The Denver Nuggets recently lost Dahntay Jones to the Indiana Pacers and Linas Kleiza to a team in Europe. On Friday, they were able to keep one of their pieces — point guard Anthony Carter. Next year will be Carter’s fourth season with Denver.
Known for his defense, ability to pass the ball and his leadership, Carter played relatively well last year. In 78 games, he averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 assists in 22.9 minutes per game. He shot 43.3% from the field and 73.1% from the line.
In the playoffs, Carter played well against the Dallas Mavericks in the second round …read more

While Ty Lawson was undoubtedly the best point guard in college basketball last season, NBA scouts give his NBA potential mixed reviews. Apparently, even leading North Carolina to a championship last year didn’t prove to scouts that he’s fully capable of being a pro.
Last season, Lawson averaged 16.6 points, 6.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. He shot 53.2% from the field, 47.2% from three-point range and turned the ball over just 1.9 times per contest.
Lawson’s biggest asset is his quickness. From end to end, he’s lightning. He’s also an underrated athlete and is able to get to the rim …read more

I know we’re still in NBA playoff mode (speaking of which, how good was the Bulls/Celtics series??? I didn’t want it to end!), but I took it upon myself to look ahead, just a bit, to the upcoming 2009 NBA draft.
Short of creating a mock draft, I listed which players I personally think rank in the top ten as far as prospects go. I think they are the cream of the draft crop. Whether or not NBA scouts agree with me is another question.
Lyndsey’s Top Ten 2009 NBA Draft Prospects

When it comes to underclassmen in the world of college basketball, some player are forgone conclusions as far as the NBA draft is concerned … others not-so-much.
There was hardly a blink of an eye when Hasheem Thabeet, Ty Lawson and Blake Griffin — for example — announced that they were entering the 2009 NBA Draft.
But players like Eric Devendorf and Roderick Flemings (Hawaii … I know …) make us scratch our heads and say, “Huh?”
The NBA Draft is a tricky thing. It’s like Forrest Gump and his box o’ chocolates — “You never know what you’re gonna get.”
The following …read more

Even before the Final Four games take place, UNC guard Ty Lawson has already won.
Once he arrived in Detroit, Lawson headed straight to the casino to try his luck.
It looks as though his lucky streak is a hot one. Lawson won $250 playing craps.
Some media outlets are already passing judgment on Lawson and suggesting that NCAA gambling regulations be enforced.
But Lawson is of legal age and playing craps for about an hour hardly qualifies as a gambling problem. It’s not like he’s the next Charles Barkley or anything.
Cut the kid some slack and let him ride his luck a little …read more

All 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s are still breathing, though some easier than others. Gus Johnson is God, still. And Lazar Hayward is probably still sick from his booboo, his spectacle, his stumble.

Most Exciting Game
Slim pickings. Gonzaga v. Western Kentucky was dynamite though. Mendez-Valdez and Slaughter hit some tough shots but at the finish the defense was just scattered as all hell, allowing Demetri Goodson to essentially take a h-o-r-s-e shot for the win. Jeremy Pargo, the cat I thought was running the ball up the court there at the end, causing me to wrongly shout ‘freakin Pargo’, was feeling it …read more

The Tar Heels just humiliated Duke in their house again for the fourth year in a row 101-87.
Ty Lawson led all scorers with 25 points. Tyler Hansbrough had 17 and Danny Green and Wayne Ellington had 15 points each.
Green and Hansbrough did something that’s never been done in the Mike Krzyzewski era – they went four for four at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke was led by Kyle Singler‘s 22 points. Jon Scheyer added 20 and Gerald Henderson tossed in 17 for the Blue Devils.
Honestly, after the Blue Devils (20-4, 7-3) took a 52-44 lead at halftime, I thought the outcome …read more

I’m curious as to if any of the Seminole players have ever heard of stopping the ball. I know Ty Lawson has QUICKS, but make him change direction or something.

This is clearly Greg Paulus’s fault. The truth is that if Greg was in the game he would have swatted that layup away. Greg, what are you doing on the bench?

UNC beat the Michigan State Spartans down by 35 on Wednesday.
Not only did lightning quick (tell that to Ty Lawson) sophomore guard Kalin Lucas struggle, virtually no points came from Michigan State’s frontline, and to make matters worse, the Ford Field crowd had the intensity of a mid-August Royals crowd at Kauffman Stadium.
Spartans Weblog author kj was actually at the drubbing,
…the environment at Ford Field didn’t help. The sparse crowd (relative to the size of the arena) never gave the team any kind of emotional lift. At one point in the second half, the crowd gave a Bronx …read more

Gary Parrish from cbssportsline recently revealed his picks for the Preseason All-American teams:
1st team:
Guard: Darren Collison
Guard: Stephen Curry
Forward: Blake Griffin
Forward: Luke Harangody
Forward: Tyler Hansbrough
My only beef with this team is at the top.
Darren Collison is an overrated defensive player. Sure, Darren is adequate enough, but could Darren slow down Ty Lawson or Jonny Flynn? Tyrese Rice?
Would Tyreke Evans dominate Collison like Derrick Rose did?
Offensively there’s not much to critique. Not many point guards can shoot the trey as well as Collison did last season. Nor can they break down a defense as well as …read more