Go into any basketball locker room in the world — CYO leagues, middle school, high school, or even in the NBA — and you’ll find sharpshooters, bench warmers, you’ll see Jordans, adidas and Reebok, you’ll see tall oafs and slippery guards, coaches that rarely say a word and coaches that never shut up. Every team will have it’s own unique flavor, it’s own unique environment. Read More »

The Memphis Grizzlies have clinched a playoff berth and are now vying with the Clippers and Nuggets to sort out who will hold the third, fourth, and fifth seeds in the Western Conference. When the Grizzlies traded alleged franchise centerpiece Rudy Gay to Toronto, more than a few pundits lamented what appeared to them to be the front office’s decision to play for next year. Read More »

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The NBA is notorious for having a small number of teams with realistic championship expectations. While nearly half of the NFL can claim to be in the running, the NBA normally only has a handful of true contenders. The Heat, Thunder and Spurs have all established themselves as frontrunners to be playing into June, but there is another interesting group below them of teams that have shown the capability of playing with the elite. Read More »

Basketball demands we break down its players not just by stats, but by the time and place they occur. That’s not the case in fantasy hoops, though, where cold calculations rule the day and the matchup. Who are the Fantasy Doctor‘s choices for this week’s best pickups? Hit the jump to find out. Read More »

In the drama-filled aftermath of the Rudy Gay trade, something to keep an eye on is the development and usage of Ed Davis in Memphis. Should the ongoing discord between Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins and the front office continue, Davis may become collateral damage. Read More »

[UPDATE: ESPN is reporting that a deal has been reached. Marc Stein is saying that it's a three-team deal with Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi going to the Raptors, the Grizzlies get Ed Davis, Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye and a 2nd Round pick, and the Pistons get Jose Calderon.]

The Rudy Gay trade saga now seems to be dragging on about as long as the whole excruciating Dwight Howard epic from last summer, doesn’t it? Now, it would seem, that saga may actually be close to ending.

The one team that seems to consistently remain in the Rudy Gay hunt are the Toronto Raptors and it looks like they may be about to acquire their guy. Read More »

FRESH PICKINGS: Kawhi Leonard (56 percent owned in Yahoo!, 68 percent in ESPN) After singing Kawhi Leonard’s praises a few weeks ago, he did me dirty by taking a little extra time to heal his bum knee. Now back in action, he put up 17 points, four rebounds, two assists, five steals and three treys in his first start back. In fantasy, Kawhi is a steals specialist, and while he isn’t going to wow you in any other category, he’s not going to hurt you anywhere either. Read More »

FRESH PICKINGS: Bismack Biyombo (19 percent owned in Yahoo!, nine percent in ESPN) Bismack Biyombo has recently been promoted to a starting role for the Charlotte Bobcats, immediately setting him up to be a force in fantasyland, especially in head-to-head formats. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Patty Mills finishes the wild 2011-12 NBA regular season with this honor, thanks to his 34 points, five boards, 12 dimes, one steal, one block and four three-pointers. He shot 56 percent (14-25) from the floor and 100 percent (2-2) from the free-throw line, and turned the ball over four times. It’d be a huge surprise to see him here ever again, but good for him and however many of his owners last night. Read More »