Even in the offseason, the NBA never fails to produce storylines after all that’s happened in what was one of the craziest summers ever.
Over the past few days, several personalities have spoken their piece touching upon a wide array of topics – from talking about the past and dealing with their current situations.
Also, the league office has partially released the schedule for the upcoming season. And for sure there will be exciting matchups in store for fans to witness in what will be additions to some of the best NBA 2019 highlights.
Allow SBOBET to take you through on what’s going on in the basketball world with some news from the Association.
Carmelo Anthony airs his grievances on his current situation
After a long hiatus, 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony took time to talk to Stephen A. Smith in an exclusive interview via ESPN First Take.
During the segment, he talked about various things – from his time with the Thunder and the Rockets, and his relationships with NBA players such as Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Paul, and James Harden.
He touched upon on the idea of getting to play with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and that he could’ve formed a superteam with them back then. Anthony also mentioned that he almost suited up for the Chicago Bulls back in 2014.
The New York native also narrated about his hard times in Houston and how his services were ‘no longer needed’, which led to some serious ego and confidence issues. While he was questioning himself on whether he could still play at a high level, many people still believe that he can still contribute for any NBA team.
Most importantly, the 35-year-old dispelled any negative notion on accepting any role given to him – whether it being a scorer coming off the bench or just an additional piece to a contending squad. His announcement might increase his NBA 2019 odds of landing a team.
Anthony never rested on his laurels — as he continues to work out with renowned trainer Chris Brickley — and it all remains to be seen on whether a team would pick him up soon.
David Griffin sets the record straight on comments made towards LeBron James
In a recent article from Sports Illustrated, David Griffin talked about his time with Cleveland where he had a ‘miserable time’ after the Cavaliers won the 2016 championship. He lamented the constant media scrutiny brought about by a LeBron James-led squad.
“Everything we did was so inorganic and unsustainable and, frankly, not fun. I was miserable,” said Griffin in the article.
“The reason is LeBron is getting all the credit and none of the blame. And that’s not fun for people. They don’t like being part of that world,” he further explained.
He also thought that James ‘might have’ lost his hunger to win after the 2016 title, which added fuel to the fire.
With those being said, several people came out to criticize the newly-minted Pelicans GM, mentioning that he wouldn’t be where he is now without the help of LeBron James – which is why he came to clarify his comments during ESPN’s The Jump.
In the interview, Griffin said that his quotes were misinterpreted and that those thoughts about James’ lack of killer instinct came when the latter mentioned that he has ‘no longer anything to prove’. He instead would like to focus on the rejigged Pelicans in the article more than focusing on his past.
All in all, Griffin further reiterated that James remains one of the highly-scrutinized players for the media today and that he is excited to start anew with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Key games for the upcoming season
While there are still over two months left until the upcoming season, the league office has already provided a preview of what’s to come starting on October 22.
A huge part of the schedule is talking about the Christmas games where some of the best teams will face off.
For West teams, the Clippers will face the Lakers, the Pelicans will face the Nuggets, and the Rockets will go up against the Warriors. As for the East, the Celtics are slated to go up against the Raptors while the Bucks are scheduled to a duel against the Sixers.
At the same time, there are also some other games that should be marked on your calendar.
Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are in for marquee matchups against the Pelicans and the Celtics respectively on November 27 while Kawhi Leonard returns to Toronto on December 11.
Russell Westbrook and Paul George will take turns in meeting the Thunder on January 9 and March 3 respectively.
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