Your team is 21-1, seemingly headed for the Final Four, and you’re its second best player – deferring only to teammate John Wall, the consensus No. 1 overall selection in this June’s NBA Draft. Not only are you one of the best post players in the country, you’re a freshman who’s riding first season averages of 16.2 points, 9.7 boards and 1.8 blocks in the SEC. So naturally, you’re headed for David Stern’s outstretched palm come summertime right?
If you’re asking me, the answer is no. Read More »
There we were, all ready to make fun of Chris Webber for predicting Shaq would have a big night against Memphis because his “ego is bruised” from his All-Star snub and he wanted to take his frustration out on All-Star Zach Randolph — and then Shaq went out and made C-Webb look like Negrodamus, posting 13 points, 12 boards and four blocks next to Z-Bo’s eight points on 3-of-14 shooting in a Cavs rout … Shaq wasn’t dominant, but he helped set the tone right away. On one of Cleveland’s first possessions he beasted Marc Gasol for an easy dunk, then a couple trips later he took Z-Bo into the chamber and drew a foul. Read More »
Winter Park (Fla.) High School point guard Austin Rivers is one of the best prep players, pound-for-pound, in the country. HighSchoolHoop.com ranks the 6-4 junior fifth overall in its national Top 50. Rivers has been verbally committed to Florida for over a year, but this fall, decided to open things up and let Duke recruit him as well.
The younger son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers and younger brother of Indiana Hoosiers PG Jeremiah Rivers, Austin has agreed to give HSH and Dime exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts in a regular diary where he’ll update readers on everything from his personal life to his high school season to his thoughts on Duke and Florida. Here are some excerpts from his new entry: Read More »
David Aldridge of NBA.com is reporting that Paul Pierce “may” have broken his foot after getting himself tangled up with Caron Butler chasing a loose ball last night in D.C.
Kelvin Torbert was, undeniably, The Man back in 2001. Coming out of Northwestern High School in Flint, Mich., the 6-4 shooting guard was named Sporting News and Gatorade National Player of the Year over future NBA classmates T.J. Ford, Dajuan Wagner, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and Kwame Brown. Torbert averaged 26 points and eight boards as a senior, then dropped 21 points in that year’s McDonald’s All-American Game.
At Michigan State, Torbert was naturally expected to continue the legacies of Magic Johnson, Steve Smith, Shawn Respert and the “Flintstones” — the four-man crew of Mateen Cleaves, Mo Peterson, Charlie Bell and Antonio Smith that hailed from the same hometown as Torbert. However, Torbert never delivered on that potential in college. Read More »
Check out the exclusive sneak peek from the much-talked-about new McDonald’s commercial featuring LeBron James and Dwight Howard. For those who remember the 1993 version, this might look familiar. Tune in to CBS before the kickoff of Super Bowl XLIV to see the rest. Read More »
Over on HighSchoolHoop.com, they unearthed an awesome mixtape of Allen Iverson playing high school ball back in 1993. Not that you would think otherwise, but the guy was an animal!
30. New Jersey Nets (4-42)
Last week: Beat L.A. Clippers; lost to Washington; lost to Philadelphia.
With Kris Humphries being able to step in and immediately become Jersey’s second-best big man, is that a credit to Humphries’ talent or an indictment of the team’s lack of talent? We’ll go with “B.”
29. Los Angeles Clippers (20-27)
Last week: Lost at New Jersey; lost at Minnesota; lost at Cleveland.
Technically, they could have had a worse week. At least the players’ paychecks didn’t bounce. Read More »
This summer when I was in Akron, I got a chance to check out More Than A Game at the Akron Civic Theatre. Documenting the incredible story of LeBron James and the Akron Fab Five – from their humble beginnings to national acclaim – the film chronicles the inspiring trials, tribulations and triumphs of five young men who became more than a team. Read More »
Everybody has had their 15 cents’ worth of advice for Gilbert Arenas. One TV analyst (I can’t even remember which one at this point) recently said Arenas needs to focus on nothing but basketball whenever he’s able to come back to the NBA, whether he’s playing for the Wizards or another team.
“Come back as a basketball player,” they said. “Not as an entertainer, not as a blogger, but just a basketball player.”
There was a time when it seemed Gilbert was known more for his popular NBA.com blog than his actual game, but during his long injury/rehab ordeal he eventually dropped the blog and talked of committing to becoming a more focused ballplayer. Read More »
-->