As the NBA lockout lingers on like a bad hangover, more overseas talk continues to infiltrate the media airwaves. Carlos Boozer will pursue signing with a foreign club if the NBA fails to start on time. Boozer noted that his time spent with Team USA changed his life, an experience that has contributed to his decision to play overseas. And you can’t blame the guy. Boozer loves the game and will go anywhere in the world to continuing playing. And oh by the way, the pay ain’t bad either … Read More »

As we mentioned, the Bucks were the real winners in the draft’s only mega-deal, combining with Charlotte and Sacramento in an exchange that netted them Stephen Jackson, Beno Udrih, Shaun Livingston and the No. 19 pick, Tobias Harris. They flushed out some dead weight (Corey Maggette, John Salmons), players who were supposed to take them to the next level last year, but ended up pairing to destroy the offense and dampen expectations. Read More »

Who’s excited to see Ricky Rubio finally play NBA basketball? We’re trying to see what the fuss is about. Rubio, who arrived in Minnesota yesterday, has great court vision and is adept at dribbling. The pluses – that we’re sure of – pretty much stop there. He defers and avoids creating for himself with no steady jumper. At 16, he was a phenom. But now at 21, what is he? Did he already peak? Read More »

Tickets to Rock the Bells 2011 would be the best birthday present I could ask for. Think about it like this. Illmatic. The Infamous. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. 93 ‘Til Infinity. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Enter Da Stage. Black Star. Liquid Swords. Take the greatest hip-hop albums ever, pile ‘em together into a list and I’m betting the names of all of these come up. Read More »

No this isn’t a joke. Some people believe chemistry between teammates can be measured by how often they interact. Actual research was done. Through the first three games of the NBA Finals, The Wall Street Journal logged every on-air time that each team touched each other. It could’ve been a high-five, chest bumps, hugs, anything like that. And through three games, Dallas led overwhelmingly 250-134. Read More »

It’s crazy the difference a year can make. Last season, Brandon Jennings led the Bucks to the playoffs and a near first round upset of the Hawks. Averaging 15.5 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, I made the argument that he – not Tyreke Evans – deserved to win NBA Rookie of the Year. (Unfortunately it didn’t turn out that way.) But after last year’s run, all signs pointed towards Jennings being the fearless leader for a young Bucks squad for the foreseeable future. That may no longer be the case. Read More »

Late last week, I saw a tweet from ESPN’s Chris Palmer asking the world who the best players in the NBA were who’ve never made an All-Star game. While I didn’t totally agree with his list of Lamar Odom, Jason Terry, Al Jefferson, Andre Miller and Jamal Crawford, I figured it was an interesting topic.

So I made my own, with the only essential characteristics being that the player must be playing now and have at least five years of NBA experience. While most of this list is still young and will have opportunities to knock down the door, it is a little surprising to see some of the players that have never been named an All-Star. Not a bad squad right here: Read More »

Not everyone can be Dwight Howard. That’s easy. But not everyone can be Bruce Bowen either. You know, the guy who rarely gets pub, hardly ever gets any Defensive Player of the Year love and always ends up looking stupid on television. Basically, this is a list of guys like Shane Battier before people became obsessed with Battier’s hand-in-eye tactic and started proclaiming him to have the hand of God. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Dwyane Wade finished with 38 points, six rebounds, five assists, one steal, two blocks and two three-pointers in a losing cause. He shot 57 percent (12-21) from the field, 92 percent (12-13) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Wade has been a top-25 player this season, which is a far cry (pun intended) from his top-eight pick position in many drafts. Read More »

The St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that the Minnesota Timberwolves are expected to offer Kevin Love an extension of six years, $70 million once a new labor agreement is locked into place. During his first all-star season this year, Love is averaging 20.9 points and 15.5 rebounds and has a ridiculous 48 straight double-doubles. He also has the second-most 30/20 games in one season (four) in the last 25 years, but yet the T-Wolves are a disappointing 15-47, the second-worst record in the NBA.

“We have to start winning, of course, and the contract has to be right,” Love told the paper. “From there, things have to work out.”

Clearly, Love is a great building block for any team, but is $70 million too much? Read More »