LeBron James didn’t take long to try to find new work. Yesterday, James tweeted at ESPN’s John Clayton to ask him when the deadline is for NFL teams to sign free agents. It was obviously done half-jokingly, but hey, there’s never been a better time for the NBA’s best athlete to see if he could become a cross between Antonio Gates and Calvin Johnson. We’ve seen him put the pads on already this summer, and now with a long lockout ahead of us, he’ll probably never get this opportunity again. We can guarantee there’s some attraction on his part; Who wouldn’t want to test themselves and see if they could actually do it? Of course, there’s no way it’ll ever happen. Playing another sport is one thing. Football is a whole other animal. Read More »

You’d think with an electric point guard and an authentic Aussie around, the Milwaukee Bucks would be a pretty exciting NBA team. Dig into the team’s statistics from last season and you’ll find otherwise. There isn’t much else in Milwaukee besides some middle-round value, and the most valuable fantasy player the Bucks have to offer is bogged down by serious physical limitations. Maybe Captain Jack can turn the ship around? Read More »

At this point, every loss for the playoff teams is huge. Home-court advantages and seedings are on the line. But those trap games can get anyone. While last night was lacking in high-profile match-ups, it did provide plenty to distinguish just who is ready for the playoffs and who isn’t. Denver and San Antonio passed their tests with flying colors. Then there was Atlanta, who reinforced every bad feeling you might have about them. And in case you missed it, Ty Lawson was hotter than Hell’s waiting room … Read More »

It’s officially Back to the Future time for the Hornets. After starting the season winning 11 of their first 12 games and eliminating all of the persistent rumors about Chris Paul leaving, they’ve since lost four out of five and reality is beginning to set in. Last night in Oklahoma City — 24 hours after blowing a 17-point lead in a loss to the Spurs — the Hornets led for much of the second half until a flurry of OKC awesomeness sent N.O. home with another loss … Late in the fourth quarter, the Hornets were up by four before Russell Westbrook (25 pts, 11 asts) hit a foul-line jumper. Read More »

While last night’s Wizards/Sixers game was an exercise in frustration for a basketball purist, it was also a chance for two of the NBA’s youngest teams to get some crunch-time reps in what could be a budding Eastern Conference rivalry.

But even with things looking more like a college game than a pro product, not every project got a chance to show his skills. Read More »

Weekend Wonder: Raymond Felton tore it up this past weekend, averaging 27.5 points, 3.5 threes, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 5.5 steals, 1 block and 3.5 turnovers in two games. He shot 58 percent from the field and 91 percent from the line during this stretch. Felton is having himself a solid season and has fully met expectations of a big season in a Knicks uniform so far. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Josh Smith put up 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 7 blocks against the Pacers last night. He also hit a three, shot 56 percent (9-16) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the line and had four turnovers. As coach Larry Drew suspected, the new offense for the Hawks is benefiting Smith, who has improved his scoring, shooting, three-point-making, rebounding and blocking so far this season compared to 2009-10. Read More »

If you’re in the latter half of your draft and can’t see your team’s flaws, you’re either in a shallow league, pulling off one helluva draft, or aren’t paying enough attention to your categorical strengths and weaknesses. Most of us, however, will notice the categories that appear to be dragging our teams down. While some of these areas are easier to make up for in the later rounds than others, there are plenty of lower-rung fantasy players who can help fill in the gaps. Here’s an overview of some players (listed in no particular order) who will be found in the later rounds of your drafts and can help you out in the specified areas. Read More »

After years of playing with “Roster Player #99″ during Michael Jordan‘s glory days, the real (digital) MJ is finally a usable character and cover athlete of a video game. Thank you, NBA 2K11, for breaking a drought that existed since, what, Bulls vs. Blazers? It was a ritual for me during the 90s to have to create-a-player and produce my own MJ for the Bulls roster. It was always disappoint for me as a youngster having to use the inadequately rated replica to substitute for Jordan. Read More »

There was a lot of player movement this summer, thanks to a heaping portion of important trades and free-agent signings. The result is a long list of NBA players who find themselves in new cities this season. Below are the 10 most intriguing fantasy players with new teams in 2010-11 (in no particular order and not named LeBron James), along with some brief discussions and forecasts of whether the moves will be good, bad or neutral for their overall fantasy values. Read More »