The NBA's 10 Biggest Stories

With the NBA season a little more than halfway over, it's time to reflect upon the 10 biggest stories so far this season.

The Darius Miles Saga

When the Portland Blazers let Darius Miles go last season, it was because the doctors had told both parties that Miles had a career-ending injury. As a result, Portland received cap relief from the remainder of Miles’s contract which lasted the next the next two-and-a-half years.

This is where the story gets bizarre. One year later, word got out that Miles was ready for a comeback and had tryouts with several teams. Portland threatened that if any other team in the NBA signed Miles, they would be sued for unfair practices.

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert came out publicly and condemned the Blazers for their tactics. In the end, Portland's bluff was called by the Memphis Grizzlies, and now the Blazers are responsible for $18 million over the next two years.

We have yet to see how this will affect Portland and their ability to bring in quality free agents, but it's nonetheless an intriguing storyline.

Brand-less 76ers

Last offseason, the 76ers made the biggest free-agent news of the year by signing Elton Brand away from two West Coast suitors, the Los Angeles Clippers (Brand's previous team) and the Golden State Warriors. The move was compared to two big deals of the previous year, when the Boston Celtics picked up Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Brand was supposed to put the 76ers among the East’s elite teams. Instead, the team was lost for the first quarter of the season and played without any sense of identity. Coach Maurice Cheeks got fired, and soon after, Brand injured his shoulder. Recently, it was reevaluated and diagnosed as a season-ending injury.

As of late, the 76ers are playing better and seem to be forming an identity again. They are solidly in contention for a playoff spot, but no one would say they are a title contender. With all that money locked up in Brand over the next six years, it will be interesting to see if the 76ers can figure it out and challenge for supremacy.

The Ageless Spurs

The oldest and most successful team of this decade started out sluggish. People were wondering if Father Time (which might be Coach Pop, the way he's rocking that beard) had finally caught up with the Spurs.

Tim Duncan, the Big Fundamental, is no spry chicken anymore. Manu Ginobili is in his 30’s, and Tony Parker seems to be catching the injury bug more often now. But here we are, more then halfway through the season, and once again, Pop has his boys playing classic Spurs ball: Tough defense and efficient offense.

With one the league's best records, it’s never safe to count these guys out. That is, until Timmy and Coach Pop move on.

All-Star Weekend

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