Dirk Nowitzki wants back in. He’s had his vacation, his time off. He wants to ball again. Without the NBA, there are only a few options left for him. He admits he’s not in the greatest shape, but expects he’ll be ready to go within a few weeks. Now it’s just a matter of where. The NBA probably isn’t coming back anytime soon. He’s heard the rumors about Real Madrid’s interest, and says he would play there. There’s also their rival Barcelona who could be a good fit. And finally, there’s his hometown league, the German Bundesliga, which holds weight. It’s the best way to promote this game in the area he grew up, as well as a nice finishing touch. That’s where he started his career. It would be great to go back at some point … Read More »

On a night where history was in the air, fans from the South, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions flocked to the World’s Most Famous Arena to see four of the top teams in college basketball. As impressive as coach Mike Krzyzewski’s record breaking 903rd victory was, the night might have been overshadowed by the sheer dominance of the Kentucky Wildcats. I left Madison Square Garden last night dreaming about the potential of a Duke vs. Kentucky match-up. Read More »

Coach K is a pretty cool dude. Always smooth. Always chill. But at about the 12.9 second mark of the second half last night – after he had seen Michigan State chip into Duke’s lead and Mason Plumlee get called for a five-second violation – he had to be feeling that sweat on his brow just a little bit. But after a Spartan miss, the biggest drama of the night was over, the Dukies had won 74-69 and Mike Krzyzewski had the record. He’s now the winningest coach in Division I men’s basketball history with 903 wins, passing one of the men calling the game, Bob Knight. Seriously though, this joint couldn’t have been scripted any better: in MSG, against another great coach in Tom Izzo, playing against a gritty and tough team, and with his mentor looking on, Coach K got what he came for. Read More »

Screw you Dave Checketts. Screw you. If you were following along with lockout news yesterday, you would’ve noticed that at some point in the late afternoon, people started getting really excited. It’s because this dude Checketts – who used to be general manager of the Jazz, president of the New York Knicks and president of Madison Square Garden – said in a radio interview that he had heard the players and owners had agreed to a deal. Checketts knows David Stern well, and his name is big enough that it gave people a quick fluttering of the stomach. But it wasn’t long before everyone and their momma shot it down. Read More »

*College basketball is here (unlike the NBA), and this year might be one of the best in recent memory. The powerhouse is back, while the Cinderellas believe. That’s a deadly combination. We know some of y’all have been asking for some previews. We have you covered – the top 16 teams in the nation are being previewed individually here. After we broke down Ohio State earlier this morning, we’ll keep this going with No. 2-ranked Kentucky (ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll).* Read More »

Pardon the idiom, but John Wooden must be rolling over in his grave. Traditionally, college basketball has been about, well, tradition. It’s about banners. It’s about retired jerseys. It’s about legacy. But as we’ve seen ever since the NBA enacted it’s “one year removed” policy, college basketball has simply become a necessity for the one-percenters that need a place to play before entering the NBA Draft. And while college coaches have had to change their strategies while recruiting in this new climate, it was always believed that winning a national championship was still the goal. Apparently that’s no longer the case. Read More »

People either love or hate John Calipari. It’s that simple. And when the early signing period begins on Wednesday, Coach Cal hopes to come out on top once again. His record speaks for itself, but with 1,139,317 followers on Twitter, and a website updated more often than some sports blogs, it can’t hurt to let the people (mostly the recruits and other schools) know how he feels. With that, check out his National Signing Day message and let us know what you think. Read More »

HighSchoolHoop.com has the story of John Calipari‘s latest recruiting asset at Kentucky – 6-10 Willie Cauley.

Cauley is not only a highly-touted big man prospect, but he is also a problem on the football field. HSH has highlights of Cauley on the hardwood and the gridiron. Read More »

What’s the difference between 82 and 78? Four. In the grand scheme of most things, that’s not a whole lot, especially if we’re talking NBA games. An 82-game schedule pretty much went out the window after last week, but the NY Post is saying if a deal is finalized sometime this week, we could be looking at a 78-game affair. We’ll take it. They’re saying it has to be an even number of games, and that David Stern is willing to push the season back enough to fit in as many games as possible, maybe even push a possible NBA Finals Game 7 to just a few days before the draft. That might affect the way the games are played, but for us it just means more basketball packed into a shorter time. That wouldn’t be such a bad thing … Read More »

You’ve seen the shoe, but now it’s time to dig a little deeper as the long-awaited primary black/red/white colorway of the Nike LeBron 9 becomes available at retail today. With that, go behind the scenes of LeBron‘ all-new signature shoe as designer Jason Petrie, senior product line manager Charles Williams, senior footwear developer Ben Smith, and the King himself tell you everything you need to know about the Nike LeBron 9. And for all you Kentucky fans out there, your boy John Calipari makes a cameo too.

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