Ever wonder what it’s like to be an NBA player’s son? From the travel to the games to - in the case of Jaelen House - actually sitting on the bench with the team. Well, in Cartoon Network’s new series “My Dad’s A Pro,” all your questions will be answered as they follow around the 9-year-old son of Eddie House. Read More »

By now, you should know that when NBA announcers keep saying, “Kobe is really frustrated,” it’s actually code for, “Kobe’s shot isn’t falling and he’s battling with the refs.” … That was the case during Lakers/Mavericks last night, as L.A. got smoked on its homecourt and Kobe (20 pts, 6-19 FG) struggled between breaking out his best whiny faces. Read More »

Light schedule of only four NBA preseason games on a day where the biggest (rumored) news was that the replacement refs probably won’t make it to the regular season due to the League being close to an agreement with the union guys. We hit on this a little bit yesterday, but it’s funny how so many media and fans are bashing the replacements as if they’ve been so much worse than the regulars. We even heard one TV talking head praise the return of the “real” refs, because the ones they’ve had in the preseason are obviously fake refs. How long will it take for NBA players to start complaining about every call again and for the rest of us to remember we thought the “real” refs stunk at their jobs, too? About 24 minutes into the first game? … Read More »

While this offseason continues to show the NBA’s rich getting richer, there are still a few loose ends to attend to. Perhaps I’m just getting greedy after acquiring Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels, but if the Celtics definitely want to make good on Kevin Garnett’s back-to-back promise, they have to ink a deal with Big Baby. Read More »

Don’t forget about the Celtics now. In the offseason arms race that’s seen the Magic get Vince, the Lakers get Artest, the Cavs get Shaq, and the Spurs getting Richard Jefferson, the Celtics made their big move by reaching an agreement with free agent Rasheed Wallace yesterday. ‘Sheed was Boston’s #1 target from the get-go: Danny Ainge risked life and limb skulking around Wallace’s house in the middle of the night; KG, Pierce, Ray and Doc Rivers dropped by to make a pitch; and the C’s appeared willing to let Big Baby Davis walk if it helped land the older, more accomplished PF in ‘Sheed. Read More »

Before getting into what was a busy first day of NBA free agency, let’s talk about Joe Dumars and his sudden firing of Pistons coach Michael Curry. You can’t really say it was “out of nowhere,” because few teams fell apart quite like the ‘08-09 Pistons fell apart, and Dumars has proven that he’s not exactly patient. (It’s a miracle he didn’t trade Amir Johnson two years ago.) But it was just two months ago that Dumars admitted he’d fired previous coaches too soon, promised to be more patient with Curry, and even took some responsibility for putting Curry in a tough situation with the Billups/Iverson trade. What happened to that? Read More »

What started out as a rumor Monday morning was confirmed by the Rockets’ team doctor by the afternoon, then immediately became the dominant story of the year for Houston: Yao Ming’s broken left foot could not only take him out for all of next season, but also put his career in jeopardy. “At this point, the injury has the potential for him missing the next season and could be career threatening,” physician Tom Clanton told the Houston Chronicle. “One of the things we are trying to get is a consensus opinion on that, to make certain there is no option we are overlooking that would provide an earlier return or would be an option for treatment that he would prefer rather than doing additional surgery.” Read More »

As expected, Rafer Alston and Derek Fisher have been suspended one game each by the League for their (unrelated) actions in Wednesday’s playoff games.

In case you missed it, here is Fisher’s chin-check on Luis Scola that earned him the night off when the Lakers go to Houston for Game 3 of their series tomorrow, and here is Rafer’s slap on Eddie House that will keep him out of Orlando’s home Game 3 tomorrow.

Vice-Principal Stu Jackson also said Kobe Bryant has been assessed a Flagrant-1 for his elbow on Ron Artest last night, but won’t be suspended.

While Rafer Alston was making comments in the Magic locker room about how he has no hard feelings for Eddie House, Boston’s Game 2 standout wasn’t about to make peace with the guy who just smacked him on the back of the head. Maybe Rafer will change his tone after seeing this clip of House calling him out…

THE GOONS ARE OUT. That was the e-mail sent by one of the Dime crew last night during Lakers/Rockets, around the time everybody from typically fiery Kobe and Ron Artest to mild-mannered Derek Fisher to teen heartthrob Luke Walton was issuing chin-checks and techs and getting themselves ejected … With L.A. down 0-1 in the series, Kobe (40 pts, 16-27 FG) came out on a seek-and-destroy mission. Read More »