The Cleveland Cavaliers’ top-to-bottom rebuild at this year’s trade deadline refocused their roster around LeBron James, a necessary step that will give them a puncher’s chance for a title this postseason. But there’s a downside to that, too, something seen on Sunday when the Cavaliers fell 110-94 to the San Antonio Spurs.
Jimmy Butler has suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and will undergo surgery that will sideline him for four-to-six weeks, according to The Vertical’s Shams Charania.
Butler is telling friends he will return by the playoffs, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
The moment the Warriors got their groove back happened late in the second quarter against the Thunder. That was when Carmelo Anthony tangled arms with Kevin Durant while setting a screen. As the two jawed at each other, Durant pulled Anthony forcefully out of frustration.
Or maybe It happened a minute later, when Draymond Green was called for a foul when trying to block a layup. Green bellowed toward the Oracle crowd, who responded in kind.
It was a tit-for-tat game in the first half. The Thunder hung with the defending champion Warriors despite an awful shooting percentage in the first two quarters. Oklahoma City beat Golden State by 17 points in their first meeting and by 20 in the second. There was reason to believe the pendulum would swing the Thunder’s way this time around, too.
The response by the Dallas Mavericks and owner Mark Cuban to the allegations raised in Sports Illustrated’s damning investigation has been, in a word, bullshit.
The article describes a toxic workplace culture in which sexual assault and domestic violence went virtually unpunished. As the article makes clear, it’s difficult to believe that Mark Cuban didn’t know what was happening. As one of (if not the) most hands-on owners in the league, it seems incredibly far-fetched that he would be completely unaware of his own CEO’s behavior.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich spoke in depth about LeBron James, his role for minority youth in America, and even compared him to the recent Black Panther movie before his team played the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon. James, who was recently told to “shut up and dribble” by a Fox News host, has been one of the league’s most outspoken leaders about issues on and off the court.
The Dallas Mavericks fostered an environment of rampant sexual misconduct and predatory behavior for more than a decade, a Sports Illustrated story published Thursday alleges.
The article says that former Mavericks CEO Terdema Ussery frequently requested sex and made sexually explicit advances to employees over the 18 years that he worked there. In 2015, Ussery left to join Under Armour. Less than two months after beginning, Ussery resigned in an “organizational reshuffle.” Sports Illustrated reports that Ussery’s resignation was likely related to sexually inappropriate behavior towards a female employee while the two were alone in an elevator.
Russell Westbrook and Zaza Pachulia have different opinions on whether Pachulia intentionally fell directly on Westbrook’s knee in the third quarter of the Warriors 32-point win over the Thunder on Saturday night
“What did it look like?” Westbrook said, via The Norman Transcript’s Fred Katz. “Did anybody touch him? ... Obviously it was intentional. Nobody touched him. He fell on my leg. He tried to hurt me. But hey. That’s how that goes.”
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters he’d be “surprised” if Kawhi Leonard returns to action this season after battling a quadriceps injury that has lingered all year long.
(Note: This post was originally published in November and was updated with Leonard’s status.)
