There’s something purely Americana about the hometown kid making good in front of the hometown crowd.
Whether it’s David Freese blasting home runs to lead his St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series title, or Chauncey Billups going from prep legend to college superstar to NBA bust back to NBA superstar in Denver, or even Jerome Bettis winning a Super Bowl in Detroit in his final NFL game while playing for another team, we like these stories. In a sports culture where free agency and stressed-out GMs eager to trade make it increasingly tougher for fans to claim one group of players as “our guys” for any length of time, hometown ties remain nearly impossible to break. Read More »
Beast of the Night:LeBron James had himself a typically big line to the tune of 35 points, six rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. He shot 57 percent (13-23) from the field, 100 percent (9-9) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Through three games, James is averaging 32.7 points on 59 percent shooting from the field and 87 percent shooting from the charity stripe. The odd thing is that he has yet to attempt a single three-pointer. The fact that he’s been such a stud without a three-pointer says volumes about his fantasy value. It’s early, but James looks like the probable top dog in fantasy basketball this season. Read More »
Let’s be honest: Drafting the sleepers you want in the round you want is one of the most satisfying feelings in fantasy basketball. That said, sleepers are a dangerous breed. Like fair trades in the NBA these days, sleepers are not sure things and can sometimes burn you if you pounce too early on them. To help sort out the sleepers you should be eyeing in your fantasy basketball drafts this year, here’s a list of players who are napping, dozing and comatose (assuming nine categories). Read More »
On Friday, when we posted the unfortunate news about Brandon Roy being forced into medical retirement, we were moved by the instant outpouring of love for B-Roy from our readers. So we thought today was as good as any to post Roy’s national magazine cover debut from Dime #48. Read More »
This has everything you want in a college basketball intro video: old highlights, current NBA players and Jason Terry in an amazing two-tone Wildcats jersey.
Let’s be blunt: the Toronto Raptors are a sorry bunch, in real life and in fantasy terms. Sure, there are a decent number of potential breakout candidates on this squad whenever the next NBA season begins, but there are also timeshares awaiting a few positions. There’s no true stud here, but when you’re in the latter rounds of your draft, keep some of these Canadian dinosaurs in mind. Read More »
It wasn’t long ago when what was the Pac-10 had teams that ran out rosters with multiple NBA stars-in-the-making. The 2008 NBA Draft class contained 12 players from the Pac-10, and that meant there was the talent and notoriety for the league to send more than half of its teams to the NCAA Tournament.
The UCLA Bruins were the dominating factor, making the Final Four for three consecutive seasons from 2006-08. Kevin Love, Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook beat up on squads with guys like O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless. But since then, those talents have been bleeding into the NBA, leading to a weak reputation and poor postseason showings. Read More »
In the most recent issue of Dime, I wrote a story on Saint Mary’s point guard Mickey McConnell and his odd trip as an unknown basketball prospect to being a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award for the NCAA’s best point guard. Despite being wooed by some of the nation’s best baseball programs during his senior year of high school, McConnell chose hoops. In four years, he grew by leaps and bounds.
He hasn’t picked up a glove in that time span, but Major League Baseball apparently didn’t notice. Read More »
Look, I’m as big a fan of DeMar DeRozan as anybody. When he was a senior in high school, I wrote a feature on him in Dime #39 that is still one of my favorite stories I’ve done. He’s a good guy, comes from a good family, is an incredible athlete and I think he will be a legit star in the NBA beyond just a sick dunker.
So I’m not hating on him. But everybody needs to settle down with the “DeRozan got robbed!” movement following last night’s Slam Dunk Contest. Because DeRozan did not get robbed. Read More »
The greatest trick an NBA franchise ever pulled was convincing its fan base that younger is better. For every sub-.500, Lottery-bound team in the League, there is somebody behind the scenes promoting a youth movement — one of the few kernels of hope available to paying customers being asked to keep buying those season tickets, because better days are sure to come.
Young teams don’t win championships. The question for fans of those young, constantly-rebuilding franchises is this: When is the future going to turn into the present, when these youngsters become seasoned vets? Read More »
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