Welcome to Boston. Well, more like welcome to the Dime Lounge at the Coach ENew Terrance, a.k.a. Newman’s crib, for Opening Night of the new NBA season. Anticipation is high, Kenny Smith is already screaming 20 minutes before tip-off, Charles Barkley looks like he dropped a few sizes over the summer, and Ernie Johnson is back in his comfort zone after the debacle that was the MLB playoffs. Dime will be covering Celtics/Heat, Lakers/Rockets, and some of Suns/Blazers. Buckle up… 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:LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Eddie House, Jerry Stackhouse, Juwan Howard
For you, Monday was either the day before the start of the NBA season, or just the start of another long work week. But for every fringe guy in the League fighting for a job, Monday was Cut Day … The axe fell on Magnum Rolle (Pacers), Marqus Blakely (Clippers), Chris Quinn (76ers), Brian Skinner (Bucks) and his Stupid Beard (Bucks), and Patrick Beverley (Heat), to name a few. But the coldest cut of all was the Blazers getting rid of Jeff Pendergraph. Read More »
It’s been a minute sine Converse had national TV ads running, so when they launched their new Fall 2010 brand campaign entitled “The Procession” last night, you knew they’d come correct. Gritty and raw, the spot was directed by award-winning filmmaker Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Shooter) and stars Julius Erving, Carlos Arroyo, God Shammgod, Adrian “A-Butta” Walton, Jim Jones and Doug E. Fresh. Check it out and learn more about the spot (including behind the scenes footage) after the jump.
After the Heat brought in LeBron and Chris Bosh to play with D-Wade, and the Miami roster began to take shape, the next obvious question was, “Where will they play?” It’s not like the ’07 Celtics, where it only made sense to plug in Ray Allen at the two and KG at the four because Boston had pieces set in place elsewhere. With this Miami group, having Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo at PG, and everybody yet nobody at center, plus throwing multi-positional Mike Miller into the mix, there are lots of possibilities. Coach Erik Spoelstra cleared up some confusion in an interview with the Miami Herald. Read More »
I’ve never dealt directly with a bookie, and I don’t know much about gambling, so I have to ask: Is there such a scenario where you’d lose money on “winning” bet? For today’s Team USA vs. Iran matchup, putting $100 on the U.S. to win should cost you at least and extra $50 just out of pure shame in trying to get over so easily.
While Iran did pick up a win yesterday to run their record to 1-2 in Group B, it’s safe to say they’ll be fortunate here to keep the margin under 30. I’m usually one to pull for the underdog, and while there’s a part of me that wants Iran to do well, let’s be realistic: Hamed Haddadi is by far the best player on the team, and he might be the worst player in the NBA. Read More »
One way or another, there are going to be a lot of broken hearts in Miami this year. Either the new-look Heat don’t win a championship, or they do, and three guys who signed this summer don’t end up getting a ring. Now that Miami has inked former West Virginia star Da’Sean Butler, the 42nd pick in this year’s NBA Draft, he becomes the team’s 18th player under contract going into training camp. So while it’s going to be an uphill battle for Butler as he works to come back from a torn ligament in his left knee, let’s look at the roster and try and figure out who will be on the outside looking in this year. Read More »
For the basketball-starved among us tired of reading free agency and trade rumors, this summer’s biggest on-court hoops event is finally ready to tip-off. The FIBA World Championship (Aug. 28-Sept. 12) brings 24 international teams together for two weeks in Turkey to fight for gold medals, global bragging rights, and an automatic spot in the 2012 Olympics in London.
In Dime #58 we previewed the World Championship with 10 teams to watch, but since our press time, injuries and roster tweaks have given the field a different look. Here is the updated WC primer: Read More »
If Sunday morning’s roster cuts didn’t give you an idea of what kind of USA team we’re going to see at the World Championship later this month, Sunday afternoon’s USA vs. France exhibition hammered the point home. This squad is going to press and trap and run and shoot — that’s why big men Jeff Green and JaVale McGee were deemed expendable, and how the U.S. destroyed Tony Parker‘s guys at Madison Square Garden … Read More »
Perhaps you’ve heard about this thing we’ve got going on called the World Basketball Festival. No big deal, just a blockbuster four-day weekend dedicated to the greatest sport in the world, taking over the greatest city in the world, and attending by the greatest athletes and entertainers in the world. After Day 1 saw a Team USA scrimmage and Jay-Z performance at Radio City Music Hall, Day 2 was spent almost exclusively at historic Rucker Park in Harlem for a star-studded schedule … Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul got it started at the Jordan Breakfast Club clinic. Read More »
-->