After Hip-Hop was put to sleep, the Philadelphia 76ers commissioned Jim Henson’s Creature Shop to create three characters in their search for a new mascot. And as part of a new commitment to listening to fans, the Sixers are asking for your vote. Read More »

You may have seen this on Twitter last night after it broke, but it appears as if the Portland Trail Blazers will not be using their Amnesty Clause out on Brandon Roy. This can be seen as somewhat of a surprise move, considering that as last as last week, all signs pointed to Roy’s days in a Blazers uni being a wrap. [We even had him near the top of this list.]

Waiving Roy would have reportedly saved the Blazers about $15 million in salary this year alone. So what changed? Read More »

A perfect blend of old school and new school. Read More »

No one wants to come out and admit it right now, but is there a race going on between Dwight Howard and Chris Paul to get to Hollywood? Some believe so. How it came to this, we aren’t sure. But it suddenly feels like the two biggest pieces in this new age NBA and are both privately gunning for the same team. The only problem is, most likely, only one of them gets there. As Yahoo! Sports reported, the Lakers and Hornets have already talked deals. With Howard not coming out one way or another and with the Hornets’ front office determined not to have a repeat of what happened in Cleveland, the focus shifted to CP, and the Lakers reportedly offered New Orleans their pick: Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol? Who do you want? Read More »

All hell is about to break loose in the NBA. Teams need players (preferably good ones) to fill out their rosters. Serious runs will be made at lots of guys, especially the ones who play positions where the talent field is most thin – point guard and center. That is how guys like Sam Dalembert are lining up for yet another monster free agent contract. Athletic 7-footers don’t grow on trees.

So who are the best of the best? Read More »

As the editor of this video (nonplayerzealot4) says in the description: This is an attempt at creating the first definitive mixtape for Magic Johnson. How have we gone this long without one? Magic was the type of cat who probably has dozens of gems waiting to be revealed. He could’ve had the greatest pass ever seen in the middle of an East Coast swing in the dead of winter in a third quarter blowout against Cleveland, and yet no one might’ve seen it. Finally, some of those plays are coming to light. While I’m not a big fan of mixes solely sticking with the play-by-play audio, it’s completely necessary here. Chick Hearn was a beast during his day, and you can’t have Magic without him. Hit the jump to check the video out. Read More »

Now that there’s an actual 2011-12 NBA season on the horizon, offseason workouts for players transition to preseason workouts. And after eight years in the League, this is definitely the case for current free agent Josh Howard. According to ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard, Howard will visit four teams this week, beginning on Tuesday, including Chicago, Washington, New Jersey, and San Antonio. And coming off knee injuries that held him to only 53 games the past two seasons, the 31-year-old looks to be back to his old self. With that, watch J-Ho workout with trainer Tim Martin in Dallas. Read More »

I was wrong. After watching Arron Afflalo a few times at UCLA, I had no opinion of him one way or another. Was he a solid college player? Of course. The Bruins had a nice little team and Afflalo was a former McDonald’s All American who eventually become a first-team AP All-America. Yet nothing stuck out about him. He was a decent shooter who had average skills, and played so hard I doubted he could hit another level in order to make it in the pros. Turns out, not only was I completely wrong about him, but he’s actually grown into one of my favorite players in the whole league. Read More »

When former 11-year NBA player Lamond Murray began to help his son and daughter research colleges, he came across a company named NCSA that was dedicated to helping young athletes find the right colleges for them. Murray was so impressed, he didn’t just employ their services – he became a part of their organization.

Using his experience from becoming the No. 7 pick in the 1994 NBA Draft out of the University of California, Murray speaks to young athletes and their families about how NCSA can help navigate the tricky landscape of college recruiting, finding the best fit to set them up for success. Read More »

While Jeremy Lamb is still the leader for college basketball’s dunk of the year, watch out for Minnesota’s Rodney Williams. Since losing senior forward Trevor Mbakwe for the season following a knee injury, Williams has moved to the power forward position and has averaged 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.5 blocks per game. Two of those points include this ridiculous in-game 360 in a win against USC on Saturday. Read More »