Basketball

Minnesota Timberwolves' All-Time Draft Picks.

A famous name only goes so far when a player takes the basketball court.

May 21, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) reacts against the San Antonio Spurs in game two of the Western Conference finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at AT Memphis Grizzlies 0 – 2 San Antonio Spurs Time: Saturday, May 25 at 9:00 P.M. ET TV Network: ESPN At: FedExForum, Memphis The Memphis Grizzlies will be back in familiar territory Saturday evening, but will be facing more pressure than ever and essentially fighting for their playoff life. Already facing a 2-0 deficit in the series, the Grizzlies can ill afford dropping game 3. So far, the story of the Western Conference Finals has been the Spurs’ ability to stretch the floor and find holes in a very good Memphis defense. However, San Antonio will be entering the grind house for game 3 and nothing will come easy. Players to watch Memphis Grizzlies - Zach Randolph had an abysmal game 1, and while he was better in game 2, he still hasn’t established himself offensively for Memphis. The Grizzlies desperately need Randolph’s offense if they want to keep the game close and not dig themselves a hole, which they have done in both of the games so far. San Antonio Spurs – Kawhi Leonard continues to quietly be one of the most important Spurs players. He always brings it defensively, is relentless on the boards and has been lethal from beyond the arc. Prediction: With their backs against the wall, the Grizzlies will find a way to bounce back and get their first win of the series Saturday night. Don’t forget to “LIKE” King James Gospel on Facebook for the latest news, columns and updates on all things NBA. @VytisLasaitis

We’ve seen Paul George dunk. But this time, it was Paul George beating Lebron James off the dribble, and DUNKING it home with hardly any time left on the clock. If you ever wanted a breakout moment for someone, this was it. Consider that sentence where I said, Paul George beat Lebron James off the dribble. How many times does that happen? Then with the dunk, George takes it as aggressive as we’ve seen in a while. With this series, Paul George might have found that formula that works against the Heat. Driving aggressively, and getting to the foul line if you’re not going to send the ball home. This was a thing of beauty, and what better sight to wake up to then this type of high light reel?

The work now begins for Vivek Ranadivé and the new owners of the Sacramento Kings.  Ranadivé and company have to revamp and retool a franchise that’s been run on the cheap the last several years. How will Ranadivé attack the rebuilding process?  The video below by the new Kings owner may offer some insight.  Here’s an excerpt: One of the factors you often hear people often talk about is that they don’t like to hire guys with big egos.  I’m a contrarian on this because I believe that people that are very, very good often have big egos and you just have to accept it and make it work.  And so I like to say that I actually love to hire prima donnas.  They have to have the goods, but they can deliver great amounts of value. Ranadivé discusses purchasing Downtown Plaza and basketball operations decisions He was the man of the hour at Thursday night’s raucous celebration in Downtown Sacramento.  Ranadivé made the media rounds, meeting with local stations as well as national outlets like ESPN.  He also spoke very briefly to a scrum of reporters on several topics quoted below. On where they stand in the development of the downtown arena: Well we’re moving very rapidly on that.  We are moving rapidly to get the downtown lot.  We’ve already sent the check so that we can have it.  And we want to be in by 2016-17, so we’re gonna work really hard to give the Kings fans the best arena on the planet. On if they ownership group has indeed purchased the Downtown Plaza from JMA Ventures: We’ve already sent the check so that we now have the ability to control and buy the land. On finding a way to buy the Macy’s men’s store, which is not currently owned by JMA Ventures: Well we hope to have control of that whole lot including Macy’s. On when they can start making decisions on the front office and coaching staff: Well, the deal closes at the end of next week and so we want to start getting into that very quickly. On if they’re planning to have conversations with existing basketball operations staff, including Geoff Petrie and Keith Smart: Yes, I want to sit down with everyone as quickly as possible.

April 1, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill (3) moves the ball up court against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports George Hill certainly delivered the quote of the night after the Indiana Pacers took down the Miami Heat in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It was not anything malicious — quite the opposite actually. Hill was asked about how big it was to stop LeBron James down the stretch of the game, and he answered with this: “There is only like one person that is scarier, and that’s God,” “We can’t just focus on him. We have to focus on the people around him, because he is a great playmaker. He has our full attention.” - George Hill Chris Paul has been labeled Point God by the general public, so it’s only fair for LeBron to be dubbed Basketball God. James, or shall we say the deity of basketball, was fantastic once again for the Heat, but he made two critical plays at the end of the game which led to game-deciding turnovers. After the game, James laughed a little at the comment, and although he was obviously flattered, he said that he is not even close. It’s really nice to watch the two teams be physical on the court, yet show great sportsmanship away from it. Other than Hill’s comments, Paul George and James shared a nice moment on the court after James hit a 3-pointer on Paul, instantly responding on George’s huge dunk on the previous play. Don’t forget to “LIKE” King James Gospel on Facebook for the latest news, columns and updates on all things NBA. @VytisLasaitis

The Atlanta Hawks still don't have a head coach and if you believe Ettore Messina the report of him leaving CSKA Moscow for the NBA are just rumors. Messina told R-Sport on Friday that the reported meeting between himself and Danny Ferry was just a rumor. "They're rumors," said the Italian-born Messina. "It's meaningless to talk about rumors." Now there is a couple of ways to look at this. Messina has two years remaining on his contract with CSKA and may not want to fuel the hype of his departure. Its also possible that nothing came from the meeting and both sides have moved on. Yahoo Sports originally reported that Ferry had spoken with Messina about the job after scouting him at the Euroleague Final Four. Updates have been scarce on the Hawks coaching search from the beginning. It was rumored that Stan Van Gundy was at the top of the list and was interviewed but he later indicated that he would not be returning to the sideline next season. Mike Budenholzer is viewed as the favorite if the Hawks can pry him away from the Spurs organization. There are likely other names in the search but Ferry and the organization are playing things extremely close to the vest.

Epic!! Welcome to the club, Paul George.

Spurs @ Grizzlies: Game 3 Preview: 5/25/13

[New York Times] Pacers Steal Game 2 Away From Heat in Miami, 97-93 (Sat, 25 May 2013 07:24:17 GMT) David West was more than a little disappointed when the Indiana Pacers failed to make a defensive play at the end to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.     [New York Times] Game 2: Pacers [...]