Basketball

• KD Not Likely to Return if Season Resumes

  May 11, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  Throughout the past year, fans have been anticipating Kevin Durant's debut with the Brooklyn Nets, after suffering an injury during the 2019 playoffs. Although he had made it clear that he would not be returning this year, the league's postponement due to coronavirus has sparked speculation on whether or not he could return this season after all, assuming it resumes. After all, the schedule could be pushed back as far as October, which is technically when Durant had planned to make his return.

   

  Recently, sources have begun addressing these rumors. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, KD and the franchise are choosing to remain steadfast in their original plan, rather than rush him to finish the season, regardless of how long the season is postponed. That means he will likely not play until next season.

  

  However, Nets GM Sean Marks assured the public that Durant's return date was still flexible. According to him, the time-line of his return was not a matter they frequently discussed. Nonetheless, the fact of the matter is that the risk involved with pushing KD's return outweighs the reward, as the Warriors demonstrated in last year's finals. Fortunately for fans, the possibility of an early return is still on the table.

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• Metta World Peace Goes by a New Name Now

  May 4, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  

   

  In addition to his former status as one of the top defenders in the NBA and his infamous cases of disciplinary issues, one of the many things fans know Ron Artest for was his name-change to Metta World Peace in the 2011 off-season, back when he still played for the Lakers. Although he was not the first NBA player to change his name, it was still an unusual occurrence, and made headlines nonetheless. Now, nearly nine years later, Metta has changed his name once again, marking the second time he has made this decision. According to sources, his name is now Metta Ford-Artest; he stated that he combined his surname with that of his wife's, whose name is Maya Ford.

  This is not the first instance where Metta's name surfaced regarding a name-change in the past few years. In 2014, during his year-long stint overseas, rumors emerged that he had changed his name to “Panda Friend”. Obviously, these rumors were not true – this is his first official name change since 2011.

  Metta's playing career ended after the 2016-17 season, when he had made a brief return to Los Angeles. He is currently the player development coach for the South Bay Lakers, the LA Lakers' G-League affiliate.

   

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• NBA to Reopen Team Practice Facilities on Friday

  Apr 25, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  The NBA has announced that they will begin reopening team practice facilities for players starting Friday, according to numerous sources. This process will be based on the reopening of certain states and cities in which franchises are located. Players will be allowed to train in a safe, professional environment, a notable step towards continuing the NBA season and bringing back live games. However, teams will still be prohibited from holding organized group workouts or activities.

  In areas that still maintain strict stay-at-home orders, the league has reportedly assured teams that they are exploring alternative arrangements for their players. As such, these decisions do not reflect any sort of timetable for bringing back the season. Nevertheless, progress is being made.

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• NBA to Reopen Team Practice Facilities on Friday

  Apr 25, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  

  The NBA has announced that they will begin reopening team practice facilities for players starting Friday, according to numerous sources. This process will be based on the reopening of certain states and cities in which franchises are located. Players will be allowed to train in a safe, professional environment, a notable step towards continuing the NBA season and bringing back live games. However, teams will still be prohibited from holding organized group workouts or activities.

  In areas that still maintain strict stay-at-home orders, the league has reportedly assured teams that they are exploring alternative arrangements for their players. As such, these decisions do not reflect any sort of timetable for bringing back the season. Nevertheless, progress is being made.

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• Top High School Prospects Join NBA G-League

  Apr 17, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

  

  Several months ago, RJ Hampton and Lamelo Ball made their notorious decision to play professional basketball overseas in Australia, rather than go to college. If it wasn't evident then that skipping the NCAA for more lucrative options would become a trend among top prospects, it certainly is now. Earlier this week, Jalen Green, who is the No. 1 prospect in ESPN's 2020 recruiting class, reportedly opted to play in the NBA G-League next year instead of going to college. This route will ensure high-quality training from professional coaches, along with exposure to other top prospects and veteran players, in addition to a salary of up to $500,000. In the past several hours, Isaiah Todd, another top 15 high school prospect, joined Green in his decision, de-committing from Michigan in the process.

  This is a huge blow to NCAA basketball, as other players will no doubt follow suit and decide to explore other options. Only time will tell how the NCAA will adjust to these circumstances.

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