The field for the NBA All-Star Three-Point Shootout is set. And almost lost amongst superstar names like Paul Pierce and Chauncey Billups, rookie sensation Stephen Curry, and big-market bombers Danilo Gallinari and Channing Frye — the first and third-leading three-point shooters in the NBA, respectively — is defending champion Daequan Cook.
Cook was something of an unknown commodity last year when he entered the contest, and this year he’s back under the radar. Read More »
The LeBron/Dwyane Wade matchup started off well, didn’t it? Despite the fact that ‘Bron came out doing his Kobe “facilitator” thing for most of the first quarter (he started at PG because Daniel Gibson missed the beginning of the game to be with his pregnant fiancée at the hospital), he and Wade both locked in and got down to attacking the hoop. James finished the first half with 19, Wade with 18, and it looked like the second half would be a shootout … Not so much. Wade couldn’t by a bucket ‘til late in the fourth, and by then Miami was down double-digits. The game turned into a yawner and the Cavs rolled to an easy 102-86 win. James finished with what felt like an easy 36 points, seven boards and eight assists, and Wade ended up with 24 and nine dimes … With the guys who were being trotted out to the slaughter by being assigned to guard LeBron Read More »
LEBRON JAMES (by Austin Burton)
Remember when we weren’t sure if he’d get here? Back then, the King was still a kid, all promise and potential but still unproven to a League waiting to chew him up and spit him out like so many other failed phenoms. Back then, what made LeBron different from the other boy wonders was that he wasn’t the next Shaq or the next Mike or the next Larry: He was the next Magic, the one player who hadn’t yet had a “Next.”
Six and a half years into his pro career, LeBron is undeniably a legend in the making, only now his game is harder to peg. Read More »
As the NBA trading deadline approaches, no name has been thrown around more than Amar’e Stoudemire. An All-Star starter two years running and once thought to be the future of the Phoenix Suns, now it appears certain that if Amar’e isn’t traded this month, he’ll sign with another team in free agency this summer.
Back in Dime #52 (Oct. 2009), Amar’e talked about facing criticism, injuries, falling short of a championship, as well as the trade rumors that have followed him for the last year. Read More »
The All-Star 2010 Skills Challenge field is set: Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, Steve Nash and Brandon Jennings. Rose won the crown last year, while D-Will and Nash are also previous winners of the Challenge.
For whatever reason, the NBA’s version of the skills competition has been almost exclusive to point guards, whereas the McDonald’s High School All-American challenge is open to anyone: Last year’s winner, current Pitt freshman Dante Taylor, is a 6-9 power forward. Read More »
Your team is 21-1, seemingly headed for the Final Four, and you’re its second best player – deferring only to teammate John Wall, the consensus No. 1 overall selection in this June’s NBA Draft. Not only are you one of the best post players in the country, you’re a freshman who’s riding first season averages of 16.2 points, 9.7 boards and 1.8 blocks in the SEC. So naturally, you’re headed for David Stern’s outstretched palm come summertime right?
If you’re asking me, the answer is no. Read More »
Not that he really needed to, but Chris Bosh sealed what will be his fifth straight All-Star selection later tonight with a dominating effort against the Heat on Wednesday. Breaking out the throwback unis from the 1947 Toronto Huskies — oddly enough, a team that was also accused of being soft and not playing defense — the Raptors’ win moved them into fifth-place in the East while Miami dropped to sixth … The Raps were down by 13 in the first half, but rallied and were clinging to a small lead late in the fourth quarter. After Bosh (24 pts, 18 rebs) hit a jumper to put them up by seven, one T-Dot announcer screamed, “The cream rises to the top!” Even when Bosh messed up, it worked for him. Read More »
Earlier today, the NBA released the list of 18 players selected for the 2010 Rookie Challenge during All-Star Weekend – headlined by reigning Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose and superstar freshmen Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings and Omri Casspi. The Sophomores have won seven in a row over the first-year players, but the rookies may have the firepower with a talented crop of young guards. Will this be the year the Rookies break through? I don’t think so. Read More »
I think at this point, Amar’e Stoudemire is all but gone from Phoenix. As I mentioned in an article last week, it’s unlikely that Stoudemire and the Suns are going to agree on an extension that will satisfy both parties. Plus, there’s plenty of speculation that Amar’e wants to bolt to a bigger market anyway. Now that the divorce is inevitable, the question now remains: Which zip code will STAT relocate to? Read More »
