Don’t call it a comeback. After beginning the season stuck in rotation purgatory with the Orlando Magic – he couldn’t break into a consistent role for the first third of the season – Mickael Pietrus was a piece of the deal last week between Orlando and Phoenix. And in just his second game in the desert, Pietrus pumped in a season-high 25 points for the Suns on Sunday afternoon against the Clippers. For someone who was a vital part of a championship contender the past two years, it was odd to find the Frenchman relegated to a garbage-time role earlier this season. Now that he looks to have found his legs in Phoenix again, we caught up with Pietrus to talk a little bit about his on-court style. Read More »

Though they signed contracts over the summer totaling about $286 million, and each is seen in some way as a franchise-changing superstar for their respective new teams, there has been a lot of nit-picking and hate spread around for Amar’e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer before and during the season. But lately, all three fours have been killing it, especially Boozer. Over the last seven games – during which the Chicago Bulls have gone 5-2 without Joakim Noah in the lineup – Booz has averaged 26.2 points and 12.1 rebounds – including last night’s 31-point, 11-board effort in an overtime W against Detroit … Read More »

I always find it interesting to hear how a player lands on a specific jersey number. And even more when they get traded and have to make a switch. So after I read that Gilbert Arenas chose No. 1 to honor his childhood hero Penny Hardaway, I found it hilarious to hear that Vince Carter chose No. 25 to honor, well, himself. Read More »

The Phoenix Suns have rolled through three general managers, three coaches and a slew of All-Stars and talented role players since 2005. After the sale of the franchise from long-time sports owner Jerry Colangelo to businessman Robert Sarver, this question looms: How much time does a team under new ownership need to settle down?

Composing winning teams in the NBA means team ownership must pair talented players with adaptable coaches. But championship-caliber teams keep those pieces static. Retaining players and coaches requires that the ownership have patience and trust in everyone in the organization –- no panicking allowed. Read More »

The Orlando Magic made a huge splash over the weekend by dealing for Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark. In exchange, the Magic dealt Rashard Lewis to the Washington Wizards; they also dealt Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, a 2011 first-round draft pick and cash to the Phoenix Suns. This will cause significant waves in fantasy basketball. Here’s a quick look at the fallout: Read More »

While Jason Williams won’t be playing tonight, hopefully that opens up some minutes for Mickael Pietrus. After not playing in the first half of last night’s victory over the Wizards, Pietrus should see more time tonight against the Heat. With that said, check out Pietrus’ player exclusive kicks from PEAK. Read More »

As the NBA regular season approaches, we preview the upcoming campaign with the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team.

Added: Quentin Richardson, Chris Duhon, Daniel Orton, Malik Allen

Lost: Matt Barnes, Anthony Johnson Read More »

Just this offseason alone, the NBA witnessed — no pun intended — the most significant and active free agency period in League history.

The city of Cleveland now loathes their once beloved LeBron James, while Chris Bosh was put on the Toronto hit list right alongside Vince Carter. On paper, the Miami Heat now have the best “Big Three” in the NBA, but as Kevin Garnett noted when he changed his jersey number in Boston, five is a team.

Judging the best starting fives in the NBA needs a little more than just the “on paper” eye test. Through a little research, I found exactly which teams have the best five-man lineups going into the season: Read More »

When Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo decided, even if he was trying to be as diplomatic as possible, to put Chris Bosh on blast following CB1′s departure in free agency, he forgot something: There are more than a couple NBA players who have been there, done that in Toronto and didn’t enjoy their experience. While Bosh politely defended himself without trashing his former franchise, Hedo Turkoglu took another route: “People have to realize something is wrong with that organization and nobody wants to go there any more,” Hedo told Fox Sports Arizona. “It’s not just the players who see this.” Read More »

Lost amongst all of the Sports Illustrated covers, ESPY interviews and polls proclaiming the Heat to be nothing short of sensational, the best team in Florida could still be the Orlando Magic. For them, this summer was more about curtailing roster losses and keeping their core together. With two straight trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, Dwight Howard & Co. have the foundation to contend for years. Read More »