Who do you want your offense to run through with the game on the line? Counting down from 30th to 1st (one per team), I’ve ranked the League’s go-to guys…

JOE JOHNSON, Atlanta Hawks There is a very good chance that Joe Johnson is as good right now as he’s ever going to get. Which is very good: Solid 20-point, 5-board, 5-dime type, All-Star staple, spontaneous combustions of 35 to 40 points some nights, no stranger to game-winners and daggers, one of the 15 to 20 best in the world at what he does for a living. Read More »

As NBA training camps get underway, we preview the upcoming season with the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team.

Added: Jordan Crawford, Josh Powell, Etan Thomas

Lost: Joe Smith, Randolph Morris, Mario West Read More »

Every hero has a villain. LeBron James and the Miami Heat have turned themselves into the most hated team in the NBA after their orchestrated moves during free agency, a title they took from — depending on whom you ask — the Celtics or the Lakers.

Villains of the NBA seem to thrive when they’re loathed, not loved. The “Us against the world” mentality adds more fuel to the fire, but there have been plenty of villains throughout the years in the NBA other than the revamped Heat. Read More »

To the basketball critic, dunking is like fashion or art: It’s all about personal preference and aesthetic opinion. If you truly believe Mehmet Okur is a better dunker than Rudy Gay, I can’t tell you you’re wrong, because obviously Okur’s dunks appeal more to you. Still, I’m not getting how Dominique Wilkins is currently last-place in today’s DimeMag.com poll: “Who was the better in-game dunker?” behind Vince Carter, Michael Jordan and Shawn Kemp. If you ask me, ‘Nique should at least be ahead of MJ. But that’s just me.

Perhaps you’ve heard about this thing we’ve got going on called the World Basketball Festival. No big deal, just a blockbuster four-day weekend dedicated to the greatest sport in the world, taking over the greatest city in the world, and attending by the greatest athletes and entertainers in the world. After Day 1 saw a Team USA scrimmage and Jay-Z performance at Radio City Music Hall, Day 2 was spent almost exclusively at historic Rucker Park in Harlem for a star-studded schedule … Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul got it started at the Jordan Breakfast Club clinic. Read More »

What happens to former stars once they pass their prime? Unfortunately in professional sports, most become ring-chasers.

Let me define a ring-chaser: An older player, usually a former superstar or at least an All-Star, who is past his prime and decides to join a championship contender knowing he won’t be a major factor in his new team winning a title. Read More »

I often have to remind myself that the Internet world is, thankfully, not always an accurate reflection of society. Otherwise, I’d think hard about moving to rural Tanzania and living off the land. While I’ve realized the anonymity of being online allows man to channel his inner jackass without inhibition, balancing it with a dose of real life typically restores my faith in people.

But then last night, after watching “The Decision” at the Dime office and getting a taste of the predictable online reaction, I went home and was passing the crowded front stoop of my building when I overheard this: Read More »

With the NBA Draft Lottery tonight, and Austin’s post yesterday, it got me to thinking… If you were to create a team only using players that were picked No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 in the NBA Draft, which team would win? Here’s the best possible starting five for the top three picks assuming all players are in their prime: Read More »

Any speculation about how Boston would cope without Kevin Garnett in Game Two was silenced around the time they slapped a 21-0 run on Miami in the second quarter. By the time the C’s went on another 18-0 run in the third, it was just a matter of exactly how much the Heat could embarrass themselves. You know it’s bad when it’s still the third quarter and the announcers — whose job is to convince us NOT to turn away in a blowout — are clowning Erik Spoelstra for believing Miami could get the margin within 10 points … Read More »

Not to get too out of control, but last night’s Nuggets/Knicks shootout between Carmelo Anthony and Danilo Gallinari had shades (just shades) of Dominique Wilkins versus Larry Bird. While ‘Melo was getting buckets inside, mid-range and outside on his way to 36 points — the “full-service buffet of offense” as described in Smack — Gallinari was knocking down long-range jumpers left, right and center; he jacked up 13 threes on his way to scoring 28 and getting the win. Read More »