While it seems every move that every NBA team plans to make this summer has something to do with LeBron — from the Chris Paul trade rumors to (obviously) the Cavs’ coaching search to even the Clippers’ potential ownership change — one man who could greatly impact the Top-10 of tomorrow’s NBA Draft is Carlos Boozer.

The Utah Jazz pick 9th, and since it’s a foregone conclusion Boozer has no interest in re-signing there (the feeling might be mutual), a lot of mock drafts have the Jazz taking a power forward to replace Boozer as part of the 1-2 tandem at the four with Paul Millsap. Read More »

Jalen Rose posted this a short time ago on his Twitter feed:

“(research/sources say) It is almost CERTAIN that LEBRON JAMES WILL NOT be returning to the CAVS!”

Maybe most interesting though is what Rose lists in parentheses at the end of his tweet – presumably what he’s hearing from those same sources are the favored destinations for LeBron. Read More »

DIME’S NBA DRAFT PREVIEW

Even as the NBA gets taken over by super-athletic point guards (Rose, Westbrook, Rondo) and small forwards who breathe buckets (LeBron, Durant, Carmelo), teams will always be on the lookout for the next top big man.

Especially now, since a low-post makeover is on the way. Dwight Howard has taken the scepter to represent the standard by which today’s dominant post player is judged, while Shaq, Duncan and Garnett get older and Yao can’t stay out of a walking boot. Read More »

Last week I attended the Gillette Fusion ProGlide “Ultimate Summer Job” event at the Hudson Hotel, and in addition to the open bar, the event was great. Gillette tapped Tony Parker, Erin Andrews and John Cena to judge which duo would get to travel the country this summer with a $50,000 stipend to try and convince guys along the way to take the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Challenge with their newest razor. As part of the event, I got a professional shave with the new ProGlide and the hype is legitimate. My face is smooth as ever. But more importantly, I caught up with Tony Parker to talk World Cup, World Championships, and other things worldly. Read More »

DIME’S NBA DRAFT PREVIEW

Avery Bradley is an anomaly. He’s got to be, because for a guard with such an offensive prowess to his game — and don’t get it twisted, Bradley was arguably the best scoring guard to come out of a high school class that included John Wall and Xavier Henry — to also have such a hallowed reputation as a lock-down defender is really unheard of. For what he lacks in height, listed at 6-2, Bradley makes up in athleticism and bounce. Think Dwyane Wade’s offense and heart mixed with Shannon Brown’s hops. I swear I’m not making this up: the kid can flat-out rise. Read More »

Although Jrue Holiday didn’t have an amazing rookie year, the 6-4 point guard held his own on a Sixers team that struggled with injuries all season. Now with a No. 2 pick in tomorrow’s NBA Draft and everyone back healthy, Holiday is looking forward to big things in the City of Brotherly Love. We recently caught up with him to talk about UCLA’s woes, the adjustment to Philly from Southern California and the $64,000 question: Who are you taking with the No. 2 pick? Read More »

At the beginning of the month, we let you know that EA Sports changed the name of their long running NBA franchise from NBA Live to NBA Elite. And with that change, you knew that they were going to have to feature one of the game’s best players on the cover to live up to the hype. Well, they delivered. At an exclusive launch party last night in NYC, they announced that Kevin Durant will be the cover athlete for NBA Elite 11. And KD, in his humble way, couldn’t have been more psyched. Read More »

Now that the parade is over and the euphoria has settled, it’s time for the Lakers to take care of business and tend to their aching bodies. The post-’chip injury report out of L.A. begins with Andrew Bynum, who pretty much played on one leg throughout the playoffs. AB had his right knee drained again yesterday (about 2.5 ounces of fluid), and will have surgery this summer. Luke Walton is weighing whether he should have back surgery, Lamar Odom has a bum left shoulder, and Adam Morrison missed almost the entire season with a — oh wait, he wasn’t hurt … And as you already know, Kobe Bryant‘s limbs are being held together with electrical tape and grocery-store brand sticky soda right now. Read More »

A few hours after the rumors initially surfaced, the Warriors and Bucks completed a trade sending Corey Maggette and the 44th pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft to Milwaukee in exchange for Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzuric.

Maggette put up the quietest 19.8 points per game in the League this season, the master of getting meaningless buckets in meaningless games and never taking his foot off the pedal when it comes to scoring. His forte is getting to the rack and getting to the free-throw line, where he hit 83 percent this season. Read More »

Almost every single NBA mock draft has the Nets taking Derrick Favors, with some recently putting Wesley Johnson into the No. 3 slot in this Thursday’s draft. While Favors and Johnson are both good players and could help the Nets, they need to take the smart risk by drafting DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins’ skill set is off the charts. He is massive, so he can overpower guys down low. His quick feet and above-average ball-handling allow him to perform a wide array of effective post moves. His jump shot extends to 20 feet. Cousins also rebounds at an incredible clip, as he was the most efficient player in college basketball averaging 15.1 points and 9.8 rebounds in just 23.5 minutes. Read More »