Whoever has the job of producing We’re Not So Bad: The Story of the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers has some tough editing decisions following last night’s loss to the Miami Heat. This was clearly the Cavs’ defining game of the year, and barring a surprise playoff appearance, the one night when they would have millions of eyes on them. But not only did the Cavs lose, they lost big, and they let the plot’s villain — former local hero turned pariah LeBron James — rampage all over their home court and leave them unconscious and twitching in his wake. When recounting the Cavs’ story, do you just act like this never happened, or stomach the carnage? … Read More »

Whether you thought they’d be 14-0 at this point in the season or 8-6, surely you didn’t expect the Miami Heat to have so much turmoil this early in the first year of their projected dynasty.

It’s not just that the Heat are losing games. It’s that they’re losing with Dwyane Wade looking worse than DeShawn Stevenson some nights, with Chris Bosh pulling a Samson act and getting beasted in the paint, with LeBron openly questioning his coach’s tactics, and with injuries ravaging the bench. Read More »

Maybe he killed Pat Riley‘s fantasy team one year. Maybe Riley, a Kentucky alum, just doesn’t deal with people from Mississippi State. Those are about the only two logical reasons why Riley, master and commander of the Miami Heat, would not take the opportunity to sign free agent center Erick Dampier when he had the chance. Read More »

The Erick Dampier sweepstakes appear to be coming to an end. After talks with Miami fell apart in September, the next teams to enter into the mix were Milwaukee, Portland, Toronto and Houston. And according to HOOPSWORLD’s Bill Ingram, the Rockets “offered the best financial package, as well as a shot at being a part of a potentially-contending team.” Read More »

As the NBA regular season approaches, we preview the upcoming campaign with the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team.

Added: Tyson Chandler, Dominique Jones, Steve Novak, Ian Mahinmi, Brian Cardinal, Alexis Ajinca

Lost: Erick Dampier, Tim Thomas, Ed Najera, Matt Carroll Read More »

As Week 1 of NBA training camp continues, we’re learning some things about the teams that will challenge the L.A. Lakers in the West. In Utah, Al Jefferson is looking less like Karl Malone and more like Carl Winslow, showing up to Jazz camp at 280 pounds when he was at 265 last year in Minnesota. It’s not exactly Mike Sweetney territory, but — as we were reminded in the conference semis sweep — the Jazz don’t have any margin for error if they’re seriously trying to knock off L.A. this time around. Read More »

When you look at just his career numbers – 7.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game – Erick Dampier‘s 14-year NBA career doesn’t look all that great. But when you peek at the list of available free agents as training camps begin, there are no other decent almost 7-foot centers out there. That’s why after talks with the Heat fell through, more than a few teams have being blowing up Damp’s cell. Read More »

In a summer where the NBA was turned on its side by the free-agency decisions of LeBron, D-Wade, Chris Bosh, Amar’e and others, the now (reportedly) imminent trade of Carmelo Anthony will change so much more in a League that is hardly recognizable from the one we last saw in June … According to the New York Daily News, last time we checked, ‘Melo has given his OK (in that he promised to sign an extension with his new team) for a four-team trade that would send him to the Nets. Read More »

You have to wonder if the Denver Nuggets had any idea how quickly this Carmelo Anthony thing would spiral out of their control. Back when the Nuggets got knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by Utah, it was bad, but you still figured the team had a bright future with ‘Melo (who’d already signed one extension in Denver and seemed content where he was) not too far removed from a Western Conference Finals berth, a few more years of quality Chauncey, some young talent in Ty Lawson and J.R. Smith, etc. Just a few months later, the odds are looking slim that Denver opens this season with ‘Melo on the roster. Did the Nuggets know ‘Melo had been growing frustrated? Read More »

Almost every year heading into the playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks are among the favorites to contend for the big prize. They come into every season stacked with experienced veterans and a deep bench of players who could start for most other teams. In recent years, we have seen them active during the trade deadline, improving their team by bringing in guys like Jason Kidd and Caron Butler.

Despite all of their appeal, though, the Mavs always disappoint their believers by falling short of their championship goal. Read More »