A few months back, Dime‘s Aron Phillips told you Shaq’s best option would be to return home to Newark, New Jersey and play for the Nets next season. ESPN is now reporting there are multiple teams ready to pony up and give The Diesel the mid-level exception. That basically rules out retirement, perhaps the top option for the oldest player in the League. Now a full year away from the Suns’ trainers, Shaq might just balloon to 515 pounds and completely break down. You never know.

Besides a permanent vacation, here are the five best situations Shaquille O’Neal could end up in this year. Read More »

While Amar’e Stoudemire occupies the feature spot on Madison Square Garden’s marquee, the Phoenix Suns are exploring their options for how to replace their best (only?) interior threat. Because as much grief as Amar’e gets for being simply a byproduct of Steve Nash, the reality is that Nash thrived off Amar’e as much as Amar’e thrived off Nash.

In what would be a cost-cutting move to pave the way for signing another big man, the Suns are reportedly talking to a couple of teams about trading Leandro Barbosa. Read More »

For some players, the night of this year’s NBA Draft was a dream come true; their hard work had finally paid off as they were one step closer to playing in the League. However, for many players, the reality was that their name wasn’t called. While the road will be tougher for those who went undrafted to make it in the NBA, guys like Wes Matthews and Louis Amundson provide hope. With that in mind, here is a list of where this year’s undrafted players will be playing in Summer League: Read More »

During his recent trip to Europe with the Jordan Brand, two-time Dime cover guy Chris Paul agreed to check in with a diary of his summer travels. First stop London, next stop Paris. Here’s the second edition:

We left London for Paris and it’s my first time in the City of Lights! The city is beautiful, the architecture amazing and I swear it seemed like we could see the iconic Eiffel Tower everywhere we went. And who knew the Eiffel Tower sparkled at night like diamonds in the sky – every hour on the hour. Stunning. Read More »

During this time of the year, NBA Free Agency is the top news headline for any media outlet covering basketball. And we have kept you updated with the latest rumors and news about different free agents. As we know, every year there are winners and losers in the free agent market, and sometimes a bad season can have some great rewards down the line. Looking forward to next year, we give you the Top 5 players in the 2011 NBA Draft? Read More »

We knew the Magic were going to be looking for a point guard this summer with Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson as free agents, but I don’t think anyone saw this coming. According to ESPN.com’s Chad Ford, the Magic have signed Chris Duhon to a four year, $15 million dollar contract. With Jameer Nelson as the only other PG on the roster, this move shores up Orlando’s backcourt. Read More »

With the Lakers agreeing to terms with Steve Blake over the weekend, the natural question is what does this move mean for Derek Fisher? While some assumed Blake was only acquired as a replacement for backup point guard Jordan Farmar (a free agent), I believe Fisher (also a free agent) now has a formidable challenger for his starting job — if he in fact re-signs with the Lakers.

According to reports, the Lakers want to give Fisher $2.5 million annually — half of what he made last season — while the 35-year-old vet with five rings wants something closer to $5 million. Read More »

Best-case scenario: Amar’e Stoudemire is for the Knicks what Patrick Ewing used to be, a dominant interior force who can carry a slumping franchise back to its glory days. (Even better “best-case” is if he convinces LeBron or Carmelo to join him.) Worst-case: Amar’e is the next Allan Houston, New York’s $100 million letdown who will be remembered for effectively putting the ball in the bucket and not much else … Amar’e made the first real big free-agency splash of the summer yesterday, agreeing to a five-year, $100 million deal with the Knicks — putting NY back on the map and leaving Phoenix scrambling for a replacement if they want to keep contending for a championship. Read More »

With Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki and Rudy Gay having all deciding to stay at home and continue building their legacies for the franchises with which they’ve become synonymous, Amar’e Stoudemire is the first big-time free agent to change teams.

The New York Knicks offered Amar’e a 5-year, $100 million deal days ago, and during his official meeting with the team today, Amar’e accepted. If you didn’t hear, the Knicks also made a second pitch to LeBron James over the weekend, presumably to remind him they are capable of building a great team around him featuring Amar’e. Read More »

I still remember watching Kwame Brown in his first Summer League for the Washington Wizards up in Boston. It was free and I was a fiend, looking for some No. 1 overall pick love. I can remember telling my boys after his first game, “Don’t worry. Kwame will pick it up. He’s only a high school kid.” Ahh, too bad.

Summer Leagues get their exposure from No. 1 picks, second-year standouts and once-in-a-blue-moon explosions from unheard of players. Below that though, there are always interesting subplots. Here are the Top 10 guys to look out for in this year’s Orlando Summer League: Read More »