Beast of the Night: Nene put up a monster line with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 4 blocks and 2 turnovers while shooting 62 percent (8-13) from the floor and 80 percent (4-5) from the line. It was his finest game of the season so far and his owners have to be hoping that he stays healthy. Read More »

Even though there was no NBA game action last night, there was tons of activity in the League. As we mentioned yesterday in Smack, while there were certainly some memorable plays in the tune-up games, this preseason will be known for two things: a lack of “real” NBA refs and injuries. Thankfully the former has been cleared up after the NBA reached an agreement with the referees, but unfortunately the latter seems to be an overwhelming reality for many of the League’s standout players … On the eve of the season opener, which includes a matchup between the Lakers and Clippers in a battle for Los Angeles (well, not really), it appears the Clippers will be without their superstar. Announced late last night, Blake Griffin may miss up to six weeks with a stress fracture of his left patella. Suffered during the Clippers’ last preseason game against the Hornets on Friday, this is horrible news for the No. 1 pick and Rookie of the Year favorite … Read More »

NBA training camps are underway, meaning it’s time again for Dime’s team-by-team season previews. Last year we debuted the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceilings and basements for each team. In other words, what is the realistic best-case and worst-case scenario for the 2009-10 campaign?

Added: Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, Jon Brockman, Sergio Rodriguez, Sean May, Desmond Mason Read More »

After D-Wade’s Twitter tease (“I got good news coming, stay tuned”) turned out to be that he’s leaving Converse to take his sneaker game down the hall to Jordan Brand — and not an announcement that Lamar Odom was signing with the Heat — it meant the most important free agent left on the market (with all due respect to Allen Iverson) is still without a team. The Lakers had offered Odom $27 million over three years, but pulled it earlier this week, allowing Miami to get in the mix with a reported five-year, $35M pitch. Last night the L.A. Times said Odom called Lakers owner Jerry Buss himself after Buss got upset that Odom’s agent hadn’t been returning calls. Even if it’s not for $9M a year, when it’s all said and done, we think L.O. will stay in L.A. … Read More »

Although the ‘09 NBA free agent class isn’t as stacked as in years past — not to mention the League is being more thrifty than ever due to the slumping economy — teams still have holes they want to plug, and players have moves they want to make. Here, we break down all 30 NBA teams’ free agent strategy… Read More »

While every Syracuse fan is not only tired but happy today, I can’t say the same for ‘Cuse alumnus Donte Greene.

After failing at his rookie duties which led to his car being filled with popcorn, Greene vowed revenge and went after the culprit: Bobby Jackson. Read More »

After the trade deadline, once all the dust settled, there was one team more than the rest that I was excited about: the Sacramento Kings. I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not crazy. Despite Sacramento’s 13-48 record in the Western Conference, there is more than Kevin Johnson to be excited about in Sac-Town.

Think about it. Just weeks ago this team was miserable with a couple big salaries on the roster of players they had no desire to have, and now the forever documented “youth movement” is on in full effect and the Kings are primed to become players once again. If I had to find one team to compare them to, it would be Miami. Read More »