The Indiana Pacers are some kind of something. That is to say, they’re a mediocre team with a few mildly appealing pieces for fantasy purposes, but nothing to go nuts about. If anything, there are a lot of untouched ceilings here, which may or may not appeal to you. Let’s take a look at what Larry Bird’s boys can offer fantasy owners next season. Read More »

If and when the season does start, these guys will be ready…

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In one of the most storied rivalries in sports, Duke and North Carolina played last night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, in what turned out to be a great game. For a collegiate clash that date’s all the way back to 1920, Duke got their 100th win in the all-time series, although UNC still leads 130-100. With everyone still buzzing about Tobacco Road this morning, we decided to ponder what an alumni game with current NBA players would look like today. Read More »

Landing a glamor job in professional sports is a numbers game. With so many talented athletes, so many great players just do not receive the opportunities to shine at the highest level. Every year on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” we see examples of deserving players lose their jobs due to lack of roster space, even if they might be pound-for-pound better than another guy on the same team who plays a different position. Read More »

After making headlines with their acquisition of Darren Collison and James Posey last week, the Indiana Pacers and their fans have something to cheer about for the first time in a long time.

The trade provides them with a very promising point guard and championship veteran experience. However, the task of improving is a never-ending job. The Pacers’ President of Basketball Operations, Larry Bird, has openly admitted that the team was not done making moves for the summer. Read More »

“I am raising the stakes right now … If this is a poker game, I am shoving my chips right in the middle of the table. I am raising the ante. Anybody who wants out can get out. This team is going to the playoffs. OK? This team is going to the playoffs.”

I can just imagine Larry Bird repeating the mantra to himself the morning after pulling off a win-win trade for my Indiana Pacers while he’s at his home gym cashing 92 out of 100 threes before breakfast. Read More »

Training camp means different things to different players. Whether it’s NFL camp opening up last week, or NBA camp set to open in about a month, the preseason is a collection of established veterans who can safely go through the motions, hungry youngsters looking to make a name for themselves, and desperate fringe types fighting for employment.

With NBA free-agent signings and trades still being completed, not every roster is set in stone, but for the most part we have a good idea who will make up each team’s starting lineup. Except for the handful of incumbent starters who have a battle ahead of them when they get back on the court. Here are 10 NBA starters receiving a tough challenge to hold down their spot: Read More »

One of the 800 rumors to see the light of day around the NBA trade deadline was of a proposed deal sending T.J. Ford and Brandon Rush to the Bobcats for D.J. Augustin, Gerald Henderson and Nazr Mohammed.

At the time, Charlotte reportedly decided against making the move, mainly because T.J. is slated to make $8.5 million next season and then-owner Bob Johnson was hesitant to take on that much cap space on a borderline starter. Read More »

After three quarters of feeding the post and flexing their size advantage, the Lakers went back to their bread and butter when things got tense against Toronto: Give it to Kobe Bryant and vacate the premises … Midway through the fourth, L.A. was down on the scoreboard and in danger of losing their fourth game in a row. Predictably, that’s when Kobe (32 pts, 6 rebs, 6 asts) went to work. In the span of what seemed like a few seconds, he strung together a jumper and some free throws to turn a four-point deficit into a Lakers lead. A couple minutes later, Kobe put L.A. up four with a short baseline fadeaway. Read More »

For some inexplicable reason, while the ESPN announcers were recapping last night’s Cavs/Pistons game as Cleveland was putting the finishing touches on another W, they failed to explore the possibility that Detroit was shaken up by what had happened to Rodney Stuckey, or go into how it affected their play … During a timeout late in the third quarter, Stuckey was coming of the court and said he felt dizzy. He then collapsed on the bench right next to the Pistons’ trainer, and had to be rushed away in ambulance. After that, there was a somber, strange vibe in the arena that even translated through the TV. Read More »