Most big-time athletes have charitable organizations. It's a good idea, obviously, because they get to give back to the community. If you don't think that's a good idea, then you must be some sort of monster.

Still, most athletes don't use their charities as opportunities for jokes, since, you know, suffering is pretty serious. On the other hand, no one ever said that jokes can't help draw attention to a serious thing. Jokes aren't just funny -- they can also help out people in need.

So let's all give Chauncey Billups some credit, because the recent ads for his Elite Basketball Academy are both hilarious and informative. For just $75,000, you could have Mr. Billups bake you a cake (gluten-free!). That's but a small price to pay to help underprivileged kids play basketball at a high level. Plus, I'm sure it's very delicious.

After the jump, check out two more great ads in which Chauncey offers to DJ a party and play golf. All for very special low prices!

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin (Getty Images/Noah Graham)Ever since Chris Paul became a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, the name "Lob City" has been the top meme of the 2011-12 NBA season. The moniker promises visions of basketballular delight on the level of gumdrop forests and marshmallow clouds. What we've seen from the Clippers so far this season has been a work in progress, but the name persists nonetheless. Once an expectation forms, it's hard to get rid of it.

The name started when Blake Griffin learned of the Paul trade, chest-bumped his teammate DeAndre Jordan, and exclaimed "Lob City!" However, Griffin now regrets saying the phrase in the first place. In fact, several Clippers seem to want to move out of Lob City entirely. From Arash Markazi for ESPNLosAngeles.com (via PBT):

Isiah Thomas, all stentorian (Getty Images)Could Isiah Thomas be making sense?

Could the New York Post be really fishing for startling headlines?

Could we finally be finding out what "mutually exclusive" means?

The Post published a story under the 'Isiah Thomas, former Knicks President, not thrilled with the Tyson Chandler acquisition' banner on Friday, and the title is technically true. But if you read Thomas' quote, as he talked to "The Sid Rosenberg Show" on Thursday, you can see that Zeke isn't exactly ripping on the Knicks for grabbing the defensive-minded big man.

"The guard play right now in the NBA is off the charts,'' Thomas said. "Losing Chauncey, I thought he brought a veteran leadership to the team. His savviness and guard play has always been severely undervalued. Detroit found that out when they let Chauncey go. I think there was a certain amount of leadership to what he brought to [the Knicks] last year.''

"If you don't have great guards, it's hard to put together a game plan,'' Thomas said. "You're only as good a coach as your guards."

I just wish there was some way to tell if Kendrick Perkins of the Oklahoma City Thunder is a hungry man. (Getty …

I mean, I am not an expert on the food guide pyramid or the My Plate healthy eating initiative, but I am pretty sure "eat, like, dozens of Hungry Man dinners all the time forever" isn't a sound nutritional plan, Kendrick Perkins. You are teaching this child all the wrong things to do, food-wise, and I am upset at it. Also, what is up with those ladies in the background just standing idly by and allowing this to continue? Clearly they know that this is NOT the food that growing boys need. Someone, please, step in!

Also also, are you yo-yo dieting, Kendrick? You can tell your ol' pal Dan. I am very proud of you for losing all that weight, but this isn't the kind of food plan that will keep it off. Here, try this. It's roasted Brussels sprouts. NO, FOR REAL, IT'S GOOD. Just try it, OK? Good. Now give me the Hungry Men. C'mon. Give 'em. There you go.

Best caption wins a terrible pro-vegetables bumper sticker (not really). Good luck.

NOTE: Also also also, this picture actually comes from quite a nice thing. An Oklahoma family won a shopping spree to stock up on groceries, courtesy of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Homeland Stores, and Perkins helped them shop. Big up yourselves, Perk, Thunder and Homeland stores.

In our last adventure: Al Horford and Larry Drew clearly like the cuts of one another's respective jibs. Some real strong Atlanta Haws jib-likin' right here, for sure.

We don't know how Twitter user @kimchimonkey got a nice video hold of this off-air video of Charles Barkley calling his new gig as Weight Watchers spokesman "the greatest scam going," (second to "getting paid to watch sports," in his words, of course) but we don't care at this point. Toss in Charles and TNT play-by-play man Kevin Harlan calling the Atlanta Hawks "terrible," and you have a YouTube clip for the ages.

Here 'tis:

Samardo Samuels (Getty Images/David Liam Kyle)Playing in Toronto presents a number of challenges to NBA teams. Everyone in the city is nicer, color is spelled differently, and basketball is roughly 25 times less popular than hockey. The biggest change, of course, is that Canada is a totally different country, so everyone has to carry their passports on trips. Otherwise, there's no way to get to Toronto, unless there's a particularly corrupt customs agent at the airport.

Cleveland Cavaliers big man Samardo Samuels fell victim to that last issue after losing his passport in early December. Without a new one, he was unable to play in Wednesday night's game against the Raptors. From Tom Reed for The Cleveland Plain Dealer (story via TBJ):

The Dallas Mavericks are the best in the NBA at putting out clever, funny and short viral videos to promote the team and their personalities. Much of the time, that means they make Dirk Nowitzki do very funny things.

So, if you've ever wanted to hear Dirk Nowitzki give a dramatic reading of the chorus of the Britney Spears hit "Oops ... I Did It Again," this is your chance. I believe this clip is known in many circles as fine art.

(via The Two-Man Game)

Deron Williams, minus the fade (Getty Images)

Deron Williams does not live in Salt Lake City anymore. He doesn't play for the Jazz. He's been a member of the New Jersey Nets for nearly a year after forcing a trade in a way by not signing a contract extension with Utah.

Stranger than that? Deron Williams, it should be pointed out and as you can see above, doesn't really have a "Deron Williams fade" (as you can see below) anymore.

Deron Williams, with fade (Getty Images)And yet that hasn't stopped local Utah denizens from often requesting a "Deron Williams fade" in one local Salt Lake City barber shop. Check out this exchange between City Weekly's Colin Wolf and John from Ray's Barber Shop from earlier this week:

"Question, do people still request the Clooney?" I asked. "No, not really. But I get a lot of requests for the Deron Williams fade." "What?! Really?"

"What about Gordon Hayward? Does anyone come in for a Hayward shag?" John shook his head, "Nah, I specialize in fades, for the most part. I really don't like doing those Justin Bieber cuts."

Sad moral of the story?