It’s safe to say that in one year, John Calipari has turned Kentucky into NBA U. With five players slated to go in the first 20 picks of this year’s NBA Draft, and commitments last week from top-five players in the Class of 2010 (Brandon Knight) and Class of 2011 (Michael Gilchrist) – not to mention All-American senior Doron Lamb – you’d think Coach Cal would take a day off. Think again. While there are still some outstanding players who might commit to the Wildcats for next year, Calipari is focusing his attention on the Class of 2012. Read More »
Rap beefs have nothing on hoop rivalries, especially when we’re talking about icons. And before Tupac & Biggie, the original East Coast vs. West Coast battle was between Magic & Bird. To commemorate one of the greatest rivalries in history, UNDRCRWN has created two tees – “Birdman” and “Always Showtime.” Check ‘em out after the jump. Read More »
With 40 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ victory over the Heat on Saturday, Kevin Garnett clocked Quentin Richardson in the head with an elbow, thus getting suspended for Game 2 on Tuesday. But even before the suspension was announced, Joakim Noah (who honestly should be focused on the Cavs) felt he should chime in on the situation after Bulls practice on Sunday: “I’m going to say it: He’s a dirty player.” Read More »
With the regular season over, 16 NBA GMs have their minds set on the NBA Playoffs. But for those teams that will be counting ping pong balls instead of playoff victories, the upcoming NBA Draft has many intriguing prospects that need to be recognized. So with March Madness over, Dime contributor Lucas Shapiro continues profiling players and giving them a team that would best fit their talent. Last week was Butler’s Gordon Hayward, so now we’re on to Kansas’ Cole Aldrich. Read More »
During the Denver/Utah game the other day, something amazing happened. And to be honest, it was quite unexpected. Normally when the guys at Jordan Brand have a new commercial spot or viral campaign brewing, they give us a heads up. But this was completely out of the blue. Like any campaign ad, apparently Carmelo Anthony‘s supporters don’t see state lines, as “Melo’s People Of Utah” decided to show their support.
With the 2009-10 fantasy season in the books, it’s time to start looking forward to next season. As usual, there are a variety of reasons that fantasy values for certain players will change – free agency, age, team dynamics, etc. For those in keeper leagues and for those planning on participating in fantasy leagues in 2010-11, it’s never too early to start thinking about which players will fall and rise next season. So, here’s a quick look at some changes in fantasy values to expect next year. Read More »
The Lakers are still the smart bet to defend their championship, but we’re also not counting out the Thunder in their first-round series. But if OKC is really going to pull a ’94 Nuggets job and win as an 8th seed, they may need to actually reanimate Dikembe Mutombo in his prime … The front line was the key to L.A.’s Game 1 win: Pau Gasol put up 19 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks, while Andrew Bynum went for 13 points, 12 boards and 4 blocks. And Lamar Odom didn’t even do much in this game. OKC can only counter with Nick Collison (not skilled enough), Serge Ibaka (too young) and Nenad Krstic, who is what we thought he was … Tough game for each of the marquee superstars: Kobe had a quiet 21 points (6-19 FG), while Kevin Durant scored 24 on just 7-of-24 from the field. Read More »
Can the Oklahoma City Thunder be the 2007 Golden State Warriors? Probably not, but history shows that a #1 vs. #8 Western Conference playoff matchup can get really interesting. In 2007, the 67-win Dallas Mavericks swept the season series against the Warriors, only to go down 4-2 in the first round against them. The Thunder are playing great basketball right now and have truly come together as a group as the season’s progressed, while the Lakers may have lost their identity and are certainly losing their health. Read More »
Fights, technicals, rim-abusing dunks, explosive rookie debuts, superstars taking over. Except for a game that actually went down to the wire, Day 1 of the NBA playoffs had just about everything you could want … Carmelo Anthony was the MVP of the day, dropping 42 points (18-25 FG) on the Jazz as Denver took the opener of their series. ‘Melo (rocking the Mister Rogers sweater in the post-game presser) only went to the line four times; this was all pull-up jumpers, drives and buckets in the post, plus one scoop shot he put in with crazy English off the glass as the Nuggets were putting the finishing touches on the W late in the fourth quarter. Not having Andrei Kirilenko on defense obviously hurts the Jazz, but we’re not sure anybody short of Ron Artest in his prime could have f’d with ‘Melo yesterday … Read More »
Yesterday, we gave you the exclusive that Doron Lamb is headed to Kentucky. While he just officially announced, the big news tonight was where Josh Selby was headed. While there was talk that he could end up at Kentucky, making one of the sickest backcourts in the nation, the feeling all week was that he was going to head to Kansas. And that’s exactly where he’s headed. Read More »
-->