It’s officially over. Shaq Diesel is done. For as long as he’s stayed in the spotlight and for all that he’s milked it for, O’Neal’s press conference speech was interestingly speedy. He must’ve had one sentence on each one of those index cards because he was flipping through them at will. He thanked everyone, from his family to his college coach to Phil Jackson to the media for the way they treated him over the years. And what would have been a Shaq press conference without a gimmick? Just as he sat down, he fielded a fake phone call from the Knicks asking him to come be their general manager … Read More »

Now that Ricky Rubio’s European career has most likely come to an end, it’s time to look at his NBA potential. Other international talents have stirred similar controversy when their overseas careers ended and the NBA horizon loomed. Take a look as we debate the potential of the No. 5 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Read More »

Every year in the NBA there are 16 teams that make the playoffs and 14 who are relegated to the NBA Lottery. Those 14 teams hope that their draft pick can be a building block for the future and help their team become one of the 16 in the playoffs the following season. This article evaluates how well this year’s lottery teams have drafted the past five years: Read More »

Kevin Durant better be ready. After turning in a John Starks-like 3-for-14 stinker on Friday night, Game 7 could be KD’s to win or lose. We know who Memphis will go to, and while Russell Westbrook has played very well, Durant can be the difference if he’s ready … This afternoon, the conference semifinals will officially wrap up at 3:30 p.m. (ET) with the Game 7 between Memphis and the Thunder. While the trash-talking has already started, Chicago and Miami have to wait until tonight (8 p.m. (ET)) to tip off … Read More »

Will he or won’t he? Ever since Minnesota made Ricky Rubio the fifth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, there’s been an endless tug of war between the Spanish guard’s camp and Minnesota GM David Kahn and the rest of the Wolves organization. Is he coming? Is he staying? Will he ever agree to play in Minnesota? Will they have to trade him? It seemed that every few months, the dynamics of the situation changed. Read More »

Another year, another NBA Trade Deadline gone by. As you probably would expect, the Dime office was Ground Zero today for anything and everything trade related. Whether it was Twitter, texts or phone calls, we were constantly on our toes looking for the most up-to-date info to relay to you, our readers. With players’ names being thrown around more than the gut of Chris Farley in a Matt Foley motivational speaker skit, it was difficult forecasting what gossip would end up reality. On the wake of the recently kyboshed Mayo/McRoberts deal, it brought my attention to the other rumored deals that were circulating, but for one reason or another didn’t quite come to fruition. Here they are: Read More »

What happened to all the point guards Minnesota selected in the 2009 NBA Draft? Ricky Rubio is still in Spain, Ty Lawson is starting in Denver, Nick Calathes is playing in Greece and Jonny Flynn is apparently on the block. (And I don’t mean like Shawne Williams.) According to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, the Timberwolves and Rockets are discussing a deal that would send Flynn to the Rockets. 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 »

Apparently the thing to do among NBA front-office execs these days is boldly assure their fan base that Young Franchise Centerpiece X is definitely staying in town for the long haul. Hasty responses to constant rumors of said youngsters itching to play for more high-profile teams? Maybe. Preemptive damage control to keep fans invested with an NBA lockout looming? Likely. Read More »

Sure Knicks rookie Andy Rautins has only played three NBA games so far this year, but that was to be expected. Why? Because after being the starting shooting guard at Syracuse last season, where he finished his career second on the school’s all-time list with 282 career three-point field goals made, Rautins has had to make the transition to the point. We got up with Andy recently to chat about his rookie season and Syracuse hoops. Read More »