In the past few weeks, NBA teams have been reaching into the D-League pool incessantly. Since our last D-League Hot Hand post on Jan. 11, there have been four more D-League call ups: Mario West (Hawks), Anthony Tolliver (Warriors), JamesOn Curry (Clippers) and Cedric Jackson (Cavs). The total of D-Leaguers called up in the 2009-10 season is now up to nine.
On top of guys earning 10 day contracts, several former D-League players have been making some noise. Sundiata Gaines hit a game winner against the Cavs a couple of weeks ago and has recently been signed for the rest of the season. With NBA players getting injured left and right, expect more and more D-Leaguers to get promoted in the coming weeks. Here are five players we think will be next. Read More »
Don’t let the fact that Chauncey Billups shows little emotion on the court fool you into thinking he’s any less fiery of a competitor than Kobe, Dirk, LeBron, Wade or any other big-time clutch player who punctuates his daggers by making funny faces. You have to be iceberg to have hit as many fourth-quarter threes and last-second free throws as Mr. Big Shot has hit, but you also have to have a fire inside you to show up in the kind of shape he does every year and bring it at the high level he brings it every night … After Chauncey (17 pts, 6 asts, 3 stls) made the go-ahead free throw with 0.6 seconds left in last night’s Nuggets/Bulls game, he missed the second FT on purpose, giving the Bulls only 0.3 to make a game-winner. Read More »
The Lakers and the Spurs are the heavy favorites to lock down the top spots in the Western Conference. Even though the third spot is up for grabs, I think the most likely candidates will be either Portland or Denver. The Nuggets last year gave the Lakers a run for their money in the Western Conference Finals, but the Blazers continually get better every season. Both teams had 54-28 records last season. The question is: Which of these two teams will have a better record after 82 games? Read More »
NBA training camps opened over weekend, 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. Or in other words, what is the realistic best-case and worst-case scenario for the 2009-10 campaign?
Added:Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo, James White, Joey Graham, Malik AllenRead More »
TIM HARDAWAY (by Austin Burton)
The first thing you have to understand about Tim Hardaway is that he was more than just a big crossover and a smile.
Maybe not Hall of Famer, maybe not even truly deserving of having his number retired by the Heat or the Warriors, Hardaway still put a stamp on the NBA that should be bigger than one iconic move. He cracked 5,000 points and 2,500 assists faster (at the time) than anyone since Oscar. He was a five-time All-Star and ranks seventh all-time in threes made, 13th in assists. Read More »
Fresh off his breakup with Khloe Kardashian and a solid outing at the UNC alumni game, it’s time Rashad McCants starts thinking about finding a job. Assuming McCants doesn’t want to play with his ex’s new boyfriend (Lamar Odom), that leaves 29 teams for him to choose from. But of those 29 teams the Nuggets, Bobcats and Heat have all expressed interest in signing the free agent guard. 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 »
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 »
Without a doubt, the Nuggets were one of the most fun teams to watch in the NBA last season. Perhaps it’s because Chris “Birdman” Andersen could potentially be my favorite player, or the fact that on any given night J.R. Smith could drop 50. But after they lost Linas Kleiza for nothing yesterday, Nuggets fans should start to get worried. Read More »
In those two long, slow days between the end of the regular season and the start of the NBA playoffs — as well as the actual off-days during the playoffs — there’s really nothing left to do but get injured or let some “bulletin-board material” slip out of your mouth. So far there hasn’t been much going on injury-wise beyond the Kevin Garnett news, and no smack talk other than a couple of Sixers admitting Orlando would be “easier” to go through than Boston. Read More »
