Last year we debuted the “Highs and Lows” system — previewing the NBA season by predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team. Same theme, different season…

Added: Andre Miller, Juwan Howard, Jeff Pendergraph, Dante Cunningham, Ime Udoka

Lost: Sergio Rodriguez, Channing Frye, Michael Ruffin, Shavlik Randolph Read More »

With the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony taking place today, we wanted to give the true diehard fans of the Dime Magazine community an opportunity to write about the 2009 class. Dime reader and Chicago native Jason Oliver, better known to you as “smity far away,” shares his thoughts on Michael Jordan:

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It’s hard to say something about Mike Jordan that hasn’t already been said by much more established and accomplished men. But Mike’s impact and influence on basketball means as much to me as Pac’s impact on music and Malcolm’s impact on ethnic empowerment. Read More »

For every idiot/moron/stupid/crazy/you-should-be-fired/you-should-die (seriously) insult I took after writing that Michael Jordan is overrated, the only time I ever felt dumb was later that same night I wrote the column, when NBA TV aired a Lakers/Clippers game from 1979.

While the re-run was meant to showcase Magic Johnson in his first NBA game, the star of the show was the one guy who I somehow failed to mention when listing players who could challenge Jordan for the Greatest of All-Time crown: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Read More »

“Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player that ever lived. I mean, people say he was less than a god, but more than a man. You know, like Hercules or something!” – Benny Rodriguez, The Sandlot

In this game, Hercules goes by the name Michael Jordan. Except for those who are old enough to have seen Wilt or Russell or Oscar play in their primes, there is little argument that MJ is the greatest basketball player that ever lived. How little? Mike is the only player who you can refer to simply as “G.O.A.T.” and everybody knows exactly who you’re talking about. And yet, over time I’ve come to learn one almost unbelievable truth: Read More »

There’s a debate going in Major League Baseball circles about re-naming the Cy Young award (best pitcher in each league) after Satchel Paige, the reasons for which you can read HERE.

Taking it to basketball, it’s time to look at some of the NBA’s trophies and consider re-naming them, or giving them a name in the first place. The Finals MVP just got the Bill Russell stamp this year, so that’s not going anywhere. And the Red Auerbach Coach of the Year trophy will never change, no matter how many rings Phil Jackson collects. Read More »

Late last night, after hearing yet another TV analyst talk about Kobe Bryant’s “drive” and “competitiveness” and “will to win” the same way you’d talk about a woman’s features, I wondered when we started defining our greatest athletes with intangible terms we can’t even define.

Nevermind the ring count: This is how Kobe has truly set himself apart from Shaq. Read More »

The e-mails started early yesterday morning, and unfortunately I was asleep through most of the exchange. (Occupational hazard of living on the West Coast.) If I’d been awake, I wouldn’t have gotten a headache from Dime’s Top 25 Motherf*ckers of All-Time.

The original list we debated had more than SIXTY names on it for consideration. Darrell Armstrong was on it. Kenny Smith was there. Clarence Weatherspoon’s name popped up. Read More »

What was prohibiting Stephon Marbury from playing a positive role in the locker room, while also contributing scattered but valuable minutes off the bench back when he was in New York earlier this season? Though everyone is quick to point the finger at his head tattoo, his “horrible” attitude, and a laundry list of other things all related to Steph, it couldn’t have been entirely his fault. In fact, Bill Russell went on record this week, saying that the Knicks are to blame. Read More »

“Red’s theory was 10 players, two baskets, 13,000 people, one basketball–and we will decide what is done with that one basketball.” -Bill Russell on Red Auerbach

In professional sports, there really are the Celtics and everybody else. After winning eight straight NBA championships and 11 titles during Bill Russell’s 13 seasons, the bar was set. No matter how you look at it, it’s truly amazing. Yesterday I was privileged enough to meet the five-time MVP, and talk with him for a couple minutes about his new book, “Red and Me: My Coach, My Lifelong Friend.” As the two driving forces of the Celtics dynasty, Russell spoke on the dynamics of the player-coach relationship with the late, great Red Auerbach. Read More »

With the fact that King James will be named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player this afternoon at only 24 years old, this got me thinking: How many will LeBron have by the time he’s done playing? Read More »