When I first met Tyreke Evans five years ago, I came away unsure that the 6-foot-6 high school sophomore could dunk.

I mean, he could dunk – at his height, with natural athleticism and arms long enough to box with God, he could definitely get himself above the rim – but next to the aerial showmanship of Class of 2008 peers such as DeMar DeRozan, Willie Warren, Devin Ebanks and even little Brandon Jennings, Tyreke’s arsenal of jams was like Duck Hunt compared to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. During an afternoon-long photo shoot for the cover of Dime #24, Tyreke wowed me with 30-foot jump shots. But when he was asked to dunk on camera for some mid-air shots, the letdown was jarring. Read More »

In the last decade, the NBA has transformed from being a big man’s league into a guard’s league. Although frontcourts have always, and will always be the foundation of a winning team, recently franchises have found it much more difficult to build an elite frontline than putting together a competitive 1-2 punch. Ultimately, putting together a dominant frontcourt is what separates the good teams from the great ones, because in today’s game every team has talented guards. Frankly, each team has a backcourt that can outplay its opponent on any given night, which is why it is so difficult to pick five particular tandems as the best up-and-comers in the League. Read More »

New Jersey will be coming for that NYC crown soon enough, but at least for now, the Knicks are still the big brother. Even if it was preseason, New York gets bragging rights for at least a few more weeks, beating the Nets in Newark 92-83. While we can’t take too much away from a preseason game – c’mon, Renaldo Balkman led everyone with 20 – both teams got some nice contributions from their role players. Rookie Iman Shumpert (16 points) outplayed every other perimeter player for the Knicks, and rookie Marshon Brooks (10 points) and Anthony Morrow (15 points) put in work from the perimeter … At least offensively, Amar’e Stoudemire (10 points) and Carmelo Anthony (17 points in three quarters) looked pretty in-tune for the first preseason game. Read More »

Didn’t we kinda sorta predict this? Stephen Jackson hasn’t been practicing up in Milwaukee because of some back spasms, but some are saying he’s been sitting out for entirely different reasons. Reportedly, Jackson isn’t happy with his contract, one that will pay him over $9 million this season and $10 million next season. He wanted an extension in Charlotte – as a 33-year-old, you know the guaranteed years are weighing heavily on him – and the Bobcats decided to ship him out instead of offering one. Jackson hasn’t said a word about it during training camp. Read More »

It’s safe to say that the sneaker game has changed. Just as NBA players want to play in big markets, guys are bucking the trend and joining up-and-coming sneaker companies in order to make a name for themselves. First we saw this with the influx of Chinese brands such as Li-Ning, PEAK and ANTA, and have recently seen it from the likes of Under Armour and Above The Rim. Now, getting back in the game, is Spalding. Read More »

It seems like forever ago that the members of this year’s draft class were welcomed to the NBA. After patiently waiting for nearly five months, training camps have opened and these rookies’ lifetime goals are finally coming to fruition. But in a season of constant travel and drastically shortened training camps, which of these youngsters have the capability to break out this year? In perhaps the only top ten list where you can find two members of both the Timberwolves and Cavaliers, we give you the most likely rookies to make a big positive impact on the league this season. Read More »

Laker fans never have to worry. When the NBA released its revised schedule about a week ago, they made sure the league’s most polarizing franchise was delivered to it’s ever-expanding fan base. Is 29 out of 66 enough? 29 times this season the Lakers will be playing on national TV, which is only about 25 times more than the New Jersey Nets, despite their star point guard and despite their jet ski-riding, womanizing owner (and even those four games got the shaft that is NBA TV). The NBA knows the big names and the big teams will make the most money. Cleveland at Milwaukee in February is for no one outside of the diehards. Read More »

This season, college basketball is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the three-point shot. The three-ball forever changed the game of basketball. It made a place for the Steve Kerrs and Kyle Korvers of the world, who have the ability to get three points for what is seemingly a layup to them. It also changed the game among mid-major teams. Mostly all of the best men in the nation attend big name schools, leaving the mid-majors with little size to scrounge over. With limited power on the block, these squads have no choice but to consistently hoist three-balls to be competitive. Just take a look at VCU, whose torrid shooting pace brought them all the way to the Final Four last season. Read More »

While it seemed all eyes were on the charity games hosted by Drew Gooden and Rajon Rondo this weekend, there was another game going on as well. Case in point: Donte Greene‘s Goon Squad Classic went down on Sunday night at the UC Davis Pavilion, and players like Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmer Fredette, Jason Thompson, Isaiah Thomas, Matt Barnes, Hassan Whiteside, and Spencer Hawes put in work. Read More »

If Duke played all of their games out in Maui, they might end up as the greatest college team ever. Yesterday they added to their all-time perfect record (14-0) there and clinched a spot in the championship game, beating Michigan 82-75. Living and dying by the three is the way of the college game now, and however unpredictable it might be, Duke is the best at it. It came through for them again. Michigan needed a perfect night of basketball, but they certainly didn’t get it during the first half. Tim Hardaway Jr., for all the praise we’ve been giving him, was terrible for most of the night. The Devils shut him out in the first half and built up a double-digit lead that withstood any comebacks the Wolverines countered with in the second frame. Read More »