Daily Dunks: 9/21-9/27/15

                                                   (Credit: Andy Melton. Click here for source) 

This is my Daily Dunks page for September 21, 2015 through September 27, 2015. Throughout the week, this page will be updated with news from across the NBA until a new Daily Dunks page is created for the following week.

Monday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Nando De Colo, who currently is under contract with CSKA Moscow, would like to explore playing in the NBA again once his contract expires (Click here for details).

#2. Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov, and Anderson Varejao are expected to be ready for Cavaliers training camp (Click here for details).

#3. Harrison Barnes has rejected the Warriors' 4 year, $64M offer (Click here for details).

#4. The NBA had a $100M jump in ticket sales from 2013-14 (Click here for details).

#5. Chandler Parson, Wesley Matthews, and JaVale McGee aren't expected to be ready for Mavericks training camp (Click here for details).

#6. Kyle Korver has been cleared for Hawks training camp; Thabo Seflosha is getting better (Click here for details).

#7. Carmelo Anthony should be ready for Knicks training camp (Click here for details).

#8. Jacque Vaughn is joining the Spurs in a player personnel role (Click here for details).

#9. The Warriors signed Tony Mitchell for training camp (Click here for details).

#10. Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers are reportedly $14M apart (Click here for details).

#11. The Knicks signed small forward DaJuan Summers for training camp (Click here for details).

#12. Luke Ridnour will not play in the 2015-16 season. Retirement could be coming (Click here for details).

#13. The Timberwolves and Anthony Bennett have agreed on a contract buyout (Click here for details).

#14. David Aldridge reports that Brandon Jennings is "not close" to being cleared to play (Click here for details).

#15. The Heat shuffled things around with their coaching staff and the coaching staff of their D-League team (Click here for details).

Monday's WNBA Playoff Results: 

Fever 100 Sky 89: Final. Fever win the series 2-1 and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Tamika Catchings led the Fever with 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Tuesday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Tony Parker is opening a basketball academy in Lyon, France (Click here for details).

#2. The Rockets signed 4 players for training camp (Click here for details).

#3. Harrison Barnes changed agents because he wanted an agent that would take a smaller percentage of his pay cut (Click here for details).

#4. The Grizzlies reportedly were interested in Danilo Gallinari before the Jeff Green trade (Click here for details).

#5. The 76ers and Trail Blazers have expressed interest in claiming Anthony Bennett off waivers (Click here for details).

#6. According to a report, LeBron James isn't factoring Tristan Thompson's situation into whether or not he stays in Cleveland (Click here for details).

#7. The Milwaukee City Council has added money to the Bucks' new arena (Click here for details).

#8. In a new commercial, Stephen Curry reads a harsh draft scouting report of himself (Click here to watch).

#9. The Bucks expect Jabari Parker to be healthy for training camp, but they'll still be cautious with him (Click here for details).

#10. The Knicks officially signed guard Travis Trice  and forward DaJuan Summers (Click here for details).

#11. Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings has actually been cleared for basketball related activities. He could be ready to play by the end of November (Click here for details).

#12. The Spurs extended their tender to 2013 draft pick Deshaun Thomas. He will join the team for training camp (Click here for details).

#13. The Trail Blazers promoted Jim Moran to assistant coach (Click here for details).

#14. Pistons guard Darrun Hilliard had surgery to repair a broken nose. He'll wear a mask for three weeks and continue with all basketball-related activities (Click here for details).

Tuesday's WNBA Final Scores: 

Lynx 91 Sparks 80: Final. Maya Moore led the Lynx with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. Lynx win series 2-1 and will face the Mercury in the Western Conference Finals.

Liberty 79 Mystics 74: Final. Tina Charles led the Liberty with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Liberty win the series 2-1 and will face the Fever in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Wednesday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The 2016 NBA Final Schedule has been released (Click here to view it).

#2. The Timberwolves officially waived Anthony Bennett (Click here for details).

#3. The Raptors won't have extension talks with DeMar DeRozan (Click here for details).

#4. The Bulls have a new court design (Click here for details).

#5. Marc Gasol wants to play in the 2016 Olympics (Click here for details).

#6. In addition to Kendall Marshall, Tony Wroten won't be ready for 76ers training camp (Click here for details).

#7. The 76ers pursued Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard in free agency (Click here for details).

#8. The Grizzlies signed veteran center Ryan Hollins (Click here for details).

#9. Jason Richardson has officially retired (Click here for details and a cool video of some of his dunks).

#10. The Pelicans signed Chris Douglas-Roberts, Jeff Adrien, and Corey Webster (Click here for details).

#11. The Nets signed forward Chris Daniels for training camp (Click here for details).

#12. Heat forward Chris Bosh has been fully cleared for training camp (Click here for details).

#13. The Cavaliers signed forward Austin Daye for training camp (Click hereg for details).

#14. The Thunder signed guard Julyan Stone for training camp (Click here for details).

#15. Thunder forward Kevin Durant has been fully cleared for training camp (Click here for details).

#16. Thunder draftee Dakari Johnson will spend the season in the D-League (Click here for details).

Wednesday's WNBA Playoff results: 

Liberty 84 Fever 67: Final. Kiah Stokes led the Liberty with a career-high 21 points. Liberty lead Eastern Conference Finals series 1-0.

Thursday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Caron Butler wants to help Lamar Odom conquer his demons (Click here for details).

#2. The Celtics have finalized their training camp roster (Click here for details).

#3. The Lakers signed Metta World Peace to a one-year contract (Click here for details).

#4. Derek Fisher says Carmelo Anthony is a full go for training camp (Click here for details).

#5. The Grizzlies signed Yakhouba Diawara and Dan Nwaelele for training camp (Click here for details on Diawara and here for details on Nwaelele).

#6. Head coach Brett Brown intends to finish his four-year contract with the 76ers (Click here for details).

#7. The Timberwolves are not discussing a Ricky Rubio trade (Click here for details).

#8. Paul George will likely start at power forward for the Pacers (Click here for details).

#9. The Bucks arena has been delayed until 2018 (Click here for details).

#10. Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings has actually not been fully cleared for training camp (Click here for details).

#11. Guard Jaron Johnson signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Wizards for training camp (Click here for details).

#12. The Hawks signed center Earl Barron for training camp (Click here for details).

#13. Markieff Morris will report to training camp for the Suns (Click here for details).

#14. Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday will have minutes restrictions until January (Click here for details).

#15. Pelicans forward Quincy Pondexter will not be ready to start the season due to his recovery from knee surgery (Click here for details).

#16. Tristan Thompson now asks the Cavaliers to pay him $53M over 3 years (Click here for details).

#17. The Clippers added Luc Richard Mbah a Moute for training camp in addition to Nikoloz Tskitishvili (Click here for details).



Thursday's WNBA Playoff Scores: 

Lynx 67 Mercury 60: Final. Maya Moore led the Lynx with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Lynx lead the Western Conference Finals 1-0.

Friday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Nuggets big man Jusuf Nurkic won't be ready for training camp (Click here for details).

#2. The Orlando Magic have a lot going on as they head into training camp (Click here for a full breakdown on everything going on in the Magic Kingdom).

#3. The Thunder unveiled new uniforms (Click here for details).

#4. The Timberwolves made a couple of changes to their staff (Click here for details).

#5. Festus Ezeli is negotiating a contract extension with the Warriors (Click here for details).

#6. The Wizards signed five players for training camp (Click here for details).

#7. The Warriors hiring of Steve Nash became official (Click here for details).

#8. Anthony Bennett is likely heading to the Raptors once he clears waivers (Click here for details).

#9. The Warriors signed four guys for training camp (Click here for details).

#10. Former Kings guard Doug Christie is joining Comcast SportsNet California as a pre-game and post-game analyst for the team (Click here for details).

#11. The Cavaliers signed center Chris Johnson for training camp (Click here for details).

#12. The Rockets signed center Jeremy Tyler for training camp (Click here for details).

#13. The Trail Blazers signed forward Omari Johnson from Oregon State to their training camp roster (Click here for details).

#14. The Nuggets officially waived Kostas Papanikolau, saving $4.8M (Click here for details).

#15. Jordan McRae signed a one-year tender with the 76ers and will join the team for training camp (Click here for details).

#16. Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy, Jr. underwent back surgery and will be out 8-10 weeks (Click here for details).

#17. The Thunder officially added 3 players to training camp (Click here for details).

Saturday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Trail Blazers have announced their training camp roster (Click here for details).

#2. Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic probably won't play in the preseason (Click here for details).

#3. Paul Pierce is likely to retire if the Clippers win the title in 2016 (Click here for details).

#4. Ricky Rubio's health is improving (Click here for details).

#5. The Knicks like how Kristaps Porzingis is developing (Click here for details).

#6. Evan Fournier is seeking an extension from the Magic (Click here for details).

#7. Doc Rivers will likely bring Lance Stephenson off the bench (Click here for details).

#8. The 76ers waived Gerald Wallace (Click here for details).

Sunday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Raptors signed power forward Anthony Bennett to a one-year contract (Click here for details).

#2. The Trail Blazers bought out Mike Miller's contract making him a free agent (Click here for details).

#3. Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher like Kristaps Porzingis' attitude (Click here for details).

#4. The 76ers have finalized their training camp roster (Click here to view it).

#5. The Timberwolves have finalized their training camp roster (Click here to view it).

#6. Clippers point guard Chris Paul likes his team's depth (Click here for details).

#7. DeAndre Jordan plans to keep shooting free throws the same way (Click here for details).

#8. Nike unveiled a new LeBron James shoe (Click here to view it).

#9. Rockets GM Daryl Morey thinks his team can follow in the Warriors' foot steps (Click here for details).

#10. Nuggets point guard Emmanuel Mudiay hopes to win titles in Denver (Click here for details).


Sunday's WNBA Playoff Scores: 

Eastern Conference Finals---Fever 70 Liberty 64: Final. Series is tied 1-1.

Western Conference Finals---Lynx 72 Mercury 71: Final. Maya Moore led the Lynx with a playoff career high 40 points.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news. Also like my Facebook page NBA Lord Nation and follow my Google Plus page NBA Lord if you want to follow the NBA on those social media sites. 

Daily Dunks: 8/17-8/23

                                                   (Credit: Andy Melton. Click here for source). 

     This is my Daily Dunks page for Monday, August 17, 2015 through Sunday, August 23. Throughout the week this page will be updated with all the key news and happenings from across the NBA until a new Daily Dunks page is created for the following week.

Monday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Bucks signed forward Marcus Landry to a non-guaranteed contract (Click here for details).

#2. The Utah Jazz signed small forward Treveon Graham to a non-guaranteed deal (Click here for details).

#3. Toni Kukoc is reuniting with the Bulls as a special advisor to the team president (Click here for details).

#4. The Raptors and center Jonas Valanciunas are closing in on a 4-year, $60M extension (Click here for details).

#5. The Cavaliers signed point guard Quinn Cook to what is likely a training camp deal of sorts (Click here for details).

#6. The Lakers signed guard Michael Frazier to what is likely a training camp deal of sorts (Click here for details).

#7. There's a report saying that most people in the Kings' front office want to trade DeMarcus Cousins (Click here for details).

#8. The Wizards and Bradley Beal are not close to an extension (Click here for details).

#9. Dorell Wright signed in China (Click here for details).

Tuesday's NBA daily Dunks: 

#1. Some crazy person was stalking Stephen Curry (Click here for details).

#2. The NBA promoted Kiki Vandeweghe to executive VP of basketball operations (Click here for details).

#3. Michael Jordan makes more money in endorsements than any player in the NBA (Click here for details).

#4. 76ers center Joel Embiid underwent surgery on his foot. His season is over  (Click here for details).

#5. The Nuggets waived Joey Dorsey who has since signed with Galatasaray in Turkey (Click here for details).

#6. Jason Terry re-signed with the Rockets for one year (Click here for details).

#7. The Knicks are interested in Jamal Crawford (Click here for details).

#8. The Grizzlies signed center Michael Holyfield for at least training camp (Click here for details).

Tuesday's WNBA Final Scores: 

Shock 74 Mercury 59. Fever 79 Sparks 68.

Wednesday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Free agent guard Darius Morris is out for a few months with an injured foot (Click here for details).

#2. The Wizards signed center Jaleel Roberts for training camp (Click here for details).

#3. David Stern is being urged to run for mayor of New York City (Click here for details).

#4. Tim Duncan has won an award for being the best teammate in the NBA (Click here for details).

#5. The Clippers and Timberwolves may be interested in Jose Calderon (Click here for details).

Wednesday's WNBA Final Scores: 

Mystics 79 Lynx 61. Liberty 73 Stars 45.

Thursday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. J.R. Smith re-signed with the Cavaliers for two years, $10+M. Second year is a player option and deal includes a no-trade clause (Click here for details).

#2. Warriors rookie forward Kevon Looney is out 4-6 months after undergoing hip surgery (Click here for details).

#3. The Utah Jazz made some promotions in their organization (Click here for details).

#4. Jonas Valanciunas has signed a four-year, $64M extension with the Raptors (Click here for details).

#5. The Timberwolves officially signed Tayshaun Prince (Click here for details).

#6. Al Horford: "I'm very happy in Atlanta" (Click here for details).

#7. Blake Griffin says 66 games is the ideal NBA season length (Click here for details).

#8. Heat rookie Justise Winslow signed with Adidas (Click here for details).

#9. The Suns signed guard Terrico White for training camp (Click here for details).

#10. The Hornets signed center Jason Washburn for training camp (Click here for details).

Friday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Heat signed former UC Davis guard Corey Hawkins for training camp (Click here for details).

#2. Ricky Rubio believes the Timberwolves can make the playoffs (Click here for details).

#3. The Raptors and Terrence Ross have discussed a contract extension (Click here for details).

#4. The 76ers don't have any idea when Joel Embiid will be healthy. He may not be ready to begin the 2016-17 season (Click here for details).

#5. The Warriors signed shooting guard Jarrell Eddie for training camp (Click here for details).

#6. The Suns signed former Harvard forward Kyle Casey for training camp (Click here for details).

Friday's WNBA Final Scores: 

Liberty 78 Dream 67. Shock 84 Sun 76. Lynx 78 Stars 61. Sky 87 Mystics 85. Sparks 78 Mercury 68. Fever 75 Storm 63.

Saturday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Cavaliers have signed center Sasha Kaun to a two-year contract (Click here for details).

#2. The Pacers want a new training facility (Click here for details).

#3. Kobe Bryant has begun shooting (Click here for details).

#4. Ricky Rubio thinks Andrew Wiggins will one day win an NBA MVP award (Click here for details).

#5. The Raptors signed guard Shannon Scott (Click here for details).

#6. Kawhi Leonard wants to be an all-star and win league MVP (Click here for details).

Sunday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Stanley Johnson wants to bring big things to Detroit (Click here for details).

#2. Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry recognizes the challenge and excitement of coaching Anthony Davis (Click here for details).

#3. Jazz point guard Trey Burke knows he needs to make the most of this season (Click here for details).

#4. The Timberwolves are still trying to unload Anthony Bennett (Click here for details).

#5. Small forward Tomas Satoransky may join the Wizards (Click here for details).

Sunday's WNBA Final Scores: 

Sky 66 Mystics 64. Sparks 90 Stars 59. Dream 102 Sun 92. Fever 80 Liberty 79. Mercury 79 Lynx 67.


---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news 

Why Anthony Bennett Is Not A Bust, But Rather The Victim Of A Horrible Decision Made By The Cavaliers

                                            image from: espn.go.com 

Cavaliers rookie power forward Anthony Bennett is having the worst statistical season of any overall #1 pick.  Basketball-Reference.com  released an image of the PERs (Player Efficiency Rating) of all #1 draft picks over the past 24 seasons to give us some perspective on how bad Bennett is playing. What the image showed was that Bennett's PER is 1.1 and Kwame Brown (considered by many to be the worst #1 pick of all-time) had a PER of 11.2 during his rookie season. With these kinds of numbers, many basketball analysts are already saying that Anthony Bennett is the worst #1 overall pick of all time and thus the greatest bust of any #1 overall pick. While I agree that he very well may be the worst #1 overall pick of all time, I don't think it is fair to call him a "bust". What I will do is explain why Anthony Bennett isn't a "bust", but rather the victim of a horrible decision made by the Cavaliers' front office.

Before I explain why Bennett isn't a bust, I should probably first define what "bust" means. "Bust" is a word used to define a player who fails to live up to his or her expectations, with those expectations usually being lofty. Players who are expected to be franchise changing players and fail to live up to those expectations are usually the players who are categorized as "busts" due to their high expectations. Players under this category are Greg Oden, Shawn Bradley,  and sadly Len Bias. To use examples from the NFL,  Quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell of the Raiders and Ryan Leaf of the Chargers meet this criteria as well. These are guys who were drafted with tremendous hype from not only the teams that drafted them, but all of the media and analysts. These were players who were "can't miss" players who were sure to turn around their franchises in a very short period of time. These were guys expected to turn their respective franchises into championship caliber teams.

With this definition now in mind, it suddenly doesn't seem as though Anthony Bennett really is a bust. As a matter of fact, he isn't even in the discussion. Bennett being drafted #1 overall and failing to deliver isn't the same as being hyped by all the media as the second coming of Karl Malone and failing to deliver. If Bennett had been viewed by all of the media and draft analysts as this "can't miss player" like another Karl Malone, then he would certainly be a "bust". But he wasn't. As a matter of fact, he was a viewed a borderline top ten pick in a weak NBA draft.

In my mock draft (not that I'm a draft expert), I had Bennett going #10 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers. In other mock drafts, I saw him going anywhere from 5 to 10.  When he went #1 overall, everybody was shocked and couldn't believe it. Certainly Nerlens Noel, Alex Len, or Victor Oladipo would go #1 overall. But no, the Cavaliers instead decided to role the dice on Bennet, which up to this point has blown up in their face. To make things worse, Bennett is suddenly being compared to all #1 overall picks ever taken when he shouldn't even be in the same conversation as them. But being picked #1 overall suddenly has his name being brought up in conversations that include LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Patrick Ewing, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Among #1 picks  that didn't pan out, he's suddenly the new Kwame Brown or Michael Olowokandi.

Those of us in sports media world need to be careful how we view Bennett's struggles as a #1 overall pick. Rather than focusing all of our energy and attention on him, we need to instead focus our attention on the Cleveland Cavaliers and their moronic front office. Specifically their general manager Chris Grant and owner Dan Gilbert. These guys need to take all the heat and blame for drafting a kid #1 overall when the rest of the basketball world didn't feel as though he was that kind of talent. If the Cavaliers really wanted him, why didn't they trade down to get him and get more picks? By drafting him #1 overall they had to know that there would be a ton of hype on him that wasn't warranted, making this selection an incredibly horrible PR move in addition to being a stupid basketball decision. The story of Bennett's struggles as a #1 overall pick shouldn't be treated as a #1 overall pick failing to deliver. It should rather be treated as a front office failing to show competence at properly evaluating NBA talent.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord  for the latest NBA news.