For the most part, opinions were split when Ben Gordon signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Pistons last summer reported to be worth $55 million.

On one hand, the 26-year-old BG was just coming off the best season of his pro career, which he capped by averaging 24.3 points and hitting a slew of clutch shots in a close playoff series loss to the defending champion Celtics. On the other hand, was it smart for the rebuilding Pistons to give All-Star type money to an undersized two-guard (with zero All-Star nods) who is widely regarded as a one-dimensional scorer? Read More »

Derrick Rose has only participated in one dunk contest in his life. And he can’t even remember exactly when. Arguably the most athletic point guard in the NBA and one of the League’s most explosive players, period, Rose has a strong resume of in-game dunks — this season alone he’s had notable bangers on Greg Oden, Zach Randolph and Goran Dragic — he’s just not a contest dunker.

But that won’t stop him from being a tough dunk contest judge. Rose and Chris Paul and part of Powerade’s Dunk Domination, where regular folks can send in videos of their best dunks to be evaluated by D-Rose and CP3. Read More »

Buy Low: Tony Parker has been pretty dismal this season, thanks to various injuries. However, he’s proven to be immune to coach Gregg Popovich’s fondness for holding his stars out of the second of back-to-back games during the final weeks of the season. If Parker can keep away from sharp objects in his home and amass some consistent playing time, he should be a great buy-low target for owners who are lucky enough to be in leagues with a late trade deadline or none at all, especially since the Spurs have a great fantasy playoff schedule. Read More »

Dwyane Wade needed a team like the Warriors on the schedule last night. In just his second game back from the calf injury that cost him four crucial games as the Heat try to stay in the playoff picture, Wade was coming off a 6-for-17 effort against Orlando; G-State’s crew of D-League call-ups running Nellie’s defensive “system” was the perfect opportunity to get back in rhythm … Wade finished with 35 points (15-23 FG) and 12 assists — throwing in crazy-angle bankers, pull-ups, finger rolls and one alley-oop from Carlos Arroyo where he had to move his head out of the way so he wouldn’t hit the rim — but the Heat still got all they could handle for a Warriors squad whose roster of injured guys would beat the healthy guys more often than not. Read More »

After a disaster of a debut, Antawn Jamison was a lot better in Game #2 of his Cavs career. Jamison put up 19 points and 8 boards coming off the bench against Orlando, giving Rashard Lewis joystick moves in the paint and stepping out to bury jumpers in his face, but Cleveland still lost its third straight … Reminiscent of the “Kobe hates Shaq” era of annual Christmas Day games, ABC focused on the pre-game dap session to see how Shaq and Dwight Howard would interact. After a harmless fist bump, Old Superman and New Superman went to work: Read More »

We’ve been over the winners. Following a hectic NBA trading season where 39 players changed addresses leading up to Thursday’s deadline, here are the trade deadline losers:

1. Los Angeles Lakers — It’s easy to see why the defending champs would be content with what they’ve got, especially when they’re currently sporting the best record in the West. But the Lake Show does have some noticeable flaws that could have been addressed with a trade. Namely, L.A. needs a guy who can handle the ball and deal with fast guards. Remember the ‘09 playoffs against Aaron Brooks? Last night it was tough watching Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar trying to stay in front of Rajon Rondo, and at some point that defensive hole could come back and bite L.A. in the butt. Read More »

Since hearing about the relaunch of NBA Jam, the talk of the office has been which players are going to make it in the game. As you know, the best part of NBA Jam back in the day was the player combinations. With that in mind, EA Sports has come through, giving fans the chance to select which three players from each team they would like to see represented in the revival. Read More »

Buy Low: Kobe Bryant, as everyone knows, is very banged up right now. The Black Mamba’s lost some of his bite during the past month, thanks to poor shooting from the floor and the free throw line. But with All-Star Weekend on the horizon, expect Kobe to get enough rest to heal up a bit and bring sexy back before February’s done. Unless his fantasy owner is impatient, or if your league is incredibly shallow, you probably won’t be able to nab him for too little. Offering your second-best player might do the job though. Read More »

Some experts think the All-Star Game should be reserved for players on winning teams, but I’m willing to overlook the win-loss record of the front of the jersey if the name on the back of the jersey is putting in honorable work.

Yesterday I made up a 2010 Western Conference squad of All-Stars from teams currently holding Lottery spots. Today is the East side. Those eligible: Bucks, Knicks, Pistons, Sixers, Pacers, Wizards and Nets.

Backcourt — Brandon Jennings & Rodney Stuckey Solid guard play is the Golden Ticket in college hoops, but if you look at what’s going on in the NBA, clearly it crosses over to the League as well. Read More »

Buy Low: Vince Carter has been struggling with his shot all season long, but has hit a particularly rough patch since 2010 began, shooting a combined 10-for-47, or 21.3 percent, over his last four games. Part of this could be attributed to a sore ankle, but this is a downright dismal slump for VC. He’ll find his health and shot again soon enough. Read More »