Around the Rim: Midseason Movements

1. Trade Hate
If you’re getting sick of all the constant trade rumors about Pau Gasol, Corey Maggette, Vince Carter and others, then there is finally some relief in sight. That’s because the NBA’s trade deadline is just a mere two weeks away. At last, we should begin to see some serious movement with some of the bigger names in the league. If the GM’s decide to pull the trigger on some of these deals then we could end the season with a vastly different league than originally existed. In addition to aforementioned players, guys like Ray Allen, Andrei Kirilenko, Ben Gordon and Kevin Garnett are some of the other names being tossed around.

2. Buyers Remorse

In a heartwarming tale of a boy and his dog; Ron Artest has been accused of animal cruelty. Neighbors in his Loomis California gated community complained about a malnourished Great Dane that Artest had locked up within a fenced area. Artest was issued “pre-seizure” notice stating that the dog would be taken if the care did not improve. On Monday, an underfed “Socks” was removed from the property and Artest now has 10 days to schedule a trial. Apparently, the dog was being feed off the profits from Ron’s rap career.

3. Special Treat
Who would have guessed that Dennis Rodman’s foolish antics would be imitated by player’s years after his retirement from the league? On occasion, Rodman would remove his jersey after a game and throw it into the crowd. Nowadays, Gilbert Arenas carries on the tradition by tossing his top into the crowd after every home game. But we know that NBA ballers love top one another, so J.R. Smith took Arenas’ idea and improved by 100 percent. Not only does Smith toss away his home white jersey after games, but he also remains generous and gives the opposing team’s fans a souvenir after every game as well. Let’s just hope that nobody ever attempts to carry out the Worm’s unaccomplished desire to run off the court naked after the last game of his career.

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Dirk Nowitzki vs. Memphis 37 min, 38 pts (FG: 14-20, 3FG: 2-2, FT: 8-9), 10 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 4 blk

Thursday’s Game to Watch: Los Angeles Lakers (30-19) @ Detroit (29-18) The Lakers have been one of the most surprising teams in the league over the past two seasons. Despite losing Shaq to the Heat, Kobe has done an impressive job of not only carrying the Lakers, but carrying the Lakers to unexpected victories. But L.A. has struggled on the road, which could lead to trouble in Detroit where the Pistons are 14-9. Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton have led the Pistons offensively as they have ripped off a streak of eight wins in their last 10 games.

Buzzer Beater: Kevin Garnett might not be called “The Kid” anymore, but he showed why he’s stilled referred to as “The Big Ticket” last night. Garnett put up the 17th triple-double of his career last night with 17 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists against Golden State. K.G. is one of the freakiest athletes to ever enter the NBA and it’s so unfortunate that he might never get the chance to realistically compete for a championship. At least Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Patrick Ewing got to play in a Finals series.