And the Jeremy Lin magic rolls on. The Force is so strong with this guy that even when he doesn’t necessarily play all that well (as was the case last night), his team still wins and somehow overcomes the force of nature that is Kevin Love in the process … Lin led the Knicks to a come-from-behind win over the T-Wolves in Minnesota, 100-98, getting 20 points, six boards, eight assists and three steals. He was only 8-24 from the field, missed a few foul shots and turned it over six times, but, really, who cares? Read More »

Hopefully Kobe knows who Jeremy Lin is now. After spending time between the Lakers’ win in Boston and last night’s 92-85 loss in NYC doing his best to try to say he had no clue who the NBA’s newest sensation was, Bryant got one-upped by the man who has now scored more points in his first three starts than any player ever has since the NBA/ABA merger. Lin blew up for 38 points and seven assists, incubating Derek Fisher (He had one spin move in the first half that sent Fisher back to 1996) and running the lazy Lakers all over the half-court. Read More »

Buy Low: Derrick Rose has produced just 10 points, five rebounds, six assists and one steal in his last two games. His back is aching him, which is part of the reason why he only played a total of about 33 minutes in those two games. Clearly, Rose’s fantasy value has taken a hit with this latest setback, just as we were forgetting about his bum toe. He could be playing at less than 100 percent for the foreseeable future, but with All-Star weekend about two weeks away, recovered health shouldn’t be too far away. Read More »

Weekend Wonder: Kobe Bryant averaged 31.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, a steal, 1 block and 3.0 threes in two games over the weekend. He’s shooting less lately, but that’s done nothing to diminish his strong fantasy appeal. It’s not a guarantee that Kobe will keep his top 10 value for the rest of the season, but he’s been one of the surprises of the fantasy season so far. Read More »

Being a rookie in the NBA is hard enough; the speed, the travel, the lifestyle, the general nuances of the game can make life difficult for anyone. For the Celtics Greg Steimsma, he not only has to deal with all of that, but he also has guys running off the bench swiping at him when he has the ball.

Nothing went right for the Orlando Magic‘s debacle in Boston last night, but at least this added a little levity. Realizing that his team only had four players on the floor, Jason Richardson jumped off the bench to get into defense for the Magic. Read More »

There’s no doubt that Emeka Okafor is one of the best shot blockers in the NBA. Over his eight-year career, he’s averaged 1.8 blocks per game. The only problem is, when you attempt to block shots, you put yourself in the position to be on the underside of a lot of posters. So after watching him play last night against Houston, I decided now was as good a time as any to compile the top 10 dunks on Okafor from his NBA career. Enjoy! Read More »

Weekend Wonder: Josh Smith averaged 24.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.5 steals, 4.0 blocks and 0.5 threes in two games over the weekend. In that stretch, he shot 63 percent from the field, 60 percent from the free-throw line and turned the ball over twice a game. After a slow start to the season, Smith has really found his groove lately. In his last four games, Smith is averaging 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.8 blocks. Read More »

Sorry J-Rich, but it’s not 2003 anymore… Read More »

Whereas last summer reshaped the NBA and as a byproduct of that, helped usher in the extended lockout, the upcoming abbreviated free agency period won’t include a single franchise player. There are probably no future Hall of Famers available. Hell, there might not even be a single All-Star out there. But what is being given up will be replaced in a frenzy. The signings and player movement will be fast and furious, and without any sure things, there will be plenty of opportunities to criticize GMs who panic and throw ridiculous contracts at simply average players. Read More »

As the entire basketball universe will be fixated to their TVs today to finally witness this season commence, there are several underrated gifts under the Christmas tree to unwrap as well. While the league’s brightest stars will be going at it throughout the five-game docket, every hoops junkie should also pay attention to some of the other battles that’ll take place. Kind of like those unexpected cash envelopes you receive from your distant aunt, uncle, or grandparents, the following 10 matchups will surely not disappoint. Read More »