Anticipation is mounting for the long-awaited album, Watch The Throne, from Jay-Z and Kanye West. On July 4, pre-orders officially began for what is expected to be an August release.

And while a 10-song tracklisting hit the web a few weeks ago, it’s the cover (shown above) that’s now being dissected. Some love it. Others don’t get it. Read More »

Contrary to public opinion, Kobe‘s still the same. He never changed, never mellowed or dried himself up. He’s still arrogant, cocky, believing he can’t be stopped, won’t ever be made mortal. Somewhere along the way, LeBron took his place as the most hated in the game…expected actually, because every great player has to go through this. It all peaked last summer. Read More »

Um…yeah. Give DeMarcus Cousins credit for balling on a holiday weekend (I guess), but apparently, perhaps Sacramento’s biggest hope, and problem, picked up a technical in a game in Washington, D.C.’s Goodman league. According to the Afro, Cousins, who still had 29 points, was called for traveling and lost it, throwing the ball completely out of the gym. Read More »

Things were looking down for the United States.

It had blown a double-digit, second-half lead and Patric Young had missed a pair of free throws with 7.3 seconds left in regulation that would have iced the game. After Lithuania’s Arnas Butkevicius sent the game to overtime on a last-second basket, the US U19 squad fell behind by six midway through the extra period. Read More »

Last summer, nothing got more play in the Dime office than Mick Boogie & DJ Jazzy Jeff’s “Summertime: The Mixtape.” Perfect vibe. Timeless music. Flawless presentation. Some Q-Tip. Some LL. Some Pharcyde, MJ & Musiq. Every sunny day felt 10x nicer. Every Friday turned into a party. Read More »

To: Confused NBA players From: A concerned onlooker

I know, this lockout has given you a whole new outlook on life. Options are aplenty and without a job, you might be a bit uneasy about not having a set schedule and all. I realize you might lack direction when you wake up each day. Free time might be good, especially since you’ve been busting your butt for the last few years, but that free time also opens the possibilities of picking up bad habits. Read More »

THE RULES

Paul Pierce needs to shave. Maybe he thinks he’s fashionable or grizzled, I don’t know. Honestly he just looks like an old man who clings to the scraps of hair on his scalp, struggling to obscure his baldness with a handicapped combover. Instead of dazzling the ladies with manly stubble, he’s edging more towards the homeless look.

Alright, so I hate Paul Pierce. He’s a Celtic, he’s a winner. He’s put a dagger through the heart of my Knicks more than a few times. But his stubble is basically all I can criticize, because his offensive game may just be custom built for a one-on-one. Read More »

Fresh off of an NBA championship, Jason Kidd will be participating later this month in the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe. Although his golf stroke is not on par with his basketball skills, he’s still a competitor. In a recent phone call, we caught up with Kidd to talk about the lockout, his future in the NBA and the night out after the Mavs won the title. Read More »

As the NBA lockout lingers on like a bad hangover or the movie “Gigli,” we here at Dime have decided to go on a field trip. We’re hopping in the time machine and going back to 1998, the year of the last NBA lockout. A little “then and now” if you will; who were the best players in the league then, and what are they doing now.

But let’s make this a little more interesting…since we’re back there, we might as well see what the top players in today’s game were up to in 1998. Read More »

THE RULES

It may be No. 1 vs. No. 16, but this isn’t the NCAA Tournament and Amar’e Stoudemire is no slouch. He’ll feed off the energy from the crowd, embrace his underdog status and look to stick it to LeBron. His 6-10 frame and deceptively powerful upper body should allow him to score once he’s in the post – but will the South Beach import even allow STAT to back him down in the first place? There’s no doubt that Amar’e has developed a nice midrange jumper of late, but consistency is the key. If LeBron gives him room and Amar’e starts sinking 18-footers, he may jump out to a surprising early lead. Read More »