If you missed it over the weekend, Shaq threw his name into the pot with LeBron for “Most Time Spent Planning a Pre-Game Comedy Routine,” using the Suns’ backups as human bowling pins. (And check out Matt Barnes‘ interpretation of a dunk.)

Though March brings out some of the best in basketball – everything that you love about the Tournament – it also inspires annual criticism of the NBA. Sports talking heads get on the League for a number of things, some valid and some not.

SI’s Ian Thomsen outlined five arguments that he’s heard from college hoops fans against the NBA: (1) that defense is better in college than the League, (2) that the NBA is “all about money” and college isn’t, (3) that NBA players can’t shoot, (4) that NBA players don’t care, and (5) that coaching doesn’t matter in the NBA. I generally agree with Thomsen that these are largely bogus. Read More »

With all of the rumors about Gilbert Arenas‘ possible return, this “plan” couldn’t have been foreseen. First he was going to come back after the All-Star break. Then he wasn’t going to come back at all. Later, he was going to return for the final five games in the season. Read More »

Fellas (and to the two ladies that are reading my fantasy column), my bad on last week. Work roadtrip and it was a little hectic to say the least. That being said, did you think I’d let you down on lineup Monday? It’s week 22 and playoff lineups are due. Let’s get at it. Read More »

If in fact T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack comprise the least-watchable backcourt in the NBA (personally, I’d go with Mike James and DeShawn Stevenson, but that’s beside the point), it’s because they’re pretty much the same player. Jack is stronger, Ford is faster, but otherwise they’re both shoot-first point guards who happened to land in the ideal situation to suit their games — and aggravate their teammates. Read More »

After the Celtics gave up 127 points to Chicago last Tuesday, Doc Rivers exploded in the post-game, calling the technical foul he got from referee Bill Kennedy “the most unprofessional tech by a ref I’ve ever had.” This rant earned him a $25,000 fine. Read More »

While No. 1 seeds UConn and North Carolina had little trouble getting through the first two rounds of the tourney and into the Sweet Sixteen, Louisville and Pitt haven’t looked nearly as strong. Yesterday, Pitt was tied with Oklahoma State around the 2:30 mark of the second half, struggling again to put away a lesser-talented team before Levance Fields took over. Read More »

Duke, Gonzaga and Purdue gave us the “Madness” part of March yesterday, but UConn, Memphis and Villanova made the biggest statements when it comes to what really matters: winning the ‘chip. In its 20-piecing of UCLA (which to be fair, was basically a home game in Philly), ‘Nova looked as good as any team in the East region has looked in the Tournament, putting them right there with Duke and Pitt as Final Four favorites out of that bracket. Read More »

Dime’s Aron Phillips e-mailed the crew earlier today: “Ty Lawson has been getting as much coverage as Cyrano de Bergerac‘s nose.” Although I wouldn’t have gone for the random French literature reference, Lawson’s injured toe has been one of the major story lines of this NCAA Tournament so far. After missing UNC’s first-round win over Radford, the junior point guard returned for today’s game against LSU. Read More »

After struggling in their first-round game against Cal State-Northridge, Memphis finally played like a 2-seed should. As for 1-seed UConn, they never missed a beat from their first-round mollywhopping of Chattanooga. Read More »