Who is the most sought-after player in trade talks this offseason? Teams don’t bother to ask for Kobe, LeBron, Dwight Howard, and Dwyane Wade. (The Chris Paul-to-Dallas rumors were completely ludicrous – it sounded like a trade that a 12-year old Mavs fan would create in Live ’09.)

It’s got to be someone who is somewhat attainable, young, doesn’t cost all that much, and isn’t the only piece on a team. Or, in other words, Caron Butler. Read More »

Even before he officially becomes the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft on Thursday, EA Sports is banking on Blake Griffin. After a ridiculous season at Oklahoma which was capped off by the consensus national Player of the Year, now you’ll be able to keep the Sooner dream alive as Griffin will be the new face of NCAA Basketball 10. Read More »

Yesterday we dropped the third installment of Jonny Flynn’s Video Draft Diary, which saw us meeting up with Jonny in Minnesota. Flynn was in town for a big head-to-head workout with guys like Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague, and Tyreke Evans. Check it out below…

Read More »

One thing I love about the NBA Draft is that so much preparation goes into each selection. From shopping picks to blockbuster trades, there are always a multitude of options on the table if you’re trying to be a contender or jumpstart the rebuilding process. With that in mind, take a minute and listen to Pacers President Larry Bird as he shares his thoughts about the team’s plans for the 13th pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, including his analysis of several top prospects.

As if workouts weren’t stressful enough for a guy trying to impress a potential future employer, try playing in front of the Greatest Player of All Time. For the first time during the Bobcats’ NBA Draft workouts, Michael Jordan made an appearance as the team brought back Terrence Williams and Gerald Henderson for a second look.

The first part of this week is shaping up just like those slow days between the end of the conference finals and the start of the NBA Finals. You’re literally waiting for something to happen before the main event — in this case, the NBA Draft on Thursday — and every media outlet jumps on even the smallest story/rumor just to have something to talk about. But the headline story that broke yesterday was anything but small, and had nothing to do with the soon-to-be draftees … According to the infamous “league sources” and Yahoo! Sports, the Celtics proposed a trade to the Pistons: Read More »

The original reason that Hasheem Thabeet canceled his workout with the Grizzlies on Sunday was because of a “sore shoulder.” Then we heard that he actually had family to visit in New York so he couldn’t spend time down in Memphis.

But now, word is that those were really both just excuses, and he just doesn’t want to play for the Grizzlies. Read More »

With Kobe celebrating ring number four last week in Los Angeles, Nike decided to pay homage to the day that made Kobe a Laker by releasing the Draft Day Zoom Kobe IV’s. Except they made one fairly serious error – they put the wrong date on the heel. June 26th, 1996 was the day that the Charlotte Hornets selected a 17-year old Kobe Bryant with the 13th pick. However Nike released the shoes with the date “6-11-96” on the heel. Read More »

*Reprinted from Dime #49′s NBA Draft Preview*

I’m not even talking about when teams Lucky Charm themselves into a superstar — a Gilbert Arenas, a Carlos Boozer, a Michael Redd — who inexplicably slips through the cracks into the second round.

Take them out of the equation, and the fact remains that every good NBA squad has at least two or three key guys who were drafted in the second round, or not drafted at all: Read More »

During football season, one of my boys has made a habit out of sitting in front of his computer with a game in the background, betting $0.25 on virtually every play. Wagering a quarter that the Seattle Seahawks will run the ball for 3-6 yards is one way to amp up the intensity of the game.

I haven’t seen any gambling sites offer this same feature during NBA contests. The game is too fast-paced to place play-by-play bets. But the NBA Draft isn’t – in fact, it’s the perfect venue to throw your money away gambling online. Read More »