NBA Weekly | Latest News, Rumors, Scores and Highlights – Dec. 13, 2021

MilosNS
December 12, 2021
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Hello NBA fans, and welcome to our weekly review of the best basketball league in the world! Many things happened in the past couple of days, so we will not make this introduction long. Let’s start with the latest NBA news, stories, latest results, and rumors! If you want to watch NBA live for free, you should check the Bet365 sportsbook.

Let’s see what happened in the most attractive basketball league in the world last week.

Portland Scandal

Last week, the Portland Trail Blazers fired longtime general manager Neil Oshley for creating a toxic atmosphere within the franchise. On top of all that, media reports have surfaced that the relationship between Damian Lillard and new head coach Chauncey Billups is not good. The situation in the locker room is no better than that within the franchise. There are growing rumors that the Blazers could trade CJ McCollum for Ben Simmons, but they will have to wait for the appointment of a new general manager for that move. In previous years, the impression was that Terry Stotts was not getting the most out of this team and that the defense was problematic, but Billups so far failed to fix that. The Blazers are at 11-15 and are currently in a position that does not even lead to the play-in, which is the minimum expected from this team.

Remarkable Turnaround in Houston

After 17 games played this season in the NBA, the Houston Rockets were 1-16. Everything indicated that they would be the worst team in the Western Conference, with the best chances of having the first pick in the NBA draft next year. However, a remarkable turnaround happened. The Rockets have won seven consecutive matches. The best player in that period was Christian Wood, who has turned into a real machine at both ends of the floor. The Rockets will certainly not be candidates for the playoffs this season. However, they have shown they will not be sitting duck as was the case in the first month of the new season. Rebuilding is happening in Houston, and it will undoubtedly take a couple of years until they get into the situation of becoming contenders in the Western Conference again.

New Orleans Pelicans Problems

When the New Orleans Pelicans drafted Zion Williamson, they all predicted a bright future for them. Two years later, it no longer seems that way. Williamson had missed many games in the last two years, and there is a possibility that he will not play at all this season. In the photos that appeared in the media, it can be seen that Williamson gained a lot of weight, and the problems with his knees and right foot are getting bigger and bigger. The Pelicans are currently in last place in the Western Conference, and it doesn’t look like they will make much progress during the season, especially if Williamson is unable to play. Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas have taken the responsibility on their backs, but their quality is not enough for a slightly better placement than the current one.

COVID-19 Problems in Chicago

The Chicago Bulls are one of the most pleasant surprises of the NBA league so far, but they have been facing a lot of problems in the last few days. Superstar Demar DeRozan is positive on the coronavirus and will be absent for one period, and besides him, three other players were also positive. These are Coby White, Matt Thomas, and Javonte Green. The Bulls suffered a heavy defeat from the Cavaliers in Cleveland without the mentioned players. It is to be expected that we will see similar things in the next matches due to the shortened rotation. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic will have to take on much more responsibility until DeRozan returns and try to reduce the damage as much as possible.

Changes in Indiana

The Indiana Pacers made a huge move over the summer when they appointed Rick Carlisle as head coach. The former Dallas Mavericks coach is considered one of the best experts in the entire NBA league, and it was expected that the Pacers would play much better. However, after the first quarter of the new season, that did not happen, and Kevin Pritchard rolled up his sleeves. According to media reports, the Indiana Pacers are going to rebuild and are ready to trade some of their best players. Caris Levert, Myles Turner, and Domantas Sabonis are mentioned in the foreground, and it remains to be seen in the coming weeks whether any of this will happen. By bringing Carlisle, the Pacers have highlighted their candidacy for top placement in the Eastern Conference, and he certainly has no intention of waiting a few years until that happens.

Philadelphia 76ers Must Trade Ben Simmons

The drama surrounding Ben Simmons is getting bigger and bigger. The Philadelphia 76ers superstar has requested a trade between the two seasons; however, he is still a member of this franchise. Daryl Morey and Elton Brand did not get the offers they had hoped for in the summer and decided to wait with the trade. A couple of months later, the team looks terrible, and specific changes need to be made. Joel Embiid is not getting younger every year, just like his knees, and the impression is that the 76ers do not have much time left to realize their ambition to become NBA champions. The value of Simmons is drastically lower than this summer, but it still exists. Morey and Brand need to find the right package and trade their playmaker for players who will want to play at this moment. Otherwise, another season could go away.

Steve Kerr Has a New Job

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has been selected as the new coach of the USA basketball team. He will succeed Gregg Popovich, who led the USA at the World Championships in China and at the Tokyo Olympics. Popovich won a gold medal in Japan, which was the main goal of his mandate. Kerr was his assistant coach at the time and is certainly the right choice for the job. So far this season, the Golden State Warriors look impressive and are at the very top of the Western Conference.

Author MilosNS

MilosNS is our senior content writer, SEO guru, and first ever tipster who started working with us, and he is still here. He is a well-known name in the sports betting industry, and his knowledge about anything betting related is vast. If you have any questions, or doubts, MilosNS has the answer for you.

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