Does anybody want to play for Team USA anymore? The list of guys who have dropped out of this year’s USA Basketball mini-camp (which starts tomorrow) was already getting long — Brandon Roy, David Lee, David West, Big Baby Davis, Andrew Bynum and LaMarcus Aldridge among them — and then yesterday a couple more confirmed they won’t be participating: Read More »

Whatever you hear coming out of Las Vegas today, don’t believe Anthony Morrow if he says he wasn’t gunning to break teammate Anthony Randolph‘s summer-league scoring record. A couple days after Randolph dropped 42 points in a game for the Warriors, Morrow went Desperado on the Hornets — in a game Randolph was sitting out — sniping them for 47 points (18-26 FG, 7-9 3PA) to take his spot in the record books. (Not that they keep an actual book of VSL records; it’s probably scribbled on the back of a racing form.) Morrow had zero assists … And it’s nice to know Nellie will reward Morrow by benching him for two straight weeks once the season starts in favor of Rob Kurz … Thursday’s big matchup pitted Blake Griffin versus Hasheem Thabeet. Read More »

So is it OK for Shawn Marion to be good again? As the centerpiece of a complicated four-team trade that went down last night, Marion is (pending League approval) headed to Dallas, where he’ll continue his tradition of being paired with an elite point guard who can make him look like a Top-20 NBA player. First it was Steph in his prime, then Steve Nash in his prime, and now Jason Kidd (at the end of the road). We still haven’t been able to figure out just how good Marion is without the assists/assistance of an All-Star PG — here’s where the Raptors fans try to sell Jose Calderon as an All-Star — and even the stints with Miami and Toronto where his production fell off could be chalked up to not having enough time to blend into their system or not being in the right system. Read More »

Although the ‘09 NBA free agent class isn’t as stacked as in years past — not to mention the League is being more thrifty than ever due to the slumping economy — teams still have holes they want to plug, and players have moves they want to make. Here, we break down all 30 NBA teams’ free agent strategy… Read More »

Don’t forget about the Celtics now. In the offseason arms race that’s seen the Magic get Vince, the Lakers get Artest, the Cavs get Shaq, and the Spurs getting Richard Jefferson, the Celtics made their big move by reaching an agreement with free agent Rasheed Wallace yesterday. ‘Sheed was Boston’s #1 target from the get-go: Danny Ainge risked life and limb skulking around Wallace’s house in the middle of the night; KG, Pierce, Ray and Doc Rivers dropped by to make a pitch; and the C’s appeared willing to let Big Baby Davis walk if it helped land the older, more accomplished PF in ‘Sheed. Read More »

This has been a summer full of teases. The Cavs teased their fans into thinking it was their championship to lose; Sacramento was teased into thinking their terrible record would at least land them Blake Griffin; Ricky Rubio (might have) teased the Wolves into thinking he was their next PG; DeJuan Blair was teased into thinking he was a first-round pick; and Knicks fans were teased into thinking they had Stephen Curry in their pocket … Yesterday it continued, as Hedo Turkoglu apparently teased the Blazers into thinking they had him ready to sign for $50 million over five years, until — while he was in Portland visiting with his almost-new team — Hedo decided he’d rather go to the Raptors for $56 million over five … Read More »

What started out as a rumor Monday morning was confirmed by the Rockets’ team doctor by the afternoon, then immediately became the dominant story of the year for Houston: Yao Ming‘s broken left foot could not only take him out for all of next season, but also put his career in jeopardy. “At this point, the injury has the potential for him missing the next season and could be career threatening,” physician Tom Clanton told the Houston Chronicle. “One of the things we are trying to get is a consensus opinion on that, to make certain there is no option we are overlooking that would provide an earlier return or would be an option for treatment that he would prefer rather than doing additional surgery.” Read More »

No player has spent more time in more mock draft positions than Tyler Hansbrough. From his freshman All-American debut at UNC to now, following his national title senior season, Hansbrough has been projected to go in the second round, late-first, mid-first, and late-Lottery. Now may be knocking on the Top-10, as today he’s working out for the New Jersey Nets, who have the 11th pick.

Hansbrough’s NBA potential has always been a polarizing topic. Some think he can be an All-Star, while others think he’ll be out of the League in four years. Read More »

Whether you loved Kobe Doin’ Work or you hated it, you have to admit Spike Lee is onto something. You’re telling us you wouldn’t watch Stephen Jackson Firin’ Shots or Reggie Evans Molestin’ Grown Men? … Assuming that Spike’s latest joint failed to satisfy your basketball jones for the weekend, fortunately we have two Game 7′s on the docket today: Rockets at Lakers (3:30 p.m. EST, ABC) and Magic at Celtics (8 p.m., TNT). In yesterday’s Smack we previewed Houston/L.A., so now let’s look at the Eastern Conference’s win-or-walk showdown … Read More »

Phil Jackson isn’t a yell-and-scream type of coach. So in lieu of a remixed Al Pacino “Inches” speech or some outright Bob Knight-ish threats, whatever books Phil passed out to his Lakers leading up to last night’s Game 5 got the job done. Sparked by a 20-4 run in the first half, L.A. looked like a totally different team than the one that got smashed on Mother’s Day: They were getting after it and flying all over the place on D, executing their stuff crisply and efficiently on O, and letting their two All-Stars set the tone. Read More »