Once we saw the schedule had Denver and Cleveland last night, we set our watches. Ty Lawson. Kyrie Irving. Could it get any better? The matchup never materialized, however, and Lawson is probably thankful for that. He scored just 11 while Irving dropped 26 points and seven assists. But part of that stems from Denver being one of the deepest teams in the league, and Irving being asked to do everything outside of fill his team’s water bottles. Read More »

Well, there are certainly worse ways to open up a new arena. The Barclays Center opened for business Friday in Brooklyn with a Jay-Z-headlined show. We felt like we were there thanks to all the updates and photos we saw blowing up social media. Read More »

The Suns had a grand plan all this time, the team said, and this season’s offseason moves were the culmination of deals they were eyeing since 2010. The Arizona Republic offered an interesting look inside the mind of Lon Babby‘s goal for the team, which — it doesn’t seem this long ago — was in three of six Western Conference Finals (last in just 2010). Read More »

*This is the second edition in a four-part series this week where we will have four writers arguing the national championship credentials for the only NCAA teams left in March Madness: Ohio State, Kansas, Kentucky and Louisville. Yesterday, we brought you Ohio State. Today, it’s Kansas.* Read More »

*College basketball is here (unlike the NBA), and this year might be one of the best in recent memory. The powerhouse is back, while the Cinderellas believe. That’s a deadly combination. We know some of y’all have been asking for some previews. We have you covered – the top 16 teams in the nation will be previewed individually in the next few weeks. After we broke down a Wisconsin and their All-American earlier today, we’ll keep this going with No. 13-ranked Kansas (ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll).* Read More »

After an outstanding three-year career at Kansas, which included a 2008 NCAA Championship and three Big 12 titles during his tenure, Cole Aldrich was a Lottery pick this June. First selected by the Hornets before being trading to the Thunder on Draft Night, the Bloomington, Minn. native gladly returned to the Midwest. So with everyone’s expectations for the Thunder going through the roof this season, we decided there was no one better to turn to for the inside scoop on life in OKC. In his second entry, Cole talks about the Thunder road trip, No-Shave November and his new crib. Read More »

Winter Park (Fla.) senior guard Austin Rivers is the best high school player in the country. After de-committing from Florida in April, Rivers allowed Duke, North Carolina and Kansas to give chase, making his one of the most captivating recruiting stories in the country.

The younger son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Austin has agreed to give HSH and Dime exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts in a regular diary. In this entry he talks about one major development and in-home visits with his new top three. Here are some excerpts: Read More »

It’s safe to say that in one year, John Calipari has turned Kentucky into NBA U. With five players slated to go in the first 20 picks of this year’s NBA Draft, and commitments last week from top-five players in the Class of 2010 (Brandon Knight) and Class of 2011 (Michael Gilchrist) – not to mention All-American senior Doron Lamb – you’d think Coach Cal would take a day off. Think again. While there are still some outstanding players who might commit to the Wildcats for next year, Calipari is focusing his attention on the Class of 2012. Read More »

I always love when colleges put us behind the scenes with their programs and their players. Check out as All Access Jayhawks brings us Kansas senior Mario Little as he discusses Christmas with Bill Self and coach attempts to sing Bruce Springsteen‘s, “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town.”

That’s right, the college hoops season is here and you know what that means: it’s time to unleash the mother effing fury! For the past seven months, I’ve been bottling up a vicious mixture of excitement and rage, just waiting for the moment to release my emotions onto the rest of the world. Well that time has come. Your boy Matty D is back to give you a look at the top teams in the country and to separate the champs from the chumps. Read More »