A few interesting subplots went down in the NBA last night, headlined by Miami invading Jurassic Park and destroying the Raptors. But it all still took a backseat to March Madness … While many predicted the top four No. 1 seeds correctly (Louisville, Kansas, Gonzaga and Indiana), that still didn’t stop Jay Bilas and the rest of the fellas from questioning them. Read More »

The Kings did many things right Sunday night, from outscoring the Lakers bench 57-18, to getting Tyreke Evans involved, to Thomas Robinson‘s electrifying, gravity-defying putback slam over Dwight Howard. It all coalesced into a win at Staples Center in front of a sold-out crowd — not that anyone noticed, there or anywhere else. Read More »

Well, there are certainly worse ways to open up a new arena. The Barclays Center opened for business Friday in Brooklyn with a Jay-Z-headlined show. We felt like we were there thanks to all the updates and photos we saw blowing up social media. Read More »

GM Billy King is calling them “the best backcourt in the NBA.” We’re calling them a probable playoff team. Joe Johnson just calls them “definitely” better than the Knicks. The venue: Borough Hall. Who: about 1,000 screaming fans. What: a rap cypher. Okay, so the last part isn’t really true. But that’s what it felt like. Someone should’ve just given Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz a mic because the dude was throwing more haymakers at the crosstown “rivals” than Eminem on “The Sauce.” At the rally to celebrate the new stars of Brooklyn, Markowitz instead took the chance to say: “For nearly 40 years the Manhattan Knicks have shown they can’t bring a championship to New York, so it’s going to take the Brooklyn Nets to get the job done. Read More »

With no return date in sight for the 2011-12 NBA season, there are at least 10 current players that wake up every morning during this lockout and check their watch, clock or calendar to see what day it is. Because unless they can channel Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, each 24 hours means their internal NBA clock is ticking closer to the zero. Not everyone can be John Stockton or Karl Malone and play into their 40s. As we saw at the end of last season with Shaquille O’Neal‘s retirement, all good things must come to an end. With that, we evaluate the future of the NBA’s 10 oldest players: Read More »

I get this argument all the time. Defense is better in college than in the NBA. Everyone wants to debate it. Hardly anyone ever agrees with me. They see the floor burns. They see the intensity. They see coaches screaming, players slapping the floor, fans going ballistic. Defense is not better in college. It’s different. The very best defensive players in the world – Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, LeBron James, Andre Iguodala, etc. – would cause complete havoc in a college game. No one would score on them. No one would come close. Read More »

A year lost to the black hole of an NBA lockout doesn’t stop at lost revenues for team owners, nor the lost nights of kicking back with an extra large bag of Doritos to catch a game.

An NBA lockout means some players who live and breathe hoops won’t know what to do with themselves. To be real, the most gifted of NBA players probably don’t have hobbies, and blasting inferior competition in self-organized streetball games can only fulfill that competitive itch so long. Read More »

Next up for fantasy basketball discussion: the Chicago Bulls. There’s a good deal to like here from a fantasy perspective – a first-round stud, some decent value in the middle rounds and a few fill-in guys to watch on the waiver wire when need be. Without too many free agents for the Bulls, fantasy owners shouldn’t expect too many things to change in the upcoming season. But if Brian Scalabrine isn’t re-signed, all bets are off. Read More »

During the last CBA, we saw a startling jump in player salaries, poor owner decisions and roster moves that made the average fan scratch their head. Most teams spent tens of millions of dollars on big-name, flashy shooting guards and small forwards who put the ball in the bucket, put wins in the “W” column and most importantly, put the butts in the seats.

Meanwhile, the undercurrent in the NBA has been the overpayment of no-name, blundering big men. The most famous of the bunch is Erick Dampier, who signed a deal with Mark Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks that ended up paying him a whopping $12.1 million in the last year. Read More »

Behind every Sherlock lies a Watson. Lurking in the shadows of a potential MVP can be tough for anyone, though C.J. Watson seems to be making the best out of his back-up role in Chicago. Coming from a Warriors team where he was averaging 27-plus minutes and putting up good numbers, you would think C.J. would be upset about getting significantly less playing time. Not so much. As an integral part of the surging Bulls’ second unit – a bench many regard as the best in the League – he is now playing for a team destined to make a serious splash in the postseason. Last I checked, the Warriors aren’t exactly contenders. We got up with Mr. Watson to discuss playing behind Derrick Rose, his favorite sneakers and Miami’s “Crygate.” Read More »