Lebron James Rumors | Hoops Rumors

NBA To Continue Push For Olympic Age Limit

August 11th, 2012 at 4:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:40pm: FIBA unveiled a few proposals it will take to the International Olympic Committee, and one of them is designed to address concerns NBA teams have had about the wear and tear of the Olympic competition by shortening its length, Zillgitt writes (via the Detroit Free Press). FIBA wants to increase the number of teams from 12 to 16 and reduce the number of games in pool play from five to three.

"It's certainly wear and tear – 19 days of London, plus the preparation time," said Baumann, the FIBA secretary general. "When you finish the (NBA) season on 20 of June, the beginning of July you are in Las Vegas, by the end of July you are here and by the time you get home and put your things down in a cupboard, that's a pretty long time."

2:45pm: FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann today told reporters, including USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt, that he feels his organization will not propose an age limit for the 2016 Olympic games (Twitter link). Ian Thomsen of SI.com reported earlier this week that a 23-and-under restriction was unlikely for 2016, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears the NBA will keep pushing for an age limit. A source tells Stein "this will eventually happen" despite FIBA's resistance.

Part of FIBA's unwillingness to restrict older players from the Olympics is the feeling that doing so would make Team USA even more dominant, Stein writes, adding that many from overseas feel American players generally develop faster.

Team USA chairman Jerry Colangelo has expressed a desire to know soon whether or not the age limit will be in place for 2016. Colangelo said that he will make multiple rosters for each contingency, Stein reports. Colangelo is not sure that Mike Krzyzewski can be persuaded to return as coach for 2016, despite lobbying from players, but is more optimistic that LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony will be back (All Twitter links).

Baumann said he would like to move basketball's World Cup, formerly known as the World Championships, back a year to avoid conflict with soccer's World Cup, Zillgitt tweets, meaning the 2018 competition might not take place until 2019. NBA commissioner David Stern has spoken about making the World Cup of Basketball the marquee international basketball competition instead of the Olympics.

Nine Assured Of Team USA Spot; Odom Withdraws

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:41am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 11:41am: Blake Griffin is expected to take Chris Bosh's spot on the U.S. roster, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. As Goodman adds in a second tweet, that would leave five players competing for the final two spots.

Poll: Build A Franchise Around LeBron Or Durant?

June 15th, 2012 at 9:13pm CST by Daniel Seco

The battle between superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant has stolen headlines throughout the NBA Finals as the series heads to Miami tied 1-1. For James, winning his first ring in his third trip to the Finals would validate a career highlighted by individual achievement but lacking a Larry O'Brien Trophy. For Durant, winning a championship arguably ahead of schedule would start the dynasty chatter and make many wonder if James will retire as the best player to never reach basketball's pinnacle. With both James and Durant playing basketball at a remarkably high level, we ask you to consider tonight's poll question: Which player would you rather build a franchise around?

Odds & Ends: Bosh, Battier, Harden, Sixers

June 11th, 2012 at 8:30pm CST by Michael Pina

One of the most highly anticipated NBA Finals in recent history doesn't kick off until tomorrow night, but here are a few links relating to both teams involved—as well as some that, unfortunately for them, are not.

Celtics-Heat Notes: Spoelstra, Big 3, Shooting

June 6th, 2012 at 11:05am CST by Daniel Seco

Kevin Garnett reminded the world on Tuesday night that a 36-year-old player can still be a game-changer as the man known as The Big Ticket put up 26 points and 11 rebounds in a 94-90 victory over the Heat. The Celtics, deemed underdogs by perhaps even their own mothers, have willed themselves to come within one victory of beating the Heat and advancing to the NBA Finals. LeBron James is averaging a double-double in the series as he's scoring 31.8 PPG and grabbing 10.0 RPG against Boston. The Heat, losers of three in a row, face a win-or-g0-home game in Boston on Thursday with a Game 7 in Miami looming. Let's catch up on the latest news and headlines surrounding the Eastern Conference Finals…

Winderman On Bosh, Odom, James

May 27th, 2012 at 8:45am CST by Daniel Seco

The Heat will get underway in the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday against the Celtics after Boston knocked off the Sixers in Game 7 of the Conference Semifinals on Saturday evening. The series marks a rematch of sorts as the two teams faced each other in the playoffs last season when they met during the Conference Semifinals with the Heat winning the series 4-1. Let's check in with the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman for the latest news out of South Beach.

Winderman is unsure of Chris Bosh's status for the Eastern Conference Finals and thinks the Heat aren't expecting anything out of the former Georgia Tech big man against the Celtics. Without Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have stepped up their play to the next level and have seen improved efforts from the role players around them. While the Heat should be OK against the Celtics without Bosh, there's little chance that the squad could take down the Thunder or the Spurs without him in the NBA Finals.
Don't count on the Heat acquiring Lamar Odom during the offseason, writes Winderman, as the former Lakers Sixth Man of the Year probably won't come cheap even after a disastrous season in Dallas. Odom would have to be bought out by the Mavs and then willing to take a heavy discount to take his talents to South Beach. Look for the former Rhode Island star to return to the Lakers or sign with the Knicks as he needs to find an environment that he is familiar with so he can revive his career.
Winderman says it doesn't make any sense to compare James and Wade in terms of who is the better leader or who is the best player on the team. As we've seen over the course of the past week, the success of the Heat is predicated on both players working in unison at a high level. Simply put, it doesn't matter who the face is of the franchise is if the team is winning games.

LeBron James Wins Most Valuable Player

May 12th, 2012 at 12:35pm CST by Zachary Links

It's official. The Heat held a press conference this afternoon in Miami to present LeBron James with his third career MVP trophy. The 27-year-old averaged 27.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 6.2 APG with 53% shooting from the field in yet another brilliant campaign.

James was in a two-horse race for the award with Kevin Durant for the bulk of the season but pulled away as the year wore on. James had 85 first-place votes while Durant was the runner-up with 24 first-place votes. After that, Chris Paul finished in third place, Kobe Bryant in fourth, and Tony Parker in fifth.

Only seven other players in the history of the game have won MVP honors at least three times: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Moses Malone. Abdul-Jabbar won the trophy six times, Jordan and Russell five times each, and Chamberlain four times.

Dan Gilbert On Scott, Draft, Irving, LeBron

May 9th, 2012 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert addressed a few topics of interest during today's press conference with local media. Here are a few of the highlights from the afternoon session, courtesy of Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio and Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal…..

Gilbert "loves" having Byron Scott as the Cavaliers' coach, noting that he brings stability and credibility to the franchise (Sulia link). The Cavs' owner added that he believes the right people are in the front office and on the coaching staff, and now it's just a matter of bringing in the right players (Sulia link).
This year's draft is "very important" for the Cavs and the team wants to make it their main area of focus heading into the offseason (Twitter link).
Gilbert specified that the Cavs want to build "with" Kyrie Irving rather than "around" him, perhaps alluding to a mistake the team made with LeBron James (Twitter link).
Speaking of LeBron, Gilbert was asked how he felt about comments the former Cav made earlier this season hinting at a possible return to Cleveland. "Nothing in the NBA surprises me," Gilbert said.

Odds & Ends: Vujacic, Lee, Love, Wall

April 25th, 2012 at 9:37pm CST by Michael Pina

In a tweet, ESPN.com's Marc Stein says that the Raptors have no interest in former Net and Laker, Sasha Vujacic. Here are the rest of the evening's updates:

The Warriors shut forward David Lee down with what they called a groin injury earlier this month. At the time, the team was well out of the playoff picture, and the Warriors' main goal down the stretch was to lose as many games as possible in order to try and get their first round draft pick back from the Jazz. Lee's injury was treated as a convenient way to tank games, and the announcement was viewed with a skeptic eye by many. Now it appears Lee will have surger on Thursday to repair a torn abdominal muscle, according to the team.
MercuryNews.com's Marcus Thompson II breaks down what the Warriors need to do if they want to keep their first round draft pick.
Stephen Curry underwent successful surgery on his ankles today. He's expected to be ready for action in 3-4 months, NBA.com's David Aldridge reports in a tweet.
The Plain Dealer's Bill Livingston points out the significance of what a third MVP for LeBron James would mean.
Even before Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge suffered injuries that will prevent them from participating in this summer's Olympic games, there was a strong chance Kevin Love would make the 12-man roster. The Timberwolves forward feels more confident than ever before that he'll make the team, according to TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.
Kobe Bryant fully expects the Lakers to win the title, writes ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin.
John Wall spoke to his friend Kevin Durant about what it took to turn one of the league's worst teams into one of the best, writes FoxSportsFlorida.com's Chris Tomasson.
The Timberwolves will receive the Jazz's first round draft pick now that Utah is heading to the playoffs, according to the StarTribune's Kent Youngblood.

Eastern Notes: Raptors, James, Green

April 14th, 2012 at 7:10pm CST by Daniel Seco

With the Bulls and the Heat staking claim to the top two seeds, the rest of the Eastern Conference playoff picture remains up in the air as the season winds down. The Celtics, currently the fourth seed, are in action tonight against the lottery-bound Nets while the Pacers, a surprising three seed at the moment, battle the Bucks, still in the mix as the ninth seed. Let's check in with the rest of the conference to see what other stories are making headlines.

Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld considers what the Raptors should do as a franchise after suffering through a disappointing season. Team general manager Bryan Colangelo has cleared a great deal of cap space to build around the team's young talent but still has many holes to fill heading into next season. Brotherston identifies Steve Nash as a potential free-agent signing for the Raptors that would provide the team with a buzzworthy star they have been lacking the past few seasons.
It may have taken awhile, but LeBron James and his family have finally reached a level of comfort where they feel at home in Miami, writes Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post. The former Cavs superstar may not know how to speak Spanish or how to get around Miami without a GPS, but James is enjoying being able to raise his two sons in South Florida for the majority of the year. James' affinity for Florida living has positively impacted his game as he is currently averaging 26.8 PPG and 7.9 RPG on the season.
A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast SportsNet tweets Gerald Green would prefer to re-sign with the Nets, but would consider signing with the Celtics. Green, originally taken in the first round of the 2005 draft by Boston, had been out of the league since the 2008/2009 season before signing the first of two 10-day contracts with the Nets in February, where he has made the most of his opportunity. The forward from Gulf Shores Academy in Houston should attract significant attention this summer given his 13.0 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 25 games with the Nets.