Go into any basketball locker room in the world — CYO leagues, middle school, high school, or even in the NBA — and you’ll find sharpshooters, bench warmers, you’ll see Jordans, adidas and Reebok, you’ll see tall oafs and slippery guards, coaches that rarely say a word and coaches that never shut up. Every team will have it’s own unique flavor, it’s own unique environment. Read More »

Steve Blake offensive rebounds. Pau-to-Dwight lobs. Kobe Bryant M-V-P chants reverberating through the arena. With the way the Lakers’ 113-106 win in Portland ended, you would’ve thought all was right for L.A. They had finally held off the hot-shooting Blazers, going on a 17-2 run to start the second half and then an 8-0 run in the middle of the fourth before putting the clamps on Portland for the final five minutes. Read More »

We feel like we’re at a basketball buffet this time of year. Between conference tournaments and early NBA games, we could easily have our fill by 7 p.m., and yet there we go, back for seconds and thirds as the night goes on. Given that many choices it truly means something when a game can hold our attention and Miami’s 21st win in a row, 107-94 over Milwaukee, kept us zoned in. Read More »

With the midseason point approaching, it’s been interesting to see which rookies have been able to avoid that rookie wall so far. While January has been a hot month for some of the rookies, others have struggled. While Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Alexey Shved spent the majority of the season on the top half of our rookie ladder, others have outplayed them this month. Read More »

FRESH PICKINGS Devin Harris (26 percent owned in Yahoo!, nine percent in ESPN) Lou Williams, one of the NBA’s biggest spark plugs, recently suffered a devastating knee injury which will keep him out for the rest of the season, and perhaps the beginning of next season, too. So who on the Atlanta Hawks will step up? You can expect an uptick in minutes from DeShawn Stevenson, Anthony Morrow and rookie John Jenkins, but I think the one to own is Devin Harris. Read More »

There was a lot of movement in the top 10 since our last rookie ladder. As the season picks up into high gear, few have been able to keep up with the pace. Guys like Austin Rivers and Kyle Singler have fallen off the radar while guys like Jared Sullinger and John Henson are opening eyes. Read More »

FRESH PICKINGS Al-Farouq Aminu (19 percent owned in Yahoo!, 22 percent owned in ESPN) Aside from a rather ugly month of December, Aminu has put together a pretty solid fantasy season. He was one of the hottest pickups in the beginning of the year and has once again become worthy of a roster spot. Read More »

Dime had a chance to catch up with a handful of NBA rookies at the NBA Rookie Photo Shoot last Tuesday. On Thursday, we began unrolling our Q&A’s with these future NBA stars. So far we’ve brought you Bradley Beal, John Jenkins, Meyers Leonard and Dion Waiters, and today you’ll hear from Kendall Marshall. Read More »

As barometers of NBA success go, the Summer League isn’t always going to give the most accurate forecast. It’s perfect, really, that it switches from Orlando to Las Vegas, where all bets are made with the hope of a big payoff and the reality of the house usually winning. That house on the hardwood is the concrete fact there are only 450 roster spots available for opening night. Someone’s gotta go. The NBA’s summer school isn’t to be relied on at face value because you’ve got second- and third-year players as the top options for summer squads where they might barely be the fifth option on once the regular season begins. If Wesley Johnson played well most nights for Minnesota this month, it won’t be without gain — but it also won’t mean he’ll be shaking off a Kevin Love pick-and-roll anytime soon. Out of this haziness step players whose success will best translate to the regular season. Read More »

14. Milwaukee – John Henson 6-10, 210 lbs. PF North Carolina, Jr.

Henson should fit in great with the Bucks. He can play uptempo and gives them insurance should they lose Ersan İlyasova this summer. Brandon Jennings will love playing with him, and with so many shooters around those two, Milwaukee has the makings of one of our favorite League Pass teams next year. Read More »