A lot of people have been clamoring to get Derrick Rose in the dunk contest, and here’s a little sample of what he can do. Check out the ridiculous one-handed alley-oop off the pass from Ronnie Brewer.

Read More »

As much as the Denizens of Kobe Bryant‘s Crawl Space would like to believe their hero won his last two NBA championships “on his own,” the fact is that Pau Gasol was as important to Kobe’s fourth and fifth rings as Shaquille O’Neal was to Kobe’s first three pieces of championship jewelry.

As the Lakers have struggled recently in their quest for another three-peat, Gasol’s value is finally being realized. In a Dec. 28 loss to San Antonio, Gasol had only eight field goal attempts and scored nine points while Kobe jacked 27 shots. Read More »

If I could get into the Chicago Bulls’ Christmas party, I’m betting somebody in the organization will be giving out boxing gloves. After playing the first month of the season without All-Star power forward and prized free-agency acquisition Carlos Boozer and his broken finger, then with the news yesterday that starting center Joakim Noah — who was just signed to a $60 million contract extension — will miss 8-10 weeks following thumb surgery, the Bulls may be thinking of investing in protective mitts for the rest of their roster. “Sorry you can’t open your car or use chopsticks, Ronnie, but we need you against Indiana tonight.” 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 »

As the NBA preseason gets underway, we preview the upcoming campaign with the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team.

Added: Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, Kurt Thomas, Omer Asik, C.J. Watson

Lost: Kirk Hinrich, Brad Miller, Hakim Warrick, Flip Murray, Jannero Pargo, Joe Alexander Read More »

We argue. You decide.

CARLOS BOOZER (by Jorge Azze) Booz is undersized at 6-9, but has been the face of consistency at the power forward spot.

Since getting to the League in ’02, Boozer has averaged a double-double in five of his eight seasons, including the last four years in a row. He is a smart guy, Duke alum, with ridiculous work ethic. Read More »

In the least-surprising turn of events since the backlash against Barack Obama for not instantly fixing a broken system, the NBA announced it will put Heat/Lakers on center stage as its Christmas Day main event, as well as put the Heat, Lakers and Celtics on display for Opening Night in October.

The League announced a lot of other marquee national-TV games last night, too, most of which aren’t being talked about much this morning. Here are some of the hidden gems just in opening week: Read More »

Almost a full month into free agency, and still no home for Shaq, T-Mac and Allen Iverson. If you had told somebody back in 2001 that those future Hall of Famers would be standing in the same unemployment line next to Lou Amundson, Keith Bogans and Eddie House, they would have looked at you like you had lobsters crawling out of your ears … So far T-Mac appears closest to finding a new team; the Bulls are interested but want to make sure he’s (1) healthy, and (2) willing to come off the bench. Even banged-up McGrady has more offensive game than Ronnie Brewer, but defensively he can’t keep up like that anymore. Read More »

It has widely been assumed that the Celtics and Nate Robinson would eventually come to terms on a contract, and today they finally did. Robinson agreed to a two-year deal worth $9 million, allowing the Celtics to keep him in Boston.

This move makes sense for both sides, as they both need each other. Robinson finally learned what it means to be a team player after being traded to Boston mid-season from New York. While with the Knicks he was a me-first player who worried about getting his own buckets before the good of the team. In Boston, he realized what it meant to be part of a team and a winning culture. Read More »

Lost amongst all of the Sports Illustrated covers, ESPY interviews and polls proclaiming the Heat to be nothing short of sensational, the best team in Florida could still be the Orlando Magic. For them, this summer was more about curtailing roster losses and keeping their core together. With two straight trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, Dwight Howard & Co. have the foundation to contend for years. Read More »