LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — In a way, Hayden Dalton's game is tailor made for the NBA."With me stretching the floor, shooting at the 3 or 4 position as well as being able to rebound and handle the ball and then be able to guard multiple different positions," the former Wyoming Cowboy said, "my versatility is going toward what the NBA is (looking for)."Those strengths were magnified by the Cowboys' style of play the past two seasons under head coach Allen Edwards."The way we played was free and open, kind of positionless," the 6-foot-8, 195-pound Dalton said. "That helped out a ton, just in terms of me being comfortable handling the ball as well as rebounding, pushing. We did a lot of switching, so guarding guards and just stuff like that. That helps out a ton, just having that experience of having no position."But Dalton's path to a potential professional career was far from the usual one. The late bloomer received little recruiting attention out of Parker, Colorado, and attended Central Wyoming... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the parade for the Golden State Warriors (all times local):7:00 a.m.Golden State Warriors fans in gold and blue T-shirts and holding signs that read "Dynasty" are already lining the streets along the team's parade route in Oakland, California.Hundreds of fans have taken their places behind barriers set up along the route early Tuesday, four hours before the celebration is set to start at 11 a.m.The parade will start at Broadway and 11th Street in downtown and the team has promised to interact with fans more than in previous years.The NBA champions have gone back-to-back, beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 on Friday night to finish off a four-game sweep of these NBA Finals. It was the fourth consecutive finals between the clubs.It was their third championship in four years.___12:30 a.m.For the second straight year, throngs of Oakland fans will get to celebrate the Golden State Warriors with a parade for a team some are calling a basketball... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — For the second straight year, throngs of Oakland fans will get to celebrate the Golden State Warriors with a parade for a team some are calling a basketball dynasty.Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to line downtown Oakland streets Tuesday to cheer Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the rest of the Warriors winning their third title in four years.The NBA champions have gone back-to-back, beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 on Friday night to finish off a four-game sweep of these NBA Finals in the fourth consecutive meeting between these clubs.Oakland city streets have been lined with gold and blue banners and shop and restaurant owners along the parade route say they are getting ready to open their businesses during the celebration.Fasil Lemma, who owns De Lauer's Newsstand, said he will be selling the new championship T-shirts and gear from past championships."It's very exciting," Lemma told the East Bay Times. "We want to serve the community."Officials... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Warriors general manager Bob Myers expects swift negotiations to re-sign two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and coach Steve Kerr.Durant could sign for as long as four years and about $160 million, and Myers is prepared to give him "whatever he wants." Durant has said all along he wants to stay put, especially after winning a pair of championships in his first two seasons with Golden State."Sometimes you don't negotiate. I'd love to have him for 10 years. Kevin Durant, look what he did for us last year, he did us a great service," Myers said. "He's earned the right to sign whatever deal he wants. I just want him to sign a deal. But want him to be happy and want him to know that we want him as long as he wants to be here. He's earned that, to kind of lay out the terms. He can do whatever he wants. That shouldn't be a long negotiation. Our goal, to be honest, is to try to keep the whole thing together, so that's the pieces of the puzzle we've got to try to... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Warriors general manager Bob Myers expects swift negotiations to re-sign two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and coach Steve Kerr.Durant could sign for as long as four years and about $160 million, and Myers is prepared to give him "whatever he wants."Myers says: "I'd love to have him 10 years. He's earned the right to sign whatever deal he wants. ... That shouldn't be a long negotiation."Kerr has one year remaining on his original five-year contract, so he would receive a multiyear extension — and Kerr wants to coach Golden State for the long haul, perhaps for another decade if he can.Myers wants to keep as much of the core of the two-time defending champions intact while also realizing the Warriors will be a younger team without the same veteran presence.Key reserve David West is contemplating retirement.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

DETROIT (AP) — Dwane Casey lost his job in Toronto because the Raptors wanted to advance further in the playoffs.In Detroit, it would be an accomplishment if Casey can simply get the Pistons into the playoffs.The Pistons hired the NBA coach of the year finalist Monday, hoping he can help the three-time NBA championship franchise regularly reach the postseason and eventually compete again for titles."Dwane is one of the most successful and highly respected coaches in our league," Pistons owner Tom Gores said. "He's a great communicator and a leader who will connect with our players and accelerate their growth. Having spent many hours with Dwane over the last few weeks, I'm confident he is the right person to get us to the next level."A month after being fired by the Raptors , Casey agreed to a five-year deal to become head coach of the Pistons, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Dwane Casey did not stay out of the NBA for long.A month after being fired by the Toronto Raptors, Casey agreed to a five-year deal to become head coach of the Detroit Pistons, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the move, which was first reported by ESPN.Casey led Toronto to a franchise-record 59 wins this year and helped them earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time. The NBA coach of the year finalist was fired shortly after Toronto was swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers with one year remaining on a three-year, $18 million dollar extension. He was 320-238 in seven seasons and is Toronto's winningest coach.Detroit has been looking for a coach for more than month since firing Stan Van Gundy, who was also its president of basketball operations. Michigan coach John Beilein was a finalist for the job before withdrawing his name from consideration... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Mohamed Bamba could be the next Rudy Gobert, and that's why he's expected to go very high in the NBA draft.The towering 7-footer from Harlem, who played his one collegiate season at Texas, worked out individually with Phoenix on Saturday, the third player to do so this week as the Suns weigh their options with the No. 1 overall pick this month in the NBA draft.Deandre Ayton worked out Wednesday and Marvin Bagley III on Friday."Mo had a really good workout," Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said. "His wingspan, his standing reach, is off the charts. His ability to protect the rim I think will be elite at the NBA level, in addition to his ability to rebound the ball. Another thing that stood out to us in his workout today is we can tell he's been working on his shooting."Bamba has been working with noted shooting coach Drew Hanlen and has made significant changes to his form.McDonough described Bamba's old form as "a slingshot" approach with the ball released far behind... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Maybe it was poetic LeBron James had a supporting cast on his injured right hand.He was missing one in the NBA Finals.For the second time in a career still ascending after 15 years, James was on the wrong side of a sweep as the Golden State Warriors, a team with no apparent weaknesses and as many as four of the league's 10 best players on its roster, transformed into a dynasty in Cleveland late Friday.After what may have been his final game with the Cavaliers, James revealed he hurt himself in a fit of frustration following a Game 1 overtime loss.He displayed a soft cast on his hand during his postgame news conference and then rounded up his children and some of their friends, and along with his wife, and the usual support group of handlers and security personnel, drove home to Akron.His next stop is unknown.Another suspenseful summer of "Where will LeBron go next?" is off and running.In the next few weeks, James is expected to decline his $35.6 million contract option... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The NBA offseason has arrived, which means nothing will happen for the next four months other than a draft, three summer leagues, free agency, the creation of a new schedule, coaching hires, trades, roster reworkings and possibly movement toward letting high school graduates jump directly into the league again.It all adds up to very little downtime.There is no shortage of questions about what will happen this summer — leading off, of course, with yet another decision to be made by LeBron James about his future and where he'll play next season as he resumes his quest for more championships.Here are some non-James topics heading into the offseason:KAWHI LEONARDThe mystery of the 2017-18 NBA season is the mystery of the offseason as well. Leonard played in only nine games for the Spurs this season while dealing with a leg injury, the specifics of which are a closely guarded secret even by San Antonio's notoriously tight-lipped standards. He could get a supermax deal, he could... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The NBA might have to get used to this.Stephen Curry is under contract for basically the rest of his prime. Kevin Durant says he isn't going anywhere. Steve Kerr has more than proven himself as one of the game's best coaches. Free agents will line up for the chance to move west even if that means taking some pay cuts. There's even a new arena coming in a year or so for the Golden State Warriors to call home.It's their league now, without question.For the third time in four years, the Warriors are champions of the NBA world. They've gone back-to-back, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 on Friday night to finish off a sweep of these NBA Finals in the fourth consecutive meeting between those clubs.The Cavs may very well be coming apart.The Warriors look very much built to last, and no matter where LeBron James goes this summer it'll probably be Golden State as the prohibitive favorites to win it all again next year."You don't want to cheat the moment," Curry said, the... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission is calling for an extensive review of the stun gun arrest of Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown.The commission wrote to Chief Alfonso Morales asking for a "full audit" and all body camera video of the arrest. Commissioners want the findings to be turned over to them and the Common Council.The letter to Morales, read at a commission meeting Thursday night, follows calls by several City Council members for an investigation into the Brown's arrest and the subsequent release of police video.A police officer confronted Brown about 2 a.m. Jan. 26 after he had parked across two handicap parking spaces outside a Walgreens drug store on the city's south side. The officer called for backup as the conversation with Brown became tense, and a half dozen squad cars responded.Police video of the arrest shows officers swarming Brown and taking him down when he didn't immediately take his hands out of his pockets as ordered.Within seconds, one officer yelled "Taser! Taser! Taser!" and Brown was on the ground groaning in pain, the video shows.Three officers involved in the arrest were disciplined, with suspensions ranging from two to 15 days. Eight others will undergo remedial training in professional communications.Police Chief Alfonso Morales personally apologized to Brown recently when he went to the Bucks' practice facility to show him the video.

LeBron James gets to the NBA Finals every year, masking the East's mediocrity.Lately, he's been the underdog and the finals' outcome has been predictable.That doesn't seem like the best thing for a championship series, though James representing the East is a better finals option for the NBA than a Kyrie Irving-less Celtics squad or the uninspiring Raptors.James provides the star power to drive TV ratings. So the NBA hasn't needed the best teams in the finals; it has had the best player."The real answer is it's better to have both," said Scott Rosner, the academic director of the sports management program at Columbia University. "The NBA, if you step back from it, has been very much on an upward trend, you can argue more than any of the other big four sports leagues. There's a lot of different reasons for that, but clearly it's a star-driven league."For eight years running James has provided the glimmer of hope that the JV against the varsity really can be competitive. He can almost single-handedly... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryan Colangelo resigned Thursday as president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers in the wake of what an investigation found was "careless and in some instances reckless" sharing of sensitive team information.The independent review by a law firm did not determine that Colangelo operated or was even aware of Twitter accounts that anonymously trashed some of his own players and fellow executives, and defended him against criticism from fans and the sports media.Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP said evidence supported the conclusion that Colangelo's wife, Barbara Bottini, operated the four accounts it investigated, and she admitted to doing so — though also said she deleted contents of her iPhone with a factory reset of the device prior to surrendering it for forensic review, limiting the investigation.As for Colangelo, there was no evidence he knew of the accounts before a May 22 inquiry from the sports website The Ringer for a story it... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryan Colangelo resigned Thursday as president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers in the wake of what an investigation found was "careless and in some instances reckless" share of sensitive team information.The independent review by a law firm did not determine that Colangelo operated or was even aware of Twitter accounts that anonymously trashed some of his own players and fellow executives, and defended him against criticism from fans and the sports media.Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP said evidence supported the conclusion that Colangelo's wife, Barbara Bottini, operated the four accounts it investigated, and she admitted to doing so — though also said she deleted contents of her iPhone with a factory reset of the device prior to surrendering it for forensic review, limiting the investigation.As for Colangelo, there was no evidence he knew of the accounts before a May 22 inquiry from the sports website The Ringer for a story it reported... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryan Colangelo resigned Thursday as president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers in the wake of what an investigation found was "careless and in some instances reckless" share of sensitive team information.The independent review by a law firm did not determine that Colangelo operated or was even aware of Twitter accounts that anonymously trashed some of his own players and fellow executives, and defended him against criticism from fans and the sports media.Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP said evidence supported the conclusion that Colangelo's wife, Barbara Bottini, operated the four accounts it investigated, and she admitted to doing so.But the team says it had "become clear Bryan's relationship with our team and his ability to lead the 76ers moving forward has been compromised" and that it had accepted his resignation.It's a stunning fall for Colangelo, a former two-time Executive of the Year who was expected to lead the improving 76ers into an important summer when they are hoping to add an All-Star player to a young core that includes Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers say Bryan Colangelo has resigned as president of basketball operations after an independent firm investigated allegations that he used a variety of Twitter accounts to anonymously trash some of his own players and fellow executives and defend himself against criticism from fans and the sports media.The team says Thursday that Colangelo offered his resignation "recognizing the detrimental impact this matter on the organization."The 76ers added in the announcement that coach Brett Brown would oversee basketball operations on an interim basis and the search for a new general manager would begin immediately.The move came shortly after the sports website The Ringer reported about five Twitter accounts that took aim at Philadelphia players Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, former Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie, Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri and former Sixers players Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel.Colangelo acknowledged using one of the accounts to monitor the NBA industry and other current events but said he wasn't familiar with the four others.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

CLEVELAND (AP) — This was not exactly the same shot from Kevin Durant.Game 3 of the NBA Finals again, yes.Left wing pull-up, yes.Back in Cleveland, yes.Final minute again, yes.But this one was deeper than his dagger was a year ago — and it cut deeper as well. And on a night where Stephen Curry couldn't shoot and Klay Thompson wasn't much better, Durant put the Golden State Warriors on his slender shoulders and carried them to the brink of becoming back-to-back NBA champions for the first time.Durant's 33-footer was the final act in his 43-point night, and the Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-102 in Game 3 of the finals on Wednesday night to take a 3-0 lead in the title series for the second straight season. A year ago, his shot from a bit closer — 26 feet, officially — put the Warriors ahead to stay in what became a five-point win. This time, the longer one put Golden State up by six and sent fans starting to head toward the exits."Different game, different season, different feel,"... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — This was not exactly the same shot from Kevin Durant.Game 3 of the NBA Finals again, yes.Left wing pull-up, yes.Back in Cleveland, yes.Final minute again, yes.But this one was deeper than his dagger was a year ago — and it cut deeper as well. And on a night where Stephen Curry couldn't shoot and Klay Thompson wasn't much better, Durant put the Golden State Warriors on his slender shoulders and carried them to the brink of becoming back-to-back NBA champions for the first time.Durant's 33-footer was the final act in his 43-point night, and the Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-102 in Game 3 of the finals on Wednesday night to take a 3-0 lead in the title series for the second straight season. A year ago, his shot from a bit closer — 26 feet, officially — put the Warriors ahead to stay in what became a five-point win. This time, the longer one put Golden State up by six and sent fans starting to head toward the exits."Different game, different season, different feel,"... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Deandre Ayton spent Wednesday with the Phoenix Suns with the feeling that this was the start of a beautiful relationship.The 7-foot-1, 250-pound center went through what he said would be his only pre-draft workout and expressed supreme confidence that the Suns will use the No. 1 overall pick to select him."I know I'm going No. 1," he told reporters.Not that the Suns have assured him of that, he's just that confident that the team won't pass on his combination of size, strength, athleticism and shooting touch."Nobody told me," he said. "That's just me. I think I deserve that. I've worked hard."It would be a comfortable fit for Ayton, who was born in the Bahamas and moved to the Phoenix area during high school. He said most of his family now lives here. Ayton played his one year of college basketball a couple of hours down Interstate 10 at the University of Arizona."Everybody knows us now," he said. "This is our second home so we just feel welcome, and it would be a blessing... [More]