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Welcome to Year 7 of the TrueHoop Stat Geek Smackdown.

NEW ORLEANS -- First came the game jersey. Then the right wristband, followed by the left. With the fans still begging for more spoils, Chris Paul kicked off his shoes, one going into the scrum of fans crushing the barricade cordoning off the baselin...

Getty ImagesWorking on Christmas: Deron Williams, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony. A third of the NBA will be in action on Christmas Day, as fans will be treated to 14 consecutive hours of basketball featuring the league's top four teams and seven ...

Noah Graham/Getty Images Eddy Curry: The Mavs' newest reclamation project. LOS ANGELES -- Would you look at Eddy Curry? Wrestling Pau Gasol down on the right block, taking him middle after a massive drop step, then deking him with an up-and-under m...

The ultimate fantasy parlor game for the hardcore NBA fan: All expenses paid from your doorstep to an NBA arena 10 times during the 2012-13 season. First class on your preference of air carrier (that means double qualifying miles!) and the penthou...

NBAE/Getty Images Wings of desire: Bradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Dion Waiters are ready for flight. Atlanta Hawks John Jenkins: Quite possibly the best pure shooter in the 2012 draft class, Jenkins has the kind of silky stroke coache...

Chicago Bulls PG Derrick Rose  SG Ronnie Brewer  SF Luol Deng  PF Carlos Boozer  C Joakim Noah Minutes Played: 284 Offensive Rating: 111.6 points per 100 possessions Defensive Rating: 91.8 points per 100 possessions How it works offensiv...

In a couple of weeks, we'll start hearing the inevitable chatter about hot seats in the NBA. The formula for who rides the hot seat is pretty reliable. The coach's team has underperformed and his critics believe he has been given ample time to succee...

Otto Kitsinger/NBAE/Getty Images After one season on the bench, Nancy Lieberman will move into the Texas Legends' front office. As Marc Stein reported on Sunday, Texas Legends head coach Nancy Lieberman will be moving from the bench to the front of...

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Joakim Noah hurled a gay slur at a fan at the Eastern Conference finals' Game 3 in Miami. When Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah was caught on camera Sunday night appearing to hurl the word "f-----" at an obnoxious fan...

"I've never been in a place where I've walked in the street and actually feel home, where I don't feel like a refugee." Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng says. It's been two decades since Bull forward Luol Deng fled worn-torn southern Sudan, where h...

Jim Rogash/NBAE/Getty Images Could the Orlando Magic benefit from more modest expectations? Unlike the Western Conference where the Lakers have reigned supreme over the past couple of seasons, the Eastern Conference regular-season landscape has bee...

Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images The Bulls would be smart to use these former Jazzmen to install the flex offense in Chicago. The Utah Jazz feature one of the longest-tenured, most consistently successful offensive systems in the NBA. Jerry ...

Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images Vinny Del Negro: Starting over in Los Angeles. When the Chicago Bulls hired Vinny Del Negro in June 2008, he was regarded as an outside-the-box hire. Here was a young, well-liked member of the basketball fraternity...

Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images DeMar DeRozan and Austin Daye will be back for another go at in Las Vegas. Summer League rosters feature a broad range of stories. You have the high lottery pick who is here to put on a show. You also have the guy ...

The Clippers are unlikely to name a head coach before Tuesday, sources close to the situation said on Saturday. The team met with Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey and former Chicago Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro on Monday and Tuesday,...