The verdict is in and it’s bad for the Los Angeles Lakers. Starting forward Brandon Ingram will be suspended four games while starting point guard Rajon Rondo will be suspended three games, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The NBA announced the news of the suspension only moments later.
After a Lakers loss to the Rockets in which Rajon Rondo, Brandon Ingram and Chris Paul were ejected, there is debate about what actually triggered the fight, and it remains to be seen if anyone will be suspended for the altercation.
The timing is right. And LeBron is gone.
LeBron James is in the Western Conference. We should start there because everything about the Eastern Conference hinges on that fact. LeBron ran the East for the last decade, reaching the Finals in each of the last eight seasons with either the Heat or the Cavs. Challengers came and challengers went, but every June there was LeBron repping the East, usually against the mighty Spurs and Warriors.
LeBron James embraced the pace as the Lakers flew up and down the court in Portland.
The Los Angeles Lakers lost, 128-119, to the Portland Trailblazers in their season opener on Thursday night, but despite the defeat still made some history. The loss was the fastest-paced game LeBron James has played in over his entire 16-year career.
Miami’s cap sheet is bloated, but there could be a hidden upside.
In a league built on selling hope, the Miami Heatstand apart. By always focusing on right now, Miami has ignored the torpedoes and plunged into what is widely considered salary cap hell. Including player options likely to be exercised, the Heat have more than $120 million committed for the 2019-20 season with seven players due more than $10 million.
Will LeBron’s outsized presence help or hurt a young Lakers core still finding itself in the NBA?
One of the plays that most excited me during the Lakers’ preseason happened when LeBron James and Lonzo Ball connected for an alley-oop against the Warriors. James held the ball on the left wing and tossed it up for his teammate after Ball ran his defender into a Kyle Kuzma pick. It was their first action together — Ball had been out for 105 days with an injury — and an exciting glimpse into what this new Lakers team could be.
Washington—Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry will enjoy watching the Golden State Warriors hoist another championship banner Tuesday when they open the 2018-19 NBA campaign against Oklahoma City.
The 20-year-old is blossoming earlier than expected.
Jayson Tatum sized up Joel Embiid, then crossed the 7-footer low to blow by and bank a fadeaway mid-ranger to put the finishing touches on a season-opening 105-87 win over the Sixers. For the 20-year-old, it was just one of his best moments of the night. He scored 23 points on 17 shots to go along with nine rebounds. He was the best non-Ben Simmons player of the game.
LeBron James isn’t often going out of his way to fuel the hype machine about the young Lakers either, but both sides have let signs of their excitement sneak through.
It took less than a week for the young core of the Los Angeles Lakers to show they weren’t going to be fawning fanboys in the face of LeBron James’ presence, a reality best punctuated when just four days after James officially convened with the team on Media Day, Lonzo Ball made it clear that despite James being his favorite player growing up, he wasn’t some starstruck kid anymore.
