Literally a few minutes before I found out Yao Ming would probably be on the shelf for all of next season, I wrote that the Rockets should go out and get Ryan Hollins as Yao’s backup. One of the more underrated free agents on the market, Hollins would be relatively cheap, and his upside was worth taking the chance.

After the Rockets decided to go with Euroleague vet David Andersen to help fill the Yao void, Hollins wasn’t talked about much until earlier today. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Minnesota Timberwolves signed Hollins to an offer sheet. Read More »

Most 38-year-old lanky small forwards aren’t usually sought after by championship contending teams, but Bruce Bowen brings a lot more intangibles to the table than your average 38-year-old. Even at his age, he is still one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, shoots a high percentage from three and is a proven playoff veteran. Although he is known around the league as a “dirty” player, he is tough as nails and every team could always afford to get tougher as the playoffs roll around. Read More »

Over the weekend Dwyane Wade was all over his Twitter page about the monster shipment of Jordan kicks that were waiting for him at his house when he got back from a trip.

Wade snapped the pic below and said that it’s only half of his Jordan collection: Read More »

Just ask the Miami Heat: Even the worst team in the NBA is one monster season by one player away from getting back in the playoff picture. And it doesn’t always have to be a superstar putting in an MVP-caliber effort, either. Every one of this year’s 14 Lottery squads has one player who, if he produces a career year (or simply does what he’s supposed to do), can swing his team’s fortunes as a postseason contender. In this three-part series, we’ll identify those guys who need to step it up: Read More »

When Austin wrote a couple weeks ago that the Wizards would be crashing the 2010 postseason party as a seventh or eighth seed, a lot of people disagreed. Not because they thought the Wizards would be back in the lottery, but rather that people were thinking they could legitimately get homecourt advantage in the first round. Despite having Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Randy Foye, Nick Young, Mike Miller, Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee, DeShawn Stevenson knows that it all comes down to Gilbert Arenas. Read More »

In Smack over the weekend, the question of Bruce Bowen‘s legacy came up. Considering the usual level of hate generated by the Spurs and Bowen everywhere outside San Antonio, the reader response was surprisingly positive. Most people were able to appreciate not only Bowen’s game, but his backstory. Reader Bobby Stew put it best: “Bruce Bowen’s story is that of a man who made something out of nothing. He is the symbol of the American dream. He worked his way from the bottom to the top through hard work, determination, and hustle. Think about it, what real talent did Bowen have?”

The Bowen debate got us talking about some other NBA figures who are near the end of their run, and how their careers will be judged when it’s all said and done. Read More »

If you’re a Seattle Supersonics fan stuck in NBA purgatory waiting for somebody else’s team to come to town, the story breaking out of Memphis yesterday made you optimistic. If you’re a Grizzlies fan, it just made you shake your head. As reported in the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the Grizzlies fired their entire amateur scouting staff, and for the time being will only employ one part-time guy to scout international prospects. Total cost-cutting move (“I prefer a smaller group,” said GM Chris Wallace), although it’s not totally indefensible since Wallace and the coaches can scout college guys … Read More »

It’s kind of crazy to think the one man really standing in the way of Allen Iverson having a team right now is somebody’s whose previous claim to fame was being one of the NBA’s D-League success stories. Ramon Sessions is the hottest free agent PG available (the best available would be Ray Felton), and the same teams after him are pretty much the same teams who were or are still considering Iverson. The Knicks, Clippers, Bucks and another team that hasn’t been revealed (Miami?) are at the top of Sessions’ list, and he’s reportedly aiming to reach a decision within the next few days … If Sessions doesn’t return to Milwaukee, how should the team proceed with their PG situation? Read More »

In his introductory presser with the Orlando media, Matt Barnes answered the biggest question we’ve had about the Magic given the events of their offseason. Barnes said Stan Van Gundy told him that he’ll be competing for a starting job with Mickael Pietrus, with the rest of the first five filled out by Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard. With Hedo Turkoglu going and Brandon Bass coming, we were wondering what Van Gundy would do with his lineup. Read More »