We have that and more in Thursday’s NBA newsletter.
Apparently, Tristan Thompson has been on the hunt for Draymond Green since the NBA Finals ended, and found him last month at LeBron’s ESPYs after-party, and did ... something to act on their pre-existing feud.
Marcus Thompson of The Athletic is the only reporter worth trusting on this story, and he says that Thompson approached Green at the party, and struck him in some fashion, whether a sucker punch or a face mush. But things got brought under control, and Green was able to laugh at it (at Cleveland’s expense, of course) on Instagram.
We need these guys to realize that the Cavaliers-Warriors rivalry is over. Tristan Thompson needs to focus his energy on, like, the Wizards or something. This is, however, a neat reminder that the Warriors are absolutely going to feud with the Lakers now, and the Lakers absolutely have some wildcards like Rajon Rondo and Michael Beasley that give Green’s brand of loco a run for its money.
The Kings Are Not The Lakers
I wrote about the Kings’ rebuild and how it’s following a similar path to the Lakers’ most recent rebuild with the obvious distinction that there is no LeBron James at the end of the tunnel. Most of the pushback has come in the form of pointing out that the Lakers, like the Kings, made mistakes along the way.
This is true! The Lakers also replaced the decision-makers who made those mistakes (something the Kings have not done) and also were the Lakers, meaning those mistakes still on the roster (Luol Deng) didn’t prevent them from convincing LeBron to sign a deal.
Here’s another way of putting the Kings’ woes in context. The Magic have been in seeming purgatory for-frickin’-ever, since the Dwight Howard trade. Sacramento’s run of anti-success has been nearly twice as long. Their last playoff team starred Bonzi Wells, Ron Artest, Kevin Martin, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Mike Bibby, and Brad Miller. Think about that.
Links Galore
An education expert on how LeBron’s I Promise School is really the first of its kind.
The Lakers are going back to their awesome Showtime jerseys.
The NBA’s investigation into the Mavericks’ culture of harassment still hasn’t ended.
WNBA players are getting only about 20 percent of league revenue as salary, far below the 50 percent NBA players get. What can WNBA players do to boost revenue and, eventually, their play?
Don’t challenge Michael Porter Jr. to 2K unless you’re willing to lose your shoes.
The NBA announced a partnership with MGM Resorts. Michael McCann breaks down what that really means about the future of gambling on the NBA.
Steven Adams sniffed Gregg Popovich’s hair.
In appreciation of L.A.’s Drew League.
Excellent analysis of how Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis need to evolve to work together well on offense.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says there is no G.O.A.T. This is probably the most accurate and least fun G.O.A.T. take. And for what it’s worth, Kareem should be no lower than No. 3 on your G.O.A.T. list, according to the authority of my personal opinion.
The Suns coach you never knew existed.
Contract extension for Nate McMillan.
Daryl Morey is now giving wedding toasts by proxy.
Dirk Nowitzki’s performance given his age and longevity is unprecedented.
If an NBA workout isn’t on Instagram, did it even happen?
Las Vegas, like many cities, has a growing youth homelessness problem. Wizards rookie Troy Brown is trying to help those he can in his hometown.
Be excellent to each other.