Israel is known as the Holy Land and a place rich with history and culture, but what many people don’t know is that it is also home to high level basketball. Since 2000, Israel has been one of the biggest basketball hotbeds in Europe. Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel’s top team, won Euroleague titles in 2001, 2004, and 2005, and reached the Euroleague title game in 2006 and 2008. They also produced NBA players Anthony Parker, Omri Casspi, Maceo Baston, and Sarunas Jasikevicius, and beat the Toronto Raptors in an exhibition game, 105-103, in 2005. Additionally, many NBA players including Jordan Farmar, Trevor Booker, J.J. Hickson, and Avery Bradley spent the lockout playing in Israel. I caught up with David Pick, a writer for Eurobasket.com covering the Euroleague and Israeli basketball, to talk about the lockout, the Israeli Super League, and LeBron James. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Josh Smith exploded for 30 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, three blocks and two three-pointers last night. He shot 52 percent (12-23) from the field and 67 percent (4-6) from the free-throw line, and turned the ball over four times. Smith is improving his averages from month to month and continues to be a dominant fantasy asset on most nights. Read More »

In late November, we showed you 70 behind the scenes photos from the inaugural Nike Pro Training Camp. Over four intense days of basketball and training at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., some of the best athletes represented by Nike Inc. – meaning Nike Basketball, Jordan Brand and Converse – came out to get better. Now, here’s your chance to take another inside look at what LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Omri Casspi, Randy Foye, and Manny Harris did. Read More »

Let’s be honest: Drafting the sleepers you want in the round you want is one of the most satisfying feelings in fantasy basketball. That said, sleepers are a dangerous breed. Like fair trades in the NBA these days, sleepers are not sure things and can sometimes burn you if you pounce too early on them. To help sort out the sleepers you should be eyeing in your fantasy basketball drafts this year, here’s a list of players who are napping, dozing and comatose (assuming nine categories). Read More »

Yesterday, the inaugural Nike Pro Training Camp came to a close. After four intense days of basketball and training at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., some of the best athletes represented by Nike Inc. – meaning Nike Basketball, Jordan Brand and Converse – came out to get better. The group included LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Omri Casspi, Randy Foye, and Manny Harris. With that, take a look behind the scenes. Read More »

The Cleveland Cavaliers won just 19 games last season, good for second worst in the NBA. They also dealt away their most promising big man before the lockout began, which is kind of a downer for fantasy purposes. While there are some things to get excited about — the arrivals of a skilled rookie point guard and a promising rookie power forward, along with the return of Sideshow Bob – this Cavs squad has “timeshare” written all over it. Put on your sad face as we dive into the fantasy prospects for Dan Gilbert‘s crew. Read More »

While we don’t know exactly where Kevin Durant will be playing this winter, we do know he’ll make a decision by October. In the meantime, we will have to just catch this summer’s undisputed MVP continue to murder the summer league scene. After dropping another easy 44 in a Goodman League game this weekend, KD told the Washington Post that while he is weighing his overseas options, just like everyone else, he doesn’t want to rush into anything. Read More »

Though that horrible “L” word has finally slammed the NBA’s doors shut, fantasy basketball fans can rest assured that this young (and abruptly suspended) offseason has already offered morsels of activity to chew on. Old faces have landed in new places, which means there’s some fantasy analysis to be had. Here’s a look at how these early-summer trades will impact fantasy basketball once this real-life mess gets sorted out. Read More »

After a year in which he might’ve been the biggest free agent bust of the summer, Travis Outlaw is putting an emphasis on this upcoming year. Actually, it’s his cousin, Chris, who told The Dispatch that there were other issues last year that affected him. He used words like “stressed” and “couldn’t get motivated” and “pressure.” Read More »

I guess they did it for old time’s sake. With the lockout all but a certainty now, the Kings and Cavs are set to complete a trade that could mark the last real NBA transaction for a long time. After dangling J.J. Hickson throughout the draft process, Cleveland turned around and are apparently sending him to Sacramento for Omri Casspi and a first-round pick. Read More »