In an Orlando Summer League loaded with big men of various ranges and talents, no player has more to prove over the next few games than former University of Connecticut forward Jeff Adrien. Competing against countless other former college standouts for the attention of any coach and general manager making their way to Orlando’s RDV Sportsplex, Adrien has potentially been presented with his last opportunity to show the League he’s worthy. Even after a successful season overseas, the knocks against Adrien throughout his career in Storrs, Conn., will once again become talking points as Adrien hits the hardwood in Orlando. Read More »

Every year during the NBA Summer Leagues, three different types of players grace the courts. First, there are the summer league scrubs. The scrubs are the players who are essentially playing to showcase their talents to overseas scouts or a spot on a D-League roster. Read More »

Every year, in every draft, there’s a player or two or four who falls farther than expected. Whether it’s a projected Top-5 pick who sticks around until the double-digits, a Green Room guy who stays in the arena longer than everyone else, or a first-round talent who drops to the second, it’s an annual tradition.

Then there are those guys who wait by the phone all night and never hear their name. This year’s most notable snubs… Read More »

The first part of this week is shaping up just like those slow days between the end of the conference finals and the start of the NBA Finals. You’re literally waiting for something to happen before the main event — in this case, the NBA Draft on Thursday — and every media outlet jumps on even the smallest story/rumor just to have something to talk about. But the headline story that broke yesterday was anything but small, and had nothing to do with the soon-to-be draftees … According to the infamous “league sources” and Yahoo! Sports, the Celtics proposed a trade to the Pistons: Read More »

*Reprinted from Dime #49′s NBA Draft Preview*

I’m not even talking about when teams Lucky Charm themselves into a superstar — a Gilbert Arenas, a Carlos Boozer, a Michael Redd — who inexplicably slips through the cracks into the second round.

Take them out of the equation, and the fact remains that every good NBA squad has at least two or three key guys who were drafted in the second round, or not drafted at all: Read More »

After struggling in their first-round game against Cal State-Northridge, Memphis finally played like a 2-seed should. As for 1-seed UConn, they never missed a beat from their first-round mollywhopping of Chattanooga. Read More »