Category: NBA General

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Around the Rim: Heat Check



Too much Stackhouse

1. Finals Rematch
Thanks to some clutch shooting in the fourth quarter by Jerry Stackhouse, the Mavericks were able to defeat the Heat 99-93 on Sunday. Dallas continues to mow down opponents, winning seven games in a row and 20 of their last 21. But Miami put up a decent fight as they wait for Shaq’s return to action. The Heat’s starting backcourt went off for 48 points and Udonis Haslem came close to a double-double with 15 and eight. Even the recently pudgy Antoine Walker got into the act with 11 points. Miami’s record isn’t pretty but if they can make the playoffs with a healthy O’Neal, then they can’t be counted out simply because of a low seed.

2. Wishful Thinking
Phoenix is like the Energizer Bunny; they just keep winning and winning. And they do so in fast breaking fashion. Last night, the Suns put up a whopping 131 points against Minnesota in regulation. Steve Nash has led the Suns to 13 straight victories, scoring over 105 points in ten of the contests. The Suns have three legitimate All-Stars who are capable of going off on an opponent on any night, which can be bad enough, but when the trio of Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion are all clicking at the same time, it turns into to 120+ point night quite easily. If only the NBA would arrange a mid-season seven game series between the Suns and Mavs. Oh, what a series it would be.

3. Hairy Situation
It’s not just the Suns win streak that continues to grow longer with each victory. The team’s facial hair is beginning to get out of control as well. Steve Nash isn’t even sure how the trend got started but sometime during Phoenix’s current win streak, some of the players on the team decided to avoid the razor and let their beards appear. Nash admitted to hating the look but like most athletes, he’s just superstitious enough to buy into the routine. Shawn Marion, on the other hand, isn’t giving in to temptation. “I can’t do it, man,” Marion said. “My face gets too itchy.”

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Dwyane Wade vs. Dallas 44 min, 31 pts (FG: 12-21, 3FG:1-4, FT: 6-9), 6 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl

Monday’s Game to Watch: Memphis (10-31) @ Denver (20-17) Memphis sucks but who cares, after all, he’s baaaack!! Carmelo Anthony will be in Denver’s lineup for the first time in 36 days after being suspended 15 games for his part in the mayhem that occurred between the Nuggets and the Knicks in mid December. Finally, after all the speculation and anticipation, we will get to see if Melo and Allen Iverson can coexist when Memphis makes the trip to The Mile High City tonight. Since A.I. joined the club, the Nuggets have gone 5-8, which included several double-digit losses. Anthony’s presence on the floor can do nothing but help as he remains the league’s best scorer with 31.6 points per game.

Buzzer Beater: Josh Smith gave a double barreled salute to the crowd as he walked to the locker room after being ejected in the second quarter of a 104-85 blowout loss in Charlotte on Saturday. There must be something in Atlanta’s water, or should I say in Atlanta’s water bottles, to make this Hawk think throwing the bird would fly in Mr. Stern’s NBA. Expect the commish to dish out some punishment early this week, possibly today.

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Around the Rim: They’re all picking on me!


1. Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo
Dikembe Mutombo has always been a defensive stopper on the court, but now he has become defensive about something off the court. The ongoing joke for the talking heads covering Houston this season has surrounded the age of Mutombo and the implication that he might be older than what he says. The 40 year old Mutombo has been in the league for 16 seasons and says that the teasing is disturbing to his wife and daughter and that he plans to talk with commissioner David Stern about putting an end to the media’s mockery. Mount Mutombo seems to be exploding over nothing here. I mean being called old has to be better than being called a “monkey”, right?

2. 3rd Times a Charm
The Spurs Brent Barry wants a chance to make history at the All-Star game in February. The sharpshooter could become the first player to win both the three-point shootout and the slam dunk contest. In 1996, as a rookie, Barry proved that white men can jump when he made a dunk from the free-throw line while wearing his warm-up jacket during the All-Star festivities in San Antonio. B.B. is currently third in the league in three-point field goal accuracy as he is hitting 48 percent (62-130) of his long bombs. Should Barry receive his opportunity, it would be his third chance to win the three-point trophy. In 2003, he advanced to the second round before falling to Peja Stojakovic who would go on to win the crown, and in 2004 he was forced to decline an invitation after breaking his right hand.

3. Excuse Me, You Dropped a Dime
Kevin Garnett could join some of the greatest names in the history of the game tonight when the Detroit Pistons travel to Minnesota. The Big Ticket is five assists away from reaching 4,000 for his career. When Garnett dishes out assist number 4,000 he will have become only the fifth player to amass 18,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists; joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Wilt Chamberlain and Charles Barkley. And at only 30 years old, K.G. still has lots of game left in his 6-11 body. Of course, the feat would be much easier for Garnett to obtain if he had players around him who could consistently hit their shots.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Dwyane Wade vs. Indiana 37 min, 33 pts (FG: 13-24, FT: 7-9), 6 reb, 8 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk

Friday’s Game to Watch: Washington (22-16) @ Orlando (22-17) This game sports two of the best young players in the league with Gilbert Arenas and Dwight Howard. Arenas has been dazzling fans and foes alike all season, while Howard is the best big man to enter the league straight out of high school since Kevin Garnett made the leap in 1995. Washington currently leads Orlando for first place in the Southeast Division by ½ game, but that ½ game makes a huge difference for these two teams in the playoff standings. The Magic could leap from their sixth spot up to as high as the second spot in the East with a win.

Buzzer Beater: Shaquille O’Neal will be sidelined for at least two more games as he recovers from knee surgery. Shaq says that he’s not going to rush back until he’s “1000 percent.” Last month, two more games without the Diesel would have been pretty discouraging news for the Heat, but Miami is currently handling their business without O’Neal as they have won five of their last six behind a hot Dwyane Wade. But even when Shaq comes back, he still won’t be at full capacity until he gets at least two weeks of game time under his very large belt.

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Around the Rim: Detroit Debut for Webber


1. Numbers Game
Chris Webber officially signed with the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday and will be paid approximately $650,000 this year on a prorated contract for the veterans minimum, but that’s wasn’t the odd part of the press conference. The head scratcher came when C-Webb held up a Pistons home jersey with the number 84 stitched onto it. The unusual number was chosen for Uncle Chris by one of his nephews. Now, Webber joins Gilbert Arenas (0), Ron Artest (93) and the league’s most notorious weirdo of all time, Dennis Rodman (91), with some of the more abnormal numbers. But regardless of the digits he wears, Webber will be a valuable asset to the Pistons this season, despite what his first game might imply (17 minutes with 2 points on 1 for 5 shooting).

2. Packin’ Jackson
There were some rumors floating around that Mike Dunleavy Jr. could be joining his old man in Los Angeles on the Clippers, but those rumors can be squashed now that Dunleavy Jr. was involved in an eight player deal that sent him to the Pacers along with Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod. In return, Golden State picked up Al Harrington, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Josh Powell and the problematic Stephen Jackson. The Warriors were desperate for another complimentary player to line up beside Baron Davis and if they are willing to put up with the headaches, this could be a perfect fit for Golden State. And should Harrington ever live up to his potential, this trade could be a giant step toward making noise in the playoffs for the Warriors.

3. Party Pooper
A man is walking down the street with a 2 ft. by 2 ft. birthday cake in his hands at 1:45 in the morning wait, is this a gag? Nope. It might sound like the set up to a shoddy joke but it’s not. Close to 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, Alexander Martinez left his birthday party with a $190 cake and ran into Lakers forward Ronny Turaif who agreed to pose for a B-Day photo. About that time, Kwame Brown walks out of a club, grabs the chocolate cake and throws it at Martinez before leaving the scene in a white limo. Further down the street, Martinez ran into Lamar Odom and confronted him about Brown’s behavior but a man believed to be Odom’s bodyguard shoved Martinez into the street and yelled at him to stay away from Brown. A police report was filed 12 hours later but Brown has yet to comment on the incident. Now it’s obvious why Gilbert Arenas didn’t invite Kwame to his 25th birthday bash.

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Kobe Bryant @ San Antonio 36 min, 34 pts (FG: 12-19, 3FG: 0-2, FT: 10-11), 6 reb, 8 ast, 1 stl

Thursday’s Game to Watch: Los Angeles Lakers (25-13) @ Dallas (32-8) The last time these two teams met up was in Los Angeles on January 7, when the Lakers put an end to the Mavericks 13 game win streak. But this time the Lakers won’t have a home crowd to take advantage of. The Mavs are currently riding an eleven game home winning streak as Dirk Nowitzki continues to make his push for the M.V.P. Dallas is probably one of the last teams anybody wants to play in the second game of a back-to-back, but that is exactly the situation L.A. is facing after winning against the Spurs last night, 100-96.

Buzzer Beater: Just when it looked like Tracy McGrady was healthy again and back to his former high-scoring self, he misses another game with soreness in his back. Since returning from a stint in December where he missed seven games because of back spasms, T-Mac had averaged 26.8 points per game with eight games over 30. Tuesday night, McGrady lit Dallas up for 45 in a 109-86 loss. With the loss of Yao Ming already hobbling the club, McGrady’s pain in the back is becoming a serious pain in the butt of Jeff Van Gundy.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Michigan’s New Fab Five


1. Home Sweet Home
It took 14 seasons as Chris Webber spent time with four different teams before he finally made his way home. C-Webb will clear waivers today at 2:00 p.m. ET and could possibly be signed by the Pistons later in the day. The last time Detroit brought in a malcontent player it worked out all right as Rasheed Wallace helped bring a title to the Motor City. And just like Sheed in 2004, Webber could be the missing piece that propels the Pistons through the Eastern Conference and into The Finals. But Webber’s presence didn’t help his future teammates any when he sat in the crowd during yesterday’s overtime loss to the Timberwolves.

2. Undercover Brother
In typical super-spy fashion, Agent 0 easily made his way through all the barriers put in his way en route to calmly taking out the bad guy right before he got away. With 48 points already in his back pocket, Agent 0 waited for the most dramatic moment in the game to take his total over 50 for the third time this season; and with the final buzzer sounding, a 24 foot three-pointer swished through the net. His name is Arenas. Gilbert Arenas. But to the 15,524 in attendance at the MCI Center for the 114-111 win over the Jazz, he was simply referred to as “M.V.P.” While his mission of bringing a championship to Washington might seem impossible, Arenas has been achieving the unbelievable all season long. The only other person to score 51 points in that building was codenamed Air, and yesterday marked the seventh time Arenas has put up over 40 points.

3. Synthetic Ball on the Rebound
It took two months, but the players finally convinced David Stern to replace the old new ball with the new old ball (???). However, like cockroaches, just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there. All teams in the league were told to keep at least two dozen of the synthetic balls on hand, leaving the door open to the idea that Stern might be looking to bring the ball back at some point. But it will probably take a different form before hitting arena floors across the Association. Looks like Spalding and the NBA have actually decided to question a number of players before attempting to make the next version of the composite ball. Brilliant!!

Monday’s Player of the Day: Gilbert Arenas vs. Utah 41 min, 51 pts (FG: 14-29, 3FG: 7-12, FT: 16-17), 3 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl

Tuesdays’ Game to Watch: Houston (25-13) @ Dallas (31-8) Dallas is really good, but unfortunately for the Rockets they’re even better at home. The Mavs are 17-3 when playing in Dallas as they hope to make Houston the next victim in a long line of fallen opponents. But Houston is no pushover simply because Yao Ming isn’t in the lineup. Behind Tracy McGrady’s high scoring performances, the Rockets, like the Mavericks, are riding a four game winning streak into the Texas showdown. And 40 year old Dikembe Mutombo is pulling down rebounds like a spry Denver rookie from 1992.

Buzzer Beater: Congratulations are in order for the Atlanta Hawks. This once proud franchise is now reduced to celebrating the rare occurrences of back to back wins. Following a shocking defeat of Detroit on Friday, the Hawks pulled out a close win over an equally pathetic Boston club on M.L.K. Day. This marks the first time since early in November that Atlanta can claim a two game win streak. Now, losing streaks on the other hand are much more common for the Hawks as they have already amassed five such marks. “Welcome to Atlanta where the playas play”? Well, it’s not exactly like Ludacris makes it sound.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Rude Ref



Making a move

1. Blow Your Whistle, Then Blow Your Top
What’s the deal? Everyone in Portland has to be a tough guy, and it’s not even limited to Trailblazer players anymore. Last Sunday, nine-year veteran referee Rodney Mott was observed flipping the bird to a fan in the stands and using inappropriate language after a Blazer home loss to the Heat. Sure, it’s a lame offense by Portland’s standards, but it should still earn him a little street cred in “The City of Roses.” And I’m sure Zach Randolph feels that the greatest form of flattery is imitation. But shouldn’t refs be held to higher standards during the leagues attempt at rebuilding their image? A three game suspension without pay seems a bit weak on David Stern’s part.

2. Election Day
Allen Iverson was a shoe in for a starting guard position in the East at this year’s All-Star Game in Las Vegas before he was traded to Denver. In the West, however, Iverson ranks third in votes behind Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. But the votes for The Answer have been rolling in and the gap between Iverson and McGrady has been shrinking. At last check, A.I. was only 31,263 votes behind T-Mac. So, for all the Iverson fans out there, get out to a game today and stuff those ballot boxes because no paper votes will be accepted after the 15th. However, should you prefer, you can also sit on your couch in your underwear and vote drunk on the web through January 21. The starters for the game will be announced on January 25.

3. Here We Go Again
Dallas is obviously a great team and they deserve plenty of recognition, but is anyone else getting sick of this same old story? The Mavericks are rolling yet again as they have won four in a row after having their 13 game winning streak broken by the Lakers. The Mavs haven’t lost consecutive games since they opened the season by losing their first four games. And don’t adjust your eyes; since the first week of the season ended, they are an incredible 31-4. If you take the first four losses away, Dallas would be on pace to break the 1995-96 Bulls’ record 72 win season by one win. This current streak could easily grow into another double digit run as 30 points and 10 rebounds has become simply average for Dirk Nowitzki of late.

In related news, Phoenix can pick up their second ten game win streak of the season with a win in Memphis tonight.

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Dirk Nowitzki @ Toronto 45 min, 38 pts (FG: 14-30, 3FG: 3-6, FT: 7-9), 11 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk

Monday’s Game to Watch: Utah (24-13) @ Washington (20-16) The Jazz have lost three games in a row and four of their last five. But Utah is not as bad as their recent skid would indicate however, they are also not as good as their 12-1 start had people believing. The Jazz are somewhere in between and they will have their hands full with a Wizards team that has won 11 of their last 16. Washington is 14-3 at home this season and Gilbert Arenas is beginning to get some serious MVP consideration thanks in part to his 29.7 point scoring average. Caron Butler has established himself as an excellent sidekick to Arenas and will exploit any team who decides to put their best perimeter defender on Agent 0.

Buzzer Beater: It was six years ago that the Knicks and Spurs literally gave the league a black eye on MLK day when N.Y. center Marcus Camby attempted to decapitate the Spurs’ Danny Ferry with a blindsided sucker punch. At the last moment, Ferry ducked the punch and Camby clocked his coach, Jeff Van Gundy, opening a cut above his left eye that needed over 12 stitches to close. Interestingly, none of the major players from the fight are involved in action on this Martin Luther King holiday. (Ferry is now Cleveland’s GM, Van Gundy coaches the Rockets and Camby plays in Denver.)

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NBA General

Around the Rim: All-Star Saturday Night Fights


1. Forgive and Forget? Uh, No.
J.R. Smith is hoping he can earn back some of the cash he lost during his suspension by participating in either the three-point or slam dunk contest at the All-Star Game in Las Vegas. Apparently Smith hasn’t heard about the vendetta David Stern has against the leagues trouble makers. The aftermath from the brawl in Detroit is still being felt in the league today; it’s safe to bet he hasn’t forgotten about Smith’s bad behavior in New York just yet. Smith returned from his ten game suspension on Wednesday and proceeded to shoot and miss all four of his three point attempts; not a good endorsement for his long range skills. But Smith can certainly dunk in impressive fashion and it’s a shame that the fans won’t be able to enjoy his talents because of a flagrant foul gone wild.

2. New Life in New Jersey
For a guy who’s supposed to be going through one of the more traumatic experiences in life, Jason Kidd sure isn’t showing any ill effects on the court. His team is currently winning the Atlantic Division and Kidd picked up the 82 triple-double of his career with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over the Bulls last night. Since filing for a divorce from an allegedly violent Joumana on Tuesday, J-Kidd has led his team to a perfect 2-0 record and the Nets have won five of their last six games. So, something about the bachelor life must be treating Kidd right. It could be the cold pizza in the morning. It could be Jason simply finds sanctuary from his problems on the court. But it’s probably the lack of physical abuse.

3. The Antique Road Show
The Kings use to be one of the best home teams in the NBA; now, not so much. But one thing remains the same from the early part of the decade, and that is that the Kings are not good hosts. As of now, visitors have a 50/50 chance to take home a win when traveling to Sac Town but that’s still not enough motivation for some players to want to take the trip to Arco Arena. Even coaches hate the accommodations. Phil Jackson recently compared the locker room to a dungeon. It’s situated in a confined area with a small rack for clothes and there’s no television for players to watch while they are kicking back in folding chairs during their stay. Oddly enough, one of the most hated men in Sacramento loves the amenities offered by the Kings. “I’m a traditionalist,” said Kobe Bryant. “Look at that chalk board, the stains all over it. This is Arco. I love coming here. I don’t want them to change a thing.”

Thursday’ Player of the Day: Jason Kidd @ Chicago 43 min, 23 pts (FG: 8-17, 3FG: 3-5, FT: 4-6), 14 reb, 11 ast, 2 stl

Friday’s Game to Watch: Orlando (22-14) @ Los Angeles Lakers (23-13) Orlando has worked their way back to the top of the Southeast Division after a stretch where they lost ten of 14. Behind the play of Dwight Howard, the Magic are riding a five game winning streak into Los Angeles where the Lakers are 16-4. L.A. has amassed a remarkable list of victims who have all fallen within the walls of the Staples Center, including Phoenix, Utah, San Antonio, Houston, and the recent, streak ending victory over Dallas. But the Lakers have lost their last two games; a defeat to the lowly Grizzlies and a 25 point beat-down by the Rockets.

Buzzer Beater: Could any one play better sum up the season of the Boston Celtics than the attempted dunk during the final moments of the game against Indiana on Wednesday? The answer is no. Late in the fourth quarter, guard Tony Allen went for an unnecessary, uncontested dunk after the whistle had blown and in the process of landing tore two ligaments in his left knee which will cause him to miss the remainder of the season. Poetically, Boston lost the game, 97-84. In addition to Allen, the Celtics are without Paul Pierce, Theo Ratliff and Wally Szczerbiak.

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Around the Rim: Greg O-Done?


1. With the First Selection

A lot of the draft talk has been about Greg Oden, and deservedly so. Oden will be an immediate blessing to any team that is coming off a lottery level season. But before anyone starts dropping games in order to pick up ping-pong balls for Oden’s rights, they should be willing to be flexible because there’s a kid at Texas who just might change the way the draft plays out. Longhorn guard/forward Kevin Durant is dropping jaws across the nation with his dominance and versatility as a freshman. In 15 games, Durant has averaged 23.4 points (49% FG, 39% 3FG, 85% FT), 10.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists, while blocking 1.9 shots and snatching 1.5 steals per game. Durant torched Colorado for 37 on Saturday and followed that up by picking up his fourth straight double-double with 34 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Missouri last night. Durant’s performances should have teams like the Sixers, Hawks, Celtics and Bobcats reconsidering exactly what all this losing is for.

2. Kings of Comedy
Mike Bibby is trying to get his teammates to rally together and focus on winning, but pointing fingers might not be the way to approach it. Bibby said, “Try to win a game instead of trying to see how many points you can score or how many shots you can get up.” The hot-headed Ron Artest has never been one to take criticism lightly which could lead to problems down the road if he feels Bibby is placing blame on him. But it’s hard for Bibby to accuse others of taking too many shots when he leads the team in shots per game, yet he has one of the worst field goal percentages on his team. The frustrations for the Kings continue to pile up as Sacramento sits at the bottom of their division after losing three in a row and 12 of the last 18 games.

3. Webber Can Come, Garnett’s Got To Go
Chris Webber is a free man and now he’s searching for a team that will bring him a ring. Most rumors are focusing on joining Webber with Kevin Garnett in Minnesota. K.G. has said that he would love to bring Webber aboard, but the move couldn’t possibly bring the Timberwolves any closer to a championship ring than a move for Allen Iverson would have. It’s going to take a lot more than an old Webber who can’t stay healthy to get Garnett into the Finals. Once A.I. was sent to Denver, it became painfully obvious that Minnesota is going to remain a one man show. Perhaps, the time for a K.G. trade is upon us. If Minnesota won’t bring a superstar to Garnett then there are multiple teams who would love to bring Garnett to their superstar.

Wednesday’ Player of the Day: Dwight Howard @ Golden State 45 min, 30 pts (FG: 11-18, FT: 8-15), 25 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk

Thursday’s Game to Watch: Cleveland (22-12) @ Phoenix (26-8) The Suns have been tough to beat this season, but an opponent’s chances are greatly diminished when they must travel to Phoenix where the home team is 15-3. The Cavs are undefeated in 2007 and own the longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference with five in a row, but despite their recent success, Cleveland is only 7-9 on the road. It’s going to be difficult for the Cavaliers to keep up defensively in the transition as Phoenix will try to beat the Cavs down the court on every possession. Cleveland has proven they can produce on offense but Zydrunas Ilgauskus’ abilities on defense could be negated in the up and down game.

Buzzer Beater: You’ve gotta love a short, stocky basketball coach. At least Memphis seems to like theirs. The Grizzlies are 3-3 under their version of Rick Magerus, interim coach Tony Barone. Now, 3-3 might not sound like much, but when you start a season off by going 6-24, a six game stint of 3-3 becomes a big deal. Can Barone keep it up? It depends on if Pau Gasol can remain healthy. Gasol has strung together four consecutive games of 24 or more points and he continues to improve his efforts on the glass. If only Stan Van Gundy were around, he’d be so proud.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Divorce Court



It’s over?

1. Gold Digger Alert
By this point, everyone is familiar with the unusual circumstances surrounding the divorce proceedings between Jason Kidd and his wife Joumana. But did you know that Kidd isn’t the only Net who is going through a split. In a far less entertaining manner, Vince Carter and his wife, Ellen Rucker, have initiated the paperwork to dissolve their relationship as well. So far, “Half-Man, Half-A Commitment” has not publicly admitted to quitting on the marriage, but the breakup could be the leading factor in a move from New Jersey. Rucker will most likely move to Orlando or her hometown of Charlotte and take the couple’s daughter with her. Carter will become a free agent at the end of the year, making these very tempting destinations as they might be able to offer Vince, the dad, an incentive that no other team could. By the way, the Nets have finally moved into first place in their division thanks to a 15-19 record that management would like to annul.

2. Sixers buyout Chris Webber
Speaking of divorces, the Sixers are getting rid of all their big contracts this year. The latest is a buyout of Chris Webber’s contract. Scheduled to make $45M combined this year and next, Webber is expected to only give back less than $5M and becomes a free agent. This is a win-win because Webber potentially gets to make more money or goes to a contending team for less than his usual asking price while the Sixers get salary cap and luxury tax relief — not to mention no-defense-playing relief.

3. We’re Going Streaking!
Believe it or not, but teams other than Dallas can string together consecutive wins. And since the Mavs latest streak is currently only at one, there’s an opportunity to recognize them as well. Phoenix is no stranger to great spurts of play, and owns the longest active win streak at seven. This comes after the Suns ripped off 15 in a row earlier in the year. The Cavs can take credit as the hottest team in the East after winning their last five games. On the other side of the coin, New Orleans and Seattle get to share the humiliation of being the leagues reigning bottom feeders since both teams have dropped their previous five contests.

4. Five Times the Pain
Nobody has every questioned Bobby Jackson’s work ethic in the past, and now we know why. Jackson was injured during a game in late November against Toronto and it was determined that he had a cracked rib. The painful injury kept him sidelined until January 4th when he returned to play for ten minutes against Detroit. On Tuesday, a CT scan showed that Jackson had played with not one, but five cracked ribs. And the former sixth man of the year is only listed as day to day! Talk about a pain threshold. Luckily, no additional damage was sustained in his brief return to the court, but Jackson might want to reconsider his choice of medical practitioners before his next annual checkup.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Nick Collison @ Phoenix 44 min, 29 pts (FG: 12-18, FT: 5-9), 21 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: Chicago (20-15) @ Washington (19-14) Chicago has struggled recently by losing three of their last four games, but they remain one of the strongest teams in the Eastern Conference behind a solid starting five and one of the best sixth men the league has ever witnessed. Ben Gordon leads the Bulls in scoring despite being fourth on the team in minutes. But when it comes to scoring, it’s Washington that has the obvious advantage with MVP candidate Gilbert Arenas. Arenas is second in the league scoring and has been collecting 40 point games like stamps all year long. The Bulls will have to step up their pathetic play on the road against a Wiz team that is 13-3 in D.C. if they plan to escape the Verizon Center with a win.

Buzzer Beater: T.J. Ford had one of the worst games of his career last night against the Nets. In 18 minutes, Ford missed all of his shots (0-8) and finished with zero points and one assist. After being wheeled off the court on a stretcher, this is no big deal for Ford, but Toronto has got to be worried about the recent play from their point guard. An ankle injury has benched Ford in three of the last five games after he averaged 17 points and nine assists with five double-doubles in December.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Overlooked


1. Forgotten Nugget
With Yao Ming on the sideline with an injured knee, it’s unsure if he can make a return in time to suit up for the All-Star game in mid-February. Maybe the NBA should consider inserting Denver center Marcus Camby as a replacement. Camby is currently averaging 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks and he is coming off an impressive game against Milwaukee that saw him score 19 points, grab 15 rebounds and swat seven shots. And that was with a broken finger. Unfortunately for Camby, if he’s going to receive a ticket to the game it will have to come via a coach’s decision because despite his solid season, he’s still sitting in the fifth spot for Western Conference centers behind Yao, Amare Stoudemire, Erick Dampier and Mehmet Okur. As always, the fans don’t have the tightest grip on reality, but hopefully the coaches’ vote will more accurately portray reality and not popularity.

2. New Face in S.A.?
San Antonio broke out of a three game losing slump on Sunday when they easily defeated the Grizzlies without guard Tony Parker, who missed the game with a strained hip. When asked about the team’s improvement in the absence of the soon to be Mr. Longoria, Tim Duncan responded, “We need to trade (Parker) or get rid of him or something.” Obviously Duncan was being sarcastic with his comment, but the Spurs are serious about making a trade, but not for Tony. S.A. would love to add the athleticism of Corey Maggette to their lineup and an aging Brent Barry along with Beno Udrih is a small price to pay for the ability to run with the West’s progressively up-tempo style. But at this point, what team isn’t on Maggette’s radar as a possible new destination. Toronto’s Morris Peterson is also drawing some attention from Gregg Popovich as a possible compliment to the team’s guard/forward rotations.

3. Redd Alert
It’s going to be tough for any team to replace 27.7 points per game, but for the Milwaukee Bucks it’s going to be impossible. The injury to Michael Redd will keep him sidelined for anywhere from four to six weeks and by the time he returns, the Bucks ship might be sunk. Milwaukee is currently clinging to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and they can directly attribute that to the offensive outbursts by Redd. Look at how the Sixers have handled losing their star scorer; and Philly actually got something in return when they lost 30 points from the lineup! Their upcoming schedule is not exactly terrifying, but nobody on the calendar can be taken lightly when your only 16-18. And with the mediocrity that saturates the East, there are far too many teams with losing records who are dying to back into the playoffs for Milwaukee to think they can survive without their shooting star.

Monday’s Player of the Day: Ruben Patterson @ Denver 38 min, 29 pts (FG: 13-21, FT: 3-6), 12 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Dallas (27-8) @ Utah (24-10) The Jazz have been sporadic of late but they remain strong at home where they are 14-2. Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams continue to provide a modern day version of Utah Hall of Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton. But the Stockton/Malone pick-n-roll might not be enough to slow down the white hot Mavs. Even though Dallas lost to the Lakers and had their impressive streak ended, nobody has been better than the Mavericks this season. Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard can already make their reservations for Las Vegas in February. However, Dallas’ weakness has been in their blue uniforms as they’ve dropped five games away from home.

Buzzer Beater: You’ve got to love a guy like Melvin Ely who can ask for a trade with a smile on his face. The Bobcats’ forward realizes that he is going to be stuck on the bench behind youngsters like Emeka Okafor and Sean May but instead of making waves, Ely has demanded for a trade in a professional manner that can only improve his appeal to other teams. Too often trades involve negative feelings between players and management, but its guys like Ely who understand they make an extremely profitable livelihood by playing a child’s game, and despite the unfavorable circumstance, there is no losing situation.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Dal-loss


1. It’s Over
The Dallas Mavericks have finally fallen. After a streak of 13 straight wins, the Mavs lost in a closely contested battle against the Lakers by a score of 101-98. But Dallas should be able to rebound quickly considering that double-digit win streaks are as common to Dirk’s posse as fumbles are to Tony Romo. Dallas has been leaving teams in their wake as they’ve raced to the best record in the league at 27-8 behind the play of Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard. But Kobe Bryant led a fourth quarter comeback by the Lakers that gave their head coach, Phil Jackson the 900th win of his career and snapped the Mavs hopes of surpassing the 1971-72 Lakers’ record 33 game win streak. Dallas’ next chance to renew their winning ways comes on Tuesday when they travel to Utah, while L.A. can look forward to a six game span that includes games against Houston, Orlando, Miami, San Antonio, and a rematch with Dallas.

2. On Pace to Relocate
Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O’Neal has stated that if he can’t lead his team to “another level” by the end of the season he will leave the organization in search of greener pastures elsewhere. Well, O’Neal might want to notify his real estate agent because Indy has far too many holes for O’Neal to think he can single handedly turn things around. O’Neal will always be a stat machine in Indiana but the team currently lacks the overall quality and depth needed to beat teams like Detroit, Chicago, Orlando or Cleveland. Sure, the Pacers are one of a handful of teams to own a record above .500 in the East, and they’re on pace to get into the playoffs, but if the outcome of this season is going to serve as the litmus test for O’Neal’s decision, then he will be wrapping up his Pacers career once they finish a short playoff stint.

3. Net Loss
It looks like New Jersey could be on the verge of being dismantled and, apparently, nobody is off limits in the team’s transition. The Nets are 14-19 and management is desperate to inject some life into a limp lineup that can’t seem to find their way into playoff contention despite playing in one of the most pathetic divisions in league history. Vince Carter has been linked to trades for Corey Maggette in L.A., while Chicago appears to have their eye on Richard Jefferson, and it has even been rumored that the cornerstone of the franchise, Jason Kidd, could be involved in a move before the trade deadline passes on February 22. You can’t blame the front office for wanting to give up on a trio of stars who can’t separate themselves from recent league doormats like Toronto, New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Manu Ginobili @ Memphis 27 min, 34 pts (FG: 10-15, 3FG: 6-8, FT: 8-9), 4 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl

Monday’s Game to Watch: Houston (21-13) @ Chicago (20-14) The Rockets are coming off a road loss to Minnesota but continue to look impressive as Tracy McGrady elevates his game in the absence of an injured Yao Ming. McGrady has been more than willing to increase his load of the scoring without Yao and has strung together five consecutive games of at least 30 points. The Bulls are 1-2 in January after losing only three games in all of December but Chicago is still getting All-Star performances from Luol Deng, Ben Wallace and Ben Gordon. Chicago is 15-3 at home but all three of those loses have come to Western Conference teams.

Buzzer Beater: Kevin Garnett is definitely having a happy new year as his game continues to sizzle since David Stern brought back the leather b-ball. The Timberwolves are 4-0 in 2007, including three straight wins in overtime, and K.G. is averaging 27.5 points, while shooting 48 percent, and pulling down 14.5 rebounds during the span. But the only numbers Minnesota is truly concerned with is the number of games between themselves and Northwest Division leader Utah. That number is currently at six and shrinking after the Jazz’s sub par play of late.