For the longest time, it seemed like the Atlanta Hawks could do no wrong. All season, they’ve been near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Behind the play of All-Star Joe Johnson and up-and-coming stars like Josh Smith and Al Horford, the Hawks were the league’s biggest surprise, defeating elite squads like the Celtics, Nuggets and Mavs. But then December 19th hit. Read More »

As little attention as I pay to hockey, I always make sure to catch the final seconds of the clinching game of the NHL Finals. And amidst my second-favorite team sports celebration (after an NCAA Tournament upset), there always seems to be one guy on the newly-crowned champs who’s happier than everyone else, the guy who’s been in the League 15-20 years without winning a Stanley Cup.

In the NBA, Jamal Crawford is that guy, but worse. In a league where half of the teams make the playoffs, Crawford is 10 years deep in the game without even making a postseason. Read More »

Behind every great team is a great coach. Several coaches this year have literally turned around the fortunes of their respected franchises. While Doc Rivers and Phil Jackson are definitely putting in work, it doesn’t really come at a huge surprise that those teams are killing it. We ranked the five coaches that have gotten the most out of their players so far and have posted records that far exceeded expectations. 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 »

When I heard this weekend that new Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis was mostly likely going to add Bill Laimbeer and Reggie Theus to his staff, this got me thinking: If there was a 3-on-3 tournament amongst the NBA’s current coaching staff, who would win? Read More »

Don’t let the story of the boy who cried wolf affect how seriously you take the Josh Smith trade rumors circa 2009. Granted, we heard the same thing on a bi-weekly basis for the entirety of the off-season last year: the Hawks want to get rid of Smith because he’s been a difficult guy in the clubhouse, but he’s not that much of a problem that they’re willing to sell him on the cheap.

The fact that this is the second year in which the rumor popped up on first day of the offseason says something about the situation. Read More »

Are the Hawks just ultra-confident that they’ll win any Game Seven in their own gym? Because with a chance to eliminate D-Wade and the Heat last night, ATL came out, as Mark Jackson put it, like they had some kind of cushion. True, the Hawks were essentially missing two starters (Al Horford out; Marvin Williams played five minutes), and generally they were not a good road team this year. But execution and effort are two different things … Read More »

During the regular season we heard over and over again about how there were chemistry issues in the Hawks’ clubhouse. Josh Smith and Mike Woodson couldn’t seem to get along. But during the post-season, Atlanta seems to turn that inner strife outwards. They did so during last year’s intense first-round matchup with Boston. And now there is some real beef brewing between the Heat and the Hawks. Read More »