"Hey, Jose — I know I've told you before, but I just want to say again: We're so glad to have you on the Kia Motors team. Say, we'd love to put together a cool little 'viral video' to help promote you and our line of cars ... how about we come up with something cool you can do and we'll shoot it while the camera ops set up the next take?"

"OK."

"Hey, can you jump over a car? Not sure we want to go down that road again, but it did work out pretty well the last time we had a guy do it."

"Nope."

"OK, no big deal. ... Wait, not even the kinda-sorta fake way that Blake did it?"

"Nope."

"OK, OK. Totally fine. Hmm ... hey, I know. You're a Spanish point guard with some flash. How about you sit down in front of the car and make a bunch of shots in a row, like Ricky Rubio did a couple of months back?"

"OK."

"Great! Fire when ready, Jose."

"All right! I made the last three!"

"Don't worry about it, Jose. We will CGI them into weird, high-arcing misses so that it looks like they all got stuck between the rim and backboard."

"Why would you do this?"

"Because Internet."

"Do I have to look happy about this? I am accurate at shooting, normally."

"No. Definitely look like you aren't sure you even want to be here. If there's anything Internet abhors, it's evident exertion of effort."

"OK."

Fin. Via.

Tyreke Evans, just trying to fit in (Getty Images)

For whatever reason, several of the league's more entertaining players have fallen off in recent years. Be it due to injury, confidence issues, rotation frustrations, a poor fit, or general ennui in a profession that can get tiresome, these players have disappointed of late. For the next few weeks, we're going to take a look at a list of familiar names that haven't produced familiar games over the last few years. Or, at least players that have produced games that we don't want to be in the habit of familiarizing ourselves with.

Today, we're looking at Sacramento Kings swingman Tyreke Evans.

Jason Kidd and Mark Cuban, in bro-ier times (Nathaniel S. Butler/ Getty).Over two separate stints spanning six full seasons and parts of two more, Jason Kidd played point guard very well for the Dallas Mavericks. While those seasons didn't overlap with his prime — those seasons were spent in Phoenix and New Jersey — Kidd did share Rookie of the Year honors with Grant Hill in 1995 and played a key role in the Mavs' championship two seasons ago. Put simply, he meant a lot to the franchise.

Kidd is gone now, of course, after signing a three-year deal with the New York Knicks. The Mavericks had offered a similar contract, so Kidd effectively chose to play for the team in the city where he resides rather than for the one that's treated him pretty well since he was traded in 2008.

This development did not make Mavericks owner Mark Cuban particularly happy. So much that he now claims that the franchise will not retire Kidd's jersey (either the mid-90s No. 5 or more recent No. 2) due to this perceived backstabbing. From Jon Machota for The Dallas Morning News (via TBJ):

Andrew Bynum weighs his options. (AP)

Pop quiz, Andrew Bynum, a.k.a. Hot Shot. The Philadelphia 76ers and their fans are really excited to see you — like, "the team put up a billboard an hour after getting you" and "the fans are cheering you like Rocky at your first press conference" excited. And now this old dude's posted up for a high five. You should probably show him you're into it and really slap his hand hard to show him you appreciate his support. Good idea, Drew. Let's really lay a sound slap on him.

BUT WAIT! What if the sheer force of your high five, as a a 7-foot, 290-pound giant, snaps his arm clean off at the elbow? You are a man of science; you know this could happen. Your mangling of an avid Sixers backer will be captured on film and broadcast around the world, the goodwill will all disappear, and you'll be vilified as a monster before you ever set foot on the court. It'll be game over, man. Game over. Yeah, it's probably a better idea to lay off, put your hand up and let him come meet you in the middle. Shrewd move.

BUT WAIT! What if that's viewed as a lack of confidence and a sign of indecisiveness, the kind of thing that makes you appear to be a less reliable late-game option for the team that's been waiting on a go-to low-post player like you for more than two decades? Or, at least, they though you were that kind of player, until they saw that you didn't go after the high five. Can't believe Bynum hides in the big moments. Dude's totally not clutch. Total choker. And did you hear he likes to make computers? What a huge nerd. Definitely not Philly material.

Well? He's waiting, Drew. Better make your decision. Better make it a good one.

Best caption wins a red wheelbarrow because, like Bynum's high five, so much depends on it. Good luck.

In our last adventure: New Orlando Magic guard Arron Afflalo ponders matters great and small.

A look at Nike's new LeBron X, set to hit stores this fall. (Image via www.lebronjames.com)

Citing the rising costs of labor in China, of materials like cotton and of shipping, Nike is reportedly going to raise prices on its sneakers by between 5 percent and 10 percent this fall, according to the Wall Street Journal's Shelly Banjo. The across-the-board increase will result in a $5 bump on low-end kicks like the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars (the choice of Dan Devine since round about 1999) and a somewhat steeper price tag on the Oregon apparel giant's higher-end items, including the forthcoming LeBron X, the 10th edition of LeBron James' signature sneaker.

James unveiled the LeBron X — which are "inspired, both aesthetically and metaphorically, by the diamond, a precious and nearly indestructible gemstone," according to NikeBlog — during Team USA's gold-medal win over Spain at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The hotly anticipated signature shoe will hit the market this fall in two models: the standard version, which will retail at $180 a pair, and the LeBron X Nike Plus, which will include the company's Nike+ technology, built around embedded pressure/motion sensors that track and store data on stuff like how much/how far/how fast a player moves during a game or workout, or how high he/she jumped on a dunk.

The model's going to run you $315, making it the most expensive pair of sneakers Nike's ever brought to market, according to Banjo. And while the sneakerhead community's known what the LeBron X will cost for nearly a month now five months now (shouts to CounterKicks), the WSJ report brought the news to the world at large, sparking notices in financial notes columns and business-specific news sites, and even on National Public Radio. The general tenor of such outsider discussion of the price point — which, again, is the going rate just for the high-tech, Nike+-infused model, and not the regular shoes, which will cost $180, or $10 more than last year's LeBron 9 — has been characterized by surprise and, in some places, dismay.

Gawker's Hamilton Nolan offered a fairly succinct encapsulation of the blowback:

As unemployment ravages the working class, our lower and higher education systems shudder in crisis, and murder decimates our forgotten urban poverty zones, Nike is rolling out its first $300+ sneaker. But mom, you don't understand—it's worth it.

Andray Blatche (Ned Dishman/ Getty)Since the advent of the NBA's amnesty clause, many highly paid players have been waived only to find new teams shortly thereafter. For players like Chauncey Billups (Knicks to Clippers) and Elton Brand (76ers to Mavericks), the problem wasn't that they lacked all use on the basketball court — it was simply that they made too much money given their contributions. Precious few of the amnestied players have failed to find new work at all, because it's not as if their large contracts were handed out with no on-court basis at all.

However, some players present different problems altogether. Consider, for instance, former Washington Wizards forward Andray Blatche, whose remaining three years and $23 million were wiped from the franchise's salary cap figures in mid-July. Over his seven years in DC, Blatche cultivated a reputation as a troublemaker and malcontent. So, despite his considerable abilities and the near-constant need for talented big men around the NBA, Blatche has earned very little interest on the open market.

Things look so dire, in fact, that Blatche is openly proclaiming that he's willing to play in the D-League. From Donna Ditota for The Syracuse Post Standard (via EOB):

Dwight Howard tries to convince Mitch Kupchak that those are really prescription frames (Getty Images)

Prior to the deal that sent Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers, you couldn't blame Mitch Kupchak for failing to land the MVP-caliber center. Apparently the Lakers GM had been attempting for months, back to the midpoint of the 2011-12 season, to turn any number of Andrew Bynum-led packages into a deal for the former Orlando Magic big man, but had been rebuffed by two different GMs (and, in a way, Howard himself). And after grabbing Steve Nash for a song and retaining the team's three All-Star level starters, nobody could criticize Kupchak for going on the family vacation he had committed to during the second week of August.

To him, the Howard deal was "over," as the Magic mulled their options. Apparently the relaxed trade restrictions on rookie forward Moe Harkless sent new Orlando GM Rob Hennigan over the moon, and the Lakers were able to make a massive upgrade from the league's second to best center in time enough for Kupchak to make that family holiday. From a nice interview with Orange County Register's Kevin Ding:

The Lakers were always confident Howard would re-sign with them given who and where they are, besides how much more they can offer than any other club. Other teams interested in Howard were understandably worried that Howard might leave via free agency a year from now — and therefore cautious in what they offered.

Whether he's just a customer who is satisfied (Kupchak's chosen description, actually, was "ecstatic"), Kupchak praised Hennigan upon emerging so nice and dry from that waterfall of frustrating trade talks.

At this point, it's not hard to envision a world in which Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace is appearing somewhere on television 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Between his phenomenal stint as a Canadian weatherman, his upcoming supporting role as a detective in a Lifetime adaptation of a Nancy Grace novel and his just-booked slot as an "overtly sexual vampire elder" in a reality TV parody pilot, the 32-year-old artist formerly known as Ron Artest is showing a real commitment to working his way into the broadcast world, honing his craft in a variety of settings and showing casting directors everywhere that he can fit seamlessly into virtually any TV genre.

Next up for MWP: Children's programming, a hand-in-glove fit for the oversized personality. World Peace and daughter Diamond Artest appeared Sunday on a sports-themed episode of the hit Nick Jr. TV show "Yo Gabba Gabba!" that featured the 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year testing his mettle on the track in a "Yo Gabba Olympics" race against multiple friendly looking monsters. Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times has your breathless breakdown of the sprint:

World Peace ran against Toodee, a "blue cat-dragon," and Mrs. Fox, who looks like just as her name suggests. A red cyclops (Muno), a pink flower (Foofa) and a robot (Plex) watched the so-called "Yo Gabba Olympics" with unyielding enthusiasm. World Peace's 8-year-old daughter, Diamond, coached him on the sideline.

The 35-second appearance fit World Peace's goofy personality perfectly. He wore tight, super-short track shorts and high socks with bold stripes. World Peace looked awkward and slow. And moments after crossing the finish line, World Peace warmly embraced Toodee.

While we certainly respect Medina's reporting chops, I think he's giving short shrift to Metta's closing burst. Any "awkward and slow" start, it seems clear to me, was intended solely to make sure that he had enough left in the tank for the final kick. And, as we now know, that strategy sure paid off. All of us here at Ball Don't Lie would like to congratulate to World Peace not only on a race well run, but also on joining Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol as Lakers to win Olympic medals this summer. You did it!