Beast of the Night: Dwight Howard posted 25 points, 24 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks last night, his sixth 20/20 game of the season. He shot 64 percent (9-14) from the field, 70 percent (7-10) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Howard’s averaging 25.4 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.8 blocks in his five games so far this month. Read More »

Well that was quick. How many of you predicted Chris Kaman wouldn’t last long in New Orleans after the Clippers packed him up in a box and shipped him out cross country? It’s not that we thought he wouldn’t like it there. He probably loves it, and could’ve taken over Aaron Gray’s resident spot on the roster as the big, wild outdoorsman. But the Hornets are destroying and rebuilding like we’re back in 2001 listening to Stillmatic. Kaman is only 29 and was an All-Star just two seasons ago. But he refused to accept a diminished role. Playing 20 minutes a game in the Bayou wasn’t going to keep him happy. Now, he’ll be someone else’s treasure. Read More »

The Knicks decided real basketball was for the birds, and started launching a monsoon of treys. That might work against some teams, but not Miami, especially when Dwyane Wade is healthy and cooking. With Carmelo Anthony sitting out, the Heat weathered a random Bill Walker night (21 points, all on treys) and a bunch of other weird stuff (in the first half the Knicks were 5-for-19 on twos and 10-for-23 on threes) to pull away in the fourth quarter, 99-89. LeBron and D-Wade were all over the place, combining for 59 points and only 15 missed shots. Read More »

Weekend Wonder: LeBron James averaged 28.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in two games over the weekend. He shot 57 percent from the floor, hit 94 percent of his free throws and turned the ball over 3.5 times per game. James is shooting 56 percent from the field so far this season, thanks to his apparently deliberate attempts to shoot fewer three-pointers and take shots closer to the rim. Read More »

Oklahoma City didn’t play Thursday, but try telling Thunder fans it wasn’t a victory. Guard Russell Westbrook went all Boomer Sooner by signing a five-year, $80-million extension. The deal brought praise for GM Sam Presti and hailed Westbrook, slammed for being a “shoots-lots” guard, for his unselfishness: “Instead, Westbrook delivered to his teammates, his organization and this city a blessed gift. Expansion of the Thunder’s window of opportunity to turn Oklahoma City into Titletown. … No promises beyond 2016, but until then, barring catastrophic injury, an oil-and-gas bust or general manager Sam Presti losing his senses, the Thunder is set for five years of excellent basketball,” the Oklahoman columnist Berry Tramel wrote. Read More »

When Russell Westbrook saw his lane to the rim on this play last night, it clearly never occurred to him that Chris Kaman could be a problem.

There was about to a chalk outline of Kaman before he stepped up and denied Westbrook at the rim: Read More »

Weekend Wonder: Josh Smith averaged 24.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.5 steals, 4.0 blocks and 0.5 threes in two games over the weekend. In that stretch, he shot 63 percent from the field, 60 percent from the free-throw line and turned the ball over twice a game. After a slow start to the season, Smith has really found his groove lately. In his last four games, Smith is averaging 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.8 blocks. Read More »

Everyone wants to talk about super teams. Of course, the Heat, Knicks, Clippers, Celtics and all the rest of ‘em capture the imagination of the NBA fan base. There’s nothing quite like feeling the anticipation and excitement in the air when you see that news hit telling you Chris Paul has finally been traded and he’s going to the Clippers. What immediately follows is typically more invigorating than what eventually happens. The promise of what could be is almost always better than what is. Even here at Dime, we find ourselves talking about one third of the NBA about 80 percent of the time. That doesn’t mean we don’t care about everyone else. Read More »

Didn’t we kinda sorta predict this? Stephen Jackson hasn’t been practicing up in Milwaukee because of some back spasms, but some are saying he’s been sitting out for entirely different reasons. Reportedly, Jackson isn’t happy with his contract, one that will pay him over $9 million this season and $10 million next season. He wanted an extension in Charlotte – as a 33-year-old, you know the guaranteed years are weighing heavily on him – and the Bobcats decided to ship him out instead of offering one. Jackson hasn’t said a word about it during training camp. Read More »

Finally, Chris Paul is dealt away from the Hornets. On Wednesday night, the Clippers agreed to a deal where L.A. gets Paul and two future second-round picks, while New Orleans gets Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota’s unprotected 2012 first-round pick. Here’s a quick list of the fantasy implications: Read More »