With the Miami Heat recently deciding to retire Tim Hardaway‘s #10 on next season’s opening night, we’ve been talking about Tim Bug in the office today…

Ever since Shawn Marion left the Suns, his star power declined as we saw his numbers go down. Four seasons ago, the Matrix was one of the leagues most productive players averaging 21.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. Last year, Marion split time between the Heat and Raptors and averaged 12.9 ppg (lowest since his rookie year) , 8.5 rpg, 1.3 spg and 1.0 bpg. Not terrible, but definitely not all-star stats.

This begs the question: Has Shawn Marion lost a step or has he just not been used correctly? Mark Cuban seems to think the latter. Read More »

A couple weeks ago in Smack we mentioned that we didn’t even realize Brent Barry was still in the NBA, let alone the subject of trade rumors. But at the time the Grizzlies, Thunder and Clippers were all mentioned as being interested in getting “Bones” from the Rockets. We asked this question: Would Barry even bother with playing for a non-contender, or just retire? Today, word out of Houston is that that’s exactly what Barry is now considering. Read More »

Every NBA team has a go-to guy, and there’s really only room for one. It’s not about who always gets to take the last-second shot. More accurately, it’s the guy who regularly gets the ball when things are getting tense in the fourth quarter; it’s the guy who is expected to calm things down when teammates are getting sloppy; it’s the guy who is called upon to snuff out an opponent’s rally, or spark a comeback rally of his own; it’s the guy who’s not just supposed to make shots, but make the right decisions when a shot isn’t there. Bottom line: Who do you want the offense to run through when everything is on the line?

I’ve identified who I think is each team’s go-to guy for this upcoming season, and ranked them from #30 to #1. Read More »

Even before the tournament field was set, Spain vs. France was the most anticipated matchup at the FIBA European Championships. With both squads only missing a couple of their high-profile players — Jose Calderon and Sergio Rodriguez for Spain, Joakim Noah and Mickael Pietrus for France — these were clearly the two most star-studded rosters and favorites in the tourney. Throw in the drama of Spain looking very vulnerable thanks to some early-round struggles, and it was at least expected to be interesting. But then in yesterday’s quarterfinal matchup, Spain laid the hammer down in a 20-piecing that wasn’t even competitive. Rudy Fernandez (16 pts, 6 stls, 5 rebs) knocked down three triples in the first quarter as Spain got out to a blazing start and never looked back. Read More »

There is something about second round players that I just really like. Maybe it’s because they come into the league hungry and with a big chip on their shoulder for being overlooked. Most play with a sense of urgency because unlike the Draft’s first thirty, there is no guaranteed paper. Last year, second rounders like Luc Mbah a Moute, Mario Chalmers and DeAndre Jordan made some noise. Here are five late round rookies who are going to GMs pay for passing on them. Read More »

Today, Juwan Howard signed a one-year contact with the Portland Trail Blazers according to GM Kevin Pritchard. This will be the 15-year NBA vet’s eighth team. Last year, he split time between Denver and Charlotte where he averaged 4.1 points and 1.8 rebounds. Howard is also the last member of the Fab Five still standing in the NBA. What does he bring to the Blazers this year?

After breaking down the contenders for NBA Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, it’s time to see who will be taking home the trophy for Most Improved Player this upcoming season. While we definitely know some teams that will be improving from last year, what players are going to make that jump? Read More »

While the Lakers and Nuggets will get to play four times this season, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony decided to schedule their own preseason game. Tomorrow, VersusSport invites you to witness this live competition between the two All-Stars as they face off on XBOX 360, playing the not yet released, NBA 2K10. Watch the strategy, hear the smack talk, and obtain an exclusive inside look into the game. Who’s going to win?

Despite having the baddest point guard in the game, it seems as if not many people are mentioning New Orleans as contenders in the West for this upcoming season. It was just two seasons ago when the Hornets were just one game away from playing in the Western Conference Finals. But instead on building on that momentum, the Hornets took a huge step back the following season. They were still a playoff team, but they definitely failed to meet expectations. Read More »