Probably the best visual representation of the Clippers' respect of Vinny Del Negro as you'll find (Getty Images)

It's cruel to point out, but Vinny Del Negro's time as coach of the Los Angeles Clippers has gotten exactly to the expectation point those that watched VDN's tough turn as Chicago Bulls coach thought it would. He's been given a mismatched roster, to be sure, but his 28-21 Clippers could be characterized as "underachieving," and all the hallmarks of a Del Negro-coached team are there. The squad's offense is predictable, players are apparently chafing at his style of leadership behind the scenes, and (less importantly, but most annoyingly) Del Negro is still keeping up with that tradition of clapping and yelling at opposing 3-point shooters near his bench, as if he was a pep squad member in an amateur setting.

This is why rumors have been swirling about Del Negro's permanence and impermanence for most of the month of March, a month that has seen the Clippers go 8-9. This is also why the Clippers GM Neil Olshey and owner Donald Sterling gave Vinny what sportswriters are legally bound to refer to as the "dreaded vote of confidence" on Monday. Here's Sterling's take on his beleaguered coach:

"I like him," Sterling told the Los Angeles Times. "I usually follow the advice of my people, and I think they care for him, like him and want him to succeed. And I think he will….I don't know where all these stories are coming from; nobody talked to me. Everything is good.

Dennis Rodman shills for something he's probably forgotten the name of by now (Getty Images)

It's a story we've seen all too many times. A famous athlete divorces his wife either during his playing career, or just a few years removed from it while the endorsement opportunities are still rolling in. The athlete gets tagged for child support and/or alimony payments that are in line with a level of income that dwindles significantly within a few years. The famous athlete then gets way, way behind on those payments. Toss in a hard-partying lifestyle, way too many appearances at way too many pathetic public events, and you have the case of Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman.

Calling Rodman "broke" and "extremely sick," Dennis' attorneys (working pro bono) are arguing in court that he is unable to keep up with his own living expenses, much less those of his ex-wife. Here's the sad tale, from the Los Angeles Times:

Rodman is behind in his payments and faces a court hearing Tuesday in Orange. He faces up to 20 days in jail for failure to pay spousal and child support, according to an attorney for his ex-wife. As of March 1, Rodman, 51, owed $808,935 in back child support for the 9- and 10-year-old children that he had with his third wife, Michelle Rodman, said her attorney, Jack Kayajanian, in court documents.

Stan Van Gundy wants to know if he'll get free pizza for slowly morphing into Jeffrey Tambor (Getty Images)

A half-dozen times a year, these stories tend to hit. Usually during that dull in-between that marks the end of the trade deadline season and the start of the playoffs. Some home crowd in some home arena doing something unseemly late in a game because a fast food promotion listed on the other side of a ticket ensured them a free artery-clogger. In one-sided games, the cheers behind the statistical hallmarks (usually coming in the form of the home team getting to 100 points) are often the loudest in the game. And the saddest.

This was the case in Toronto on Monday night. Raptor big man Ed Davis nailed a shot late in the fourth quarter towards the end of his team's blowout loss, the crowd went bananas (for pizza, ironically), and opposing Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy had no idea why. As detailed by the great Eric Koreen, at the National Post:

"I mean, everybody's on their feet, standing ovation and the whole thing and then a guy in the crowd next to me sitting baseline said everybody gets a free pizza, so I guess that was exciting," Van Gundy said. "That was the loudest the crowd was all night. They were into that. That was a big basket by Ed Davis. They're going to put that on the highlight film at the end of the year. I was like, 'Wow, what happened, I thought they had like an 18-point play and tied the game or something."

Can Kevin Durant be an MVP and MIP candidate at the same time? (Getty Images)

Kevin Durant probably won't win the Most Improved Player award this season, and that might represent an accurate vote. He shouldn't win Most Valuable Player, because he hasn't had nearly as good a season as LeBron James, and he might miss a spot on the All-NBA First Team behind James and Kevin Love. Oh well. He might just have to be content with NBA Finals MVP.

Maybe he should win the Most Improved Player award, though. At the very least, perhaps he should stir a discussion about what that award really stands for. This is all spurred on by a fantastic piece from SB Nation's Mike Prada, who goes into great detail discussing the myriad ways the reigning two-time league leading scorer has improved his all-around game more than any other NBA player this season. The whole thing is a must-read, here's one snippet:

Fundamentally, Durant is still the same scoring assassin he was last year, but those subtle differences matter so much. Not only is Durant scoring at a more efficient clip than ever before, but he's also dramatically improved his playmaking, defense and ability to get open. Before, Durant was a great scorer with some weaknesses in his game. Now, Durant is a great scorer with no weaknesses in his game. That kind of improvement is amazing.

Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley strikes an unfortunate pose (Getty Images)

When word leaked that Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison was in talks to purchase the Memphis Grizzlies, the immediate reaction was a positive one, considering that decade-long Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has been sometimes hesitant to spend huge gobs of cash on his team; though he has gone into luxury tax territory a few times. Then the follow-up hit: Ellison is from Northern California, and after his attempts to buy the Golden State Warriors were outbid, he might be looking to take the Grizz to a waiting NBA-ready arena in San Jose. Uh oh.

Memphis residents needn't be worried, as it turns out. Ellison certainly has the cash in hand to buy the Grizzlies, but he'd have to toss out a whole lot more in order to purchase the team and move them to California, mainly because of rather strident lease laws the city of Memphis smartly put on the Grizzlies. Once you factor in the NBA's relocation fees, and the actual price of the team, it could cost Ellison up to $600 million to purchase and move the Grizz; and even with that there's no guarantee that a local court would allow the move, should Memphis put up a fight. All this is from a perfectly tuned piece written by the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Kyle Veazey:

Until 2021, the lease threatens court intervention should the owner want to break it.

Andre Iguodala is not impressed with Amar'e Stoudemire's lumbar exercises (Getty Images)

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Posting and Toasting. Amar'e Stoudemire is getting an MRI to help diagnose his bad back. Uh-oh. (UPDATE: He's out 'indefinitely' with a bulging disc.)
PF: Off the Dribble. Who are the NBA's best transition performers?
SF: The Basketball Jones. On Scott Brooks' fancy handles.
SG: Indy Cornrows. Tom Lewis details the Pacers' dodgy upcoming schedule.
PG: SLC Dunk. Happy 50th birthday, John Stockton.

Andrew Bogut does not look like me (Getty Images)Andrew Bogut will probably miss the remainder of the 2011-12 season as he recovers from a fractured ankle. He missed over half of the 2008-09 season with a fracture in his back. He missed the end of the 2009-10 season due to a horrific right arm and shoulder injury, the recovery of which clearly marred his otherwise-healthy 2010-11 season. Partially as a result of all this missed time, Bogut was recently traded to the Golden State Warriors in a move a goodly chunk of the team's fan base was not happy with, despite Bogut's sterling credentials (or, at least, "potential") as a game-changing, defensive-minded big man with myriad skills.

Stuck on the sidelines, again, Bogut is acting defensive-minded as he responds to the claim that he's "injury-prone," a semantics-driven argument that has dogged him for years. In talking with 95.7 The Game in San Francisco with The Drive, Bogut got rightfully (and respectfully) chippy with his detractors. Our mates at Sports Radio Interviews were kind enough to transcribe the interview, and relay the goodness:

"A little bit, but that's pro sports. We're paid to play and obviously when you're not playing you're going to receive some negativity and that's part of the business. What I would say is I've only had one injury in my NBA career that was probably was because my core wasn't strong enough, when I had a stress fracture in my back. … The last two injuries, I can't control falling on my arm and breaking everything in my right arm. And I can't control having a good defensive quarter in Houston … and falling on a foot. If you call that chronic, it's pretty uneducated in my opinion. But the reality is I have been hurt, so I need to try and, I don't know, maybe see a witch doctor in the offseason to get that bug away from me."

In an eight-day span between March 18 and March 25, the Atlanta Hawks were set to play six games, a grueling pace designed so that the NBA could squeeze a lockout-shortened 66-game schedule into a four-month window. And even before heading into Sunday night's win over the streaking Utah Jazz, the Hawks had handled the run with aplomb. Sure, the foes weren't exactly legendary (the Hawks beat Cleveland twice, New Jersey and Washington once, and lost to Boston), but tired legs often can't commit to beating even the lightest of opponents at times.

Then Utah, winners of six straight, come into Atlanta. And the teams play the first quadruple overtime game in nearly 4 1/2 years, with the Hawks pulling out a 139-133 win. Send stretchers and B12 to Georgia, because these Hawks are going to need it. Here are the highlights: