Kobe Bryant's Comments About Detroit Pistons Shouldn't Upset Pistons Fans (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:15:00 PDT)
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant's comments about the Detroit Pistons aren't cause for fans to get too bent out of shape about.

Chris Paul is the L.A. Clippers' savior -- but there have been others in the NBA (RealClearSports.com)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 13:48:50 PDT)
Chris Paul joins a list of players who turned struggling franchises around.

The moments that made an MVP season (The Associated Press)
(Sat, 12 May 2012 10:56:10 PDT)
MIAMI (AP) LeBron James wears jersey No. 6 in Miami, so here's six memorable moments from the season where the Heat star became just the eighth player in NBA history to win a third MVP award. The announcement was made by the NBA on Saturday:

The Utah Jazz? Gone till November (Ball Don't Lie)
(Mon, 07 May 2012 21:40:44 PDT)
The Utah Jazz couldn't even take a game in the team's opening-round series with the San Antonio Spurs. It took a furious rally in the fourth quarter of Game 4 for the Jazz to even lose a game by single digits ; they lost the four games by an average of 16 points. The shooters weren't shooting well, nobody could stay in front of Tony Parker, and one-time All-Star guard Devin Harris managed a shockingly low single-digit PER over the first three games of a four-game postseason. And it doesn't matter. Would we have liked to see the Jazz give the NBA's hottest team a few more close games, or even a win? Sure. But this wasn't ever supposed to be the year for Utah to attempt this. The Jazz went into 2011-12 fully ready to use each of the season's 66 games to develop rotations, give Tyrone Corbin his first full year -- if you can call it that with a shortened season and training camp, and so few practices -- as head coach and see how well the team's bigs played off each other. The answers, some 5 1/2 months later? There still aren't any. This group is still developing, and the playoff trip was a fantastic bit of gravy not so much for the extra gate revenue or needed work on an advanced stage against a championship-level team, but because it allowed Corbin and the Jazz more of what they needed the most — reps. What comes next? That depends on quite a bit.

Finally, a Brooklyn Nets logo haircut for us all to get (Ball Don't Lie)
(Mon, 07 May 2012 09:10:34 PDT)
I know what you're thinking: It seems like FOREVER since the Brooklyn Nets released their official, Jay-Z-designed logo , and yet we still haven't seen any sort of follicular representation of it that we can all go into our local barbershop and get. People in San Antonio can get Michael Jordan's face on their head every single day if they want to, and yet we're sitting here like a bunch of SAPS. Luckily, Brooklyn barber Ron Snipes , one intrepid, slightly-too-shaggy gentleman in need of a cut and online barbering site  BarbershopConnect.com — "Your Connection to the Barbering Community" — all exist, and have come together to give America what it needs. Behold: The adidas logo atop the badge — while not part of the official Nets insignia — is a nice touch that shows sharp knowledge of the Nets' branding and partnership agreements, what with the shoe company both producing the team's jerseys and sponsoring the new team store at the Barclay Center . Savvy synergy, Snipes.

Mavs: NBA title to sweep, offseason with questions (The Associated Press)
(Sun, 06 May 2012 15:21:35 PDT)
DALLAS (AP) The Dallas Mavericks never seemed as though they were really defending an NBA title. It certainly wasn't the same team that raised the trophy a year ago.

NBA: Stoudemire practices with Knicks (The SportsXchange)
(Fri, 04 May 2012 15:50:16 PDT)
Forward Amare Stoudemire practiced with the New York Knicks on Friday for the first time since suffering lacerations on his left hand after Game 2 on Monday.

Report: Magic's Anderson to receive Most Impoved award (The SportsXchange)
(Fri, 04 May 2012 09:20:52 PDT)
Orlando Magic power forward Ryan Anderson reportedly will be announced Friday as the recipient of the NBA's Most Improved Player Award.

Beleaguered Bulls try to move on without Rose (The Associated Press)
(Thu, 03 May 2012 14:33:42 PDT)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Chicago Bulls took flight for Philadelphia without both a series lead and superstar guard Derrick Rose.

Jason Kidd may retire this offseason if teams don’t bring the big cash, reports SI (Ball Don't Lie)
(Thu, 03 May 2012 12:00:53 PDT)
Has anyone noticed how weird Jason Kidd's game has gotten recently? Not "bad" or "ineffective," just "weird." He'll pace that Dallas offense without picking up the same sort of ball-dominating stats he used to, but he still seems absolutely in control of things even if he's just relegated to making the lead pass, or penetrating enough to start a wave of extra passes. And even though his Mavs are down 0-2 in their playoff series (and title defense) to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kidd still seems like a game-changer of the highest order. He's also a free agent this summer. A free agent of the highest order, in Kidd's estimation, who will probably play his last game as a Dallas Maverick whenever the Mavs play their last game — sometime later this week, or in late June. And according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, if teams don't come correct with their free-agent cash, Kidd just might call it a day. Here's Chris' tweet, from Wednesday night :

Nets GM confident G Deron Williams will stay (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 01 May 2012 12:35:36 PDT)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Nets general manager Bill King believes All-Star point guard Deron Williams will join the team in its new home in Brooklyn after exploring free agency this summer.

Nets switch color, logo for move to Brooklyn
(Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:14:53 PDT)
Revealing a new black-and-white color scheme and logo brand designed by rapper and team part-owner Jay-Z, the NBA's New Jersey Nets changed their identity to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.

Sleepless Grizzlies try to shake off blown lead (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:57:39 PDT)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) The Memphis Grizzlies have a hangover so bad sleep was almost impossible, and they can only hope two days can help them shake the sick feeling of blowing a 27-point lead right along with home-court advantage to open the playoffs.

Brooklyn Nets unveil black and white logo (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:49:52 PDT)
NEW YORK (AP) The Brooklyn Nets are open for business. The team's formal attire will be black and white.

Here’s the Brooklyn Nets’ new logo, designed by Jay-Z (Ball Don't Lie)
(Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:55:26 PDT)
Well, here they are — the images and icons launching the new look of the newly rebooted Brooklyn Nets. [ Slideshow: Nets unveil new logos for move to Brooklyn ] The surprise was mitigated a bit (or perhaps spoiled completely, depending on your view of things) by advance shots of the probable (and now confirmed) logo tweeted by someone allegedly doing IT work in the Nets' new home at the Barclays Center, and by pictures of Brooklyn Nets swag on sale in a Manhattan clothing store tweeted Friday by Uni Watch and posted by The Basketball Jones . But now it's all official. These are the logos, as shared by Ben Couch of Nets.com . Bask in their black-and-white glory. [ Related: Nets' tragic legacy in New Jersey is over ] The primary logo — that far-left, blacked-out shield with "NETS" and a B-emblazoned basketball in the crest, zealously called "the new badge of Brooklyn" by a very optimistic Nets CEO Brett Yormark — was designed by part-owner and hip-hop legend Jay-Z, one of the most famous and successful musicians ever to come out of Brooklyn. Based on the gear available for purchase at the Nets' team store, the team seems to be leaning pretty hard on hip-hop references in an attempt to tether the team to Brooklyn's rap history. To wit:

Clippers stun Grizzlies, stage 27-point 2nd half comeback for 99-98 Game 1 win (VIDEO) (Ball Don't Lie)
(Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:30:07 PDT)
An awful lot of sports fans — especially those on the East Coast, exhausted after 7.75 NBA playoff games in less than two days — probably went to sleep somewhere around the end of the third quarter of Sunday's Game 1 between the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers. After 36 minutes of mostly lights-out basketball on both ends of the floor, Memphis held a 21-point advantage over the Clippers heading into the fourth quarter, and they looked well on their way to a convincing blowout win to open their Western Conference playoff series. And then, this happened: From Teresa M. Walker of the Associated Press : Chris Paul begged coach Vinny Del Negro to put him back into the game for the fourth quarter and not give up despite being down 21 points. The result was another Clippers comeback — one of the greatest in NBA playoff history. Paul hit a pair of free throws with 23.7 seconds left, and the Clippers rallied from a deficit that had been as much as 27 to stun the Memphis Grizzlies 99-98 Sunday night in the opening game of their Western Conference series. The key, Paul said, is to keep believing. ''Unfortunately, that's how we play,'' he said. ''We get killed in the first three quarters and in the fourth quarter we like to try to stand up for ourselves, and we found a way to win tonight.''

Deron Williams wants new deal before Olympics (The Associated Press)
(Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:14:19 PDT)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) All-Star point guard Deron Williams wants to have a new contract before the Olympics start in late July.

Favors trade paying off for playoff-bound Jazz (The Associated Press)
(Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:11:23 PDT)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Mark Eaton still holds the NBA's single-season shot-blocking record and he had powerful dunks to match. Yet, there are times the retired Jazz defender sits in awe watching Utah second-year pro Derrick Favors.

Deron Williams seems open to staying with Nets (The SportsXchange)
(Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:20:26 PDT)
After remaining mum for the last week or so, nursing a sore calf and not playing, Deron Williams spoke to the media before the team's final shoot-around of the season Thursday morning.