The Week That Was: World Cup quarterfinals, 'Melo's business interests, Monroe signs qualifying offer
Welcome to the The Week That Was, where we recap the newsworthy happenings in the NBA over the past seven days.
Pelicans' Ryan Anderson cleared for contact
One of the league's premier stretch fours was cleared for contact. Injuries limited Ryan Anderson to 22 games played last season, in which he averaged 19.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while connecting on 40.9 percent of his 3-point tries.
Anderson's return helps create space in the Pelicans' frontcourt, which only figures to help blossoming superstar Anthony Davis. The combination of Davis and Anderson outscored opponents by 6.6 points per 100 possessions when they shared the court last season.
Carmelo Anthony's business interests kept him in New York
As many could have expected, Carmelo Anthony's decision to sign long-term with the New York Knicks wasn't strictly made on the basis of basketball interests.
Anthony found it hard to change locales because that meant being separated from his business interests - which includes Melo7 Tech Partners and SeatGeek. Of course, the 5-year, $124-million deal also helped.
Pistons' Monroe signs qualifying offer
In a surprising twist, disgruntled Detroit Pistons power forward Greg Monroe signed his $5.5-million qualifying offer, eschewing stability for a shot at unrestricted free agency in 2015.
On one hand, Monroe is assuming plenty of risk by turning down long-term security. However, his stay in Detroit has been rocky to say the least, and with a surplus of cap room around the league in 2015, Monroe has a shot to land the best of both worlds - a lucrative deal with a competitive team.
Adam Silver: NBA 'will ultimately participate' in legalized sports betting
Commissioner Adam Silver sees legalized sports gambling across the United States as an inevitability, and when that day comes, the NBA will happily participate.
If you have a gentleman’s bet or a small wager on any kind of sports contest, it makes you that much more engaged in it. That’s where we’re going to see it pay dividends.
USA, Spain through to FIBA World Cup Quarterfinals
All the favorites, including Spain and U.S.A., are still alive going into the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup.
Spain and U.S.A. remain the only unbeaten teams in the tournament, and a finals matchup between the two heavyweights seems all but inevitable. The Spanish frontline of Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, and Serge Ibaka has dominated opponents thus far, while the American trio of Kenneth Faried, DeMarcus Cousins, and Anthony Davis aren't far behind.
However, both U.S.A. and Spain will face stiff opposition en route the the final. Slovenia, Turkey, Lithuania, France, Serbia, and Brazil all feature cohesive rosters with experience and continuity. Could an upset disrupt the inevitable?