Sometime in the first half Thursday when Team USA’s historic beating of Nigeria began to grow into a garden-variety blowout into an all-time stunner, Anthony Davis checked in without his jersey on. Sure, he remembered his kneepad armor, the pullover and undershirt, but the jersey never made it. Usually it’s the mistake of a guy who never thinks he’s getting into the game. The irony being that against a team so woefully overmatched as Nigeria, Davis wasn’t going to take long to get off the bench as the 12th guy. He follows in a proud tradition of jersey mess-ups at the scorer’s table. Read More »

When I tagged Tony Allen to be Boston’s most crucial X-factor in these NBA Finals, I was thinking more in the momentum-building, sparkplug-scorer role, with some solid defense thrown in for good measure. I wasn’t expecting TA to become this year’s Raja Bell.

The Celtics’ backup guard hasn’t done much offensively (4.3 ppg, 4-10 FG), but continues to earn playing time for his defensive efforts against Kobe Bryant. Read More »

To the surprise of no one, Eddy Curry told the New York Daily News this week that he’s NOT opting out of his contract this summer, setting himself up to make $11.2 million next season for — assuming he has a repeat of this season — doing just shy of nothing.

You know NFL players, who play a more dangerous sport yet can be cut loose without pay at a moment’s notice, must have a deep-seeded jealousy of NBA players and their guaranteed money. Read More »

Marko Jaric is a winner in life. Not just because he played seven seasons in the NBA, but because he married the Cadillac of females, Adriana Lima. After spending last season with the Grizzlies, where he played just 11.4 minutes per game, Jaric mutually parted ways with the organization. Today, the 31-year-old Serbian guard signed a deal to play with European powerhouse Real Madrid. Read More »

Having been given a few years in the League to develop—and for some, that was a few years too many—these once projected gems, have surely not helped their GM’s resumes. For each of these players, their expectations—either be when they entered the League or were given a generous contract—have been high at one point or another in their respective careers. But with failed production and diminished minutes, each has seen their stock plummet. Read More »

Allow me to shed a silver lining of optimism on the Allen Iverson doomsday parade. If it’s true that the Iverson/Memphis relationship is deteriorating fast with no reunion in sight, there is one sensible solution that can take place as soon as A.I. is eligible for a trade in mid-December.

There is one trade that can work, one fan base that would accept Iverson with (somewhat) open arms, one team that could slide him right into the starting lineup AND win some games in the process, one place where Iverson can work to rebuild his reputation and maybe even have a future beyond this season. Read More »

Although the ‘09 NBA free agent class isn’t as stacked as in years past — not to mention the League is being more thrifty than ever due to the slumping economy — teams still have holes they want to plug, and players have moves they want to make. On the eve of the negotiation period (players can’t officially sign until July 8), we’re taking the next few days to break down each team’s free agent situation… Read More »

SI’s Steve Aschburner isn’t even asking the question. He’s coming right out and saying that Kobe is a definitively dirty player.

“I’m coming with the good stuff right up top: Kobe Bryant is a dirty player,” writes Aschburner. “Not definitive enough for you? OK, then let the record show that Kobe Bean Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is the eighth most dirty player in the NBA.” Read More »