With Brandon Knight falling into the Detroit Pistons’ lap with the eighth pick in the draft, it means that an already crowded backcourt gets even more so. Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press suggests that getting rid of Ben Gordon could be the best way to ease some of that overcrowding. Sharp’s theory is that once the league figures out its new collective bargaining agreement, teams will be allowed to remove one bad contract without taking a salary cap [...]

The NFL and its players have yet to complete work on a new CBA and there has been no talk of training camps getting started anytime soon. But we already have reports of our first expected high profile holdout. According to Jason La Canfora of NFL.com, Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson could keep himself away from the team if they aren’t willing to give him the kind of contract he feels he deserves. The idea of another “band-aid” deal, [...]

The Detroit Pistons have certainly taken their time with their head coaching search. But with the draft in the rearview mirror, things may pick up. NBA.com’s David Aldridge writes that the Pistons will interview Patrick Ewing for the position. Ewing, 49, has long desired to be a head coach, and has decried what he viewed as pigeonholing him as a “big man” assistant, a role he has undertaken while an assistant coach in Houston withYao Ming and in Orlando with [...]

Maybe the forward for the Los Angeles Lakers was asked the question ‘What’s in a name?’ and had no answer for his old one. He took the next logical step and decided to change his name to something that did have a message. Metta World Peace. As unique and strange as it sounds, the name is one that will be approved by the judge once the paperwork crosses his desk. Name changes are generally approved unless they result in too [...]

On Thursday, SI.com’s Ian Thomsen reported shortly before the draft that the Atlanta Hawks were on the verge of being sold. One of the sources confirmed that the sale is about to be consummated, but declined to identify the buyer. The news was expected to come as a surprise to team officials of the Hawks, who were not aware a sale was imminent as they prepared for the NBA draft. SI.com learned of the sale hours before the draft, though [...]

Just one day after being traded to Houston, Jonny Flynn is already back on the market, according to a series of tweets by ESPN’s Marc Stein (@STEIN_LINE_HQ), starting with this one: ESPN.com sources: Houston making newly acquired PG Jonny Flynn available to interested teams. Wolves shopped Flynn liberally before draft Flynn came to the Rockets in a draft day swap that also landed them rookie Donatas Motiejunas and sent Brad Miller, along with #23 pick Nikola Mirotic, to the Minnesota [...]

Much of the trade talk that surrounded the San Antonio Spurs prior to the draft involved Tony Parker and Richard Jefferson. In the end it was George Hill that was packing his bags. The Spurs traded the three-year veteran to the Indiana Pacers for their first round pick (No. 15), San Diego State’s Kawhi Leonard. With Gary Neal playing well as Tony Parker’s back-up last season, Hill became expendable to the Spurs. Leonard gives San Antonio a young small forward [...]

After leaving his start Thursday night after just 2 innings due to soreness in his lower back, Roy Oswalt’s career may be in jeopardy, according to a report by Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Oswalt spent time on the disabled list earlier this season with similar back troubles, but his comments following his early exit Thursday night indicate that the injury may be more serious this time around: I feel it when I sit down, stand up, walk, pitch, sleep. … [...]

Houston and Minnesota are two of the teams that were involved in a flurry of trades surrounding the 2011 NBA Draft Thursday night. The Rockets got former Syracuse guard and 2009 first-round pick (No 6) for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jonny Flynn. Minnesota got veteran center Brad Miller from Houston and a future first round pick. The teams also swapped first round picks. Donatas Motiejunas, a power forward from Lithuania, will now go to Houston and Nikola Mirotic, a small forward [...]

The combination of his masterful performance throughout the playoffs and his status as a pending unrestricted free agent have J.J. Barea in position to cash in with a sizable new contract this offseason, and that may not necessarily mean staying in Dallas to defend the title. While Barea has said he wants to stay in Dallas, and the Mavs’ brass reportedly share that goal, he has a list of other teams he would like to play for, according to Kurt [...]