If the NBA season was going ahead as planned, Sonny Weems and the Raptors would have played a home game against the Clippers on Wednesday. Instead, Weems suited up for Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania on Thursday, and led all scorers with 22 points on 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range. That includes this gem at the buzzer right before halftime.
Let’s be blunt: the Toronto Raptors are a sorry bunch, in real life and in fantasy terms. Sure, there are a decent number of potential breakout candidates on this squad whenever the next NBA season begins, but there are also timeshares awaiting a few positions. There’s no true stud here, but when you’re in the latter rounds of your draft, keep some of these Canadian dinosaurs in mind. Read More »
Yesterday we showed you Ty Lawson‘s new kicks, but now it’s time to check out his new whip. After arriving in Lithuania to play for Zalgiris Kaunas, the team laced him with this sweet Renault Scenic that features his name and signature on the driver’s side door. I wonder if Sonny Weems got one just like it. Read More »
The pickings just keep getting smaller. No matter what you think will happen over the next few months – will NBA guys warm up to the idea of playing somewhere outside the NBA or will they decide against it? – the fact remains that the majority of them won’t be able to play there. Yes, won’t. No, it has nothing to do with on-court talent, the ability to mesh into a team system or even the possibility that they come over and outshine the entire team. It’s just that there really aren’t that many jobs available. Read More »
Once we do finally get into the real offseason, whenever that is, and teams can start making moves, the Kings figure to have the most flexibility and wiggle room. No one knows what the cap will look like, but going off the current salaries and cap holds, that appears to be the case. You know what this means right? Sacramento is going to throw a ton of money at someone like Nene or Tyson Chandler or Marc Gasol. It’s bound to happen. Would any of them bite and leave a playoff (or championship) contending team for perhaps $13-15 million a year? Read More »
So while Kevin Durant is killing at the Goodman League in D.C., watch DeMar DeRozan going off in one half of a Drew League game in L.A. Oh yeah, and joining him on the court is Michael Beasley, Sonny Weems, Austin Daye, Game, Ed Davis, Joey Dorsey, Joe Smith and Gerard Anderson.
Look, I’m as big a fan of DeMar DeRozan as anybody. When he was a senior in high school, I wrote a feature on him in Dime #39 that is still one of my favorite stories I’ve done. He’s a good guy, comes from a good family, is an incredible athlete and I think he will be a legit star in the NBA beyond just a sick dunker.
So I’m not hating on him. But everybody needs to settle down with the “DeRozan got robbed!” movement following last night’s Slam Dunk Contest. Because DeRozan did not get robbed. Read More »
It doesn’t seem like that long ago, but it’s been six years since Josh Smith put his name in the NBA All-Star history books with an impressive Slam Dunk contest showing that earned him the 2005 dunk championship.
In what was argubaly the best contest since Vince went HAM in 2000 — featuring a J.R. Smith behind-the-back dunk and a Steve Nash alley-oop header to Amar’e Stoudemire — Josh wowed the Denver crowd with a windmill over a seated Kenyon Martin, and another powerful windmill while wearing a Dominique Wilkins jersey, among others. Read More »
The Boston Celtics must’ve had the same Blake Griffin hangover that everyone else did yesterday afternoon, because the Raptors made them look just a tad too green defensively with an inspired performance. After uncharacteristically giving up 61 first-half points to an undermanned Toronto team — still waiting on Peja Stojakovic and Jerryd Bayless to suit up — Boston lost their second straight game … Nate Robinson, who was starting for an injured Rajon Rondo, scored 16 of his 22 points in the first quarter as Boston led by double-digits early. But then Andrea Bargnani (29 pts) went about the task of shooting Kevin Garnett‘s face off. Read More »