You don’t need puppets to tell you that Kobe and LeBron are the two main contestants battling for the title of NBA’s Best Player. The reigning two-time MVP (LeBron) and the reigning two-time Finals MVP (Kobe) are pretty much interchangeable at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, despite what brand-new LeBron haters want to believe with LBJ going to a loaded team in Miami.

But who is the third-best player in the game? During last night’s NBA schedule unveiling on NBA TV, Kenny Smith surprised the panel by naming Kevin Durant No. 3, ahead of Dwyane Wade. Read More »

Lots of craziness ensuing around the NBA yesterday, and coming from various corners of the globe. Chris Paul is suddenly the name in everybody’s mouth right now, as he not only wants a trade out of New Orleans, he was apparently kind enough to pull a Chris Bosh and give the Hornets a list of teams they should call first. At last check it was the Magic, Mavericks, Blazers and Knicks, and maybe the Lakers are in there, too. The Hornets have scheduled a face-to-face with CP for Monday, but he might just have a longer list by then … Read More »

Kenny Smith has become one of the most visible NBA experts in the world. The 10-year NBA vet won two championships with the Houston Rockets after getting drafted No. 6 overall out of North Carolina, but his fame has grown more recently as a studio analyst for TNT. Smith and Charles Barkley have helped make “Inside the NBA” a must-watch on the schedule for a lot of basketball fans.

A few days ago I got up with Kenny “The Jet” to talk about his new promotional venture with Taco Bell, his favorite NBA rookies, and growing up playing ball in New York City: Read More »

As much as we talk about Dwight Howard, have you thought about how much of a beast Joakim Noah would be if he developed an offensive game? With the Bulls battling for a playoff spot and getting a gift on Thursday with LeBron James (rest) sitting out their game as a late scratch, Noah helped them pull into a tie with Toronto thanks to those intangibles he’s known for; namely effort, energy and being in the right place to make the right play at the right time … Twice in the final two minutes, Noah (17 pts, 15 rebs, 4 blks) gave Chicago the lead: once with one of his ugly mid-range jumpers, and again with a tip-in. Read More »

There’s nothing people like to see more than small guys dunking. Just ask three-time slam dunk contest winner Nate Robinson. And thankfully NBA TV analyst Eric Snow has given us a list worthy of debate: the top 10 dunking point guards of all time. Check out the list (with video evidence) after the jump. Read More »

Other than Nate Robinson making history as the first three-time champion, there really wasn’t anything memorable about last night’s NBA All-Star dunk contest. It was like one of those comedy movies that’s funny enough to get the job done while you’re in the theater, but 30 minutes after you leave you can’t remember any of the jokes … If there was a signature dunk from Nate, it was probably his last one in the finals, when he threw it off the glass and did a reverse jackknife, then went over to the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and danced with their pom-poms. Read More »

Feel bad for Brook Lopez. The ONE time dude goes into a game this season thinking he’s got a victory in the bag — seeing as the Sophomores traditionally treat the Rookies like frat pledges in the Rookie Challenge — he still ends up taking a loss. Not only that, but the guy Brook was guarding most of the night, DeJuan Blair, he of the 6-4 stature and orange peels holding his knees together, posted a 22-point, 23-rebound effort that should have won him MVP … Read More »

On NBA TV last night, the studio crew was talking about Blake Griffin‘s season-ending knee surgery and its long-term effects (if any) on the 2011 Rookie of the Year candidate’s career.

After Eric Snow mentioned that Randy Foye came back from a similar injury to regain his college form, Kenny Smith admitted that he doesn’t pay enough attention to Foye — who spent the first three years of his career in Minnesota before going to Washington — to speak on the topic. Read More »

Sir Charles is at it again. Always the entertainer Charles Barkley was in rare form last night. At one point he instructed the makeup artist to cover his face in white makeup mocking Sammy Sosa and went on to say that Kenny Smith was crazy for thinking Tina Fey was hotter than Sarah Palin. For today’s Reebok Still Talkin’ Quote of the Day we focus on a comment he made about another NBA great Scottie Pippen. Read More »

If you are in the New York City area this weekend, make sure to check out the Sharette Dixon Classic on Sunday, November 8 at Bishop Ford HS in Brooklyn. The charity basketball game will honor former St. John’s assistant coach Kimani Young’s late wife Sharette Dixon, a well respected former professor, and will raise money for her children’s education fund. The showcase will feature some of New York’s and New Jersey’s best high school players like Kyrie Irving, JayVaughn Pinkston and Tobias Harris. NYC Legends Kenny Smith and Kenny Anderson along will also be on hand to support. The Girls’ showcase will start at 4 am and the Guys’ showcase will take place at 6 pm.