We had a joke all lined up. With Big Baby rumbling to 23 points and 12 rebounds, and with Dwight Howard in an injury/depressed/look at me funk, Orlando was setting themselves up. In his last three games before last night, Davis was averaging 21.3 points, 11 rebounds and 50 percent from the floor. For once, he WAS more useful than Howard. But somehow after hurting his lower back enough to be stretched out by the team’s physical therapist at midcourt before the third quarter, and with his shot not falling, Dwight didn’t give up. He did work. Read More »

He didn’t win them the game. He didn’t bang a big shot. It only matters that he actually MADE shots. As Memphis lit the Heat on fire in Miami, Gilbert Arenas came off the bench to hit four triples for 12 points, shooting as if he’d forgotten he lost his legs around the same time he lost his mind. It was a perfect night all the way around for the Grizzlies, who led the entire way and blew out Miami by 15, and are nearing the end of a run of seven games in nine days (six against current playoff teams). They’re 4-2 so far. Read More »

Three hours before tip off, Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena was empty save for one cat and an assistant coach going through shooting drills. LeBron James wanted to be ready for Philly, and why not? He owns them, and as a team the Heat have the Sixers’ number, winning the last 11 times the two teams have matched up. So it really shouldn’t have been surprising to see ‘Bron go for 14 consecutive points in the fourth quarter of Miami’s 99-93 win. James looked dare we say comfortable without Dwyane Wade, running screen-n-rolls every time down, and pulling up for jumpers off the right side. Read More »

His long odyssey to get back into the NBA is finally over. Gilbert Arenas was in Memphis yesterday working out for the Grizzlies, and now less than 24 hours later, he’s officially back in the league. David Aldridge of NBA.com just tweeted that the former Agent Zero was signed for a one year minimum deal. Memphis has been searching for someone to fill those 15 or so minutes a night when Mike Conley is on the bench. Josh Selby wasn’t getting it done. Neither was Jeremy Pargo. Now it’s Arenas’ turn. Read More »

Actually, we’re not even sure we should call Orlando a contender after last night. They fell apart and surrendered to Carlos Boozer and the Bulls, 85-59. At home. With Derrick Rose in street clothes. Boozer had 24 and 13 while John Lucas III continued to play out of his mind, burning Orlando in the first quarter and finishing with 20 points in 21 minutes, and helping steer Tom Thibodeau to 100 career coaching wins. Thibs is also the fastest coach in NBA history to reach that milestone … Read More »

Kenyon Martin isn’t the only one in search of a team. The average NBA season always finds a few old veterans who make their way onto rosters during the stretch run, and this year with the shortened season, we figured it’d be even more hectic. People are out of shape, tired, hurt and some just plain can’t take the schedule. Because of the lockout, there’s even more top-level talent spread across the globe. But that’s not who we’re talking about. Read More »

If you’re a fan of Penny Hardaway, it’s impossible not to consider what could have been. Penny was All-NBA First Team twice by the time he was 25. Who knows what heights he could have reached if only his body had held up?

That said, there’s no point to focusing on what didn’t happen at the expense of celebrating what actually did. Penny’s all too brief period atop the basketball world brought him a well-deserved enduring legacy, and his eternally cool Nike signature line and 1 Cent logo continues to resonate with sneakerheads of all ages. Read More »

Nothing hurts more than losing your spot at the gym because you lost to a bunch of random dudes. That’s what happened to the Lakers last night in Milwaukee. With Stephen Jackson corporate thuggin’ it off-court (suspended for verbal abuse of an official), Andrew Bogut out with his yearly injury and Brandon Jennings playing more passively than at any point over the past month, the Lakers took body blows from Drew Gooden, Mike Dunleavy and Ersan Ilyasova before finally falling 100-89. Read More »

You had to know this was coming sooner or later. Flip Saunders is now officially out as the Wizards head coach, according to Michael Lee of The Washington Post. He will be replaced by lead assistant Randy Wittman. When you have some of the most immature talent in the league leading you through a 2-15 disaster of a season, with an offense that is dead last in the entire NBA (and a defense that’s not much better), what do you expect? Washington started slow, and the progress has been so minimal that the front office had no other choice. Read More »

“I can stand in a room full of dead people and make it exciting.”

Gilbert Arenas told us this once back in Dime #29, when he was plastered on the cover with the headline “Who’s Better Than Me?”

It’s a tired cliché but yet it’s true. Gilbert Arenas isn’t what he once was. Neither are Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Allen Iverson and all the rest of the once 30-point scoring, magazine-covering, teammate-aggravating, crossover-dropping stars the league put through the gauntlet and then filtered back out. Read More »