Don't get me wrong, the NBA season is great, as is the post-season. But the off-season is where things get really interesting. So many things can happen. Retirements, firings, hirings, cuts, trades, the draft, promotions, demotions, fines, suspensions, injuries, etc. There are always exciting storylines to look out for, and in this article, we'll look at ten of them. These aren't necessarily the biggest stories, but they are interesting ones you should keep an eye on. Since the NBA draft happened last Thursday, we won't focus on stories about the draft or rookies. However, expect an article on it in the near future.
1. The Big Three
Come on, you know what Big Three I'm talking about. That would be LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat. On the surface, they look they're in a good place. In the four years they've been in Miami together, James has won two regular season MVPs and the team has won two titles in four trips to the Finals.
However, things are not all right. The Heat lost badly to the San Antonio Spurs in last year's championship, causing the three stars to rethink their future. Wade has been plagued by injuries and can only play sparingly, while there is not much depth on the bench. This led to all three stars (and power forward Udonis Haslem) opting out of their contracts. While they may go play for another team (teams that James could go to include the Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls), they may just resign Miami. One thing's for sure: ESPN will be paying very close attention to this story.
2. The Lakers' Next Coach
The Lakers coaching saga has been going on since April, when head coach Mike D'Antoni resigned after a season in which the team finished 14th in the Western Conference. Not only is he the only coach in Lakers history to not get a playoff win in his first two seasons, but he amassed the worst win percentage by any coach in franchise history. That's bad.
Since then, the coaching search has been crazy. The team showed a lot of interest in college coaches Kevin Ollie and John Calipari, but both of them opted to stay with their current teams. They also showed interest in Stan Van Gundy, but he became head coach and president of basketball operations of the Detroit Pistons. Some of the candidates now being discussed are Karl, Jeff Van Gundy, and Byron Scott (who won three titles for the Lakers as a player). If I was Mitch Kupchak (the GM of the Lakers), I would hire Karl. He has experience working with top players (especially Carmelo Anthony) and has an excellent track record.
3. Carmelo Anthony
The one-time scoring champion and seven-time All Star is one of the best free agents on the market. According to Frank Isola, he is expected to resign with the New York Knicks and get close to a max deal. However, Anthony is being courted by the Chicago Bulls, especially by Joakim Noah, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Some reports say that Anthony is interested in winning a championship, others say he'll be satisfied with a lucrative contract. Anthony has also said that he would like to stay in New York because of his son's schooling.
4. Potential Trades
Trades that go down in the off-season always have the potential to shake things up the next season. We've already seen a few, including ones that sent Omer Asik to the New Orleans Pelicans, Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to the Dallas Mavericks, Arron Afflalo to the Denver Nuggets, and Jose Calderon to the New York Knicks.
There are plenty of trade rumors floating around right now, but it's hard to know which will actually happen. Some of the rumors are Jeremy Lin to the Golden State Warriors, Chandler Parsons to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Josh Smith to the Sacramento Kings, James Harden to the New York Knicks, and Ricky Rubio to the Houston Rockets.
5. The Nets' Next Coach
Yesterday, the hiring of Jason Kidd as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks became official. This will be Kidd's second year as a head coach, his first came last year with the Brooklyn Nets. The team went 44-38 and made it to the second round of the playoffs. According to Andrew Gruman of Fox Sports Wisconsin, Kidd apparently tried to get more involved with the basketball operation side of things, which led to his falling out of favor with the owners.
As reported on ESPN, Lionel Hollins (who coached the Memphis Grizzlies for two stints) met with Nets management today. He is reported to be one of the top candidates for the job, as is former Coach of the Year George Karl. If the Nets want to make the playoffs next season, they'll have to find the right guy for the job. Personally, I like Hollins. He took an underdog Grizzlies team to the 2013 Western Conference Finals and can probably bring the best out of an aging but talented roster.
6. Kevin Love
Contrary to what you might think, Kevin Love is not a free agent. Actually, his contract expires in 2015. However, Love has stated that he would like to play for a contender and has been courted by other teams, including the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Minnesota head coach and president of basketball operations Flip Saunders isn't happy about Love wanting out, but he is still reportedly discussing potential trades. After all, it does make sense for him to trade Love now. If Love leaves after his contract expires next year, the Timberwolves won't get anything.
7. Donald Sterling
Yes, Donald Sterling is still relevant. The former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers is not going quietly. The octogenarian has reportedly hired a private detective to dig up dirt on other owners. That can only lead to trouble.
The actual sale of the Clippers is also reportedly under examination. Next week, there will be a trial to determine whether Shelly Sterling (the estranged wife of Donald) had the authority to sell the team to Steve Ballmer, the former Microsoft CEO. It has been determined that Donald Sterling's mental competency will no longer be an issue in the trial.
8. Returns From Injury
Specifically, we're talking about Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose, both of whom have won regular season MVPs. The two of them played for some time last year (Rose's return was especially publicized), but both were re-injured and ended up missing most of the season.
Both players are expected to be active at the beginning of next season. However, all eyes will still be on them to see if they are actually going to return and how healthy they will be. After all, it wouldn't surprise most people if they hurt themselves again.
9. Greg Monroe
You may not think this is a big story, but you'd be wrong. Monroe is one of the hottest free agents on the market. New Detroit head coach SVG has said that resigning him is a top priority, but it hasn't happened yet. The New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers are said to be interested in the restricted free agent.
The Pistons are hoping to make the playoffs this year after a disappoint season last year. Resigning Monroe would definitely help reach that level. Last season, he ranked third on the team in points per game, second in rebounds per game, and is second in field goal percentage.
10. Lance Stephenson
Stephenson is one of the top free agents this year and definitely one of the most entertaining. Larry Bird, president of basketball operations, announced weeks earlier that the Indiana Pacers wanted to resign him, and made him an offer today. However, the offer of five years, $44 million just wasn't good enough for Stephenson, who is reportedly now talking with other teams.
One source says that Stephenson is interested in going to a contender or up-and-coming team. According to Dan Feldman of NBC Sports, Indiana should be able to offer Stephenson more than $57 million if they waive Luis Scola.
It will be interesting to see how all of these stories play out over the course over the summer. Keep checking back to The Sports Examiner to get updates on these stories and more.
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