The 2011 NBA Draft class is the invisible class that got skipped over for official, professional development. Like a test-tube specimen raised in unusual circumstances, these players are unusual cases in how to raise a rookie. A lockout seems to skip a generation, and these 60 players inherited that trait; after they got their hats from the commissioner and then had to find ways to ball not under the auspices of management as soon as they reached the other side of the draft’s podium that June night in 2011. So who has the biggest chance to make up ground this summer? Read More »

Cape Canaveral is 55 miles away from Orlando, so it’s fitting the site of so many NASA liftoffs is not that far away from DeQuan Jones‘ thunder dunk on Tuesday. Jones threw down off two feet from the baseline and nearly got his head to rim level in Orlando Summer League action against Kyle Singler. Read More »

Yesterday’s ambush of trade and free agency talk tipped off with a rather awkward rumor: The Celtics weren’t actively shopping Rajon Rondo, but that they’d be open to a deal should anything materialize. In the sports world, that’s basically code for other teams to start calling so they can start the bidding. Danny Ainge and Boston were hinting at something. We just didn’t know what it was yet. So naturally the response from most fans was: WTF? It didn’t help that Rajon Rondo trade rumors are an offseason rite of passage by this point. It doesn’t feel right unless we get a few of them. Read More »

Prayer For A Perfect Season, HBO’s excellent documentary about last year’s St. Patrick team, was a reminder that a highly successful basketball program doesn’t necessarily insure parochial schools against financial hardship – especially with the economy currently the way it is.

In North Jersey alone, Paterson Catholic shut its doors last year, while 2011 national champion St. Anthony is constantly on the bubble – even with the legendary Bob Hurley working on its behalf. St. Patrick, founded in 1863, is dealing with some of the same difficulties, while attempting to launch a whole new era after longtime coach Kevin Boyle took a new opportunity at Montverde Academy in Florida. Read More »

Next up for fantasy basketball discussion: the Detroit Pistons. There’s a good deal to like here from a fantasy perspective – although there’s no first-round stud, there is some decent value in the middle rounds and a few fill-in guys to watch on the waiver wire when need be. With a good number of free agents for the Pistons, fantasy owners should expect things to change in the upcoming season. Read More »

Derrick Rose is going to win multiple championships. That’s straight from the MVP’s mouth. Doesn’t it really feel as if Rose won the MVP like five years ago? Between the lockout, Capital Punishment and Kevin Durant becoming the story of the summer, D-Rose became lost in the shuffle. He likes it like that though, and will probably remain mute until next season officially starts. But he did give us a taste of the competitiveness that has Chicago looking pretty good for the next decade, telling HoopsHype that he will win multiple titles, and has no doubts about it. Read More »

So maybe there was a WNBA logo at midcourt. And maybe the crowd of just over 5,000 was about one-fourth of what you’d get on a good night at Staples Center or Madison Square Garden. And maybe the only certified All-Star on either roster was sitting on the bench in street clothes, cradling his 2-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son in his arms instead of a basketball.

But none of those images could dim the fantasy that, for now at least, the NBA was back in Seattle. Read More »

One guy who refuses to even think about overseas options is Jason Terry. The newly-minted champion wants to wear that belt loud and proud, and isn’t planning on playing anywhere else than in Dallas, defending the team’s title. While the JET believes some delay could definitely happen, he doesn’t expect the season to cancel. We hope not either for the Mavs’ sake. We guess if you’re a Dallas fan, you could look at that one of two ways: first, it just means you can celebrate longer and prolong the parades. Read More »

Call it a spoon-feeding. A Costco free sample. But when your NBA team is swiped away like a waiter prematurely assuming you’re done with your meal, you’ll take anything. (Thousands of Sonics fans simultaneously nod their heads.) This Saturday, an exhibition game known as the H206 Charity Basketball Classic will take place at KeyArena in Seattle featuring over 20 NBA players broken up into two separate teams – the “Seattle Team” and the “League Team.” Trust us, you want to be there. Read More »

Can you believe it, the 2011 NBA Draft is under 36 hours away and most teams have an idea of what they are going to do. A few picks seem locked in, but other than that, this is going to possibly be the wildest and most unpredictable draft in recent memory. With new information and chatter, here is how things look to shake out on June 23rd at the Prudential Center in New Jersey: Read More »