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 »

Dwight Howard (photo. adidas)

Dwight Howard loves to dunk. Whether he’s wheeling out a 12-foot rim in the dunk contest or crowning another wannabe center in the lane, Howard has his own flair. He loves to flex and lift weights like he’s in a competition, and his dunks normally reflect that: the Superman jam started by Shaquille O’Neal has been continued on by Howard. He’s always gotten criticized for his offensive game, but he does dunk very effectively. Last season, he led the league with 227 crams. Read More »

By now you’ve seen the shoe Jrue Holiday has been playing in this season, the adidas adiZero Crazy Light. But we guarantee you’ve never seen it like this. Introducing two of Jrue’s home and away player exclusives. Check ‘em out: Read More »

Say hello to the bad guy. We have a new beast in the West. In probably the most physical game of the NBA season so far, the Blazers showed why everyone is so frightened of playing them up in the Northwest by punking the Clippers and Blake Griffin, 105-97. With the NBA’s newest A-List team threatening them over and over, Portland answered every call. Between Gerald Wallace, LaMarcus Aldridge and Marcus Camby, they did work on Griffin, holding him to the most up-and-down 18 and 12 night you’ll ever see. Read More »

In our Hit List this past week, we couldn’t wait to see exactly how good Indiana was. They were 3-1 after last week, but had yet to play anyone better than the league’s ultimate scrubs. Finally last night, they checked into South Beach… and were obliterated by the Heat. Miami didn’t even have Dwyane Wade (out nursing his foot) and yet ran away from the Pacers by 35. James literally ran right through Indiana; On one three-point play, he jumped and bumped into Lou Amundson in midair. James came down. Sweet Lou ending on the floor with the photographers. So LeBron took care of the offense. Read More »

Last night, I watched my Sixers maul the worst Phoenix Suns team in recent memory. They’re just awful. Poor Steve Nash – after abusing Jrue Holiday the first handful of times down the court, disappeared into one of the least-effective performances of his career (four points on 2-11 shooting, one assist, six turnovers in 17 minutes).

Much of that can be blamed on a rotten supporting cast. Help is (sort of) on the way though, as the Suns just signed Michael Redd to a one-season free agent deal. Read More »

Beast of the Night: LeBron James had himself a typically big line to the tune of 35 points, six rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. He shot 57 percent (13-23) from the field, 100 percent (9-9) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Through three games, James is averaging 32.7 points on 59 percent shooting from the field and 87 percent shooting from the charity stripe. The odd thing is that he has yet to attempt a single three-pointer. The fact that he’s been such a stud without a three-pointer says volumes about his fantasy value. It’s early, but James looks like the probable top dog in fantasy basketball this season. Read More »

Well Derrick Rose had a nice day. He got paid and became a made man in Chicago if he wasn’t already one. Then in the capper, he methodically picked apart everyone’s Eastern Conference sleeper, Indiana, in Chicago’s 93-85 win. We felt like it was April and we were back in the first round of the playoffs again. Rose (12 points, nine assists) was destroying Darren Collison (1-for-7, six points), Psycho T was doing his bowling ball routine (24 points, 13 rebounds) and the Bulls’ defense was more suffocating than an only child’s mother, holding Indiana to 36 percent from the field. Read More »

Everyone wants to talk about super teams. Of course, the Heat, Knicks, Clippers, Celtics and all the rest of ‘em capture the imagination of the NBA fan base. There’s nothing quite like feeling the anticipation and excitement in the air when you see that news hit telling you Chris Paul has finally been traded and he’s going to the Clippers. What immediately follows is typically more invigorating than what eventually happens. The promise of what could be is almost always better than what is. Even here at Dime, we find ourselves talking about one third of the NBA about 80 percent of the time. That doesn’t mean we don’t care about everyone else. Read More »

The Philadelphia 76ers have fantasy value pretty evenly spread across each position on their roster – except for the center spot. While there’s no outright stud, the Sixers have plenty of appeal throughout the middle and late rounds of standard-sized drafts. Read More »