Could Wilson Chandler's 350-lb grouper start for the Denver Nuggets? Most NBA fans’ eyes were on Team USA’s gold-medal winning performance in Rio de Janeiro, but for me the most fascinating story of the weekend involved veteran Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler. The 29-year-old decided to do a little deep-sea fishing, a day of fun enjoyed by many Americans every year. But Chandler … [Read more...]

Klay Thompson is already sick of questions about the 2016-17 Warriors Klay Thompson focuses. (Getty Images) One of the benefits of growing up as a basketball fan in the era of the well-publicized “superteam” would seemingly be, if our antennas are pointed in the right direction, the ability to discuss reasonable expectations for the superteams prior to their ever playing a game. [Follow … [Read more...]

Rotoworld Podcasts: NBA News Podcast for Aug. 22 Monday, August 22, 2016 The Olympics are over, so we are going to be without hoops for over a month. We'll talk about some news from the weekend and hit on some takeaways from the action in Rio. We'll also hit on some topics from last week's specialists. Here's the podcast: Mike Gallagher has covered fantasy hoops for eight years and this … [Read more...]

Experience, above all, led the U.S. to Olympic gold 12:33 PM ET RIO DE JANEIRO -- Ten first-time Olympians. Six players who had never played a game for the senior national team before they got here. The shock to the system of three single-digit games in one single Olympics wasn't all that surprising to USA Basketball officials once you did the roster math. So that's why USAB chairman Jerry … [Read more...]

Durant: Time with Team USA 'therapy for me' 11:42 AM ET ESPN.com news services Kevin Durant said his experience in Rio de Janeiro with Team USA provided a needed escape from the backlash he has received after leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign with the Golden State Warriors. Durant scored 30 points Sunday in the U.S. team's 96-66 victory over Serbia in the gold-medal game. He … [Read more...]

We now know how much a game-chewed Steph Curry mouthguard can fetch at auction Stephen Curry exposes his mouthguard to the air, potentially damaging its resale value. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) It’s a question each and every one of us has asked ourselves countless times before: “What’s the absolute most I would pay for a game-slobbered-in mouthguard discarded by Stephen Curry?” Your mileage … [Read more...]

Colangelo: Other hoops nations need to step up 7:45 AM ET ESPN.com news services Speaking after the U.S. men's basketball team won a third straight gold medal with a rout of Serbia, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said other countries need to find a way to be more competitive. "I'm all for raising the bar for global basketball," Colangelo said Sunday, according to USA Today Sports. "The … [Read more...]

Introducing Team USA's next coach: Gregg Popovich 6:31 PM ET SAN ANTONIO -- You crave the recipe of his secret sauce. You believe you've identified some of its special ingredients: draft foreign players, shoot corner 3s, emphasize defense, share the ball, victimize trembling sideline reporters. You'd like to believe you've captured the essence of the bearded coach stomping along the sideline … [Read more...]

U.S. men's hoops slam Serbia to win gold medal 4:56 PM ET Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO -- The U.S. Olympic men's basketball team won its third straight gold medal and did it easily, beating Serbia 96-66 on Sunday. After a few close calls earlier in the tournament, this was no contest. Kevin Durant scored 30 points and helped the Americans jump out to a huge lead by halftime. It was the … [Read more...]

USA Basketball wins gold, earns congrats from NBA players 4:56 PM ET The U.S. men's basketball team got off to a slow start in the gold-medal game against Serbia, but Kevin Durant took over in the second quarter. The team went on a 40-15 run on the way to a 96-66 win, earning gold for the third consecutive Olympics and the sixth time in seven tries with NBA players. As the margin stretched to … [Read more...]