Eric Gordon excited by vibe, culture of improving Rockets

Having signed with Houston in July 2016, reserve guard Eric Gordon is the longest-tenured member of the 2020-21 Rockets. Over his five seasons in Houston, the peak likely came in 2018, when the Rockets (65-17) won the most regular-season games in franchise history and easily led the entire NBA in record. That squad, which was led by James Harden and Chris Paul, went to the Western Conference Finals and was only a game away from knocking off eventual champion Golden State — only to have Paul’s hamstring go out at the worst time. In the regular season, the 2017-18 Rockets had two different winning streaks of more than 10 games (14 and 17). Though the current Rockets have won five straight, Gordon isn’t ready to compare this squad — which lacks proven superstars — to that loaded team from a few years ago. He does, however, see common traits in regards to the chemistry and culture within the Houston locker room. Following Sunday’s practice in Oklahoma City, Gordon said: You can see how hard we play. And it’s not just how hard we play; it’s fun when we play that way. We created an atmosphere; it’s been really good lately. It almost feels like a couple years ago, when we had multiple [10-game] winning streaks. Everybody has an unselfish attitude. When you see that, it creates a better vibe, more geared toward winning. Since trading Harden, Gordon is averaging 19.7 points (45.1% FG, 38.8% on 3-pointers) and 2.9 assists in 30.9 minutes per game. He and the Rockets (9-9) hope keep the good times rolling when they visit the Thunder (8-10) on Monday. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Central. Basketball stat collect from isports API, for more details please visit www.isportsapi.com .

Dallas Mavericks are a bust so far, and some of that is on Rick Carlisle

This is not a good time to be the president, CEO or marketing director of the Rick Carlisle Fan Club. For one of the few times since Carlisle came to the Mavericks in 2008 his team looks like they are not there. It may actually be the first time it’s happened since he’s been here. The Dallas Mavericks are the second-most disappointing team in the NBA, behind only the Miami Heat. More than any other professional sport, the NBA is a player’s league. But if the team is not consistently showing up, which this team is not, the coach has to feel some of that fun. “We’ve gotta be more consistent with our posture and our disposition and our intensity. No question about it,” Carlisle said Thursday in Utah after the team’s practice when I asked him if he thought his team was playing hard enough to win. If a coach disagrees with that type of question, he’s going to let you know about it. What he’s telling his team is to wake the bleep up and get into somebody. The Mavs are scheduled to play the Jazz again on Friday night in Salt Lake City, but don’t be surprised if they fly back on Friday morning after the Jazz’s ball boy flunks a contact tracing test because his pet goldfish has COVID. Other than Luka Doncic’s triple-double tracker, there isn’t much worth celebrating about the 2020-21 Dallas Mavericks. Unless this team starts to play harder, and quits watching Luka amass empty MVP numbers, this is not a playoff team. They are 8-10, losers of three straight and are in 11th place in a stacked Western Conference, three spots south of the postseason. Right now, despite the presence of Luka and Kristaps Porzingis, this is not even an average team. Too many guys are under performing, and expecting Luka to be LeBron when he’s not. There are, however, a host of perfectly reasonable explanations for Carlisle’s team to be where they find themselves. The team has suffered through a slew of absences from COVID protocols, and Carlisle has not had the chance to coach the team the Mavericks built in the six-week offseason once. Also worth noting, no one cares. You can live with the results considering the team has not been together at all. What you can’t live with is a team that appears to be OK getting its butt kicked. No one expected the Mavs to be the L.A. Lakers, or Milwaukee Bucks. But, heck, the Mavs aren’t even the New York Knicks, who are currently 8th in the East. The Mavs are one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA. You’re not winning if you can’t have the ball. Defensively they are not much better than they were last season, which is barely average. After Friday night, this all has to change. After Friday night, they will have played a league-high 13 games on the road. According to NBA COVID protocols, players are going to practice, the games, and every other minute is spent in a hotel room. That can’t be fun, or helpful. As much as NBA players all yearned to get out of “the bubble” from last season, this season is not much better. “We are not going to make excuses about COVID,” Carlisle said. Wise choice. The Mavs should get forward Maxi Kleber back shortly, and then they will have the team they expected to before the season began. Beginning Saturday against Phoenix, the Mavericks will play 11 of their next 13 games at home. Even though they are playing in an empty American Airlines Center, the chance to just not be on the road should make some difference. If this team is still sleep walking its way around .500 on Feb. 23 after hosting Boston, they will have no choice but to consider a move or two before the trade deadline on March 25. They may not like Cleveland Cavaliers forward Andre Drummond, but it would be nice if they could find a player with that type of interior game. (BTW, there is some thought Drummond may get bought out soon.) The offseason additions of James Johnson and Josh Richardson are nice, and it still doesn’t give the Mavs muscle underneath. The Mavs knew coming into the season this was not a “finished” team, but if they keep playing at their current pace they are most certainly finished. Basketball stat collect from isports API, for more details please visit www.isportsapi.com .

Report: Nets interested in Kevin Love, JaVale McGee

The Brooklyn Nets still have roster spots to fill after unloading Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince and Rodions Kurucs in the James Harden trade, which involved the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers in addition to the Houston Rockets. With Allen going to Cleveland in the deal, the Cavaliers found themselves with an excessive amount of big men on the roster, already featuring Andre Drummond, Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr. and JaVale McGee on their roster. It turns out the Cavs are looking to move on from some of those bigs — and according to Jason Dumas of KRON 4, the Nets are interested in two. Dumas is reporting the Nets “are in active discussions with the Cleveland Cavaliers to acquire” McGee. Additionally, Dumas reports the Nets “have interest in” Love, who played with Kyrie Irving and Joe Harris previously in Cleveland. McGee is averaging 6.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while logging 16.8 minutes a night off the bench. Love has been out with a calf injury since he aggravated it in a December 27 game. Basketball stat collect from isports API, for more details please visit www.isportsapi.com .

NBA fans react to Kevin Love to the Nets trade rumor

The Nets just completed a blockbuster trade to acquire James Harden and assemble a new Big 3 in Brooklyn – and according to a new report, the organization may not be finished in the trade market. According to Jason Dumas, a reporter for KRON 4 News in San Francisco, the Nets are “in discussions” with the Cleveland Cavaliers about a trade for center JaVale McGee – but are also interested in five-time All-Star Kevin Love. Love has missed extended time this season with a calf injury. His contract situation would make a deal with the Nets difficult, if not impossible. Love is in year two of a four-year, $120 million deal with the Cavs, and is set to earn $31 million in each of the next two seasons. With no draft capital left following the Harden trade, the Nets would likely have to offer their top role players in this hypothetical trade scenario, leaving them tremendously top-heavy and even weaker on the defensive end. Could the Nets seriously be considering a deal for Love? NBA fans sounded off on a potential Love trade on Twitter. Basketball stat collect from isports API, for more details please visit www.isportsapi.com .

James Harden passes Allen Iverson on all-time NBA list

James Harden received praise for his first performance as a member of the Brooklyn Nets in large part because he became the seventh player in NBA history to log a triple-double in his first game with a new team — and the first to score 30-plus points in such an effort. As impressive as those accomplishments were, that wasn’t all Harden did in the win over the Orlando Magic. Harden also climbed the NBA list for most free throws made all-time, passing Charles Barkley with his 6,351st career free throw to slide to No. 14 all-time. From there, Allen Iverson (6,375) became the next player for Harden to pass. Fast-forward to Friday and Harden was three free-throws away from passing the Hall of Fame guard. By the end of the night, Harden had knocked down the minimum amount of free throws he needed in order to pass Iverson and move to 13th all-time. The next landmark free throw for Harden is No. 6,713. When he drains that on, he’ll have passed both Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dolph Schayes (6,712). Basketball stat collect from isports API, for more details please visit www.isportsapi.com .

How Much Is Stephen Curry Worth?

When he’s not tearing up the court with the Golden State Warriors, basketball superstar Stephen Curry is making waves in both the sponsorship and media industries. Thanks to his efforts, Celebrity Net Worth estimates Curry is worth a cool $130 million. Net worth: $130 million Date of birth: March 14, 1988 Primary sources of wealth: Playing basketball and endorsement deals Career highlights: Won the NBA championship in 2015, 2017 and 2018 and was named the league’s MVP in 2015 and 2016 Read More: Steph Curry and 25 Athletes With Major Business Empires Outside of Sports Stephen Curry’s Net Worth: $130 Million Curry has proved his value on the court, which is why he was able to earn the NBA’s highest-paid salary ever in the 2016-17 season. He signed a five-year, $201 million contract in 2017. This was an incredible increase from his previous salary of $12.1 million just the year before. Top Earners: The Richest Athletes in the World Stephen Curry’s Career Timeline Curry’s career in basketball wasn’t a foregone conclusion. In fact, he was barely recruited during college. It wasn’t until he was averaging 28.6 points per game as a college junior that the big leagues started to notice him. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 2009 and almost nabbed the Rookie of the Year award in 2010. Curry got his first All-Star nomination in 2014 and led his team to the NBA championships in 2015, where he beat LeBron James. Since then, he’s won two more championships and was the league MVP in 2015 and 2016. Yikes: Injuries Cost These 13 Athletes a Fortune Stephen Curry’s Partnerships As one of the biggest players in the game, it’s no surprise that Curry racked up a number of partnerships with big-name brands. He earns an estimated $44 million a year by endorsing brands like Chase, Fanatics and Under Armour. As if that wasn’t enough, Curry also started a production company called Unanimous Media. The company produced the film “Breakthrough” in 2019, which grossed $40.7 million at the U.S. box office. See the List: Most Successful Athlete From Every Decade Stephen Curry’s Philanthropy Curry puts all of his earnings to good use. He signed an endorsement deal with Callaway in 2019, and as part of the deal, he donated a seven-figure amount to create a golf program at Howard University. He also founded the Stephen Curry Foundation, which raises money for schools. Basketball stat collect from isports API, for more details please visit www.isportsapi.com .

Anthony Davis calls on Lakers not to drop two in a row heading to Bucks

Monday night’s loss for the Los Angeles Lakers was a rare first in the career of LeBron James and a rare night in the sense that both James and his co-star Anthony Davis both struggled from the field. And while LeBron James has always been the leader for the Lakers, Anthony Davis has become ever more vocal during his time in a Lakers uniform. He continued that trend following Monday night’s loss against the Golden State Warriors, calling out his team and reminding the public that the Lakers don’t like to lose two games in a row. “We know we’re a good team,” Anthony Davis said on Monday, according to SB Nation. “We know that teams are going to come out and play their best against us. But the way we lost, we don’t like. Obviously we have to look back at the film and see where we can be better, but we’ve always bounced back. We don’t like losing two in a row, so our next game, we’re going put a lot of pressure on ourselves to win that game.” The Lakers start a seven-game Eastern Conference road trip on Thursday night when they face off against the two-time reigning NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, with the pressure Davis mentioned to avoid losing two straight games for the first time this season. Basketball stat collect from isports API, for more details please visit www.isportsapi.com .