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: Tyson Chandler, Gerald Henderson, Flip Murray, Derrick Brown, Stephen Graham

Lost: Emeka Okafor, Sean May, Juwan Howard, Cartier Martin Read More »

The NBA preseason is underway, meaning it’s time again for Dime’s team-by-team season previews. Last year we debuted the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceilings and basements for each team. In other words, what is the realistic best-case and worst-case scenario for the 2009-10 campaign?

Added: Jamal Crawford, Joe Smith, Jeff Teague, Juan Dixon, Courtney Sims Read More »

Even with training camp starting next week, there are still guys out there looking for jobs. And while the opportunity to get a non-guaranteed deal for the chance to even fight for a roster spot gets slimmer and slimmer, there are definitely more free agents left on the market than jobs available. Take a look at who’s left: Read More »

Can you say “letdown”? Just as we were scouring our contacts in L.A. to see if we could get somebody near Lamar Odom’s bachelor party and file an imbedded report, L.O. went and canceled the stripper-filled, midget-highlighted evening of sin being planned by “Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis. Gossip site TMZ quoted Odom: “I have now decided to have a private dinner with my teammates, a few close friends and of course Joe Francis and Rob Kardashian.” Well, whatever goes down, at least this time it’s private … Read More »

Last year the Nuggets finished 54-28, won the Northwest Division and pushed the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. What did they do this offseason? Lose Linas Kleiza to Europe, lose Dahntay Jones to Indiana and lose J.R. Smith to a seven-game suspension. So while the other elite teams in the West reloaded this summer, it’s about time Denver does the same. Read More »

While I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, I have to say that today could be the slowest day of the basketball year. Summer League is over, as is the USA Basketball mini-camp, so what is everybody doing? I have NBA TV on in the office right now, and they literally have nothing to talk about. Read More »

For a team in search of talent to add to their roster, looking at the list of available unrestricted free agents is depressing. While sure there are guys that are worthy of an NBA jersey, getting legit NBA minutes is a whole other story. While the prizes on the market are still clearly Allen Iverson, Lamar Odom and Andre Miller, here are the ten best available free agents left: Read More »

Don’t let the story of the boy who cried wolf affect how seriously you take the Josh Smith trade rumors circa 2009. Granted, we heard the same thing on a bi-weekly basis for the entirety of the off-season last year: the Hawks want to get rid of Smith because he’s been a difficult guy in the clubhouse, but he’s not that much of a problem that they’re willing to sell him on the cheap.

The fact that this is the second year in which the rumor popped up on first day of the offseason says something about the situation. Read More »

Facing elimination, Dirk Nowitzki played like Video Game Dirk last night. And not just because his numbers were ridiculous (44 pts, 13 rebs), but because video games can’t account for things like heart and nerves and a conscience, there was no trace of the big-game/crunch-time meltdown Dirk critics had come to expect. He was closer to a machine in the fourth quarter, scoring 19 in the quarter including the go-ahead bucket on a pretty fadeaway over K-Mart. Read More »

Antoine Wright, Rick Carlisle and the rest of the Mavericks made NBA history yesterday: Becoming the first player, coach and team to ever argue in a playoff game that they DID commit a foul, not the other way around. In something straight out of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the Mavs were up two on the Nuggets with six seconds left when Carmelo Anthony got the ball. Instructed by Carlisle to foul ‘Melo on his first move, Wright bumped ‘Melo twice with no whistle before ‘Melo freed himself and stuck a three-pointer with one second left right in front of Dallas’ bench. In a hilarious bit of irony, everybody on the Mavs was then screaming at the refs, swearing Wright had fouled ‘Melo. Read More »