Dwyane Wade was able to stay healthy for much of the season. However, now that the playoffs have arrived, he’s hurt once again. This time, he has a sore back that has also become stiff. Wade’s back was obviously hurting him in Game 4 of the Miami Heat’s first round series against the Atlanta Hawks.
Playing 45 minutes, Wade finished with 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds, however he made just 9-of-26 field goals and 1-of-8 three-pointers as the Heat lost by a final score of 81-71.
Despite his sore back, Wade vows to play in Game 5. With the series …read more

With the 2009 NBA playoffs underway, some fantasy basketball owners who can’t get enough are playing playoff fantasy basketball. If you are one of those obsessed with NBA fantasy, here are the top players to grab for the playoff fantasy basketball:
1) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Far and away, LeBron is the best fantasy player on the planet right now. Especially in the playoffs since his road to the NBA Finals looks like it’s clear sailing due to Kevin Garnett’s injury.
2) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe is basically the LeBron of the Western Conference bracket. He has a great chance to make …read more

5. Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Although Bosh had a stretch of the season in which he struggled, he’s back to playing great basketball. The acquisition of Shawn Marion has opened up his game a little bit and he’s able to concentrate more on scoring the basketball.
4. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron has been shooting the ball extremely well from the outside, shooting better than 41% on three-pointers in the month of March. If he can add good outside shooting to his repertoire, he’ll become even more impossible to defend.
3. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
His three-pointers aren’t dropping at their normal rate (30% …read more

Manu Ginobili hasn’t quite fully recovered since undergoing offseason ankle surgery. But in Monday’s game against the Miami Heat, he showed some of his old athleticism when he emphatically blocked a Dwyane Wade layup near the end of the game. You can see the Manu Ginobili video at the end of this entry.
Ginobili’s block on Dwyane Wade is a good sign that his recovery should be imminent. Compared to last season, his stats aren’t too different. His scoring and three-point shooting are down, but his rebounds per minute and assists per minute are both up. Plus he’s shooting better from …read more

Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
In Dwayne Wade’s last five games, the Heat guard is averaging 32 points, 6.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds. On top of those numbers, he’s averaging 1.8 blocks and 1.4 steals. While his struggling a bit from downtown, his field goal percentage has been solid.

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
In the month of December, Dirk Nowitzki has been on fire. He’s averaging more than 30 points and his rebounding numbers and shooting percentages are way up. Nowitzki had a slow start to the season but has recently regained his MVP form.
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are a horrible basketball …read more

Check out this new Converse commercial starring Dwyane Wade. You can watch a video of the commercial at the end of this entry.
The commercial basically chronicles a lot of the doubt Wade has faced in his basketball career. At the end of the commercial, a voice on the radio is heard saying Wade is injury prone and Wade gets up to seemingly go prove the doubters wrong once again.
The theme of this commercial can easily be transferred over to the fantasy basketball world. Every year, it seems that drafting Wade is a boom or bust proposition. This season, while some …read more

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Although Derrick Rose has looked really good at times and really mediocre at times in the preseason, there is no denying his talent. He’ll eventually take over the reins as the starting point guard for the Bulls and he will hold the spot for a long time. Not only is he a world class playmaker, he is already proving that he can score on the NBA level.
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
During summer league, Russell Westbrook looked amazing. While he hasn’t looked as amazing in preseason, he still is showing a lot of promise. He might not start …read more

5) Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trail Blazers
Although it’s definitely a long shot, Rudy Fernandez has a chance to win the 2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year award. He’s the most hyped player coming from the NBA from Europe and showed in the Olympics that he has an immense amount of talent.
4) Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
The number one pick of the 2008 NBA Draft doesn’t have the best chance of winning the award for the NBA’s best rookie. He’s playing on a team that has a lot of good players and he may not be forced into a large amount of minutes …read more

Although training camp hasn’t started yet, it is never too early to take a look at the MVP favorites. For the 2008-2009 season, five players have a really great shot at winning the MVP award. Here are the top five 2009 NBA MVP candidates:
5. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
If the Rockets can live up to their lofty expectation and Tracy McGrady can stay healthy all year, T-Mac has a chance to be in the MVP running. He’s an immensely talented player who could impress a lot of voters this season. Staying healthy will be a challenge, however.
4. Dwyane …read more

Which basketball players were the best in the world at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games? While many players performed very good, here are the best of the best:
Kobe Bryant, USA
When Team USA got in trouble, Kobe Bryant took over and got the Gold Medal for the United States. Kobe was lights out down the stretch of the game. His four-point play was the turning point of the game.
Pau Gasol, Spain
While Spain wasn’t able to shock the world and beat the United States, Gasol did all he could. The Los Angeles Lakers forward led the entire Olympic …read more