Once Steve Nash hit the shelf with a broken fibula suffered in the second game of the season (now complicated by a nerve irritation in his lower left leg), the Lakers first tried Steve Blake at the point. He didn’t work out, and then got injured himself. Next came Darius Morris, a failed experiment if there ever was one. Currently, it’s Chris Duhon‘s turn, and get this: if you go by PER, he’s having his best year since 2009, despite averaging just 4.2 points and 3.8 assists a night (those numbers are up to 8.8 points and 7.8 assists as the Lakers’ starting point guard over the past four games). Read More »

Give NBA uber-dork Daryl Morey some credit. The Houston general manager somehow took the Rockets through the final bitter months of the Tracy McGrady era, beyond the retirement of Yao Ming, and even on past the whole Dwight Howard saga. All along, the Rockets stayed competitive. No one’s talking championships in H-Town, but they’re always a solid team, and that’s more than the have-nots in Charlotte, Sacramento and New Orleans can say. Read More »

By the time David Stern retires as commissioner of the NBA on Feb. 1, 2014, the dueling eulogies and celebrations of his reign will have long been written. Hell, still 15 months away, many have been written today after he announced he’ll retire on that date while at the NBA Board of Governors meeting. Read More »

For years, even as he masqueraded between the NBA’s best passer and a subsequent weirdo off the court, we heard the Celtics’ were Rajon Rondo‘s team. In a sense, we were right: they go as he goes, and during the playoffs – when the chips are most valuable – Rondo perennially turned in near-ESPN Classic performances. But did Boston follow his lead in the locker room? Did he have the presence to outweigh Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett? Read More »

John Wall is that No. 1 pick whose team has never progressed out of the high first round picks around him. How much of that is on him now? It’s a subject we’ve written about at length when we put him on our cover twice in the last year. Today his college coach, John Calipari said it’s not all on Wall — even after conceding that he “must improve” in between the rim and the three-point line — and that a 19-year-old shouldn’t be saddled with “the weight of the world” on his shoulders. Read More »

So let’s say you’re Dwight Howard. You’re stuck in no man’s land, having destroyed your reputation almost beyond repair – seriously, will anyone look at the big man the same way again? This Dwightmare will follow him for the rest of his career. At least The Decision was a one-time deal – and you might actually have to suit up with the Orlando Magic come Halloween. If you needed a recipe for “How to create a PR disaster” then seeing Howard and the Magic trying to work out this marriage through the first half of 2012-13 will be it. How Orlando hasn’t moved on yet, we have no clue. There’s one rule that goes with trading superstars in the NBA, and it’s this: you never get equal value. Holding out only makes it worse. Read More »

All Delonte West wants is to be a Dallas Maverick next season. Reports have suggested that the Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson want him back, too, with two roster spots still available. But here we are, more than three weeks into free agency and almost two weeks past the first day teams and players could sign contracts, and West isn’t on a team, let alone the Mavericks. While Dime hasn’t been inside the discussions with Dallas and West’s reps, it looks like we know how things are going by judging a hilarious West tweet today. Read More »

Crank up the Willenium because Ray Allen is Miami bound and needs a welcome. Just when we thought all the pieces were coming back together for the Celtics, their sharpshooter is bolting for the Heat to win a title, at albeit lower price. It’s kind of a shock considering how comfortable he’d been in Boston and how well his group of teammates had worked together to get them to three conference finals and two NBA Finals during their time. And it’s another coup for Pat Riley and the Heat, even though we all know Allen, who turns 37 this month, is diminished physically and his defense was exposed like a glass house without curtains in the playoffs because of ankle trouble. Read More »

Everyone knows I have an awkward obsession with Deron Williams‘ crossover. It is definitely the best move in the game, so I’m a little surprised and pissed off it didn’t take home the No. 1 spot on this list. Read More »

There’s a first for everything. According to The Salt Late Tribune, in last night’s epic triple-overtime game in Utah, Delonte West got so frustrated he gave a “wet willy” to Gordon Hayward. West also said this to the newspaper: “I went over the line. I saw some lint in his hair, and I wanted to get it out for him. Seriously, we were like two warriors out there. But I forgot the NBA is a gentlemen’s game. They want us to battle and scrap, but they want us to do it nicely.” Read More »