NBA

AP Sports WriterWith Butler trade looming, Wolves take trip west for bondingBy DAVE CAMPBELLMINNEAPOLIS (AP) - For a team that didn't make any major moves during the summer, the Minnesota Timberwolves sure have their share of new players this season.The critical process of familiarization and integration will speed up...

NBA rolling out plan to get more women into leadership rolesNEW YORK (AP) The NBA has told teams that it will have several events in the coming months designed to help improve workplace cultures, as well as find more ways to have women in leadership roles around the...

AP Sports WriterGrizzlies' Conley pain-free after surgery on his left heelBy TERESA M. WALKERMEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Mike Conley has limped out of so many arenas that the Grizzlies point guard had resigned himself to dealing with the nagging pain from his left heel for the rest of his...

AP Sports WriterWarriors vow to live in the moment, chase another titleBy JANIE McCAULEYOAKLAND, Calif. (AP) With unsettled contract situations making many of the players' futures beyond this season uncertain, Warriors coach Steve Kerr is encouraging his team now more than ever to go with the flow, have...

AP Sports WriterLakers loving LeBron's leadership in 1st practice togetherBy GREG BEACHAMEL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) Although the Lakers' first official practice of the LeBron James era was focused on defense and learning new terminology, they ended it with a good old-fashioned 3-point shooting contest.The Lakers' new superstar was...

The Latest: LeBron says Lakers don't need title for successBy The Associated PressThe Latest on NBA media day from around the league on Monday (all times local):3:45 p.m.LeBron James says the Los Angeles Lakers can have success this season without winning a championship.James made his first significant public...

AP Basketball WriterPorzingis rehabbing conservatively, unsure when he'll returnBy BRIAN MAHONEYGREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) Kristaps Porzingis is a one-of-a-kind player, a 7-foot-3 package strong enough to pound in the paint but with plenty of speed and shooting to play on the perimeter.That's ideal for the basketball court.Not so much...

AP Sports WriterPacers' new mission is to prove last season was no flukeBy MICHAEL MAROTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana point guard Darren Collison made his position clear: The Pacers haven't done anything yet.Sure, they surprised everyone last season by posting a winning record, making the playoffs and forcing eventual Eastern...

The Latest: Cavs open season with less buzz, attentionBy The Associated PressThe Latest on NBA media day from around the league on Monday (all times local):3:25 p.m.Call it The LeBron James effect.After leading Cleveland to four straight NBA Finals in his second stint with the Cavs, James left...

AP Sports WriterLeBron 'humbled' to join Lakers, expects 'something special'By GREG BEACHAMEL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) LeBron James realizes the size of the challenge he accepted when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. After eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances, he knows his new team isn't a true contender with...

AP Sports WriterBig Five? Talent-rich Celtics embracing lofty expectationsBy KYLE HIGHTOWERCANTON, Mass. (AP) Last summer, new Boston Celtics arrivals Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward beamed just imagining what it would be like to share the court together.Those dreams lasted all of five minutes before Hayward was lost for...

AP Sports WriterRockets hope 'Melo can help them to 1st title since 1995By KRISTIE RIEKENHOUSTON (AP) Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta didn't waste any time telling Carmelo Anthony why he wanted him on his team.''I'll tell you exactly what I told him,'' Fertitta said Monday. ''`We couldn't win...