Kevin Durant donated $1 million to OKC tornado relief

Posted by Trey Kerby under OKC Thunder on May 21, 2013

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Not much to say about this, but here’s the story, courtesy of Daily Thunder:

Per the Red Cross, Kevin Durant has given a $1 million donation to the disaster relief fund.

“The Red Cross relies on its donors to perform its mission in relieving human suffering following disasters,” said Janienne Bella, regional CEO in a release. “Mr. Durant’s gift and support to Oklahoma comes at a time of great need and we’re forever thankful for his generosity.”

There’s nothing to add that can make this better, but let’s just mention that it was the Red Cross who made this announcement and not Kevin Durant, and that there is a reason he is one of the faces of the NBA and it’s not just because he’s awesome at basketball. Oh, and that you can text “REDCROSS” to 90999 for a $10 donation.

(amazing photo up top via Christine Van Timmerman)

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Best laughs — Joakim Noah dancing or DeAndre Jordan dunking on an unsuspecting reporter?

Posted by Trey Kerby under Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Score Video on May 21, 2013

It’s silly video showdown time. Here’s your your first option — Joakim Noah vibing out to “Pump Up the Jam” with some bros and lady bros.

Or choice two — DeAndre Jordan combining memes while dunking on ESPN’s Charissa Thompson.

Personally, I’m going with Joakim Noah, but that’s mostly because he’s the best and watching him dance has been a longtime source of enjoyment for me. Get that oil. (Also, I am kind of am worried that Charissa Thompson might have a concussion.) Let’s hear your pick in the comments, but please include a thorough explanation for your choice.

(via Deadspin/Reddit)

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The Pick-and-Pop: Checking back on the wackiest predictions of the NBA preseason

Posted by Andrew Unterberger under Pick-and-Pop on May 21, 2013

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Remember at the beginning of the NBA season, when I wrote an article tracking the boldest predictions made by some notable basketball prognosticators for the year to come? Probably not, but I sure haven’t forgotten, and with the conference finals finally underway, every one of the predictions mentioned in that article has officially either come true or proven a bust. Unlike some people, we here at TBJ still believe very strongly in accountability, and that those who do not have the past obnoxiously rubbed in their faces are doomed to repeat it, so let’s check back in to see how all of our hoops soothsayers fared with some of their more jaw-dropping (jaw-opening, anyway) predictions.

Sports Illustrated (print only): Knicks in conference finals

So close, SI. This was the longest holdout of the unlikely prognostications I tracked this year, and damned if it didn’t look like a pretty good bet to cash in up until Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semis. Whoever the professional guesser was behind those Sports Illustrated predictions was probably as excited as I was when Iman Shumpert made those three treys in the third quarter on Saturday night, and as infuriated when Kenyon Martin was whistled for that foul with a minute left to ice the game for Indiana. Bummer.

Basketball Prospectus (Via ESPN the Magazine): Atlanta Hawks second, Knicks third, Pacers eighth in East / Nuggets first, Timberwolves third, Spurs fifth in West

Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope and nope, though partial credit to BP/ESPN for at least predicting a resurgent Knicks and a regular-season-dominant Nuggets, even if the exact placing was off. The Hawks, Pacers and Spurs predictions look just as nutty at season’s end as they seemed at season’s beginning, though it’s hard to give them too much crap for the Wolves guess, given how catastrophic their season was on the injury front. If they’d even been 50 percent healthier, it seems like they could have at least made a push for home court. Kudos to the BP dudes (and/or their computer readouts) for going big on some of these, in any event.

Zach Lowe of Grantland (26 Bold Predictions): Memphis is done, Nikola Pekovic will be a borderline-household name, Phoenix will be league’s most disappointing team

I guess we can give Zach one for three on this one. Despite their poor showing in Game 1 on Sunday, I’d say Memphis has more than put to rest any premature rumors of their demise. And Nikola Pekovic, while having a very solid year, wasn’t really even mentioned for All-Star contention, and probably didn’t make his name known to too many more casual fans than were already familiar with the Montonegrin Madman. But whether or not Phoenix actually was the league’s most disappointing team — again, it depends on if you had any expectations at all for them in the first place — there’s no doubt that they were pretty damn bad, finishing last in the West, so it’d probably be petty to get too particular on this one.

Since Grantland’s No. 1 hoops guy made a whole bunch more of these, and all were at least slightly interesting, let’s do a quick run down of a handful of ones he hit on impressively, and some more that haven’t held up so well:

Steeeeerike!:

1. Lousy market for expiring contracts
2. Omer Asik and Andrei Kirilenko living up to their deals
3. Kevin Durant joining the 50-40-90 club
4. Orlando trading JJ Redick, Thunder shopping Eric Maynor
5. Earl Clark getting minutes for the Lakers
6. Andris Biedrins making more than one foul shot (4-13!!)

Juuuust a bit outside:

1. Thunder re-signing James Harden with less-than-max deal before Oct. 31
2. Gerald Green, one of the season’s feel-good stories
3. Bobcats becoming League Pass darlings
4. Jonas Jerebko, Detroit’s best small forward

Read the rest of this entry »

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A list of reasons the Raptors are only kind of firing Bryan Colangelo

Posted by Trey Kerby under A List, Toronto Raptors on May 21, 2013

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After a 47-win season during his first year in control of the Raptors’ holodeck, Bryan Colangelo has struggled to put together a winning team. In the six seasons since, Toronto has reached .500 only one other time, and even that was just a 41-41 campaign during the 2007-08 season. It’s Bad News Bears over there, and Bryan Colangelo is kind of Walter Matthau.

But that’s OK, because the Raptors brought in some new management, which means Bryan Colangelo is on his way out. Sort of, if by “out” you mean “down the hall.” From the Globe and Mail:

Bryan Colangelo will remain on as team president, but the search for a new general manager has begun, the Toronto Raptors confirmed on Tuesday.

The revamped senior leadership of the National Basketball Association team was outlined by Tim Leiweke, the incoming president and chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, in a news release.

MSLE is also continuing a search, with input from Colangelo, to identify candidates for the new GM, a process the team hopes to complete in the next 30 days.

“After thorough evaluation and considering all the options, we have concluded that these changes will be in the best interest of the organization,” said Leiweke. “By splitting the roles and having both men report directly to me, we are adding depth to the basketball operations group and giving the Toronto Raptors the best chance of competing for championships in the future. The new GM will inherit a great situation in Toronto, as all of my due diligence around the League indicates that we have a fine, young core and a few key moves will make us a playoff contender next season.”

While the new GM will have autonomy over basketball decisions, Colangelo will continue to advise Leiweke on basketball-related matters while also broadening his involvement with the business side of the franchise.

I know what you’re thinking and I’m thinking it too — this is gonna get weird … two GMs. I mean, why would you keep a largely failed GM around to give advice on basketball decisions when you are hiring a new GM who is actually in charge of basketball decisions? It’s bizarre, and the only thing I can think of that is even comparable is the John Paxson/Gar Forman braintrust that makes decisions for the Chicago Bulls.

So why would the Raptors want to keep Bryan Colangelo around when it’s not really necessary? Well, there are actually a lot of reasons.

  • He is a Colangelo, so he pretty much knows everybody in the league.
  • He’s got like a million scouts overseas.
  • Everyone really likes his high-collared dress shirts and they’d like to continue sharing his tailor.
  • Bryan eats at the best Portugese chicken places in Toronto and can always get a table, and Tim Leiweke looooooooooves Portugese chicken.
  • Kind of nice to always have someone to blame everything on.
  • Will serve as a nice sounding board for the new real GM, in that they can ask Colangelo for his opinions on various moves. If he likes the idea, the new guy will immediately know not to do it.
  • Didn’t want to have to deal with all the “Colangeral Damage” headlines.
  • Would be weird to fire a guy named “Bryan” with a Y without saying he’s “fyred,” which looks really weird, so why even bother in the first place?
  • Still pretty fun to hear him answer the phone by saying, “Colang-hello.”
  • It’s going to take more than one person to sign every poor-shooting swingman in the league at the same time.

As you can see, keeping Bryan Colangelo around to make the Raptors more interesting is simply a matter of convenience. No one wants to give up Portugese chicken or high-collared dress shirts. It makes sense.

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Ep. 990: ECF, Colangelo, Hornets

Posted by J.E. Skeets under 2013 NBA Playoffs, TBJ Daily on May 21, 2013

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On Tuesday’s episode of “The Fix,” The Jones preview and predict the Eastern Conference Finals before discussing the Spurs-Grizzlies, tonight’s NBA Draft Lottery, Bryan Colangelo’s confusing new role with the Raptors, and the return of the Charlotte Hornets!

All that, plus long weekend voices, Plinko, Frank Vogel’s daughter, and Mark Morrison.

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Subscribe to The Basketball Jones show on iTunes | Download the .mp3 directly

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Video: This clip earned a Cavs fan a trip to the draft lottery

Posted by Trey Kerby under 2013 NBA Draft, Cleveland Cavaliers, Score Video on May 21, 2013

Social media integration, y’all — the Cavs done have it. From Cavs.com:

Last Friday, May 17th, [Cavs owner Dan] Gilbert put out the call to his @cavsdan Twitter followers to produce and tweet a :30 second or less original video that creatively expressed why they should travel with him to New York for the lottery proceedings and help represent the Cavaliers. @RoyTateMoore did just that with a winning submission that demonstrated his positive karma to prove that he is “one lucky dude.” Below is the winning video @RoyTateMoore submitted. “I am so excited and thankful for this amazing opportunity. I can’t wait to be a part of this night and help represent the Cavaliers with Dan and Nick,” said Moore.

Between this kid and Lucky Nick Gilbert, the swaggiest bro of our generation, the Cavs are basically guaranteed to win the top pick this year. All they need now is a Greek in a shower and it’s a guaranteed victory.

(via Ananth Pandian)

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Ep. 989: WC Finals, Scoops, Mascots

Posted by J.E. Skeets under 2013 NBA Playoffs, TBJ Daily, The Overdose on May 17, 2013

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On Friday’s episode of “The Fix” x “The Overdose,” The Jones preview and predict the Western Conference Finals before discussing George Hill’s injury, Woodson finally playing Chris Copeland, guys that have boosted their free agency stocks, whether Paul Pierce has played his last game in a Celtics uniform, the Kings staying in Sacramento, and the NBA’s best and worst mascots.

All that, plus swirling winds, “The Office,” tiny “Baby Birdman,” and more on crepes.

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Subscribe to The Basketball Jones show on iTunes | Download the .mp3 directly

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