Especially for those Miami Heat haters, the end of the NBA Finals is a tough pill to swallow. Not only are we now under the rule of the Miami Empire, but without any more NBA games to be played, fans of the league are left with nothing but the monotony of baseball until NBA training camps open in September. Read More »

Serge Ibaka is setting the precedent for shotblocking in the NBA. His 3.7 blocks per game this past season were the most since Theo Ratliff was swatting shots in Philly for the Eastern Conference champs back in the 2000-01 season. Ibaka is by far the best shotblocker in the league, but come Thursday, he may have some company.

Anthony Davis earned the No. 1 pick by leading Kentucky to a national championship with his defensive prowess and is heir apparent to the shot-swatting throne. But not all great shotblockers are drafted with a high pick. The aforementioned Serge Ibaka was taken with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Read on to see which trusty defenders are worthy enough to make our list of the Top-10 Shotblockers of the 2012 NBA Draft. Read More »

Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen a serious talent infusion at point guard in the NBA. In 2009 alone, eight of the first 21 picks turned out to be starting point guards for today’s teams. So this year we should expect more of the same right? Wrong. There are a couple of top tier prospects in Damian Lillard and Kendall Marshall, but aside from them, finding a legitimate floor general might be a crapshoot. Read More »

This draft may lack potential superstars past Anthony Davis, but it does have depth. And dunkers. And thankfully, shooters. Old heads are always complaining the fundamentals are gone in this new, modern age of basketball. No one wants to set screens, move the ball or take one-dribble pull-ups anymore. They just want to dunk and make top 10s. Those temptations are certainly there, especially for younger amateur players. But that doesn’t mean the art of the jump shot is gone. Read More »

To call this past season’s dunk contest embarrassing might be an understatement. While fans dream of the stars duking it out like the good ol’ days, the NBA continues to try and market their younger, up-and-coming players. All of this public outcry isn’t enough to make Dwyane Wade change his mind. Back in February, he told The Palm Beach Post, “You don’t want to see me in that. I’m not a Slam Dunk kind of person. I’m a game dunker. I’m not creative enough. I don’t jump as high as those guys, or do all these things in the air that they can do. No one wants to see me in there. That’s why I have never raised my eyebrow to being in the dunk contest.” Read More »

The last time we ran this rookie report, there were a few surprises (Greg Stiemsma anyone?) but in the end, the No. 1 pick in last June’s draft was right where he should’ve been: at the top of this class. To say he’s keeping the status quo would be an understatement: In the past few weeks, Kyrie Irving has stepped up his game even more, already hitting the 20-plus point mark in six games this month. Read More »

Right before Christmas, Lou Williams found himself in an attempt to be robbed at gunpoint. Luckily for him, he was able to use his celebrity status to avoid any harm. This situation got us to thinking, what if Lou Will had any of his basketball buddies with him? Which current athletes would make the best bodyguards? Although Shaq might have topped this list if he was still playing, there’s still plenty of security to be found in these ten players. Read More »

At the start of every NBA season, all we hear about for weeks is “X player gained x amount of muscle,” or “X player lost x pounds, so look for him to break out!” It gets a little nauseating after awhile and it isn’t until players step foot on the hardwood that you can really notice any change. John Hollinger tried to save us all some time by tweeting: “I’ll save everyone else the trouble for their training camp reports: Every NBA player is in the best shape of his life. Except Eddy Curry.” Read More »

Hype is a dangerous thing. Realistically, when you think about it, what does hype do? It creates pressure, problems, anxiety amongst organizations in an effort to reach expectations. Really, hype doesn’t do anything but divide and destroy. When was the last time hype helped a team win a title? Some squads are able to do it in spite of the hype, but words and predictions rarely mean anymore than what they are. With the hype of the NBA exploding through the creation of so many superteams, this year is promising to be one with many disappointments. Read More »

It seems like forever ago that the members of this year’s draft class were welcomed to the NBA. After patiently waiting for nearly five months, training camps have opened and these rookies’ lifetime goals are finally coming to fruition. But in a season of constant travel and drastically shortened training camps, which of these youngsters have the capability to break out this year? In perhaps the only top ten list where you can find two members of both the Timberwolves and Cavaliers, we give you the most likely rookies to make a big positive impact on the league this season. Read More »