Is it time we start taking New York seriously? We’ll have to wait until Amar’e Stoudemire comes back from his latest knee setback, and Carmelo Anthony gets pushed back to the three to see if this level of play holds up. But what else can we say? ‘Melo (21 points last night) has looked like he’s ready to finally embrace basic basketball principles like rebounding, defending and not holding the ball every time you touch it, and New York is getting contributions from everyone. Read More »

If you thought this year’s class of point guards was strong, think again. In fact, go back three years to 2009 to find a draft class deep enough to hide the Hulk. Eight of the point guards drafted in the first round are now starting in the NBA, and while none of them can boast the star power of Derrick Rose or the potential of John Wall, they can all play. As offenses have slowed to a crawl this year, and with shooting percentages melting, having a point guard that can make plays and create for others is almost a necessity. Read More »

Sometimes when you’re putting together an issue it takes on a life of its own. That was definitely the case for Dime #66. Typically this would have been our NBA Preview Issue, looking at all the stars and storylines for the upcoming year. But with the 2011-12 NBA season indefinitely on hold until a new collective bargaining agreement is in place, a central theme began to arise while we were planning. Read More »

Despite the fact that Yao Ming is gone from the NBA, the Houston Rockets will be virtually unchanged next season – assuming they can re-sign its only free agent (Chuck Hayes) when the NBA resumes. New head coach Kevin McHale shouldn’t really hinder the production of these players, who formed a surprisingly effective offensive machine in 2010-11. With a potent backcourt, a blossoming swingman and some intriguing fill-ins, the Rockets have more than their share of fantasy appeal for the next NBA season. Read More »

Let’s be honest: Who hasn’t had this idea for years? Once Dwyane Wade joined Jordan Brand, I would stay up all night thinking what a three-on-three game between Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul against Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant would look like. Now, sans Kobe, we’ll get to find out. According to Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine, the squads for The South Florida All-Star Classic will be headlined by Jordan Brand players (Wade, Anthony, Paul) vs. Nike (James, Durant, Chris Bosh). Oh yeah, and Kevin Hart and Rick Ross are coaching. Read More »

Though that horrible “L” word has finally slammed the NBA’s doors shut, fantasy basketball fans can rest assured that this young (and abruptly suspended) offseason has already offered morsels of activity to chew on. Old faces have landed in new places, which means there’s some fantasy analysis to be had. Here’s a look at how these early-summer trades will impact fantasy basketball once this real-life mess gets sorted out. Read More »

While their new draft pick won’t be coming to the NBA this season (Jonas Valanciunas and Toronto’s front office reached an agreement on his buyout and the power forward will be coming over for the 2012-2013 season), the Raptors learned that Leandro Barbosa won’t be leaving them. He exercised his player option for $7.6 million for next season. Read More »

After all the rumors, all the trade speculation, all the gossip, our biggest trade of the day came before the draft even started. Yes, we figured Kyrie Irving would go No. 1, followed by Derrick Williams and then after that, all bets were off because the prospect level just wasn’t that good. But we wanted moves. That’s what a bad draft guaranteed us right? Read More »

News flash: there may not be basketball next year. We don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, but amidst all of the excitement of a sick Finals and a wildly unpredictable upcoming draft, the uncertainty of the NBA’s financial future continues to hang over our heads like a teetering bedroom ceiling fan. In negotiations, any step is a positive step, so the fact that owners and player reps have been spending hours in a room together has gotten us a few winks of sleep these past few nights. Read More »

It’s no secret that Ricky Rubio‘s arrival in Minnesota most likely means Jonny Flynn‘s departure, but the question one everyone’s mind has been where will he land. The initial thoughts were that Flynn could be traded to either Sacramento or Toronto, and now it appears the latter has some legs to it. Read More »