Just because the Hawks have lost three straight games, doesn’t take away from their great season. With a 21-11 record, Atlanta is in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Aside from Joe Johnson, who is a virtual lock for the All-Star game, there’s a decent chance that the Hawks could send another player, possibly two, to Dallas for the NBA’s midseason classic. Read More »

In case you forgot, the sixth annual D-League Showcase started today in Boise, Idaho featuring all 16 D-League teams. And while there doesn’t appear to be many fans scattered throughout Boise’s Qwest Arena (home of the Idaho Stampede), the place is littered with GMs, player personnel executives and scouts from each of the NBA’s 30 teams. If you have NBA TV available at the office or home, tune in right now to catch my Maine Red Claws putting in work against the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Go Claws!

Now I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but it could. As much as myself, Pat and other Sixers fans have loved seeing Allen Iverson back in Philly, the harsh world of reality could put the 34-year-old veteran back in the unemployment line by this Wednesday. I wish it wasn’t so. Read More »

After spending some time in Denver over the holidays and getting a chance to see the Mile High’s finest run through the Atlanta Hawks – and then be subsequently steamed rolled by the Dallas Mavericks – I was able to get a better sense of the team’s collective flow. No debating that this is Carmelo’s team – through with Chauncey Billups mends the glue – but beyond their star base, is the real key to their success: Ty Lawson. Read More »

People forget that when most NBA players retire, they’re only in their mid or early 30s. A lot of players stay in the game and coach, while others get into broadcasting. Since most NBA alumni have made a good amount of change during their tenure in the league, a lot of them get their Magic Johnson on and invest their money in businesses or property. Legend has it that Harold Miner is somewhere in Vegas selling real estate. Read More »

Law enforcement sources have told TMZ.com, that a grand jury will determine whether Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton will face criminal charges for their Dec. 21 locker room incident that involved guns. Today, D.C. detectives are interviewing both Wizards’ players and will present their findings to the D.C. grand jury as early as today. Read More »

Weekend Wonder: LeBron James should just add this to his list of nicknames. He averaged 28.5 points, 1.5 threes, 8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1 steal, 1.5 blocks and just 1 turnover in two games this past weekend. He shot 54 percent from the field and 82 percent from the free throw line during that span. During the past month, James has been the top dog in the land of fantasy ball. Read More »

Every game, Danilo Gallinari seems to grow more and more on New Yorkers. On top of proving he can hit the long ball, Gallinari is showing that he’s got the total package. This season, we’ve seen him block shots, drop dimes, shake guys off the dribble and now, dunk on people. In this sequence, we see the Italian forward cross-over Josh McRoberts then rise up and bang one on Roy Hibbert. The crowd went nuts, especially after Danilo showed some flair and posed after the dunk.

We mentioned it in Smack this morning, but Chandler Parsons‘ 75-foot bomb will be tough to beat for the best finish of the year. Two seconds left in overtime, Wolfpack up two, Farnold Degand missed a free throw that would’ve put them up three. Parsons grabs the rebound, takes a few steps and launches a dagger that drops at the buzzer. Swish. The amazing thing was that the Gators were a dreadful 2-for-23 from three-point range before that shot.

The word “professional” is probably not the first adjective you would’ve chosen to describe Nate Robinson in the past. But that’s exactly what he was and how he acted like during his 13-game benching. Despite not playing for a month and having to deal with all the embarrassment and drama (mainly between his agent and the team), Robinson kept his mouth shut, cheered for his team and most importantly, stayed ready – both physically and mentally. Read More »