Thank you NBA fans. You’ve officially destroyed any drama that I ever got out of the All-Star voting. Not that it really matters. Almost every year, you can bank on certain names garnering the most votes and a starting spot in the Sunday capper of the best midseason weekend in basketball. Kobe Bryant could do his whole “watch what happens when I don’t shoot, world” routine for four weeks straight, and his fans would probably declare he’s the best passer in the world and should be in the game. LeBron James could act like a train off its tracks, and keep up that weird “I’m here, but don’t ask me to do anything heroic” face he’s had on since last June, and fans would still call him the most talented player in NBA history. Blake Griffin could blow out his knee or decide to never dunk again as long as the refs continue to screw him (Watch him complain on every call. Hubie almost had a heart attack last night: “GET BACK ON D! YOU GOTTA GET BACK!”), or he could have both happen, and Quake would still be in February’s ultimate showcase. Read More »

What was that we said about the Heat being by far the best team in the league? They definitely aren’t playing like it. At least Denver is holding up their end of the bargain. The Nuggets played like legitimate Western Conference threats last night, their energy wearing down Miami in the second half of their win. Would there be any team more fun to play on than Denver? George Karl doesn’t just want to play fast. He wants quicker shots. He wants a faster pace. And he wants to run teams out of the gym. It also helps to have Ty Lawson too. Read More »

The Miami Heat’s shortcomings last season were well-documented. That said, it should do nothing to diminish the fact that this time has some serious fantasy firepower. Aside from the Big Three, there is some residual value to be had on this squad. Whenever the NBA starts up again, fantasy owners would do well to keep a close eye on which players the Heat adds to its roster, and which of its free agents it chooses to re-sign. It’s very possible that this team will have a whole new batch of role players once its retooling is over with. Read More »

On July 8th of last year, LeBron James announced in front of a national audience on ESPN, “I’m taking my talents to South Beach.” That announcement unleashed a strong legion of “haters” – primarily from Cleveland – but with members all over the country. These haters are people who suddenly became fervently anti-LeBron for a variety of reasons: “The Decision” was a slap in the face to Cleveland, he’s a coward who can’t win without Dwyane Wade, he turned his back on a city that adored him, and the list goes on and on. I must admit, I am one of those people. Read More »

On a night where everybody walked out of Madison Square Garden talking about Danilo Gallinari, the Dime crew had perfect seats for the show. A few rows behind our spot on press row was a fan who was screaming out rooster calls whenever Gallo was at the free-throw line, and right beside us was an Italian journalist who didn’t even pretend to be objective while rooting for The Rooster: He scoffed when the crowd chanted “MVP” for Amar’e Stoudemire — apparently still banking on Andrea Bargnani making a late push — and when Gallinari knocked down some huge clutch shots in the fourth quarter to help New York upset the Miami Heat, dude’s reaction sounded like something you’d hear in a Peter North movie … 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 »

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 »

One way or another, there are going to be a lot of broken hearts in Miami this year. Either the new-look Heat don’t win a championship, or they do, and three guys who signed this summer don’t end up getting a ring. Now that Miami has inked former West Virginia star Da’Sean Butler, the 42nd pick in this year’s NBA Draft, he becomes the team’s 18th player under contract going into training camp. So while it’s going to be an uphill battle for Butler as he works to come back from a torn ligament in his left knee, let’s look at the roster and try and figure out who will be on the outside looking in this year. Read More »

Should LeBron play point guard for the Heat? Can LeBron play the point? The answer to the second question could make the first question moot, but with the pool of potential starting PG’s in free agency pretty much dry, Erik Spoelstra has to make sure LeBron isn’t a better option over Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo (who is talking to Miami about re-signing). LeBron came into the NBA hyped as another Magic, but after seven years as his team’s primary scorer and probably losing some of that automatic trust he had in his teammates from high school, can he move to point guard right now? Read More »

In case you were wondering, there is still NBA basketball being played tonight, as the Magic head to Miami to take on the Heat. But one thing that’s interesting is that almost all the top schools in the country are represented on Miami’s roster. The question is, who do you think is going to win? Read More »