While many of the NBA’s brightest stars are off on vacations and free agency summits, the rest are hard at work with daily training sessions and player development coaches. And, like any other off-season, Los Angeles has become the central hub for those guys to get in some quality gym time. Read More »

It’s never fun to be the last player in the green room on Draft Day. As a hooper, you grow up dreaming of that one moment where you will stand up proudly on stage at Madison Square Garden and pound knuckles with David Stern for the first time. Being invited to sit as a green room attendee is fun, but it can sometimes turn into a schoolyard kickball game; waiting anxiously to hear your name called by the captain. And that’s just what happened to Nevada sophomore Luke Babbitt. Read More »

Last night, NBA fans were given something we’ve never seen before. No, not just LeBron James‘ widely-criticized but highly-viewed “The Decision” TV special, but we saw an unprecedented collection of three superstar teammates form like the Justice League … Think about all the other “Big Three” combos: Bird, McHale and Parish were nowhere near as athletic as Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Jordan, Pippen and Rodman were a different bunch, consisting of one explosive scorer, one Swiss Army Knife in the flesh, and one defensive/rebounding savant. Read More »

Less than 24 hours from the NBA free agency Royal Rumble, and teams are steady making moves to prepare their strongest pitch possible. The Nets, who have the first official crack at LeBron James (don’t count out somebody pulling a midnight surprise ambush), traded Yi Jianlian to the Wizards straight-up for Quinton Ross — a no-apologies strictly financial move that now puts New Jersey a good $30 million under the cap. That’s enough room to potentially sign two elite players. Even if Jay-Z can’t secure LeBron, we could imagine a core of Devin Harris, Joe Johnson, Rudy Gay, Derrick Favors and Brook Lopez … Read More »

We know which teams have the money, and we know which players they want. The only intrigue left before LeBron, D-Wade, Amar’e, Bosh, Joe and the rest actually put pen to paper is how they’ll be recruited. LeBron’s camp has already said they’re not going on a cross-country tour, that they’ll meet with teams at a “neutral site.” (Not that anyone will complain: The Knicks would swim through 500 yards of sh*t-smelling foulness to get LeBron.) … As for D-Wade and Bosh, reports yesterday said they will travel to New York to visit with the Knicks. Meanwhile, LeBron is going to hear pitches from the Cavs, Nets, Heat, Bulls, Clippers and Knicks. Read More »

Since hearing about the relaunch of NBA Jam, the talk of the office has been which players are going to make it in the game. As you know, the best part of NBA Jam back in the day was the player combinations. With that in mind, EA Sports has come through, giving fans the chance to select which three players from each team they would like to see represented in the revival. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Joakim Noah rose to the challenge of playing against a stacked Lakers frontline and finished with 11 points, 20 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 6 blocks and 3 turnovers. He missed a bunch of tip-ins and ended up shooting just 25 percent (4-16) from the field and 75 percent (3-4) from the line, but his overall line was too good to overlook for this honor. He continues to exceed expectations this season. Read More »

Buy Low: Tony Parker, while slightly overrated for fantasy purposes, is more valuable than his current stats are conveying. His points, rebounds, assists, steals and turnovers have all taken a turn for the worse this season but unlike his rap career, all hope is not lost for his fantasy value. Read More »

Weekend Wonder: Chris Paul made a somewhat surprising early return from a sprained ankle on Friday and dropped some jaws with his 16 points, 6 boards, 15 dimes, 8 steals and 1 block. He hit 46 percent (6-13) of his shots, all of his three free throws and chipped in a three-pointer. He had 3 turnovers, but a 5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio ain’t shabby. This line must’ve been painful for his owners who understandably benched him in weekly formats, but it’s safe to say that CP3 won’t need any time to recover his status as the best fantasy baller in the land. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Jason Kidd was a maestro once again, orchestrating a line to the tune of 16 points, 2 threes, 8 boards, 10 assists, 5 steals, 1 block and 4 turnovers. He shot 83 percent (5-6) from the floor and 100 percent (4-4) from the line. He could be finding his groove, but it’s unlikely that he’ll keep this kind of production up on a consistent basis. Regardless, Kidd remains one of the best fantasy point guards in the land. Read More »