Seven matchups to watch on Friday’s 13-game schedule…

Detroit @ Orlando: The Demons vs. Dwight Howard How else do you explain Howard consistently looking his worst against the Pistons no matter who’s on the roster or the coaching staff? Earlier this week, old nemesis Ben Wallace led a new unit of goons that limited Dwight to eight points and five boards, and fouled him out in just 17 minutes. How much money would Superman pay Krypto-Nate Robinson this summer not to sign with the Pistons if it looked like things were headed that way? Read More »

Of course the games don’t count in the standings, and not everybody is going all-out although they’re still getting paid (it’s like Tim Thomas‘ fantasy land), but one of the biggest misconceptions about the NBA preseason is the idea that you can’t learn anything from these exhibitions. If a guy can’t hit a shot in the preseason (e.g. Peja Stojakovic right now), it’s not like he’s going to automatically become more accurate when the games count. And if he’s busting the defense’s ass and making it look easy in the preseason (e.g. Kobe every year), it’s not like he’s going to suddenly turn into a scrub when it matters. Look at the Orlando Magic: Read More »

We’ve looked at the top 10 fantasy point guards and shooting guards this week already and now we’re moving on to look at the projected top 10 fantasy small forwards for the 2009-10 season. As always, your comments are very welcome here so don’t shy away from voicing your opinions.

1. LeBron James: The King needs little explanation here. Though his scoring and rebounding declined last season, James improved on his turnovers and free-throw shooting, two areas that were seen as his weaknesses. Expect a hungry, bitter James to furiously put up nasty lines on a nightly basis as he seeks redemption after last year’s disappointing early exit from the playoffs. Read More »

The NBA preseason is underway, meaning it’s time again for Dime’s team-by-team season previews. Last year we debuted the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceilings and basements for each team. In other words, what is the realistic best-case and worst-case scenario for the 2009-10 campaign?

Added: Jamal Crawford, Joe Smith, Jeff Teague, Juan Dixon, Courtney Sims Read More »

After putting together the modified Top-50 list of players from ‘08-09, I had about 50 leftovers who just missed the cut. And from that, there could’ve been a whole sub-category titled “Wait ‘Til Next Year.”

We’ve gone over the point guards, centers, two-guards and small forwards. Now here are five power forwards who look the most ready to crack the 2010 Top-10 with their performances next season: Read More »

Yesterday was weird. For the last year or so, one of the running jokes in the Dime office has been that the Magic are collectively too jacked for one NBA team. We’d already nicknamed Dwight Howard “The Centaur” for obvious reasons, then you got J.J. Redick looking like an MTV “True Life: I’m a Jersey Shore Bodybuilder” alum, Pietrus and Jameer on swole, Anthony Johnson dunking on cats at 49 years old, and even Skip seemed to get more cut-up as soon as he got to Orlando. When they picked up Brandon Bass, it kicked up the too-diesel talk all over again. But then yesterday, when news broke that one of the Magic players had tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug, it turned out to be one of the guys we never talked about: Rashard Lewis … Read More »

All this waiting and debating over Lamar Odom’s future, and he ends up getting about one Aston Martin more than Marvin Williams money? The biggest remaining free agent chip (again, all due respect to Allen Iverson) was taken off the table yesterday, as Odom agreed to a four-year, $33 million deal with the Lakers. That immediately puts L.A. back on top as the odds-on favorite to win the 2010 NBA championship, ahead of the Orlandos, San Antonios, Clevelands and Bostons who have spent the offseason making big moves specifically to topple Kobe’s squad. (Wish we could say the same for Denver, but they’re apparently in chillin’ mode.) … And speaking of teams not doing anything, what does the Odom signing do to Dwyane Wade’s psyche? Read More »

While Miami waits for Lamar Odom to decide if he’d rather look at sun-dipped Rodeo Drive honeys or sun-dipped South Beach honeys during timeouts for the next 4-5 years, another possible Plan B in case they don’t get Odom became unavailable. The Hawks re-signed Marvin Williams for $40 million over five years — kind of steep for a guy who wasn’t gonna get $8M a year from anyone else, but not the worst move in the world considering Marvin is a big contributor for a still-developing core unit in Atlanta. Read More »

While looking at the list of available unrestricted free agents is underwhelming, the group of restricted free agents is great. For a team in search of talent to add to their roster, making a stab at one of these guys could pay dividends. While Paul Millsap, Marcin Gortat and Jarret Jack have already signed offer sheets, here are the ten best available restricted free agents left: Read More »

Four words you’re going to hear more than “rumor” and “sign-and-trade” over the next 2-3 weeks:

It’s. Just. Summer. League.

Remember that when you see some of the stat lines coming out of Orlando and Vegas from rookies and guys trying to shoot their way into the NBA. Yesterday the PTP’er was none other than Ryan Anderson, the Magic’s throw-in of the Vince Carter trade who dropped 33 points (11-15 FG, 9-9 FT) and 14 boards on the Celtics. Read More »