NBA Rookie of the Year. Franchise centerpiece. An unmovable place in history alongside Jordan, Oscar and LeBron. Tyreke Evans was made for this. The 21-year-old Sacramento King is on a course to take over the basketball world, a goal that was in his sights before he even knew it.

Midway through his sophomore year, Tyreke is averaging 17.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists while playing through a painful foot injury for most of the season. His Kings are still looking up in the standings at the rest of the West, but their go-to player gives the organization no reason not to be optimistic. Read More »

This Thursday, LeBron James makes his highly anticipated return to Cleveland where he will undoubtedly be greeted with a series of boos (or laughs) and may require the services of the National Guard to get him across the Ohio border in one piece. But as much as he is currently loathed by Cavs fans, he did put the franchise back on the map and also accomplished some great things during his tenure there. Let’s take a minute to reminisce on those memorable performances at the Q (formerly Gund Arena) in which King James solidified his status as one of the game’s elite showmen. Read More »

It’s officially Back to the Future time for the Hornets. After starting the season winning 11 of their first 12 games and eliminating all of the persistent rumors about Chris Paul leaving, they’ve since lost four out of five and reality is beginning to set in. Last night in Oklahoma City — 24 hours after blowing a 17-point lead in a loss to the Spurs — the Hornets led for much of the second half until a flurry of OKC awesomeness sent N.O. home with another loss … Late in the fourth quarter, the Hornets were up by four before Russell Westbrook (25 pts, 11 asts) hit a foul-line jumper. Read More »

So he may not be Oscar Robertson, but he’s close enough for now. It took the Big O one game to record a his first NBA triple-double. John Wall needed six. But when your first one is 19 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, while adding 6 steals, we guess we’ll let it slide … Wall’s mid-range jump shot has already become a legit weapon. He made five from that range last night, and added a three-pointer as the Wizards beat Houston at home. If Raleigh’s Finest continues to shoot like that, it’ll mean an end for Blake Griffin‘s ROY aspirations … Read More »

Geoff Petrie, former two-time NBA Executive of the Year (’99, ’01), was the guy who put the Sacramento Kings on the map.

After drafting sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic in ’96 and flashy point guard Jason Williams out of Florida in ’98 — behind the likes of Mike Bibby, Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter — the Kings began the rise to championship contention. The team made other moves as well to help boost the roster: signing Vlade Divac in free agency and trading away Mitch Richmond for Chris Webber. Read More »

After being brutally beat down by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs — during which they tied for the worst single-game loss in postseason history in a 121–63 drubbing in Game Four while shooting 31.5% from the field and 13.3% from the three-point line — the New Orleans Hornets went about a rebuilding process.

In the aftermath of a highly unsuccessful end to disastrous ’08-09 season that included a mid-season attempt to trade starting center Tyson Chandler for expiring contracts, the Hornets were widely perceived to be looking to trim the payroll. Read More »

Perhaps you’ve heard about this thing we’ve got going on called the World Basketball Festival. No big deal, just a blockbuster four-day weekend dedicated to the greatest sport in the world, taking over the greatest city in the world, and attending by the greatest athletes and entertainers in the world. After Day 1 saw a Team USA scrimmage and Jay-Z performance at Radio City Music Hall, Day 2 was spent almost exclusively at historic Rucker Park in Harlem for a star-studded schedule … Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul got it started at the Jordan Breakfast Club clinic. Read More »

I often have to remind myself that the Internet world is, thankfully, not always an accurate reflection of society. Otherwise, I’d think hard about moving to rural Tanzania and living off the land. While I’ve realized the anonymity of being online allows man to channel his inner jackass without inhibition, balancing it with a dose of real life typically restores my faith in people.

But then last night, after watching “The Decision” at the Dime office and getting a taste of the predictable online reaction, I went home and was passing the crowded front stoop of my building when I overheard this: Read More »

Around this time last year, I ranked the Top 10 players at each position covering the NBA, college and high school ranks for the just-completed season. Welcome to the second annual edition, starting with the two-guards.

To clarify, “Top 10″ is different from “10 Best.” If you see Evan Turner ahead of Brandon Roy here, I’m not saying the incoming rookie is a better player than the NBA All-Star; I’m saying Turner had a better season than B-Roy. Accomplishments at the highest level of the game obviously hold more weight than others, but this is about who made the biggest impact on their respective level, who put their stamp on the game, and who made the ’09-10 season his own: Read More »

Kobe Bryant ruled the basketball kingdom in 2009: NBA championship, Finals MVP, official status as one of the greatest players of all-time. With his game and his fame having never been at higher levels going into the 2010 season, what else did Kobe have to prove? In my interview from Dime #55 (Feb. 2010), the Black Mamba talked about legacies and legends, months before he would add a fifth ‘chip and another Finals MVP in last night’s Game 7 victory: Read More »