You Know It’s NBA Preseason When … Lamar Odom is guest-commentating at the announcer’s table during the second quarter, and he’s still wearing his warm-ups. Assuming L.O. wasn’t going commando under the sweats, he could have conceivably moved directly from his seat next to Mark Jackson to the court … For the most part, though, intensity was the name of last night’s Lakers/Warriors game in Ontario, Calif., which was technically a “neutral” site but definitely housed a pro-Lakers crowd. Fill-in coach Brian Shaw even had Kobe Bryant (22 pts, 7 asts) and Pau Gasol in for most of the fourth quarter and some of overtime, while G-State ran Monta Ellis and David Lee almost all night … Read More »

As the NBA regular season approaches, we preview the upcoming campaign with the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team.

Added: Tracy McGrady, Greg Monroe

Lost: Kwame Brown, Chucky Atkins Read More »

Playing in a non-NBA city on a splashy, slightly corny-looking hardwood with a gigantic midcourt logo, last night’s Thunder/Heat preseason game was like a dream sequence of what it would have been like to see LeBron James and Kevin Durant go at each other in college (although seeing Creaky Old Men Jamaal Magloire and Big Z on the Heat bench snapped you back to reality). Good thing it was a pro game, otherwise Dick Vitale‘s heads would have exploded on live TV … LeBron finished with 22 points, 7 boards and 8 assists in a Miami win, while Durant scored 21 points (5-13 FG) to go with 4 rebounds. When the respective starters were in, Miami (without D-Wade) outplayed OKC, and LeBron outplayed KD. We all know Durant can shoot the dimples off the basketball, but LeBron does everything else better … Read More »

As much as last night’s Heat/Pistons exhibition game was about the debut of the “Super Friends” in Miami — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — it also represented the unveiling of a new-look Detroit squad.

The starting five stayed the same, but with the additions of Lottery pick Greg Monroe and former All-NBA regular Tracy McGrady, the Pistons certainly have more talent on the roster and expect no less than a run at the playoffs. Those hopes took a big hit with the news that second-year forward Jonas Jerebko will likely miss the entire season with a torn Achilles. Read More »

It’s like there’s no middle ground: NBA teams either make decisions that seemingly take no forethought (e.g. New York re-hiring Isiah Thomas and subsequently pissing off Donnie Walsh), or they overthink decisions that should be easy. The most recent example of that? Detroit still mulling whether or not to sign Tracy McGrady. Why wouldn’t Joe Dumars make the move? From everything we’re hearing it’s a one-year, vet-minimum contract, so no risk there. It’s not like you’re throwing off the chemistry of a championship-contending group. Read More »

Pretty much every wing player — i.e., a two-guard or small forward, typically someone who can play both — in the NBA is athletic. It’s one of the job requirements. And if they’re not very athletic, they can at least compensate by shooting your face off. So simply being able to do a YouTube-friendly dunk or knock down a rack’s worth of threes isn’t always enough to make an impact in the League.

The key is expanding your game. Here are five wing players who have added pieces to their original arsenal and are poised for a breakout season in 2010-11: Read More »

This should have happened a year ago. The Detroit Pistons, not too far removed from the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals, earned a trip to the Lottery podium for the first time in a long time — and now talk around the franchise is all about renovating and rebuilding.

Rodney Stuckey has a critical season in front of him if he wants to be the go-to guy. Jonas Jerebko was one of the biggest positive surprises of ’09 rookie class. The Pistons have a Top-10 draft pick in their pocket to get another future foundation piece, and ’09 free agent signees Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva will be given every chance to be VIP’s in their second year under second-year coach John Kuester. Read More »

If NBA TV had a good reason for breaking up the studio duo of Chris Webber and Gary Payton, I still haven’t heard it. One of my favorite C-Webb/GP moments last year was when C-Webb lost his mind during a Lakers/Jazz highlight when Pau Gasol led a fast break, dribbled between his legs and flipped a no-look underhand pass.

That play is part of the reason Gasol has become known as maybe the most skilled 7-footer in basketball. Read More »

Your immediate reaction after reading the title is “absolutely not,” and as of right now, it’s the right one. In fact, how can anyone compete with a ’96 lineup of Kobe, A.I., Ray Allen and Steve Nash or a ’03 lineup of LeBron, D-Wade, ‘Melo and Chris Bosh. Although we’ve seen how well Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings and Darren Collison have played so far, it’s doubtful that any of them will be Hall of Famers. Still, my friend over at NYKBlog makes a very compelling case about the potential of this year’s draft as the best ever. The argument comes down to this: Would your rather have four Hall of Famers and a big drop off after that, or 20 guys who can be All-Stars and good role players for a long time? Read More »

Too old. Too slow. By now it sounds like a recording for the Boston Celtics, but there’s a new problem beginning to surface that may be the real reason why this team is looking like a fake contender. Forget age and speed — these Celtics aren’t as hungry as they were in ’08 and ’09. During last night’s 20-piecing at home at the hands of the Grizzlies, the Celtics looked a lot like the UConn men’s team when they went through the motions before quitting in the Big East Tournament; maybe it’s something in the New England water … Rudy Gay (28 pts, 8 rebs) is exactly the kind of motivated thoroughbred giving Boston problems. Read More »