Andrew Wiggins told Kansas coach Bill Self he wanted to be traded

Playing alongside LeBron James seems like it would be any basketball player’s dream, but not for No. 1 draft pick Andrew Wiggins.
Wiggins said last week in an awkward SportsCenter interview that he just wants to “play for a team that wants me,” and his wish is being granted now that the Cavaliers and Timberwolves have agreed to a deal that will send Kevin Love to Cleveland and Wiggins to Minnesota. Although Wiggins maintained that he believed the Cavaliers wanted him on the team, his former coach Bill Self revealed that Wiggins told him he wanted to leave Cleveland.
Via the AP:

“When all this trade stuff started, I talked to Andrew and Andrew told me, “I hope I get traded,” Self said. “And I’m like, ‘No you don’t.’ And he said, “Coach, I do. It’s better for me, knowing my personality and what I need to do, to go somewhere where I’m forced to be something as opposed to going in there where they’re going to be patient with me and I’m going to be a piece.”

According to Self, Wiggins would rather be the No. 1 guy on a rebuilding team than be an asset on a championship contender, or a sidekick to James. Wiggins is moving to an ideal situation in Minnesota — he doesn’t have to be a shooting guard, has a sensational point guard in Ricky Rubio, and won’t face the overwhelming expectations that he would in Cleveland. NBA rookies may not believe Wiggins will be the Rookie of the Year, but he’s bringing a star mentality to Minnesota.

David Stern says world was 'horribly unfair' to LeBron after 'The Decision'

In a recent Q&A with NBA.com, former NBA Commissioner David Stern said that he “thought the world was being horribly unfair” to LeBron James after “The Decision” in 2010, when James revealed he would be leaving the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat.
Now that James is heading back to Cleveland, it’s water under the bridge, but Stern still feels people reacted poorly to the last decision.
From the Q&A with NBA.com’s David Aldridge:

I told LeBron, I thought that regardless of how poorly executed The Decision was, I thought the world was being horribly unfair to him. He was entitled to make that decision and he was entitled to make the decision he made. If it makes him happy, then I’m happy. I think it’s great. The additional dividend being, apparently, he has been much appreciated by the fans of the world for his decision to return to Cleveland. And I think that’s wonderful. And I think that it demonstrates how embedded the NBA is into the psyche of not just America, but maybe even the world.

Stern’s right that the world was a bit unfair to James after “The Decision,” but just dismissing how “poorly executed” it was sort of misses the entire point. The biggest problem with “The Decision” wasn’t that James decided to go to Miami. The biggest problem with “The Decision” was “The Decision.” It was an entertainment spectacle masquerading as a charity event that yanked out the heart of every Cleveland sports fan.
James had every right to go to Miami, and if he had executed the 2010 decision like he did this one, it wouldn’t have gotten the reaction it did. Or, not quite the reaction it did.

Jason Sudeikis returns as NBC's soccer-savvy football coach Ted Lasso

When we last saw Coach Ted Lasso, he was making the transition from American football to the European version. It was all part of NBC’s promotion of its Premier League coverage. In this newest installment, Coach Lasso has been fired from his coaching job in the Premier League and is relegated to doing television work and coaching the St. Katherine’s Fighting Owls — not that he knows what relegated means. Our favorite moments from the new spot are listed below.

1. “I’m LeVar Burton from Star Trek.”

 

2. Beers with Timmy Howard.

 

3. Rebecca Lowe accurately guesses Ted’s nickname.

 

4. The keys to being a good soccer team “1. Play physical; 2. Give 100%; 3. Be sponsored by a Middle Eastern Airline.”

 

Tim Hardaway Jr. thinks a second-round draft pick is a key to the Knicks' success

When Carmelo Anthony agreed to come back to the Knicks for the 2014-15 season after exploring his options, his message to his teammates was concise and direct.
“He just said it was time to work,” said Tim Hardaway Jr. “And that’s when everyone knew he was on a mission.”
If there is a way best to define the Knicks 2013-14 season, it might just be in what happened after it was all over. A new coach. The introduction of Phil Jackson. The departure of Tyson Chandler. And the long-running questions about exactly what went wrong last season and how much of it was a lack of chemistry, options, leadership or just plain bad luck.
“It was a lot of injuries that happened last year,” Hardaway Jr. said. “We didn’t really click on all cylinders … I would never say we never played hard, I mean we tried our hardest when we were out there, [but] some nights the ball just wasn’t going in. Some nights just weren’t our night.”
The Knicks also always seemed to be missing something in the team’s chemistry, often resulting in a frustrated Anthony and frustrated Chandler. In addition to working on his own game, Hardaway Jr. pointed to the Knicks second-round draft pick, Cleanthony Early, as a guy that could bring a change to the franchise from his first time on the court. It was a heralded draft pick — at 6-8, Early proved to be a dominating presence on the court in college, helping to lead Wichita State to surprising success especially in the regular season. Hardaway Jr. said he’d watched Early during his college years and thought he was one of the best players in the NCAA last season.
Early might also be the perfect anecdote to some of the effort problems that appeared to plague the Knicks at times last year, when photos of Anthony on the bench shaking his head at defensive lapses seemed at times to define everything about the team.






“Cleanthony is just the type of ballplayer that we need, that the city of New York needs. He’s from here — he’s from the Bronx — and he’s just ready to go. You could see in the summer league,” Hardaway Jr. said. “[...] He’s got a sense of urgency and grittiness [that he'll bring to] our team to come out and do whatever he can to help us win.”
Hardaway Jr, who spoke to For The Win as part of a Citi Kids program at Citi Field, where he talked to a group of kids from local YMCAs about leadership, drive and determination. It’s three qualities that he’s tried to embody this summer while playing in the summer league, with the USA Basketball select team and on his own. Through USA Basketball, he got to know some of the other young NBA standouts including Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris and Draymond Green. When asked about Paul George’s leg break, he cringed and shook his head.
“That’s really — I wouldn’t say a close friend — but a guy I always talk to when I see him,” he said. “Hopefully he gets a speedy recovery because it’s not going to be the same without him on the court.”

Agent: Ray Allen hasn't decided if he'll play next season

 

 

Ray Allen still might return for a 19th season in the NBA. He also might retire. But he has not officially made a decision yet, according to agent Jim Tanner.
Allen has said publicly that he plans to wait until at least September to decide if he'll return for the 2014-15 season, and Tanner reiterated that stance Saturday evening.
"As Ray has previously stated, he is taking this time to make a decision whether or not he will play next season," Tanner said in a statement obtained by NBA SPORT UPDATES. "Any reports otherwise are false."
Earlier Saturday, ESPN.com reported that Allen has privately told those close to him that he will put off retirement and play this coming season.
Allen turned 39 on July 20, but the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers could be a coveted free-agent addition to any title contender.

Paul Walker (1973-2013): ‘Fast & Furious’ Star Dies in Car Crash

Actor Paul Walker, known worldwide for the Fast & Furious franchise, died Saturday after a fiery car crash in Santa Clarita, CA., near Los Angeles. He was 40.
The crash occurred at 3:30 pm, when a Porsche Carrera GT hit a light post and was engulfed by flames. A statement in the actor’s Facebook page said Walker was a passenger in a friend’s car. At the time of the accident, Walker and his friend had left a fundraising event for Walker’s charity, Reach Out Worldwide, which he founded in 2010 to help those affected by natural disasters. In that same year, Walker flew to Chile and Haiti to take part of humanitarian relief efforts after those countries were hit by devastating earthquakes.
On early Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported the police was looking into whether speed had been a factor in the crash.
This was a busy year for Walker, who released Fast & Furious 6 (the franchise’s top-grossing of them all, with almost $800 million at the box office), Pawn Shop Chronicles, and the straight-to-DVD/Blu-ray Vehicle 9, which only opened in Bahrein. His next movie, Hours (opening December 13), deals with a man trapped in a New Orleans hospital when Hurricane Katrina hits, leaving him to care for his newborn after the baby’s mother passed during birth, and in 2014 he’ll be seen on Fast & Furious 7 (still in production) and Brick Mansions, a remake of the 2004 French film District B13. He was reportedly going to appear as Agent 47 in the reboot of 2007′s Hitman.
Social media was inundated by messages from fans and co-workers, but perhaps none more moving than that of Fast & Furious co-star Tyrese Gibson.
“My heart is hurting so bad no one can make me believe this is real,” Gibson wrote on his Instagram page on Saturday. “Father God I pray that you send clarity over this cause I just don’t understand. My heart hurts it’s broken no one can convince me that this is real…. Prayer warriors please pray real hard for his only child, his daughter and family…#HeartOfAnAngel13YrsFamilyForeverWeJustCelebreatedYour40thBirthday….. My God… My God… I can’t believe I’m writing this”
Walker is survived by his 15-year-old daughter Meadow.

Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett may be better off with Timberwolves

LeBron James is the ideal teammate, but ...
... Andrew Wiggins has a team that wants him ... Anthony Bennett might start. ... Wiggins won't be forced to play shooting guard. ... Bennett can test himself in different roles at either forward spot. ... Wiggins and Bennett won't face immediate title expectations. ... Wiggins and Bennett can draw their own hype and step out of the shadows.
The Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to trade Wiggins and Bennett along with a future first-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for All-Star power Kevin Love, NBASPORTUPDATES reportedThursday. In doing so, they freed the No. 1 picks of the past two NBA drafts (Wiggins in June, Bennett in 2013) to start anew.