NBA FEATS, FACTS AND FIGURES 7: LAKERS IS THE FRONT-RUNNER IN THE RACE FOR LEBRON
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 16 Jun 2018
The story of LeBron James transferring from the Cleveland Cavaliers to a still unknown team makes headlines in all sports news and websites. Jeanie Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, posted a tweet on Wednesday night: ?Do not ever underestimate. Nothing else to say,? Jerry Buss' daughter wrote as the basketball world awaits LeBron's decision.
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Los Angeles is now the front-runner of the race for James based on betting trends. Bovada had the Lakers as the favorite, with 7/4 odds. Other contenders are: 76ers 11/5, Rockets 5/2, Cavaliers 5/1, Spurs 8/1). BettingDime placed the Lakers ahead at 3/2 and Philadelphia 2/1. The Action Network likewise has LeBron most probably going to the Lakers, as a -130 favorite, and with 76rs at +325.
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The 76ers and Rockets have lineups that have better chances of winning, but the Lakers? bigger salary cap room and Paul George's likely transfer to Los Angeles could change the perspective for the Hollywood franchise. Gary Payton announced that James already had enrolled his son in a Los Angeles-area school for next year though it was refuted right away.
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ESPN?s Kevin Pelton explained the Los Angeles Lakers could parade a big three next season featuring LeBron James, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. If that can be possible, the Warriors' plans for a three-peat might just remain a dream. Leonard is from L.A. and was schooled in California and seemed that he is done with the San Antonio Spurs and is interested to be traded to the Lakers. George meanwhile is from Palmdale which is very near to L.A. and has expressed willingness to play with the Lakers.
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Kevin Durant is sure he will be back with the Warriors next season. He's the surest of seven free agents to return to the Golden State next season. There is no way the other six can avoid the roster change that begins next month.
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"The safe thing to say is we're not going to have the same look next year, in terms of having five or six vets," coach Steve Kerr was quoted by Yahoo! Sports. "We're going to be younger. We're going to have more youth, more energy to help us through the regular season. But it's impossible to predict what the roster is going to look like."
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Here are the other six Warriors free agents:
Forward/center Kevon Looney
Guard Patrick McCaw
Center JaVale McGee
Center Zaza Pachulia
Center/forward David West
Guard/forward Nick Young
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Gheorghe Muresan is a Romanian professional basketball player at 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m), he is the tallest player in NBA history. He is also recorded as the tallest living person in the European Union. Manute Bol was a Sudanese-born American basketball player listed at 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) tall, but he was officially measured and registered at 7 feet 6 3⁄4 inches (2.305 m) tall by the Guinness Book of World Records.
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Of the tallest players in National Basketball Association history, twenty five of them were at 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m) or taller. Two are active in the recently concluded 2017?18 season, namely Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks and Boban Marjanovic of the Los Angeles Clippers.
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The tallest player inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is 7-foot-6-inch (2.29 m) Yao Ming. In addition to Yao, Ralph Sampson and Arvydas Sabonis were the only other players 7'3" or taller selected to the exclusive Hall of Fame.
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In the seventh round of the 1981 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors picked as the 171st player overall Yasutaka Okayama, a Japanese basketball player who was measured at 7 feet 8 inches (2.34 m) and 330 pounds (150 kg). Okayama attended and played junior varsity at the University of Portland for one and a half years in 1976, but he refused to try out for the Warriors and never played in the NBA. He is the tallest person ever drafted and could have been the tallest player in the NBA had he given the chance to play.
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Of the shortest players in NBA history at a listed height of 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) or shorter, only 25 players were able to play in the league. Two are currently active: Isaiah Thomas and Kay Felder, both 5'9". The shortest NBA player to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is Calvin Murphy at 5' 9".
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With one exception, 5'8" Dino Martin, who was a forward, all of the players listed here have played or play the position of point guard. Included in the list is 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Nate Robinson, the only three-time winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, winning in 2006, 2009 and 2010.
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