It’s a misnomer to call Thursday’s picks for the rest of the All-Star squads “reserves” considering their place as some of the world’s best ballers, but we learned who filled out the All-Star rosters last night on TNT. Some experts weren’t thrilled by all the picks, which opens up the annual conversation: Do fans want the big names or should they deserve the best in the moment? A perfect example is LaMarcus Aldridge, who was balling last season in Portland but got cut because he wasn’t a hot name. He got his much-deserved All-Star spot last night. Paul Pierce, Luol Deng and Dirk Nowitzki, though? And no Rondo? Read More »

We’ve all been upset over calls we don’t agree with. But Glen “Big Baby” Davis got upset to the point he dropped his pants in protest last night.

It’s no secret the Orlando forward plays with full emotion on the court, but it’s doubtful anyone expected him to go without shorts, too. Last night in San Antonio’s 85-83 win over the Magic, Davis was whistled for a foul in the third quarter on Richard Jefferson, who was going for a lob at the rim. Read More »

Okay, so he does have Marcin Gortat (24 points, 15 rebounds). But other than that, Steve Nash is the last man standing in Phoenix. Last year, it looked like their deep trips into the postseason were over. Now, the fast-breaking, free-wheeling style is a thing of the past as well. We felt like we were watching ghosts in San Antonio yesterday. San Antonio beat Phoenix 102-91 in a game that would’ve mattered back in 2006. Now, it almost felt like Gregg Popovich wasn’t even taking it seriously. San Antonio controlled throughout, and even when the Suns made their run, he didn’t flinch. The minute he brought back in the starters for the finish, the Spurs regained control and shut down Nash and the Suns. Read More »

On a team known for its experience – and bad knees – Avery Bradley is an anomaly. The 21-year-old combo guard is the youngest player on the Celtics’ roster. In fact, it was just three years ago that Bradley was putting up 19.1 points per game at Findlay Prep, a feat that earned him the No. 1 ranking in the ESPNU 100, four spots ahead of John Wall. Read More »

So far this year, the Bulls are humming without having to lean too hard on Derrick Rose. It happened again last night in their 14-point win over the Magic. Rose had 21 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists, but he wasn’t alone. Luol Deng continued his strong start with 21 points while Carlos Boozer went for 20 and 13. Even Kyle Korver finished with 18 big points off the pine. Compare that to Superman (28 points, 15 rebounds) who seems to be out there playing by himself these days. Read More »

With Twitter and such slashing attention spans and news cycles, our culture more than ever possesses an instant gratification mentality that screams, “What have you done for me lately?” Never mind your last performance, you’re only as good as your last moment.

How else to explain the relentless early-season scrutinization of Duke freshman guard Austin Rivers? Read More »

This might be the year Josh Smith finally makes the All-Star Game. We don’t want to jinx him – everyone knows the type of luck he has when it comes to this – but his game has matured, he has his body in the best shape it’s ever been in and the Hawks figure to be, at worst, a No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Last night in Atlanta’s 92-75 drubbing of Charlotte to end the preseason, Smith had 21 points and six rebounds, hitting 10 of 15 shots in the game. Read More »

New Jersey will be coming for that NYC crown soon enough, but at least for now, the Knicks are still the big brother. Even if it was preseason, New York gets bragging rights for at least a few more weeks, beating the Nets in Newark 92-83. While we can’t take too much away from a preseason game – c’mon, Renaldo Balkman led everyone with 20 – both teams got some nice contributions from their role players. Rookie Iman Shumpert (16 points) outplayed every other perimeter player for the Knicks, and rookie Marshon Brooks (10 points) and Anthony Morrow (15 points) put in work from the perimeter … At least offensively, Amar’e Stoudemire (10 points) and Carmelo Anthony (17 points in three quarters) looked pretty in-tune for the first preseason game. Read More »

LeBron is the best player in the world. And LeBron is a killer. That’s why something isn’t adding up.

I love the little details of the game of basketball. Things like the fact that in the NBA the home team’s captain or best shooter picks the game ball before introductions. Last night, in the final moments of the Mavs’ clinching game, something happened that wasn’t discussed on the TV broadcast but I found really strange: Read More »

A few weeks ago, I listed Glen Davis as one of the top five pending unrestricted free agents in the NBA Playoffs. And even though he all but disappeared during the Celtics’ short postseason run – averaging an abysmal 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game – I’d still put him on this list. But as Big Baby enters the summer with no locker to hang his jersey, the reality begins to set in that he may be taking his talents elsewhere. Read More »