It’s too early. Obviously. Three weeks into the NBA season, no team has played more than 11 games. There’s still about 85 percent of the schedule left. It’s not even reasonable to start talking playoff matchups or gauging Lottery odds.

But it’s never too early to start compiling contenders for the league’s Most Valuable Player award. And while the early MVP debate has centered around Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol — and even Joakim Noah according to some national analysts — right now Deron Williams should be ahead of the pack. Read More »

If you’re in the latter half of your draft and can’t see your team’s flaws, you’re either in a shallow league, pulling off one helluva draft, or aren’t paying enough attention to your categorical strengths and weaknesses. Most of us, however, will notice the categories that appear to be dragging our teams down. While some of these areas are easier to make up for in the later rounds than others, there are plenty of lower-rung fantasy players who can help fill in the gaps. Here’s an overview of some players (listed in no particular order) who will be found in the later rounds of your drafts and can help you out in the specified areas. Read More »

With the NBA preseason underway and three weeks left until the regular season begins, now’s the time when coaches start to decide which players will earn a starting spot or be moved to the bench. Throughout the League, there have been a lot of position battles — most notably Caron Butler vs. Shawn Marion in Dallas, the three-way fight for SG in Minnesota, and most recently, Andrei Kirilenko vs. Paul Millsap in Utah. Read More »

Just like last year, I’m responding a reader’s request for the results of a mock draft I participated in. It was for a head-to-head league with nine categories and 12 teams with 10 starting spots (PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, C, Util, Util) and three bench spots.

Below is a list of the results, with my picks in bold and my final squad at the end. Each round is followed by some brief comments and reactions. It was a fun mock draft and I’m pretty happy with the players I got. Feel free to give me your take on the fantasy squad I’ve assembled for the 2010-11 season through this mock draft. Read More »

With the L.A. Lakers’ offseason signing of Matt Barnes, it’s hard to argue against the idea that the two-time defending champions have formed the most agitating duo in the League: The Bash Brothers.

Depending on how old you are or what sports you follow, you might remember the nickname “Bash Brothers” from Oakland A’s sluggers Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, or from the ’92 Disney movie Might Ducks, back when Dean Portman and Falton Reed were throwing ‘bows like they were Ludacris at a downtown club in the Dirty South. But this is the new age of enforcers, with hit men walking around in the NBA. Read More »

This whole “Win a championship before LeBron” thing isn’t going so well for the Cavs. Even when Cleveland has guys that want to sign, they’re losing them. Yesterday restricted free agent Kyle Lowry inked a four-year, $24 million offer sheet with the Cavs, but before the day was out, Houston matched it. That was right after Cleveland fell out of the running for Al Jefferson and missed out on free agent Josh Childress. From last year’s 61-win squad they’ve already lost LeBron and Big Z, Shaq isn’t coming back, and Delonte West might be wearing all-orange and cheap flip-flops before he’ll wear a Cavs jersey again … So how good can Cleveland be next season? Read More »

Around the time it became clear Chris Bosh was not going to spend his entire career in Toronto, two seemingly natural destinations for CB4 were Dallas and Houston. Bosh would be looking for a franchise with more exposure, he’s a Texas native, and both of those teams could use a big man — especially Houston, since Yao Ming‘s legs are as sturdy as a LEGO skyscraper. But after the Rockets took on Kevin Martin and Jared Jeffries‘ salaries in the T-Mac trade (about $18 million combined for next season), it seemed Houston was out of the race for any big-time free agents. Not so fast, though. Read More »

Last week, Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers and Raja Bell “will enter free agency with a strong mutual interest to reach agreement on a deal.” This would be a great fit for both teams: Kobe would love to snatch up as many of his antagonists as he could while Bell has said that, at this point in his career, he wants to be in a situation where he could win it all.

But after catching up with Bell at Steve Nash’s annual Showdown in Chinatown it appears that although Bell has a strong desire to win, he would like to do it on the East Coast — preferably in Miami. Read More »

Picture a game where Brandon Jennings can’t dribble and Tony Parker is tackling Nate Robinson. Doesn’t sound very realistic, now does it? Well, that was the scene on Wednesday at Sara D. Roosevelt Park, where Steve Nash and his Foundation held its third annual Showdown in Chinatown. The Showdown, an eight-on-eight soccer match-up, was an exhibition featuring some of the most recognizable faces in both basketball and soccer. Read More »

When I tagged Tony Allen to be Boston’s most crucial X-factor in these NBA Finals, I was thinking more in the momentum-building, sparkplug-scorer role, with some solid defense thrown in for good measure. I wasn’t expecting TA to become this year’s Raja Bell.

The Celtics’ backup guard hasn’t done much offensively (4.3 ppg, 4-10 FG), but continues to earn playing time for his defensive efforts against Kobe Bryant. Read More »