The Roy-Hibbert-to-Portland talk that began as soon as free agency began July 1 is now dead, according to ESPN. It seemed quizzical to us why Portland was adamant as soon as yesterday it was going to offer him a max deal of four years and $58 million. After considering what life without a nice, developing big would have been like, the Pacers decided to match any offer for him. By not offering Hibbert, the Blazers can go after Nicolas Batum‘s offer sheet. Minnesota is trying to compile a Portland reunion and will offer Batum a big deal. The Blazers would have had the first year of Hibbert’s salary put on their cap for next season if they’d offered him. Without that money now, Portland can be a little more flexible about its positioning. … Read More »

After an outstanding sophomore season at Syracuse that had many analysts talking about him as one of the best guards in the country, Dion Waiters decided the time was right to test his talents and make the jump to the NBA. The Philly native was a beast as a Sixth Man, averaging 12.6 points on nearly 48 percent shooting to help lead the Orange to the Elite 8 this season. Syracuse came up short in their bid for a National Championship, but Waiters’ stock continues to rise. Now as he gets prepared to be drafted into the NBA, Waiters will be giving us the inside scoop on his journey to the draft, how his life is changing and everything in-between… Read More »

When Dime‘s own Sean Sweeney ventured into the Dean Dome last night, all we wanted was an overtime or a buzzer beater. We got what we came for. Austin Rivers is a stone cold assassin. He’s like Vincent from Collateral, except with blacker hair, and just doesn’t give a you know what. On the final possession of the biggest game of his life, Rivers came off the screen and roll just as he had probably 30 other times throughout the game, sized up Tyler Zeller and unleashed hell to bring Duke a one-point win on the road. Read More »

It’s finals week on many college campuses, which means it’s a good time to take a look at which players are in the lead for National Player of the Year. It’s only six weeks into the season, so don’t worry if your favorite player (Austin Rivers?) isn’t listed quite yet.

Some of these names aren’t the standard fare, but rest assured, you’ll likely be seeing these names as March approaches. Rather than a traditional Top 10, I’ve chosen to go with a Top 8 to reflect a coaches’ regular rotation. Read More »

It takes a full-time job, or a full-time class schedule, for one to truly appreciate a four-day weekend. And when those two extra days off come courtesy the Thanksgiving holiday, the full-time college basketball fan (or writer) goes into overtime mode.

Just about every D-I team in the country seemed to be playing in a holiday tournament this past weekend – from the balmy paradise of the Bahamas to the cold-ass bustle of New York City on Black Friday. When it was over, some top dogs were going home with their national-championship promise in doubt, while some underdogs returned to campus with brand-new hero status.

Here are the highlights and lowlights from the long weekend: Read More »

In the words of one of our more eloquent Twitter followers: “What the f— am I supposed to watch after the Super Bowl?” The season hasn’t exactly been canceled yet, but with the players rejecting the latest proposal from the owners and threatening to take them to court, the ugliness might’ve just started. David Stern promised that the next time the two sides do negotiate – whenever that’ll be – the owners will be discussing 47 percent BRI and no more, and yet the players still hit the owners with a backhanded slap. So now Stern is calling it a “nuclear winter,” the players are saying it’s a good move and everyone is all wrapped up in self-destruction. Read More »

Hidden between the lines of the most depressing sports stories of the week – Penn State’s cover-up scandal putting a dark cloud over college football, and the NBA lockout threatening to put pro basketball on indefinite hiatus – are two words that should cheer up anybody who frequents this site: “college” and “basketball.” Read More »

Doesn’t it feel like Isiah Thomas is always behind the bad stuff going on in the NBA? It’s happening again. Billy Hunter has taken his fare share of shots so far during this lockout. But now his job might be in jeopardy. Thomas has great relationships with a number of players, and he’s angling to get Hunter’s job as head of the union. Thomas has a notorious track record for screw ups, but has done some good things in the NBA as well. Is that a good thing if he were to takeover the union? What does this teach us? If something bad is going on in the NBA, blame Isiah … Read More »

*College basketball is here (unlike the NBA), and this year might be one of the best in recent memory. The powerhouse is back, while the Cinderellas believe. That’s a deadly combination. We know some of y’all have been asking for some previews. We have you covered – the top 16 teams in the nation will be previewed individually in the next few weeks. After we broke down Louisville and hated Duke yesterday, we’ll keep this going with No. 5-ranked Syracuse (ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll).* Read More »

Last week I was on Twitter when a good friend of mine, Vanderbilt shooting guard John Jenkins, changed his Twitter icon. I asked him where he his new picture came from, and he told me that Brendan Lunn (twitter.com/NBAguy11) had made it for him, and that he made wallpapers for a bunch of college and NBA players. I looked up his stuff on Twitter and was very impressed. After I followed Brendan, he reached out to me saying he was a big fan of Dime Magazine, and then proceeded to ask if some of his work could be featured in Dime. I responded that I would ask my editor. Read More »