I don’t have to go into the historic and societal depths of why, when it comes to the NBA Draft, NBA free agency or college basketball recruiting — or any other time high-profile, talented Black men are making high-profile decisions — us f*cking people in the news media suddenly turn into everybody’s parents. He needs to stay in school … He needs to go to school … He needs to shut up and accept whoever drafts him … He should sign with them … He shouldn’t sign with them … He should’ve taken less money and gone for a ring … He needs to hurry up and pick a college … If he’s smart, he’ll go to that college … Read More »

Who knows what to read into what comes out of Ron Artest’s mouth (or his Twitter page) these days, but actual real-life Ron-Ron just told a CBS Sports reporter that he is in fact signing with the Lakers.

“I’m definitely going to L.A. — to sign, yeah,” Artest said. “Lakers, Lakers, Lakers. I’m in L.A. right now. I don’t really care about the money. I’ll play there for nothing. … L.A. was very interested in me, and they got me.”

Artest says it’s a 5-year, $32 million deal. Presumably this means Trevor Ariza is gone, as he’s getting interest from the Cavs and Rockets, among other teams. Now do the Lakers still go after Lamar Odom, let him sign elsewhere?

While I’m busy taking credit for greasing the wheels to get Zach Randolph a home in Memphis to drop his nightly 20-10’s, I might as well try to get another ball rolling: Bringing Rip Hamilton to my Indiana Pacers.

Since agreeing to a five-year, $50 million deal with Ben Gordon, the Pistons have to be — if not actively shopping Rip — at least listening to trade offers for the 31-year-old who plays the same position as Gordon. Read More »

Although the ‘09 NBA free agent class isn’t as stacked as in years past — not to mention the League is being more thrifty than ever due to the slumping economy — teams still have holes they want to plug, and players have moves they want to make. Here, we break down all 30 NBA teams’ free agent strategy… Read More »

Although the ‘09 NBA free agent class isn’t as stacked as in years past — not to mention the League is being more thrifty than ever due to the slumping economy — teams still have holes they want to plug, and players have moves they want to make. Here, we break down all 30 NBA teams’ free agent strategy… Read More »

The Pistons have dominated the headlines this week: first when Joe Dumars fired head coach Michael Curry on Tuesday, and now with the news that the team has agreed to contracts with free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.

Gordon’s deal is reported to be for five years, $50 million, while Charlie V is getting broke off for $35 million over five years. Read More »

The Blazers were supposed to have a logjam at small forward last year, when Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster were expected to battle with rookies Rudy Fernandez and Nic Batum for minutes. But then Webster — the one initially penciled in to start — suffered a broken foot that pretty much forced him to miss the entire season, and everything somehow worked out fine.

This offseason, it’s about to get even more congested. Read More »

Yi Jianlian originally registered on the international basketball radar as the un-Yao Ming. Instead of a genetic breeding experiment who was more relatable to Iron Giant than Hoop Dreams, Yi was billed as China’s answer to Allen Iverson; a city kid who mostly honed his game on the playground before getting tied up in China’s notoriously rigid sports academies.

It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Yi can get busy in a streetball setting; especially when you throw in the fact that he’s 6-11, pretty athletic and has a soaking wet jumper. Read More »

“If [Jason] Kidd is truly willing to play a lesser role and/or take a big pay cut — which everything about him as a player says he would be — he immediately improves a contender’s chances. He knows his place and limitations offensively, and Kidd’s basketball IQ is high enough that he could adapt to any system … Everything is in place for Kidd to find the right match this summer. His entire career he’s played a winning style of basketball, and it’ll pay off for him next year.” Read More »

Meet the Celtics’ newest Summer League roster addition, Robert Swift. After the Patrick O’Bryant project didn’t work, Danny Ainge is taking another crack at resurrecting a once-promising career. If you remember, Ainge was very high on Swift going into the ‘04 Draft, but the Sonics grabbed him first and Ainge was stuck with Al Jefferson. Read More »