Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
If you're not a close follower of the NBA, then just six games or so into the season, we can't necessarily hold it against you if the name Tyreke Evans doesn't ring a bell. Besides being a rookie, Evans plays for the Sacramento Kings, a team that won just 17 games a season ago, and figured to be about as bad this year with stud scorer Kevin Martin sidelined indefinitely with an injury.
But after what Evans did to Deron Williams in leading his undermanned team to a road win in Utah on Saturday, he won't remain anonymous to basketball fans for much longer.
What a night for Kevin Martin. The dynamic guard for the Kings -- and currently the league's No. 3 scorer -- learned Thursday morning his sore wrist was actually a fractured navicular bone, a pretty brutal injury in terms of risk and recovery. Sources tell FanHouse Martin was strongly recommended by at least two doctors (including Sacramento's team doctor and a separate hand specialist) to undergo reparative surgery or to put the in a cast for 6-8 weeks. The franchise, however, left the decision to Martin, who kept a third option -- play through it wearing a soft cast -- open temporarily.
Martin told reporters he'd sleep on it and make a decision Friday. Sanity has prevailed over machismo, and Martin told the Sacramento Bee's Sam Amick today that playing with a soft cast has been ruled out. Martin will either put a hard cast on the arm, or undergo surgery.
Freaky Friday in NOLA. The greatest point guard in the world -- Chris Paul. A festive atmosphere, the home opener for the Hornets. Tyreke Evans, rookie point guard for the Sacramento Kings, had a big challenge ahead. Never mind he was coming off an underwhelming debut Wednesday in Oklahoma City. For the 20-year-old wolf in wolf's clothes, this was the proverbial uphill battle.
And though it didn't end with glass slippers or even confetti, Evans proved he belongs in the NBA.
Every season, the NBA is filled with a few abjectly awful teams. These squads trudge through their affairs, offering spirit in infrequent spurts while otherwise counting down the days until summer vacation. You take bad players and strip their motivation, their energy ... and it's ugly quickly.
A lot of Kings fans, myself included, spent the 2008-09 season bemoaning the inability of Sacramento starting point guard Beno Udrih to cleanly pass the ball. But let me assure you: Beno has no problem passing the blame.
A candid, borderline cheerful Beno discussed the abominable 17-win season with Sacramento media Monday. And his opinion on what went wrong was impossible to misinterpret: blame coaches Reggie Theus and Kenny Natt.
"Sometimes last season, I didn't know if I was a small forward or a point guard," the 6'3 Udrih said. "We were definitely confused. We didn't have roles."
BRADENTON, Fla. – It's not easy being the best player on the worst team in the league.
It's why Sacramento guard Kevin Martin is wearing blinders this summer -- looking only straight ahead.
"All the losing is tough -- it wears on you -- but this time of year I try not to worry about things I don't control,'' he said. "What I can control is that I can become a better player every summer by working at it.''
On Tuesday, 18-year-old Pennsylvanian Jamar Evans was sentenced nine-to-20 years in prison for the drive-by shooting murder of 19-year-old Marcus Reason. Today, Evans' cousin -- Memphis stand-out Tyreke Evans -- will be made a lottery pick in the NBA Draft.
As we know all too well, many professional athletes have relatives who commit heinous crimes. This almost always says nothing about the athletes. But there's a twist in this case, one which doesn't implicate Tyreke but pops your eyes wide open: when Jamar Evans shot and killed Reason, Tyreke Evans was his driver.
Bloggers knee-jerking on the phone + roundtable style = RoundCast.
With the NBA Draft just a few days away, Matt Moore and Tom Ziller joined me to discuss some of the many ways that we might see things play out on the big night in NYC. And just about every scenario hinges on what the Memphis Grizzlies decide to do with the number two pick.
There's Ricky Rubio and Hasheem Thabeet to consider, or the team could try to trade down to get some more value, while still scooping up someone like Tyreke Evans. We know that the Clippers have the first pick, but for all intents and purposes, the Grizzlies are on the clock.
The Minnesota Timberwolves might not have had the best regular season in 2008-09, but they're sure going to be a factor come the NBA Draft on Thursday.
New president of basketball operations David Kahn has five picks to use, including three in the first round. Minnesota has the Nos. 6, 18, and 28 picks in Round 1, and two more in the second round.
Will Kahn use all of those picks to drastically remake the T-Wolves' roster, or might he package a couple of picks or three in order to land a veteran difference-maker? More on the Northwest Division after the jump.
In an uncertain NBA Draft, that so many prospects have avoided competitive workouts is a bit odd. No player but Blake Griffin is guaranteed a spot in the top three, so you think the usual "boy versus chair" auditions would be out. Nope. To date, Hasheem Thabeet has not worked out with another player, nor have James Harden or Tyreke Evans.
As the draft moves closer (one week away), Evans has changed his stance: he'll work out against Stephen Curry this Sunday in Sacramento. Evans had previously blamed scheduling conflicts for his evasion of big talker/defender Terrence Williams. The Kings had reportedly tried to set up the two when both were in town, but Evans' camp (led by brother Reggie -- no, not that one) nixed it. Either way, Curry and Greece-bound Nick Calathes will provide less physical foils for Tyreke. (And yes, this also serves to debunk the "Curry shuts it down" rumor ... although the sharpshooter still hasn't rescheduled with Minnesota.)
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
What a night for 
Freaky Friday in NOLA. The greatest point guard in the world -- 
FanHouse 
A lot of Kings fans, myself included, spent the 2008-09 season bemoaning the inability of Sacramento starting point guard 
BRADENTON, Fla. – It's not easy being the best player on the worst team in the league.
On Tuesday, 18-year-old Pennsylvanian Jamar Evans was 
Bloggers knee-jerking on the phone + roundtable style = 
The 
In an uncertain 
