It wasn’t long ago when what was the Pac-10 had teams that ran out rosters with multiple NBA stars-in-the-making. The 2008 NBA Draft class contained 12 players from the Pac-10, and that meant there was the talent and notoriety for the league to send more than half of its teams to the NCAA Tournament.

The UCLA Bruins were the dominating factor, making the Final Four for three consecutive seasons from 2006-08. Kevin Love, Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook beat up on squads with guys like O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless. But since then, those talents have been bleeding into the NBA, leading to a weak reputation and poor postseason showings. Read More »

The NBA Draft is simply the most important time of the year for rebuilding franchises. Just ask the Portland Trail Blazers. Whether it is the next Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant, or the next Sam Bowie and Greg Oden, we are out to identify the legitimate prospects from the phony ones. Every week, we will deliver profiles of top prospects and breakdown their game. We will give you player comparisons, ratings, outside opinions on the prospects, and much more. Yesterday we had San Diego State’s Kawhi Leonard, and next up is Colorado shooting guard Alec Burks. Read More »

With prospects still making up their collective minds left and right, it’s been hard to get a handle on just how talented this draft class will be. While some youngsters have decided to head back to school, others are keen on testing the NBA waters now. And while we shined a more unknown spotlight on Northwestern’s John Shurna, the group also added a likely Lottery pick to the mix yesterday. Thursday afternoon in Boulder, Colo., Buffs’ sophomore Alec Burks officially declared for the Draft and says he will sign with an agent. Read More »

Upon reading this headline, the majority of you might think that I’m crazy (and after tonight, that very well may hold some weight). Truth be told, this is either going to be a David triumphs Goliath or a blowout. However, in looking at the collegiate schedule tonight, the matchup of Kansas at Colorado is an intriguing one (9 p.m. EST) – and it will all depend on how the Buffs respond to the first 12 minutes. Both Pitt/West Virginia and Mississippi State/Vanderbilt will also be great to watch, but don’t sleep on the run in Boulder this evening. Read More »

Just like an art collector scouring the globe for a masterpiece, sole searching sneaker fiends will go to great lengths to find an exclusive pair of kicks. Back in Dime #25 (August 2006), we put together a list of the Top 25 Sneaker Stores when the kick game had never been bigger. But while that list was limited to mostly US spots, we decided in our 50th issue to take it worldwide. Read More »