I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again: In just about every sport, you can’t accurately judge a draft class for at least three years after the fact (and longer than that in baseball).

Going into the ‘09 NBA Draft, everybody decided early that the class was weak, but look around the League now. Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry look like certified future superstars, while Brandon Jennings isn’t far behind. Read More »

Beast of the Night: LeBron James finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds, 14 dimes, 3 steals and 1 block in New Jersey. He shot 56 percent (10-18) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the line and had 3 turnovers. Though he’s averaging a career-high 8.6 assists per game this season, he’s also averaging 3.5 turnovers, his worst since his rookie season. Read More »

A whole lot of things didn’t make sense about last night’s Grizzlies/Hornets game. It didn’t make sense that Mike Conley (26 pts, 7 asts, 5 stls) was sticking jumpers like Mark Price. It didn’t make sense that Darren Collison (17 pts, 14 asts, 5 stls) and Marcus Thornton (24 pts) kept playing like the best backcourt in the League. It didn’t make sense that Emeka Okafor had one whole rebound. It didn’t make sense that Aaron Gray and Hamed Haddadi guarded each other for about 10 minutes and the sport of basketball wasn’t set back 30 years. But most improbable thing, according to one Hornets’ announcer, was the shot that eventually won Memphis the game … Read More »

Don’t act surprised. While Kobe Bryant’s first game back from an almost three-week layoff had other interesting story lines — Andrew Bynum returning to his personal Waterloo (Memphis), the Grizzlies trying to stay above .500 and in the playoff picture, the Gasol vs. Gasol matchup — in the end it was all about K.O.B.E. On his way to an efficient 32 points (13-19 FG), Kobe scored the last nine for the Lakers, including a game-tying three with just under a minute to go. After Rudy Gay responded with a J to give Memphis the lead, it came down to L.A. trailing by two with the ball and eight seconds left … Read More »

Score a few more votes for Lionel Hollins in the Coach of the Year race, because he may have just figured out the best way to guard Kobe Bryant at the end of a game. Last night the Grizzlies were up two on the Lakers with 21 seconds left when Mike Conley blew a chance to ice the win and bricked two free throws. Then it was Kobe’s turn, and as he was going into his move to get space for his trusty mid-range jumper over O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol switched onto him. The 7-footer kept his arms up the entire time, and was quick enough on his feet to stay in front of Kobe long enough to force him to pass. Kobe did find Ron Artest wide open on the wing, but he missed and Memphis won. Read More »

Yesterday, the Hornets found out Chris Paul will miss the next two months or so following surgery on his left knee, which he hurt against the Bulls the other day. With the game in-hand, all New Orleans had to do was inbound the ball, get fouled and the game would be over. Instead, David West sends the rock to the other end of the floor, and in pursuit, CP3 smacks his knee, the Bulls get the ball and score, and eventually win it in overtime. Paul is definitely out for All-Star, meaning somebody – Chauncey Billups, Monta Ellis or Aaron Brooks – will be getting the alternate spot. But the bigger question is this: What will the Hornets do now? Read More »

I’m not saying anything profound by declaring that the NBA is a business. Dollars and cents clearly take precedence over loyalty and feelings. But while this harsh reality may often come as a surprise to devoted season ticket holders, the bottom line is the bottom line. There’s a reason teams fire coaches and let the GM take a seat on the bench. Perhaps it’s not the correct basketball move, but the Band-Aid is much cheaper than the surgery. Read More »

Since hearing about the relaunch of NBA Jam, the talk of the office has been which players are going to make it in the game. As you know, the best part of NBA Jam back in the day was the player combinations. With that in mind, EA Sports has come through, giving fans the chance to select which three players from each team they would like to see represented in the revival. Read More »

When it comes down to analyzing past NBA Drafts, it’s easy to look back in hindsight and say who should have been picked earlier. The draft is pretty much a crapshoot and you never know what you’re getting until they’re in that uniform and actually out on the court getting burn. The list of second round players who GMs dropped the ball with is endless: Manu Ginobili, Monta Ellis, Carlos Boozer, Michael Redd, Rashard Lewis and Gilbert Arenas. Read More »

Sports media lately has been hit by cupid’s Italian love arrow with an over saturation of all things Brandon Jennings. We all know by now what Young Money and fellow rookies Tyreke Evans and Ty Lawson are capable of. But quietly, the rest of the rookie pile is exceeding many people’s expectations of their class prior to last June’s draft. Across the board, there are numerous rooks making an impact with their respective teams. Here are a few young guys whose play should demand more minutes and attention. Read More »