of the 2017-18 season due to disagreements with the San Antonio Spurs front office on when he should come back from an injury, Kawhi Leonard finally put the rumors to rest more than a month ago by formally demanding a trade. Sure, it […]

Shortly after LeBron James inked his four-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Culver City-based Blaze Pizza inaugurated the signing by tweeting a pizza party on Tuesday, July 10. “The King” then responded to the tweet, expressing interest in attending the party. Haven’t been to a pizza party in a minute 🤔 Culver City? […]

More than a week since free agency started, the Houston Rockets’ Clint Capela is still on the market. Despite being heralded as one of the top big men in this year’s free agent crop, Capela has not received an offer sheet from any team and negotiations with the Rockets have been fairly quiet until recently. […]

If Luke Walton needs to ask a coach for advice regarding the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, the best person to go to would probably be Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Brown. The former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach was able to coach a young James as well as guide him to his first NBA Finals […]

It’s not quite clear if the Golden State Warriors should be threatened by LeBron James‘ move to the Western Conference. While his presence certainly increases the Los Angeles Lakers’ chances (despite handicapped by a largely green core) of making their first playoff trip since a first-round sweep against the San Antonio Spurs in 2013, it […]

Utah Jazz phenom Donovan Mitchell is everywhere these days, it’s probably easier to say where he’s not at. And while his spectacular rookie campaign did not lead to a Rookie of the Year plum (or even the rare co-rookie honor), things are looking up for the 21-year-old. In fact, he may be the recipient of […]

Despite being named Florida Mr. Basketball in 1990, Clifford Rozier had an unspectacular NBA career. The former first-round pick by the Golden State Warriors’ have been mired with injuries, appearing in just 173 games throughout his short four-season NBA stint, and was already out of the league at just the age of 25. Sadly, according […]

The Summer League was originally conceived to be a scrimmage featuring this year’s draft picks (since we’re itching to see them strut their wares) and the crop of NBA hopefuls that either didn’t get picked or are slumming around year after year for an opportunity in the form of a 10-day or two-way deal. Rarely […]

With LeBron James signing his four-year, $153 million deal, the future Hall of Famer is officially a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. James joins their stellar cast of Hall of Famers and legends, including former player and now president of basketball operations Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who along with general manager Rob Pelinka, made the acquisition […]

The four year, $37 million offer sheet the Memphis Grizzlies tendered San Antonio Spurs restricted free agent Kyle Anderson proved to be too much for his former team to swallow, but the Grizzlies did have a plan B in case their offer got matched. RealGM’s Keith Smith reported that the Chicago Bulls’ own restricted free […]

Derek Fisher and Tyronn Lue had some great times. The former Los Angeles Lakers point guard and his backup both won a title during their dominant 2001 run in the NBA Playoffs with the lone blemish courtesy of the Philadelphia Sixers’ Allen Iverson and his iconic crossover and step over on the pesky Lue. While […]

We’re not quite sure why Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard continues to be a frequent subject of trade rumors this offseason. The Blazers may have been swept in the first round and a large part of that is due to the 6-foot-3 guard consistently performing below standards — but let’s get real, the Blazers […]