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The Los Angeles Lakers probably should have traded Russell Westbrook before the season. It's hard to argue otherwise when they're 8-12 through 20 games. As well as Westbrook has adapted to a bench role, there is simply no path to contention that involves a $47 million sixth man. The Lakers surely knew this before the season began. They didn't act on it. Part of the reported logic was a desire to see how this team would actually look on the floor. Well, the proposed 20-game timeline has come and gone. It's December. A quarter of the season is behind the Lakers, and while there are still questions to be answered, we have a pretty good idea of what this team is. So through more than a month of basketball, what have we learned ? What do the Lakers now know that they can act upon in trade negotiations? Here are the five biggest lessons this team has learned through the first month and a half of basket...

The NBA's trade deadline and All-Star break are now behind us, and there is business at hand. This next stretch of 20 or so games is when playoff seeding will be determined, with tight races at the top of the Eastern Conference and everywhere you look in the Western Conference. Since we took a quick departure from our weekly approach last time, this week's Power Rankings will take into account the period from the Monday before the All-Star break until now (most teams played four or five games during that period, so not much different than usual). We'll be referring to that stretch as "the week" for the purposes of the rankings, even though it's actually two weeks. With that unfortunate bit of mind-numbing, logistical housekeeping in the rear view mirror, let's get on with it. As we reset after the break, there's one thing that hasn't changed: The Milwaukee Bucks apparently are...

The Dallas Mavericks recently signed veteran and former All-Star guard Kemba Walker to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the hope that he can provide at least a small bit of additional play making for a team that plays like the worst offense in the league when Luka Doncic sits and is really missing Jalen Brunson.  But first, Walker, 32, has to be healthy enough to contribute. HIs left knee has required three surgeries, two on his meniscus and another an arthroscopic procedure in 2017. He wasn't the same player toward the end of his Celtics run, and after a promising start with the Knicks, he declined even more before he was cut from the rotation and dumped to Detroit in a cost-cutting move. He hasn't played an NBA game since February.  "It's not good," Mavericks GM Nico Harrison said of Walker's knee during a recent radio appearance. "It's not good at all. But he's rehab...

Minnesota Timber wolves big man Rudy Gobert was sent to the showers early on Saturday night for a bizarre incident in which he tripped Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams. Gobert was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul after the referees determined his actions were unnecessary and excessive.  A few minutes into the second quarter, Williams went strong to the paint and tossed in a tough floater over Gobert's outstretched arms. There was no foul called on the play, but the two collided in mid air and both fell to the ground under the basket.  As Williams stood up, Gobert stretched out his leg and tripped him. He then also appeared to kick out at Williams.  Rudy Gobert was ejected for kicking Kenrich Williams and tripping him 😳 pic.twitter.com/oCROiUhNk1 — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 4, 2022 Williams popped up and stood ov...

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade is out for 3-4 weeks as he recovered from a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder , the team announced Sunday. The injury occurred early in Friday's Cleveland win over the Orlando Magic, and Wade was quickly ruled out from there. Now the Cavaliers will need to move forward without him for the next month or so. While Wade isn't one of Cleveland's big-name stars, he's become an integral role player for one of the Eastern Conference's best teams. When Wade is on the floor, the Cavaliers outscore opponents by 11.6 points per 100 possessions, a figure that dips to 4.3 when he's on the bench.  Wade is shooting a career-best 41.1 percent from deep this season, helping space the floor for a Cavs team that plays two big men as much as any other team in basketball. ...

When Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young sat out Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets, head coach Nate McMillan ascribed his absence to a "miscommunication." Now, thanks to a report from Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, we have a better idea of what that miscommunication actually was. According to Charania and Amick, Young skipped shootaround on Friday to focus on getting treatment for his shoulder soreness. He would then decide closer to game time whether or not he would be able to play. This apparently was not approved by McMillan, who gave Young two options: come off of the bench, or don't attend the game at all. Young wound up choosing the latter. The Hawks wound up defeating the Nuggets, 117-110, and are now 13-10 with the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Statistically speaking, though, Young is having a bit of a down year. His shooting percentages are down across the boar...

The Chicago Bulls announced Tuesday morning that Lonzo Ball will be shut down for the remainder of the season. Ball, who hasn't played since Jan. 14, 2022, has suffered several setbacks in what's been a lengthy recovery process from a meniscus tear in his left knee. After first undergoing arthroscopic surgery to address what at the time was called a small meniscus tear in January 2022, Ball never returned last season following the injury and had an additional surgery eight months later in September for the same meniscus tear.   Back in September, Ball was expected to be out for "at least a few months" with January being earmarked as the potential return date for the former No. 2 overall pick. However, when the Bulls would give updates on the star guard, it didn't sound like he was making any forward progress toward a return. Most recently on Jan. 28, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said that B...

The NBA plans to loosen the restrictions on team scouting high school players , according to a memo obtained by ESPN. Starting in mid-December, teams will be allowed to send personnel to select high-profile high school tournaments. These include the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, the Spalding HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts and the Geico Nationals in Fort Myers, Florida. This decision will not affect the current age restrictions on players entering the league. As it stands, American players must be one year removed from their senior year of high school and be turning 19 in the year of the draft in order to be eligible to enter. While there have been discussions about eliminating the "one and done" rule, there are no concrete plans to eliminate it anytime soon. It is one of the many items that will be hotly contested during the next collective bargaining talks.  However, as the ...

Mac McClung was regarded as a bit of an odd choice to headline Saturday's NBA Slam Dunk Contest. The young guard has played in only two NBA Game s, neither of which came this season. When his participation was announced, fans even mocked the league for failing to convince bigger stars to the once proud event. Well, nobody's laughing now. McClung stole the show with one of the best Slam Dunk performances in recent memory. Four attempts. Four dunks. Three perfect scores. One trophy. In one night, a player many viewers had never heard of managed to join the ranks of Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter and Michael Jordan in the dunk contest History books. But who is? Let's dive into the life and career of Mac McClung, the G-Leaguer-turned Slam Dunk champion. So why was McClung here in the first place? McClung may not have proven himself as an NBA player, but his credentials as a dunker are well-known. He began du...