Austin Rivers must’ve known I was there because he tied the perfect bow to the end of a trip that started in Hoboken, New Jersey and ended with a once-defeaning crowd of 21,750 eerily silent. The buzzer beater that won it for Duke set off hysteria for the party behind Duke’s bench – Doc Rivers and his crew – but for the rest of us there, it was more quiet than the school’s library. If you’ve been keeping up with my posts the last few days, you know I was in New Jersey for the launch of the Air Jordan 2012, and that Jordan Brand also brought me down to Chapel Hill to see one of the biggest rivalries in all of basketball up close and personal. Read More »

In our Hit List this past week, we couldn’t wait to see exactly how good Indiana was. They were 3-1 after last week, but had yet to play anyone better than the league’s ultimate scrubs. Finally last night, they checked into South Beach… and were obliterated by the Heat. Miami didn’t even have Dwyane Wade (out nursing his foot) and yet ran away from the Pacers by 35. James literally ran right through Indiana; On one three-point play, he jumped and bumped into Lou Amundson in midair. James came down. Sweet Lou ending on the floor with the photographers. So LeBron took care of the offense. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Stephen Curry followed up his forgettable opening night with 21 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, six steals and a three-pointer. He shot 58 percent (7-12) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the free throw line and had four turnovers. Sadly, Curry’s big night ended on a sour note when the guard landed on Kyle Korver’s foot and reinjured that balky right ankle. Keep an eye on his status. Read More »

With five points and eight rebounds, on paper, Joakim Noah didn’t have the greatest game against Indiana last night. But the overall way that the Bulls manhandled the Pacers (one of the most buzzed-about young teams in the League), he didn’t need to put up big numbers.

The following highlight sums up how the Bulls treated the Pacers last night in Chicago – Tyler Hansbrough thinks he has a clear path to a dunk, but even in preseason, there’s no way Noah is going to let Psycho T get his: Read More »

I’ll be honest with you. I’m waiting on Tyson Chandler to not live up to this new contract. It seems inevitable: big man who has career year at 29 years old, finds himself in a perfect situation, plays great D and rebounds but has it magnified because his team finally got through the West and won a title (seriously, if Dallas loses in the Western playoffs, is anyone talking about how great Chandler is right now?). Take it for face value: a 29-year-old, injury prone big man who’s coming off BY FAR the best year of his career, a guy who’s been incredibly up and down throughout his career was just given $56 million to come save the defense in the world’s most crazed media market. Read More »

Didn’t we kinda sorta predict this? Stephen Jackson hasn’t been practicing up in Milwaukee because of some back spasms, but some are saying he’s been sitting out for entirely different reasons. Reportedly, Jackson isn’t happy with his contract, one that will pay him over $9 million this season and $10 million next season. He wanted an extension in Charlotte – as a 33-year-old, you know the guaranteed years are weighing heavily on him – and the Bobcats decided to ship him out instead of offering one. Jackson hasn’t said a word about it during training camp. Read More »

The Indiana Pacers are some kind of something. That is to say, they’re a mediocre team with a few mildly appealing pieces for fantasy purposes, but nothing to go nuts about. If anything, there are a lot of untouched ceilings here, which may or may not appeal to you. Let’s take a look at what Larry Bird’s boys can offer fantasy owners next season. Read More »

The last thing anyone normally associates with Utah and Indiana is excitement. If you’re an NBA fan – unless you live close by – no one ever really thinks about the Jazz and the Pacers at all. They’re not good enough to go deep in the playoffs and they’re not crazy enough to be laughingstocks. They are what they are. Consistent. Middle of the road (for the most part). Read More »

Sometimes we lose sight that basketball players really are actual people. We scream and angle for trades, digest rumors like a plate of spaghetti and constantly run scenarios through our heads like we’re trading sports cards. It’s all a big fantasy world. But being traded isn’t the easiest thing in the world. Believe me. I see friends of mine whine when they have to move 200 miles away for a job (side note: amazing how attached some folks get to a hometown. Depressing. If you live in the same place your whole life, you are missing out. Big time.). Read More »

Now that Jimmer Fredette’s college career has come to an end, it’s time to look at his NBA potential. Tyler Hansbrough, J.J. Redick and Stephen Curry stirred similar controversy when their record-breaking careers ended and the NBA horizon loomed. Take a look as we debate the potential of arguably the best player in college basketball. Read More »