Practice hasn't even officially started yet and the Orlando Magic are already feeling disrespected. Even though the Magic are the defending Eastern Conference champions, it seems nobody is picking them to return to the Finals this year.In fact, it was during their Finals matchup with the Lakers when Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce tweeted to his followers, "Looked like a German shepherd...

The drama surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers -- and especially their shooting guard position -- took another turn on Thursday night.Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the Cavaliers are on the lookout for another guard, preferably a combo guard to add depth behind incumbent and troubled starter Delonte West. This was actually something that was in the works...

Have you ever rubbed your eyes while watching an NBA basketball game, frustrated with the incessant chants and the chronic fan routines?Yelling at the TV to stop showing the never-ending sea of signs, probably loaded with insults and jokes about your team or favorite player?Yeah, me too.There's the soothing tune that we Celtics die-hards belt out, "Beat L.A.!" which I'm sure is about...

It seems that point guard Isaiah Rider has come out of retirement and wants to come back to the NBA, several sources told FootBasket. Rider, who just now turned 38 years old back in March, wants to make a comeback. He was last seen with the Denver Nuggets back in the 2001-02 season, averaging about nine points, three rebounds, and one assist per game for the team.He has had about...

Since NBA Primetime is fairly new, this will be the official part one of a four part series which will include power rankings from No.1 through No. 100. In addition, the top 100 rankings will also be updated periodically throughout the '09-'10 NBA season.These rankings are based on the players impact to their team, career averages, potential and upside, and overall championship swagger...

What's missing with the Atlanta Hawks? We can make the case that they have a young nucleus, a bunch of good players and arguably all the pieces in place to make their run, get to the next level and maybe compete. But some way, somehow is not happening. Mike Bibby plays at PG. Bibby is the head of the team, an accurate passer and an amazing shooter. He has experience from the glory...

In H2H leagues, the winner of the entire season is the winner of a 3 week, single elimination, playoff round. So, it's important to note the number of games each team plays during those 3 weeks, because an extra game or two over a handful of players may give you the numbers to win that week and advance. Don't go out of your way to reach for players, but if you're deciding between...

The Atlanta Hawks and 14 year veteran Joe Smith finally signed yesterday, August the 25th, a one year deal. Smith had committed with the Hawks for about a week now but couldn't sign until just yesterday for some kind of NBA rule. Smith is another one of those players who become a fashion in the NBA. Veteran that can rebound, shoot and be a good influence inside the locker room....

The Miami Heat's training camp opens a month from Friday. It appears as if Heat President Pat Riley has his rotation intact, and the only plausible move from now and training camp would be for a back-up point guard. Even if that back-up is Allen Iverson, it won't move Miami into the Eastern Conference's elite. The elite, or upper class of the East, consists of the Cleveland Cavaliers...

Every two weeks during the offseason, we at the Haven, will rank the Top 10 teams based on free agent moves, player development, and trades. 1) Boston - Adding Rasheed Wallace to a talented team that took Orlando to 7 games last season without Garnett means trouble for the NBA.  Resigning "Big Baby" Davis helps offset the loss of Leon Powe.  The only thing that...

Instead of doing battle in meaningful Eastern Conference playoff games, Joe Smith (right) and Hedo Turkoglu will voluntarily sign with teams that will be done before May.Just call Danny Ferry "the man with a plan." We will have to wait about nine or 10 months to see if his plan works, but there's no doubt that he has one, and he's simply not done adding pieces to an already-loaded...

Could Joe Smith end up re-signing with the Cavs?Starting this week is a Sunday series named "Attitude Check". In each article there will be a review of the week, a look at the week ahead, random thoughts along with other goodies. Check it out!In Case You Missed ItJamario Moon Press ConferenceA Look At The Cavs "New And Improved" RosterBulls.com Sam Smith: Is Kevin Durant Better Than...

With the Indiana Pacers' recent addition of Solomon Jones, Bobby Roberts was certainly right, the Pacers are going to be pretty active this off-season. I like the addition of Jones because he hasn't shown his skills much too often on the NBA court. But I've seen a few highlights, and I like how he rolls. With the Pacers most probably using him as a center, I've seen that he is pretty...

Hey guys, and welcome to another edition of The Fast Break! Let's get it moving now because we got some good topics to cover of the Indiana Pacers. Let's get going!Solomon Jones On the PacersFor my amusement, I went over to Indy Cornrows and checked out how they were doing. And by the way, thanks for adding my blog to your blogroll IC, I appreciate it very much! Anyways, it was shown...

Barring a last minute change of plans, veteran big man Joe Smith is scheduled to visit Atlanta on Wednesday, according to two of my best spies. And the Hawks are not out of the running for Ben Wallace, who has yet to agree to terms with Detroit (though, one of my best spies up north insists that it's just a matter of time before Wallace returns to the Pistons). --Atlanta Journal...

There's still plenty of time before the NBA season officially gets underway, but the offseason has had its share of big news, particularly in the Eastern Conference. Lots of teams have made moves to improve their chances of contending, and others are rumored to make big moves soon. The big three of Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando have all made big changes to their already stellar...

Took a week off blogging and the other fools didn't make any blog entries at all. It's all good. Time to kickstart this thing again. Where did we leave off? Oh, yeah. Offseason deals. ***HEDO TURKOGLU TO TORONTO, SHAWN MARION TO DALLAS, JERRY STACKHOUSE TO MEMPHIS, ETC.*** They convinced Otis Smith to do a sign-and-trade for Hedo Turkoglu. And I think this also nets a trade exception...

Call it a recruiting tactic if you will, but the saga of the Cleveland Cavaliers' struggles to land free agents because of LeBron James' cloudy future remains a big story of this offseason.James' indecision may be shooting him in the foot in his efforts to win a championship this upcoming season, but the first hint of what LB will do past 2010 were let out to one Trevor Ariza. In...

Man, this week had been filled with some HUGE trades. Let's talk about 'em. For my thoughts on Richard Jefferson going to San Antonio, check out this entry. SHAQUILLE O'NEAL TO CLEVELAND and SASHA PAVLOVIC AND BEN WALLACE TO PHOENIX Okay, so this may possibly be the biggest trade of the offseason... and the people are making me dislike Cleveland all over again because they're pencilling...

Miami Heat President Pat Riley spent most of the Draft merely looking at the trade bonanza that ensued after the Los Angeles Clippers took Blake Griffin with the No. 1 pick. Apparently, Riley was not kidding when he said that there were going to be no major moves until he knows what direction Dwyane Wade wants to take with regard to his contract. Miami selected Marcus Thornton with...

Expect Rondo to be on the move.Hawks, Warriors close to blockbuster.The Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors are closing in on a trade that would find a new home for Jamal Crawford.NBA front-office sources say that the Warriors and Hawks will soon complete a deal sending Crawford to Atlanta for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton. -- ESPNTrail Blazers trade for Mavericks' first rounder...

The Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors are closing in on a deal that would send Jamal Crawford to the Hawks for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton.Nam's take: This is an interesting trade for the Hawks. It will definitely have an impact on what type of contract offer they give to Mike Bibby. Crawford is not a true point guard but he is a prolific scorer. I would have preferred the...

The 2009 NBA Draft is only one day away, but I'm not talking about the Draft. The Miami Heat's lack of a first-round pick and the Draft's weakness contribute to that; however, division rivals Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks have completed lopsided trades that could potentially put them ahead of the Heat. Washington traded away its No. 5 selection in the Draft, Etan Thomas,...

The NBA Draft is next week and though the Spurs do not have a First-Round pick, they do have 3 Second-Round Picks at 37, 51, and 53.  Knowing this, there might not be someone available late in the draft to address the Spurs current needs -- youth, Center and Shooting Guard. However there are some decent Free Agents this summer the Spurs can realistically acquire.  Aside from the...

You would never think of a guy like Josh Smith ever being made available on the trade market. He's only 23, yet completed his fifth season in the league. The 6'9", 240-pound power forward who jumped to the NBA straight out of high school in 2004 just came off a season where he put up 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in the best season the Hawks have had in a decade. The year before that...