For the 25 NBA teams out of the race for this year’s championship, all thoughts are geared toward next season — the draft, free agency, buyouts and extensions, and finding a marketing strategy to draw in new and old season-ticket holders. (“New York Knicks Basketball: Let’s See What Happens!”)

For at least five organizations, and probably more (Atlanta?), finding a head coach is on top of the To-Do list. In a DimeMag.com poll last week, Chicago was the overwhelming choice over New Jersey, Philly, New Orleans and the Clippers to the question, “Which job is most appealing to an NBA coaching candidate?” Read More »

A couple days ago, I started drafting a column about the concept of shutting a player down for the season when he’s dealing with a lingering injury and his team is out of playoff contention. Exhibit 1A was going to be Chris Paul. As soon as the Hornets were mathematically knocked out of the postseason, if I were running the team, I would have sat CP and his not-100-percent knee. Read More »

Since Chris Paul‘s return to the lineup, the Hornets are 2-2. In his absence they were 8-17. So why are there still people saying that they should trade CP3 in order to run with the cheaper model in rookie Darren Collison? I don’t know. Last night, the Hornets beat the Lakers and Paul finished with 15 points, four rebounds and 13 assists in 39 minutes, while Collison finished with 17 points, three rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes. Both guys added a steal and two turnovers, and both guys finished the game with a plus/minus of +14. So where to from here? Read More »

This was supposed to be about Georgetown. About Allen Iverson and Victor Page and Joey Brown and the rest of John Thompson‘s finest pupils. But since my Hoyas dropped a doggie-sized deuce in the first round of this year’s Tournament, I had to find new teams to root for as we hit the Sweet Sixteen.

The hometown Huskies were an easy choice, and over the weekend I found myself gravitating toward Michigan State. Read More »

From Baron Davis to Steve Nash to JaVale McGee, I’m definitely a fan of NBA players getting behind the camera to make some amazing videos. And these two latest gems from the Hornets duo of Morris Peterson and Chris Paul are no different. After launching his new website, Mo Pete put up two videos: one of his clone “Less Pete” and one of CP3 in a spoof of the movie “Paranormal Activity.” Check ‘em both out after the jump. Read More »

I’m not saying anything profound by declaring that the NBA is a business. Dollars and cents clearly take precedence over loyalty and feelings. But while this harsh reality may often come as a surprise to devoted season ticket holders, the bottom line is the bottom line. There’s a reason teams fire coaches and let the GM take a seat on the bench. Perhaps it’s not the correct basketball move, but the Band-Aid is much cheaper than the surgery. Read More »

The New Orleans Hornets have been declining ever since their magical 2008 Playoff run where they were one game away from the Western Conference Finals. After a disappointing 2008-09 season and a 3-5 start this year, it looks like the Hornets aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. David West’s stats are down, Morris Peterson and Julian Wrighthave been horrible, Okafor is struggling to fit in and Chris Paul seems unhappy. While the blame can be passed around in N.O., Byron Scott will probably be the scapegoat. Read More »

At every gym and every park where there’s a basketball court, you’ll find that guy who’s saddled with a team of four bums. Whether he’s a point guard or a big man, a kid or a 40-year-old, you can often find him by his facial expression: Less of a boiling frustration and more of a miffed resignation that’s steadily losing its steam. He’s not mad anymore, just annoyed over something he can’t control; the only reason he’s not cussing the bums out and sucking his teeth every other play is because his teammates are his friends, or it’s just not in his nature to be a jerk. Read More »

Tom Izzo has built himself nothing short of a dynasty in his time at Michigan State. It’s no secret, but the Spartans are built top to bottom again this year. From reigning Big Ten POY, Kalin Lucas, to future NBA check collectors Delvon Roe and Durrell Summers, Sparty is looking good. 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: Emeka Okafor, Darren Collison, Darius Songaila, Marcus Thornton, Ike Diogu, Bobby Brown Read More »