While normally the highlights from Midnight Madness are simply dunk contests and cameos from former players, the guys at Duke (with help from the school’s improv department) took it to a whole new level. Check out the video starring Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and the rest of the guys as they find other jobs on campus after the season was canceled because it was “unfair to the other teams.” Hilarious!

Judging NBA talent is in Ryan Blake’s blood. The NBA Assistant Director of Scouting is the son of legendary scouting guru, Marty Blake. On top of overseeing scouting reports for the NBA, Ryan can also be found on NBA TV around draft time, analyzing college and international prospects. Blake sat down with Dime recently and gave his two cents on which rookies you need to keep an eye on for the 2009-10 season. Read More »

We mentioned this morning in Smack that Dime reader Josh Tha Roc put it best: “DJ Mbenga welcomes Blake Griffin to the League…by letting Blake cram on his head.” Here’s the dunk in case you missed it.

You know the only way a preseason game between the Knicks and a team that isn’t even in the NBA would crack the sports highlights shows on an NFL and baseball playoffs Sunday is if something crazy happened. And in the third quarter of New York’s game against Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel), things got appropriately insane. After Maccabi head coach Pini Gershon got himself ejected thanks to a couple of techs, he refused to leave the court — if you saw the Season 2 premier of “Tool Academy,” he pretty much acted like the dude who got kicked off that first week. The refs wouldn’t re-start the game until Gershon left, so it turned into a standoff. Read More »

As if the Clippers didn’t already feel like second-class citizens in their own arena, how do you think they felt playing a home game at Staples Center yesterday with the Lakers logo painted at midcourt and the gym dipped in purple and gold? Serving as the undercard to Lakers/Bobcats, the Clips at least got a W over the Jazz. Blake Griffin posted 16 points, eight boards, three steals and two blocks (that low rumbling you hear is a herd of fantasy owners rushing to pre-rank Blake higher on their lists), while Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman also scored 16 apiece. Read More »

With LeBron James not quite over his might-be-swine-might-be-regular flu bug, can you really blame the Spurs for putting some of their guys out of harm’s way last night? Manu Ginobili (the most fragile of the Big Three), Richard Jefferson (the expensive new acquisition) and Gregg Popovich (the mastermind) all took the night off from Spurs/Cavs, but San Antonio got the W anyway. Tony Parker put up 22 points and seven assists, and Tim Duncan had 13 points and nine boards in the first half before sitting out the second. LeBron finished with 22 points and six boards, including a half-court alley oop dunk, but said he’s “down probably 20 percent” as far as health … Read More »

The photos below are so crazy, I can’t even post a thumbnail on the homepage. But with Halloween around the corner and the weekend starring me down, I had to post them nonetheless. Check out what Dennis Rodman looked like at Miami Rock Fashion Week after the jump: Read More »

After spending the past four days looking at the top 10 fantasy point guards, shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards, we’ve finally come to the projected top 10 fantasy centers for the 2009-10 NBA season. There’s a lot of room for discussion here, so don’t hold back your thoughts.

1. Dwight Howard: Even though Superman is at No. 1 here, I personally would try my best to avoid him in the first round. Still, I really have no problem with anyone who picks him early on, so long as they understand what they have to do after that. Howard’s atrocious free-throw shooting and turnovers are obvious, but he virtually guarantees that you’ll at least be competitive in rebounds and blocks each week. If you can build around him with players who shoot well from the line and don’t turn the ball over much, then Howard is a great foundation to start your fantasy team on. Also, if you are looking to build a team without regard for free-throw shooting and turnovers, Howard is also a logical first pick for your squad. Read More »

These days, John Paxson is mostly known for his front office work with the Chicago Bulls as former General Manager the previous six seasons and current Vice Pres. of Basketball Operations. But the sharpshooter from Dayton, Ohio is one of the best pure shooters to come of his generation. Read More »

Who do you want your offense to run through with everything on the line? Counting down 30th to 1st (one per team), I’ve ranked the League’s go-to guys…

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#8: CARMELO ANTHONY, Nuggets

It takes hard work to make it look so easy. Above any single thing ‘Melo has ever done on a basketball court, the enduring image of his game is more of a montage of hysteria-igniting moments that he executes and reacts to like it’s a mid-October practice session. Read More »