Beast of the Night: Ty Lawson finished with 25 points, four rebounds, three assists, eight steals and two three-pointers last night in a loss to the Trail Blazers. He shot 63 percent (10-16) from the field, 75 percent (3-4) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Lawson is off to a very solid start in his first three games of the season. Though he’s not dishing out many assists (3.0 per game), he’s shooting like a center (62 percent from the field), hitting threes (1.7 per game) and thieving like a maniac (4.0 per game). There’s little standing in his way to giving his owners top 30 value this season. 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 »

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 two guard is the most glamorous position in basketball. You can thank Michael Jordan for that. Every kid of my generation grew up wanting to play the two, rock a sweatband on the left elbow, wear baggy shorts and the number 23, and we all thought we’d grow up to be 6-6. Power players may traditionally determine who’s got the juice, but shooting guards are nearly as important. The very best can create shots anywhere on the floor, and routinely finish games by getting shots in the closing moments. These are normally the very best athletes in the world; graceful, but still powerful… explosive, but still finesse. No one has the same combination of jaw-dropping athleticism and phenomenal ball skills the greatest shooting guards wield. Read More »

The Houston Rockets are apparently dying to have a Gasol on their roster. After officially losing out on Pau late last night, they have reportedly swiftly moved their sights to younger brother Marc (one of my Top 10 Centers in the NBA Today). And they are more than willing to break the bank to make it happen. Read More »

Right now, David Stern is Public Enemy No. 1. As he should be. And honestly, I don’t really know how to feel about the NBA as a whole. Basketball reasons? Really? It’s simply incomprehensible. And while the players involved in yesterday’s three-team trade have it worst of all heading into training camp today, having to answer questions about personnel decisions that they had nothing to do with, everyone that loves the game has a sour taste in their mouth. And thankfully, someone from the inside feels the same as we do. Read More »

Did you feel that? Maybe it was another earthquake here in San Francisco, but I’m pretty sure I just felt the ground shake. It’s either that, or the Lakers are about to pull off the biggest blockbuster since Carmelo Anthony landed in New York. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Hornets are near a deal to send Chris Paul to the Lakers for Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, and have started to inform teams that it’s happening. Read More »

It’s not like flopping is a cultural phenomenon solely owned by the NBA. It’s a disease that’s infiltrating every corner of professional sports. Take last weekend for example. Jerome Simpson, a 25-year-old wide receiver for Cincinnati, drew a 15-yard penalty against the Browns last Sunday by flopping harder than Rollerball. One little shove and boom, he was up, up and away, launching himself five feet off the ground, the largest jack rabbit anyone had ever seen. What made it even worse was the ref didn’t see it and yet still drew the flag. 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 »

Late last week, I saw a tweet from ESPN’s Chris Palmer asking the world who the best players in the NBA were who’ve never made an All-Star game. While I didn’t totally agree with his list of Lamar Odom, Jason Terry, Al Jefferson, Andre Miller and Jamal Crawford, I figured it was an interesting topic.

So I made my own, with the only essential characteristics being that the player must be playing now and have at least five years of NBA experience. While most of this list is still young and will have opportunities to knock down the door, it is a little surprising to see some of the players that have never been named an All-Star. Not a bad squad right here: Read More »