Those of us who can remember the early ‘90s know how on-top-of-the-world Mariah Carey used to be. The Music Box version of Mariah was young, beautiful and supremely talented. Then somewhere along the way Tommy Mottola, Glitter, “MTV Cribs” and Nick Cannon happened. A more recent example of a fallen diva is, of course, Christina Aguilera, whose career arc can be summarized as “Genie in a Bottle,” “Dirrty,” Burlesque and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Today, Mariah and Christina are replaced by the likes of Adele, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Ke$ha. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Jose Calderon started March off in a huge way, posting 22 points, seven rebounds, 16 assists, one steal and three three-pointers. He shot 70 percent (7-10) from the field, 100 percent (5-5) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. This was the first time in a while that Calderon’s offense was as good as his dishing. He remains a strong fantasy play, especially if you need assists. Read More »

Look, I’m as big a fan of DeMar DeRozan as anybody. When he was a senior in high school, I wrote a feature on him in Dime #39 that is still one of my favorite stories I’ve done. He’s a good guy, comes from a good family, is an incredible athlete and I think he will be a legit star in the NBA beyond just a sick dunker.

So I’m not hating on him. But everybody needs to settle down with the “DeRozan got robbed!” movement following last night’s Slam Dunk Contest. Because DeRozan did not get robbed. Read More »

Weekend Wonder: Elton Brand posted averages of 30.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, one assist and two steals and two blocks in two games over the weekend. He shot 65 percent from the field, 87 percent from the charity stripe and one turnover during that stretch. Brand is off to a great start in February and has been a top-30 surprise so far this season. He’s quietly fulfilling the “comeback” tags many placed on him heading into 2010-11. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Kevin Durant posted 43 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, a steal, a block and five three-pointers last night. He shot 74 percent (14-19) from the field, 91 percent (10-11) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Durant is really picking up steam lately and has been the top fantasy player during the last month or so. He’s making all his opponents look like fake tough guys. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Charlie Villanueva finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block last night in a surprising blowout victory over the Hawks. He chipped in three three-pointers and shot 59 percent (10-17) from the floor. Villanueva hasn’t started a single game this year, but he’s improved many of his stats from last season’s marks. Still, he remains far from an everyday fantasy stud and lines like this shouldn’t be expected from him that often. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Kevin Love didn’t notch another 31/31, but he still managed to put up a pretty decent line against the Knicks. He finished with 33 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and made three three-pointers last night. Love shot 56 percent (10-18) from the field and 100 percent (10-10) from the line, and managed to avoid turning the ball over. His huge game against the Knicks back on Nov. 12 was the turning point of his season and Love’s owners have been enjoying quite a ride since then. Read More »

The Boston Celtics must’ve had the same Blake Griffin hangover that everyone else did yesterday afternoon, because the Raptors made them look just a tad too green defensively with an inspired performance. After uncharacteristically giving up 61 first-half points to an undermanned Toronto team — still waiting on Peja Stojakovic and Jerryd Bayless to suit up — Boston lost their second straight game … Nate Robinson, who was starting for an injured Rajon Rondo, scored 16 of his 22 points in the first quarter as Boston led by double-digits early. But then Andrea Bargnani (29 pts) went about the task of shooting Kevin Garnett‘s face off. Read More »

Whether your team is already dominating your fantasy league, decimated by injuries or just plain stinking up the joint, the waiver wire can be your best friend. If you’re in a shallow to medium-sized league, the waiver wire is usually filled with players ripe for the picking that can help your roster if it’s in a tough spot and in need of all-around help or assistance in certain categories. Below are five players who could be dangling on your league’s waiver wires that you should consider picking up right now. Read More »

Coming off a 20-point piecing of the Cavs on Friday, Toronto seems to be doing just fine in the Post-Bosh era. The captain and unofficial spokesman for the team, Jarrett Jack, looks to lead the Raptors in a more balanced attack. Sharing time with Jose Calderon, this fifth-year guard out of Georgia Tech has shown flashes of brilliance in his time with the Raps and makes a good case for a permanent spot in the starting rotation. We caught up with Jarrett to discuss new opportunities, home cooking and NBA great Dave DeBusschere. Read More »