Weekend Wonder: Chris Bosh is furiously putting up drool-worthy lines so far this season, including two gems on Friday (37 points, 1 three, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover) and Sunday (35 points, 2 threes, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 3 turnovers). He shot 51 percent (23-45) from the field and 70 percent (23-33) from the line in those two games, while also hitting all three of his three-point attempts. If he continues to hit threes, Bosh could be vaulting himself into a higher tier of fantasy stardom. Read More »

Breaking down the first-week performances of the serious 2010 title contenders, Spurs announcer Sean Elliott messed up his words and said the Lakers took an “old-fashioned butt cooking” from the Mavs on Friday night. As it turns out, that was the best way to describe what the Spurs were about to do to the Kings on Saturday … Despite Sacramento starting probably the worst frontcourt in the League (Jason Thompson, Sean May, Desmond Mason), it was one of those nights where Tim Duncan didn’t have to do much and could let the smaller guys go to work. Read More »

Between the Delonte West fiasco and the team’s back to back losses to begin the ’09-10 campaign, it hasn’t been the smoothest start for the Cleveland Cavaliers. With 80 games to go this season, there isn’t any reason for the team or fans to start panicking yet. But they should definitely be worried. Read More »

Last year we debuted the “Highs and Lows” system — previewing the NBA season by predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team. Same theme, different season…

Added: Shaquille O’Neal, Jamario Moon, Anthony Parker, Leon Powe, Danny Green, Coby Karl

Lost: Joe Smith, Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Sasha Pavlovic, Lorenzen Wright, Tarence Kinsey Read More »

As we anticipate the commencement of the brand spanking new 2009-10 NBA season, let’s take a look at a handful of fantasy “gangs.” To be more specific, let’s give fun names to certain groups of players who have similar attributes — for fantasy purposes, of course. Hopefully, this post will do two things: offer you some helpful glimpses into what you should expect from these players heading into the regular season, and present you with an amusing read to help you rediscover your smile (especially if you drafted Blake Griffin) and regular breathing patterns amid all the tense eagerness for tonight. Read More »

If LeBron and Shaq are serious about their quest for a ring, it appears they’re going to need some backcourt help with Delonte West’s status still uncertain. After agreeing to a buyout and going on waivers this past Friday, veteran Antonio Daniels could be their guy. Read More »

Imagine the disappointment that swept across the NBA TV studios when they found out LeBron was sick and going to miss last night’s big preseason game between the Cavs and Wizards. No tense ‘Bron/DeShawn encounters, no real reason for highlight montages of LBJ taking Washington’s heart in the playoffs, no smooth segues to talk about Mike Miller wearing LeBron’s signature shoes. And to top it off, starting in LBJ’s place was Jawad Williams, who scored 21 points (4 threes) in his last Smack mention of the season, a Cleveland loss … Gilbert Arenas put up 18 points for the Wiz, while Miller scored 24 (5 threes) and Randy Foye scored 21. However, Antawn Jamison hurt his shoulder in the first quarter and didn’t return. Read More »

If this is the beginning of a trend, we’ll have to adjust that projected number of wins we had for the Memphis Grizzlies ceiling this year. When Allen Iverson sat out the first preseason game with a “sore hamstring,” we figured that was just NBA code for “I’m a 14-year vet, f*** a preseason.” As it turns out, A.I. really is banged up and will be sidelined for three weeks with a partially torn hammy. There’s a slight chance he could be back by the real opener, when the Grizzlies host the Pistons in what was going to be their biggest regular season game in maybe ever … Memphis beat the Thunder in last night’s exhibition, getting 22 points (13-16 FT) from rookie Sam Young and 18 points from Rudy Gay. Read More »

Today, it was announced that Delonte West has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the Cavs to take care of his personal issues. This is the second time West has left the team during this preseason, but this time the absence is is excused by the team.

“He’s one of the ones that we know is going to be there no matter what,” LeBron James told reporters Wednesday. “When he’s out on that court, he forgets about everything else going on in his personal life. We’re looking forward to getting him back, but he’s going to take as much time as he needs.”

How much of a contribution Delonte West will bring to the Cavs this season is anyone’s guess. Between his legal issues, his likely suspension from the league and just trying to get his personal life and mental health back in order - it’s going to be hard for D-West to focus on a championship. Cleveland is now forced to go forward without him. If the Cavs are planning to compete with Boston and Orlando, somebody in the backcourt other than Mo Williams is going to have to step their game up. Read More »