The League: Reign of The NBA

[lakers24]

Detroit Pistons moving downtown
Brian Manzullo, Detroit Free Press| Published 2:47 p.m. ET Nov. 12, 2016

It's official: The Pistons are moving to Detroit to play at Little Caesars Arena beginning in 2017 after 29 years in Auburn Hills.
The word came Tuesday in an announcement by team owner Tom Gores and his new business partners, Detroit's Ilitch family, at Cass Technical High School in Detroit that ends years of speculation about the Pistons leaving their Oakland County home since 1988 and returning to the city where they first played beginning in 1957.
“This is the right call for our fans, for our players, for how we can impact the community,” Gores said.
The move must be approved by the National Basketball Association. Additionally, because the new arena is owned by Detroit's Downtown Development Authority, a revised lease must by approved by the DDA board. Mayor Mike Duggan said a formal agreement would go before the board early next year.
"This isn't a final deal," Duggan said. "It's preliminary."



"We are delighted to not just move into the city but commit to all these community benefits," Arn Tellem, vice chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment, told the DDA board. "We want to be all-in on Detroit. We want to do right by the city and the community here. From an NBA team’s perspective, I don’t know where it ranks, but I don’t know of any team doing more than what we are now."

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Sunday that the Pistons moving to the city "greatly enhances" the chance of an NBA All-Star game being held in Detroit.
The Pistons and Red Wings will become the 11th pair of NBA and National Hockey League franchises to share an arena.

[lakers24]

Hawks Trade Kyle Korver To Cavs
Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Nov 12, 2016

The Cleveland Cavaliers filled a need at guard by acquiring Kyle Korver from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Mike Dunleavy, Mo Williams and a protected future first-round draft pick, the teams announced Saturday.
"We are extremely pleased to be able to add a player and person the caliber of Kyle Korver to our Cavs family," Cavs general manager David Griffin said in a statement. "Among the most prolific and dynamic 3-point shooters in NBA history, a selfless and team-first competitor, Kyle brings all of the elements of Cavs DNA that we covet on and off the floor."

"Kyle is somebody who was a big part of us building our culture and our success over the past five years," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters Saturday. "I have a ton of respect for him and an appreciation for him as a player, more so as a human being."
The 35-year-old Korver, who is earning $5.2 million this season in the final year of his current contract, is averaging 9.5 points per game and shooting 40.9 percent on 3-pointers. He was an All-Star in 2015.

"Obviously, it's a great opportunity for me to go to Cleveland," Korver said Thursday amid reports that the deal to Cleveland would happen. "So I'm very excited about that part of it. But there's a lot of relationships that I care about here that I'm going to miss. From a basketball perspective, [Cleveland is] a great, great fit for me. And I know that."
The Hawks, meanwhile, continue to mull the direction their franchise is headed.

"My answer to that is I don't think there should be any assumptions made about anything," said Budenholzer, who is also the Hawks' president. "Organizationally, we have to make hard decisions. I think it's important that each one of them puts us in the best situation, the best place, to be a great organization. In this case, we made a trade that wasn't easy. It was a hard decision. This is a good team that we have. This is a team that has shown an ability to compete at a high level. Keeping it together is something ... I just wouldn't make any assumptions going forward."

[lakers24]

Rudy Gobert Breaks Leg; Out 4-6 weeks
Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Nov 13, 2016

The Utah Jazz have suffered a pretty big blow to their playoff chances this season as they lost DPOY candidate Rudy Gobert for up to a month and a half due to a broken leg. Gobert injured himself last night against the Miami Heat after attempting to block a shot.

An MRI was completed this morning and revealed the fracture in his right leg confirming the Utah medical staff fears. Gobert was in surprisingly good spirits after the injury though. "I think we'll be alright as a team and I'll be back very soon."

The Jazz will now look to backup center Jeff Whithey to fill the void left by Gobert. Sources say the Jazz aren't planning to try and trade for an intermediate replacement nor pick up anyone left in free agency currently. The feeling is they can do it by committee going small using players like Derrick Favors, Boris Diaw, and even Trey Lyles for small bursts.

[lakers24]

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[lakers24]

Hassan Whiteside: Superstar?

San Antonio, Tx (AP) - Heat center Hassan Whiteside had a game for the ages Monday night against the Spurs. Whiteside went for a career high 54 points while also tying his career high in rebounds with 25 in the 131-135 double OT loss to the Spurs. Hassan also set a new franchise mark for field goals made, going 23-34 from the field.

To put into perspective how amazing and historic Hassan's night was, his game was the 3rd highest scoring game in the franchises history (LeBron-61, Wade-55), and tied himself for the second most rebounds in a game (Seikaly-34, Whiteside-25). Whiteside joins players like Dwyane Wade, Glen Rice, Lebron James, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, and Shaquille O'Neal as some of the franchises record holders. Whiteside already holds the Heat single game record for blocks with 12. He accomplished that on January 25, 2015.

"I'm trying to get a [win] man," Whiteside stated after the loss. "We're playing kind of bad and I know we needed to step up our play and I'm the guy who has to lead by example."

Hassan will look to continue his stellar play as the season progresses and Heat fans hope he can duplicate even a fraction of the production he had tonight on a consistent basis. If he does, Miami has its post Big 3 Era superstar to build around, which would be welcome news to the likes of Pat Riley and owner Micky Arison. If not, then this will be a blip in an otherwise long rebuild coming for one of the most successful franchises of the past decade.

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GD's Highlights

[lakers24]

Demar DeRozan to have surgery on Left MCL; Out 1-2 months
Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Nov 23, 2016

Toronto continues its run of bad luck this season with the loss of Demar Derozan to a torn left MCL. The Raptors have already been without All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry since the 3rd game of the season (still not due to return for a couple of weeks), now DeRozan will miss a minimum of a couple of months.

DeRozan was having an incredible start to the 2017 season having had to step into the void left by backcourt running mate Kyle Lowry. DeRozan is averaging a career high 27.7ppg and recorded a career high of 46 just last week, November 18th, against the Denver Nuggets.

Looking to combat their rash of injuries, Toronto has released forward Bruno Caboclo to open a roster spot for some free agent help. Sources indicate that Toronto is seriously considering signing enigmatic swingman Lance Stephenson to help fill the void left by DeRozan and Lowry.

[lakers24]

Raptors sign Lance Stephenson
Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Nov 25, 2016

The Toronto Raptors have signed former Pacers guard Lance Stephenson to a one year deal worth the veteran's minimum. Stephenson was out on the market after being cut by the New Orleans Pelicans due to a groin injury he suffered in training camp (non guaranteed contract). The Raptors deal is guaranteed for the entire year.

With a glaring need for some wing firepower this was kind of a no brainer move for GM Masai Ujiri. The Raptors are hoping Stephenson can channel his near All-Star level days of play back in Indiana if the Raptors are to keep pace in the playoff picture until both of their stars return from injury.

With Stephenson in the fold, Toronto will have another dimension added to its team once everyone is healthy. Their bench no has a legitimate 6th man for the 1st time since Lou Williams was let go. Sources say the Raps may not be done either with their obvious interest in All-Star forward Paul Millsap.
Atlanta has made it obvious to teams around the league that he is available for the right price and Toronto are one of the few teams that have shown strong interest.