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: YouTube. Jazz pull off CollegeHumor-like $1 million half-court shot prank on unsuspecting Lakers fan.
PF: L.A. Times. Lakers' small guys ("fairies") pummel big guys ("goons") in "Turkey Trot" scrimmage.
SF: TrueHoop. Three losses that could've been wins for the 0-15 Nets.
SG: A Stern Warning. As I said on Twitter, this Mbenga pic made me laugh way more than it should have.
PG: CelticsBlog. Eddie House(notes) is getting his groove back, Stella.
6th: GMTR. I, too, am a little surprised that Brad Miller(notes) is still owned in 51% of fantasy leagues.
7th: Associated Press. "Larry Brown has a message for Allen Iverson(notes): don't give up."
8th: Pippen Ain't Easy. Chicago Bulls fans are none too thankful right now.
9th: Durant's Blog. Durantula wants to know: Who do you think is playing well so far this season?
10th: Forum Blue & Gold. "With basically the same personnel, [the Lakers] have transformed from an outstanding offensive team that played very good defense to a mediocre offensive team that plays outstanding defense."

Got a tip or link for Ball Don't Lie? Hit me up at jeskeets [at] yahoo.ca or follow me on Twitter.

In what should come as a shock to no one, Stephen A. Smith is reporting that Allen Iverson is already considering a comeback.

"I think he just wants to feel wanted again," one of Iverson's confidants told Smith on Wednesday.

Look, let's cut right to the chase here. Will Iverson ever play again in the NBA? Yes, it's likely. He basically said, "I'm retiring, but I'm also telling you I can still play" in his goodbye statement, so why would we be surprised to see the future Hall of Famer sign on with the Boston Celtics or Orlando Magic or some other team in the near future? It's amazing he didn't include his cell number with the statement.

But for now, Allen Iverson(notes) is retired. So let's continue to give him the "farewell blog tour" he deserves.

To the YouTube machine!

Cheers, A Stern Warning.

Jimmy Smith, The Times-Picayune: "Coming into Wednesday night's New Orleans Hornets-Milwaukee Bucks game at New Orleans Arena, a rookie point guard was expected to shine. Not many figured, however, it would be Hornets' rookie Darren Collison(notes) who would steal the thunder, and the basketball at a critical moment in overtime, as New Orleans rallied for an improbable overtime victory. On a night when the Hornets threatened the team record for single-game shooting futility and trailed by 13 points, 11 at one juncture in the second half, it seemed unlikely that Collison would eventually grab the spotlight away from Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings(notes), whose performance through the early part of the season has made him the favorite to win rookie of the year honors. [...] 'We expect that from him,' Hornets forward David West(notes) said of the poise that Collison exhibited throughout the game, but especially in the closing moments when senses were heightened by the frenetic pace of New Orleans' comeback and the surging exuberance of the 14,315 in attendance who were treated to a pre-Thanksgiving basketball feast. 'This guy has played in (NCAA) Final Fours. He's been in pressure situations. It's nothing new for him. So coming in here, we knew he has a lot of confidence. He believes in what he can do, trusts his instincts and in those situations, he can handle it.'"

Jarrod Rudolph, RealGM: "Ahead of Wednesday's game in Orlando, Dwyane Wade(notes) shed some light on who he thinks would be the best player for him to play with. 'If I could pick one player in the league today to play with — and most people think I'd say LeBron James(notes) — I would pick Dwight (Howard),' Wade said Wednesday after practice at Amway Arena. 'I'd love for that to happen at some point. Dwight is already close right here in Orlando. People who say it couldn't happen (us playing on the same team), they don't know. I've learned in this league that anything is possible. I've played with a dominant center before, and there's nothing like it. It changes the whole game. It's why I'd love to play with Dwight. He's a phenomenal center who has only just scratched the surface of where he'll be,' Wade said. 'And he's the type of guy you'd really like to be around.'"

Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press: "You can add shooting guard Ben Gordon(notes), who sprained his left ankle, to the list of injured stars after Wednesday night's 98-88 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers [...] 'I went 'Goodness, gracious,' [John] Kuester said when asked what he thought when he saw Gordon come up lame in the second quarter. ‘But that's the NBA.' Gordon suffered the injury late in the second quarter on a drive to the basket. He was able to remain in the game momentarily after a 20-second timeout, but had to be helped to the locker room at halftime. If Gordon misses any significant time, he will join Rip Hamilton (right ankle) and Tayshaun Prince(notes) (back) on the sidelines. Both have been out since the first week of the season."

Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel: "Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade has tormented the Orlando Magic with big shots and lots of points. Wednesday night, he had a mediocre game and helped beat the MagicÂ. with an air-ball. With so much attention paid to him, the Magic didn't box out Michael Beasley(notes), who grabbed Wade's air-ball and dunked it in with 1.6 seconds left to stun Orlando 99-98 at a sold-out Amway Arena. Wade salvaged a bad shooting night (6-of-22) by hitting all 11 of his free throws to give the Heat their first victory in Orlando since 2006. Magic small forward Matt Barnes(notes) had the responsibility of blocking out Beasley. Barnes showed his frustration at the end of the game, tossing the basketball into the stands. That action normally warrants a fine by the NBA. 'You don't expect an air-ball from D-Wade,' Magic center Dwight Howard(notes) said. 'Matt had good positionÂhe just out-jumped him. We thought it was (offensive) goal-tending (by Beasley). We can't do anything about it now.'"

John Canzano, The Oregonian: "It is not a political statement. It is not a protest. He said it is not intended as a slap on patriotism, or the ongoing war but Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy(notes) has long been absent from the Rose Garden Arena floor during the national anthem. For two seasons now, Roy leaves the court before 'The Star Spangled Banner' is performed. He waits out of sight, in the arena tunnel, and has a quiet moment of prayer while his teammates stand and honor America together. Something about that feels troubling. And this is only partly about patriotism. Roy is the Blazers captain, and leader, and two-time All Star. And the Blazers are busy preaching unity, and trying to find one vision right up until the moment Roy detaches and leaves his team standing on the court without him. And while I understand his desire to have a personal moment to gather his thoughts, I think there is ample time for a meditative moment in the hours leading to the game and I worry that the statement he's making is one of individualism."

Frank Isola, New York Daily News: "Maybe the Knicks should coax Allen Iverson(notes) out of retirement. Someone named Donte' Greene put together a highlight reel at the Knicks' expense Wednesday night. He hit threes, dunked at will and there was nothing Mike D'Antoni's club would or could do about it. This won't come as a surprise to anyone, but the Knicks are in serious trouble. Sacramento's 111-97 victory left them with a 3-12 record and five games upcoming against Denver, Orlando, Phoenix, Orlando again and Atlanta. Believe it not, things are about to get worse before they get better. Greene, the 28th pick of the 2008 draft out of Syracuse, was a bundle of energy and offense as he matched his career-high by scoring 24 points. Greene made 9 of 13 shots and 6 of 7 threes and only on rare occasions did the Knicks even bother to raise a hand defensively. Greene, however, understands the concept of defense and did his part by blocking six shots. 'I knew that he was a streaky shooter and that he drives to his right,' Chris Duhon(notes) said. 'But I really didn't know much about him.'"

Chris Duncan, AP: "Jason Kidd is resigned to the reality that he'll never catch John Stockton's all-time assists record. He'll have to settle for No. 2 on that list. Kidd passed Mark Jackson for second place in career assists, Jason Terry(notes)(notes) scored 27 points and the Dallas Mavericks shot 65.5 percent in a 130-99 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Kidd delivered seven assists to reach 10,337 in his career. He came in needing five to pass Jackson's career total (10,334), and now trails only Stockton (15,806). 'Some records are meant to stay where they are,' Kidd said. 'I don't see anybody breaking that any time soon.'"

Doug Smith, Toronto Star: "A week or so ago, maybe a bit longer, the memory fades, Jay [Trinao] was talking about his team and it's seeming inability to fight through tough times every now and then and he said: 'We're a fair-weather team.' Pretty good assessment right there after that dog's breakfast Wednesday night. What he meant, and what we've seen, is that if the team's offence is working at a high level so is its defence, an inverse reaction to what normal teams do. And as soon as they got stagnant last night and the turnovers piled up and the Bobcats had them forcing quick jumpers, the game was effectively over. I don't think it's a fatal flaw over the season but it's something that has to be corrected. And it gets corrected by the players realizing it and digging down deeper when they aren't operating at full efficiency on offence. I'll say again, this team doesn't need to be a great defence team, just a passable one, but passable has to be consistent, even when they're not making shots."

Brett Hainline, Queen City Hoops/TH: "Without looking, take a guess at Gerald Wallace's(notes) age. Twenty-nine? Thirty? Nope: He is 27. Yes, in his ninth year in the league, Wallace is just entering what normally represents the prime of a player's career. Gerald's early season results though are much closer to representing his worst season in the Queen City. He was averaging 13.7 points per game on just 37.7 percent shooting going into last night's contest with Toronto — hardly the stuff of career years. But then the player nicknamed Crash had the type of game that helped him earn the moniker: 31 points on 10 of 20 from the floor and 11 of 12 on free throws, 13 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. The scoring is great but represents just a small part of the puzzle; more exciting are the double digit free throw attempts and efficient shooting. Gerald topped 30 only four times last season and it was just his third game over 20 this year — the Bobcats are not counting on him getting 30, but need 15 to 18 points a night in a quick hit manner."

Lee Rasizer, The Star-Ledger: "Lawrence Frank has resisted temptation. A ragged start to the season for his Nets coupled with the return from injury of two of the team's best guards may have been the exact formula prompting the New Jersey coach to crank up playing time, and fast. Instead, Courtney Lee(notes) and Devin Harris(notes) continue to be reserves - and Frank stays reserved in his approach. Heading into Wednesday night's game in Portland, Harris has played 26 and 30 minutes in the two games he's played in since returning from a right groin injury that kept him out of the lineup for nearly three weeks. Lee played 22 minutes in a 101-87 loss to the Nuggets on Tuesday night, his first outing since injuring his groin on Nov. 6. 'When we first got Vince Carter(notes), he was out for like a month,' Frank said, recalling 2004 when his then-star was returning from injury. 'I played him like 44 (minutes) in an overtime game. But I've learned that's probably not the best thing to do.'"

Happy Thanksgiving, Americans!

Credit: Getty Images

It started with a bang. The brawl in Virginia. The breathless reports of this two-star athlete dominating the football fields and basketball courts in high school. This amazing scoring guard that nobody — not even John Thompson — could slow down.

A first overall selection. First "point guard" taken that high since Magic Johnson. Shortest taken first overall since John Lucas(notes). Quickest, ever. Ever, ever.

Pissed off Jordan. Crossed over Jordan. Took over for Jordan as the league's most popular player, when the NBA was in its darkest era since the drug daze of the late 1970s. Won the MVP. Took home-court advantage from a swaggering, dominant Lakers team in the 2001 Finals. Made it, nearly, to the top. On his terms.

And, because things stayed on Allen Iverson's(notes) terms, it all fell apart from there.

Marc Spears just confirmed the news that Allen Iverson is set to retire. This follows an ignominious attempt at shopping himself on the open free-agent market, with the season having already started. That followed an ignominious three-game turn with the Memphis Grizzlies, which followed an ignominious season with the Detroit Pistons, which followed a ... you see where I'm going here.

Every step of the way, Iverson stayed true to himself. And, in a game and a culture that had grown up around him, that steadfast refusal to do anything but stay true to himself resulted in this early, unnecessary retirement.

It's what made him what he was, you know. It's what made him the MVP in 2001, even if he wasn't anywhere near the best player in basketball that season. It's what brought his 76ers to the Finals in 2001, even though they were the class of the watered-down East and several other Western teams were superior. It's what won him the All-Star Game MVP in 2001, even though Dikembe Mutombo(notes) and Stephon Marbury(notes) likely had more to do with the East winning that game than Iverson.

It was that personality that won him those awards, that personality that inspired Larry Brown to build a team around a shoot-first 5-foot-11 guard, and that personality that made him so, so popular. He should have been popular. The man had the heart of a giant.

And in the end, it did him in. Iverson never adapted. His game never grew, it hardly changed, and everybody knew. He could still get his — A.I. was still averaging over 26 points and seven assists for the Nuggets two seasons ago — but at what cost?

He needed the ball, quite a bit, to get those numbers. It took others out of their games. He bitched and moaned every time he was asked to leave the game, even though he averaged over 41 minutes per game in his career. He never tried to help, he never tried to lead, he never tried to learn.

He stayed true to who he was. It's what got him a nice house, huge contracts, out of poverty, into working at the game he loved. Good for him. But at some point, you have to stop working at things as if you're a week removed from the breadline.

I can't possibly criticize that line of thinking, because I'll never (hopefully) know the pressure of that situation, least of all knowing it as a child. But others in this league have come from poverty. Others have been betrayed by people in positions of authority as children or teenagers. Others have had it rough. They stayed strong, made it out, and most of them adapted to a change in context.

A.I. never adapted. And while "me against the world" is admirable when it truly is you against the world, at some point you have to realize that you have four other guys with you, on your side, against the world. And they're not interested in fighting your fight. They're interested in winning the game.

And that hurts. Iverson accomplished quite a bit, but I'll never shake the feeling that so much was left unaccomplished. That he could have learned so much and contributed so much to this game had he not decided to essentially flatline in his early 20s.

I take no great pleasure in pointing this out, but the man quit on the 76ers (who traded him a few weeks later), his presence stifled the Nuggets, he quit on the Pistons, he quit on the Grizzlies (complaining about playing time after sitting out of practice for weeks and playing one whole game), and he just quit on this league. Way too early. With so much left to do.

And all I feel is sad. Not because I'm not used to the idea of the NBA without Allen Iverson — I haven't really enjoyed watching him play for most of his career, every sweet crossover came packaged with five ill-conceived jumpers — but because the man who got so much out of all that talent also got so little. And every half-empty assumption we made about him ended up coming true. Yes, you made it to the top while standing 5-11 and with critics at every turn, but so what? That was 1996. What comes next?

For Allen Iverson, nothing came next. Just huge strides toward irrelevance and, frankly, embarrassment.

It might not be over. For all we know, this could just be a temporary hissy fit, pitched to the point of filing retirement papers just because no team with a starting gig wants to know. He could be back next season. He could be back in February. We don't know.

What we do know is that this is a shame. For a man with his talent, his vision, his will, and his heart; to go out like this? To never, really, "get it?" It's a shame.

And, saddest of all, it's typical A.I.

Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your Maxell tapes.

Broderick Turner, L.A. Times: "[Shannon] Brown, a Lakers reserve guard, hasn't been invited to participate in the 2010 All-Star game slam-dunk contest in Dallas — yet. But the more the acrobatic, high-flying Brown throws down the electric dunks that have made him a YouTube sensation and a staple of ESPN highlights, the bigger the groundswell grows for him to be included in the contest. His teammates are in awe of his dunks and are pushing hard for him. Lakers fans go berserk when Brown defies gravity with elevates his 6-foot-4 frame before a dunk. As for Brian Shaw, he couldn't help but chide Brown about his dunking exploits. Shaw told Brown about his former Boston Celtics teammate Dee Brown(notes) (1991) and former Miami Heat teammate Harold Minor (1995) winning the dunk contest. Shaw even told Brown about his former Orlando Magic teammate Darrell Armstrong(notes) (1996) failing to win the dunk contest. 'When I had Dee the first year, he won it. Harold, I said, 'Every team I've been on, somebody won the slam-dunk championship.' He held up his end of the bargain,' Shaw said. 'Baby boy [Armstrong] kind of let me down a little bit. So I'm trying to get back on track.'"

Marcus Thompson II, Oakland Tribune: "Guards Monta Ellis(notes), Stephen Curry(notes) and Anthony Morrow(notes). Forwards Anthony Randolph(notes) and Vladimir Radmanovic(notes), and center Mikki Moore(notes). That's all it took, six players, for the Warriors to score their biggest win of the season, a 111-103 upset of the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. Six guys, an assistant coach in the big chair and a spirited, unified brand of basketball. The Warriors came back from nine points down with just over six minutes left in the game to post their first winning streak of the 2009-10 season. That's four straight impressive performances since trading swingman Stephen Jackson(notes) to the Charlotte Bobcats. 'This win went out to our man in charge,' said assistant coach Keith Smart, who filled in for pneumonia-ridden head coach Don Nelson. 'Our guys pulled together for him.'"

Mike Monroe, S.A. Express-News: "It was one week ago that Spurs guard Manu Ginobili(notes) was declared out of the lineup for a week to 10 days with a mild strain of the left groin, but don't look for him in uniform when the Spurs play the Golden State Warriors tonight at the AT&T Center. 'Manu's out,' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before his team's Tuesday afternoon practice session. 'He's doing workouts, doing what he needs to do to rehab it every day, so it's getting better every day, but it's going to take more time. When he's ready, he'll play.' If the original timetable proves accurate, Ginobili should be back on the floor by week's end. The Spurs play the Rockets in Houston on Friday, nine days since Ginobili's diagnosis. They play the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday at the AT&T Center."

Paul Coro, The Arizona Republic: "Just when you wonder if his well of creativity, athleticism and instincts is evaporating at age 35, [Steve] Nash taps into new ways to amaze. He leads a Suns team to a surprising 11-3 start. He plays like that two-time MVP of four years ago. He makes a pass he never has before. 'How does anybody see that?' Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said. 'That was a shocking play.' With Shaquille O'Neal(notes) out of his lane and court spacing restored, Nash has been as good as ever. He is averaging 11.6 assists, matching his career-best average, and shooting 52.4 percent, the second-best rate of his career. With a burning desire to improve, Nash drove himself to college basketball, the NBA and future Hall of Fame status. Five years ago, the worth of his six-year, $66 million contract at age 30 was challenged. He became MVP and the Suns surprised the league. Extending that deal to 2012 with $22 million more was questioned this year, until the team turned NBA darlings again. 'I feel just as good as I've ever felt,' Nash said. 'I'm not sure if that's true or not. Maybe I'm fooling myself but I don't know where the difference is, if there is one.'"

Jerry Zgoda, Star Tribune: "Help for the Timberwolves presumably will arrive next summer, when the team could have as many as three first-round draft picks and gobs of salary-cap space. Until then? With his team on a 13-game losing streak and one more loss away from the worst season start (1-14) in franchise history, Wolves boss David Kahn vows to follow the prudent path. 'It's very painful to have to take a position of inactivity,' he said, 'but I think we'd be doing a terrible disservice making some rash decisions about our team.' Kahn said he expects options to improve the team for this season and beyond will arise as the NBA trading deadline approaches. But that's not until February. Until then, he and coach Kurt Rambis say they will wait until Kevin Love(notes) makes his season debut next month and until Al Jefferson(notes) returns to full health, a process that could take until that trading deadline nears."

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald: "Just to be clear on this, Allen Iverson(notes) is not walking through that door. But the possibility is something the Celtics have considered — and could revisit. Danny Ainge always has been a fan of Iverson, and he tried very hard to get him here in the summer of 2006 and the season that followed. A number of times, the Celtics president of basketball operations was in talks with the 76ers before Iverson was shipped to Denver. Now, after parting ways with Memphis, Iverson is a free agent. The Knicks were said to be interested but decided against it. To acquire Iverson, the Celts would have to cut or trade a player, but they haven't gotten close to that question. 'We have had internal discussions about (Iverson),' Ainge said yesterday, 'but a decision like this has to be unanimous, and it wasn't.'"

T.J. Simers, L.A. Times: "When [Kobe ]Bryant declared himself a free agent a few years back, [Donald] Sterling went after him. At one point, [Mike] Dunleavy told Sterling he had worked out a deal to sign Bryant. 'I drove from my house in Malibu to the Four Seasons in Newport Beach to meet Kobe and Kobe said I didn't need to say anything because he was going to be a Clipper,' Sterling says, a day later learning Bryant had been convinced by Jerry Buss to remain with the Lakers. Sterling says he remains committed to winning, despite the black cloud that seems to hang over the organization, calling it 'sad and embarrassing,' the fact his team has enjoyed only two winning seasons in the 25 it has been in L.A. 'I can visualize a Clippers parade,' he says. 'I'm telling you, I will win. I promise you that. I will find the combination. How long am I going to live? Forever? I will do whatever it takes. I think the Clippers can pay more than any team in America. We have unlimited resources. I'd be thrilled to pay [$121 million as the Lakers will do this season] and do it tomorrow, if I could only sign quality players who warranted it.' Told most fans would never believe such a thing, he says, 'I will pay for quality but not reward journeymen. I'm always asking the coach, 'Is there anyone special out there we can get?''"

Frank Isola, New York Daily News: "Ron Artest believes that the Knicks' 2010 free agency plan has one fatal flaw: many of today's top NBA stars are afraid to play in New York. 'I think people need to stop being scared and go to New York,' Artest said Tuesday. 'They're scared. They're so scared of the pressure and the media. I'm like, pardon my language, but I'm like, — the media and — everybody that's putting pressure on you. That's how I would take that.' 'That's why I went to St. John's,' Artest continued. 'People were like, 'Don't go to St. John's because you don't need the distractions.' I was like, 'I'm going here because I want to go here.' If I wanted to play for the Knicks, I would play because I wanted to play and I wouldn't feel no pressure from anybody.'"

K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune: "It's an unconventional time to write this, but anybody overly concerned about the Bulls getting blown out by the Lakers, Nuggets and Trail Blazers in succession shouldn't be. Oodles of legitimate concerns surround the Bulls: John Salmons'(notes) shooting percentage; Derrick Rose's(notes) limited penetration; injuries forcing heavy minutes upon a shortened rotation. It's possible coach Vinny Del Negro had a hair out of place at Monday's morning shootaround too. But losing to teams that clearly are above the Bulls' class shouldn't be that alarming. This — pick a verb — may bother, annoy, frustrate the most diehard of Bulls fans, but this season isn't going to end with an NBA Finals at the United Center. And a 6-7 mark with one starter injured and Rose only recently showing flashes of attacking the rim consistently because of his own health issues isn't that surprising for a team that, after all, finished .500 last season. The Bulls have played the second-toughest schedule in the NBA thus far, with opponents winning more than 60 percent of their games. And upcoming games against the Jazz, Bucks and Cavaliers will do nothing to alter that trend."

Perry A. Farrell, Detroit Free Press: "Some front-line scoring would help the Pistons' backcourt, which has carried the load so far this season. Off-season acquisition Charlie Villanueva(notes) is about the only scoring threat in the post for the Pistons, who get a bulk of their points from guards Ben Gordon(notes), Rodney Stuckey(notes) and Will Bynum(notes). Ben Wallace(notes) (3.6 points) isn't supposed to score. His assignment is to play defense, rebound and set the tone with his energy. Rookie Jonas Jerebko(notes) isn't much of an offensive threat. Kwame Brown(notes) has been getting limited minutes and Jason Maxiell(notes) is an effort guy off the bench and not a true scorer. Gordon, Stuckey and Bynum combine to average 51.3 points per game — 55% of the team's offense. 'We obviously have talented guards,' Villanueva said. 'I don't think that's the problem. I think we need to concentrate more defensively.'"

In fact, one source close to the team told the New York Times that the percent chance A.I. would sign in New York was in "the high 90s." It was basically a done deal.

Today's forecast? Cloudy, with a 99 percent chance of not-gonna-happen.

Howard Beck of the New York Times:

In an abrupt reversal, Knicks officials decided late Thursday not to offer Iverson a contract, putting an end to their brief flirtation, according to a person close to the deliberations.

Although team officials were highly intrigued by Iverson, a four-time scoring champion, they finally decided that he posed too great a risk because of his long history of problems on and off the court.

Knick owner James Dolan was reportedly hesitant about signing Iverson for the remainder of the season, but said he would not stand in the way if Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni were in favor of the move.

Anyway, more to come on this I'm sure. Like, say, Miami?

Bill Plaschke, L.A. Times: "Making his season's first appearance after sitting out the first 11 games because of a hamstring injury, Pau Gasol(notes) took the Staples Center floor against the Chicago Bulls to an ovation that was less than standing. Folks cheered, but only slightly louder than if he'd been here all along. Gasol scored the game's first basket, and the clapping was polite. He scored the third and fourth points on free throws, and the yawns were evident. He then scored the second basket on a fast break layup placed in the rim with the gentleness of a guard, and finally there was some recognition that this was somebody special returning to something special. Those cheers lasted only as long as it took folks to serenade Kobe Bryant(notes) with, 'M-V-P.' Even now, it seems, folks just don't appreciate the value of a guy for whom those same letters could be chanted."

Charles F. Gardner, Journal Sentinel: "Andrew Bogut's value to the Milwaukee Bucks is evident every time he goes out of the lineup. Now the team will have to cope for two to four weeks without the 7-foot center after he suffered a left leg strain and contusion late in the Bucks' 99-85 victory over New Jersey on Wednesday night. The Bucks are off to a surprising 6-3 start behind the steady play of Bogut and rookie point guard Brandon Jennings(notes), and they've been successful despite the absence of injured shooting guard Michael Redd(notes). Just as they are about ready to get Redd back in the starting five, they will be missing their fifth-year big man. 'It's disappointing,' Bucks general manager John Hammond said after results of Bogut's magnetic resonance imaging exam came back on Thursday afternoon. 'Andrew did get off to a very good start. We want him on the floor and we need him on the floor. Obviously it's a concern. But it's our job not to dwell on it, to move forward and find a way to compete.' Veteran centers Dan Gadzuric(notes) and Kurt Thomas(notes) should play increased minutes in Bogut's absence, and Hammond said, 'It's those players' responsibility now to step up.'"

Mike Monroe, S.A. Express-News: "After being examined by members of the Spurs medical staff Thursday, guard Manu Ginobili(notes) has been ruled out of action for seven to 10 days. An MRI exam confirmed that Ginobili suffered a mild left groin strain during Wednesday's game against the Mavericks in Dallas. He previously had been bothered by a left hamstring strain that caused Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to sit him during the fourth quarter of a loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday. [...] The muscle strains that have plagued Ginobili are a disappointment after a summer spent taking it easy so he could rehabilitate a stress fracture in his right ankle. 'I'd be disingenuous if I said I wasn't disappointed he's been hurt in different ways since he did rest this summer,' Popovich said. 'I'm surprised by it, and didn't expect it, but we still have to deal with it.'"

RealGM: "Billy Hunter, director of the NBA players association, plans another negotiating session with commissioner David Stern and they will likely discuss falling salaries. The union says total player compensation will fall this season, which would be only the second drop in the salary cap era that began in the 1984-85 season. 'We have some concern, but I think a lot of it has to do with the system,' Hunter said Thursday. 'I think it has to do with the economy, I think it has more to do with attitude. I just think that they decided they're just going to be a lot more cautious and restricting in terms of spending dollars.' Hunter also said there is approximately $1.5 billion less in committed contracts now than in 2005-06, the first year of the deal."

Paul Coro, Arizona Republic: "Really, the Suns' season had been perfect. Losing to two NBA Finals teams on the road on the second night of back-to-back sets was excusable. But not any longer. The Suns' imperfection on TNT continued with their first bad loss of the season. Phoenix lost a game broadcast by TNT for the 16th consecutive time Thursday night, finally running out of comebacks to fall 110-103 to a Hornets team without injured Chris Paul(notes). [...] 'That was a poor performance and mostly in the effort, concentration and competitive departments,' Suns guard Steve Nash(notes) said. 'As (coach) Alvin (Gentry) said, 'We're the hunted now,'' forward Grant Hill(notes) said of the 10-3 Suns. 'Teams are gearing up for us now. It's a little different (from) when no one is expecting anything, to now. We have to handle our early-season success better.'"

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel: "There is the natural inclination to label Dwight Howard(notes) as the spoiled superstar who is bucking authority and wrestling control of the team away from Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. It is what we are programmed to believe whenever we hear an NBA player complain about being criticized by his coach. And, admittedly, it was my initial reaction when I first read Brian Schmitz's Sentinel story about Dwight having a private meeting with Van Gundy and telling his coach, in effect, to stop being such a miserable human being. But the more I thought about it, the more I reached this conclusion. Dwight Howard is right. And Van Gundy knows it. Howard said Thursday Van Gundy spends too much time 'focusing so much on our mistakes. Instead of bringing each other down, we have to pull each other up.' Van Gundy agreed and admitted that his constant negativity has been 'draining the enthusiasm from his team.'" 

Michael Lee, The Washington Post: "[Brendan] Haywood said his increased rebounding, scoring and shot-blocking numbers this season are a direct correlation to playing a career-best 33.8 minutes. 'That's big because it helps me from a mental aspect. If I go out there and I know I'm going to play 30 minutes, it gives you confidence, because you feel your coach has confidence in you. You don't have to go out there pressing,' said Haywood, who is averaging 10.9 points. 'Not trying to speak negatively about anyone, but in previous years, I was playing like I had to make something happen. If it didn't happen in the first five minutes I felt like I had to do something or I might not play in the second half. That's a tough way to play. Now, it's a little bit different. I think Flip has confidence in me and I benefit from it.' Before his breakthrough season in 2007-08, Haywood often would complain about how he was utilized, as former coach Eddie Jordan often called on Etan Thomas(notes), believing that he could provide a more physical presence. The competition with Thomas often became personal and ugly, as they exchanged blows at least three times, fighting in the locker room and on the practice court."

Frank Isola, New York Daily News: "James Dolan never played in the NBA, but the chairman of Madison Square Garden has the power to do what few players ever could: Stop Allen Iverson(notes). According to a high-ranking Knicks official, Dolan has reservations about the club signing Iverson, the multi-talented yet controversial guard who became a free agent last night after clearing waivers. Dolan's concerns about Iverson won't necessarily be deal-breakers. In fact, Dolan was not in favor of team president Donnie Walsh re-signing Nate Robinson(notes) over the summer and yet, not only did Robinson return, he also received a $2million raise. If nothing else, Dolan wants Walsh to do his due diligence, which could delay a potential signing for several days. 'I'm still not decided, and I don't think we are decided,' Walsh said after Thursday's practice in Westchester. 'When we make a decision, we'll let you know. That's where it is.'"

Doug Smith, The Toronto Star: "It was as though the basketball world was taunting Chris Bosh(notes), holding up others as shining examples of what he wanted to be. Finally, he snapped. And as he sat on a training table in Utah's Energy Solutions Arena on Wednesday night, both knees encased in ice, weary from the road and the losses and the nightly pounding he takes, he explained exactly what drove him to stop that perceived taunting and begin a season better than he ever has. Seems Bosh has an ego after all. And it's driving him. 'Every day I turn on the TV and they're talking about guys, especially my draft class, '03 draft class, and this and that,' he said. 'They keep bringing up all these and I never hear my name, unless I'm like second honourable mention or something like that. I got tired of that. I don't even think people know I've made all-star teams or know what I've done in this league.'"

Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press: "One of the common questions I've been getting from readers recently is what happens when shooting guard Rip Hamilton returns from his severely sprained right ankle. The worry is that it might upset the chemistry of the Pistons' three-guard offense, which has worked well early this season. The unspoken question is whether [Ben] Gordon will respond well to returning to the sixth-man role he occupied before Hamilton's injury. Gordon, who is averaging 21.1 points per game, doesn't appear to have a gigantic ego — unlike the guy who was here last season and just left the Memphis Grizzlies. Of course, Gordon, who was going through a 4-for-12, 11-point performance Wednesday, might have been singing a different tune if he had been having a great shooting night. But he appeared sincere and not just politically correct."

Kate Fagan, Philadelphia Inquirer: "[Rodney] Carney played 31 minutes and scored 10 points against Charlotte after scoring only 17 points in the previous eight games. He played some of the game with a sprained right wrist. 'Offensively I can make shots, but defensively, I lock down and I didn't really have any mistakes,' said Carney, who was limited in practice yesterday by his sore wrist. 'And I think that proved to [Jordan that] he can count on me in different situations of the game coming out. I guess I did a great job.' Because of his sore wrist, which he hurt in the first half, the Sixers have listed Carney as 'probable.' He said it was painful to snap his wrist down on his jumper — he was 2 for 4 on three-pointers against Charlotte — but seemed confident he would play tonight."

Tom Moore, PhillyBurbs.com: "Samuel Dalembert empathizes with Elton Brand(notes). The minutes of the Sixers' two starting big men have fluctuated greatly, ranging from 14 to 35 for Dalembert and 19 to 42 for Brand, in the season's first 11 games. But even while he was logging a season-low 14 minutes and sitting out the final 16:26 during Wednesday's 86-84 victory over the Bobcats, Dalembert couldn't help but smile on the bench because of Brand's breakout performance. [...] 'I'm just happy that EB was able to come out there and hold it down for us,' said Dalembert after Thursday's practice. 'He was like a beast out there. That was great. I was excited about it. It's been tough. We laugh about it. We still go out and do what we can do in a short period of time, in the minutes we play. Coach (Eddie Jordan) kind of let him be himself out there. He made some things happen.'"

Jonathan Abrams, The New York Times: "The basic pick-and-roll is the bread and butter of the NBA, with two teammates working in conjunction on offense, with one player dribbling the ball and the other standing still and trying to block the path of the ball handler's defender. As all hoopsters know, once the pick, or screen, is carried out, the ball handler can pursue several options: pass the ball to his teammate who set the pick and is now rolling toward the basket or another space on the floor; take a shot himself; drive to the basket; or pass the ball to another teammate who may be open. 'When it comes down to it, that's what we're going to be in when the game's on the line,' Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said of basketball's most reliable play. 'I say it all the time: I don't care how good you are, you can't take away everything.' The pick-and-roll is the play of choice for some of the league's best players, like New Orleans's Chris Paul, Phoenix's Steve Nash, Miami's Dwyane Wade(notes) and Cleveland's LeBron James(notes). The league's dependence on the play is steadily increasing, according to a five-year analysis by Synergy Sports Technology, which logs every NBA game, providing analytics to nearly every team. Use of the pick-and-roll rose to 18.6 percent of the league's total plays last season from 15.6 percent in 2004-5, when Synergy began tracking it."

Down seven at the half, the Bucks probably looked at the in-game box score that was handed out in the locker room. Noticing the names "Rafer Alston," "Trenton Hassell," "Josh Boone," and "Bobby Simmons" among the particulars, the Bucks then likely decided to act their talent-level and start the second half on a 15-0 run.

Then the Bucks, and this much is documented, actually went out and started the second half on a 15-0 run.

The Nets missed 29 of 38 attempts in the second half, and they're just terrible. The team does try, and executes as far as I can tell just up to the point where they have to make a shot. Then they miss the shot. That's not me being flip. This is New Jersey's offense.

The team features one good-to-great player in Brook Lopez(notes), and he can't get the ball. Alston (1-10 shooting, one assist and one turnover in 33 minutes) should be a third point guard right now, at best. Guys like Boone and Hassell are only passable as rotation guys on very, very good offensive teams. Because they're zeroes, offensively.

Instead, they start. And some people still can't understand why the Nets haven't won in 12 attempts. They haven't won, people, because they're terrible. They're not owed a win or two just because they're an NBA team.

Another great night out of Andrew Bogut(notes), who has just been beastly on both ends all season long. 21 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two turnovers, and a block in 37 minutes. The athletic Carlos Delfino(notes) also poured in 21, and Luke Ridnour(notes) had another good game off the bench with 17 points. Brandon Jennings(notes) contributed 19 points and eight assists, but he also turned the ball over eight times.

***

Orlando 108, Oklahoma City 94

Honestly, one of the things I hate about sports is when the completely and utterly lame storyline that any hack columnist could have mused about comes true. Like, you know Brett Favre is going to own the Packers in the return engagement, or that Trevor Ariza(notes) and Ron Artest(notes) are going to trade buckets toward the end of the first meeting between the Lakers and Rockets. Can't stand it when hackism makes its way toward real life.

Oklahoma City's early-season dismantling of the Orlando Magic didn't exactly make the cable news copy du jour, but it did seem a bit obvious that the Magic would try to win two games in one when the Thunder visited Orlando. You would hope that Oklahoma City would be ready for such an onslaught, that an obvious beat down wouldn't be in the offing.

It was. In the offing, that is.

The Magic jumped on the Thunder early, taking a series of shots that the Thunder didn't expect them to launch, making a series of shots that the Thunder didn't expect to go in. They should have expected it, because the Thunder clearly weren't ready to play this revenge script out, and didn't really show up with much energy from the outset. It was as if they were expecting such punishment.

Which stinks, but the Magic can really play. The ball was moving and the screens were really good in this win. Vince Carter(notes) was hot early, Rashard Lewis(notes) just missed a triple-double (17 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, two steals) in 33 minutes, and the OKC's kids didn't put up much of a fight. Kevin Durant(notes) needed 12 shots to score 12 points, and Russell Westbrook(notes) shot 3-10.

James Harden(notes) was solid, 24 points, and the Thunder did do well in the fourth quarter (outscoring the Magic by 36 16), but nobody remembers the fourth quarter when the paper's deadline is just 45 minutes after the game ends.

Oh, and to anyone who wanted Rashard Lewis to head back onto the court to get the assist needed for his triple-double?

Anthony Bowie, man. Anthony Bowie.

***

New York 110, Indiana 103

A couple of brief statements, to start.

1). If you can't score more than 34 points in a second half against the Knicks - the Knicks without Allen Iverson(notes) - then you don't deserve to win.

2). I would not allow T.J. Ford(notes) to run my next scrapbooking workshop, much less an NBA team.

3). The bit about Allen Iverson in the first statement was a joke.

4). The part about T.J. Ford was not. Put down the cherished memories, T.J.

The Pacers completely fell apart in the second half of this loss, and though we appreciated New York's activity on the defensive end, Indiana clearly did this to themselves.

On both ends. New York managed 34 points in the fourth quarter, shuttling in players who dared contribute while others (Chris Duhon(notes) is possibly having the worst year of any NBA starter, he missed four of five shots on Wednesday) sat.

Al Harrington(notes) worked off the ball and got his rotation right, finishing with 26 points on 13 shots, Wilson Chandler(notes) had a sound first half, and Larry Hughes(notes) continued his November-styled renaissance with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists off the bench. Off the bench!

Indiana, Larry Hughes just did that to you - not sure if you've heard -- off the bench.

(Of course, as has been noted elsewhere, this could be a fleeting thing for Sir Larry.)

The Pacers were just completely impotent in that second half, and though the team is perhaps allowed some room to swoon due its sound start (winning five of eight games before this loss), the whole exercise feels unseemly.

Ford can be a terrible, terrible point guard. For long stretches. He's been in the league since 2003 and he still makes decisions that would get a high schooler benched, and Indiana has little or no recourse if Earl Watson(notes) (who missed all seven of his shot attempts) is playing like Earl Watson usually plays at all points leading up to earlier this month.

Ford missed four of five shots, he had seven rebounds, five assists, and five turnovers. He's averaging 6.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 turnovers in 32.5 minutes per game over his last two contests, on 20 percent shooting.

Brandon Roy(notes) has hit fewer than a third of his shots this year, and he's missed 16 of 19 attempts over his last two games against defensive stalwarts from New Jersey and New York. Good god.

Eddy Curry's(notes) return (10 points, four rebounds, four fouls, three turnovers in just under 12 minutes) was pleasant, if predictable.

***

Philadelphia 86, Charlotte 84

Some say that Elton Brand(notes) is all washed-up. But in my book, you gotta get to White Castle before the weirdos show up!

19 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, one turnover, six blocks, and three steals for Brand in this win. Sure, he used to more or less average this stuff, but you take what you can get in the 2009-10.

Rumors had Brand possibly coming off the bench for this game, and while I don't think EB needs any more motivation, he does need more reps, and more minutes to really get his body back into proper shape. He's not going to come back an All-Star, but nights like these should happen more and more often.

Good effort on both ends. The Bobcats couldn't stop Lou Williams from driving right and finishing, Rodney Carney(notes) (just 10 points and eight rebounds, but much needed contributions) seemed to be just what the Sixers begged for off the bench, and Andre Iguodala(notes) was his all-around self with 25 points and three steals.

Also, Sam Dalembert picked up two boards, an assist, a turnover, and three fouls in 14 minutes. Zero points. But, yeah, let's sit Brand.

Stephen Jackson(notes) played well for the Bobcats, finishing with 26 points, but the Bobcats just didn't have the scorers to compete.

And as it's been for Flip Murray(notes) over his entire career, he followed up (fouled up) his 31-point effort from the other night with nine points on 11 shots, as inefficient as Tuesday night's performance was efficient.

***

Atlanta 105, Miami 90

Josh Smith(notes): "It's just beautiful basketball right now."

Agreed, mate. Mainly because of you.

Smith contributed 16 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, four turnovers, two steals and two blocks in this win. He also took his first three-pointer of the season, and while he and I missed it, I'm sure it was sent up after someone told him that an attempted three-pointer would go a long way toward saving the old orphanage on the other side of the tracks from being turned into a bunch of new condos.

For the fat cats.

Atlanta only turned the ball over eight times, Joe Johnson(notes) dropped 30 again, Dwyane Wade(notes) (with a bum left hand, it should be pointed out) needed 18 shots to score 15 points (with four turnovers), and the Hawks more or less made everyone on the Heat look old and slow. Save for Michael Beasley(notes), perhaps, who finished with 21 and nine rebounds.

I mean, the Hawks picked up 15 offensive rebounds. Just dominant.

10-2. Atlanta is 10-2.

***

Boston 109, Golden State 95

First off, you have to love Don Nelson's explanation for playing the injured Raja Bell(notes) during this loss:

"He was going to have surgery anyway."

Just come up with your own combination of cuss words in the comment section. It'll all end up censored anyway, but you have to vent, I know.

Boston made some curious decisions in this loss, on either end of the ball. They weren't exactly toying with the Warriors or taking them lightly, but for about two and a half quarters the Celtics were playing just well enough to win, and little else. Hardly the edge we saw from the team as it roared out of the gate defending its championship last season, or the team that won the championship proper in 2007-08, but I'm going to pass on judging things until June, if you don't mind.

They did win the game, after all, and pretty handily. And Boston knows when it's messing up.

Rajon Rondo(notes) was the difference. 18 points on 8-12 shooting (he could have made a few more, actually), 12 assists, seven rebounds and four turnovers. Paul Pierce(notes) tossed in 19 points, Kendrick Perkins(notes) overcame some miscues on his way to 15 points, and Boston registered 25 assists on 42 field goals.

Same old story with Golden State. The team is small, quick, and can beat you if they don't turn the ball over (21, tonight), and the three-pointers (6-17 tonight) are falling.

***

Minnesota 97, Houston 84

I'm not going to tell you that the Timberwolves should have beaten the Rockets, or any other team they've lost to thus far, but does this really feel like a 1-11 team?

Kevin Love(notes) is out, the team is admittedly (re-)rebuilding, Al Jefferson(notes) has been a step slow for most of the year and he missed the last two games dealing with a death in the family, and there have been some rotation quibbles.

But with Kurt Rambis, Reggie Theus, and Bill Laimbeer on hand, this team should be motivated. With Dave Wohl on hand as lead assistant, this team should be prepared. And somehow, it's falling short.

Perhaps I'm not giving enough credit to the Rockets, a team that I've rightfully fawned over all year, but Minnesota's Ryan Hollins(notes) is better than four points, four rebounds, and two turnovers in almost 23 minutes. The team should know not to be handing 25 attempts to limited chuckers like Oleksiy Pecherov(notes) and Sasha Pavlovic (they made seven shots), and the team should know by now that Corey Brewer(notes) just isn't helping.

I don't care if Brewer doesn't let his man score a point all night, if you toss out a shooting guard for 29 minutes that puts up seven shots, scores six points off of them, and turns the ball over five times, you're going to lose. No way around it. You're not supposed to average more shot attempts than you do points. The numbers aren't even supposed to come close. And Brewer averages 12 and a half shot attempts a night, which is bad enough, and he scores 11.5 points per contest.

And 2.5 turnovers for someone who plays fewer than 30 minutes, and mainly takes 21-footers off a catch? Way too much. And with free agent space a huge part of the rebuilding plan, I think Minnesota is going to regret picking up Brewer's option. Every cent counts.

Meanwhile, not to beat this weeks-old horse, but Ramon Sessions(notes) played only 24 minutes in this loss, contributing 16 and five assists. And it didn't take him 18 shots (Sessions shot 7-11).

Speaking of shooting too much, Trevor Ariza shot 6-19 in the win, 4-13 from behind the arc, and finished with 18 points. Too much. Both teams were quite turnover-prone, but the Rockets were hot from behind the arc, and Luis Scola(notes) had a sound game with 20 points and 16 rebounds.

Just 20 free throws in this game. Yikes.

***

Memphis 106, Los Angeles Clippers 91

The Clippers didn't exactly let the Grizzlies push them around, and you can't blame terrible shot selection for Los Angeles (Baron Davis(notes) went 8-13 from the field, only taking two three-pointers, making one). Memphis was just more interested, quicker to the ball, quicker to react, quicker to finish.

Meaning, of course, that the Clippers have lost back-to-back games to a Hornets team playing without Chris Paul(notes), and Grizzlies outfit playing in front of what looked like a few thousand fans.

Cue Jim Mora.

Actually, cue Steve Perrin, who lives and breathes Clipper basketball:

"I haven't watched the game.  I haven't read the comments on the thread.  I have no first hand knowledge of what happened.  Maybe I'll break down and watch tomorrow; maybe I won't.  Right now, it's just not something I want to put myself through.  And frankly, I'm a little pissed off that this team has reduced me to this.  I should look forward to watching them play.  I shouldn't be miserable about it."

I agree. This is supposed to be fun. The Clippers make it drudgery. It's not that they're bad. It's that they're wrong. These are good guys, save for the despicable owner who we can't say enough nasty things about, but if you can't at least attempt to steal a win in Memphis, then how much do you really care?

Memphis cared. They were quick with their passes - 23 assists, which should be some sort of milestone for a team like this. The Griz ran the floor when appropriate, from what I saw, and genuinely looked to find the best shot available. Again, on a team featuring Rudy Gay(notes) and Zach Randolph(notes), this is huge news. I know it was against the Clippers, but Gay and Randolph have played against the Clippers quite a few times now, and they still weren't thinking team-first.

Lionel Hollins has this team thinking team-first. It might not be any good, but there's something going on down in Memphis. Now that the jokers have flown, maybe it's time for a turnaround.

***

Utah 104, Toronto 91

Utah got out to a white hot start because the Raptors just can't guard anyone - anyone - and the Raptors came back to make a game of this mainly because Carlos Boozer(notes) can't guard anyone. Anyone. It's amazing what one power forward can do to a team defensively, but Boozer just seems to have a hand in every blown rotation, every open jumper off a pass from a guard who was allowed easy penetration, and every offensive rebound.

Weird, because Boozer had 18 rebounds, 11 defensive, but he was grabbing instead of boxing out, and it allowed Toronto some easy looks. Involve him in a pick and roll, and a few passes later, you have a good look. He's just a problem.

He also dropped 22 and 18, and didn't turn the ball over despite playing nearly 40 minutes. This doesn't excuse the other stuff, but it does make up for it. Some would say it more than makes up for it. I'd probably be among that chorus.

25 assists on 41 field goals for the Jazz, who attacked the Raptors at every given opportunity and took in an aggressive night from rookie Eric Maynor(notes). 15 points, four rebounds, six assists, two turnovers, a steal and a block for Maynor in less than half a game. To get those numbers from a rookie guard - four boards, just two turnovers, good shooting? - off your bench. Huge stuff.

Otherwise, I don't know what Utah's answer is. The team's best player seemed to be Andrei Kirilenko(notes), who came through with 20 points on only 11 shots, with seven rebounds, an assist, two turnovers, three steals, and two blocks. He clearly needs to be a power forward, but he's playing behind two other power forwards, and moving Boozer or Paul Millsap(notes) (to a lesser extent) to center for long stretches would have the Jazz giving up 120 points per game.

The Jazz were also +3 with AK out there, and +22 with Boozer on the floor. Could be a small sample size, or it could be our eyes deceiving us. Boozer might not be the problem. Lots to learn, here. So many things to figure out. So many roads.

Chris Bosh(notes) (32 points, 17 rebounds, only two turnovers) was predictably brilliant for Toronto.

Unpredictable? Andrea Bargnani(notes) got a double-double! Look at you!

***

Washington 108, Cleveland 91

There are words you can't use anymore, at least in esteemed company or on basketball websites, that I miss. Most of these words have taken on other, more lascivious, connotations, so we've had to cease utilizing them altogether.

One of those words rhymes with "loaner," and the application I prefer has nothing to do with a male who is quite obviously interested in his surroundings, rather, but has something to do with screwing up. Not to a massive extent, but still, a pretty big "loaner."

Like, James Watt. He had plenty of "loaners." Cost him his job.

The Cavs, from the coaches to the superstars to the helpers, just had a loaner on Wednesday. Blew a game they could have won by making obvious mistake after obvious mistake.

Sure, Cleveland played on Tuesday night as well, they were without Shaquille O'Neal(notes) and the team was on the road, but you got the feeling the Cavaliers didn't take the Wizards as seriously as they should have. Even while down a few points. Strange, considering the history between the two teams.

But there the Cavs went, leaving LeBron James(notes) on the bench for the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, trotting out big lineups that the Wizards summarily danced around in the second half. And there LeBron went, making the game all about himself, firing up ridiculous shots in the face of DeShawn Stevenson(notes) to prove ... that he's better than DeShawn Stevenson?

LeBron, you're better than DeShawn Stevenson. A lot of people are. Most players on DeShawn Stevenson's team are better than DeShawn Stevenson, which is why DeShawn Stevenson averages 20 minutes per game. You won that one, years ago. Like, 24 years ago. And you weren't going to win any extra points on Wednesday by nailing a ridiculous 23-foot two-point fadeaway in his face.

The old habits were all over the place. Mo Williams(notes) missed 11 of 13 shots, the two make came on an open runner and a face up shot over Earl Boykins'(notes) forehead. The whole team failed to initiate any sort of offensive movement from the second quarter onward, making it easy for the Wizards to load up on whoever was taking the 20-footer. And Cleveland couldn't keep up with a quicker Wizards team that owned this game after the initial 18 minutes.

After watching Antawn Jamison(notes) in this win, I'm convinced that every player should develop a cold after deeming themselves ready to return to action. That way, you don't feel as if you're coming right off the shelf, rather, you feel as if you've been waylaid by something else (a cold) that is easily overcome. Jamison fit right in, in his first game of the season, only turning the ball over two times in 38 minutes, pouring in 31 points in various styles and pulling in 10 rebounds (six offensive).

Caron Butler(notes) and Gilbert Arenas(notes) struggled through rough starts, but both managed to finish with 37 points, and Mike Miller(notes) gutted his way through a nice night leading the Wizards offense, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Miller is clearly hurt, though, and needs to take a few more games off.

Somebody needs to slap the Cavaliers on the top of their heads, because there is too much hubris going on here for a team that has won absolutely nothing.

***

Portland 87, Detroit 81

Steve Blake(notes) hit a three-pointer to seal this game, and he scored an efficient 17 points overall (with two assists to three turnovers), but I just can't help but revert back to 2007 and tell you that this guy should be a bit player. 15 minutes a game or so, mainly because Blake just can't guard anyone.

Point guard defense is possibly the most important aspect of today's game, with no hand checking and cleared lanes, and Blake sometimes single-handedly lets Trail Blazer opponents back into the game. Andre Miller(notes) isn't that much better, I admit, but Blake is absolutely terrible on that end these days. And don't look at the stats of the opposing point guard to back me up or take me down - it's all about penetration, and the dominos that fall after that.

Blake was on the floor as Detroit sent out an odd lineup (Ben Wallace(notes), Charlie Villanueva(notes), Jonas Jerebko(notes), Austin Daye(notes), and Rodney Stuckey(notes)) that came back and nearly pulled out a win for Detroit. Causation doesn't equal correlation, and the Blazers were clearly checking the clock and waiting for the five o'clock whistle in that fourth quarter, but the ability of Stuckey to penetrate despite the less than stellar offensive resumes of the players that surrounded him was worrying.

The Blazers won, though. Greg Oden(notes) was a force on the inside, changing shots and finishing with three blocks, though the Blazers continue to look the other way with him offensively. They shouldn't. Ben Wallace loves to think he can guard guards and bigs at the same time, over-hedging even though he's not as quick as he used to be, and Portland should have taken advantage.

Hard to argue with that early Trail Blazer lead, though. Brandon Roy had 20 points on 14 shots, and LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) was active offensively with 20 points. There are some other points to LMA's game that worry me right now, I get the feeling he's not as team-committed as he should be in certain aspects, but I'll give him a little longer before I start tossing things out there.

Detroit was just junkly, offensively. 39 percent shooting and 26.7 shooting from behind the arc, bad news for a team filled with shooters. Ben Gordon(notes) has missed 31 of his last 43 shots (27.9 percent) over the last three games, and Stuckey needed 21 shots to get his 21 points.

Jerebko can play defense, I like his footwork and athleticism, but overall I can't help but wonder if he's hurting the team. 32 minutes, four points on five shot attempts, five rebounds, four turnovers, and six fouls. Remember, fouls aren't a sign of plucky aggressiveness. Fouls are things that send opponents to the line for easy scoring opportunities. Fouls are second chances for the offense. Fouls aren't to be courted, yessah.

***

Dallas 99, San Antonio 94

To me, the strangest part about Dirk Nowitzki's(notes) night is that he could have had so, so much more.

I counted at least eight or nine open-ish, makeable shots for Dirk. Very makeable looks that could have, honestly, seen him toward 60 points in this win. He dropped 41, but I walked away from this game thinking about all the clean looks that spun out or just missed. This is how good his game is, right now.

41 points on 29 shots for Dirk in the win, with 12 rebounds. He didn't turn the ball over once, in 45 minutes. Not once.

That is so, so impressive. This isn't Ray Allen(notes), peeling off a screen to touch the rock for scant seconds before firing. Dirk's dribbling into traffic, through help, turning blindly over his other shoulder. He had the ball in his hands, constantly, and didn't turn it over. Once. Dirk is a marvel, and I'm glad he's still with us, at this level of potency, in November of 2009.

Should San Antonio have doubled Dirk, earlier? Sure. It would have limited Nowitzki's looks and scores in the third and fourth quarter. But it also would have given an immediate bent to Dallas' eventual adjustments, adjustments you don't want to be having to adjust to with a few minutes left in the game. You want those last minutes to be pre-adjustments, with you finally springing the trap and watching as J.J. Barea and Jason Kidd(notes) clang open jumpers.

And, really, it wasn't about Nowitzki. The man's a giant, but it wasn't about him.

It was about the turnovers. The ones the Spurs couldn't create (Dallas finished with five in a 53-minute game, glorious), and the ones the Spurs gave up (on 19 percent of their possessions, nearly four times the rate of the Mavericks). Toss in 17 offensive rebounds for the Mavericks, and you have a Dallas team that put up 22 more shots than the Spurs.

Think about that. This game went into overtime. Limit just a few of those miscues, watch that glass with a steelier gaze, and you could have this one. In Dallas. 22 extra shots.

Otherwise, impressive performance from San Antonio. No Tony Parker(notes), Manu Ginobili(notes) was out for most of the game, and they still made something out of it. 22 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and four blocks for Tim Duncan(notes). Great defense on Dirk down the stretch from Antonio McDyess(notes). Fine play in spurts from George Hill(notes). Respect.

And turnovers.

Thanks for reading.

Frank Isola, New York Daily News: "The answer to The Answer appears to be yes. Donnie Walsh said Wednesday night that the Knicks have yet to make a final decision on whether to sign Allen Iverson(notes) but the Knicks president hinted that the club is leaning strongly in that direction. Iverson, a former MVP, is expected to clear waivers at 6 p.m. today and will become an unrestricted free agent. The Knicks could have competition from Miami, who according to a person close to Iverson said the team is 'hot' after him. 'Until something's done it's not done,' Walsh said. 'That's the way I've always been. If he's not signed it's not done.' It's worth remembering that Walsh used similar language days before Mike D'Antoni was hired as coach. Walsh has spent the past few days calling his inner circle of NBA friends about Iverson. One of those calls was to Larry Brown, the former Knicks coach, who was with Iverson in Philadelphia when the Sixers went to the NBA Finals."

Eddie Sefko, The Dallas Morning News: "Win, lose or draw, the Mavericks' fate lately always seems to come down to Dirk Nowitzki(notes). And as long as he's on, the Mavericks can lack all the style points in the world and still have a great chance to win. The game in Milwaukee proved it. Wednesday night's 99-94 victory over the Spurs reaffirmed it when Nowitzki tipped in the basket that ended up getting the Mavericks to overtime. The Mavericks slogged around for three quarters, couldn't find the basket with a GPS and basically looked like they should be losing instead of up by four points, which they were. But while the Mavericks go along through this early season, the only real constant has been Dirk. No matter who's hurt or who's playing poorly, he's been an anchor. [...] The more defenders hang all over him, the more Dirk just seems to figure out a way to thrive. And score. He had just nine points at halftime Wednesday, but lit up the Spurs in the second half and wound up with 41. He was the sole reason the game even made it to overtime. He was the heart and soul as well as the offense for the Mavericks."

Spurs Dynasty: "Sometimes the game can turn on a single sequence. Up two in OT, George Hill(notes) drives the lane. The ball is bouncing around the rim, and Duncan has a chance to tap it in, giving us a commanding four-point lead and momentum. Instead, Duncan leaves the tap short, the Mavs grab the board, Duncan trips over his own feet, And Nowitzki gets a layup at the rim and a foul. And like that we're down one, five-point swing, huge momentum shift, ball game. [...] In the end, we had our chance. But our opportunity to secure the win fell about two inches short. Sometimes, that's all it takes."

Jeff McDonald, S.A. Express-News: "The injury bug has bitten the Spurs again. Tony Parker(notes) is doubtful and Manu Ginobili(notes) is out for Thursday's home game against the Utah Jazz. [...] Ginobili is set to undergo further tests on the injury Thursday, and won't play against the Jazz. The injury is unrelated to the hamstring problem that kept him out of the fourth quarter of Saturday's loss to Oklahoma City. Limping noticeably as he left American Airlines Center after Wednesday's game, the 32-year-old Ginobili looked like he was either about to burst into tears or punch a wall. Coming off an injury-shortened 2008-09 campaign, he was clearly dismayed to already be dealing with nagging ailments so early in 2009-10. 'It's frustrating,' Ginobili said."

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald: "You can't exactly call it the shot heard 'round the world. For starters, the 73-foot swish that Kevin Garnett(notes) heaved in last night from just above the Golden State foul line didn't count. After a lengthy video review, referee Scott Foster determined that Garnett, who released the ball in a spinning, shotput motion, didn't beat the clock. For another, the Celtics forward was a blank slate after the game. He had to be reminded of the shot. 'I did make a halfcourt shot, didn't I,' he said after the Celtics' 109-95 win, getting the distance wrong. He turned to Paul Pierce(notes) and, in a mock scolding, said to the Celtics captain, 'Why didn't you tell me, dog?' Told the shot was actually made from three-quarters court distance, Garnett said, 'It was three-quarters, wasn't it. Whoa, that felt good.'"

Frank Dell'Apa, The Boston Globe: "The Celtics have become 3-point happy at the wrong times this season. Coach Doc Rivers finally stepped in, telling Rasheed Wallace(notes) to limit the threes, during the final quarter of last night's 109-95 win over Golden State. 'I got on him, and I rarely do, about the threes,' Rivers said of Wallace. 'Because even though he was wide open, it's really tough. I mean, he was wide open and he took two, but we had just taken two quick ones. But he's got an incredibly high basketball IQ. He's been phenomenal in the locker room. So, I'm just happy to have him.' The Celtics started the final quarter with two turnovers, and a Raja Bell(notes) 3-pointer cut the Boston lead to 80-70. Eddie House(notes) and Wallace hit 3-pointers, but the Celtics were then outscored, 6-0, over a 3:04 span. House made it 88-76 with 7:30 left on Boston's first 2-point basket in over eight minutes."

Mark Bradley, AJC: "The Hawks won their 10th game of the nascent season Wednesday night. In 2004-05, this franchise managed 13 victories over 82 games. A team once so far down it had to improve to get lousy is now, with the same coach and same power forward, tied with Phoenix for the NBA's best record. Said Mike Woodson, the coach in question: 'I'll never forget those 13 wins. I'll never forget walking into the locker room and seeing those faces, knowing we couldn't win many games.' We knew the Hawks would improve. When you're 13-69, you can get no worse. But did anyone expect the Hawks to get better in quite this way? Jamal Crawford(notes) didn't. A pro since 2000, he saw those Hawks firsthand. Did he foresee that woebegone bunch becoming the team that has become the league-wide talking point of the 2009-10 season? 'I'd be lying if I said I did. You knew they'd get better. You just didn't know it would be that fast.'"

Michael Lee, The Washington Post: "[Antawn] Jamison finally made his long-awaited season debut on Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, coming around full circle since he partially dislocated his right shoulder against this same team during the preseason. He led the Wizards with 31 points and 10 rebounds as they snapped a six-game losing streak with a 108-91 victory before a sellout crowd at Verizon Center. 'One thing I've noticed lately is our energy level has been down,' Jamison said. 'I knew that I could come in and change that and [be] another added weapon for them to really key in on. I've been sitting down for what seems like forever, so I had a lot of energy. I knew it was going to be different from what we've been doing.' [...] 'It's great to have us all out there together,' [Caron] Butler said. 'That's been the talk for years, 'When is the Big Three going to be out there together, along with the new additions?' Antawn was great tonight. He kept the energy going. Gilbert did some spectacular things. I thought DeShawn did a great job of slowing down LeBron. This is what we expect. We expect to win games. That's what happened.'"

Loren Jorgensen, Deseret News: "[Andrei] Kirilenko, who started the first eight games of the season, is now back in the familiar role he played last year as the team's spark off the bench. He scored 20 points — three below his season high — with seven rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots in his reserve role. Even still, Kirilenko was given just faint praise by the Jazz coach afterward. Jerry Sloan wants Kirilenko to play more fundamentally sound on the defensive end of the court and to quit taking so many chances. 'Andrei had some good moments,' Sloan said. 'But he's been here nine years. He shouldn't be making some of the mistakes he does on defense.' [...] Kirilenko did not get his name introduced by the public address announcer before tip-off, and he wasn't on the floor when the game started for the third outing in a row. But he's still getting starter-like playing time — so he says he's fine with that role."

Doug Smith, The Star: "The theory sounds great: Protect the paint, shrink the court, make teams beat you with contested jump shots. In reality: It's the one glaring and consistent weakness of this team right now. One play comes quickly to mind from last night. Think it was in the second quarter — or maybe the first — but a Jazz shot goes up and Andrei Kirilenko(notes) goes from the left elbow to the right side of the rim to tip in the miss. Not a single, solitary Raptor even shot him a passing glance, let alone put a body on him and it's a perfect example of them not protecting the paint. Now, it was one play that stood out but the anecdotal evidence is overwhelming that they have to work harder at doing what the coaches want them to do."

Marcus Thompson II, Contra Costa Times: "Warriors guard Raja Bell said he didn't intend for it to be a moving gesture. His goal wasn't to inspire or plant a subliminal message in the hearts of his new teammates. But that's exactly what he did in the Warriors' 109-95 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. Bell, who was acquired Monday in the Stephen Jackson(notes) trade, stunned his teammates and coaches by playing Wednesday, one day after he announced he was having potentially season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist. He scored 11 points in 23 minutes off the bench. He made 4 of 6 shots, including three 3-pointers, and had three assists. It turned out to be a one-game trial to see if his wrist would pass the test. It didn't. Bell heads to North Carolina today and plans to meet Monday with an orthopedist in the Charlotte area, where he will schedule the surgery."

Dave D'Alessandro, The Star-Ledger: "Brook Lopez took 27 shots against the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night, which isn't out of the ordinary when you consider that three other starters shot 36, 33, and 42 percent while a fourth was still trying to get his legs back from the swine flu. But even the Nets center, who is remarkably unselfish for someone who has the potential to dominate, wonders whether some of those shots made sense. There is a greater perimeter emphasis with Lopez lately, if only because he might be their most consistent shooter from 20-foot range, but against the Pacers, some believe it went too far. The best example was in the first quarter: Lopez drew two fouls each on Roy Hibbert(notes) and Solomon Jones(notes) — the two Pacers centers — in the first eight minutes of the game. How many post-ups did he get in the last 10 possessions of that period? Two. But he faded away on one, and handed it off to Chris Douglas-Roberts(notes) (for a layup) on the second. 'I don't mind it mixed up, but there are times I definitely want it on the block,' Lopez said. 'I've talked to them about it. I guess they figure we were just going up against a lot of good shot blockers in Dwight (Howard), Sam (Dalembert), Roy, and I'd try to pull them away from the basket.'"

Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel: "Coach Stan Van Gundy has been concerned with the club's lack of energy — or 'malaise' — but the Magic looked like they chugged Red Bull. 'I think the energy and ball movement go hand-in-hand,' he said. Van Gundy liked [JAson] Williams' imprint. '[Jameer] is not the same in transition as J-Will. He does it a little better than Jameer, but Jameer does some things better than J-Will,' Van Gundy said. Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook(notes) was a defensive concern, but he shot just 3-of-11. 'I just get out and run,' said Williams, who turned 34 Wednesday. 'I hope guys will run with me.' [Anthony] Johnson, 35, has not been happy sitting on the bench. 'I guess coach has a vision and up to this point it didn't include me,' he said. 'I found myself on the outside of that bubble.'"

Michael Wallace, The Miami Herald: "[Dwyane] Wade knows he's struggling. He didn't need to be reminded of his stats from recent games. On Wednesday, he was 6 of 18 from the field. On Tuesday, he was 6 of 19. The game before that, Wade tossed up an 8 of 17 effort. And the one before that, he was 9 of 17. 'I got some real good looks, shots that I normally make in my sleep,' Wade said. 'I have to play through this and get myself back.' The shooting slump hasn't been Wade's only problem. He's also committed 10 turnovers in the past two games. That's another product of facing taller, athletic defenders. Joe Johnson(notes) picked up where Thabo Sefolosha(notes) and Jamario Moon(notes) left off. Wade went through this before. He bounced back. There's a really, really, really good chance he will do so again."

Chris Tomasson, NBA FanHouse: "Two weeks after the third-year option on his rookie contract wasn't picked up, Milwaukee forward Joe Alexander(notes) says he wants to be traded. Alexander's 2010-11 option for $2.76 million was not picked up by the Nov. 2 deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent next summer. In an interview with FanHouse before Tuesday's win over the Nets at the Bradley Center, Alexander was asked if he believes that means the Bucks could deal him as the February trade deadline approaches. 'They made it pretty clear that they don't see me having a future here,' said Alexander, the No. 8 pick in the 2008 draft who averaged 4.7 points last season as a rookie. 'So I'm assuming a trade would definitely be one of the options.' Alexander then was asked if he would welcome a trade. 'I mean, yeah,' he said. 'If they don't want me, if they don't see a future with me here, that really is the only other option.'"

Jimmy Smith, The Times Picayune: "Austin 'Red' Robbins, a smooth and swift former center of the New Orleans Buccaneers who helped re-define the role of the pro basketball post player, died at his Metairie home early Wednesday morning after a 3 1/2-year battle with cancer. He was 65. [...] 'He was a great teammate,' [Larry] Brown, now coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, said Wednesday night. 'A wonderful guy ... an undersized center. When Doug Moe and I were teammates, he had a phenomenal year in New Orleans. Every time I went to New Orleans, I got to see him.' At 6 feet 8 and 190 pounds, Robbins' ball-handling and shooting helped change the way professional basketball personnel people looked at big men. 'I think, as I remember, he was one of the first (big) guys who could play out there on the perimeter,' said former Hornets general manager Bob Bass, [...] 'He handled the ball and ran the floor well enough and hit the perimeter shot,' Bass said."

Patrick Hayes, MLive.com: "The Pistons have a problem that many teams would love: two young, promising point guards, both who have experienced some NBA success, both who should continue to get much better. But who's the guy? This is probably something team executives don't really worry about right now, but it's pretty clear that many fans are hugely behind Will Bynum(notes) while perhaps being a tad harder on Rodney Stuckey(notes) while he goes through growing pains that every young player does. I tend to believe that the exciting, frenetic style of Bynum's game particularly endears him to fans, while perhaps masking the fact that he does most of his damage through one-on-one, isolation style offense. Stuckey, on the other hand, plays the game more laid-back, more methodically. He has some of the same skills Bynum has as far as attacking the basket, but his demeanor on the court makes him harder to notice at times, and also perhaps magnifies his mistakes. But who's better?"

Mike Wells, Indy Star: "The Indiana Pacers have enjoyed a five-game winning streak during the past two weeks. Not so coincidentally, it was their hottest streak since the 2004-05 season, a campaign wrecked by one horrible night in Detroit. Five years ago today, in the final minute of a blowout statement victory over the defending champion Pistons, former Pacer Ron Artest(notes) fouled Ben Wallace(notes), who then shoved Artest. Rather than retaliate, Artest retreated to the scorer's table — until Pistons fan John Green hit Artest with a beer cup. What followed shook the NBA, destroyed the Pacers' realistic championship hopes and contributed mightily to the revamped roster you see today. [...] 'That was the beginning of the end of things for the organization,' former Indiana Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said. 'It set things in motion.'"

Sports Media Watch: "The 2009-10 NBA season is off to a strong start on TNT. Through 8 games, TNT is averaging a 1.6 U.S. rating and 2.4 million viewers for NBA coverage, up 33% and 36%, respectively, from a 1.2 and 1.7 million through the same point last year. TNT opened the season with its most-viewed NBA doubleheader in 13 years (an average of 3.7 million viewers for Cavaliers/Celtics and Clippers/Lakers). Over the last two weeks, the net has followed up that strong performance with more solid numbers — including 2.4 million viewers for Bulls/Cavaliers on November 5, and 2.6 million for Cavaliers/Heat last Thursday."

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: Orlando Sentinel. Vince Carter(notes) is just slightly impressed by his Magic bobblehead doll.
PF: The Baseline. Is Gilbert Arenas(notes) getting a free pass for his one million followers "Twitter challenge?"
SF: '64 and Counting. Because Shaq doesn't already do enough, now he's curating an art exhibit.
SG: Sports Radio Interviews. Ron Artest(notes) discusses chucking Trevor Ariza's(notes) shoe off the court.
PG: The 700 Level. Philadelphia should sign Allen Iverson(notes) ... to play quarterback, of course.
6th: Basketball-Reference.com Blog. Is Nash really on track to capture the third MVP of his career?
7th: From Deep. Give Grange his choice of an offensive threat for a day, and he'd pick 'Melo's game.
8th: CelticsHub. Andres Nocioni(notes): The most average player in the NBA.
9th: The Disciples of Clyde. BDL's own Kelly Dwyer joins Dan Filowitz on the FD DoC podcast.
10th: D.C. Sports Bog. Minor league hoops team changes name from NightHawks to GreenHawks, announces plans to reduce their carbon footprint and considers using hemp nets and shorts made of recycled bamboo.

Got a tip or link for Ball Don't Lie? Hit me up at jeskeets [at] yahoo.ca or follow me on Twitter.

Stack hasn't even played this year. Iverson carped his way through three Memphis Grizzlies losses. Memphis Grizzlies losses. No other team appears to want to take a flyer, save for squads that aren't outright dismissing things so as to keep things cheery with Iverson's agent.

You don't have to stay chummy with our agent. Just pop by around 3 p.m., Eastern, hit the jump, and submit a question for Hump Day Chat. No starters, no sixth men, just hoops talk. Cheerio, and all that.

(Note: If your comment doesn't appear right away, rest assured, it shouldn't. Comments are moderated, but because we like you and don't want to limit contributions to a level that other large sites do, we'll try to get to it. It might be a few minutes. It might be 20 minutes. Chill out. Eat some papaya.)

On today's show, Skeets and Tas regroup from blooper day and charge forward. Could Allen Iverson(notes) be a Knickerbocker? Do the Nuggets need home court advantage throughout the playoffs? Could the Magic be looking for a new point guard? All that, plus casting "Space Jam 2," more so-bad-they're-good nicknames and Nene's big night.

Keep both eyes on the road, folks. You never know what's coming around the bend.

Subscribe to the video show on iTunes | Download the .m4v directly
Subscribe to the audio show on iTunes | Download the .mp3 directly

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: Rockets.com. "Three-fourths of the world is covered by water, the rest is covered by Chuck Hayes(notes)."
PF: The Association. Is Kobe Bryant's(notes) low-post game hurting the Lakers offense?
SF: Talk Hoops. Zach Harper negotiates the final chapter of Allen Iverson's(notes) NBA career.
SG: Hugging Harold Reynolds. Magic Johnson addresses those book statements about Isiah.
PG: Sports Radio Interviews. More AI: Chris Wallace talks about the decision to part ways with the guard.
6th: CelticsHub. Boston sports fans are kind of dramatic, huh?
7th: DallasBasketball.com. An evening with Mavs' rookie Roddy Beaubois and his playing cards.
8th: No Guts, No Glory. Man, Dwyane Wade(notes) had a jheri curlicious Halloween costume.
9th: SDNN. A look at some of the game's wee-sized warriors like Brandon Jennings(notes) and Ty Lawson(notes).
10th: Empty The Bench. What can basketball's Pythagorean Theorem tell us about the '09-10 season?

Got a tip or link for Ball Don't Lie? Hit me up at jeskeets [at] yahoo.ca or follow me on Twitter.

Let the voting (for Allen Iverson(notes)! Samuel Dalembert(notes)! Hakim Warrick(notes)!) begin!

The official 2010 NBA All-Star ballot was unveiled today in Dallas, the host city for the February events.

Fans will be able to vote daily for the All-Star Game starters in a variety of ways, including: at each NBA arena; in 20 languages on NBA.com; and through mobile phones by texting the player's last name to 6-9-6-2-2 ("MYNBA"), via Web2Go on T-Mobile phones or wap.nba.com for any wireless carrier. A T-Mobile-branded All-Star Balloting widget will also be available on NBA.com so that fans can "drop" the widget on their blogs or social network pages allowing others to vote directly.

Paper balloting will continue through January 10, while wireless balloting and voting on NBA.com will conclude January 18. Starters will be announced live on TNT on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010. (Man, 2010. Where the heck are those flying cars we were promised?)

As usual, there are 120 players listed on the ballot, and voters select two guards, two forwards and one center from each conference. The 120 names were selected by a panel of NBA scribes. This year's "Dream Team" included Mike Breen (ABC/ESPN), Eddie Sefko (Dallas Morning News), Doug Smith (The Toronto Star) Marc Spears (Yahoo! Sports, what what!), Marc Stein (ESPN) and Ian Thomsen (SI).

After the jump, a complete listing of the players as they appear on the ballot, as well as some notes on who's missing because the NBA continues to release this thing way too early.

2010 NBA All-Star Eastern Conference Ballot

Observations:

• The biggest name left off the ballot appears to be Chicago Bulls forward/center Joakim Noah, who through Monday's games is averaging 11.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. Chuck Swirsky says he would drop Dalembert, Bogut, Chandler, Jermaine O'Neal(notes) or Perkins for the wild-haired one, though I'd argue teammate Brad Miller(notes) makes the most sense.

• John Schuman: "Yao and Yi combined for more than 4.3 million votes last year. Neither is on this year's ballot." (Can you say Shane Battier(notes), anyone?)

• Sactown Royalty: "None of the three [Kings] — Kevin Martin(notes), Spencer Hawes(notes) and Jason Thompson(notes) — will make the actual game, though Martin had a shot as a reserve before the injury. No Tyreke Evans(notes) on the ballot. The NBA fears the Martin Indonesia effect."

• My early votes: Wade, The Armadillo Cowboy, LeBron, Bosh and Dwight out East; Nash, Kobe, 'Melo, Dirk and ... um ... um ... can I give my vote to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?

On today's show, Skeets and Tas clear the wreckage from their Annual General Meeting and marvel at the rising Suns. Is Nash back to old form? Were they underrated coming in to this season? Are they a championship team? All that, plus the Allen Iverson(notes) debacle in Memphis, the great Speedracer debate and the first look at this year's "Head Coach Deathwatch."

Thanks for joining our quorum, folks! Enjoy the butter tarts.

Subscribe to the video show on iTunes | Download the .m4v directly
Subscribe to the audio show on iTunes | Download the .mp3 directly

Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle: "Last season, when Tracy McGrady(notes) decided to have microfracture knee surgery, ending his season, the Rockets found out by watching television. [...] Rockets coach Rick Adelman was livid at the way the announcement was handled. McGrady described it as a misunderstanding, and really, going public with the decision before discussing it privately did no harm. It wasn't the announcement that ended his season. A season later, however, he clearly has not learned from the experience, or simply does not care if the Rockets object to his announcements. He said during the summer that he was 99 percent back and would be ready to practice with the team at the start of training camp. Things did not work out that way. According to the Rockets, he still has not gone through a full practice. Then on Monday, in an email to Yahoo! Sports, he said he would play next Wednesday. The problem with that was that Rockets general manager Daryl Morey had already said on Monday that nothing had changed in McGrady's timetable, that he won't play until the team considers him to be 100 percent and that he would need to be checked out in a full practice before he will be permitted to play a game. Next full practice? Nov. 23."

Marcus Thompson II, San Jose Mercury News: "Center Andris Biedrins(notes) apparently is going to miss more playing time. He returned to the lineup Sunday, which probably wasn't a good idea. Biedrins played 21 minutes, totaling two points and six rebounds before leaving midway through the third quarter. He went to the locker room for treatment and never returned. 'He's not doing very well,' coach Don Nelson said. 'I probably shouldn't have even played him, but we wanted to have another big guy if we possibly could. He couldn't do very much when he was out there, and he has re-injured himself. So that was a bad decision on my part.' Biedrins sat out of a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday after tweaking his back Wednesday against Memphis."

Ronald Tillery, Memphis Commercial Appeal: "As much as the Grizzlies are sympathetic toward Allen Iverson(notes) and are rooting for his return from a personal leave of absence, their last workout wasn't the first without him. The Griz had plenty of practice with Iverson away because of a hamstring injury during the preseason. Still, the team's time spent on the FedExForum practice court Monday was anything but a routine day at the office. The Griz return home to face the Portland Trail Blazers tonight with a five-game losing streak and a bit of controversy in tow. Iverson won't make his scheduled home debut in a Grizzlies uniform. Their defense is ranked last in the league. The Grizzlies' 1-6 record is the worst in the Western Conference. 'We need to get a win,' Griz coach Lionel Hollins said."

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald: "Allen Iverson's troubles in Memphis, with the aging star weighing retirement against the prospect of coming off the bench, highlight the crossroads that most NBA players in their early 30s have to face. 'It depends on the player — you can or you can't do it,' said Rasheed Wallace(notes), who has made that transition in his first year with the Celtics. [...] The key to moving from starter to reserve, according to Wallace, is accepting the decline in one's abilities. 'I've already accepted that I can't jump no more,' he said. 'I'm not as athletic as I used to be. But when you lose that step or two, you have to pick up that step or two in your head. It's an adjustment, but one that I've made before. It depends on the mentality of that person. It can be an advantage or a disadvantage. You have to be able to step into a game and catch that flow.'"

Mike Bresnahan, L.A. Times: Kobe Bryant(notes) has not signed a contract extension. In fact, it might not happen at all this season. The Lakers guard is under contract until July 2011, but he seems to be in no hurry to extend his deal. The Lakers have offered Bryant the maximum money he could earn. On top of the total of $47.8 million he is scheduled to make this season and next, he can sign a three-year extension worth $86 million to $91 million more, depending on NBA salary-cap figures to be determined in 2011. Such a move would keep him with the Lakers through the 2013-14 season. But Bryant, 31, was tight-lipped when asked about the absence of an extension. 'I'm not going to talk about it,' he said. "I'm not going to let it be a distraction. I'm going to keep my business behind closed doors. If the organization wants to talk about it, they can talk about it.'"

Brian Murphy, Pioneer Press: "Inexperienced roster. Soft defense. Mounting losses. Growing frustration. The aforementioned maladies aptly would have described the Timberwolves or Golden State Warriors before the two Western Conference bottom feeders squared off Monday night at Oracle Arena. Just when it appeared the Wolves had met an ideal match for ending a prolonging losing streak that is becoming uglier by the day, along came the equally confounded Warriors, who took out a month's worth of frustration on the NBA's punching bag. Golden State, a young, rebuilding club that lost four of its first five games, made its 146-105 pounding of Minnesota look routine and, in the process, laid a record-tying beat down on the Wolves. The 41-point margin of defeat equaled the largest in team history, tying a 113-72 defeat at Miami on March 5, 1996. This also was the most points allowed by a Wolves team since Golden State torched them for 146 on the same court on April 1, 1994."

Matt Watson, NBA FanHouse: "Until last week, the last time the Detroit Pistons played a game in which neither Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince(notes) started was the 2001-02 season — when Prince was a senior at Kentucky and Hamilton still coming into his own playing alongside Michael Jordan in Washington. [...] The Pistons haven't offered an official prognosis for either player, but given that Hamilton is still wearing a walking boot 11 days after originally suffering the injury, it seems likely his continued absence will be measured in weeks, not days. While high ankle sprains can take a long time to heal, Hamilton should be as good as new one he does finally return. Unfortunately, the same is not certain about Prince, who's sidelined indefinitely with a ruptured disk in his back. Back injuries are always scary, but what makes Prince's ailment especially worrisome is the fact that it looks like it may be a recurring condition."

Mike Monroe, S.A. Express-News: "Matt Bonner, who broke into the NBA in Toronto, visited with old friends from the Toronto media before the game. The Spurs center asked if rumors he had heard about fares being increased on the Toronto subway system were true. Bonner was famous during his days in Toronto for getting around the city on rapid transit, earning his nickname, 'The Red Rocket,' after the name of the city's subway trains. Told that fares were indeed about to go up, the notoriously tight-fisted Bonner had another question: 'Will the old tokens still work? I still have some left over.'"

Ben Walker, AP: "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is being treated for a rare form of leukemia, and the basketball great said his prognosis is encouraging. The NBA's all-time leading scorer was diagnosed last December with chronic myeloid leukemia, he told The Associated Press on Monday. The 62-year-old Abdul-Jabbar said his doctor didn't give any guarantees, but informed him: 'You have a very good chance to live your life out and not have to make any drastic changes to your lifestyle.' [...] Citing the way Los Angeles Lakers teammate Magic Johnson brought awareness to HIV, Abdul-Jabbar said he wants to do the same for his form of blood cancer, which can be fatal if left untreated. 'I've never been a person to share my private life. But I can help save lives,' he said at a midtown Manhattan conference room. 'It's incumbent on someone like me to talk about this.'"

Dave D'Alessandro, The Star-Ledger: "For a second there, judging it solely by the sounds behind the gym door, we thought things were starting to look up. They told us that the practice was stretched past noon, and you could actually hear shouts and screeching sneakers, as if they somehow scounged up 10 bodies to scrimmage with. False alarm. We walked in to find Rafer, Josh, Brook and Trenton at one end, drilling with three coaches and video maven Pete Williams. And Sean, T-Will, Najera, and Bobby at the other end drilling with four other coaches. That was all of it -- just eight guys and seven coaches. Jules took one look at a folding chair that was carefully situated on a foul line, and said it looked like Norman Dale's first practice at Hickory High."

RealGM: "Early in the current 2009-2010 season, NBA attendance figures show less than a 1% drop from last season. Comparing the percentages of total arena capacity sold in all 30 NBA cities, this season's attendance so far registers at 90.137% of total capacity while last season's final attendance was 90.913% of total capacity, for a drop of 0.776%. In July, the NBA league office projected that this season's basketball-related income would decline between 2.5% and 5%, resulting in the salary cap falling to between $53.6 million and $50.4 million, respectively."

Jason Jones, Sac Bee: "Kings guard Kevin Martin(notes) underwent 'successful' surgery today to repair a hairline fracture of the navicular bone in his left wrist. He is expected to be released from the hospital today. Martin is expected to miss a minimum of eight weeks. Martin was injured in the Kings' home opener last Monday against Memphis. He played two days later against Atlanta with the injury only to find out a day later the severity of the injury."

The Hoop: "The Greek Pro basketball players central organization announced today that all the Greek professional players will be going on strike next weekend as it was proclaimed 3 months ago. The orgnization are trying to make a case for all players to be insured in the Greek Pro leagues (both A1 and A2) and they are also trying to make sure that all players receive the salaries they signed for in their contracts. The reassurements that measurements will be taken, have fallen to the deaf ears of the previous government in Greece. The political scene in Greece is going through a transition and it is very possible that nothing will be resolved until next weekend."

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: LakersHype.com. It's not just you, DJ. Khloe Odom has been wearing a lot of purple lately.
PF: CelticsHub. Maybe Shelden Williams(notes) doesn't stink after all?
SF: SRI. David Stern says he had no role in the Tim Donaghy book publisher pulling out.
SG: The Miami Herald. Michael Beasley(notes) shows up at practice with a big, ABA-style throwback Afro.
PG: Silver Screen and Roll. "So this is what Kobe Bryant(notes) in decline looks like?" Yikes.
6th: 48 Minutes Of Hell. The silver lining on TP's ankle: increased playing time for George Hill(notes).
7th: NBA FanHouse. Apparently, the Nets' Chris Douglas-Roberts(notes) has the H1N1 virus.
8th: IC. Will Hansbrough's rough and tumble, unorthodox game translate from college to the NBA?
9th: The Baseline. Can you say Allen Iverson(notes) to the Knicks?
10th: The Two Man Game, via TrueHoop. The Dallas Mavericks' defense, in fine video breakdown.

Got a tip or link for Ball Don't Lie? Hit me up at jeskeets [at] yahoo.ca or follow me on Twitter.

Frank Isola, New York Daily News: "LeBron James, the most famous Yankees fan living in Ohio, says he will not be attending Friday's victory parade in lower Manhattan. 'No, my parade starts at eight at night,' LeBron told Cleveland reporters, referring to Friday's game with the Knicks. James makes his one and only visit to New York on Friday (of course, his official visit is July 1st when he is scheduled to become a free agent.) 'I've thought about playing everywhere,' James said prior to Thursday's game with Chicago. 'At one point in my life, I've thought about playing every team in the NBA.' James did admit that the league would be better off if the Knicks were a contending team. [...] 'I think the league is doing just fine, but with the Knicks being good, the Celtics being good, the Lakers being good, it makes the league that much better. I'm talking as a fan now, please understand.'"

Ailene Voisin, Sac Bee: "Kevin Martin leaned against the wall in the Kings' practice facility Thursday afternoon, still very much in shock, his damaged left wrist dangling at his side. Hours earlier, an MRI revealed that the league's third-leading scorer — and the Kings' best player — sustained a hairline fracture Monday night in a collision with the Memphis Grizzlies' Allen Iverson(notes). Martin was presented with three options, all of them terrible: He can wear a soft cast and attempt to play, risking further injury and possibly a complete break. He can undergo surgery and have a screw inserted to stabilize the bone, with recovery projected at six to eight weeks. Or he can have the arm casted and hope that the wrist heals itself during a comparable six- to eight-week rehabilitation period."

Kevin Ding, OC Register: "[Ron] Artest said his former Rockets teammates were 'definitely trying to get me ejected' by throwing elbows at him, and he acknowledged he might've indulged the notion if not for a little NBA commissioner/angel appearing on his shoulder. A jolt from Ariza just minutes into the game — after Artest said Luis Scola(notes) already threw one — nearly sent Artest, suspended 72 games by Stern in 2004, back into arrest. 'I wanted to (choke Ariza) because he hit me with the elbow,' Artest said. 'But then I thought about David Stern, and I thought I wasn't going to do this. I got hit with three or four elbows. It's just not fair. I don't want to fight.' Did I clearly articulate that Artest did think about it, though? Let me clarify: He mentioned that he thought in the moment how certain he was that he was stronger than Ariza and contemplated his interest in making someone his 'punching bag.' Yet with Kobe Bryant(notes) interceding and shepherding Artest away, the match didn't light - and Artest was able to joke (I think he was joking) about it all."

Jeff McDonald, S.A. Express-News: "If the new, more collapsible rims introduced before the start of the season are really creating more so-called 'shooter's rolls,' the Spurs haven't noticed. Quietly, the NBA switched manufacturers to bring about the most significant change in that piece of equipment since the advent of breakaway rims in 1981. The new basket system, made by Spalding and called the 'Arena Pro 180 Goal,' collapse from both the front and sides. In the past, breakaway rims have collapsed only from the front. Some shooters report the change has made the rims more forgiving for shooters, deadening shots that used to bounce out. And scoring is up early across the league. Asked about the change before Thursday's game at Utah, coach Gregg Popovich has he hadn't heard anything about it. Neither had many of his players. 'I didn't know,' Roger Mason(notes) Jr. said. 'I really have noticed anything different.'"

Michael Wallace, Miami Herald: "Might I suggest three words to those who have clearly drawn lines and are firmly on one side or the other in this Michael Beasley(notes)/Udonis Haslem debate. Pipe down. Please. Don't get me wrong. Passion this time of year, just two weeks into the NBA season? Perfect. But outright rage in some corners after just five games? Ridiculous. Here the Heat sits, off to a solid 4-1 start entering Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets. And here many in Heat nation stand, picking apart who sits in crunch time at the end of games. While coach Erik Spoelstra's rotation decisions cost him in Tuesday's loss to Phoenix, there was no price to be paid Wednesday in Washington."

Chris Dempsey, Denver Post: "Everyone who watched Ty Lawson(notes) blow by defenders, sprint the ball upcourt and hit 3-pointers that New Jersey's defense conceded in order to keep him out of the lane came away impressed. And a scene that is sure to be repeated this season followed the Nuggets' Wednesday night blowout victory. Denver coach George Karl was peppered with questions about his rookie point guard from a media contingent that seemed shocked at what it witnessed. Odd, because Lawson led North Carolina to the NCAA title a year ago. But Lawson figures to turn heads all season long in his NBA debut, including that of his coach, who detests the reputation he has for not playing rookies, although three weeks ago he defended his right not to play Lawson. 'Just remember, there's not a lot of rookies that have helped teams win 55-60 games,' Karl said then. 'Our job is probably to win 55-60 games this year. There's a difference between being good and being a player that produces winning. There are players that are good but don't know how to win in the NBA, and rookies are usually a lot of those guys.'"

Marc Stein, ESPN: "It's been about a week since we had any certifiable chatter to pass along on the Stephen Jackson(notes) trade front. That's not because the Warriors have slowed the search for trade partners — to the contrary — but because the most interested parties (Cleveland and Denver) are generally high-payroll teams that can't easily absorb Jackson's long-term contract. The Cavs and the Nuggets, furthermore, just aren't teeming with tradeable (and available) assets to hook Golden State. What we can confirm, though, is that Charlotte has to be mentioned more prominently on the list of interested suitors. We've briefly noted the Bobcats' interest in a couple of previous entries, but further checking reveals that the Bobs have seriously explored the prospect of trading for Jackson, apparently undaunted by the fact that they weren't mentioned when Jackson announced late in the summer that he wanted to be dealt to Cleveland, New York or one of the three Texas teams."

John Canzano, The Oregonian: "Blazers front office executives talk positively about their mandatory team-building experience. And maybe they're slapping backs and working more efficiently because they went on desert hikes, climbed walls and sat around afterward talking about what it was like to overcome obstacles together. There's real value in bringing people together. We all know that. And the Blazers understand that better than most professional sports organizations that haven't navigated the field of broken glass that lies behind this franchise. Sure, fans are concerned about the 2-3 start. The Spurs are next. And we're coming to the realization that the expectations for the team weren't out of whack, but the circumstances certainly were. If Miller and Roy are still struggling to play together in December, you can start talking trade of the new guy. And if McMillan continues to dabble in a way that prevents the Blazers from finding comfort, we can begin the dialogue about whether he's the right coach to lead the team into the future. But all that talk today is insanely premature. It makes you want to climb a pole and jump off it."

Jeff Rabjohns, The Indianapolis Star: "Ten years after Conseco Fieldhouse opened its doors, this shrine to Indiana basketball — part museum, part arena — remains one of the most revered basketball venues in the nation and has altered the idea of what an NBA arena should be. The retro-styled home of the Indiana Pacers — a modern venue soaked in history — has influenced other teams to rethink nondescript multipurpose buildings and embrace designs tied to basketball's past. Charlotte, Dallas, Memphis and San Antonio are among franchises that modeled specific elements of their new arenas after what they saw at Conseco. New Jersey, which has a new arena in the works, also is aiming in that direction."

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: GQ. Golden State Warriors rookie Stephen Curry(notes) talks/blogs about his NBA debut.
PF: With Malice. Sam Smith is crazy if he thinks LBJ-to-LA works whilst Kobe's still there.
SF: SRI. Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace discusses the complaints by Allen Iverson(notes) after just one game.
SG: Tax Watchdog. Report: NBA legend and Raps assistant coach Alex English owes the tax man $127k.
PG: TrueHoop. According to sources, DeJuan Blair(notes) was 10 seconds away from being a Cavalier.
6th: Supersonicsoul. Graph: Eventual NBA champions' first 10 games.
7th: 3030FM. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird trade barbs on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien."
8th: Dime. Five player rivalries some would like to see start this year or in the immediate future.
9th: The Painted Area. Is Vince Carter's(notes) Hall of Fame legacy on the line?
10th: Empty The Bench. Should NBA TV analyst Rick Kamla be suspended for his flippant Yi remarks?

Got a tip or link for Ball Don't Lie? Hit me up at jeskeets (at) yahoo.ca or follow me on Twitter.

I really loved watching this game. Such fun. Such flow.

Yao Ming(notes) and Pau Gasol(notes) are two of my favorite players, absolute favorite players, and they couldn't take part. The Lakers played the night before, and played 53 minutes the night before, so they weren't working at peak efficiency. The Rockets want some shots back, maybe some calls back. It wasn't perfect.

But, damn ... I watched 12 hours of basketball on Sunday, six on Monday night, six on Tuesday night, and six on Wednesday night. That's not even getting into the afternoon watching, just me as a fan, with nothing to write about. Nearing the end of a ten-game Wednesday run, even in the first week? This is burnout time.

These two teams, though? Perfection. Absolute perfection. Staved off burnout. Staved off ennui.

It wasn't the perfect back and forth. Shots didn't go in, rotations were missed, poor decisions were made, tongues were dragging, 7-footers were missing. Didn't matter. It just didn't matter.

I don't know if I can offer much on this game, as an analyst. It was exactly what you'd expect. The Lakers probably dug themselves too deep a hole by going away from Kobe Bryant(notes) as much as they did on offense. Trevor Ariza(notes) (5-21 shooting) sort of came back to earth, his attempt at working as the Next Great Wing Sensation died when he flew too close to the sun. While being guarded by Ron Artest(notes).

Ron-Ron? He could have been a lot worse, but he also reined it in somewhat. Before the last, clutch, three-pointer he hit; Ron was ready to end the night needing 13 shots to score 12 points. But it could have been worse. I've seen it turn out worse, on that court.

Everything else? Loved it.

Kobe Bryant was so picturesque perfect in this game, and I don't mind telling you that this is just about as good as I've ever seen him.

He's, literally, scored nearly twice as much as he did tonight (41 points). He's done brighter, flashier things on bigger stages, with more to lose, with more going on. Doesn't matter.

Against Shane Battier(notes), who knows exactly what to do, Kobe did something he's never done against Shane - take it to the post.

Take it to the post, to that triple-threat, and drive the Rockets mad. Make them his absolute creature. Just run things. If this is latter-day Kobe Bryant, then latter-day Kobe Bryant will be dominant. Completely and utterly dominant. Jordan-esque, dominant, in a way that Kobe just wasn't even when he was dropping 40 by hitting contested jumpers from 21-feet away.

Just the perfect game. As I mentioned before - he's faced scarier circumstances. But the game's most dogged competitor put dogged those instincts aside tonight, in favor of a brain that ranks amongst the game's elite. The game's all-time elite.

I know it's the first week of the season, I know you think I'm fawning, and I don't care. This wasn't just another 41-point game for Kobe Bryant. This was basketball, at its best.

Where to transition to? Derek Fisher(notes) had the rare zero-point, zero-rebound, zero-assist game. But he played ... well. OK. Good D. Got away with some hand-checks, maybe, but he pushed Aaron Brooks(notes) into places he didn't want to go. Didn't shut Brooks down, but Fisher made Phil Jackson happy much in the same way that Ron Harper made Phil Jackson happy. And Ron Harper always makes me happy.

The Rockets? They're just a joy.

Chuck Hayes(notes) is a 6-6 Kevin Garnett(notes). His footwork belongs on Mt. Rushmore. His hands belong in the Smithsonian. He had two steals tonight, and caused as many jump balls. He's a center that's in the top five in steals, per game, in barely half a game. His defense is unbelievable. And now (7-9 shooting, no hesitation around the hoop) you have to pay attention to him when someone drives and dishes.

Carl Landry(notes) (20 and eight rebounds) is back with us. Aaron Brooks tried. Shane Battier lost 15 pounds in 47 minutes of play. Ariza shook off frustration to send the game to overtime. I love this team.

I love these Lakers, too. I root for Goliath, when Goliath is great.

Scratch that. I root for Goliath, when I see greatness in Goliath, and Goliath feels like following through on his way toward greatness.

And this team is great. This team, without Pau Gasol, just played two overtime games in as many days on the road, and came out victorious in both.

What a fantastic contest. Thanks for that.

***

Toronto 110, Detroit 99

Because we know absolutely nothing about the way pro basketball works, the Detroit Pistons entered Wednesday working as the exact opposite of where we thought they would be in John Kuester's first season as coach - 24^th in offensive efficiency, sixth in defensive efficiency.

They then proceeded to give up 123.6 points per 100 possessions to the Raptors. A-HA! Clap hands.

The Raptors earned 47 (!) trips to the line in a slow, 89-possession game, making 36 freebies overall. Throw in just six turnovers, and you have a primo offensive outing. Detroit wasn't half bad itself, Ben Gordon(notes) scored 30 points on only 19 shots and new starter Ben Wallace(notes) actually helped more on offense than he hurt. The team missed eight of 25 free throw attempts, and Rodney Stuckey(notes) needed 18 shots to score 13 points.

Andrea Bargnani(notes) finished with 22 points, two blocks, and 12 boards; earning his eighth double-double in 225 career games. Nice floor game from Hedo Turkoglu(notes), who tossed around 16 points, seven boards, six assists and zero turnovers.

Detroit seemed to run out of gas late, possibly a holdover from Tuesday night's tough win over the Orlando Magic. Or, they're not that good. We'll know by May.

***

Orlando 122, Phoenix 100

Orlando walked all over the Suns, managing nearly 126 points per 100 possessions (that's ... a lot), destroying the previously undefeated Suns just a day after losing their much-lauded undefeated status. What the week it was, it was. The week. That undefeated week. That was.

Dwight Howard(notes) just went straight through whoever Phoenix tried to place in front of him, Matt Barnes(notes) helped put his former team away (especially in the second half) with 13 points, five assists, and 11 boards. And Ryan Anderson(notes) is rather beastly at this point.

20 and 10 for Anderson, in 25 minutes. He gave the Magic a steal and an assist and didn't turn the ball over once. It was a sterling night out for a man with a goatee.

Grant Hill(notes) and Jason Richardson(notes) combined to miss all nine of their attempts from the floor, Channing Frye(notes) never got going due to early foul trouble, Steve Nash(notes) missed a series of shots he should really make, though Amar'e Stoudemire(notes) finally broke out with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Stoudemire scored in myriad ways, it was pretty nice to watch.

The Magic won by 22 in spite of missing two starters and, somehow, Hedo Turkoglu.

***

Miami 93, Washington 89

This game just never spoke to me. It just seemed a bit, I don't know, 2006 to me. Odd.

Dwyane Wade(notes) made over half his shots and finished with 40 points, but so much time spent at the line (10 of 13) just made for a dreary watch. Same for Gilbert Arenas(notes), who made only a third of his shots but still finished with 32 points. I should be right chuffed that both players, who were pushed to the brink over the last few years due to a series of crippling injuries, are back to going at it; but I guess I was just too dour to take this one in.

Close game, too. Lots of lead changes. Lots of diving on the floor, and gutsy play. Dan Shulman always calls a great game, no matter the sport. I don't know what's wrong with me.

Miami needs to address its rebounding problem. I understand that that Mario Chalmers(notes) isn't supposed to be swinging elbows and cleaning glass, and that Michael Beasley(notes) played only 24 minutes and is awfully wispy. These two still have to combine for more than four boards in almost 60 minutes. Wade, I know he's all over the place, but he has to pull in more than four. Just because they're not playing typical rebounding positions, it doesn't mean they have to completely whiff.

***

Golden State 113, Memphis 105

This almost feels like writing about an exhibition game.

The game was fun to watch. I appreciated both ends running up and down. I appreciated the Warriors when they didn't dominate the ball too much, when they didn't go one-on-one.

But the defense was so poor ... that's not a cop-out. That's not a stereotype turned into analysis. It was. I tried to find a way around it, but the defense was crap. Nothing obvious. Just two teams that couldn't wait for the other team to stop talking, so they could interject. Or, get the ball back. Whichever you prefer.

Allen Iverson(notes) was great, and potent. 18 points and seven assists, which is quite impressive considering his lack of practice time, and the injury he's obviously (still) playing through. And though Mike Conley(notes) was pretty poor, I just don't know if I can put Iverson in a starting lineup with these guys.

It's not that Conley is going to be any good. It's just that, with O.J. Mayo(notes), Rudy Gay(notes), Marc Gasol(notes) and Zach Randolph(notes) out there (in that, reverse, order), do you want to have someone else on the court taking up shots? It's an ancient basketball standby that I tend to fear, but I can't help but go with it at this point. Bring in Brevin Knight(notes), or something.

I need to say this about Zach Randolph - he's trying. He's still really, truly, bad on defense. But he's working his tail off, he's obviously in better shape, and he's thinking team-first. We knew he wasn't a lost cause, based partially on how he worked his way back from microfracture surgery. Still, it needs to be pointed out. Randolph is trying.

Anthony Randolph(notes) played seven minutes because he doesn't take three-pointers with 20 seconds left on the shot clock.

***

Denver 122, New Jersey 94

It took the Nuggets a whole half of basketball, but they eventually realized that they were, indeed, playing the New Jersey Nets.

After a first half that saw New Jersey score a lot easier than it should have been scoring, and the Nuggets miss a series of close looks around the basket, Denver toppled New Jersey by 29 points in the second half. There's your nearly-60 point win, in half the time. Ah, New Jersey.

53 percent overall shooting and 56 percent shooting from long range for the Nuggets, who watched as rookie point man Ty Lawson(notes) traipsed his way to 23 points (13 in the final frame) on 10 shots. Carmelo Anthony(notes) needed 24 shots to score 22 points, but Nene went all-around off: 16 points on only six shots, nine rebounds, four assists, one turnover, two steals and three blocks in only 30 minutes. That'll do.

There are just too many awful players forced into big minutes on these Nets. You can help but appreciate the pluck and smarts of players like Bobby Simmons(notes) (two points on nine shot attempts), Rafer Alston(notes) (seven points on eight shots) and Eduardo Najera(notes), but they're just not going to help you compete at this level. Najera had 14 and seven in the loss, a fine effort, but that's just not going to happen consistently.

The Nets have lost each of their five contests, by an average of 14 points per game.

***

Indiana 101, New York 89

The Pacers turned the ball over six times in the opening six minutes of the first quarter, and yet the Knicks only managed a four-point advantage as a result.

Not in the wake of a fully played quarter, mind you, although they topped the Pacers by four at the end of the first. But six extra chances to shoot, plus the odd offensive rebound, and they were only up four points after the first six minutes.

I should have known, then.

This could have been a shootout, but instead it was a pretty miserable, mistake-fueled affair. The Pacers did do well to defend and hold the Knicks to just under 91 points per 100 possessions, that's on Indiana, but it wasn't the prettiest sight to behold.

Larry Hughes(notes) and Chris Duhon(notes) combined to miss 17 of 23 shots, not because of that defensive pressure or because of Dahntay Jones'(notes) presence. They missed those shots because they're Larry Hughes and Chris Duhon. This is how they do. They're walking Spanish down the court.

Roy Hibbert(notes) impressed me. He turned the ball over five times, but dig this - zero personal fouls in 30 minutes. 15 points, 14 rebounds, good defense, zero fouls. And the Pacers blew several chances to find him with good looks in the post as the game moved along.

***

Boston 92, Minnesota 90

I really like watching these Timberwolves. They battle, they really do; this was the case even back when Kevin McHale was slumming as head coach, but the trend has carried over.

The team genuinely wants to win, even in the midst of an admitted rebuilding year (they actually use the word "rebuilding," and "re-re-re-re-re-re-rebuilding" in its TV ads. Seriously. I dig it), and the effort and cheer is consistently there.

They won't win much, but on nights like these, when the opposing team had played in Philadelphia the night before, you'll get some close ones. This was a close one.

Too many turnovers, though, to pull things out. 19 percent of the team's possessions ended in a miscue, and though Boston was dragging and the jumpers weren't falling, the C's still hung on to win. The Celtics didn't win the championship last year, but I'll be damned if they don't still have a target on their backs.

And you know what? They don't give a rip. Aim away.

Corey Brewer(notes) needs to stop shooting. We liked the preseason, you got a contract for another year, and you're one of the few that look pretty cool in a headband, but stop shooting. Stop shooting. I'm not going to pull one of those blog tricks that sees me take a two-word sentence and break it up into two one-word sentences, but I'm close. Stop shooting.

16 shots to score 13 points on Wednesday, and that's awful. Really bad. This year he's needed 15.4 shots to score 12.8 points, and that has to be some sort of post-Cousy Era record. Stop shooting.

Stop.

(It doesn't count as a tired gimmick if I break it up over two paragraphs.)

Shooting.

Oleksiy Pecherov(notes) was fantastic, scoring 24 points on just 14 shots, in any number of face-ups, perimeter bombs, turnarounds, and up and under moves in the post. On several, quite good, Boston defenders.

Jonny Flynn(notes) trapped a little too much, Rajon Rondo(notes) had himself a game as a result. I'm OK with all of this. I like how interested these Timberwolves are.

The Celtics? They're always interested. You'll never have to worry about that.

***

New Orleans 114, Dallas 107

It seems like a cop-out to type this out, but to me the Mavericks just looked a little tired.

This was a great game, the stars weren't aligned for a few of the stars, but this was a very entertaining game made all the better by the presence of Hubie Brown in the ESPN booth.

Both the Hornets and Mavericks traded basket after basket over the fourth quarter and overtime, and though Jason Terry's(notes) stats nearly copied his (the Hornets just can't really guard anyone, can they? Soldier, sailor, tinker, tailor, ploughboy?), Chris Paul(notes) just carried this team.

Other Hornets helped. This team was angry, upset at the way the East coast run turned out. I can't blame them.

And there was an extra skip, tonight. Bobby Brown(notes) still takes horrible shots, but some of them went in. David West(notes) actually attacked the offensive glass. Forget that, it was Chris Paul.

39 points on 23 shots. Seven assists. Chris Paul.

***

Atlanta 113, Sacramento 105

Fun game. The defensive stats aren't great, but there was a bit of effort on that end. This wasn't a shootout.

Atlanta turned it over too much, Joe Johnson(notes) was the worst culprit (six miscues), but this might be the best time to have JJ take a step back. Give the man a break. Lord knows he's earned it.

Jamal Crawford(notes) (26 points on 15 shots) continues to square his shoulders and take (mostly, there were some boners) good shots.

Marvin Williams(notes) continues to be a solid defender, if only he'd take to the post more often, as he did several times on Wednesday.

Josh Smith(notes) could be a point forward in this league. He'd just have to listen to some Cal Tjader before every game, and chill the heck out.

Tyreke Evans(notes) continues to take some of the worst shots I've seen from any rookie since Rodrick Rhodes. Kindly get it together, potential stud.

Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press: "It was one year ago Tuesday that the Pistons dealt Chauncey Billups(notes) to Denver for Allen Iverson(notes), officially bringing down the curtain on their reign of Eastern Conference excellence and initiating the start of their tumultuous transition. And ever since, the biggest question surrounding this franchise was, which core piece would next be on the trading block? It was curious when Tayshaun Prince(notes) was a late scratch Tuesday due to what the team reported as a lower back strain, and Jason Maxiell(notes) didn't play against Orlando. Was there a trade in the works? Were they considering packaging Prince and Maxiell for another expiring contract that could help them next summer in the free-agent shopping market? Joe Dumars shot down the suspicions, insisting there are no deals looming. He figures that the Pistons already have enough new faces. But Dumars also must understand that one of the consequences of transition is the perception of a revolving door in the Pistons' locker room. He truly has a team now that requires a program to identify the names."

Ray Richardson, Pioneer Press: "Two years after leaving the Timberwolves, Kevin Garnett(notes) is still capable of getting what many NBA observers refer to as a 'hometown call.' The 15-year veteran had a significant hand in the Boston Celtics' 92-90 victory Wednesday night at Target Center, leaving the Wolves fuming and winless since the regular-season opener. Garnett heard boos from most of the crowd of 19,133 after he tied up Wolves forward Corey Brewer(notes) for a jump ball with 3.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Brewer and Wolves fans felt Garnett should have been called for a foul after he reached in to put his right hand on the ball. A replay on the video scoreboard appeared to support the claims. 'I've been waiting for a game like this when a veteran player gets a call or no-call,' Wolves rookie point guard Jonny Flynn(notes) said. 'It definitely happened tonight.'"

Mike Bresnahan, L.A. Times: "The Lakers won another game but might have lost another big man. Pau Gasol(notes) is a little closer to returning, but Andrew Bynum(notes) was injured toward the end of the Lakers' 103-102 overtime victory Wednesday over the Houston Rockets. Bynum was fouled hard across his right arm while going up for a shot and sustained a sprained elbow with 24.7 seconds left in overtime. He will be re-evaluated today in Los Angeles. 'I can't even lift my arm right now,' Bynum said. 'They just took a shot at me. That's that, I guess. It's not that bad. It just takes a little while to heal up.' Anybody ready for Lamar Odom(notes) at center?"

Jerome Soloman, Houston Chronicle: "[Trevor] Ariza just doesn't have the assassin's mentality that makes stars super. Prior to this season, he had never taken 21 shots in a game as he did Wednesday, and it seemed he didn't want to take some of those. Kobe Bryant(notes) was the only other player on the court firing up shots at that rate. Bryant got off 30 attempts and scored a game-high 41 points. Unlike Ariza, Bryant is quite comfortable firing away. If Ariza had more Aaron Brooks(notes) or Kyle Lowry(notes) in him, he might be a perennial All-Star. But he is what he is, and that's OK. The Rockets knew what they were getting when they signed him with their mid-level exception. But the Rockets' fortune this season might rest with Ariza's transformation from extra to lead. He won't have all the lines in this production, but through five games he leads the team in field-goal attempts and scoring, and that is not likely to change. It's not his fault the Rockets lost, but it was a game that they could have won had he played better."

Michael Wallace, Miami Herald: "Dwyane Wade would prefer not to do things this way. His team left him no choice. For the second time in as many nights, the Heat built a double-digit lead and seemed destined for a confidence-boosting victory. And for the second time in as many nights, Miami found a way to stumble down prosperity's slippery slope. But unlike Tuesday's fall from ahead in a home loss to Phoenix, Wade helped his team avert a complete collapse. Wade scored a season-high 40 points and made the game-winning jumper with 24.6 seconds left as the Heat escaped with a 93-89 victory over the Wizards at Verizon Center. Wade played all 24 minutes of the second half — a stunning feat considering it was the second night of a back-to-back set for Miami. But the Heat had few other options on a night when the offense again fell flat."

Dan Steinberg, D.C. Sports Bog: "'Sometimes it's just frustrating,' Brendan Haywood(notes) said last week, when Caron Butler(notes) hurt his knee. 'It feels like we're cursed.' Well, that was last week. Then came Wednesday night's loss to the Heat, when Mike MIller(notes) went down with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder — "Felt like it slid a little bit on me and went numb," Miller said, describing the injury. Flip Saunders said he'll likely be gone 7-to-10 days. But even if it really is that brief of a recovery, this means that within the season's first six games, 60 percent of the Wiz starters will have missed at least one game with an injury. The two who have been spared are Gilbert Arenas(notes), who missed most of the last two years with rotted knee, and Brendan Haywood, who was sidelined for 75 games last season. Does that really seem fair?"

Jimmy Smith, The Times-Picayune: "The frustration of a weak defensive performance two nights earlier against the New York Knicks gnawed at New Orleans Hornets Coach Byron Scott for two days. As he watched video of Monday night's disheartening 117-111 loss at Madison Square Garden, Scott seethed, boiling over at one point during Wednesday morning's shootaround at New Orleans Arena. 'I did all the talking,' Scott said. 'I asked them: 'Are you guys scared?' Nobody answered. I told them, 'We're just 15 guys right now. We're not a team. We're just a collection of individual basketball players. Don't tell me you want to be good. Show me you want to be good.'' It took an extra period, but the Hornets finally put away the stubborn Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night 114-107 in front of a crowd of 13,566, snapping a two-game losing streak. Peja Stojakovic's(notes) 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds remaining in regulation — at the time his first make after seven misses — tied the score at 97 in regulation. The 3-pointer was Stojakovic's only points."

Sam Amick/Jason Jones, Sac Bee: "When the talent pool is shallow, you fill it up whenever possible. That was the rough logic behind the Kings' signing of Ime Udoka(notes) on Wednesday. The 6-foot-5, sixth-year swingman spent the last two seasons as a key reserve for San Antonio, averaging 18.0 and 15.4 minutes, respectively. He was a strong defensive presence and an occasional three-point threat, although his 32.8 three-point percentage last season was the worst of his career (37.4 percent overall). Udoka unexpectedly became available Oct. 22, when Portland cut him in favor of rookie draft pick Patty Mills from Saint Mary's. According to sources, Udoka has a nonguaranteed contract for the veteran's minimum salary that will run through the end of the season and pay him a prorated amount of $1.03 million. It won't be fully guaranteed until Jan. 10, 2010."

Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel: "Dwight Howard, who looked like Larry Bird on the free-line line Sunday in Toronto, said he told everybody around him — teammates, coaches, etc. — to stop giving him advice. Howard, a career 60 percent free-throw shooter, hit 14-of-16 against the Raptors after making only 7-of-17 coming into the game. 'Everybody is always asking me about it,' Howard said. 'Everybody telling me what to do and what not to do. I'm like, 'Just let me shoot. I've worked on it all summer.' Now I just feel good. I'm not worried about making it or missing it.'"

RealGM/Star Ledger: "Nets forward Yi Jianlian(notes) will miss an undetermined period of time with a sprained MCL in his right knee. 'It's a shame; if you look at it, he had a good start to the season, he was aggressive and assertive in the first few games,' coach Lawrence Frank told the Star Ledger. 'You feel bad for him, and hopefully from a mental standpoint, he understands the preparation that's required to come back.' The Ledger reports that the recovery time for such an injury is two to four weeks, but it has taken six weeks for some players. Yi was injured Monday night after taking a hit on his knee in the third quarter from Charlotte's Gerald Wallace(notes)."

Dave Feschuk, Toronto Star: "Charles Oakley is developing a cooking show for TV and producing a couple of movies. He's a restaurateur and a car-wash mogul. But what he'd really like to be is an NBA coach. So why, six years after he retired from the league, has the former Raptors forward — who made a name for his uncanny grasp of the game's defensive intricacies — never counted himself a member of an NBA coaching staff? 'Teams don't want to pay,' Oakley was saying in the lead-up to his appearance Wednesday night at the Air Canada Centre [...] Money has always been central to Oakley's value system; he grew up poor in East Cleveland and sees the green as the ultimate sign of respect. But surely there's more to his absence from the league than the insufficiency of NBA assistant coach's salaries, which can range from $100,000 to quite a few times that much. Perhaps the thing that makes Oakley beloved by fans and scribes — his need to say whatever's on his mind — is the thing that's holding him back. In the NBA, after all, yes-men outnumber publicly honest ones by about a zillion to one."

The Columbian: "Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan said he wants point guard Andre Miller(notes) to be more aggressive. While McMillan acknowledged that Miller is still finding his rhythm as the leader of Portland's second unit, the Blazers coach stated that he needs Miller to attack the paint more often and find open shooters. Miller, who was acquired by Portland as an offseason free agent, struggled through the Blazers first four games of the season. He was shooting 31.2 percent (10 of 32) from the field and 14.2 percent (1 of 7) from behind the 3-point line prior to Tuesday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks at the Rose Garden. Miller's shot should begin to fall as the season unfolds — he is known for being a very reliable player who works himself into shape. But in the mean time, McMillan said that he wants the 10-year NBA veteran to create offense by pushing the tempo, engaging in pick-and-roll sets and posting defenders up. 'I want him very involved,' McMillan said. 'To the point where I want him pushing and handling the ball probably 90 percent of the time he's in.'"

Mitch Lawrence, New York Daily News: "Not that he wants his former boss, Donnie Walsh, to fail at rebuilding the Knicks, but Pacers president Larry Bird doesn't want to see LeBron James(notes) come to New York next summer. 'I hope he stays in Cleveland,' Bird said Monday. 'He's from Ohio and he means so much to that team and that state. I used to love to go and play in Cleveland because they love the game. And, I like to see the great players stay in the cities and with the teams that drafted them. It means so much for the league and the state. So I would rather see him stay.'"

On today's show, Skeets and Tas face their toughest challenge yet — getting Stan Van Gundy to smile. They also mourn the lack of defense between the Cats and Nets, applaud the gritty Rockets, and tell Hornets fans to start worrying. All that, plus Skeets advocates sports bigamy and Tas calls out Allen Iverson(notes).

Remember to tip your waitress. They'll be here all week.

Subscribe to the video show on iTunes | Download the .m4v directly
Subscribe to the audio show on iTunes | Download the .mp3 directly

Out of nowhere, both Sacramento and Memphis came through with an early season big-top blowout. Full of fun, huge hoops and fair play, the Grizz and Kings went at it hard from the beginning, pushing the ball and looking to find the open man.

Grizzlies and Kings, and the phrase "open man." I promise.

They didn't always get the rock ahead to that open man, but the effort was there. The Grizzlies even had more turnovers (21) than assists (17), and 17 assists in a 53-minute game is pretty poor, but the attitude was on point. For most of the game. We'll get to when it wasn't, later.

The Kings won, with just one starter in double figures, but ... how?

The Grizzlies kept it close, despite being outperformed in every conceivable area, but ... how?

Memphis had scorers everywhere, going at it in the face of a Sacramento perimeter defensethat was pretty porous. Sure, there were hands in faces at times, but to a lot of these Grizz, that hardly matters.

The Kings had Kevin Martin(notes) go off for 48 points, but the first four men off the Sacramento bench played significantly better than the other four starters around Martin (who sat for a total of 33 seconds in the 53-minute contest).

Desmond Mason(notes), somehow, is still out there. Sean May(notes), whose skills I adore, is still being handed starters minutes even though he has 15 pounds to go. Tyreke Evans(notes) hasn't figured out how to finish shots, or thoughts, on this level. And Jason Thompson(notes) had a bad night. He'll be back.

Spencer Hawes(notes), Omri Casspi(notes), Beno Udrih(notes), and Andres Nocioni(notes)? In reverse order, Argentina, Slovenia, Israel, and Real America. In every order possible, brilliant. Udrih was the spark; he ran the show and won the game. Casspi could have had 25 points had his teammates just done a better job of finding him. Noc, eh.

Hawes? Absolutely fantastic. Just killed it on either end. Nailed shot after shot, and teammate after teammate. Seven assists from a center, off the bench. Eleven boards, two blocks, 21 points. Great night out. The all-around rock that made the difference.

The person who put the Kings, son, in a place to make a difference? Kevin Martin, pulling off one of those Kevin Martin-styled lines.

Forty-eight points on only 27 shots. With a couple of 3-pointers that were in line, or rimmed out. And then one that flat-out missed. The other seven he took? Those went in.

Smooth, sinewy, cocksure and interested again. Welcome back.

***

The game was all Sacramento's, but Allen Iverson(notes) needs to be addressed.

He waited one game — one game! — before bitching about minutes.

This isn't proper journalism etiquette, but let's start with the coach's response quote, before the player's moan. Lionel Hollins?

"He hasn't even been with the team until just a couple of days ago. He's going to come off the bench. He hasn't played all preseason, hasn't played the three regular-season games (leading up to Monday's loss). He only practiced three days in training camp before he got hurt so there's no way I would trot him out there in a starting role."

Makes sense, righto? Not to Allen. Not in his first game in a Memphis Grizzlies uniform.

"I had no problems (with his bum hamstring). I had a problem with my butt from sitting on that bench so long. That's the only thing I got a problem with."

You insufferable twit. You're minutes removed from your first game of the season that's supposed to see you get it right, for the first time in a "professional" career that stretches back to 1996.

"I'm not a reserve basketball player. I've never been a reserve all my life and I'm not going to start looking at myself as a reserve. To answer the question, 'No, I'm not a bench player. I'm not a sixth man. Go look at my resume and that will show you I'm not a sixth man."

I've seen your resume. It's pathetic. An MVP, that Shaq should have won. Lots of scoring, and precious little growth since people learned they could make money off you.

Iverson made 5 of 9 shots, which is great for him, and pretty impressive for a player working in his first game of the year, while injured, on a new team. Sure, Udrih and Martin were trying to check him, but 5 of 9 is five of nine.

That said, as soon as he came in the game in the first half, the ball movement for the Grizzlies stopped. Dead in its tracks. And a giant Grizzlies lead became a close game, though Iverson was hardly singularly at fault for this.

And in the second, when he was hitting shots? He turned it over. He tried to help too much on defense, which allowed his man (Beno) to move into open spots for a made shot, or to initiate the eventual collapse of the Memphis defense with the start of the penetration. Iverson started fast breaks with bad misses, and caused a three-second violation by refusing to shoot with Zach Randolph(notes) (30 and 16) camped out in the lane.

Iverson was hurt, and it was his first game. But lots of uniquely talented NBA players have to play in first games, or through injuries, year in and year out. And they don't act all Alvin Robertson-y on defense and, well, all Allen Iverson-y on offense. They take a step back until the system makes sense. Until the wounds heal.

He was bad. Real bad. And that was before we heard the postgame reaction.

And this just continues to stink. The guy just doesn't get it, and it hurts. I don't like being the guy that rips on Allen Iverson all the time. I want to be the guy at the keyboard when everything turns around.

The Grizz got off to a blinding start. They were in the midst of blowing the Kings out of the water. They appeared to dig playing for Hollins. O.J. Mayo(notes) was looking for Rudy Gay(notes) and vice versa. Lots of eye contact and sincere high fives. I know it was against the Kings, but everything was going right.

Iverson hadn't even entered yet, and I was still thinking that it could be the pell-mell Grizzlies that would be the ones that could turn A.I. around. Not the dyed-in-the-wool Detroit Pistons with all that tradition. The Grizzlies. Because A.I. wouldn't want to ruin this. Yes, it's against the Kings; but he wouldn't want to ruin this fun, would he?

Doesn't matter. The only thing Allen Iverson has ever cared about is what's best for Allen Iverson. And that's a noble thing when the world is against you. You've got to do what you can to survive.

When the world is your oyster? It's just childish.

One game.

Charlotte 78, New Jersey 69

It's truly hard to describe just how miserable this game was.

It may have been the least amount of fun I've ever had watching a pro basketball game. I'm having a hard time coming up with a nastier experience. I've watched games while quite ill, in pain, hungover in an Applebee's, and in Orlando. Someday, I'll probably manage to do all five at once.

Hell, I watched Michael Jordan play against the Chicago Bulls. Several times.

But this one? This may have been the worst. And it was the lone early game on a gorgeous fall evening, comfy couch, solid sightlines, with Serotonin receptors sipping at a seemingly inexhaustible supply of whatever. No complaints about my surroundings. Many complaints about the play.

D.J. Augustin(notes) was the only thing that kept Charlotte from a six-point first quarter, and yet he was still pretty terrible in his opening stint. The shot selection across the board was pitiful. The defense for both outfits was sound and aggressive. I can't argue against that.

I can argue against a bum night from Brook Lopez(notes) (early on, at least), an injured Devin Harris(notes), a pudgy Boris Diaw(notes) and a possible ligament tear from Yi Jianlian(notes). That's how bad it was. I was ruing the absence of Yi's typical eight-point,4-of-11 shooting night.

Somehow, even with Charlotte's nasty outbreak, the Nets allowed the Bobcats to go on a 24-0 run. How you can allow a 24-0 second-half run to a team that limped its way to 33 points, I'll never understand, but then again you'll just have to learn to understand New Jersey's terrible offense. Charlotte's isn't much better. It's the worst in the league. Basketball Prospectus has these teams pegged as the two worst offensive outfits in the NBA this season. They looked the part.

The Nets finished by scoring 77 points per 100 possessions, which is appalling, and Charlotte bombed out at around 90 per 100, which is slightly less ... no, it's appalling. This game didn't set any post-shot clock records for offensive ineptitude — we had the lockout year to deal with after all — but this contest was just miserable in every regard.

There was Charlotte's PA guy working it, too. Gah.

***

New York 117, New Orleans 111

This was a fun one. The Knicks really brought a sound purpose to this contest offensively. I don't expect Larry Hughes(notes) (8 of 13) to shoot this well very often, or for Chris Duhon(notes), Al Harrington(notes) or even David Lee(notes) to continue to perform this efficiently in the face of what was pretty solid New Orleans' D; but permanence aside, it was an enjoyable trip.

The Knicks did well to turn Chris Paul(notes) into a passer in the first half of the win, though we suspect Paul was trying to prove a point or two, or save the legs for the second half. Whatever the plan, it worked for CP3; he scored 29 points after halftime while also finishing with 13 assists, just two turnovers and five boards. The guy was just unstoppable for long stretches. Against the Knicks. I'll stop.

And, as mentioned by Mike Gorman during the Celtics/Hornets broadcast on Sunday and Adrian Wojnarowski here, Paul is dripping with enmity for whoever crosses his path. This might be how he enjoys things, I don't know, but the man looks rather put off. Considering his lot, I would be, too.

Because it was the first Monday of the month, Paul had help. Emeka Okafor(notes) had 24 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks as Clyde Frazier prattled on about much the Hornets missed Tyson Chandler(notes), and Peja Stojakovic(notes) had his second straight night of looking like an actual NBA-level player.

But Bobby Brown(notes) (averaging nearly nine shot attempts per game this season, making 28.6 percent of them) continues to be allowed to chuck. He did have more rebounds (four) than David West(notes) (three). And, for some reason, Ike Diogu(notes) remains glued to the bench while Hilton Armstrong(notes) (scoreless in nearly 15 minutes) flails around.

David Lee was the killer for New York tonight. He was scoring all over the court, driving or working an improved pull-up jumper on his way to 28 points. Mainly in Emeka's face.

Chris Duhon pushed a good game most of the night, and the overall Knicks ball movement was very nice. Twenty-four assists don't tell the whole story, as the Knicks shot heaps of free throws (24 for 28), constantly had the Hornets on their heels and only turned it over nine times in a 98-possession game.

***

Houston 113, Utah 96

Houston went into Utah, piled up 121.5 points per 100 possessions, dominated the offensive glass and basically pushed the Jazz around for 48 minutes.

Now, we know Utah isn't much of a defensive powerhouse, but where the hell did this come from?

Ah, yeah. It's that inexplicable Rockets run that you couldn't help but expect in spite of the absence of the team's two All-Stars. Take everything away, and this band still makes it work. They're essentially the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail ...

... except, in this version, the Black Knight kicks Arthur's ass.

Twenty-nine assists on 42 field goals for Houston tonight, and that was with another team's crew running the scorebook. The team made half its shots and almost 53 percent of its 3-point looks, but still managed to pull in 15 offensive rebounds. The team just looks ridiculously fluent, and the current core has barely been together a month. Amazing.

Four games in, I know, I should stop. But even if it all falls apart from here, it's been nice to watch. Fun to watch.

The team brings the "D", too, but we knew that about them. Pulling off this sort of offensive effort in Utah is something else entirely.

The Jazz just don't have it yet, and Deron Williams(notes) (6 of 20 shooting) has appeared to catch whatever Carlos Boozer(notes) brought to camp. Boozer missed six of his seven shots, and appeared to be pretty gun-shy save for the times he got to defend David Andersen(notes).

Nineteen turnovers for Utah, something you just can't do against a team like Houston that owns the glass, and suddenly loves to run. Aaron Brooks(notes) (19 points, nine assists in under 30 minutes of play) came through with a terrific floor game and bothered Williams on both ends all night.

***

Los Angeles Clippers 93, Minnesota 90

Both of these teams just have so many holes. I liked the enthusiasm from both sides, but both sides have a lot to figure out.

Minnesota's offense left it down the stretch. I credit the Clippers, they swarmed, and they worked well away from the ball — but most of the Clippers didn't really have anyone to guard. Love Ryan Hollins(notes), and he played fine ball, but you still take your chances leaving him. You take your chances and try to let Ryan Gomes(notes) beat you. And if Corey Brewer(notes) is up for shooting, then by golly, let the man shoot!

Brewer missed 15 of 21 shots, mostly low-percentage long-rangers. It was pretty brutal, and I guess you have to take those looks to keep the defense honest as the clock winds down, but ... no, you don't have to take those. Five steals, two blocks, six assists for Brewer — a player who improved by leaps and bounds over the summer, so much so that the team picked up his third-year option yesterday — but 14 points on 21 shots just isn't going to work.

Al Jefferson(notes) is rounding into form, but his legs aren't all the way back, so he's susceptible to double-teams. Still, 24 points on 16 shots. And ye he should have had more than 16 shots. Los Angeles, mainly, was the culprit.

The Clipper bigs continue to bring it. Twenty-five and 11 for Chris Kaman(notes), and until the shots start to fall flat, keep pulling up, large man with mustache. Five blocks (putting him over 2,000 for his career), 15 boards and eight points for Marcus Camby(notes).

Baron Davis(notes) has made exactly one-third of his shot attempts so far in 2009-10. He did make some nice entry passes to Kaman, especially in the first half, but this thing isn't turning around any time soon.

Tania Ganguli, Orlando Sentinel: "Stephanie Fisher and her son Lawrence Shaw sat in their lower-level seats about an hour after Wednesday night's game ended, waiting for Dwight Howard(notes) to come greet them. As part of a contest, Howard flew the two of them out from California for the Magic's season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. Fisher won by being the one millionth person to follow Howard on Twitter. The arena was mostly empty when Howard strolled up the steps to their seats. He thanked Fisher for being his millionth follower and asked if she'd return for more games. 'We won,' Howard said. 'Y'all might be our good luck charm.' Then he asked if they wanted a picture or to have anything signed and Fisher pulled out a copy of the ESPN Magazine body issue with Howard on the cover. Fisher wasn't an avid Howard follower before the won the contest. She barely knew what Twitter was. But her husband was constantly talking about the things Howard ate — which he learned via Howard's Twitter. So one day Fisher decided to open an account and check it out, and Howard was one of the first people she followed."

Dave Feschuk, Toronto Star: "It's one game. Jose Calderon(notes), the Raptors point guard, said it again and again and again Wednesday night. 'It's one game.' And it was. But the Raptors' resounding season-opening win over LeBron James(notes) and the Cleveland Cavaliers, a 101-91 roller-coaster in front of a raucous sellout crowd, was an awful lot of fun to watch. And it probably said a lot about what you can expect from the local hoopsters this season. You can expect a team that's going to thrill and disappoint in quarter-game intervals, a squad that, as the Raptors did Wednesday, squanders a 21-point lead to deflate the building, only to pump the place back up with an impressive game-sealing rally. You can expect a team that's going to get a tireless effort from its contract-year cornerstone, Chris Bosh(notes), who had 21 points and 16 rebounds. And you can expect a team that's going to be tricky to beat on evenings when Andrea Bargnani(notes), the mercurial Italian 7-footer, provides the kind of inside-outside presence he displayed on Wednesday, when he racked up 28 points and five rebounds, scoring on the drive and on the jumper, and making a 37-year-old behemoth named Shaquille O'Neal(notes) look like a past-due slowpoke. 'Shaq couldn't guard him. He was everywhere,' said Calderon of Bargnani. 'There's not too many guys, seven feet, who can do what he does. If he plays like that he's going to be one of the best at his position. It's going to make things easier for us.'

Dave Krieger, Denver Post: "Here's a quiz only longtime Nuggets fans are qualified to answer: Quick, who's the fastest guard in franchise history? Michael Adams? Robert Pack? Earl Boykins(notes)? Allen Iverson(notes)? How about Fast Eddie Hughes or little Kenny Higgs or even, taking a trip in the wayback machine to the days of the Denver Rockets, the venerable Larry Brown? Judging by the team's opener Wednesday night, the answer is none of the above. In his first pro game, rookie point guard Ty Lawson(notes) was a blue-and-white streak. Lawson did what former Nuggets coach Doug Moe always wanted a jet to do: He changed the nature of the game when he checked in for the first time with 1:12 left in the first quarter. [...] Although Nuggets coach George Karl started Anthony Carter(notes) beside Chauncey Billups(notes) in place of suspended J.R. Smith(notes), it was the combination of Lawson and Billups that was the Nuggets' most effective backcourt. 'As a rookie point guard, it's a lot of things that you have to learn,' Billups said. 'But he has something that you really can't coach, and that's speed.'"

Steve Buckley, Boston Herald: "Coming off the bench with 4:06 remaining in the first quarter of the Celtics' too-easy, 92-59 victory against the Charlotte Bobcats in last night's Garden opener, Wallace got the place rocking just 40 seconds later when he pumped in a 3-pointer from 25 feet out. Ninety seconds later, he did it again. And the place rocked again. He had three treys and nine points in all. Could the new guy feel the love? 'I didn't feel it, I heard it,' he said as he buttoned up his stylish black-and-white Philadelphia Phillies warmup jacket, all while glancing at the flat screen to check out his hometown nine's Game 1 victory in the World Series. [...] 'Guys were talking about it on the plane (ride home from Cleveland). They said, ‘The fans here ... they're going to be crazy.' And you felt that as soon as they said, ‘And now, your starting lineup for your Boston Celtics.' Wallace then did a cool imitation of a roaring crowd. It's simple as this: He fits in. He has played just two games with the Celtics, one at home, yet somehow it seems as if he's been around for a long time, an old soldier of the parquet."

RealGM: "The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Thabo Sefolosha(notes) to a multi-year contract extension, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, the terms of the deal were not disclosed. 'We are excited that we were able to reach an agreement that will keep Thabo a part of our core group moving forward,' said Presti. 'Thabo represents many of the qualities that we look for in our players, great competitiveness, a team first mentality, and a strong work ethic. We believe Thabo's best basketball is ahead of him, and his desire to remain a part of the Thunder family allowed for us to make this happen.'"

Paul Coro, Arizona Republic: "[The Suns] led the final 5.5 seconds because Steve Nash(notes) took Baron Davis(notes) off the dribble with his left hand, which has turned into his strong hand for drives over the latter part of his career. Al Thornton(notes) even came over to help and Nash just flicked up above the square on the backboard soft enough to drop in. 'It was just a big win for our confidence to win a tough game that wasn't necessarily to our flavor,' said Nash, who finished with 24 points and eight assists after a fourth quarter in which he didn't miss from the field (5 for 5) or free throw line (4 for 4). Nash just went 'competitive' on the Clippers down the stretch, scoring 13 of the Suns' final 18 points. Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said Nash 'was slicing and dicing us.' When it came to the last shot, Nash was looking to take it all the way. 'Baron was just playing me so tight,' Nash said. 'I wanted to take the last shot but he was playing me too tight. Once I got a step on him, I had to take it. I don't play much basketball in the summer so the left has been a little dormant. Luckily, it woke up for me.'"

Tim Kawakami, Mercury News: "Don Nelson obviously wasn't pleased Anthony Morrow(notes) only got 7 shots in 22 minutes. I think some of this is Morrow's responsibility, but Nelson seems convinced Morrow was open and just wasn't getting the ball. [...] Nelson made a passionate defense of letting Corey Be Corey-if Maggette's going to take those long jumpshots that drive Warriors fans crazy, well ... Nelson says he won't do anything about it. Tonight: 3 for 14, only 4 free throws. 'We have to adjust around him,' Nelson said of Maggette. [...] Nelson is going to let Stephen Curry(notes) play it out, which I can't argue with. He's not a good pairing with Monta Ellis(notes), but that's who the Warriors have and that's who they're going to play."

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe: "With the Celtics taking the court last night in front of the hometown crowd for the first time this season, president Danny Ainge made it a point to show that even though Glen Davis(notes) was absent, he is still part of the team. Ainge told the operations crew to include Davis in the pregame introductions. Davis, who will miss eight weeks after fracturing his right thumb in an early-morning fight with a former high school teammate Monday, wasn't at TD Garden. He had surgery Tuesday, the same day he issued a statement apologizing to his fans, teammates, and coaches. Coach Doc Rivers said Davis has yet to address the team. 'He's got plenty of time,' Rivers said."

Greg Cote, Miami Herald: "You hardly would call this a season of great expectations for the Heat. More like a season of suspended expectations — as if this entire NBA schedule for Miami is little more than a bridge to next year, a necessary delay being merely abided. Anticipation? Most of that centers on next summer, when all the big stuff happens, and next season, when the franchise is supposed to suddenly be a national player back to championship-challenging again. We must wait until then for Dwyane Wade's(notes) monumental decision whether to stay or go. And for the spending spree on a bumper crop of free agents. But if Wednesday night's season opener taught us anything, it was to remind that we're still allowed to have a little bit of fun in the meantime."

Ailene Voisin, Sac Bee: "Two points scored in transition? The Kings simply don't have the individual talent to rely on halfcourt execution against the league's better defenses. They have to play faster, create transition opportunities off steals and rebounds, and utilize their youth and athleticism. This was Tyreke Evans'(notes) debut, but he can't take seven or eight seconds — and I clocked it — to advance the ball on most possessions. He has to pick up the pace. More ball movement and less one-on-one would also be helpful. It would enhance the spacing and create openings for Evans to attack the basket - which he does well, even though he didn't finish against the Thunder. Teams have scouted the rookie. They know he's headed to the rim, and are there waiting for him, at times with multiple defenders. When he plays faster, gives up the ball, moves and gets it back. he will be much more effective."

Jody Genessy, Deseret News: "The injury scare for the team plagued by ailments and illnesses last season came frighteningly early this year. Only 24 seconds into the Utah Jazz's 2009-10 regular season, center Mehmet Okur(notes) tried to take a charge Wednesday night. Instead, he took a painful fall to the floor and a trip to the trainer's room after getting his left foot stepped on by the Denver Nuggets' hard-driving, 250-pound Nene. Ouch. Make that a double ouch — one for Okur and another for a Jazz squad that had to be thinking, 'Here we go again,' after already being hammered hard by injuries in the preseason. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said the team couldn't feel sorry for itself. And it didn't need to for too long anyway. Okur limped 30 feet to the bench and stayed there for only a moment, shortly thereafter hobbling off the court and into the team's locker room with trainer Gary Briggs. Though diagnosed with a mild sprained left knee and ankle, the center didn't spend too much time away from the action. Okur got his ankle retaped, put a sleeve on his knee, iced the injured parts for a minute and then made his way back into the arena."

Buck Harvey, S.A. Express-News: "The Spurs' first unit might not be the best in the division. The Spurs' second unit might be. 'It's a legitimate argument,' said Roger Mason(notes) Jr. It's a legitimate advantage, too, and one this franchise has never had to this extent. Besides the obvious benefit — such as saving wear and tear on Tim Duncan's(notes) new knee brace — there's something else going on. No one is sure, right now, who should be on the first team. Opening night can be deceiving, but last season's wasn't. Then, the Spurs lost their first opener in the Duncan era, in a tight game to Phoenix, and they continued to play tight games. Considering the injuries, as well as limited personnel, some Spurs coaches were amazed they won the division. But all of it was a grind. In the Spurs' best years, their point differential was close to 10, and last year's was 3.8. That's a small margin for a team that won 54 games. So Wednesday night showed the change, and Gregg Popovich emerged from the locker room and quickly noted that. 'We didn't have to play our main guys 35 or 40 minutes,' he said."

USA Today: "The doubleheader featuring title contenders Boston, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers produced Turner's most-watched opening night in its 26 years of airing the NBA. TNT drew nearly 3.7 million viewers Tuesday for the Celtics' 95-89 victory over the Cavaliers, followed by the Lakers' 99-92 win over the Clippers. That was a 43 percent increase over the 2.6 million that watched last year's opening-night doubleheader. Overall, it was TNT's most-watched doubleheader since Feb. 2, 1996, a night that was anchored by a Bulls-Lakers showdown."

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald: "Glen Davis' season has taken a bad turn in an entirely regrettable incident. The third-year forward could be lost to the Celtics for an extended period after injuring his right thumb in a private altercation with a friend, according to sources. The Celts were saying officially yesterday that Big Baby had suffered an undetermined hand injury and had been sent for X-rays. But sources said there is some type of fracture in the thumb and that he will have to undergo further testing with specialists to determine whether there is greater damage that could necessitate surgery. The injury occurred Sunday night during the incident between Davis and a former teammate, who had flown up from Louisiana, sources said. According to sources, Davis was defending himself at the time. The Celtics were, in fact, aware of the situation at the time, and it is clear neither they nor Davis are happy the team and player have been put in this situation."

Marcus Thompson II, Contra Costa Times: "The estimated 4,000 in attendance for Monday's open-to-the-public practice at Oracle Arena got a preview of a rotation Warriors fans might see often this season. Big man Ronny Turiaf(notes) played power forward for long stints with Blue Team, which is usually the starting lineup. Coach Don Nelson still may start forward Corey Maggette(notes), whom Nelson said he would lean on because of the team's inexperience at the position. But Nelson said to expect to see Turiaf on the floor with starting center Andris Biedrins(notes). 'We like that lineup actually,' Nelson said. 'And you'll see that, the big lineup.' Nelson started Turiaf next to Biedrins against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 20 in Ontario. But shortly thereafter, Nelson announced that Maggette would be starting at power forward over Turiaf and second-year forward Anthony Randolph(notes), leading many to believe he was going to a small lineup primarily. Nelson also expressed uncertainty about how many minutes Turiaf can play and how much offense the team would be sacrificing. Monday's practice showed Nelson is leaning toward going big. Some players certainly like the idea. Swingman Stephen Jackson(notes) called it his dream lineup."

Joe Freeman, The Oregonian: "The Trail Blazers' season of great expectations was dealt a sobering dose of adversity Monday, roughly 24 hours before the start of the first game, when the team announced that Nicolas Batum(notes) would undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Officially, a timetable for Batum's return will be established after his surgery on Friday. But after practice Monday, Batum said he had been told he would miss between three and five months, putting his return no sooner than the beginning of February. 'This is a big disappointment for me,' Batum said. 'I think it's the worst thing for a basketball player to go sit on the bench and watch your teammates and your team play, and play good. It's going to be tough for me.' Although Blazers coach Nate McMillan refused to name Batum's replacement in the starting lineup, Martell Webster(notes) drew the assignment during Monday's practice and multiple players said Webster would inherit the role. Travis Outlaw(notes), who was supposed to play almost exclusively at power forward, is expected to serve as Webster's primary backup and see time at both forward positions."

La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune: "When Al Jefferson(notes) takes the court Wednesday — and he is determined to — he will wear a black sleeve over his left lower leg to help loosen up a sore Achilles' tendon. The aching tendon kept him from practicing for about a week, but he scrimmaged Monday at Target Center with no problems. Wolves coach Kurt Rambis said the team will have to monitor Jefferson's injury into the season, which was relayed to Jefferson. 'I guess so,' he said. 'I'm still playing on Wednesday, regardless.' No doubt? 'No doubt,' he said."

Steve Buffrey, Toronto Sun: "It's all but certain that rookie DeMar DeRozan(notes) will start tomorrow at the shooting guard spot, marking only the third time in team history a rookie started in the opener (Damon Stoudamire(notes) in 1995 and Joey Graham(notes) in 2005). Triano said while DeRozan deserves the start, he wasn't pushed that much in training camp because of all the team's injuries. 'The one thing I always said, I don't want him to have this position by default. (But) he's played better than anybody else to warrant the spot. So I don't take anything away from him. It's not like by default. He has done a great job, he has worked hard everyday, he is very coachable. And I think he is getting better every day,' [Jay] Triano said."

K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune: "On a day the Bulls announced their symbolic leaders in captains Kirk Hinrich(notes), Luol Deng(notes) and Lindsey Hunter(notes), their floor leader continued to garner the most attention. Derrick Rose(notes) participated in his second straight full practice Monday. But the guard admitted the tendon behind his right ankle is sore until he gets loose. And with the season opening Thursday with back-to-back games against speedy guards Tony Parker(notes) of the Spurs and Rajon Rondo(notes) of the Celtics, Rose admitted playing major minutes could be unrealistic. 'It's going to be tough, I'll tell you that,' Rose said. 'I'm like an old man. I gotta wait 20, 30 minutes into practice to get loosened up. And it gets stiff when I stop playing.' Pressed on how many minutes he thought would be realistic, Rose backtracked a bit into vagueness. 'At least 20,' he said. 'I just want to play more. I don't care if it's 5 or 10. I just want to be out there. It's up to (the medical staff). Right now, I'll play whatever minutes they want me to play.'"

Ronald Tillery, Memphis Commercial Appeal: "The Grizzlies added star power to their roster in the offseason with Allen Iverson(notes). Now, they might be on the verge of hiring a Hall of Famer for the coaching staff. Legendary NBA center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sat in on the Grizzlies' practice Monday morning. The NBA's all-time leading scorer will entertain joining the organization, several sources confirmed. Grizzlies management had no comment about Abdul-Jabbar's presence. Memphis, however, asked for and received permission from the Los Angeles Lakers to speak with Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar, 62, is under contract with the Lakers after having tutored Andrew Bynum(notes) over the past several seasons. But the Los Angeles Daily News reported earlier this month that Abdul-Jabbar's interaction with Bynum would decrease and he'd take a lesser role with the Lakers this season."

Kate Fagan, Philadelphia Inquirer: "[Eddie] Jordan, who first ran [the Princeton offense] with the Sacramento Kings in the 1996-97 season, loves the way it incorporates every player on the floor. He also employed the offense as an assistant coach of the New Jersey Nets and as head coach in Washington. But do the Sixers understand it? Are the players buying in? Why even learn such an intricate system? Realistically, in the first 10 games, if the Sixers are going to win while running the offense, they will need to run it as little as possible. Such is the case not because it ultimately won't work — no one is sure of that yet — but because, as in years past, the team is most effective in transition. At first, that aspect of the team's game will be paramount. Through the first month, in their half-court sets, the Sixers figure to look as if they're learning a foreign language. There will be a lot of pointing, nodding, miscommunication, and guys looking a little lost and then often ending up in the wrong spot. The offense is a framework, a set of principles. From that foundation comes a nearly endless amount of options, depending on how the defense plays."

Dave D'Alessandro, The Star-Ledger: "... can [Devin] Harris look at his own game objectively? So far, the answer is yes: In recent weeks, he has admitted he had been a substandard defender the last two years, he has conceded that he must figure out why Yi Jianlian's(notes) numbers always increase when another point guard is in the game, and he now endorses the coach's vision of playing a smaller, three-wing lineup. The first test will be when Frank criticizes his defensive commitment in front of the group - his group. 'Devin's a very very bright guy,' Frank said. 'He gets it. He knows what he needs to do. For us to be the type of team we want to be, we need everyone to commit on the defensive end. As the best player, it starts with him.'"

Let's just skip to what people have been asking for since the beginning. The 10 best players.

Times have changed. You can't just figure out who goes where on a list after a series of spirited arm-wrestling tournaments, as was all the rage in the '80s. Magic won, by the way.

With that in place, if you don't mind, let's set a few ground rules. This is a team game, but this is a list of individual players. No player was awarded a higher or lower ranking because they got to play with better or nastier teammates. Defense is half the game, and if you are going to score, you better do it efficiently. Somehow, Flip Murray(notes) missed the cut.

So, here we are, finally. The 10 best players of the last decade. Read on.

10. Allen Iverson(notes)

There's a fair bit to criticize, but Iverson did score quite a lot and create shots for teams that truly needed him to score and create shots. And he's played for the duration of the decade in question, despite heaps of injuries.

And if this comes off as begrudging, it's because it is. I have a hard time selecting Iverson over people like Elton Brand(notes) or Chris Paul(notes) or even Vince Carter(notes), players who don't score as much, but contribute a great deal in all other areas of the game and score way, way more efficiently than Iverson ever did.

9. Tracy McGrady(notes)

T-Mac was the best perimeter player in this league during 2002-03, better than who you think was the best perimeter player in this league, and he was only 23 at the time. Injuries took over from there, though McGrady has been a fine contributor, he's averaged only 55 games a season in his last four years, and the production has tailed off considerably from his peak with the Magic.

Still a terrific all-around player, though, and well-deserving of placement on this list.

8. Dwyane Wade(notes)

Wade could run away with the MVP this year and work as this league's best player. He was at that level last season, among a couple of others, and the same went for 2005-06.

In between then, he missed 62 games over two years and only entered the league in 2003-04. So, despite the ring, that takes him down a peg in comparison to the players who were going at it for the entire 10-year run.

7. Jason Kidd(notes)

He can't guard anyone, anymore, and though Kidd has sussed out that whole "jump shot" thing with the Mavericks (he's nearly hitting in the mid-40s from behind the arc over 110 contests with Dallas), that wasn't the case for a good chunk of the decade. And he was probably overrated, quite a bit, for a good chunk of the term.

He also defended like mad for most of the run, was an expert passer, scored, rebounded, led teams and worked as the best point man of the decade. Kidd might not be all-world anymore, but he was for long enough to throw up here.

6. Shaquille O'Neal(notes)

Shaquille O'Neal, man among men, is only sixth on this list. It's been a pretty good decade.

Shaq turned in one of the great seasons of all time in 1999-00, but he's only averaged about 65 contests a season since then, he's been out of shape for a few of those years and ultimately disappointed a bit to these eyes.

He also was a beast down low, won four championships, produced some poorly rated summertime TV fare, Tweeted like a fiend, picked several lame fights and contributed to several playoff teams. Big man, big noise, big production.

5. LeBron James(notes)

He's the game's finest player, but there is a quibble with the fact that LeBron didn't play a minute of NBA basketball from 1999 to 2003, while the others on this list were contributing at an MVP level and/or leading their teams to great things.

James is the real deal, though. He somehow exceeded the hype he was met with upon his arrival in the NBA, he contributed in every conceivable area, he led a truly awful Cavalier team to the Finals in 2007 and he seems poised to do other-worldly things for the next 15 years or so.

4. Dirk Nowitzki(notes)

Dirk's second season was 1999-2000, and though his stats were relatively modest (17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds) compared to his eventual averages, the run did inform us that he was no bust worth fretting over. Sure, the non-busto signs were there from time to time during the lockout year, but 1999-00 is where we start to count.

And Dirk's been hotter than hell ever since. Scores at an efficient rate, rebounds, never turns the ball over, improved on defense considerably and he won games.

3. Kobe Bryant(notes)

With the scoring titles and four rings (with several, possibly, left to come), Kobe has the finest trading card resume of any player on this list. But defense matters, and because he isn't a big guy, Bryant just can't compare to those who score nearly as much, but also change games defensively while pulling in twice as many rebounds.

For a guard, though, this man's accomplishments are sublime. He scores, he leads, he works, he yells, he frets, he complains when others don't seem to share his obsession with the game, and I can relate to that. A fine decade for Kobe Bean.

2. Kevin Garnett(notes)

KG takes the cake over Kobe by a hair due to his defense, an area that isn't always accurately documented by statistics.

His stats, though, are pretty awesome. Garnett averaged over 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for six years. Only Larry Bird has come close to that, and you know damn well Bird wasn't defending or blocking and stealing (combined, usually more than three blocks/steals per game) like KG. Pity it took Garnett until he was 31 to get a team worth shouting about.

1. Tim Duncan(notes)

Tim Duncan has led his team to four championships, three during the decade in question. He scores efficiently on either block, is a monster defender, rebounds like few others, draws huge amounts of attention when he has the ball offensively (something Kobe and KG, for all their gifts and for all the double-teams sent their way, just can't compare to), and he wins games.

Has he had great teams around him? Sure. But he's been better than everyone else.

If you really think about it, if you really deal with the game on the level it deserves, you know he's been the best. Really, it shouldn't even be a question. Tim Duncan's been the best player of the last decade.

Questions? Comments? Furious and righteous anger at a world, not to mention top 10 list, gone wrong? Swing by later today at about 3 p.m. Eastern for a BDL mini-chat regarding this very list.

That's what a shooting guard looks like.

Michael Jordan, Ron Harper. Lithe, athletic, ready to pounce. Shoot, drive, score. Run, jump, score. Dash, hop, score. Nice.

Not much to this. Just the top 10 shooting guards of the last decade.

10. Jerry Stackhouse(notes)

Stackhouse's highs were a little higher than the man who immediately follows him on this list - someone he was actually traded for in September of 2002 - but his lows were certainly a lot lower.

That said, potent scorer. Not exactly the most efficient scorer, but certainly a potent one for years, on several teams. Stack actually neared the 30-point-per-game mark back in 2000-01, but on a squad that saw him lose 50 games, shoot 24 times a game (making fewer than 10 shots per contest), and turn it over 4.1 times a night? A bit of a hollow accomplishment.

9. Richard Hamilton(notes)

I seem to have spent the last half-decade trying to warn people that they might be overrating Hamilton a bit; his significant presence on several standout Pistons teams allows for that. But Hamilton's case hardly need exaggerating.

He's been a rock-solid shooting guard on one of the decade's most consistent outfits for years, even if he looks like a softly tossed rock could knock him over. Just under 18 points per game in 33 minutes a contest for Hamilton, on a career that started the season this list began.

8. Brandon Roy(notes)

Not to stir anything up, please promise me you'll take this as a pump-up of Roy's abilities more than anything else, but worth pointing out:

Brandon Roy's PER, at age 24? Twenty-four.

Kobe Bryant's?(notes) Twenty-six, surrounded by three different campaigns that saw him end with a PER in the mid-23s.

In fact, Roy's PER was just a short step behind Bryant's last season, in a year that saw Bryant mentioned (undeservedly, I might add, amongst career years from LeBron James(notes), Chris Paul(notes) and Dwyane Wade(notes)) among MVP candidates.

The guy is for real. And even if last year was a fluke jump in production, his first two seasons have Roy pegged for stardom anyway. And if last year is any indication, he'll be the league's most underappreciated superstar for quite a while. Sadly, and excitedly.

7. Michael Redd(notes)

His first three seasons saw Redd ride the pine way too much (most frustratingly in 2002-03, a year that saw George Karl trot out Tim Thomas(notes) as a starter 70 times for the Milwaukee Bucks), and he's missed a total of 88 games over the last three seasons. But in that creamy middle lies a fantastic scorer who is ridiculously adept at shooting, not turning the ball over, and absolutely nothing else.

6. Manu Ginobili(notes)

Manu Ginobili has never played 80 games in a season, and I'm sorry, but that hurts. He's averaged 69 games a year in his seven-year career, so it's not as if he's taking entire seasons off, but throw in all the gimpy attempts to play through injury, and the seven-year term (compared to someone like Allen Iverson's(notes) 10-year run through the, um, 10-year decade) is something you have to consider.

That said, as Kobe mentioned, Manu's a bad, bad boy. He scores, shoots a high percentage, rebounds, dishes, picks up steals and defends. He's the complete package that just happens to not play all that much (27.7 minutes per game for his career).

5. Allen Iverson

Iverson is the anti-Michael Redd. Not a shooter, turns the ball over way too much (even though he uses far more possessions), he needs the ball to be effective (instead of shooting off screens), and he kills a lot of offense by dribbling, dribbling, shooting, and missing.

He also scores. I just don't know enough about the game to accurately try to place Iverson's levels of production amongst his peers or the players who came before him. Nor am I going to try to tell you whether or not his teams were winning in spite of him, or whether he was let down by a series of unfortunate teammates. Thirteen years after he was drafted first overall, his style, in this league? I still don't know where it fits. I don't think anyone, if they're honest, really knows.

Here's what I can tell you. He's averaged 27 points and six assists a game on his career. He was the sole offensive option on a team that made the Finals in 2001, and he's one of the greatest this league has ever seen at getting off his own shot. If that last accomplishment ends up being a good or bad thing depends on quite a bit, but it's worth noting.

4. Ray Allen(notes)

For years, Allen was considered to be just a step behind Kobe Bryant amongst the league's off guards, and that may have been a solid assessment, but it was a huge step and an assessment that doesn't quite hold up on the decade-long tally.

Allen's been fantastic and improperly criticized at times, but his all-around game (the rebounds, the assists, the "D") just isn't there in comparison to the men who made the top three.

Still, Allen can shoot. And he works at it. And he can shoot. And he scores well. And he has a ring. And he can shoot. The next 3-pointer he hits will be his 2,300^th, he's averaged 20.9 points per game on the career alongside stellar marks of just under 45 percent from the floor (consider where his attempts are coming from), 40 percent from long range and 89.3 percent from the charity stripe.

3. Vince Carter(notes)

Carp at VC all you want, I'll lead the chants, but the man brought it all decade.

Most of the decade. He took some of the decade off, I guess.

When he didn't take parts of decades off, Carter threw together averages of 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He's become a much better passer and defender as his career has moved along, while establishing a post-up game. And while he was pretty injury-prone to start the decade, Carter hasn't really missed much time in the years since 2002-03.

2. Dwyane Wade

Wade has only averaged 66 games a year over his career, and he's played just six seasons in the NBA, but ... he's Dwyane Wade.

He has a ring, teams have a hard time stopping him from scoring a whole lot of points, and he's Dwyane Wade. He's averaged 25.2 points per game on 48 percent shooting, 6.7 assists, five boards and 2.8 combined blocks/steals on his career. Very, very good, he is.

1. Kobe Bryant

Very, very brilliant, this man is.

You're well aware of his stats; he's essentially a Jordan-lite. You're aware that he's won four rings, made the Finals two other times, and is one of the greatest backcourt practitioners to ever play this game. And that, at age 31, he's on what might be the deepest and most talented team of his career, a team coming off a Finals victory.

What always impresses me most, is the man's dedication. Complain about the off-court stuff, how calculating he seems, how he can appear pretty transparent at times, I don't mind. You'd be right, in that regard. But you have to respect the amount of work he puts into the game that we love. Work that, I'm sorry, some of our favorite players both past and present just couldn't be bothered to do.

Can't blame those guys, you can only go so hard for so long without getting burned out. Kobe's love is a special love, though. A sick one. MJ had that sickness, Magic had it, Bird had it, Russell had it. All the greats had it.

He's not at their level. But he made damn sure he gave himself every opportunity he could to work toward their level.

Kobe Bryant is the greatest shooting guard of the decade. It's not even close.

Questions? Comments? Furious and righteous anger at a world, not to mention top 10 list, gone wrong? Swing by later today at about 2 p.m. Eastern for a BDL mini-chat regarding this very list.

OK, we know the first decade of the 21st century doesn't really end until 2011. We think. But we also know there have been 10 full NBA seasons played since the phrase "Y2K" was on all of our lips (1999-2000), and here at Ball Don't Lie we've decided to use this as an offseason excuse to rank some of the best and not-so-brightest of the 10 campaigns in question. The result? Why, top 10 lists!

The criteria here is simple. Anyone who loses their dang mind, gets a vote.

Anyone who decides to hold a candle to their frontal lobe, melting into ooze what once housed sound thinking and practical application of said sound thinking, warrants consideration for this list.

10. Media members vote Steve Nash(notes) for MVP, again

When logic and reason melt down, into something else entirely; the underdog usually gets the award.

Award voters usually prefer slim amounts of research and a great story over less-intriguing and more-deserving players, and the 2005-06 MVP vote was a pretty strong example of that. Instead of recognizing any of the substantial MVP candidates — Dwyane Wade(notes), LeBron James(notes), Kobe Bryant(notes), Dirk Nowitzki(notes) and Elton Brand(notes) all had seasons that historically could be termed "MVP caliber" — the voters handed Nash his second consecutive MVP based on ... well, we like him a lot.

Nash had a great year, and the great story behind him was the fact that the Suns lost Joe Johnson(notes) (following a trade) and Amar'e Stoudemire(notes) for just about the entire season (Stoudemire played three games), and Phoenix still won 54 games. Forgetting, of course, that extended workloads from Shawn Marion(notes) and Leandro Barbosa(notes) helped steady the ship, and the additions of Eddie House(notes), Kurt Thomas(notes) and Boris Diaw(notes) all kept the Suns afloat. Somehow, Nash got credit for all of this.

Then, and now, Nash is my favorite player in his conference. I absolutely love to watch him play. But come on. 

9. Nuggets and Knicks slapfest

I taped a lot of games back in 2006-07, and a huge part of me really wishes that I'd taped some of the cable sports news reaction to this pathetic little fight. Armed with the ability to wring hands and tell us how awful things were, desperate to fill up those 24 hours, the TV teleprompters treated this brouhaha between the Knicks and Nuggets like it was assassination coverage. The internet even allowed some scribes to give it the "will-someone-please-think-of-the-children?"treatment. Good god, get over yourselves.

The Knicks and Nuggets weren't happy with each other. The Knicks weren't happy with anything, and the Nuggets were always out to prove they were tougher than they actually were back then. None of these guys could truly fight, but with the Knicks smarting as the Nuggies rolled up the score, a Mardy Collins(notes) flagrant foul and a whole lot of Napoleon-sized sniping from Nate Robinson(notes) led to a whole lot of millionaires acting like they knew how to throw a punch. Oh, and Knicks coach Isiah Thomas probably called for the whole thing from the sidelines.

Somehow, the world managed to continue spinning in its aftermath.

8. Allen Iverson(notes) on practice, man

You'll probably see the word "pathetic" quite a bit on this list. Rants like this are the reason why.

Don't try to get into the logic behind this one. Allen Iverson missed or was late to a ton of practices during the 2001-02 season, and he just couldn't understand why this was a problem. After all, he tried real hard for those 41 minutes a game during the 65 games (regular season and playoffs combined) he played that season, isn't that (Iverson made $11.25 million that year) enough?

Toss in a needless, schoolyard-type mocking of a writer's full given name (calling Philadelphia Daily News scribe Phil Jasner "Philip," as if it were some sort of actual, effective, insult), the grade school-level baseball cap and jersey attire, and the ridiculous notion that dogged effort in one in every three days during the regular season is good enough, and you have one of the more pathetic character revelations of the last decade.

7. Rasheed Wallace(notes) throws a towel at Arvydas Sabonis

The last line of the Iverson description fits with this one.

On national TV, after submarining Portland's season with huffy play and infrequent trips to the low post, Rasheed Walllace (who registered a shocking 40 technical fouls in 77 games in 2000-01) decided to throw a towel at Arvydas Sabonis during a timeout of a late regular-season game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Sabonis' transgression? He accidently hit Wallace in the face while spiraling backwards after being barreled into by Shaquille O'Neal(notes).

6. Marcus Camby(notes) punches-ish Danny Ferry

Sabonis' type of transgression, just about, spurred this nonsense. Ferry caught Marcus Camby with an inadvertent elbow - I was watching the game, it was an accident - precious Marcus took offense, charged after Ferry and attempted to throw a "punch" that started somewhere below his waist. With his strong hand. Someone hook this guy up with Bert Sugar.

Of course, because Camby's truly tough, Ferry's back was turned completely to him as he attempted the sucker punch to the back of Ferry's head. And, because Jeff Van Gundy (poor rotation choices aside) likes having his best players on the floor, he attempted to stop Camby from throwing the wild punch, and caught the worst of it. So did Selena Roberts, then a Knicks beat writer, who took the brunt of a dislodged media row when Camby kicked it. Because that's what 26-year-olds do. They kick things.

All of this happened on Martin Luther King Day, by the way.

5. Ha Seung Jin vs. Nedzad Sinanovic

Never heard of either of these men? I don't blame you.

Ha Seung Jin (above, yelling) and Sinanovic (below, posting) were both Trail Blazers prospects hoping to catch on as lanky reserves trying to make a poor Portland team back in 2005. The former actually played 46 NBA games, poorly, over two years, registering nearly as many turnovers (26) as field goals (28). Sinanovic? Not so much.

The pair, however, is best known for a summertime battle that saw both men (neither of which had what you could call a "strong" grasp of the English language) jaw and yell and threaten each other following a one-on-one game gone horribly wrong at the Blazers' practice facility. At one point, the Portland golden boy (Ha Seung Jin) decided to chase Sinanovic around the court with some sort of stick, or stick-inspired device.

John Canzano originally passed the story along in an interview, and we strong suggest you go read his engaging take on what had to be an epic show of awful; both in terms of the play and the pugilism.

4. Shaquille O'Neal vs. Brad Miller(notes)

This was back in 2001-02, when Miller was a Chicago Bull, and a few months before the above picture was taken. And, as fights go, this was a little scary. Because as wild as Shaquille O'Neal's punch was, he still could have basically warped Miller's mind for decades had it connected.

I couldn't find a clip of the fight online, but the back story as I remember it (watched it as it happened, but not in person) was that Miller had been frustrating O'Neal all night with physical play. As is usually the case with these fits of anger (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Kent Benson, anyone?), Shaq felt like he wasn't getting any calls while being roughed up, an underdog Bulls team was beating the defending champion Lakers, Miller fouled Shaq one time too many, and O'Neal responded with a roundhouse that (luckily, for Miller) roundly missed.

3. Darko Milicic(notes) goes off

You're going to have to follow a link to this, with the warning that the audio involved is extremely not safe for work if you speak Serbian, and the English subtitles are not intended for use by children 13 and under. Or 23 and under. In fact, maybe everyone should just go take a nap, instead.

During Eurobasket 2007 Greece won a hotly contested overtime match against Milicic's Serbian team by one point, and it's safe to say that Darko (pictured, above, not cursing) was less than thrilled with the work of that particular game's referees. Here's the link again to his post-game meltdown in front of the assembled media, please be warned.

2. Chris Mills challenges several Trail Blazers to a fight

You don't hear about this one too often, because the details behind the interaction between Chris Mills and (possibly) the entire Portland Trail Blazer roster are a bit sketchy.

Here's what we do know. During a Dec. 20, 2002, match between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors, Chris Mills took great offense to the physical play of Bonzi Wells(notes). The entire Golden State crowd, actually, took the same offense to the entire Blazer team, showering Rasheed Wallace (who had to be restrained from going into the stands to fight) with garbage and insults after he hit a game-winner and tried to leave the court.

For Mills, the work of his hometown supporters wasn't enough. He tried to get into the Blazers locker room after the game to have a go at Wells. After being denied access, Mills and some friends decided to park Mills' SUV in front of Portland's team bus, refusing it access to the outside of the arena, with Mills standing outside the bus shouting at the team, spoiling for a fight.

That much we do know, because Mills was suspended for his conduct a few days later. What we don't know is whether or not Mills may have been armed, as some have suggested, or whether or not he followed the Trail Blazers' bus to the airport before turning away.

1. The melee in Auburn Hills

Blanket statements work here. Everyone was wrong.

Ron Artest(notes) was a little wronger than most, there's no doubt about that, but there's no point in stopping there. That night's referees; who let the game get out of control initially? Wrong. Ben Wallace's(notes) reaction to Artest's hard foul? Wrong. Pacers teammates who didn't drag Artest off the scorer's table? Wrong. Pistons fans? Wrong. Ron Artest? Way wrong. Assorted Pistons and (mostly) Pacers? Wrong.

Everyone got it wrong. An embarrassment to anyone boasting more than half a brain.

Questions? Comments? Furious and righteous anger at a world, not to mention top 10 list, gone wrong? Swing by later today at about 2 p.m. Eastern for a BDL mini-chat regarding this very list.

Other popular Yahoo! Sports blog posts:
• Former NFL star plans to fight MMA
• Photo: Yankees’ rookies have to wear superhero costumes
• T.O. disses Romo, or did he? You be the judge

Did you like yesterday's list of the 10 best jerseys we've seen over the last decade? Did that help you through your Monday?

Well, welcome to Tuesday. And the 10 worst jerseys of the last decade.

10. That time George Karl wore this to work

George Karl was in the midst of a white-hot initial run as Nuggets coach in 2004-05, when he decided to give this look a go. Where former Denver coaches Jeff Bzdelik and Michael Cooper had gone a combined 17-25, Karl was in the middle of leading his team to a 32-8 record, working at a pace that would have the Nuggets leading the NBA in wins had he kept it for the full 82 games.

And yet, for whatever reason, Karl decided to wear this on a throwback jersey night against the Washington Wizards in March of that season. Not just the jersey, mind you, but a pair of Sharpton-esque track pants and a white turtleneck. Sure, Denver beat Washington (a 45-win team that year) by 29 points, but at what cost?

9. Washington Wizards

As hinted at yesterday, I'm not Dr. Blackwell. I know what I like, what I don't like, but sometimes haven't the foggiest about how to explain why. The Wizards? It's just not a good jersey. Not a good logo, silly font, uninspiring colors, dated appearance. Just screams "1997," which makes sense, because it was created in 1997.

8. Atlanta Hawks revisit the Mac and Me strategy

Remember Mac and Me? Luckily, even as an 8-year-old, I managed to miss it. Forgot about its existence until YouTube popped up, and creepy scenes like this and sickening turns like this started to hit the internets. The entire movie was a transparent tie-in with a famous beef burger chain that is known for putting Thousand Island salad dressing on its beef burgers. The Hawks, as pointed out by the good folks (food and fun) behind Third Quarter Collapse yesterday, briefly took to the chain's color scheme in 2004-05.

7. Charlotte Bobcats

Do you like them? Don't they seriously look like D-League jerseys? I mean, these honestly, actually, look like NBDL jerseys. The orange, man. The orange. And while the Bobcats are still royally screwed in terms of future prospects, they haven't exactly been Grizzlies-bad since debuting in 2004. They've won, a couple of times, nearly half their games in a season. This isn't a nasty won-loss record tainting a good scheme. It's the scheme, man, that's off.

6. Chicago Bulls and their ruddy pinstripes

What's Kirk Hinrich(notes) all emo about today? Well, he's being forced to play basketball in a pinstripes-laden Chicago Bulls jersey that originally debuted in 1995-96. Wasn't that the year the Bulls won 72 games? Sure, but they also lost 10 games in the regular season, with five of those losses coming in the 10 games Chicago sported the jerseys. To recap: 67-5 in the regular home and away jerseys, 5-5 in pinstripes. Seems pretty disproportionate, no?

5. The West Lafayette Wizards

It could work. I'm not exactly entirely opposed to two-toned jerseys, but look at the picture above. Neither the referee nor Mo Williams(notes) can keep their eyes off how ugly these duds are. And do we really need to remind people of what the Purdue Boilermakers play in?

4. Philadelphia 76ers

Also debuting in 1997, this busy, pointless jersey was worn by some very good 76er teams that were on national TV quite a bit due to their good-ness and the presence of Allen Iverson(notes). Sadly, these jerseys also included the presence of a dreadfully ugly logo and color scheme that made little sense. The horror ended last May.

3. Golden State Warriors

Another winner from 1997, the Warriors' new logo and color scheme was rightfully introduced to the nation around the same time that Latrell Sprewell decided to assault P.J. Carlisemo, and things didn't exactly get better from there. And because these are the Warriors, the team hasn't exactly done much besides slightly modify this mess. This officially licensed mess.

2. Houston Rockets in their jammie-jams

Only Moochie Norris (pictured, above) could be happy in threads like these. Debuting in 1995 and lasting for nearly a decade, these pinstripe-laden unis aided in the destruction of the two-time NBA champions, reminded us all of bad pajamas and then outfitted an entire (rather large) nation in awful, awful threads once Yao Ming(notes) debuted in them during the 2002-03 season.

1. Detroit teals it up

Just look at it. Teal, a flaming horse, Jud Buechler. Goodness, gracious, sakes alive — what an ugly uniform.

More Top 10 lists:
 • Top 10 NBA jerseys of the last 10 years
 • Top 10 lottery busts of the decade
 • Top 10 best defenders of the last decade