LeBron James is in year 17 and continues to be a dominant player on the court. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has enjoyed immense success this season and even leads the league in assists which is something he has never done before. His play has helped the Lakers enjoy sustained success this season, including the best record in the Western Conference, at 29-7. This past week, LeBron's efforts were rewarded as he won Western Conference Player of the Week. This is an award he has won before although winning it in 2020 puts him in legend territory.

According to Tim Reynolds, LeBron is only the seventh player to receive the award in three different decades. The only others to do it are Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan. 

Dwight Howard was a risk when the Los Angeles Lakers signed him this summer. For a while now, Howard has been in decline and his first stint with the Lakers didn’t end very well. Regardless, the Lakers decided to give Howard a chance which is something he appreciated immensely. To show how serious he was about the Lakers, Howard requested a non-guaranteed contract. Of course, this meant that Howard had to prove his worth before getting his money. Today is the deadline to waive players making non-guaranteed money and according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers have no plans to do that.

Howard has had a bit of a career resurgence this year and has been a key part of the Lakers’ successful start to the season. Now that his contract is guaranteed, he will be making the veteran minimum of $2.56 million. After Sunday’s Lakers game, Howard told McMenamin what the season has meant to him.

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“You got to be able to stand the rain,” Howard said. “That’s what makes us humans. That’s what makes us. The ability to go through tough times and not allow it to break our character. It’s hard to do. It’s hard to go through hell and be like, ‘OK, just smile it off.’ But you never know how close you are to a breakthrough if you just quit on yourself.”

If Howard continues his phenomenal play, there is no doubt the Lakers will be in a great position for a potential playoff run.

For 24 seasons, Vince Carter has been a dominating force in the NBA. The 42-year-old league veteran is currently a shooting guard/forward for the Atlanta Hawks, but his career has taken him to many cities since 1998. He began with the Toronto Raptors (after being traded from the Golden State Warriors on draft night), then onto the New Jersey Nets, then had a brief stint with the Orlando Magic, a year with the Phoenix Suns, then over to the Dallas Mavericks before moving to the Memphis Grizzlies, then he was with the Sacramento Kings for a bit before making a home with the Hawks.

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Carter’s career highlights include being a Team USA Olympics gold-winner, a two-time All-NBA, an eight-time All-Star, Slam Dunk champion in 2000 and Rookie of the Year back in 1999. He’s had a long, successful ride in the NBA for all of these years, and he’s recently announced that this season will be his last. 

During Saturday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, Carter played 18 minutes and scored three points. It may not seem like much, but it was a moment in NBA history that no one else had accomplished. Carter has become the first player in the NBA to appear in four separate decades, and it seems like a great way to bow out into retirement. Check out a collection of Carter’s best plays from each season of his career below.

LeBron James and Gilbert Arenas were good friends in the NBA back in the day despite being rivals on the court. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards had some spirited playoff matchups back in the day but that never stopped the two from having mutual respect for one another. Today, Arenas celebrated a huge milestone as he turned 38 years old. He may not be in the league anymore but LeBron certainly hasn’t forgotten about his good buddy.

Earlier today, James took to Instagram where he wished Arenas a happy birthday while also posting some throwback photos of the two. As you can see, these pictures were taken during LeBron’s first stint with the Cavaliers. In one of the photos, you even see Arenas with the ancient video recorder.

“Happy GDay to a ABSOLUTE KILLER on the court,(one of the best I’ve played against)to my guy Hibachi!!! @no.chill.gil Enjoy your day my brother!! All love Gil!” LeBron wrote in his caption.

Arenas has had a pretty entertaining career off the court. The former Wizards star can be seen ranting and raving on his podcast where he comes through with some pretty incredible stories. Arenas is an interesting guy and his conversations are always fun to listen to. Perhaps we could see LeBron on his podcast when he decides to call it a career.

Kyle Kuzma has been a name frequently thrown around in NBA trade talks. Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers young gun was brought up in every single Anthony Davis trade scenario although the Lakers were able to keep him, in the end. This season has been a bit of a struggle for Kuzma as he is averaging 11.8 points per game which is a career-low for him. Due to his performance, there have been rumors that the Lakers might be trying to trade him.

According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Sacramento Kings are one of the main teams trying to push Kuzma. If the Lakers were to make a deal with the Kings, they would be looking to secure the services of Bogdan Bogdanovic. With Bogdanovic, a deal is certainly unlikely.

JaVale McGee has been having a solid season with the Los Angeles Lakers. On any given night, McGee can be seen providing big dunks and even bigger blocks. While he may not be lighting up the score sheet like LeBron James or Anthony Davis, McGee fits his role perfectly. He does exactly what you ask of him and if you're a Lakers fan, you have to appreciate it. On Sunday night, McGee had himself a great game defensively as he recorded six blocks in just 20 minutes of playing time.

It appears as though the league took notice of McGee's big game as he was promptly drug tested afterward. McGee took to Twitter to alert his fans of the drug test, referring to it as "crazy." The NBA wants to make sure everyone is playing within the rules and sometimes, this includes testing players after they've come through with a big game. 

This season has been a fruitful one for the Los Angeles Lakers. They currently sit atop the Western Conference standings with a formidable record of 29-7. Every single night, they appear as though they are having the most fun in the league and on Sunday, their passion was on full display. The team squeaked out a win against the Detroit Pistons while improving their winning streak to five games. The whole team got involved when it came to scoring and internet sensation Alex Caruso was no different. 

Perhaps the best highlight of the game came in the fourth quarter when Kyle Kuzma recorded a steal and immediately passed the ball to Caruso who was in all alone. Caruso came through with a monster dunk as LeBron James chased him down and even pretended to block him. The went nuts and the whole scene was just another example of how much chemistry this team has. 

Last Saturday night, as seconds melted off the clock, Heat fans looked on in dismay as it appeared Miami was preparing to relinquish its undefeated record at home against the rival Philadelphia 76ers. That was until 19-year old rookie Tyler Herro dribbled the ball up the court, drifted toward the right-wing, stepped back, and hurled a three-point grenade at the basket. Boom! The shot went down, and Miami forced overtime. Later they would survive to upend the Sixers. That game was a microcosm of Miami’s season thus far, unlikely heroes embracing the spotlight and a team infected with the will to win.

On back-to-back nights Miami had knocked off two highly touted conference foes in Indiana and Philadelphia, remaining undefeated in American Airlines Arena through 38 games. With every gut-wrenching, down-to-the-wire, nail-biting victory, the Miami Heat are forcing the sports world to turn its attention to South Beach once again. Last time Miami captured the national media’s admiration, the team was fueled by star power. Now, they are one of the most complete rosters in league with one of its most unselfish and hard-nosed stars leading the way.

After an 11-3 start, there’s a roaring buzz around Miami. President of Business Operations explained to the Miami Herald, “It’s not just that we’re winning, I think it’s the style of play that people are seeing. The team is so unselfish and they seem to be rooting for each other as much as they are for themselves. I think it’s not always that way in the NBA. So I think it has caught the attention of not just the local populous, but it’s starting to catch the attention of the national audience, as well.”  

Butler’s Decision To Go To Miami & Critics

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Critics lambasted Jimmy Butler for endorsing a trade to Miami from Philly, pontificating that the move meant Butler didn’t have an interest in truly competing for a title. They felt the former all-star only wanted financial security in a golden parachute from Miami – escaping any pressure and absolving himself of the responsibilities reserved for a true superstar. The critics couldn’t have been more wrong. Butler put theories about his competitive drive to bed in short order leading Miami to its best start in franchise history. Yes, even better than any of the four years LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh donned Heat uniforms. With an offense that ranks top 10 in efficiency and a defense that ranks 3rd overall, Miami is a force to be reckoned with this young season.  

While he has been maligned for a poor shooting percentage, Butler is quietly having the best season of his career. A top 10 MVP candidate, the Marquette product, is also in the running for the NBA all-defensive team. He’s been one of the league’s most clutch players. The former Sixer is scoring 3.8 points per game in clutch situations — defined as a five-point game. Within the final five minutes — he ranks fifth among all qualifying players, and his 119.8 clutch offensive rating is nearly identical to Kawhi Leonard.

These qualities remind Head Coach Erik Spoelstra of an all-time Heat great from years past. Spo told Fox Sports during a post-game press conference “Let’s just talk about when it really mattered, how many right plays did he make — that’s a quality that reminded me of Dwyane (Wade). It doesn’t matter how the game was going through 40-something minutes, when it’s closing time, clutch time. Dwyane had an ability to do that too, put everything aside and just say okay let’s go win this game. And play your best minutes and have your biggest plays then. That’s what Jimmy was able to do. Every play that needed to be made down the stretch, he made it.” Butler is the antithesis of what the Heat stand for. A living embodiment of the organization’s core values or the “Heat culture.”

Heat Culture

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A lot is made of the “culture” inside the Heat organization. There’s even merchandising, marketing and social media campaign centered around the verbiage. Players who sign here often speak wide-eyed and glowingly about just that. The tone around the organization begins with its architect, Pat Riley. Before Riley joined the Heat in 1995, there wasn’t much of a culture at all.

The 1988 expansion team floundered for much of its existence leading up to Riley’s hiring as President. In short order, however, he would bring the organization to relevance; building a culture and eventual appetite for basketball in South Florida. The first blockbuster deal Riley made was trading for the would-be two-time defensive player of the year Alonzo Mourning. And in many ways, Mourning set the standard for now praised “Heat Culture.”

Cultivating a team in Miami starts with signing and drafting players who believe in the Heat way of doing things. Along with “Heat Culture,” there’s another famous saying around the organization “we’re not for everybody,” a testament to the demanding but eventually productive environment Riley has founded. Selecting the right brand of player is very important. It’s imperative they know it’s not about them, it’s about them coming here and fitting into the master design. It’s fair to assume the primary reason Miami moved on from Hassan Whiteside was his unwillingness to fit in with the culture. That and Miami had a monster tucked away in third-year center Bam Adebayo.

The Emergence Of Bam Adebayo

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If the NBA season ended today, there is a good chance Bam Adebayo would be voted first-team All-Defense. The Kentucky product takes pride in being able to defend all five positions. His ability to switch, close-out, rotate, recover, play off-the-ball, on-the-ball are all a sight to behold. He checks every box. NBA Math ranks Adebayo third, behind only Antetokounmpo and Andre Drummond in DPS or defensive points saved.

Meyers Leonard explained to CBS Sports writer James Herbert about Bam, “He can stay in front of a guard. He can chase somebody like Joe Harris off a screen and get a good contest. He can guard in the post. He rebounds. I mean, he does it all. And he loves to win, he’s a great teammate and at the end of the day, we can really, really count on him to get a stop. Anywhere on the floor.”

He’s even hailing praise from some NBA legends, “This kid, Bam Adebayo, is a monster,” TNT’s Charles Barkley said during a recent “Inside the NBA” studio show. To go along with his defense, Adebayo has developed into one of the league’s best playmaking bigs. He’s one of only three centers averaging at least four assists to go along with 10 or more boards. The others are Karl Anthony-Towns and Nikola Jokic.

Tyler Herro, Rookie of the Year?

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New kid on the block, Tyler Herro has been a stellar roster addition in Miami this season. The tweener can shoot from distance and has some elite handles making him a very tough assignment for perimeter defenders. 

“He has that [knack for big moments],” said Coach Spoelstra to the media after Herro knocked down big shots to help seal a victory over Utah. “You’ve seen that over and over here. He had that in college. These are qualities that you can’t really define. You just know it when you see it. He steps up and has bigger moments when the game is on the line. Those plays that he was making, what’s important about those plays, is that Goran and Jimmy were on the court at the same time. We were running our offense through him and they felt fully confident [in him] because he was attacking that coverage more efficiently than anybody else. That speaks a lot when you have those experienced all-star veterans wanting you to make the play.”

Herro is averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists, but his most significant impact has come in the waning moments of tight games. The teenager seems to have ice in veins as he’s canned several considerable shots in the 4th quarter to help Miami edge out some much-needed victories. The scary part is, he’s only getting better and more confident with each game. It is for this reason, many around the Heat organization feel the former Kentucky Wildcat is a star in the making.

Herro has shined along with his fellow rookie, Kendrick Nunn. The first-year diamond in the rough had a historic start to the season and has played a significant role in Miami’s promising start. The youngster is averaging 16 points per game, second-most among all rookies. 

Strength In Numbers

Goran Dragic leads Miami’s potent list of reserves. With impressive play, he’s emerged as a ble candidate for the 6th man of the year. Dragic is shooting a career-best 40.2% from beyond the arc while pouring in 15 points and 5 assists per game. Though only he ranks just outside the top 5th in individual scoring off the bench, Dragic may have the most profound impact on his team during the minutes he plays. He’s often on the court to close out halves and at the end of close games. Head coach Erik Spoelstra isn’t afraid to put the ball in his hands with the game on the line. With contributions from the likes of Derrick Jones Jr. and Kelly Olynyk, the Heat bench is tied for the 5th best scoring mark in the NBA. 

Miami has all the trimmings of a ble team come playoff time. You can view them in the second tier of title contenders, right below Los Angeles and Milwaukee. With an experienced coach, savvy veteran star, and emerging supporting cast, they’ll be worth keeping an eye on come May. Miami has beaten each of the Eastern Conference’s top 4 seeds on the road and remain undefeated at home.

Contrary to reports from last offseason, Kawhi Leonard never considered playing for the Knicks during free agency.

Friday night, Wizards' point guard Isaiah Thomas was ejected within the first two minutes of the game against the Trail Blazers for shoving an official.