If you said that Lance Stephenson, the first four-time NYC champion (along with classmate Buddha Ellis), was going to commit to Cincinnati a year ago, people would have called you crazy. But that’s exactly what just happened.

After months of hearing that he was headed to St. John’s, Maryland, Memphis, Arizona, or even Florida, Cincinnati popped out of nowhere to snare Lance.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

For weeks we heard that we’d have to wait until after Lance Stephenson’s June 29th court date was settled to get back to the recruitment business. But there’s a rumor circulating before his sexual assault case is adjourned in court today that “Born Ready” will be headed to Cincinnati.

Word is that the Bearcats leapfrogged Arizona, Memphis and Florida International, and we could hear about a commitment as early as tomorrow. Check out the rest of the story HERE.

After back-to-back championships, you might say that the Florida Gators haven’t been playing too well for the past couple years. But you definitely can’t say that about Nick Calathes. Despite not seeing him play in the Big Dance, Calathes could very well be the best player picked in the second round. Read More »

Every year, in every draft, there’s a player or two or four who falls farther than expected. Whether it’s a projected Top-5 pick who sticks around until the double-digits, a Green Room guy who stays in the arena longer than everyone else, or a first-round talent who drops to the second, it’s an annual tradition.

Then there are those guys who wait by the phone all night and never hear their name. This year’s most notable snubs… Read More »

*Reprinted from Dime #49’s NBA Draft Preview*

Paul Pierce isn’t one of those pros that prodigies aspire to be like. Kobe, D-Wade, LeBron, ‘Melo — these are the scorers that every high school and college kid between 6-4 and 6-8 patterns their game after. Pierce doesn’t really work for them. He’s not what you’d call sleek or smooth, and he’s probably cracked NBA.com’s daily Top 10 less often than Hedo Turkoglu.

But in the case of James Harden, who else but Pierce could he follow? Read More »

I always wondered what would happen when Michael Jordan’s oldest son, University of Illinois sophomore Jeff Jordan, finished his college career and had a chance to play pro ball.

Unless the Bulls or Bobcats bailed him out with a late second round pick in the 2011 Draft, he wasn’t going straight to the NBA. He’d probably get a nepotistic spot on somebody’s summer-league squad, but what about after that? Read More »

Blake Griffin, the best player and biggest star in tomorrow’s NBA Draft, is a genuinely nice guy. But when he wants something, he will destroy anything in his path to get it.

*Reprinted from Dime #49*

***** ***** *****

Blake Griffin looks out of place in a kitchen. Appliances aren’t made for 6-10, 255-pound incredible hulks, especially in University of Oklahoma student housing. Read More »

No player has spent more time in more mock draft positions than Tyler Hansbrough. From his freshman All-American debut at UNC to now, following his national title senior season, Hansbrough has been projected to go in the second round, late-first, mid-first, and late-Lottery. Now may be knocking on the Top-10, as today he’s working out for the New Jersey Nets, who have the 11th pick.

Hansbrough’s NBA potential has always been a polarizing topic. Some think he can be an All-Star, while others think he’ll be out of the League in four years. Read More »

*Reprinted from Dime #49’s NBA Draft Preview*

I’m not even talking about when teams Lucky Charm themselves into a superstar — a Gilbert Arenas, a Carlos Boozer, a Michael Redd — who inexplicably slips through the cracks into the second round.

Take them out of the equation, and the fact remains that every good NBA squad has at least two or three key guys who were drafted in the second round, or not drafted at all: Read More »

It’s been a minute since we heard from Jermaine Taylor on his path to the NBA Draft, but that’s not because he’s been sleeping. JT has been all over the country working out for teams and improving his draft stock before next Thursday. Take a minute and read about what the reigning Conference USA Player of the Year has been up to… Read More »