We argue. You decide.

RAY ALLEN (by L. Shapiro) There’s a reason why Manu Ginobili has averaged over 30 minutes per game only once in his eight NBA seasons: He simply can’t stay healthy. Manu has not played 82 games in one season yet, either.

Meanwhile, Ray Allen has been able to last since 1996, averaging 37.1 minutes per game. Read More »

While Derrick Rose has been with adidas since he entered the League, this year he finally gets his own signature shoe. Introducing the adidas adiZero Rose. Weighing in at 12.8 ounces, it’s the lightest signature basketball shoe adidas has ever created, and features a mix of textiles and synthetics that help reduce weight and increase stability during cutting movements. Also one cool thing to note is that adidas’ iconic three stripes are on the back of the shoe instead of the side, that way defenders can see them after he’s speeding by them on the court. Read More »

Choosing a number is as personal as it gets in the NBA. Whether it’s luck, draft position or a favorite player growing up, a player’s number choice can come from virtually any direction. That’s why it’s interesting to look at the NBA from a numerical perspective. Below you’ll find the NBA’s best players by number, starting with 00 and ending with 92. Interestingly enough, there are only seven numbers not represented below 55, and there are only five players with a number above that. Read More »

***EDITOR’S NOTE: We received a significant amount of backlash for this post, with angry readers calling us out for not being factually on point (the errant claim that Vince Carter was left out of the Raptors’ 15th Anniversary celebration), for not being thorough in our analysis and for being disingenuous in our motives for posting this piece. For the most part our critics are absolutely correct, this article is not up to our standards. Some of the judgment that went into this post was not great, starting with the misleading headline – we can admit that. And if we are going to make tough claims like the ones put forth in this piece, we need to back them up with a lot more facts and analysis than we did in this post.

– Patrick Cassidy, Director of Content

Once again, the Toronto Raptors are in rebuilding mode. After two more highly-publicized bad breakups this summer — Chris Bosh leaving in free agency and Hedo Turkoglu forcing a trade — the Raptors are left with no big names or potential All-Stars (at least for 2011) on the roster. Having missed the playoffs again last season with Bosh and Hedo, the team is expected to finish way out of postseason contention this time around. Read More »

With the start of the NBA season now one week away, you can see the intensity of preseason games start to shift. Check out the Top 10 plays from Monday night’s action, which feature some ridiculous dunks and a chase-down block from Joel Anthony.

Read More »

That sound you heard coming out of Miami last night was the entire world collapsing. Or it was just the cackle of haters worldwide feeling very pleased with themselves. For the first time with something resembling the Big Three — i.e., LeBron and Chris Bosh suited up — the Heat lost a game on the home court where some believe they may go undefeated in the regular season. But ask the Lakers about the giant-killer tendencies of the Bobcats. Playing without their top guy, Gerald Wallace, the ‘Cats got 19 points from D.J. Augustin and 18 from Derrick Brown off the bench … Read More »

Although the first two years of Elton Brand‘s tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers have been plagued by injuries and Lottery appearances, the two-time NBA All-Star — who boasts career averages of 19.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game — is going to be a key figure in Philly’s most recent rebuilding effort, holding down the paint while Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner attack from the perimeter. Read More »

While the Pacers are scheduled to play the Timberwolves in a preseason game tomorrow night in Minneapolis, they ran into a little hiccup this afternoon when their best player, Danny Granger, was pulled over on his way to the airport. Driving his car for the first time in four months, Granger apparently forgot to check for expired license plate tags. Read More »

We argue. You decide.

JOHN CALIPARI (by A. Macaluso) When it comes to family, no one is closer than the Italians. You used to be able to say the same about John Calipari and his predecessor, Rick Pitino. Both coaches have known each other ever since they worked together at Five Star Camp. Both head coaches were actually friends in the beginning, with Pitino helping Calipari land the head coaching position at Massachusetts in 1988. Read More »

It has become a running joke to poke fun at Minnesota Timberwolves GM David Kahn’s mistakes: drafting too many point guards, trading away Al Jefferson for cheap and gambling big money on Darko Milicic. But one decision that definitely wasn’t a mistake was taking Jonny Flynn in the Lottery of the 2009 NBA Draft. Read More »