When you’re considered a “former NBA player” in the D-League, this is often one of two things: 1) You’re on the 30-something-I-still-want-to-play comeback trail, or 2) You made it for a minute but never really got your shot. Either way, the following 10 players received paychecks with David Stern‘s signature and at least one complimentary pair of NBA socks. Now, they’re doing everything they can to try and persuade NBA GMs that they’re worth a second look. Read More »

Deron Williams is probably feeling mad lonely right now over there in Jersey. Dwight Howard this, and Chris Paul wants to go here and everyone wants to team up. Well Williams is sort of stuck in a weird spot in Jersey: He’s with a team in transition, a franchise that has a future but aren’t quite sure what it is yet and while he holds a lot of power, his situation isn’t as sexy as CP going to the Big Apple or Dwight moving to Hollywood. He does have the game to back up any talk, and yesterday he made it perfectly clear: He will play out this season in Jersey and then take his chances as a free agent. So the Nets better get spending. Read More »

I know. You’ve read this kind of thing before. But I won’t be here for long, because my suggestions are pretty simple.

Despite Magic Johnson‘s annual declaration that “The dunk contest is BACK!” the NBA All-Star dunk showcase simply isn’t what it used to be. It’s not for lack of trying — the League has tinkered with the rules plenty of times over the years in their efforts to make the contest more appealing — but they can’t do much about top-level superstars declining to compete, or the natural evolution of fans with shorter attention spans who get tired of seeing dunks they’ve seen before. Read More »

When the NBA announced its preliminary selections for this year’s All-Star Dunk Contest (Blake Griffin, JaVale McGee, Serge Ibaka and Brandon Jennings), it seemed not everyone in the League was feeling its decision. Enter Billy Hoyle. I mean Josh McRoberts. I mean Josh McRoberts as Billy Hoyle and his Indiana Pacers teammate Brandon Rush as Sidney Deane from White Men Can’t Jump. Got it? Good. Read More »

Jason Boone is a friend of the Dime family, but more relevant to this space, a center/power forward for BG Göttingen of the German pro basketball league. Today, Jason’s team is playing Besiktas Cola Turka — better known as Allen Iverson‘s squad. Jason checked in from overseas to chronicle the experience leading up to one of the biggest games of his career: Read More »

Here’s where it gets really difficult. In taking this ranking of the Top 25 dunkers on the planet beyond the NBA realm, it opens the door for all kinds of interpretation. When judging somebody like, say, LeBron James against a professional circus act like Guy Dupuy, how much weight do you give to the different elements of dunking? How important is doing it in games against the best players in the sport? How important are dunk contest performances? How important is dunking on players, compared to dunking over regular people?

But remember, there is no scientific method to judging dunkers. We took as much of a general consensus in the Dime office as possible, but it’s like ranking sneakers or our Mom’s cooking: Too many people like too many different flavors and styles. That said, here are Nos. 10 through 6 … Read More »

Now that the NBA Summer League has moved from Orlando to Las Vegas, NBA fans will have to shift their focus out West. The League, which runs from July 9-18, will have 22 NBA teams participating, along with another team made up of players of D-League studs. But out of all those players, here are the Top 10 guys that you need to keep an eye on. Read More »

Around the time it became clear Chris Bosh was not going to spend his entire career in Toronto, two seemingly natural destinations for CB4 were Dallas and Houston. Bosh would be looking for a franchise with more exposure, he’s a Texas native, and both of those teams could use a big man — especially Houston, since Yao Ming‘s legs are as sturdy as a LEGO skyscraper. But after the Rockets took on Kevin Martin and Jared Jeffries‘ salaries in the T-Mac trade (about $18 million combined for next season), it seemed Houston was out of the race for any big-time free agents. Not so fast, though. Read More »

As millions across the globe tune in to the season finale tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers’ hopes for a 16th championship will rest largely on the shoulders of Spanish center Pau Gasol. The 7-footer, who has dominated the Boston Celtics’ frontcourt to the tune of 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, is representative of a gradual change in the NBA. The intense skepticism that formerly accompanied each and every foreign selection has begun to fade, with increasing success enjoyed by many recent imports. But as David Stern’s tentacles continue their surge across the globe, resulting in countless preseason camps held overseas, an influx of European sharpshooters, and even the newest issue of Dime China that just hit the office, there remains one team seemingly impervious to the stretching of the League’s global boundaries: the Boston Celtics. Read More »

Judging by the headline, you might think that this dunk contest took place back in the early 2000s. Widely known as two of the best dunkers around, Gerald Green and James White never quite made it in the NBA. But nonetheless, the two have resurfaced halfway around the world in Russia, as Green (Lokomotiv Kuban) took on White (Spartak St. Petersburg) in the dunk contest of the Russian Cup. Check out the battle after the jump. Read More »