1. Banished
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but too bad for Tim Hardaway hell never make it to Vegas. Thats because David Stern has banned Hardaway from appearing at any NBA functions over the All-Star weekend after he publicly blasted John Ameachi and other gays for their lifestyles. You cant blame Stern for his decision; he cant release a loose cannon like Hardaway and trust him to properly represent the league during their annual self promotion weekend after he demonstrated zero self control on the radio. Like it or not, Hardaway will be now always been considered a homophobic, venom-spewing hate monger instead of the originator of the killer crossover.
2. In Search of Seven
A familiar face could be returning from retirement after the All-Star break. 41 year old Scottie Pippen says he is seriously considering a comeback, but he wants to play for a contender, perhaps Phoenix. Pip says that this is the best he has felt in the past five years. The last time Pippen was in the league was during the 2003-04 season when he played for a Michael Jordanless Chicago Bulls team. Well, played might be a bit of an overstatement considering that he only saw action in 23 games. No matter how old some of these guys get, they just cant sit at home and roll in their millions like Scrooge McDuck. Guess six rings isnt enough.
3. High Hopes and High Hoops
Dwight Howard has big ideas for his performance during Saturdays slam dunk competition, but it seems like the league isnt going to let them come to fruition. Howard wants the hoop to be elevated for several of his attempts, but his requests have been oddly denied. One move that Howard has been practicing in Orlando is a 360 slam with the rim set to a height of 12 feet. Another dunk that Howard has been working on is an East Bay Funk Dunk type maneuver between his legs with the rim set a full foot and a half higher than the regulation setting.
Thursdays Player of the Day: Kobe Bryant vs. Cleveland 41 min, 34 pts (FG: 9-22, 3FG: 2-7, FT: 14-15), 6 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl
Buzzer Beater: The Kobe Bryant/LeBron James is becoming one of the best individual rivalries in the game today. In the past week, weve seen these two compete in their only pair of games this year. In the two games, Bryant scored a total of 70 points but went home as the loser both times. James, on the other hand, put up 56 points as his team walked away with a pair of closely contested victories. Its probably not too hard to see these two hooking up in a classic Finals series one day, but its definitely not this year.