Friday was the night for some big-name players who’d been dealt at the NBA trading deadline to debut with their new teams. And none of them will have a more direct impact on the 2010 championship race than Antawn Jamison … The moment Jamison checked into Cavs/Bobcats in the first quarter, LeBron got a steal and looked off his new teammate on the break, barreling through two defenders for a statement dunk instead. (Statement: This is my show, homie.) Read More »

After the rumors quieted surrounding Amar’e Stoudemire, Miami has decided to check in on another Western Conference power forward. And even though this deal doesn’t appear like it’s going to happen before the deadline, the Heat and Jazz are talking about a trade that would send Carlos Boozer to Miami for the expiring contracts of Udonis Haslem and Quentin Richardson. Sources say that the Jazz and Heat might need a third team to complete a deal, and the Wizards (who are about $830,000 over the luxury tax threshold right now) could use the cap relief. Read More »

I think at this point, Amar’e Stoudemire is all but gone from Phoenix. As I mentioned in an article last week, it’s unlikely that Stoudemire and the Suns are going to agree on an extension that will satisfy both parties. Plus, there’s plenty of speculation that Amar’e wants to bolt to a bigger market anyway. Now that the divorce is inevitable, the question now remains: Which zip code will STAT relocate to? Read More »

Whatever words you would use to describe 2010 Kevin Durant — phenomenal, next biggest thing, etc. — Michael Beasley was once upon a time on the fast track to be even better.

But you don’t need B.I.G. to tell you that Things Done Changed.

One year after Durant (25.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg) owned college basketball and got picked No. 2 in the NBA Draft, Beasley duplicated the feat, topping KD’s freshman stats with 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. Read More »

Can you say contract year? There have been moments this season where Carlos Boozer has been looking like an absolute beast. Just last week, we posted this video of him giving Udonis Haslam the business. Last night against the Spurs, Boozer crushed rookie DeJuan Blair’s self esteem with this dunk. While he probably won’t be an All-Star, he’s definitely helping out his free agent stock by averaging 19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Read More »

On the basketball court and in the corporate arena, Dwyane Wade’s potential appears limitless. As the perennial MVP candidate and newest Air Jordan pitchman confronts off-court distractions and constant speculation about his future, he’s not close to giving up his spot on the medal stand as one of the undisputed top three players in the game.

Earlier this season, Wade posed for the cover of Dime #54 (on newsstands now) and sat down to interview for this story. Read More »

Whether it’s because he’s from Duke or because he’s had injuries in his past, people have labeled Carlos Boozer “soft” for years. After dunking right over Udonis Haslam in last night’s Jazz/Heat game, there’s no way you can call Boozer soft now. At least for the rest of the week.

Sometimes he’s the enforcer. Sometimes he’s the fullback. Sometimes he’s the safety outlet. Sometimes he’s the emotional center. Whatever you want to call him, he’s usually not the star of the team; he’s the guy the star can’t win without.

The NBA is set up for each team to have its superstar (or two), who is then surrounded by role players. And truth be told, there isn’t that much difference between the superstars — Kobe and Brandon Roy can go shot-for-shot on any given night, same goes for Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki, and so on — but what separates stars with rings to stars without are the role players. Read More »

For the second night in a row, Cavs/Hawks played out with postseason-type intensity, ratcheted up a notch because it came 24 hours after their last physical down-to-the-wire contest, and with an extra spotlight due to it being LeBron’s birthday … The Hawks led by as much as 17 in the third quarter, but midway through the fourth, Cleveland cut it to three on Anthony Parker’s Wade-esque spinning no-look layup where the replay showed he tapped the ball in from waist-level rather than release an actual shot. “Wow, no foul!” cried Cavs announcer Austin Carr, forgetting that LeBron pretty much manhandled Josh Smith while going for the loose ball that set up AP’s shot. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Dwight Howard put up 13 points, 20 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks and 3 turnovers in 33 minutes of a blowout victory over the Rockets last night. He shot 71 percent (5-7) from the floor and 75 percent (3-4) from the free throw line. His scoring, rebounding and blocks are down this year, and his turnovers are higher compared to last season, but you know what you’re getting with Howard. Read More »