The second round of the playoffs is underway and with only eight teams remaining, it means another eight have been eliminated from title contention. The offseason is the time for these teams to retool to prepare for deeper runs next season. The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the most consistent teams in the NBA the past six seasons, but not in a good way. The Hawks are always the fourth or fifth seed in the playoffs and have lost in the first round three out of the last six years. Read More »

Somewhere along the way, Jason Terry became more reliable than a Chinese fortune cookie. Maybe it was the first time he guaranteed a title with a tattoo. Or maybe it was during the ’11 Finals when he predicted LeBron couldn’t hold him down all series, and then went out and lit up the King. Or maybe it was this summer when we all saw him repeat the tattoo prediction again, and miraculously didn’t think it was all that crazy. Terry isn’t the guy you want to see on the other end of the Blackjack table right now. Read More »

The big names signed on the dotted line – or in Deron Williams‘ case, on the iPad – weeks ago, and the pool of talent is pretty much completely dry. But for contending teams, and even those who are just in the market for a veteran to give them a few good minutes or a few good pre-game speeches, there are still a couple of names available. None of these guys will be making consistently key contributions for a contender, but they’re all still viable NBA players. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Kevin Love continued his hot streak with 40 points, 19 rebounds, four assists and four three-pointers. He shot 45 percent (14-31) from the field and 80 percent (8-10) from the free-throw line, and had two turnovers. In his last four games, Love is averaging 37.3 points, 16.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steal, 2.0 blocks and 4.0 threes, the best fantasy numbers in the league during that time period. Read More »

Weekend Wonder: Kevin Love was a monster this past weekend, averaging 40.5 points, 17.5 boards, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 2.0 blocks and 4.0 threes in two games. In this stretch, he shot 59 percent from the floor and 83 percent from the free-throw line, and averaged 2.0 turnovers per game. Love has asserted himself as the clear-cut No. 4 fantasy basketball player in the NBA, and should be viewed as such in next season’s drafts. Read More »

Yes, the title of this post is my attempt at a pun on the Wu-Tang Clan‘s debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Regardless, the following photos depict the Minnesota Timberwolves indulging in some cryogenic chamber therapy on Tuesday. And they’re awesome. Read More »

As much as ESPN hyped the head-to-head matchup between Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum before last night’s Magic/Lakers game, you would’ve thought that, you know, Bynum had actually done something to earn space on Dwight’s marquee. But choosing to ignore all the warning signs that this might be the most disappointing big-man “battle” since Emeka Okafor turned Luke Schenscher into an Australian Toaster Biscuit in the 2004 NCAA title game, the national media seemed bent on making Howard/Bynum the dominant headline on the NBA schedule … Unfortunately, that headline belonged in the Police Blotter section. Six minutes into the first quarter, Howard served Bynum with a nice lefty hook shot and a back-to-the-basket shimmy that led to a finger roll, and Bynum wound up on the bench with two fouls. Bynum came back to start the second quarter, but after blowing a defensive assignment and then picking up his third foul, he was on the bench less than three minutes in. Read More »

What can one say about the Minnesota Timberwolves that David Kahn already hasn’t? This team has one fantasy monster and a bunch of dudes who aren’t good for much else than rounding out the end of your roster. With timeshares bound to happen at multiple positions, it’ll take a lot of boldness for fantasy owners to draft most of these players. Read More »

The summer is always a great time to catch a run. If you’re a player, you can head down to the Y or hit up a local park, and if you’re anywhere that has decent high school or college action, you can find a game. In the summer, everyone’s home from school or everyone’s vacationing or visiting. You can renew old high school rivalries, light the fire for new ones or rev up your engines for the following season if you’re fortunate enough to still be playing for real. Read More »

Brandon Jennings says it’s back to basics this offseason and we’re glad he’s tending to his weak points. Brandon can be quite exciting to watch but aspects of his game leave much to be desired. He never looked comfortable after nursing his foot last year so here’s to him bouncing back. Jennings has a tendency to chuck anything at the iron in hopes of hitting the bottom of the net. It’s all good when he’s actually hitting shots but his itchy, misguided trigger finger stalls Milwaukee’s offense. A smarter shooter’s sense will go a long way for his mid-range game since he already has the quickness to skate by defenders. Read More »