Beast of the Night: Dirk Nowitzki was an absolute animal last night, putting up 40 points on 55 percent (12-22) shooting from the field and 94 percent (15-16) from the line, chipping in a three-pointer along with 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 5 blocks and no turnovers. He scored 29 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter, playing like Mehmet Okur bad-mouthed David Hasselhoff. You can’t get much better than this in fantasy ball and Diggler is in for a great year. Read More »

Last year we debuted the “Highs and Lows” system — previewing the NBA season by predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team. Same theme, different season…

Added: Vince Carter, Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes, Ryan Anderson, Jason Williams

Lost: Hedo Turkoglu, Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, Tony Battie, Tyronn Lue Read More »

Judging NBA talent is in Ryan Blake’s blood. The NBA Assistant Director of Scouting is the son of legendary scouting guru, Marty Blake. On top of overseeing scouting reports for the NBA, Ryan can also be found on NBA TV around draft time, analyzing college and international prospects. Blake sat down with Dime recently and gave his two cents on which rookies you need to keep an eye on for the 2009-10 season. Read More »

When the Magic re-signed Marcin Gortat this summer, a lot of people didn’t understand the move. And after bringing in Vince Carter, Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes, Jason Williams, Ryan Anderson and Morris Almond, you might think that Gortat and his new five-year, $34-million deal could be sent packing for another piece or if they need cap relief. But apparently GM Otis Smith wants no part of that, seeing The Polish Hammer as a tool you use in case of emergency. Read More »

This will get the LeBron haters’ blood pressure up. The Orlando Sentinel polled 11 “NBA experts” (a.k.a. media) to handicap the Eastern Conference for next season, and the Cavs were given the No. 1 spot. The Celtics ranked second, and Orlando third. Apparently replacing Hedo Turkoglu and Courtney Lee with Vince Carter and Matt Barnes was seen as a step backwards for the Magic, while a healthy Kevin Garnett and the addition of Shaq helped pushed Boston and Cleveland to the top … Read More »

In his introductory presser with the Orlando media, Matt Barnes answered the biggest question we’ve had about the Magic given the events of their offseason. Barnes said Stan Van Gundy told him that he’ll be competing for a starting job with Mickael Pietrus, with the rest of the first five filled out by Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard. With Hedo Turkoglu going and Brandon Bass coming, we were wondering what Van Gundy would do with his lineup. Read More »

As I wrote last week when I listed Matt Barnes as the No. 4 Best Available Unresticted Free Agent, “Barnes is one of those guys that doesn’t take plays off, and if he can stick with a team for more than two years, he can definitely become a solid contributor.” Well, apparently the Magic think two years is just fine, as they just inked Barnes to a two-year deal. Read More »

For a team in search of talent to add to their roster, looking at the list of available unrestricted free agents is depressing. While sure there are guys that are worthy of an NBA jersey, getting legit NBA minutes is a whole other story. While the prizes on the market are still clearly Allen Iverson, Lamar Odom and Andre Miller, here are the ten best available free agents left: Read More »

David West can’t openly say that Peja Stojakovic is over the hill, that Rasual Butler doesn’t play with heart, and that Julian Wright stinks. However, his call for New Orleans’ front office to go out and get some talent to lighten the burden on Chris Paul’s shoulders is just another way of saying those other things. Read More »

The injuries are just racking up right now. Caron Butler and Devin Harris are out for the week, Rip and Sheed are now out longer than expected, JO is out with a hip injury, and Larry Hughes has gone from fantasy hero to being day to day with a toe injury. That’s a lot of stats in week where many of you are probably in the playoffs. All that being said, the injuries are opening the door for some stats from some unlikely directions. Let’s check out who actually IS playing right now… Read More »