The losses are growing ghastlier by the day for the Cavaliers, who blew an unfathomable 26-point lead in the fourth quarter Sunday afternoon and lost to the Atlanta Hawks in overtime, 126-125. The Cavs are now tied with the Boston Celtics for first place in the East with two games to play. Cleveland is in action again Monday night in Miami; how the Cavs could possibly recover from this abomination and win that game is anyone's guess. "It was a tough loss right here," said LeBron James (6'8''-SF-84), who finished with a triple-double but fouled out in overtime. "We got two games left but I don't know the situation about tomorrow. I'm still kind of calibrating this one." On Friday, the Cavs' regulars were blown out at home by a Hawks team resting all five of its starters. This, in many, many ways, was worse, because the Cavs were trying. The Hawks are the third team in NBA history to come from 26-points down in the fourth quarter and win. "You never want to be in a situation like this but you can always be worse," said Cavs guard Kyrie Irving (6'3''-G-92, college: Duke), who scored a game high 45 points to go with nine assists. "For us, we've just got to think about what's ahead and move onto the next game." James reached his latest triple-double in regulation and finished with 32 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists. He fouled out with 1:52 left in overtime on a loose-ball foul called on the offensive end. James played a ghastly total 47 minutes, a crime considering the Cavs led by 26 through three quarters. Paul Millsap (6'8''-F-85, college: Louisiana Tech) was a late addition to the starting lineup for the Hawks and scored 14 of his team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Cleveland's Kevin Love (6'10''-PF-88, college: UCLA) scored 11 points to go with 15 rebounds in 43 minutes. He shot 4-of-14. The Cavs led in overtime by as many as five points and were still up three when James fouled out. With 25.1 seconds left and Cleveland trailing by a point, Love threw the ball away on an inbounds pass; Kent Bazemore (6'5''-G/F-89, college: ODU) stole the ball and laid it in with 21.9 seconds to go for a 123-120 advantage. Irving was called for a charge on the next possession. The Cavs held a 26-point lead and completely blew it. The Hawks opened the period on a 9-0 spurt and Cleveland never really regained its footing. James failed to get the ball in bounds with 18.7 seconds left, and later fouled Millsap on a 3-point attempt. And then after Bazemore tied Irving up for a jump ball with 4.9 seconds to go on a play in which appeared both Bazemore and Millsap (who was also tying up Irving) had a foot out of bounds. But the call was missed. Millsap buried a jumper at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. "How much is the fine for talking about the refs? It's like 50 (thousand dollars), 25 (thousand? Not worth it," Irving said. "I had some good conversation with the refs. Just a few plays that didn't go our way. That's not the, the kind of the first step that led to the breakdown of what happened in that fourth quarter, and why it extended the game." Neither Mike Dunleavy nor Mike Muscala had scored for Atlanta through three periods. Muscala ran up nine points during the comeback and Dunleavy added seven. Millsap scored nine.As it stands, Cleveland has a bench that either can't or shouldn't be trusted. Kyle Korver was OK, with 11 points in 28 minutes. Richard Jefferson did not score in 18 minutes. Iman Shumpert scored two and Deron Williams (6'3''-PG-84, college: Illinois) added a 3-pointer, and that's it.The Hawks had eight players log at least 20 minutes. The Cavs had six -- their five starters and Korver. "Everything is magnified once they come back like that," coach Tyronn Lue said. "I thought maybe our guys could've got tired because we didn't push the ball in the fourth quarter. We got stops and we just walked the ball up the floor and that put us in one-on-one situations. We took some bad shots. We didn't keep playing with the same intensity, the same pace offensively once we did get stops. "I don't know if guys were tired at that point because they played a lot of minutes." It was James' career-high 13th triple-double this season and 55th for his career during the regular season. He needs four more to catch Larry Bird for sixth place all-time in triple-doubles. James entered play shooting .548 this season; he is on pace to become the first player in NBA history to average at least 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while shooting .540 or better from the field. The Cavs led 38-21 at the end of the first quarter. They were 7-of-13 from 13-point range. It was 65-46 at halftime and 93-67 after three quarters. And then the meltdown began. Courtesy of: cleveland.com
Philadelphia 76ers select Markelle Fultz No. 1 overall - 17 hours ago
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The Philadelphia 76ers selected Washington point guard Markelle Fultz (6'5''-G/F-98) with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Fultz, considered the consensus top prospect by most draft outlets, averaged 23.2 points and 5.9 assists in his lone season with the Huskies. Washington has had back-to-back top eight draft choices, with Marquese Chriss going eighth to Phoenix in 2016. Philadelphia acquired the first pick from the Boston Celtics on June 20. The 76ers relinquished the No. 3 overall sel... [read more]
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Washington point guard Markelle Fultz (6'5''-G/F-98) with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Fultz, considered the consensus top prospect by most draft outlets, averaged 23.2 points and 5.9 assists in his lone season with the Huskies. Washington has had back-to-back top eight draft choices, with Marquese Chriss going eighth to Phoenix in 2016. Philadelphia acquired the first pick from the Boston Celtics on June 20. The 76ers relinquished the No. 3 overall selection plus a future first for the right to take Fultz. The trade was made possible by former 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie's apt for collecting draft choices. The future first-round pick due to Boston is the 2018 Lakers selection, which the Sixers initially acquired from Phoenix at the 2015 trade deadline. If the choice falls between the second and fifth slots, it's parlayed to the Celtics. Any other result sends Sacramento's 2019 first-rounder to Boston. It's the second consecutive season Philadelphia chose first overall, last year taking LSU's Ben Simmons. Simmons missed the 2016 season with a foot injury. The 76ers embarked on a complete rebuild in the 2013 offseason, moving proven players, such as point guard Jrue Holiday, for draft picks. Philadelphia has picked in the top three in four consecutive drafts, previously taking Joel Embiid (2014), Jahlil Okafor (2015) and Simmons. Plush with cap space and oozing potential, Philadelphia's rebuild, while debatably controversial, is starting to bear fruit. The Fultz, Simmons and Embiid trio is among the league's best young cores.
Round 1
1 Markelle Fultz (6'5''-G/F-98) - Philadelphia 76ers (from Brooklyn via Boston)
Chicago Bulls trade Jimmy Butler to Minnesota - 17 hours ago
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The long-anticipated reunion between Jimmy Butler (6'7''-G/F-89, college: Marquette) and Tom Thibodeau is on. Two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that the Chicago Bulls had traded three-time All-Star Jimmy Butler and the 16th overall pick Thursday night to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Zach LaVine (6'5''-G-95, college: UCLA), Kris Dunn (6'4''-G-94, college: Providence) and the No. 7 overall pick. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal... [read more]
The long-anticipated reunion between Jimmy Butler (6'7''-G/F-89, college: Marquette) and Tom Thibodeau is on. Two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that the Chicago Bulls had traded three-time All-Star Jimmy Butler and the 16th overall pick Thursday night to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Zach LaVine (6'5''-G-95, college: UCLA), Kris Dunn (6'4''-G-94, college: Providence) and the No. 7 overall pick. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal, first reported by the Chicago Tribune, had not been officially announced. The trade brings together Butler and Wolves coach and president Thibodeau, who coached the Bulls for five seasons before being fired in 2015. Butler gives Thibodeau the tough-minded scorer and hard-nosed defender that he has been searching for to complement a promising young core. The Wolves paid a big price: Besides surrendering the lottery pick, they gave up a rising star in LaVine, who is coming off of a torn ACL and Dunn, last year's No. 5 overall pick. Butler played for Thibodeau for four seasons in Chicago, developing from an unheralded, late-first round draft pick into a perennial All-Star. The two strong-willed workaholics clashed on occasion during their time together and Butler said during the Olympics in Rio last summer that it was "love-hate" relationship. But he also acknowledged that his appreciation for Thibodeau's hard-driving style increased as time went on, especially when the Bulls struggled in their first season under the more player-friendly Fred Hoiberg. And according to a person with knowledge of the situation, Butler welcomes the move to Minnesota to join his old coach and a team loaded with young talent in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. The Wolves drafted Arizona sharpshooter Lauri Markkanen (7'0''-PF-97) for the Bulls at No. 7 and the Bulls took Creighton forward Justin Patton (7'1''-C-97) at No. 16 for the Wolves. Patton is a 6-foot-11 forward who was the Big East freshman of the year after averaging 12.9 points and 6.1 rebounds last season. When Thibodeau was hired as team president and coach last summer, he quickly set his sights on bringing Butler to Minnesota. The two sides engages on serious discussions on draft night last year, nearly reaching a deal that would have included LaVine and Dunn, a player the Bulls were very high on coming out of Providence, for Butler. The deal could not quite be completed and Butler went through a frustrating season with the Bulls, who brought in Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo in hopes of squeezing some more immediate success out of the group. LaVine was having a breakout third season in the league when he tore the ACL in his left knee February. His rehabilitation has gone well, but the injury certainly complicated the Wolves' re-engaging Chicago on Butler. Adding to the difficulty was Dunn's underwelming first year in Minnesota, which diminished his trade value as well, even in the eyes of the point guard-needy Bulls. With all that in play, the Wolves were forced to also offer up the No. 7 pick this season to push the deal over the top. But they did receive Chicago's first-round pick in return, offering them an opportunity to continue adding to their depth. The move, and the package they assembled to make it, signal an organization that is desperate to start winning now after 13 straight seasons of missing the playoffs. While not a great 3-point shooter like the Wolves need, Butler still averaged career highs in points (23.9), rebounds (6.2) and assists (5.5) in his sixth season. He is also one of the league's top defenders, an absolute necessity for a young team that finished 26th in the league in defensive efficiency last season. He will turn 28 in September, right in the middle of his prime for a team in need of veteran leadership. The move also represents the first significant steps toward an overhaul for the Bulls. Despite a spirited effort, the Bulls were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Wade opted in for the final year of his contract, but that isn't stopping Chicago from pivoting to a new, younger nucleus that includes LaVine, Dunn and Denzel Valentine. Courtesy of: nba.com
Sacramento Kings (NBA) cut 32-year old guard Arron Afflalo (196-98kg-85, college: UCLA). Afflalo played there last season. In 61 NBA games he averaged 8.4ppg, 2.1rpg and 1.3apg. The previous (15-16) season he played at the Knicks where in 71 NBA games he had 12.8ppg, 3.7rpg and 2.0apg. In 2007 Afflalo was drafted by Detroit Pistons in first round (27th overall). The former Univ.of Calif.at Los Angeles standoutis in his eleventh (!!!) season in pro basketball. Afflalo has played previously... [read more]
Sacramento Kings (NBA) cut 32-year old guard Arron Afflalo (196-98kg-85, college: UCLA). Afflalo played there last season. In 61 NBA games he averaged 8.4ppg, 2.1rpg and 1.3apg. The previous (15-16) season he played at the Knicks where in 71 NBA games he had 12.8ppg, 3.7rpg and 2.0apg. In 2007 Afflalo was drafted by Detroit Pistons in first round (27th overall). The former Univ.of Calif.at Los Angeles standoutis in his eleventh (!!!) season in pro basketball. Afflalo has played previously for three other teams: Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic. His game is described as:
(by Matthew Maurer for NBADraft.net in 2007)
Moves extremely well without the ball in his hands, understanding how to free himself for shots. Works well running off screens where he is a capable shooter. Has three point range on his jumper. Good finisher in transition. Body strength enables him to convert difficult shots with ease as well as the ability to finish after contact.
Lacks the first step to gain full separation from his defender. There are times where he becomes too perimeter oriented offensively.
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