The East could be tougher than it was a season ago, with Brooklyn aiming to break into the top-four conversation, Indiana retaining its core and Miami still the reigning world champions while adding a veteran winner in Ray Allen. Rajon Rondo believes Boston belongs at the very start of that conversation. Rondo was at a sponsor’s event in Hong Kong while he makes his way to the Philippines, and said, “”We have high expectations every year… I think we got a lot better than last year.” Read More »

Someone finally picked up Carl Landry. We weren’t sure what was taking so long, and why one of the stupidest front offices in the league (Charlotte) appeared to be the only team going after Landry. But at least the wait is over. Landry was considered the best unrestricted free agent still available, and despite that, he’s signing a very modest deal for two years and $8 million with Golden State. The second year is a player option, which means the power forward will almost assuredly opt out next summer to test his luck again (something Jamal Crawford did recently, and cashed in this summer with the Clippers). Read More »

Well, can’t say I’m surprised by this one – it’s being reported that the Philadelphia 76ers will terminate Eddie Jordan today.

On paper, Jordan’s 27-55 record in his one and only season in Philly is reason enough to have him looking for work in the offseason. Beyond the grim numbers though, the actual product on the court – and the nonsense away from it – make letting Jordan go one of the easiest decisions in recent Sixer history. Read More »

Now I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but it could. As much as myself, Pat and other Sixers fans have loved seeing Allen Iverson back in Philly, the harsh world of reality could put the 34-year-old veteran back in the unemployment line by this Wednesday. I wish it wasn’t so. Read More »

The December 7th matchup between the Denver Nuggets and the Philadelphia 76ers was not just a typical early season interconference matchup. A crowd of 20,664 descended upon the Wachovia Center on a night when the game took a back seat to something special. The game itself was more than a game, it was an event complete with commenrative t-shirts, balloons and local radio DJs. The event was bigger than basketball, it was a homecoming celebration for the city’s fallen hero Allen Iverson. Read More »

Anybody who is a Sixers fan or just a basketball fan in general had to love watching Allen Iverson in that emotional press conference yesterday. Watching him tear up and letting the world know how much he loves being back in Philly sent chills down my spine. Now that his strange month-long odyssey is out of the way, it’s time for him and everybody to get the focus back on basketball. Read More »

Allow me to shed a silver lining of optimism on the Allen Iverson doomsday parade. If it’s true that the Iverson/Memphis relationship is deteriorating fast with no reunion in sight, there is one sensible solution that can take place as soon as A.I. is eligible for a trade in mid-December.

There is one trade that can work, one fan base that would accept Iverson with (somewhat) open arms, one team that could slide him right into the starting lineup AND win some games in the process, one place where Iverson can work to rebuild his reputation and maybe even have a future beyond this season. Read More »

Last year we debuted the “Highs and Lows” system — previewing the NBA season by predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team. Same theme, different season…

Added: Jrue Holiday, Jason Kapono, Rodney Carney

Lost: Andre Miller, Reggie Evans, Donyell Marshall, Theo Ratliff, Kareem Rush Read More »

Every NBA team has a go-to guy, and there’s really only room for one. And it’s not strictly who takes the last-second shot. It’s the guy who regularly gets the ball when things are getting tense in the fourth; the guy expected to calm things down when teammates are getting sloppy; the guy called upon to snuff out an opponent’s rally, or spark a rally of his own; the guy who’s not just supposed to make shots, but make the right decisions. Bottom line: Who do you want the offense to run through when everything is on the line? From #30 to #1 (one per team), these are the League’s best go-to guys… Read More »

When I heard this weekend that new Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis was mostly likely going to add Bill Laimbeer and Reggie Theus to his staff, this got me thinking: If there was a 3-on-3 tournament amongst the NBA’s current coaching staff, who would win? Read More »