The complex layers of the relationship between Josh Smith, Atlanta fans and NBA fans at large run deep, and they’ve been there throughout his entire career. Not quite an All-Star. Incredible all-around talent. Not a jump shooter. But he can make them. Not a building block. But building-block level talent. In the third quarter against Indiana last night, with Atlanta slowly blowing what should’ve been an easy win, the Josh Smith demons came to the surface again. Read More »

After 12 seasons in the NBA, Jason Collins recently penned a story that appears in the May 6 issue of Sports Illustrated where he announced he is gay. Collins is the first active male athlete in all four of this country’s major professional sports to come out. Read More »

The trade deadline came and went without the same kind of hoopla that fans have been accustomed to, to the degree that the biggest name moved was J.J. Redick being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks at the last minute. However, it was a trade first reported Wednesday that should have piqued the interest of fans. Read More »

The NBA trade deadline can make or break your fantasy team. Deadline deals not only change the value of existing fantasy studs, but also rearranges depth charts, opening the door for tons of players sitting on the waiver wire. I was a little disappointed by this year’s deadline, which was one of the slower ones in recent memory, but it still opened the door for many. Read More »

It took a couple of hours, but Rajon Rondo finally found his groove in the fourth quarter of Boston’s overtime 90-84 mercy win over ailing Atlanta. With the Hawks down to throwing anyone they could find into the game outside of the security guys along the bench, this was very nearly a must-win for the Celtics. Losing to this pickup squad from Atlanta wouldn’t fly. The Hawks had more talent on their bench in street clothes than they did on the court. They had to start Jason Collins, who proceeded to somehow score one-on-one against Kevin Garnett, and yet still is so bad offensively that he makes Greg Ostertag look like a once-upon-a-time low post beast. Read More »

If I wasn’t so out of touch with reality, I probably would’ve started hating on Watch The Throne. Twitter sunk into a listening/slobbering session for nearly 72 hours, and the predictable response from the public came pouring out: -FIRST: this album is incredible!!! #classic -THEN: you serious? Overrated…#goesbacktoplayingBDP -FINALLY: #WTT is growing on me…

From a masterpiece to a failure to somewhere in between, it’s always the same. Read More »

As a diehard Nets fan growing up, some of my favorite memories as a child are watching the Nets of the 2000s. With Jason Kidd running the show those teams were incredibly exciting and while Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter were the stars of those teams at various points, there was another player who was a constant on those perennial playoff squads: Jason Collins. Read More »

It’s tired and cliché but it’s still true: the playoffs are a different animal than the regular season. What worked during the 82-game run may not work in the playoffs. Still, normally you can find clues to determine who will move on and who’s starting the summer early, and it’s not always the big names that make the difference. It’s the supporting cast, the good players, the guys only the bloggers and hardcore fans who watch the same team every night of the year truly appreciate. (Guys like James Harden.)

With that, here are my key players for each series: Read More »

Imagine you’re Shaq. (OK, you’d probably have to go back and eat about twice your normal breakfast to really get into character, then put on socks big enough to use as a backpack.) Now you’re waiting in free-agency purgatory for somebody to sign you, and you know the Hawks are in the mix. You get a call from your agent who says, “Sorry Big Fella, but it looks like Atlanta signed another center.” As you’re quickly flipping through your mental depth chart to think of any decent fives still on the market, the agent says, “They got Jason Collins.” … Read More »

I was on the NBA Store’s official website the other day looking for some Nets gear. While there, I got drawn to the clearance section looking for bargains. Just like the clearance rack at any store, there were some hidden gems, but also some things that were plain ridiculous. I came across some funny items skimming through the clearances, and here are the five funniest: Read More »