The fact that Gilbert Arenas is still a free agent says a lot about the direction the NBA is headed. No longer does talent alone guarantee you a spot amongst the NBA’s elite – just ask Allen Iverson. So after clearing waivers, Arenas waits in limbo until a team brave enough takes a chance on the 29-year-old guard. And Santa‘s already received a letter with Gil’s preferred destinations. Read More »

With the sudden end to the NBA lockout and abbreviated training camps rushing guys through to a regular season jammed with lots of games in short periods of time, I have no doubt that we’re going to be seeing an uptick in injuries across the League. There’s just no way around it. Injuries happen all the time, even when guys are in incredible basketball shape – the effects of a significantly longer offseason running right into an NBA season are going to take their toll on guys.

One of the first big injuries hit the Memphis Grizzlies over the weekend when they lost rising star Darrell Arthur, most likely for the season. Read More »

It seems kind of crazy that a guy with serious back and conditioning issues can basically take his pick between the Knicks and Lakers, but that’s exactly the position Baron Davis found himself in heading into the weekend. After much speculation over the last few days, ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that Baron has made his choice: He’s going to sign with the Knicks. Read More »

The top tier NBA free agents are signed, sealed and delivered, but there are still a handful of guys that can help impact teams this year. And with the season starting in nine days, it’s time to pull the trigger to get them into camp as soon as possible. With that, here are the Top 5 NBA Free Agents Available. Remember, spend your money wisely. Read More »

For a team that has been sooo agonizingly close to pulling off huge acquisitions for the franchise, the Nets are now sort of a mess. And in lots of ways they’re in a borderline disastrous spot.

The team is now no closer to Dwight Howard than they were two weeks ago, and with this guy staying home, and the regular season less than two weeks away, they don’t have much of a roster. Read More »

The long, drawn-out courtship of Jamal Crawford appears to be over. Sources are reporting the former Sixth Man of the Year will sign a deal with Portland, deciding to go with the playoff team closest to his hometown after spurning Sacramento and New York. The Blazers have been hot on the offensive dynamo’s trail ever since this summer when LaMarcus Aldridge voiced his love for Crawford and began recruiting the two guard away from Atlanta. That continued throughout the free agency period, until it came down to two teams last night: Portland and Sacramento. Read More »

As more and more NBA free agents sign with teams, roster spots are becoming fewer by the hour. What normally starts on July 1 and winds down by around mid-August, has been condensed into two weeks – with training camp going on at the same time. As you can imagine, this has made it extremely difficult for teams to find any type of cohesion before the season begins on Christmas Day. And the players who are suffering the most are the restricted free agents. Read More »

“It’s going to be Lob City.”

That is the first full sentence that DeAndre Jordan can get himself to put together once his agent called him with the news that the Clippers had pulled off last night’s Chris Paul trade.

Cameras caught this live reaction of Blake Griffin, DeAndre and Caron Butler at a community service event at an L.A.-area school. I love how genuinely excited these guys are about getting the best PG in the game: Read More »

The Orlando Magic have two things that no other team involved in the Dwight Howard Sweepstakes have at the moment: Dwight Howard and time. At least for right now. The clock is ticking (the trade deadline will be here before we know it), but the Magic are choosing to be picky in their demands for Howard – as they should be.

The latest news being reported is that Orlando’s on-again, off-again dialogue with the New Jersey Nets (and multiple other teams), is that conversations are dead – for now – despite the Nets’ most recent offer of a monster collection of assets. Read More »

UPDATE: Chad Ford is reporting that Rodney Stuckey is “balking at the Pistons’ 5-year, $40-$45 million offer.”

As a guard and then a Pistons executive, Joe Dumars is experienced at building Detroit into a winner and what parts such a run require. Not all of those parts are always easy to work with, and Dumars understands that playing with Isiah Thomas. But he’s proven his savvy as a GM in that same regard, turning Chauncey Billups from a journeyman to a building block after his arrival in 2002.

If he wants to turn Detroit, 30-52 during a contentious 2010-11 season, into a contender again for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, he knows a first step would be keeping Rodney Stuckey as his premier guard. But at what cost? Read More »