Last week we released our all-time NBA Draft franchise rankings, a ranking of which franchises consistently made the correct choices on draft night over the past couple of decades.  Now we're going to take a peak at the five biggest steals during this period of the draft.  These GMs earned their keep with these picks.

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For all you haters out there who claim that LeBron James chokes in pressure situations, I present to you this video to prove, once and for all, that LeBron really is clutch.  After speaking to campers at a youth basketball camp, James played some of them in a game of Bump (at least that's what we used to call it - it's also known by many other names, such as Knockout).  And, as the video shows, LeBron comes through when the going gets tough, dunking on (and flattening) a young camper.  Suck on that, haters.

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And then there were eight.  Actually, there really are only four left - Blake Griffin has an incredible four dunks that have made it to the Elite Eight round of The Hoops Manifesto's 2010/11 NBA Dunk of the Year Tournament.  We selected 16 of the best dunks from the 2010/11 NBA season and paired them up in a single elimination tournament and we're on to the Elite Eight round. The rules are pretty simple: you, the reader, vote for which dunk is the best between each pair (please only vote once per dunk - no ballot stuffing - that's why a valid e-mail address is required for each voting ballot). Each round of voting will be open for a week and we'll continue until we have crowned our champion.

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The day is finally here.  The day where fans of woe-begotten NBA franchises can dream of a brighter future.  The NBA Draft is taking place tonight, but if you've been too busy living your life to properly study up on the top prospects coming out of Azerbaijan or Kazakhstan, we've got your covered.  Here's our 2011 NBA Draft Cheat Sheet.

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It's that time of year again.  When desolate NBA franchises look forward to a rebirth.  When it's good to be a Clippers or Timberwolves fan (well, good in a relative sense - it's never really good to be a Clippers or T-Wolves fan). We, of course, are speaking about NBA Draft time.  But why, year after year, do some franchises seem to come away smelling like roses after the draft (hello, San Antonio) and some smelling like dead fish (hello, Clippers)?  While some of it comes down to just plain luck - the bouncing of the ping pong balls on draft lottery night - most of it is due to franchises making smart decisions when they're on the clock on draft night.

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You like the slam dunk?  You like free shoes? Well you've come to the right place.  We present to you The Hoops Manifesto's 2010/11 NBA Dunk of the Year Tournament.  We've selected 16 of the best dunks from the 2010/11 NBA season and have paired them up in a single elimination tournament. The rules are pretty simple: you, the reader, vote for which dunk is the best between each pair (please only vote once per dunk - no ballot stuffing - that's why a valid e-mail address is required for each voting ballot). Each round of voting will be open for a week and we'll continue until we have crowned our champion.

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After a seemingly endless wait, that little cutie pie Ricky Rubio will be heading to the frozen tundra of Minnesota next season (whenever next season actually occurs. 2012? 2013?).  Rubio, of course, is the Spanish basketball prodigy who has been playing professionally in Europe since he was barely a teen and who the Timberwolves selected with the fifth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.  It was debated that Rubio (or his peeps) wouldn't want to play in Minnesota (can you blame him?) but he never actually came out and said that himself, and lo and behold he will be in a Minny uniform the next time the NBA throws the ball up. no comments

Wait a second - what just happened here?!  The Dallas Mavericks, NBA Champions?!  No way.  Maybe five years ago, but certainly not in 2011.  Not with a 37-year-old point guard who has played more minutes than anyone else currently in the NBA.  Not with Jason Terry as your only other scoring threat outside of Dirk Nowitzki.  Not with Nowitzki injuring his finger and getting sick in the Finals.  Not with Dirk shooting 1-12 in the first half of Game 6.  Not with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade lining up on the other side of the court.  Not with a European leading the way (they're supposed to be soft and not championship material, right?).  Not if Dallas has to play the Lakers in the Playoffs - there's no way they can beat the Lakers.  Not with Mark Cuban owning the team - the NBA and the refs will never let a blowhard, blogging troublemaker like him win.  Not by having to beat LeBron - he's better than Michael Jordan, after all.  Not with Dirk Nowitzki as your best player - he's a choker in the clutch, right?

To the most unlikely NBA Champion since the 2004 Pistons, kudos.

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Looking for a last minute Father's Day gift for Pops?  First of all, you should respect your father more than to wait until the last minute to buy him a gift, but I've got a gift suggestion for you nonetheless.  ESPN has released Volume 2 of its heralded 30 For 30 documentary series.  No doubt any red blooded dad would love it.

Volume 2 covers episodes 16-30 of the series, with Volume 1 housing the first 15 instalments (we reviewed Volume 1 here).  While all of the films are recommended "must sees", hoops fans will be especially interested in these episodes from Volume 2: Jordan Rides the Bus, the story of Michael Jordan's ill-fated attempt at playing professional baseball; Into the Wind, which is directed by Steve Nash and documents Terry Fox's run across Canada for cancer research; and Once Brothers, which is the gripping tale of Drazen Petrovic, Vlade Divac and how the Yugoslavian civil war tore apart their friendship. no comments

Fret not, Miami Heat fans (if anyone is willing to admit to being a fan of the Heat) - the NBA Finals is far from over.  Yes, things are looking grim this morning after Dallas pushed Miami to the brink after last night's win, but there are still plenty of things for a Heat fan to be hopeful of heading into Game 6 (and, perhaps into Game 7). no comments