We tend to highlight the Rashard Lewises and Eddy Currys whose contracts, concocted largely in part by NBA front offices, lead to pro ball purgatory (i.e. the NBA Lockout). However we often lose sight of the other end of the spectrum on the road to a new CBA: second round draft picks. USA Today published a piece on second round rookies like Travis Leslie, Isaiah Thomas and Josh Selby and how they’ve managed their finances, or relative lack thereof, until play resumes. Read More »

With the NBA lockout raging on, Jesus Shuttlesworth has been getting a lot more pub than Ray Allen has around these parts. But that’s about to change. Allen recently said he’s prepared to give up the entire year if that what it means to get a fair deal done. He said it’s his responsibility to his team and to the league to see this thing through to the end. Not exactly what we’d like to hear, but at least he’s committed. Allen is one of the few players that probably wouldn’t miss a beat even if they lost a whole year. Dude is almost obsessed with keeping himself in tip-top shape. Read More »

The first task for fantasy owners looking at the Dallas Mavericks is to take extra care to separate reality from fantasy. Yes, the Mavs were the underdogs-turned-NBA-champions in June, but that means absolutely nothing for fantasy basketball purposes. Assuming the team can reassemble itself into something resembling the 2010-11 champs, the Mavs will have one first-round stud and a handful of other usable parts, many of whom will be well into their 30s when the next season starts. Get those coughs out of your system and read on to see what the Mavericks can offer to fantasy owners next season. Read More »

Stop us if you’ve heard this before. A Denver Nugget is going to play in China during the lockout and will sign the largest contract in the league’s history. This is getting to be ridiculous. Do the Nuggets have some type of deal with frequent flyer miles? That’s now five core players heading overseas: first Wilson Chandler and Ty Lawson, then J.R. Smith, then earlier this week, Danilo Gallinari, and now Kenyon Martin. Is there anyone left? Of course, Martin is supposed to be a free agent so there’s no guarantee his terrible lip tattoo even makes it back to Denver, but there is a chance we see him playing in the NBA later this year. Read More »

About a month ago, word broke that Pau and Marc Gasol were going to be pitching for San Miguel 0.0%, a non-alcoholic beer based out of the Philippines. As the country’s largest beer producer with a market share of over 95%, San Miguel has been involved with hoops for minute, serving as a senior partner of the Spanish Basketball Federation. So in addition to filming spots with Spanish stars Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Llull, Victor Sada and Felipe Reyes, witness the first time that the Gasol Brothers appear together in an advertising campaign. Read More »

Now here’s something you won’t see in the NBA. Check out Minnesota’s new point guard, Ricky Rubio, throwing alley-oops to Dallas’ Rudy Fernandez and OKC’s Serge Ibaka. You have to think the U.S. is going to have problems with Spain in next summer’s Olympics.

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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 »

Contrary to public opinion, Kobe‘s still the same. He never changed, never mellowed or dried himself up. He’s still arrogant, cocky, believing he can’t be stopped, won’t ever be made mortal. Somewhere along the way, LeBron took his place as the most hated in the game…expected actually, because every great player has to go through this. It all peaked last summer. Read More »

It didn’t take Kyrie Irving long to learn about celebrity. He’s already filed a police report after being threatened by none other than Jessica Jackson, who happens to be Miss Hawaii. After they met briefly, Irving says the woman posted some YouTube videos and started going off on the No. 1 pick, and allegedly threatened to stab Irving … Read More »

I’ve seen a lot of this “Three Goggles” gesturing going on during the NBA Playoffs, and it got me to wondering the origins of it all. Come to think of it, what other physical shows of ecstasy have we seen throughout basketball history? After all, amazing happens when athletes make us identify with their personalities with creative visual celebrations.

So here it is: a rundown of some of the more memorable moves in basketball, many of which helped define their inventors. Read More »