Let that boy cook! You know if we didn’t consider ourselves semi-smart, we would say the NCAA did us dirty. Scheduling the two most exciting players in the country at the same time was just a low blow. It didn’t help that both of them had the kitchen burning up and the remotes wearing out … When you think about it, UConn’s seven-point win over San Diego State and Florida’s nine-point overtime win over BYU were really only watchable because of two guys: Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette. Everything else was sloppy, filled with turnovers, ugly jumpers, failed final possessions and technicals. The games were close, but take away those two players and we are talking mid-major excitement. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Read More »

On Twitter a couple weeks ago, WFAN Radio’s (New York) Evan Roberts tweeted a suggestion that as part of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, each team should be allowed to void one bad contract. I thought that was an interesting idea, and did some research, and here is one contract each NBA team would probably like to void: Read More »

Buy Low: Mo Williams is emotional. We know this from his heartbroken comments after LeBron James left Cleveland. Now that he’s in Los Angeles playing with the Clippers (read: with Blake Griffin), the skies look a lot sunnier for Williams, who looks primed for a mini-comeback during the remainder of the season. We’ve seen how revitalizing playing with Griffin was for Baron Davis – expect the same magic to happen for Williams. Read More »

There are obviously aftershocks from the big deals involving Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams earlier this week. With a few hours left before the trade deadline passes, there are more deals to discuss, involving guys like Baron Davis, Mo Williams and Kirk Hinrich. Here are quick takes on the implications that fantasy owners should pay attention to. Read More »

The Hornets have agreed to trade reserve two-guard Marcus Thornton to the Kings for forward Carl Landry.

Landry averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds after coming to Sacramento in a deadline deal with Houston last year, but this season his production has dipped to 11.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in 26 minutes a night. New Orleans has long been looking for frontcourt depth, though, which Landry provides behind Dave West and Emeka Okafor. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Derrick Rose finished with 42 points, five rebounds, eight assists and a block. He shot 64 percent (18-28) from the field, 100 percent (6-6) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. This was a nice way to head into the All-Star break for Rose, who has made a lot of noise in fantasy circles this season. Expect more of the same post-All-Star weekend. Read More »

On his way to dropping 22 points in the first quarter of what looked like a blowout in the making, Dwyane Wade‘s best play of the night was an assist: He got a defensive rebound, turned without dribbling and fired a 90-foot dart that LeBron caught in mid-air for a layup. Incredible. Wade’s awareness to turn and immediately make that read, then the accuracy to throw a pass Tom Brady would’ve been proud of, is why he really might be the best basketball player in the world. He finished with 41 points (16-29 FG) and 12 rebounds … Read More »

The easy comparison has always been that point guards are like quarterbacks. But looking at the NBA and NFL trends over the last few years, and you could say that the closest hardwood relative to the QB is actually the center.

Quality quarterbacks are hard to come by in the NFL, and franchise QB’s are priceless. The same goes for centers in the NBA. Read More »

While a slew of buckets from their two All-Stars helped, at the end of the day, it was the Lakers’ defense that allowed them to pick up a big road win against the best defensive team in the West and quiet some of that “What’s wrong with L.A.?” talk for at least a weekend … Kobe Bryant and Co. went into last night’s game at New Orleans needing a statement win against a good team. Read More »

Every legit NBA title contender this season seems to have that one Lottery-bound team that poses problems for them. For the Celtics, it has been Detroit. For the Spurs, it’s been Minnesota. For the Heat, it’s been Indiana. The Lakers? They’ve been having a tough time with the Rockets for the last couple of years now, Yao or no Yao. Last night’s matchup was another nail-biter … It’s easy to see why the Rockets are a bad matchup for the defending champs. Read More »