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 »

John Starks. Brad Miller. Ben Wallace. The underdog. The come-up. That’s what this article is about, pinpointing those guys who are overlooked and passed over. Those three guys I mentioned above were all undrafted and all of them became All-Stars. For many, Draft Night is about celebration and security. But, others have to deal with the unknown. Here are the top five players from this year’s class who didn’t heard their name called: Read More »

Of all people, Lou Williams best summed up last night’s NBA Draft and the surrounding, um, activities. On his Twitter account (@TeamLou23), Williams wrote: “Early congrats to all the guys gettin drafted tonight and for all the women in NYC tryna get drafted as well. G’luck ladies.” … While the first five picks went pretty much according to form — John Wall to Washington, Evan Turner to Philly , Derrick Favors to Jersey, Wes Johnson to Minnesota, and DeMarcus Cousins to Sacramento — things started getting crazy at six. The Warriors passed on Greg Monroe (a big man who can rebound and pass better than almost all of G-State’s guards) to take Baylor’s Ekpe Udoh, which appeared to cause Detroit to drop its fascination with Ed Davis and snatch up Monroe. Read More »

DIME’S NBA DRAFT PREVIEW

Players, coaches, scouts and writers … ask any of them who have encountered Joe Johnson up-close and they’ll tell you the same: Joe is every bit his listed 6-7, 240 pounds. Maybe bigger.

Now meet Xavier Henry. A Top-10 prospect who left Kansas after his freshman season, he’s listed at 6-6, 220, and may be even bigger. And at just 19 years old, he’s not done growing. But measurements aren’t the only thing Henry has in common with his NBA doppelganger. Read More »

It seems like Pau Gasol still has some power over something. More than two years after the incredible garage sale deal of Gasol to the L.A. Lakers that damaged the Grizzlies’ reputation, Memphis is still dealing with questions about their direction and organizational leadership.

With less than two weeks before the NBA Draft, The Commercial-Appeal is reporting that there are a number of potential lottery picks who refuse to work out with the Grizzlies: Read More »

Back in high school, I always thought it’d be funny to declare for the NBA Draft. Coming from Vermont, I figured that the story would get picked up by ESPN and at least some scout/GM would have to check to see if I was the real deal or not. Because let’s be honest, no one follows prep hoops in VT. Anyways, this past weekend, I came across a similar story as 2011 J.D. Candidate Ryan McAteer from the University of Kansas School of Law published his intentions to enter the 2010 NBA Draft in the Kansas Law Free Press. Check out his letter to David Stern and Stu Jackson below. Read More »

It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of the NBA, NCAA or high school – great basketball is great basketball. And yesterday has to go down as one of the greatest days in hoops history. Ever. Take for example the first four games of the day: you had a one point game, a buzzer beater for an upset, an overtime scare and a double overtime thriller. Only if Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery called all four games, could you have asked for anything better … If you were on the site at all yesterday, then you know the Dime crew was on top of everything. So we’ll try and bring some new thoughts and observations to Smack … Let’s start with BYU’s Jimmer Fredette. Read More »

Granted, watching basketball all the time is part of my job, but it still amazes me how many people don’t (or rarely) watch college hoops until the NCAA Tournament. Because of such inexcusable ignoring of America’s best spectator sport (if you ask me), during the Big Dance I usually get peppered with “Who is that guy?” or “Who does [Team X] got?” questions.

Some of them make sense — even I can’t say I’ve seen Wofford or UC Santa Barbara play this year — but a lot of the players who slip under the mainstream radar don’t deserve the anonymity. So in the days leading up to the Tournament, we’ll be giving you four Players To Watch for each region, starting with the Midwest: Read More »

It’s Championship Week in college basketball, otherwise known as the week of tournaments before THE Tournament. And honestly, it seems this year people only really care about two conference tourneys: the Big East and the Big 12 … maybe the ACC based on history and hype.

So far I’ve previewed the Big East and the Pac-10 (hometown allegiance); next up is the Big 12. Read More »

Upon reading this headline, the majority of you might think that I’m crazy (and after tonight, that very well may hold some weight). Truth be told, this is either going to be a David triumphs Goliath or a blowout. However, in looking at the collegiate schedule tonight, the matchup of Kansas at Colorado is an intriguing one (9 p.m. EST) – and it will all depend on how the Buffs respond to the first 12 minutes. Both Pitt/West Virginia and Mississippi State/Vanderbilt will also be great to watch, but don’t sleep on the run in Boulder this evening. Read More »