Even though there was no NBA game action last night, there was tons of activity in the League. As we mentioned yesterday in Smack, while there were certainly some memorable plays in the tune-up games, this preseason will be known for two things: a lack of “real” NBA refs and injuries. Thankfully the former has been cleared up after the NBA reached an agreement with the referees, but unfortunately the latter seems to be an overwhelming reality for many of the League’s standout players … On the eve of the season opener, which includes a matchup between the Lakers and Clippers in a battle for Los Angeles (well, not really), it appears the Clippers will be without their superstar. Announced late last night, Blake Griffin may miss up to six weeks with a stress fracture of his left patella. Suffered during the Clippers’ last preseason game against the Hornets on Friday, this is horrible news for the No. 1 pick and Rookie of the Year favorite … Read More »

Last year we debuted the “Highs and Lows” system — previewing the NBA season by predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team. Same theme, different season…

Added: Tyler Hansbrough, Dahntay Jones, Earl Watson, Luther Head, Solomon Jones

Lost: Jarrett Jack, Marquis Daniels, Rasho Nesterovic, Stephen Graham, Maceo Baston Read More »

While James Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891, if I had to pinpoint the exact moment that the game changed it would have to be October 26th, 1984 – the day that Michael Jordan’s NBA career began.

Celebrating this momentous occasion, Mitchell & Ness has put together 1,264 commemorative boxes (one for each regular season, playoff and All-Star game of MJ’s career) with exact replicas of the jersey that Jordan wore his rookie season. Read More »

Take a deep breath.

We’re on the edge of the glorious start of the 2009-10 NBA season. For fantasy owners, this means that eyes are bulging, lips are grinning and palms are sweating as we check our starting rosters over and over and over again to ensure a good start to the season.

In order to help you toward a successful launch for however many fantasy teams you own this week, we’ll have a brief overview of team schedules for week one, along with a look at some of the difficult decisions you might have to make. Read More »

The dirtiest clip of the day comes out of the Bay Area. Tyler Idowu, a senior from Rodriguez High School in Fairfield, CA, climbled over this unsuspecting defender’s back to bang home this off-the-backboard oop at the Rivals Future 150 Camp over the summer. That poor, poor defender didn’t even know he was on the tracks when the train came through. Gotta love the Idowu’s teammates reaction to the dunk.

Earlier today, we asked who will be better between the Suns or the Clippers. While most people agreed that the Suns will edge out the Clippers, it’s interesting to note how far the Suns have fallen since the days of Mike D’Antoni. With the big Shaqtus now focused on getting a “Ring for the King,” the Suns will return to running and racking up the points. (A run-and-gun system that led the Suns to the Western Conference finals twice (’05 and ’06), and in 2007 many felt were one Robert Horry body check away from at least an NBA Finals berth.) For today’s Reebok Still Talkin’ Quote of the Day, we look at the opinions of two members of the Suns. Read More »

Selected 18th overall by the Denver Nuggets in 2009 NBA Draft, Ty Lawson saw several point guards get picked ahead of him. One person who thinks 17 teams made a mistake passing on the former Tar Heel is Trevor Kapp from our sister site Bouncemag.com. We passed the mic to Trevor and let him vouch for the 2009 ACC Player of the Year. Read More »

With the exception of the Rockets, you can probably count on each of last year’s Western Conference playoff teams returning to the postseason in ’09-10. That makes one spot up for grabs. For me, the top two candidates for the West’s eighth and final playoff berth is going to be between the Clippers and Suns (although the Thunder, Grizzlies and Rockets aren’t far behind). Read More »

If LeBron and Shaq are serious about their quest for a ring, it appears they’re going to need some backcourt help with Delonte West‘s status still uncertain. After agreeing to a buyout and going on waivers this past Friday, veteran Antonio Daniels could be their guy. 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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#3: PAUL PIERCE, Boston Celtics

Between thanking God, his mama, and all of Chi-town and South Cack, Kevin Garnett made sure to remind the world that the 2008 NBA championship meant he was “certified.” Read More »