INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — LeBron James says any thought about him being interested in playing for the Golden State Warriors is "nonsense."On Thursday, ESPN, citing anonymous sources, reported James would consider meeting with the NBA champions this summer when he can opt out of his contract and be a free agent. James said he initially laughed at the report and then became upset because it questions "what I'm trying to do here. It's a discredit to my teammates and the coaching staff here."James understands there will always be speculation about his future, but any link to the Warriors is a "non-story."The 33-year-old said reports about him undermine his attempt to get the Cavs to a fourth straight NBA Finals. James and the Cavs have played Golden State in the past three Finals.James has said he intends to play the reset of his career in Cleveland, but that hasn't slowed speculation about his next move.

MIAMI (AP) — Goran Dragic was planning a vacation for All-Star weekend. He's happily changing those plans.The Miami Heat guard was selected Thursday by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as an injury replacement for the Feb. 18 All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Dragic will replace Cleveland forward Kevin Love, who broke his left hand.Dragic will play for Team LeBron, the squad drafted by LeBron James. Dragic leads the Heat with averages of 17 points and 4.8 assists per game this season, and will be Miami's lone representative in the All-Star Game.Teammates mobbed him when they got the word on Thursday."All the credit goes to them, too," said Dragic, whose long-awaited first All-Star nod came in his 10th NBA season. "Without them, this would not be possible. They put me in the right spots so I can be my best and I'm really grateful and thankful for that."Silver made the pick diplomatically: Dragic was next in line, based on the number of voting points he received from NBA head coaches among Eastern... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Goran Dragic is an All-Star for the first time.The Miami Heat guard was selected Thursday by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as an injury replacement for the Feb. 18 All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Dragic will replace Cleveland forward Kevin Love, who broke his left hand.Dragic will play for Team LeBron, the squad drafted by LeBron James.He leads the Heat with averages of 17 points and 4.8 assists per game this season, and will be Miami's lone representative in the All-Star Game.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Blake Griffin described his reaction when he found out he had been traded."Shocked is a good way to put it," he said. "I didn't know anything. I pretty much found out when everybody else found out. It just kind of took a second to realize, OK, like, everything's changing."Griffin has arrived in Detroit now, and on Wednesday the Pistons introduced him and the two other players they received from the Los Angeles Clippers in the blockbuster deal earlier this week. Griffin, Brice Johnson and Willie Reed should be available to play Thursday night when Detroit hosts the Memphis Grizzlies, and that's when the idea of Griffin in a different uniform will really become a reality.The Pistons sent Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic and two draft picks to the Clippers. The trade came seven months after Griffin signed a $171 million, five-year contract to stay with Los Angeles — a fact that's been duly noted. LeBron James described the deal as "unfortunate" — pointing... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love's heart was questioned last week. The focus has switched to his broken left hand this week.And so it goes for the Cleveland Cavaliers, a championship-chasing team plagued by as much malfunction as dysfunction.Love fractured a bone in his left hand in the first half of an ugly loss on Tuesday night in Detroit, and the All-Star forward's injury and status likely will have a major effect on the team's plans to fix a season spiraling away.The Cavaliers are expected to provide a further medical update on Wednesday after Love, the team's second-leading scorer and top rebounder, is re-examined in Cleveland by team doctors.Early indications are that he'll miss as much as two months. Love's absence complicates things for the Cavs, who are 5-8 in January heading into Wednesday's game against Miami. The Heat can leap over Cleveland into third place in the Eastern Conference standings with a win.Love previously had surgery on the hand in 2009 when he was with Minnesota."It's... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Kevin Love left Cleveland's game at Detroit on Tuesday night with a broken left hand.Love went down the tunnel toward the locker room during the first quarter. He had X-rays at the arena, which the Cavaliers say showed a non-displaced fracture in his fifth metacarpal. The team says his status will be updated after additional examination Wednesday in Cleveland.Love played only 4:41 on Tuesday night and went scoreless.The 29-year-old Love has missed only one game this season, and he's the Cavs' second-leading scorer behind LeBron James. With the trade deadline looming, Cleveland has been in a funk lately. The Cavs had lost 10 of 15 heading into Tuesday's game, and they trail Boston and Toronto atop the Eastern Conference.Love's injury will likely affect the Cavs' plans as the Feb. 8 trading deadline approaches. The Eastern Conference champions may have to make a significant move to replace Love, who could be out for more than a month.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Wizards point guard John Wall will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Wednesday and could miss much of the rest of the regular season.The Wizards announced Tuesday that Wall would have the operation in Cleveland and that a timeline for his return would be determined afterward.A person with direct knowledge of the injury said Wall could miss six to eight weeks. That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team did not release any estimate of the length of Wall's absence. Washington's last regular-season game is April 11."It just proves that he wasn't the John that we know," backup guard Tomas Satoransky said. "His knee was bothering him all season long."This is the latest knee problem for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft out of Kentucky. Wall had surgery on both of his knees before last season.Coach Scott Brooks delivered Tuesday's news to other players at a shootaround ahead of Washington's night game... [More]

The East is open for business. The West is closed until further notice.There's the takeaway from the deal where Blake Griffin got sent from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Detroit Pistons , and it may be a theme for the next week or so until the NBA trading deadline. The Pistons see opportunity to contend in the Eastern Conference, while the Clippers know the Western Conference is out of their reach and a full reboot is needed.They're both right.Other teams are surely thinking the same way.No rational person would look at the NBA right now and see a logical scenario where the champion this season is anyone besides Golden State or Houston. What Brad Stevens has done in Boston, especially after losing Gordon Hayward on opening night, is coach-of-the-year stuff. Toronto is better than most fans may realize. Cleveland has LeBron James, still the best player alive.Yet would anyone other than Celtics, Raptors or Cavaliers fans pick those teams to beat the Warriors or Rockets in a best-of-seven?Probably... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers guard Isaiah Thomas denied a rift with Kevin Love, insisting there is no "bad blood" between the teammates.Following days of drama with the never-a-dull-moment Cavs, Thomas spoke Saturday to reporters for the first time since the struggling team — Cleveland is 4-7 in January — held a heated meeting that came after Love went home during a lopsided loss to San Antonio last Saturday because the All-Star was sick and then missed practice the following day.At Monday's pre-practice meeting, Thomas was among the players who challenged Love's absences.But Thomas said any belief that he specifically targeted Love is inaccurate."I didn't call him out," said Thomas, who has struggled in his return from a hip injury. "I asked him why wasn't he at the game, supporting his teammates. And then after the game, I didn't ask him because he wasn't there. So I was seeing where he was. So I didn't call him out any. So those reports that whoever is saying that, there's no bad blood... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — LeBron James wouldn't reveal the order he drafted players for his All-Star team.Kevin Love had an idea when he was chosen."Probably dead last," Love said, joking."Kev would say that," James said.Cleveland's All-Stars will indeed play together in the Feb. 18 game after James selected his teammate — and former Cavs guard Kyrie Irving — to join him on a squad that will face a team featuring Golden State's Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in Los Angeles.As the top two vote-getters, James and Curry were named captains and selected their teams for the All-Star game, which the league has acknowledged needs a jolt of excitement, intrigue and intensity following some lackluster affairs. Last year, the West won 192-182 in a game devoid of defense or much competitiveness.James, who will be playing in his 14th consecutive All-Star game, nabbed Warriors star Kevin Durant with his first pick. But he wouldn't divulge how the rest of the draft unfolded or the reasons... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — LeBron James wouldn't reveal the order he drafted players for his All-Star team.Kevin Love had an idea when he was chosen."Probably dead last," Love said, joking."Kev would say that," James said.Cleveland's All-Stars will indeed play together in the Feb. 18 game after James selected his teammate — and former Cavs guard Kyrie Irving — to join him on a squad that will face a team featuring Golden State's Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in Los Angeles.As the top two vote-getters, James and Curry were named captains and selected their teams for the All-Star game, which the league has acknowledged needs a jolt of excitement, intrigue and intensity following some lackluster affairs. Last year, the West won 192-182 in a game devoid of defense or much competitiveness.James, who will be playing in his 14th consecutive All-Star game, nabbed Warriors star Kevin Durant with his first pick. But he wouldn't divulge how the rest of the draft unfolded or the reasons... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James got Kevin Durant and reunited with Kyrie Irving in the NBA's first All-Star draft.Stephen Curry picked James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA's top two scorers, and grabbed his other two Golden State teammates in the selections Thursday.The draft was not televised, and neither James nor Curry would reveal who they chose first when they were interviewed on TNT when the rosters were unveiled. However, Durant later said that he had been the No. 1 selection.James was among those who said fans should have watched the proceedings and his decision to draft Irving could have made for a must-see moment. The point guard asked out of Cleveland last summer and the Cavaliers traded him to conference rival Boston."Kyrie was available on the draft board, he's one of the best point guards we have in our league," James said. "It was an easy choice for me."James and Curry will be the captains Feb. 18 in Los Angeles for the first NBA All-Star Game that doesn't use the... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Kevin Love's latest move hasn't made any of the Cavaliers screaming mad.There's a positive change.Targeted by some teammates during a heated meeting this week, Love is returning to power forward after Cavs coach Tyronn Lue tweaked his lineup in hopes of reviving a team that has dropped 10 of 13 games.Lue had been resisting changes, but following Thursday's practice he announced he's dropping forward Jae Crowder to the second team, returning center Tristan Thompson to the starting lineup and switching Love, who was named an All-Star reserve, back to a position where he is much more comfortable.LeBron James and his teammates have been consumed in recent days by chaos, highlighted by a pre-practice meeting Monday when players aired grievances. A few targeted their frustration at Love, who went home sick from Saturday's lopsided loss to Oklahoma City and missed Sunday's practice.Lue said he considered other changes, but decided the Crowder-Thompson-Love maneuver is... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James got Kevin Durant and reunited with Kyrie Irving in the NBA's first All-Star draft.Stephen Curry picked James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA's top two scorers, and grabbed his other two Golden State teammates in the selections Thursday.The draft was not televised, and neither James nor Curry would reveal who they chose first when they were interviewed on TNT when the rosters were unveiled.James was among those who said fans should have watched the proceedings and his decision to draft Irving could have made for a must-see moment. The point guard asked out of Cleveland last summer and the Cavaliers traded him to conference rival Boston."Kyrie was available on the draft board, he's one of the best point guards we have in our league," James said. "It was an easy choice for me."James and Curry will be the captains Feb. 18 in Los Angeles for the first NBA All-Star Game that doesn't use the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format.James had the No.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James got Kevin Durant and reunited with Kyrie Irving in the NBA's first All-Star draft.Stephen Curry picked James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA's top two scorers, and grabbed his other two Golden State teammates in the selections Thursday.The draft was not televised, and neither James nor Curry would reveal who they chose first when they were interviewed on TNT when the rosters were unveiled.James and Curry will be the captains Feb. 18 in Los Angeles for the first NBA All-Star Game that doesn't use the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format.The league is hoping that trying to something new will bring back some old-school intensity that has been absent from the last two games, when the West nearly scored 200 points.James also took the New Orleans duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. His reserves are Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, the NBA MVP, Cleveland teammate Kevin Love, Washington guards John Wall and Bradley Beal, LaMarcus Aldridge of San Antonio, Indiana's Victor Oladipo and Kristaps Porzingis of New York.After taking starters Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and DeMar DeRozan of Toronto, Curry rounded out his roster with Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Minnesota's Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns, Toronto's Kyle Lowry, Portland's Damian Lillard, and Boston's Al Horford.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Kevin Love's latest move hasn't made any of the Cavaliers screaming mad.There's a positive change.Targeted by some teammates during a heated meeting this week, Love is returning to power forward after Cavs coach Tyronn Lue tweaked his lineup in hopes of reviving a team that has dropped 10 of 13 games.Lue had been resisting changes, but following Thursday's practice he announced he's dropping forward Jae Crowder to the second team, returning center Tristan Thompson to the starting lineup and switching Love, who was named an All-Star reserve, back to a position where he is much more comfortable.LeBron James and his teammates have been consumed in recent days by chaos, highlighted by a pre-practice meeting Monday when players aired grievances. A few targeted their frustration at Love, who went home sick from Saturday's lopsided loss to Oklahoma City and missed Sunday's practice.Lue said he considered other changes, but decided the Crowder-Thompson-Love maneuver is... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue has tweaked his starting lineup in hopes of reviving a team that has lost 10 of 13 games.Lue had been resisting changes, but after Thursday's practice he said he's dropping forward Jae Crowder to the second team, bringing center Tristan Thompson off the bench and returning All-Star Kevin Love to power forward.The defending Eastern Conference champions have had a tumultuous few days, highlighted by a team meeting Monday when players aired grievances. Love was targeted by some teammates, who were unhappy he went home sick during a game last weekend and missed a practice.LeBron James is confident the team can mend any differences, saying "We'll be fine."On Friday, the Cavs host the Pacers, who have beaten Cleveland three times this season.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/tags/NBAbasketball

LeBron, Stephen, you have some big decisions to make.We're here to help.Just like in fantasy sports, where you know most people are relying on a mock draft they found online or in some magazine anyway, AP Basketball Writers Brian Mahoney and Tim Reynolds have drafted the teams for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game — in case captains LeBron James and Stephen Curry needed a bit of guidance on how to put together their rosters for the Feb. 18 game in Los Angeles.Mahoney won a coin toss and goes first, where he drafts as if he were picking Team LeBron; Reynolds drafted as if he were picking Team Stephen. And since the NBA isn't planning to make the draft details public, this might be as close as you get to the real thing anyway.___STARTER ROUNDFirst PickMahoney: Giannis Antetokounmpo.He's a dominant athlete who wants to dunk on everyone and is too young and hungry to know you're not supposed to go all out in the All-Star Game.Reynolds: Kevin Durant.Because he's Kevin Durant and I know if he doesn't... [More]

LeBron, Stephen, you have some big decisions to make.We're here to help.Just like in fantasy sports, where you know most people are relying on a mock draft they found online or in some magazine anyway, AP Basketball Writers Brian Mahoney and Tim Reynolds have drafted the teams for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game — in case captains LeBron James and Stephen Curry needed a bit of guidance on how to put together their rosters for the Feb. 18 game in Los Angeles.Mahoney won a coin toss and goes first, where he drafts as if he were picking Team LeBron; Reynolds drafted as if he were picking Team Stephen. And since the NBA isn't planning to make the draft details public, this might be as close as you get to the real thing anyway.___STARTER ROUNDFirst PickMahoney: Giannis Antetokounmpo.He's a dominant athlete who wants to dunk on everyone and is too young and hungry to know you're not supposed to go all out in the All-Star Game.Reynolds: Kevin Durant.Because he's Kevin Durant and I know if he doesn't... [More]

Coaches get fired. Players get fired up.A lot happens over the course of the NBA season. In this wacky week, it came in one day.The Cavaliers lost more games and apparently some patience with Kevin Love, and Jason Kidd lost his job in Milwaukee. Not even the stoic Spurs were immune on the manic Monday, with ESPN reporting there were differences between Kawhi Leonard and the team due to frustration in his recovery from a quadriceps injury.In a time of turbulence around the NBA, the only smooth sailing, it seems, remains by the Bay Area.The Golden State Warriors seem to be drama free, in part because of lessons Steve Kerr learned while playing for Gregg Popovich and Phil Jackson. They understood that losing games didn't mean having to lose control, and their championship teams weathered whatever storms popped up quickly and quietly."Wonderful balance of this is our job and we should be passionate about it, we should work our tails off every day and we should be competitive and want to win... [More]