If we didn’t know any better, off this summer alone, our top five NBA players might read something like this: Kevin Durant…Brandon Jennings…LeBron James…freakin’ Josh Selby…and John Wall. Washington’s finest has been destroying everyone from the blacktop to the gym. As “The Lockout League” has finally taken shape, he’s not doing anything to force us to back off some of the prodigious claims we’ve made about him. He’s going to be a beast, and some of us even think he could eventually be the best point guard in the world. Read More »

Of the Top 5 Available NBA Free Agents I wrote about on Tuesday, Mike Bibby is the only one to officially ink a deal. But that doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been progress as to where they, and others, are headed for the rest of the season. Here’s what we know: Read More »

After an outstanding three-year career at Kansas, which included a 2008 NCAA Championship and three Big 12 titles during his tenure, Cole Aldrich was a Lottery pick this June. First selected by the Hornets before being trading to the Thunder on Draft Night, the Bloomington, Minn., native gladly returned to the Midwest. So with everyone’s expectations for the Thunder going through the roof this season, we decided there was no one better to turn to for the inside scoop on life in OKC. In his fifth entry, Cole talks about the D-League Showcase, Serge Ibaka in the dunk contest and his best Christmas gift. Read More »

After an outstanding three-year career at Kansas, which included a 2008 NCAA Championship and three Big 12 titles during his tenure, Cole Aldrich was a Lottery pick this June. First selected by the Hornets before being trading to the Thunder on Draft Night, the Bloomington, Minn. native gladly returned to the Midwest. So with everyone’s expectations for the Thunder going through the roof this season, we decided there was no one better to turn to for the inside scoop on life in OKC. In his second entry, Cole talks about the Thunder road trip, No-Shave November and his new crib. Read More »

After an outstanding three-year career at Kansas, which included a 2008 NCAA Championship and three Big 12 titles during his tenure, Cole Aldrich was a Lottery pick this June. First selected by the Hornets before being trading to the Thunder on Draft Night, the Bloomington, Minn. native gladly returned to the Midwest. So with everyone’s expectations for the Thunder going through the roof this season, we decided there was no one better to turn to for the inside scoop on life in OKC. In his initial entry, Cole talks about rookie hazing, facing his childhood idol and the best spot to get spicy California rolls in town. Read More »

Forget “Real Training Camp” on NBA TV. Can we get the Charlotte Bobcats a reality show on Showtime? Stephen Jackson is worth the airtime alone, but then throw in Michael Jordan getting used to everything that comes with being The Boss, Shaun Livingston‘s (latest) comeback story, Tyrus Thomas‘ mood swings, Sherron Collins‘ out-loud Chitown personality getting rookie hazed, Boris Diaw‘s battle to stay below 320 pounds, the Kwame Brown/MJ dynamic, and Larry Brown‘s manic obsessive nature, and you’ve got potential greatness. Read More »

If he keeps his two current jobs for a few years — and if we’ve learned anything about Isiah Thomas, it’s that he knows how to get (and stay) on his boss’ good side — then Zeke will eventually be the only college basketball coach in the country who can recruit the same superstars at least two different times. The New York Knicks have brought Isiah back into the fold, officially introducing him yesterday as a part-time consultant, where part of his duties include recruiting free agents. Read More »

With Summer League now officially over, NBA teams are beginning to hand out training camp invites. While first-round picks have guaranteed contracts, and second-round picks are almost always assured invites to training camp, the undrafted rookies who partook in Summer League now must wait for the phone to ring allowing them to creep another step closer to being on an NBA roster. Here are 10 undrafted rookies who will be suiting up for an NBA team this fall: Read More »

Best-case scenario: Amar’e Stoudemire is for the Knicks what Patrick Ewing used to be, a dominant interior force who can carry a slumping franchise back to its glory days. (Even better “best-case” is if he convinces LeBron or Carmelo to join him.) Worst-case: Amar’e is the next Allan Houston, New York’s $100 million letdown who will be remembered for effectively putting the ball in the bucket and not much else … Amar’e made the first real big free-agency splash of the summer yesterday, agreeing to a five-year, $100 million deal with the Knicks — putting NY back on the map and leaving Phoenix scrambling for a replacement if they want to keep contending for a championship. Read More »

I still remember watching Kwame Brown in his first Summer League for the Washington Wizards up in Boston. It was free and I was a fiend, looking for some No. 1 overall pick love. I can remember telling my boys after his first game, “Don’t worry. Kwame will pick it up. He’s only a high school kid.” Ahh, too bad.

Summer Leagues get their exposure from No. 1 picks, second-year standouts and once-in-a-blue-moon explosions from unheard of players. Below that though, there are always interesting subplots. Here are the Top 10 guys to look out for in this year’s Orlando Summer League: Read More »