They don’t jump like that in Raptors practice. (Well, unless your name is DeMar or Vince.) In Atlanta, Chris Bosh got scalped by Marvin Williams last night during TNT’s Heat/Hawks broadcast, as Marv follow-dunked right on Bosh’s head at one point. Bosh should have just left the building after that one. But at least Bosh got crowned in ATL, where people care more about Dem Franchise Boyz than they do about the Hawks … Despite LeBron going off for 38 points (13-19 FT) and 11 boards, Miami left with another preseason loss, but this time they had their big guns on the floor in the fourth quarter. Read More »

With NBA Training Camps now underway, it’s always interesting to see some of the names that resurface looking for a shot. From NBA veterans looking to make it back, to big-time college players that never quite made it, here are five guys that you’ll be surprised to see a step away from the League. Read More »

Forget “Real Training Camp” on NBA TV. Can we get the Charlotte Bobcats a reality show on Showtime? Stephen Jackson is worth the airtime alone, but then throw in Michael Jordan getting used to everything that comes with being The Boss, Shaun Livingston‘s (latest) comeback story, Tyrus Thomas‘ mood swings, Sherron Collins‘ out-loud Chitown personality getting rookie hazed, Boris Diaw‘s battle to stay below 320 pounds, the Kwame Brown/MJ dynamic, and Larry Brown‘s manic obsessive nature, and you’ve got potential greatness. Read More »

Antoine Walker made more headlines in the past year outside of the NBA than he did during his last couple of seasons in the League.

Following his last official NBA appearance in February 2008, ‘Toine was back in the headlines last year when news began to spread that — despite earning about $108 million in salary over his career — he was having money problems. ESPN did an “Outside the Lines” special about the former All-Star’s financial troubles, which included writing bad checks to a casino and failed investments. Read More »

We’re all the way to the Final Four of the World Championship, and it’s still not clear whether Team USA is simply way better than almost everybody, or if they’ve yet to get a truly tough test (beyond the Brazil game). After today’s semifinal there won’t be any doubt, though. Lithuania has been ballin’ in the WC, going undefeated and coming off a surprisingly easy smashing of Argentina. Linas Kleiza is playing out of his mind, averaging 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds … Can Danny Granger get some PT today? Read More »

After he averaged 15.1 points and 10.6 rebounds in the month of April during his rookie season — as the youngest player in the League, mind you — I knew Anthony Randolph was going to be something special.

This is a kid who put up 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as a freshman at LSU before bolting to the NBA. After being selected with the 14th pick in the ’08 draft to run in Don Nelson‘s up-tempo offense — which should have been a blessing for the ultra-talented human highlight reel — Randolph started 22 games as a rookie and capped the season with averages of 7.9 points and 5.8 rebounds. Read More »

Our business is prone to over-exaggeration: It was the best dunk ever, the worst trade ever, the sickest pair of sneakers ever, etc. We have to grab your attention and we have to get advertisers and, well, that’s just how it goes. But taking away all hyperbole and being totally straight — the NBA TV announcer calling yesterday’s Spain/Lithuania and France/Canada games at the World Championship was the WORST ANNOUNCER IN THE HISTORY OF BASKETBALL … Seriously, what soccer game did they steal this guy from? We would have been better off with Moses Malone and Darryl Dawkins on the mic. Read More »

I still remember watching Kwame Brown in his first Summer League for the Washington Wizards up in Boston. It was free and I was a fiend, looking for some No. 1 overall pick love. I can remember telling my boys after his first game, “Don’t worry. Kwame will pick it up. He’s only a high school kid.” Ahh, too bad.

Summer Leagues get their exposure from No. 1 picks, second-year standouts and once-in-a-blue-moon explosions from unheard of players. Below that though, there are always interesting subplots. Here are the Top 10 guys to look out for in this year’s Orlando Summer League: Read More »

How much of this summer’s NBA free agency drama is going to play out on Twitter? Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh) almost caused an international incident a couple weeks ago when he tweeted, “Should I stay or should I go?” Bosh then wrote another post — something like, “I should plan my vacation later next year” while he was watching a Lakers game — that created more rumors and speculation. Which brings us to yesterday, when Amar’e Stoudemire (@amareisreal) posted this: “Just touched down in my home state Florida. Miami what’s good?” Read More »

As the Lakers head back to L.A. to either win or lose the NBA championship, more than Kobe Bryant‘s legacy is on the line: Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum … all of them face career-defining games (or just one game) this week. As does Lamar Odom. Arguably the best all-around talent on the Lakers after Kobe, Odom has averaged 7.6 points and 5.8 rebounds through the first five games against Boston, compared to 14 and 11 per night in the Western Conference Finals. Should the Lakers fall short of a title, the knock on Odom that he often falls short of his potential will only gain credibility. Read More »