Beast of the Night: Jarrett Jack posted 27 points, five rebounds, 11 assists, a steal, two blocks and a three-pointer last night against the Jazz. He shot 65 percent (11-17) from the field, 100 percent (4-4) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. This was a nice bounce-back game after putting up mediocre lines in his previous two games. Jack remains a strong fantasy starter in most leagues, as he’ll rack up plenty of minutes and numbers for the Hornets this season. Read More »

It’s easy to start laughing when you see this, but I’m pretty sure you would have the same reaction if this happened to you. In last night’s Minnesota/Dallas game, Michael Beasley was fighting for a loose ball and had his finger smashed in the process.

He went to the bench to ge a good look at his finger and … “OH SHIT, THAT’S MY BONE!” Read More »

The rich keep getting richer. The Heat have a new toy and last night, he dropped 14 points in the fourth, drugged the crowd into chanting MVP for him at the line and used his Sam Cassell in ’94-sized balls to hit two straight jumpers in the final minute against the Celtics. Boston had to endure the wrath of D-Wade (24 points, eight assists, four blocks) and LeBron (26 points) for three quarters, but some great shooting and a zone defense brought them all the way back. Too bad Norris Cole wasn’t having it. Read More »

Lamar Odom, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul aren’t walking through that door. The Lakers are what they are right now: an 0-2 team searching for a spark. They took a beheading at the hands of the Kings last night in Sacramento, 100-91 and while everyone wants to drive the stake into them after two games, maybe we should just give some credit to the Kings. Tyreke Evans (20 points on 13 shots) was a monster again last night, and Marcus Thornton (27 points on 13 shots) was dropping bombs on ‘em Outkast-style throughout the second half. Every time L.A. threatened, one of those two made a big offensive play, or DeMarcus Cousins out-hustled everyone in yellow for the ball. Read More »

When we throw around the word “sleeper” in reference to an NBA team, it doesn’t really say much other than we think Team X will surpass expectations. Some sleepers could win championships, a la the Dallas Mavericks of a year ago. Others, such as the Memphis Grizzlies of last season, will slip into the playoffs and make a deep run after they weren’t expected to amount to anything.

So in picking the top five sleepers for the 2011-12 NBA season, there’s going to be some good teams that turn out to be super good and some bad teams that might surprise us by not completely floundering about. There’s a few prerequisites to being a sleeper, however. Read More »

While it’s more exciting talking up sleepers, bloomers and late-round bargains with your fantasy basketball friends, it’s also helpful to look at the negative side of things. So, in honor of this season of giving, here’s a list of the top five fantasy basketball underperformers for the upcoming 2011-12 season. Each of these players stands a chance of falling short of expectations this season, for various reasons. Read More »

“He’s going to empower players to be as good as you want and he’s going to give you enough rope to hang yourself.”

Chris Webber has earned his keep in broadcasting. He’s smart, fair and usually honest. But he’s never said something before that fit so perfectly. C-Webb knows Rick Adelman as well as any NBA player in the league, perhaps of all time. He paired with Adelman in the summer of 1998, Webber being banished from Washington for reasons that had more to do with his off-the-court issues than anything else, and quickly became the De Niro to Adelman’s Scorsese. Read More »

Growing up, before I made it to high school, when I first started playing ball, the small forward spot was my comfort zone. I grew early, was nearly six foot by the seventh grade, but I never wanted to go hard in the paint Waka Flocka-style. For any big man growing up, that three spot was Disney Land. Oh so close, and yet sometimes so far off. It was attainable if you took just enough head-scratching jumpers, and showcased just enough of a propensity to shrink underneath the boards. Then maybe… just maybe they’d move you outside and you’d be free to divulge your inner Sam Perkins. Read More »

We all might be angry… at the very least, extremely frustrated. It’s gotten so annoying that even Bill Clinton showed up, showing the players support and handing out his book, “Back To Work.” But some folks around the league are voicing a different opinion. They’re calling it “sad.” No, the efforts of guys like Steve Blake didn’t come through in the clutch yesterday. The players rejected the owners’ latest offer (apparently no one wanted the deal) with Derek Fisher simply saying it’s not good enough, even though it might just be the best offer they get from here on out. But before you start submitting yourself to ugly Eastern Illinois vs. Indiana State games – either that or drinking away your sorrows – the two sides did leave some hope for today. Read More »

Last week in New York City, our friends at Under Armour held an exclusive event to preview their new campaign, and to see the latest collection of UA Basketball footwear and apparel. But before the festivities began, I got the chance to catch up with Brandon Jennings and Derrick Williams and talk about everything from kicks to the NBA lockout. Read More »