Outside of their beast in the middle and waterfall of threes, the Orlando Magic are a team of uncertainty for fantasy owners. Their starting shooting guard is most likely on his way out, their backup point guard appears more primed to stir up controversy on Twitter than do anything provocative anything on the court and a timeshare looks likely at the power forward position. All that said, there are open doors for a few players to assert themselves as fantasy stalwarts. Of course, if that beast in the middle wiggles his way out of town before season’s end, this house of cards will come tumbling down – hard. Read More »

As the NBA lockout lingers on like a bad hangover, more overseas talk continues to infiltrate the media airwaves. Carlos Boozer will pursue signing with a foreign club if the NBA fails to start on time. Boozer noted that his time spent with Team USA changed his life, an experience that has contributed to his decision to play overseas. And you can’t blame the guy. Boozer loves the game and will go anywhere in the world to continuing playing. And oh by the way, the pay ain’t bad either … Read More »

While at the Knicks-Magic game a couple nights ago, I was privileged to experience firsthand a rookie hard at work. No, it wasn’t Landry Fields‘ three-point, four-rebound performance in the OT thriller; I’m talking about work of a different variety. Away from the hardwood, in the Magic locker room after the game, 6-10, 255-pound rookie Daniel Orton – draped in his Sunday’s finest – was doing his best impression of Geoffrey, the butler from Fresh Prince. Not only was he cleaning out the locker of Gilbert Arenas, carrying Earl Clark’s tote bag and moving chairs out of the way for reporters, but he even waited ‘til the bitter end to collect Dwight Howard’s Louis Vuitton toiletry bag after he was finished his postgame interviews. A spectacle to say the least. Read More »

Earlier in the day on Monday, Carmelo Anthony characterized last night’s Knicks/Magic game as an “almost must win” for New York. Then he and his teammates went out and played with a desperate urgency that’s been lacking, well, since ‘Melo showed up in NYC and outlasted Orlando in overtime, 113-106 … Carmelo wasn’t just his team’s leading scorer last night, he was a true leader. He went for a game-high 39 points, attacked the glass (10 rebounds), and even sort of looked to pass to teammates before he got bogged down over-dribbling or holding the ball. And on top of that, he was busting his ass on defense. There were whole sequences where Carmelo was all over Ryan Anderson (!) when Anderson had the ball at half court. ‘Melo was moving his feet, fighting for positioning, boxing out, the whole nine … The bad part for Knicks fans is obvious: Read More »

Whatever fools out there still believe LeBron James isn’t a big-game clutch performer really should pay attention to the past and the present. The current NBA standings provide enough evidence to prove LBJ was working miracles by carrying the Cavs anywhere beyond the first round, the numbers show he gets it done, and the highlight reels don’t lie about the game-winners and clutch shots on his resume. It’s pretty clear by now that LeBron thrives on the big stage, like last night’s national TV tip in Orlando when he dropped 51 points (17-25 FG), 11 rebounds and 8 assists in a Miami win … Read More »

The Phoenix Suns have rolled through three general managers, three coaches and a slew of All-Stars and talented role players since 2005. After the sale of the franchise from long-time sports owner Jerry Colangelo to businessman Robert Sarver, this question looms: How much time does a team under new ownership need to settle down?

Composing winning teams in the NBA means team ownership must pair talented players with adaptable coaches. But championship-caliber teams keep those pieces static. Retaining players and coaches requires that the ownership have patience and trust in everyone in the organization –- no panicking allowed. Read More »

The Orlando Magic made a huge splash over the weekend by dealing for Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark. In exchange, the Magic dealt Rashard Lewis to the Washington Wizards; they also dealt Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, a 2011 first-round draft pick and cash to the Phoenix Suns. This will cause significant waves in fantasy basketball. Here’s a quick look at the fallout: Read More »

There really haven’t been any big trades this season, so hopefully this deal stirs the pot. According to Steve Kyler of HOOPSWORLD, the Suns and Pacers have held informal talks about swapping Earl Clark and Solomon Jones. Here’s how it would break down: Read More »

Some NBA teams match up so well, you wish they played each other more than a couple of times per year. Case in point: Atlanta and Phoenix. The styles mesh, two teams full of talented scorers and athletes that bring out the best in each other. Too bad it will never be an NBA Finals matchup, unless the Suns find a way to trade for Amar’e Stoudemire back and the Hawks pull a Tonya Harding move on Dwight Howard, LeBron and Paul Pierce … Going against his usual script yesterday, Jason Richardson (21 pts) didn’t have a big first quarter before he blew up later in the game. Read More »

While the Phoenix Suns are largely being written off as serious contenders now that Amar’e Stoudemire is gone, the fact that they have an ’09 Lottery pick who could potentially replace STAT has been overlooked. Earl Clark has the raw talent and size to make his mark in Stoudemire’s absence, but his preseason didn’t get off to a good start. During Phoenix’s 51-point flogging at the hands of the Raptors, Clark got his first baptism of the new year courtesy Joey Dorsey…