In the Dime office for the past couple weeks we have been watching NBA summer league basketball. I’ve gotten a chance to see most of the rookies play, and here are the 10 rookies — minus first and second overall picks John Wall and Evan Turner — I think will have the biggest impact next season after watching them go to work in the Orlando and Las Vegas leagues: Read More »

Before LeBron James causes a party in one city and breaks hearts in five others, the teams still in pursuit of the NBA’s biggest star are undoubtedly vying for one last audience with LBJ before he goes live on-air at 9 p.m. on ESPN. What will those teams say to LeBron should they get his ear for a last-ditch pitch? Next up: N.J.’s Rod Thorn: Read More »

Only one thing was going to overshadow the eve of LeBron‘s big free-agency announcement: The No. 2 and No. 3 most coveted free agents in the 2010 class deciding to team up and take a crack at becoming the new Drexler and Hakeem. In case you missed it, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are committed to the Miami Heat — Wade presumably accepting a reported six-year, $125 million offer, while Bosh will either sign a deal outright or be part of a sign-and-trade with the Raptors … Read More »

What constitutes “news” these days? It was already getting hard to tell after the past week of one million made-up rumors and random speculation, but then this LeBron-on-Twitter thing hit yesterday and further confused the situation. If you haven’t heard, LeBron officially signed onto everybody’s favorite social media toy, and that development was actually reported by the Associated Press and other major outlets like a real-life “news” story. (Not that we’re claiming superiority; we’re all following @KingJames too.) Read More »

The Boston Celtics just completed an improbable run to within one quarter of an NBA championship. Still, it sounds like GM Danny Ainge will be aggressive once again come Draft night.

Longtime NBA beat writer Sam Amick tweeted early this morning: “Boston is dangling Kendrick Perkins and its No. 19 pick with the hopes of getting into the high lottery, according to a league source.” Let the games begin. Read More »

DIME’S NBA DRAFT PREVIEW

Avery Bradley is an anomaly. He’s got to be, because for a guard with such an offensive prowess to his game — and don’t get it twisted, Bradley was arguably the best scoring guard to come out of a high school class that included John Wall and Xavier Henry — to also have such a hallowed reputation as a lock-down defender is really unheard of. For what he lacks in height, listed at 6-2, Bradley makes up in athleticism and bounce. Think Dwyane Wade’s offense and heart mixed with Shannon Brown’s hops. I swear I’m not making this up: the kid can flat-out rise. Read More »

The NBA Draft combine at Chicago’s A.T.T.A.C.K. Center was uneventful in the sense that nobody greatly improved or drastically torpedoed their stock. Measurements were taken, interviews were done, and that was about it. No incredible shrinking Mike Beasley or Kevin Durant power lifting exhibitions this year.

So three weeks before the draft, individual workouts and, you know, game footage will take precedence as teams close in on their picks. This updated mock draft is a combination of what we think teams should do, and what we think they will do: Read More »

The Grizzlies were one of my favorite teams to watch this season. Not just because they employed my main man Zach Randolph and helped him get his first All-Star nod, but because I like seeing a young team begin to realize its potential.

While the Grizzlies ultimately fell short of the playoffs after hanging in there with the best in the West most of the season, their 40 wins was the most they’ve had since 2006, when Pau Gasol was the face of the franchise and Mike Fratello was the coach. The Oklahoma City Thunder occupied the spot as the NBA’s shiny new toy this year, but the Grizzlies were the silver medalists.

Going into the ’10-11 season, making the playoffs is a reasonable goal. While a couple of Memphis’ key players will be free agents this summer, they can still improve with a few smart moves: Read More »

While last night’s immediate Lottery fallout was all about the Washington Wizards and John Wall, now we can begin to get an idea of how the rest of the draft will play out after the top spot. This is the first of many Dime mock drafts leading up to June 24. As usual, it’s a combination of what we think teams should do and what we think they will do: Read More »

It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of the NBA, NCAA or high school – great basketball is great basketball. And yesterday has to go down as one of the greatest days in hoops history. Ever. Take for example the first four games of the day: you had a one point game, a buzzer beater for an upset, an overtime scare and a double overtime thriller. Only if Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery called all four games, could you have asked for anything better … If you were on the site at all yesterday, then you know the Dime crew was on top of everything. So we’ll try and bring some new thoughts and observations to Smack … Let’s start with BYU’s Jimmer Fredette. Read More »