Want to win a free Vertical Leap Package? All you have to do is add the URL for your favourite dunk found on any online video site in the comments section below and I’ll pick my favourite dunk on November 7th.

Last year when I watched Yi Jianlian, I was completely unimpressed.  He had a sweet stroke, but he took difficult shots and he seemed unwilling to mix it up inside, even when he frequently had a height advantage over his defender.  Tonight, I saw a completely different Yi.

Between learning about “The Secret Game” John McLendon organized back in 1944,  the struggles Bob Love went through as someone who stutters, the racial issues Cleo Hill went through trying to crack into Atlanta Hawks rotation and countless other anecdotes about the NBA, “Black Magic” had me sitting on the edge of my seat for nearly four hours.

When the Washington Wizards and the New Jersey Nets open their 2008-09 NBA season tonight at 8pm,  the circumstances will be quite different than they were when these teams last met on December 28th of last year.

For the start of the 2008-09 NBA season, Converse announced a new advertising campaign to showcase Dwyane Wade’s ability to rise above his critics and achieve success. “Same Day, Same Story” will begin airing on October 28, 2008 to coincide with the new Converse WADE 4 signature basketball shoe and you get a sneak peak today on Hoops Addict.

Los Angeles had a relatively quiet summer in terms of personnel moves. Perhaps the most noteworthy action was the lack thereof, particularly as it concerned Lamar Odom and a potential trade for Ron Artest. In general, team management seemed to take the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it approach” and did not tamper at all with the core of the lineup that went to the Finals last June.

I was just notified by Kristen Wise about an auction starting tomorrow which provides Celtics fans with the chance to win one of 17 pairs of limited edition Kevin Garnett kicks.

A big thanks goes out to Julia Roy for making me aware of the interesting marking push KIA and the NBA are using to promote the start of the 2007/08 season.

If you’re looking for your NBA fix, you should read what these 11 bloggers expect to see this season from the Southeast Division teams they cover.

Buzzer Beaters this week has some information on a basketball magazine adopting 60 kids in Africa, a new Guitar Hero commercial with Kobe Bryant and a ton of basketball news and links.