Could Andrew Wiggins force his way to Toronto?

It’s no secret that freshman phenom, Andrew Wiggins loves the Toronto Raptors and would love nothing more than to play before his fellow Canadians. Wiggins grew up watching the Raptors as a kid and even mentioned his dream of playing for the Raptors in an interview with the Toronto Sun.

But how far is Wiggins willing to go to make this dream a reality? Wiggins is projected to be a top-three pick in the 2014 draft and the Raptors don’t look to be picking that high. At least not at the moment.

Key injuries shape Eastern Conference playoff race

The Miami Heat have claimed the number one spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs by amassing an insurmountable lead going into the final stretch of the regular season. The Heat have played well this season but would they still be in the same position had it not been for a couple of key injuries suffered by some of their conference foes?

The Chicago Bulls led by Derrick Rose have held the Eastern Conference’s best record for the past two seasons but Rose hasn’t played a single game this season. Without Rose, the Bulls are currently sitting in fifth place in the conference standings.

Clippers represent a different brand of ‘super team’

The creation of the “super team,” where big stars team up together in order to chase championship rings has been a reoccurring theme in the NBA lately.

The Miami Heat did it two seasons ago and have reached the NBA Finals both seasons since Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh came together.

Jason Kidd’s basketball odyssey continues

Regrettably, we no longer get to see the nightly highlights of the mind-boggling passes that Jason Kidd used to make on the regular. The guy who would make his opponents look stupid with his superior court vision, exceptional ball-handling displays and passes that seem to reach his teammates from unbelievable angles has all but retired.

Instead we are exposed to a different Kidd these days. Now in his 19^th season in the league, Kidd is no longer a regular on the sports highlight shows but if you watch him during a game you will see why he is still an amazing player.

Lakers’ D’Antoni either unable or unwilling to adapt

New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson has been very successful since taking over the team after former coach Mike D’Antoni’s resignation last season. While D’Antoni has moved on to what most would consider a more talented team, D’Antoni hasn’t been nearly as successful as his New York successor.

It almost makes you wonder why D’Antoni was touted as such a big coaching hire to begin with. He didn’t get it done in New York and despite all the talent at his disposal with the Los Angeles Lakers, he hasn’t been able to get it done there either.

LeBron remembers Lithuanians 2004 upset of Team USA

LeBron James remembers. Most people who have seen James play, marvel at his mind-boggling athletic prowess but one of the things that many people don’t know about James is he has an almost photographic memory.

It’s one of the reasons why James basketball IQ is so high. James’ memory of games and plays and situations is one of the reasons he can play at such a high level on such a consistent basis.

NBA Rivalries: Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony versus Heat’s LeBron James

The 2003 NBA Draft was celebrated as one of the best drafts the NBA had seen in a long time even before any players were drafted. That’s because the two biggest names in that draft were current New York Knick Carmelo Anthony and current Miami Heat forward LeBron James.

These two small forwards drafted at the top of the 2003 Draft had different games but both possessed all-world ability. This was supposed to be the second coming of the Bird-Magic rivalry that put the NBA on the map back in the early ‘80s.

Knicks will regret not signing Phil Jackson

The New York Knicks pulled the trigger and removed the interim label from assistant coach Mike Woodson’s name ending speculation that Phil Jackson would be leading this team next year.

Although nothing has been substantiated, there had been rumors floating about that Jackson had some interest in the Knicks head coaching position.

Lamar Odom eyeing the Knicks

New York-native Lamar Odom has decided he wants to add his hometown team the New York Knicks to the list of basketball cities he has called home during his NBA career.

Odom still has one year left to his contract with the Dallas Mavericks at $8.2 million but a team has up to June 29 to buy him out at $2.4 million if they don’t want to pay the whole sum.

5 teams that will attempt to sign Jeremy Lin from the Knicks

Point guard Jeremy Lin has essentially become a restricted free agent now that the New York Knicks’ season is officially over but the Knicks may not have the money to sign him to a long term contract. The only good news for the Knicks is that under league rules, Lin can only sign for a maximum of $5 million per season over the next two seasons.

That doesn’t prevent teams from offering Lin a longer contract paying him more after those first two seasons though. If the Knicks can’t compete with a team willing to sign him to a longer contract then that could be the end of the “Lin-sanity craze” in New York.

The Bulls will struggle to contain Carmelo Anthony in playoffs

The Chicago Bulls haven’t missed a beat this year even with point guard Derrick Rose hobbled by injuries for most of the season. They have had the leagues’ best record for most of the year and could wrap up the number one seed in the Eastern Conference in the next couple of games but we all know that the postseason is an entirely different game in itself.

Matchups are everything in the playoffs and with the Bulls looking to draw Carmelo Anthony and the eighth seeded New York Knicks in the first round, the Bulls could be looking at a first round ouster if they are not careful.

Woodson wants Knicks to remove interim label

The New York Knicks have won three straight games since Mike D’Antoni resigned and assistant coach Mike Woodson was elevated to the interim head coaching position. Before Woodson took over the Knicks had lost six straight games and eight of their last ten.

Knicks need a Phil-In: Carmelo Anthony ill fit in D’Antoni’s system

[Revised]

Poor Carmelo Anthony. Anthony hasn’t looked comfortable in Coach Mike D’Antoni's offense since coming to the New York Knicks via trade last year.

Lin, Anthony provide puzzling pieces in New York

Things have gotten really interesting in New York lately. The New York Knicks were looking really foolish for waiving Chauncey Billups before the season started but are now looking like geniuses with the emergence of Jeremy Lin.

Stoudemire for Howard revisted: Would Howard want to join the Linsanity?

Trading Dwight Howard to the New York Knicks for Amar’e Stoudemire is an option that many in the media felt would benefit both the Knicks and the Orlando Magic. Stoudemire grew up in Florida and would give the Magic a post player comparable to what they have in Howard (at least offensively) while Howard’s game would mesh more with Carmelo Anthony’s half-court game.

Lin the Knick of time

After the season the New York Knicks have been having, the emergence of Jeremy Lin couldn’t have come at a better time. Both Carmelo Anthony and Amare’ Stoudemire are out and the Knicks were already pretty far back in the standings even when those two were in the lineup but Lin is showing how important a good point guard is to Mike D’Antoni’s offense.

Best and Worst of the Western Conference

Seeing the Oklahoma City Thunder sitting atop the West is not much of a surprise. The Thunder are a young and talented team that made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season. What is surprising is the teams that are currently sitting in the next few spots in the Western Conference standings.