Well, my girly bags are packed and I'm about to say goodbye to New Orleans. I’m a little sad to go as I was just starting to get the hang off the city, but I’ll make sure to come back minus my laptop next time.

As you can imagine, BDL blog activity will be pretty light today. I have two stopovers on my way home -- one in Dallas, one in Chicago -- so we’ll see how many flights I can miss today (the over/under is 1). But if I get into Toronto at a reasonable time tonight, posts should start back up by early tomorrow afternoon.

And finally, before I go, here's a quick recap of what you may have missed over last couple of days. Throw on some jazz, enjoy the links, and I'll see you soon.

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Things from All-Star Weekend that, for whatever reason, didn't get a post of their own ...

• Morris Almond didn’t win the D-League's inaugural H-O-R-S-E competition, but he sure made things interesting. In the first round, Idaho center Lance Allred faced off against Fort Wayne’s Jeremy Richardson, and the craziest shot they took was probably a 15-footer with their legs crossed. Ugh. It was a painful start. Thankfully, though, Almond was up next, firing up shots from the floor, behind the backboard, eyes closed ... you know, like the game should be played. So, could it work on the NBA's big stage? Without a doubt. Throw a mic on guys like Garnett, Nash and Sheed, and watch the hilarity ensue. It’s no worse than the Shooting Stars or Skills Challenge, that's for sure.

• Saturday, I was invited by Converse to play in some media pick-up game at Tulane University. In attendance: Chris Broussard and LZ Granderson from ESPN, the blog-father Henry Abbott, Michael Grange from the Globe and many more. Not a whole lot happened to blog home about -- I was hungover and horrible -- but the highlight had to have been when some guy nearly got into a fistfight with DJ Clue. Yes, this DJ Clue. Clue wanted to mix-tape it up! It was surreal.

• Mark Cuban is a happy drunk. I was hanging out at a bar on Bourbon Street with the guys from Hardwood Paroxysm, when we noticed Cubes over at another table. I asked him when the Mavericks were going to land Jason Kidd. “Man, I already got a kid,” he cackled. “No, no, two D’s, Mark.” Well, he thought that was just about the funniest thing he'd ever heard. It really wasn’t that funny. And does Cuban even have a kid? What a guy!

• That same night, Yi Jianlian strolled past me down Bourbon. I had a couple in me, so I ran up to him from behind, tapped him on the elbow (there was no way I could reach his shoulder), and introduced myself. He shook my hand, and that was that. Eazy Yi: tall, polite, firm handshake.

The 2008 All-Star Game is underway and BDL's own J.E. Skeets is live in the New Orleans Arena posting the latest highlights, happenings and anything else fit for digital print.

• OK, we’ve finally made it to our seat. Both All-Star squads are warming up. The Armadillo Cowboy, Joe Johnson, hasn’t made a shot yet. Watch for him tonight. I always seemed to play my best when I had a horrible warm-up.

• The scoreboard just informed me that Antawn Jamison’s middle name is Cortez. The more you know ...

• We’ve got some new mascots in the building tonight. Tonight’s roster includes the Raptor, Lucky the Leprechaun, the Hornets' two mascots, that Magic monstrosity and some weird Blazers' mascot. But where's Thunder? Did he get arrested for accidentally kicking a cop in the face while break dancing again?

• The West may be dominating the East on the basketball court this year, but the East guys would absolutely kill the West on the dance floor. In fact, that should be a Saturday competition:  DANCE OFF!

• Those were some sexy national anthems. Both of them.

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The All-Star Game is underway and BDL's own J.E. Skeets is live in the New Orleans Arena posting the latest highlights, happenings and anything else fit for digital print.

West All-Star coach Byron Scott just finished a short pre-game interview here at the arena. He had this to say when asked about how he planned on using Kobe Bryant and his injured hand in tonight’s big game:

Kobe and I have talked about it. We talked yesterday, he wants to start, but I was given the orders as well to play him as little as possible. So out discussions basically came down to him playing the first three or four minutes of the game, and then basically getting him out for the entire rest of the first half and the entire second half.

Obviously, our interest is in Kobe making sure when this game is over, that he’s still relatively healthy. We know the extent of the injury, so we want to make sure it doesn’t get hurt any more than it already is.

Scott said his orders came from Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, Stu Jackson, but you and I both know that’s the wrong Jackson.

DO NOT ANGER PHIL OR HE WILL DESTROY YOU!!!

All-Star Weekend '08 is all the rage and BDL's own J.E. Skeets is in New Orleans posting highlights, happenings and anything else fit for digital print.

Sometimes having a small bladder can be a very good thing.

Last night, before the All-Star Saturday night events at the New Orleans Arena, I ran into Commissioner David Stern in the men’s bathroom. Seriously.

Stern had just finished his "State of the NBA" press conference. I had just finished my second can of Ginger Ale.

Besides Stern's intimidating bodyguard who was standing near the door, the Commish and I were the only two in the entire bathroom.

I was definitely caught off guard by the situation, but I tried my best to strike up some conversation.

Here's how our "interview" went to the best of my recollection. (I decided against whipping out a tape recorder. That probably would've been awkward.)

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Sporting News Radio takes Rod Benson's "Boom Tho" movement to the airwaves and ESPN's writer Bill Simmons can't get enough of him. Don't forget about us little people when you're president, Rod. 

Rod Benson is a Cal grad who plays for the D-League's Dakota Wizards. He also blogs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on Ball Don't Lie. Read his archive, pay a visit to TooMuchRodBenson.com and always support the Boom Tho movement.

Friday afternoon, I charged up my trusty Casio Exilim EX720 digital camera and made my short way over to the massive Ernest N. Morial Convention Center for NBA Jam Session.

Jam Session is basically a "theme park of basketball" which allows fans to take part in numerous interactive basketball related activities from the Thursday of All-Star Weekend through to Monday. It’s mainly targeted to young fans, but that didn’t stop me from having fun.

A few photos and thoughts after the jump.

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1. Dwight Howard's Self Alley-Oop (first dunk, finals). I don't know what's tougher, tapping a ball off the glass from a bounce and then slamming it home with your opposite hand or trying to explain it. That dunk was unreal. My only complaint: Dwight almost made it look too easy. It could've used a little more oomph!

2. Howard's Behind-The-Glass (first dunk, first round). He took Andre Iguodala's '06 classic and added a freakin' windmill. It's amazing he didn't decapitate himself.

3. Gerald Green's Through-The-Legs Off-The-Bounce Pass (first dunk, finals). G-Money has mastered the art of putting the ball through his legs. He gets that thing around and up unbelievably quick. Too bad Rashard McCants doesn't know how to throw a pass.

4. Jamario Moon's 360 Off-The-Bounce (first dunk, first round). The extension on this one was ridiculous. Moon had to go way, way back -- while spinning -- to make it happen. Watch how high he gets.

5. Green's Cupcake (first dunk, first round). Loved the creativity with this one. The replays of Green blowing out the candle had the arena in stitches. Obvious impossible recommendation for next year: light the candle.

6. Howard's Superman (second "dunk," first round). I'm going to get grilled in the comments for placing this so low, but the fact of the matter is Dwight didn't dunk the ball. He threw it in. That's not a dunk. It's a shame, too, because everything else was perfect.

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Yes. Yes they can. Enjoy the Dunk Contest, folks!

The All-Star Saturday festivities are underway and BDL's own J.E. Skeets is live in the New Orleans Arena posting the latest highlights, happenings and anything else fit for digital print.

• Dear lord, we're only a Duhon-three into this Shooting Stars event and I'm already bored. Wasn't that three-on-three game the NBA used to do with the celebrities and legends much more entertaining? Is Ashton Kutcher really that busy?

• Ah, sweet, the Raptors mascot is in the building. I told you this is Toronto's night!

• Well, that didn't take very long -- I'm already 0-for-1 with my predictions. Billups is going to be up all night thinking about those missed threes from the left. Somebody get him some dimenhydrinate.

• For anyone watching at TNT's coverage home, I'm seated behind the basket the Shooting Star were shooting on, about seven media rows up. I'm wearing a ridiculously loud yellow and green jacket. Find me!

• D-Wade dribbled the ball off his foot out of bounds, missed three jumpers, screwed up a couple of passes, and blew not one, but two layups. That’s gotta be the grand slam of Skills Challenge suck-a-tude, right?

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