• Forum Blue and Gold's momuskles liveblogged the Lakers' loss to the Hornets, and Laker fans didn't end up looking so good: "A weak chant of 'defense' breaks out. Lakers follow suit and allow David West to get his 34th point." Niall Doherty of Hornets247 on West: "40 points on 14-23 shooting, 12-13 from the free throw line, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 turnovers in 42 minutes of work. This was his best game of the season. He tortured Pau Gasol inside and outside. He was raining J's whenever he was given an inch of space, but also picked his spots to drive really well. For as much as he put the ball on the floor tonight, it's remarkable that he turned it over just twice. He was patient with the ball out high and made strong moves to the basket whenever the lane opened up. He did a great job of beating the help defense, several times getting his dribble up and swinging the ball past the second defender on his way to the rack. That's where he most often turns the ball over, but not tonight. Oh, and while I didn't particularly notice West defensively in this one, it's surely no accident that the Laker bigs all had a pretty quiet night offensively."
• Yesterday I pointed out that Rajon Rondo has been taking very few jumpers this season. Zach at Be the Three points out that last year, Rondo shot more jumpers (and he made a lot more of them, too). 
• Evidence of inflation in how assists are recorded. Last night, for instance, Chris Paul was credited with assists several times for passing it to someone who then used multiple dribbles, and all kinds of skill, to beat tough defense. According to the rules, that's not an assist. David Friedman of 20 Second Timeout has been charting several games himself, and has found several weak examples of assists. He writes: "There is some statistical evidence to support the assertion that assists are awarded more generously now: as I noted in one of my earlier posts, assists were awarded on 52.2% of made field goals in the 1961-62 season but in the 2007-08 season assists were awarded on 58.4% of field goals. Why does this matter? One, it distorts the record book and results in faulty comparisons between today's playmakers and the playmakers of yesteryear. Two, these errors -- combined with the subjectivity and/or inaccuracies involved in tracking other statistical categories such as rebounds, steals, blocked shots and turnovers -- skew the basic data used by basketball statistical analysts and thus introduces an even higher margin of error into their player and team rankings than would otherwise exist."
• On IMDB, a user called Gndsgrl reviews a new Dennis Rodman-hooping-with-little people movie like this: "The only thing I can think of saying good about this movie is ... It has decent cinematography. They seem to have use good quality cameras and film, along with someone to run the cameras that appeared like they knew what they were doing. Audio is decent too. You can clearly hear that bad acting going on."
• Smush Parker is in the D-League, and trying hard to make it back to the NBA, where he feels he belongs. Parker talks at length with HoopsTV about it, and I'm sure most people will remember this moment: "What is it like to play with Kobe? Ohh boy. That's an alley I won't go down."
• An Israeli team, playing in Turkey, is terrified by an attacking crowd. The crowd, in turn, was livid about Israel's incursions into the Gaza strip. It's a mess. War is bad, and makes people angry. Too bad the crowd didn't apply their conviction that "hurting innocent people is bad" to include the players on the Israeli team. I first learned of this from Inside Hoops, which has been all over the story.
• Kevin Durant has 27 and 12, and the Thunder beat the Knicks. If Carmelo Anthony hadn't nailed a 3 with a hand in his face the other night, the Thunder would have three straight wins. And in addition to improved play from Durant, thanks to a change of position, they're about to add another big man in Nenad Krstic.
• Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference on Durant: "Since I wrote about him in November, Durant has improved in virtually every offensive phase of the game ... He's shooting better, passing better, taking better care of the ball, rebounding better, and getting to the line more often (even as he's more than doubled the % of his shots that come from beyond the arc). Defensively, the Thunder have been worse under Brooks than P.J., but Durant's still very young, meaning he has time to get stronger and smarter at that end. In other words, in light of the evidence Durant has presented since the first post, I think it's time to reassess his potential. In terms of young players with similar production, now he's looking at a better career path than Michael Finley and Mitch Richmond - which I know doesn't exactly sound megastar-ish, but it's certainly better than what he was looking at back in November. I don't know if he'll ever reach the lofty "Rich Man's KG level of stardom some predicted, but I'm a big enough man to admit that I was probably a bit too hasty when I said: '...it's doubtful [Durant] will live up to the considerable hype that surrounded him when he first came out of college.'"
  
• Some of Synergy Sports' fancy statistics are now on the EA Sports website. Synergy's stats are informing the tendencies of players in the video game, which is pretty amazing.
• You know about black swans? The idea is that if you see something really really rare, you notice, remember, and talk about it. As a result, rare things like black swans get publicized a lot, and seem to be more common than they are. White swans, as a result, aren't noticed as much. It's a phenomenon of humans. It has a big effect on how we perceive risks in our life (we're more scared of mass murderers than heart attacks, even though heart attacks are so much more likely). But it also has an effect on how we watch basketball. If David Lee finishes in traffic, or grabs a rebound, it doesn't even register as noteworthy. (Talk about a white swan.) But that doesn't mean it isn't exceptional. 
• Life as a ballboy. Sadly, in this account, it seems to be mostly about getting players to give you things of value. However, there is also a nice account of passing trash-talking notes from locker room to locker room, between Michael Jordan and Bryon Russell.
• Jason Thompson didn't bring the bagels, so several other Kings filled his car with popcorn. It's funny and all, but filling the car with popcorn ... that has been done. And done. Next time, we need something new.
• Pistons VP of Basketball Operations Scott Perry tells NBA.com's Rob Peterson about one of my favorite NBA players, Tayshaun Prince: "Tayshaun Prince is the one basketball player who knows all five positions on the floor. He's been asked to play four of them so far this year. That's invaluable when you have a guy that, when we did go to a smaller lineup, he slid down to play the four position. Now, he's back at his natural three position. We've had him play the point guard position, the off-guard position. He's defended all four positions. He's a very smart, cerebral basketball player. He studies the game, studies his opponents and he's one of those guys who's in the right place at the right time all the time. That's invaluable for a team and for a coach to know you have a player out there that knows all of his assignments and carries them out well. And in Tayshaun's own way, he's started to develop more leadership qualities. You see him talking to a lot of younger players and helping them along with assignments and where they're supposed to be. I could see why coach Curry feels that way because Tayshaun has been so versatile, he's been so valuable to us this year, but in year's past as well."
• Wages of Wins says the Blazers have six above average NBA players. None of them are named LaMarcus.
• Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress blogging a rousing kick-off to the D-League Showcase: "The first game was delayed by about 40 minutes because of a malfunctioning shot-clock (the announcer was a virtual shot-clock in the first quarter, counting down seconds at the end of possessions). The games were very sluggish to start off, too many whistles, too many bad shots, and a very minor league feel to the overall play. You heard a player yelling out "by yourself to a teammate on pretty much every other possession, and most of them don't need to be told twice to go one on one. Still, you learn to make the most of what you have here-there are all kinds of interesting people to talk with, there are certainly some intriguing prospects scattered about the rosters, and it still beats what most people have to do to make a living at the end of the day. It can actually be quite entertaining if you come here with the right mindset-a classic example would be Carl Elliott taking an in-bounds pass and running the wrong way to score on his own basket, before being redirected by his entire team jumping up and down from the bench to make him realize his mistake. He promptly turned around, drove all the way to the other end completely unopposed and scored easily-a classic D-League play." Also, the Nets' Sean Williams, a decent NBA center, has been playing small forward.

• Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: "The NBA took away his hop step. Will the 'crab dribble' be soon to follow? ... 'If they take it away like they did my hop step after my first two years, I'll find a way to do something else,' James said. He was asked whether it was a tough adjustment not being able to utilize the hop step. 'You tell me,' he said while laughing. 'How have I failed? I'll be fine.' ... Two days after the play, James insists it was a bad call. 'I've done that move many times,' he said. 'I believe it's a good move. If they call it more consistently, then maybe it isn't a good move and I'll have to change my game. If it's not called consistently, then I don't know.'"
• Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "The Grizzlies waived Darius Miles soon after their 94-87 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 6-9 forward was told of the team's decision before the players and coaches boarded a plane for New Jersey, where the Griz play tonight. ... 'I don't think you've seen the last of him in the NBA,' GM Chris Wallace said. 'He showed he can come back and play in this league.' Miles can still sign a 10-day contract with the Griz or another NBA team. He said Wallace gave him no indication if the Griz planned to bring him back. 'I'm just glad to have had the opportunity,' Miles said. 'It was a blessing. Everybody was nice. I can't complain about my time here. I love Memphis, and I thank the Grizzlies.' Miles said he's confident he can contribute in the NBA if given the chance."
• Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: "I checked again with people who know Monta Ellis, and I will repeat and now can amplify what I've been saying for weeks: Ellis is working to get back healthy, but he is not happy with the Warriors, it's getting worse, and he definitely is not pleased about rejoining a Warriors universe that is ruled by Don Nelson and Robert Rowell. In fact, the word is that Ellis' recovery is coming along very nicely. Whether that means he's ready to play in a few weeks or a month or in late-March, nobody knows. It's just looking good for him as his ankle heals and he begins to get ready for some full-court work. However, that is not a purely positive thing for the Warriors. It could be a very bad thing for the Warriors, unless a sudden ceasefire is called between Warriors management and Ellis. Of course, if you've been following the last six months of Warriors activity, you know further ugliness is a far better bet than any semblance of tranquility. Rowell and Nelson are cultivating and attracting ugliness, for no good reason that I can see. I've said that I don't think Ellis will ever play for the Warriors again. Now I've got to allow that it's possible that he plays for them merely to boost his value and increase his leverage, all after informing the Warriors that he wants to be traded. Possible."
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: "Many Pacers said their 12-22 record would be better if Mike Dunleavy had been there to help guide them through late-game situations. Tonight at Phoenix, they'll get to test their theory. Dunleavy will make his regular-season debut after sitting out 34 games because of a right knee problem. Savior? More like sidekick. 'I'm going to just go out and play my game, and I think it'll translate into helping out the team,' he said. Danny Granger, who is averaging a career-high 25.5 points while carrying the Pacers, let out a loud 'Yes!' on Tuesday when he found out his running mate was returning."
• John Denton of Florida Today: "The Orlando Magic have been the exception to the rule for years, mysteriously struggling against the Southeast Division-rival Hawks. Including its shocking 99-85 season-opening loss to Atlanta, Orlando has dropped six of the past nine games against the resurgent Hawks. And the Magic have been even worse in Atlanta, losing six of the past seven there. ... Magic star center Dwight Howard, an Atlanta native, has been confounded for years as to why Orlando always seems to struggle against the Hawks. This set of back-to-back games is a chance for the Magic to right what they deem to be a wrong against the Hawks. '(The Hawks) seem to have our number lately, but this is our chance to send a message to that team from the start of the game,' said Howard. 'They really play well at home and they are a good team, but if we go down there and dominate from the first quarter we can get ourselves a good win.'"
• Mike McGraw of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald: "A few days ago, Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro mentioned that he had no problem with teammates arguing on the floor, as long as it's constructive. Del Negro is also cool with fans booing the Bulls at the United Center, which they did during last Saturday's loss to Minnesota and again in the first half of Tuesday's win over Sacramento. 'If you don't come and play hard, you should get booed,' Del Negro said before the contest. 'Fans pay a lot of money to come to games. They want to see guys that work hard and put it out on the floor. I think we've done that for the majority of the season, but some games we haven't been as consistent in that area and those are the things that concern me.'"
• Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: "Deron Williams continued his comedy routine when asked if he was offended by ESPN columnist Bill Simmons' much-ballyhooed statement early last fall about how purporting the Team USA teammates to be co-equals was as silly as comparing Pearl Jam and the Stone Temple Pilots. His response was a smile and a claim that he didn't know the meaning of the comparison because he isn't familiar with those rock groups. 'I don't listen to either of them,' Williams said with a slight grin. 'Are they like neck and neck or are they here and there? So, basically what's that mean?' When told it means Simmons (aka 'The Sports Guy') considers Chris Paul to be Pearl Jam and far superior -- on the court, and probably in concert -- Williams/Stone Temple Pilots didn't act too offended. 'Everybody's entitled to an opinion,' he said. 'That's OK. It doesn't bother me.' Kyle Korver also found no offense at Simmons' comparison. 'I'm a big fan of Stone Temple Pilots,' he said. 'There's nothing wrong with that.'"
• Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee: "When Kings swingman John Salmons voiced frustrations about his offensive struggles Monday night, there was no mistaking his opinion. Even with Kevin Martin's return from injury, Salmons said it is up to the team's coaching staff to keep him involved. A day later, Kings coach Kenny Natt disagreed. 'I'll continue to make the decisions as long as I'm the coach of the team,' Natt said before Tuesday's game. 'I'll try to do whatever I can to make things better for the guys out there on the floor. But I don't shoot shots. I don't turn the ball over. I told him, 'Hey, I'm a man, just like all of you. I've made mistakes, and we have to learn to own up to our mistakes and our lack of effort and production.'"
• Ramona Shelburne and Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News: "New Orleans coach Byron Scott sees a lot of good things in this year's Lakers team. But he's not prepared to line them up with the Showtime Era Lakers teams Scott played on back in the late 1980s. 'They're not close,' he said quickly, before the reporter could even finish asking his question. 'They're not close. They've got a swagger, but their swagger is nowhere close to ours. We just followed right behind Earvin (Magic Johnson), so everybody had to swagger ... 'I just remember from the day I got here in Los Angeles, playing with Magic and (Michael) Cooper, they had that swagger. They expected to win championships, that was the bottom line. My wife used to tell me that she would stand right by the tunnel and watch us come out. I never saw her. ... It's just like the Raiders back in the day. They used to get off the bus with the all-black on, they just tried to intimidate people. We just wanted to let you know that we were coming and we meant business all night long.'"
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "Obviously, there was plenty to like about the Charlotte Bobcats Tuesday. They played great defense in overtime (five straight stops). They were precise in the first half (one turnover). The rookie (D.J. Augustin) was the best player on the court in the extra five minutes. But none of that would have mattered without something more basic: The Bobcats didn't take the Boston Celtics' crap. In particular, they didn't take Kevin Garnett's crap. All great teams are arrogant in one manner or another. When I was around the New England Patriots the year they beat the Panthers in the Super Bowl, they were subtle in their smugness. They seemed to be laughing at some joke no one else got. The Celtics aren't subtle. Garnett sure isn't subtle."
• Frank Dell'Apa of The Boston Globe: "The Charlotte coaching staff listed brief reminders for players on a grease board before the game. For Garnett, the advice was brief -- 'Don't get punked,' referring to Garnett's ability to psych out opponents."

Yesterday I got an e-mail about the Clippers cutting two players at a time when their bench is almost threadbare, thanks to injury. It seemed like a sure sign they might be involved in some kind of trade.

So I made all the phone calls to see what might be up. And so far, I haven't heard of any trade.

But what I have been reminded of is that this is the time of the year when all kinds of players get cut.

Here's why.

Players who are on an NBA roster as of Saturday the tenth get their contracts guaranteed for the rest of the season. 

To get a player off your roster, you have to waive him. Clearing waivers takes 48 hours, and that process has to be completed on Friday (otherwise the guy is still on your team on Saturday, and this his contract is guaranteed).

So, to cut a player in time to save some money on his salary, you have to cut him on Wednesday or sooner. Which is why around the League, 12th men without guaranteed contracts are being called into coaches offices. 

Man oh man, I was spoiled, growing up watching games in Portland's Memorial Coliseum. When the team started to get good, every fan seemed to believe they would win every home game. It was just always believable that the team of Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Buck Williams, Jerome Kersey, Kevin Duckworth and the like would somehow pull it out.

Which meant that there were a lot of times when the other team would make a big run, and things were starting to look bleak -- and the fans would stand up and deliver a rousing ovation. 

No kidding.

I can especially remember it out of timeouts. Rick Adelman would call a timeout to stop the run, and coming back out on the court, the fans would stand up clapping, and lift up the players. Give them a big emotional shot in the arm, saying, essentially, we believe in you. 

Now granted, I'm a guy who can barely remember what I had for lunch today, let alone things that happened decades ago. But it sure seemed like when they got that kind of treatment from the fans, the team frequently responded with a victory. (And those teams had great home records.)

Can't remember seeing that in any arena in a long time.

By college, I lived on the East Coast, where I'd go to Knick, Net, and Sixer games. There are a lot of great fans at these games. But things are far less innocent there (or, maybe it's the times -- maybe things are less innocent everywhere now). Players in these markets have to earn every little ounce of praise from fans who are not head-over-heels in love with their teams.

Some fans show up ready to rip into ... someone. Not sure they care who. They show up angry and drunk, and will scream at an opponent or a hated home player without much discrimination. These crowds can sure turn on the home team.

Anyway, here's NetsDaily on an incident in New Jersey last night:

With three minutes left in the third quarter of Monday night's game vs. the Kings, Keyon Dooling stole the ball from Kevin Martin near halfcourt and was immediately fouled by Martin. Dooling went to the line for two shots on the clear path violation. After he missed the first, one in a series of missed free throws by the Nets, a cascade of boo's rained down on the Nets' guard. Dooling made a motion with his hands as if to say, "bring it on" while mimicking the crowd's boos. After making the second and then quickly hitting a three, Dooling turned to the crowd as he ran down the court and sarcastically mouthed the word "boo!"

Marv Albert and Mike Fratello noted the episode and even replayed it on YES.

After the game, Dooling explained his feelings to the media.

"We don't like the boo's at home. It doesn't make us play better," Dooling said. "If they come and cheer us, that will be more helpful. We want to get it right. We don't want to lose, especially on our home court. We want to give them a good show. We want to play hard, we want to play with intensity we want to do all the things that make them happy. But in this league, sometimes you have rough starts, and cheering would help us get through it."

He was asked, Is it that bad? Dooling responded: "I played for the Clippers, and it was never like this," he said, a testament to just how bad he thinks things are.

Here's the thing: If you're a fan, and you paid a bunch of money for those seats, I guess you can do whatever you want. (I'd love it if you didn't curse up a storm, as I'd like to bring my kids once in a while, but whatever.) But if your long-term goal is to watch a winning team, I'm pretty sure booing does not get you there. Yelling at people, at best, might in some cases get you more effort. But was it effort that made Dooling miss that free throw? I suspect that in the long run supportive fans have a more positive effect on performance. Confidence is a huge part of performing well. And crappy, unappreciative fans ... that's just one more reason not to play hard, in the long run. It could also be a reason for a free agent not to sign in that town.

But here's the other thing: Just as I suspect Nets fans are hurting their own cause with a needlessly crude approach, I suspect Dooling is doing the exact same thing.

You're going to chastise them into loving you? Really? 

They're all freaked out about the Wall Street crisis, their team is comically bad at home (but oddly good on the road), and the team is leaving town soon anyway. These fans have had it rough. And you're going to boss them around through the media, and expect it to make them love you again?

To my way of thinking, fans would cheer more than anything for a player who kept his mouth closed, played his butt off, and won some games.

(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images)

Mark Cuban writes at length about how it came to be that he is not buying the Chicago Cubs.

It's interesting in all kinds of ways. Reading this closely you can get a good look at Cuban's strategic thinking. 

The key to the deal falling apart seemed to be the financial crisis. He had been planning to borrow much of the money, but the banks are now, famously, less generous. (They do, after all, call it a credit crunch.)

There's always the "go in with some buddies and pay cash" approach. But, Cuban explains, right now that cash could be well deployed snapping up bargain basement equity in distressed companies. The billion or so dollars it would take to buy the Cubs could hardly be justified in this environment, especially when the one MLB team that is publicly traded isn't valued anywhere near what Cuban was going to have to pay.

He does make an interesting crack about how he spends money as an owner. He has a reputation as spending a ton on player salaries. He had to try to shed that reputation in getting approval from other baseball owners, who were worried he'd inflate player values. But he basically blames all of that on some mysterious GM he used to have:

Some people thought it meant that I would spend on players like I did in my early days with the Mavericks. Back before I learned that sometimes GMs put keeping their jobs ahead of trying to win championships. But thats another story for another time.  

Hmm ... wonder whom he's talking about? In Cuban's time as owner of the Mavericks, there have only been two general managers: Don Nelson (with whom Cuban has publicly fueded) and the current GM, Don's son Donn. 

• Really good video breakdown of how the Knicks beat the Celtics. A defensive scheme whereby Jared Jeffries doubled -- leaving Rajon Rondo with open jumpers -- was the key. Also, Boston's defense was a little sluggish, as you'll see. Rondo is shooting a brilliant 52% this season, as good as any point guard. How can you leave him open? A peek at NBA.com's hot zones reveals he has made 127 of his 205 shots at the rim. Everywhere else on the floor, however, he is a miserable 23 of 85. That's right. According to NBA.com, Rondo has hit a total of 23 buckets not at the rim, all season. He has played 1100 minutes over 35 games, so that's about one made jumper per 48 minutes played. And even though he is being left open game after game, he's still taking it to the rim again and again -- as reflected in his 205 shots at the cup, compared to 85 from elsewhere. Nevertheless, he's a great player. With the right shooting coach, and some real dedication on his part, he could be insanely good.
• LeBron James used to be an elite wide receiver, but gave up football before his senior year of high school. The Starting Five's Michael Tillery asked James why he quit: "When was the decision made to push football aside and why was it made? We lost the state championship my junior year in basketball. My senior year, I just refocused myself to the game of basketball -- completely. I loved to play football. To this day, one of my only regrets was not playing my senior year, but that loss hit me hard so I rededicated myself to the game I play now."
• Unusual video of referee Ron Garretson, pulling aside Chucky Atkins in 2006, and saying "Don't take this the wrong way ... I never knew you were that good."
• Did you know that last night was the first time in nearly two years that the Bucks have won a game when Andrew Bogut was not playing? I did not know that. But I am guessing that the Bucks' owners and executives will know that well, because Bogut's agent won't be letting them forget.
• You probably saw in the First Cup that Joel Przybilla's grandma is irate that her grandson was fined for his part in a squabble with Tyson Chandler. You can watch the incident here. Przybilla was playing with a broken wrist. Chandler chopped hard at that wrist -- in a way that would probably not normally even be called a foul, but was brutal given that everyone knew the circumstances. Przybilla responded with a weakish but undeniable forearm, and then Chandler threw a rare haymaker of an elbow (punches get you in all kinds of trouble, so players wind up and throw elbows) that connected with Przybilla's chest. Chandler was ejected and suspended, which is not enough for Przybilla's grandma -- who wants full exoneration of her grandson. I doubt she'll get it -- in a heated moment, he lashed out. After the haymaker elbow, he squared, balled up his fists, and screamed. Even if your grandma loves you, that can get you a fine.
• The D-League's annual showcase is right now, and there is all kinds of video -- live and archived. You could do nothing today but watch D-League basketball, if you so wished. (If you do that, in fact, please e-mail me a succinct and humurous first-hand account.) You might want to pay special attention to Alex Acker and Walter Sharpe. The Pistons need to cut a little salary to get under the luxury tax threshold, and those guys would be a way to do it.
• Pau Gasol's checklist in this highlight from last week. Running the break like a showman point guard: check. Looking joyous while doing it: not so check.
• Not even a full week into the new year -- many months from the playoffs -- and we have our first talk of tanking.
• The big man inbounds after a made bucket. But he doesn't pass it to the point guard. Instead, he sends a slow bouncer down court, which the point guard picks up at the last possible instant, to start the clock as late as possible. Here's a nomination to call that "walking the dog." Why would a team do that? A slow team might want as much time as possible to operate at the other end (many offenses hate shot clocks). Why not? It's like your team has a 29-second shot clock ... Alternately, by saving a few seconds multiple times a game, a team is adding possessions to the game (for each team). If you think your team is better, you want as many opportunities as possible to have that bear out. UPDATE: I am an idiot, because unless the referee has whistled the ball dead, that second example is bunk, because for most of the game the clock runs after a made basket. Maybe that helps explain why we only see it sometimes. If you're trying to extend the game, you'd do this every time the clock is stopped.
• Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail: "I am privately much amused than Stan Van Gundy has to coach Dwight Howard. First there is the obvious contrast between the short stumpy white guy and Howard, quite possibly the most gifted athlete walking the planet today. Even more fun is the idea of the ultra intense Van Gundy having to bite his tongue as Howard literally goofs around throughout most of an NBA work day. He is the opposite of intense. Consider his routine at the sticky tape mat located at centre court in front of the scorer's table. The game is about to start and there's a crowd of guys waiting to clean their shoes. Howard is there but lets each Raptor go to the mat first. For each guy he's got a different little routine. When Bosh playfully bumps him he looks to the ref and asks for a foul. With AP it's age before beauty. He pats Moon on the head. The exception is Solomon, who I don't think Howard recognized. Then Howard does his shoes, bends over and picks up the clear sticky plastic, wraps it in a ball and goes into this elaborate shot fake routine like you used on your brother playing nerf hoops before finally arching a fadeaway into the scorers table. Dwight had 39 points on 19 shots, but you just know in Van Gundy's mind if he only took thinkgs seriously he could average that. Funny."
• Britt Robson of Secrets of the City on the Timberwolves: "It's been painful to watch this franchise play Al Jefferson and Randy Foye--the two people the braintrust cherishes most as cornerstones--out of position at center and point guard, respectively. Finally throwing in the towel on Foye as floor general, a move begun at the tail end of Randy Wittman's disastrous tenure, has been a tonic for all concerned, most of all Foye, who can now exercise his ego in the realm of his virtues."
• DeShawn Stevenson being DeShawn Stevenson.
• And Deron Williams being a hazer of rookies, as explained by Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune: "Shootaround itself went a couple minutes shorter than usual and ended with Deron Williams punting balls into the upper deck at EnergySolutions Arena for Kosta Koufos to retrieve. When Koufos couldn't find a working elevator to go upstairs, there were even more laughs."
• Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times: "It's crunch time for KeyArena. Crunch time for NBA basketball in Seattle. Crunch time for Seattle Center and surrounding businesses. But why isn't the business community rallying to save the site? Why aren't the business leaders openly lobbying legislators? Where's the buzz? Where's the energy? Where is the sense of desperation? Why does everybody seem to be sitting this one out? Seattle is developing a national reputation for what it can't do. It can't keep a basketball team, can't fix its arena, can't build a light rail system, can't remove its snow. Sometimes, it seems the only thing the city has going for it is its geography. And these days, KeyArena looks more like a billboard advertising the city's failures. The Sonics' team store sits like a white elephant on the southwest side of the building. And most winter nights, Seattle Center looks like a dark, wet, empty space. Seattle needs a remodeled Key. It needs the 41 dates the NBA guaranteed. It needs the lights turned on in the arena. It needs a resuscitated Seattle Center." UPDATE: Sonic fans aren't doing nothing. If DJ Money D can save the Sonics, they will be saved.
  
• The things Tayshaun Prince does to be ready for every game. He has started 365 straight -- the longest current streak in the league -- which is ironic for a guy who was allegedly too frail for this league.
• If you're really smart, you'll probably get a lot out of this breakdown of teams' 3-point shooting. I'm only kind of smart, and am confused.
• Great travels of the past.
• Caltech won a game. There is a good documentary about how they didn't win for 21 years. Their current losing streak had been at 30. Some of the smartest kids in the world -- almost none of whom were selected for their athletic talent -- really don't make a top team. But you have to admire the grit it must take to keep after it.
• Setting some realistic goals for the Thunder.
• Dangerous: On NBAStuffer they are keeping referee stats. The season is young, but already you can see come interesting stuff. Some referees tend to call a lot of games where the home game wins, for instance. This will be much more interesting with years of data, but nonetheless, it's interesting. Prediction: At some point in the future, these stats will tell some kind of damning story. Then the NBA will say those stats are from some random website, you should not believe them! Then somebody will ask for the real stats, and the NBA will say that's private.

• Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post: "Nobody knows how long Carmelo Anthony will be absent from the Denver lineup. The team is built of strong enough stuff to survive without its leading scorer. But could the Nuggets thrive for long without Anthony? Don't kid yourself."
• Frank Dell'Apa of The Boston Globe: "The Celtics failed to match the New York Knicks in both effort and tactics in a 100-88 loss Sunday, and they can expect a similar brew of energy and strategy when they visit Charlotte tonight. But the defeats - the 29-6 Celtics have lost four of six - have served more to galvanize the team than discourage it. 'The adversity we've gone through the last two years, we almost revel in it,' guard Ray Allen said. 'We always bounce back from it. As a team, we've always gotten closer. I think when you lose, most teams gravitate away from each other. We have a tendency to gravitate toward each other even more.'"
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "'I criticize myself,' Tracy McGrady said Monday. 'I can take it from anybody, from everybody. I know my ability. And when I do get right, all that ... is put to rest. So kick me when I'm down, because I swear to you, I'll be back up. And when I get back up, I'm going to sit back, and I'm going to laugh, man, because I'm going to have the last laugh. Right now, I'm down. I'm physically down.' Sometimes contrite, other times defiant, McGrady, 29, said he has been shaken by poor play he believes to be brought on by his struggles to get over knee surgery eight months ago today. He said he thought he had played harder against the Raptors than what he saw when he reviewed video of the game and that he did not realize the scoring opportunities he ignored. Though McGrady said 'I haven't played well all year' and that it was 'crazy' that he is second among Western Conference guards in the All-Star voting, he said his particularly poor play in a 94-73 loss to Toronto on Friday came from the frustration over his physical limitations."
• Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "The issue of crowd support came up again Monday night for the second time in four days, because not only did the 12,314 patrons groan when the Nets were awful in the first half, some even booed and taunted Josh Boone -- who had been played superbly -- when he missed a free throw during the Hack-A-Husky portion of the game, in the last 3:15. Vince Carter called it 'unfortunate.' Keyon Dooling said more. 'We don't like the boos at home. It doesn't make us play better,' the reserve guard said. 'If they come and cheer us, that will be more helpful. We want to get it right. We don't want to lose, especially on our home court. We want to give them a good show. We want to play hard, we want to play with intensity we want to do all the things that make them happy. But in this league, sometimes you have rough starts, and cheering would help us get through it.' Is it that bad? Put it this way, Dooling suggested: 'I played for the Clippers, and it was never like this,' he said."
• Mike Wise of The Washington Post: "The truth, the one Abe Pollin and friends can't ever let on to their season ticket holders: Concede that this is a lost season. Now. Make every important decision today based on next year. That means don't take a chance on bringing back Gilbert Arenas or Brendan Haywood early from injury, if at all. Don't clear either player to participate in full scrimmages until Arenas's knee and Haywood's wrist are completely rehabilitated. Even then, limit their minutes considerably. Keep giving the youngsters big minutes. Let Nick Young, Dominic McGuire and Andray Blatche make every dumb, knucklehead mistake on the court until they either learn a better way or play themselves out of the league. And if they haven't already, start putting every amount of scouting effort into the five top players to be chosen in the June draft -- envision how a Blake Griffin, James Harden, Hasheem Thabeet, Jordan Hill or Brandon Jennings might fit into the rotation a year from now, who duplicates a need already met by another player and who can bring something unique to the lineup. It's simply too late for anything else."
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: "Nenad Krstic is officially a member of the Thunder after having his work visa approved Monday. And with a new team comes a new nickname. Krstic, the 7-foot center who was signed Dec. 30, is no longer affectionately referred to as 'Curly' as he was during his four seasons with the New Jersey Nets. Thunder players have taken to the nickname 'Krispy.' While the nickname is more of a play off Krstic's last name, it could carry a double meaning for how crisp Krstic has been in his first week of practice. 'He's looking good,' Desmond Mason said of Krstic, who could make his Thunder debut tonight against the New York Knicks. 'He's a skilled basketball player. I've played him before, and he can definitely shoot the heck out of the ball and has some great moves around the basket. So I'm excited for him to get on the floor and see what he's going to bring to us. I think he's going to be an asset to this team.'"
• Garry D. Howard of the Journal Sentinel: "After knocking off the Toronto Raptors on Monday night at the Bradley Center, Skiles has had 36 games to work his magic on this new collection of basketball players wearing Bucks on the front of their jerseys, and the results are encouraging enough for all involved to think playoffs. Playoffs? Yes, you heard me right, we're talking playoffs. They will not win the NBA championship this year (not even close, yet) but if all continues to blend together as it has over the past 30 days, the Bucks will have a chance at the Boston Celtics or the Cleveland Cavaliers when David Stern raisesthe curtain on the 2008-'09 postseason. And that alone will signal success for a franchise that has been devoid of just that over the past 1,095 days."
• Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "The Grizzlies turned Kevin Love and Mike Miller into O.J. Mayo. They turned nice players into a burgeoning star. 'I think the trade worked out for both teams,' said Chris Wallace, and how great is that? He was being gracious! When have the Grizzlies ever had to be gracious? Gracious is what other teams do. Now the Grizzlies get to give it a whirl. Because Love and the Timberwolves are at FedExForum tonight. Because gloating over the draft-night deal of Love and Miller for Mayo would probably be bad form. But make no mistake, gloating is in order. The Grizzlies won this one, big. ... The Grizzlies have done a lot of dumb things since they arrived in Memphis. They've succeeded in making themselves just about as irrelevant as an NBA team can be. But if they ever do recapture the imagination of this city, it will be in large part because of the deal they made on the evening of June 26. Looking back, it's hard to believe the trade was controversial, but it absolutely was."
• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: "We live in look-at-me world, but the Spurs are an exception. They don't produce YouTube videos promoting the All-Star merits of their players, as the Nets recently did for Devin Harris. And when the regular season nears its conclusion in April, media voters won't get cheesy promotional packets urging them to support this Spurs player, or that, for the various postseason awards. A big part of The Spurs Way is subjugation of the individual to the good of the whole. They even had a marketing campaign: Team Is Everything. It wasn't so much a slogan as an expression of an organizational way of life. So, when the final results of the fan voting are announced in a couple of weeks, and Tim Duncan is first among Western Conference forwards, he will be astonished yet again, and call such worldwide support gratifying."
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "When you've banked well over $100 million during a 14-year NBA career, you don't need a job for the paycheck. Why, then, did forward Juwan Howard become a Charlotte Bobcat? 'When Michael (Jordan, the team's managing partner) told my agent they were interested, I was flattered,' Howard recalled. 'They're not a lock to be a playoff team, but they're very talented. They have enough talent to win ball games and the right coach.' Ask Howard, a member of Michigan's Fab Five recruiting class in 1991, how he's lasted so long, and he answers 'passion.' He injects that word into nearly every sentence concerning basketball. To him, 'passion' is tested on the practice court and in the weight room. Howard has enticed Ryan Hollins and Alexis Ajinca to lift more with the argument that strength staves off injury."
• Jason Quick The Oregonian: "Remember the movie 'Shawshank Redemption', where Andy Dufresne wrote a letter every week to the state to get books for the prison library? Well, the same concept is underway with the grandmother of Blazers center Joel Przybilla. The octogenarian plans to write NBA commissioner David Stern a series of letters complaining about the $7,500 fine Przybilla received for his part in an altercation with New Orleans center Tyson Chandler on Friday. Chandler was ejected and suspended a game for throwing a punch. Przybilla said he was stunned at the fine, but was handling it better than his grandmother. 'She said she is going to keep writing Stern until she hears back from him,'' Przybilla said smiling. 'And believe me, she will.'"
• Jan Hubbard of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "In keeping with the grand self-image that is so near and dear to Texans, the Dallas Mavericks and the NBA are planning to stage the biggest basketball game in the history of the sport -- at least in terms of attendance. The 2010 NBA All-Star Game will be played at the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington, and the seating capacity will be at least 100,000. And if those plans aren't big enough, how about the first open-air moment at an All-Star Game? Plans are to open the roof for the flyover of military jets, which could make for an interesting February moment."

NBA commissioner David Stern rang the bell to open the stock market this morning (and then the Dow fell 80 points or so, but that's probably not his fault). CNBC's Darren Rovell caught up with him there, and asked him about various different aspects of the NBA's business. Overall, Stern sounded upbeat:

Our attendance is actually up a skosh as of this morning when we look at it. Our gate receipts will probably be about flat, up a little bit in the U.S. We're sharing best practices with our teams as they work hard to provide better value for the fans and get ready for the renewal of their sponsorships and the season tickets. We think that by working hard, providing better value, watching our costs very carefully and prudently, that we'll be able to get through this in pretty good shape.  

You can see reported attendance numbers here. Many teams are doing very well, and at the moment there are not as many teams averaging under 15,000 per game this year (six) as last year (eight).

Although what's different this year is that when you watch on TV, many arenas -- Sacramento, Memphis, Minnesota, Charlotte, Indiana, Philadelphia -- look really empty. Empty in a way, on some nights, that is almost shocking.

The other thing I'd be interested to know: If the League is OK, as a business entity, what about the teams? Surely there must be some owners whose pockets are not nearly as deep as they used to be. That'll surely have an effect.

My bet is that enough owners will be pinching pennies that it'll be a buyer's market for 2009 free agents, and teams willing to take on salary will have rare opportunities -- via free agency, or trade -- to acquire real talent.

But are interesting anyway. 

Over the last couple of weeks, I didn't have that pesky job getting in the way of watching basketball. And it got me thinking about all kinds of things:

Who Has Whose Number?
I want to know more about mismatches.

One thing I have noticed is that for long stretches of some games, some players just totally disappear. Like, a guy who might score eight points in a regular game will not make news by scoring zero on a given night. Similarly, some defenders presumably can make superstars shoot 39%, instead of 48%, which can win you a ballgame. There are certain stories out there -- Nene, for instance, is said to play Tim Duncan better than most -- but here's an area where I feel like us fans are way behind what the players and coaches must know. Who has whose number?

With your help, I'd like to develop a list. Nene and Tim Duncan is one. When we have a list of several such theories, it would be fun to get some statistical experts involved, and put those theories to the test. Which defenders make things toughest for which offensive players? It's not all about superstars either. When even a minor offensive player is effectively erased from a game, it has a pretty dramatic effect on that team's ability to score efficiently. So post your theories in the comments, or e-mail me, and I'll start working on that list.

Double the Guy Who Will Give You the Ball
Several times I have heard TV commentators mystified at a weak player getting double-teamed. The Lakers, for instance, doubled Greg Oden in the post last night, even though it would seem that just about the best thing that could possibly happen for L.A. is that Oden crank up that (let's be polite and call it ...) idiosyncratic jump hook. Commentators think that double teams are essentially something that elite players earn. But to me, I totally get it. You double Oden because he's a turnover machine even against single coverage. If you send a good strong double, your chances of getting the ball are pretty good, especially because, as a rookie who is not used to being the focal point of an offense, he's surely not used to it. He's far less likely than, say, Brandon Roy, to make the pass out of the double that leads to an easy bucket. 

Pace is Not Precisely Pace
One of the key recent innovations in basketball statistics is pace. And I'm all for it. Pace matters in all kinds of ways, and at this point, it is probably just wholly pointless to worry about things like points and rebounds per game, when such stats are available per possession.

However, I do have one concern about this, which is in how you define a possession. Let me give you an example: Last night, with 9:26 left in a game against the Lakers, Travis Outlaw made a 3-pointer for Portland. He is credited with 3 points for that one possession, and Portland cements its reputation as one of the slowest-paced teams in the NBA. Thanks to four consecutive offensive rebounds, that shot came at the end of a possession that lasted an entire minute.

Here's the thing, though: Portland took five shots in one minute. That's a shot every 12 seconds, which is reasonably fast. If L.A. had managed a defensive rebound after the first miss, Portland would look, in the stats, to be a slightly faster team. But they didn't. And Portland kept shooting quickly, four more times in quick succession. And, as they maintained possession and kept providing more and more evidence they're not that slow in executing, the pace stats continued to see the whole episode as Portland being slower than ever.

Of course, this case is an anomaly that matters none, but what is not a one-off is the trend that when either team gets a lot of offensive rebounds it makes both teams appear to be slower. Similarly, teams that commit and force very few turnovers will appear to be faster, although neither of those things really tells you anything about the speed at which they play. And those trends persist. I suspect that when you look at listings of team pace, you will see some pace inflation from teams that frequently turn the ball over, or don't get or give up a lot of possession-extending offensive rebounds. If you wanted to know how fast a team played, as in how many scoring opportunities they packed into a game, I suspect you could do well to add up a teams field goal attempts, opponents' defensive fouls, and turnovers. (Am I forgetting something? Is there another way a team's control of the ball could come to an end?) Maybe somebody has already done this?

Free Possessions and Psycho Defense
Another little conundrum to do with possessions. By the definition that is commonly used, both teams have the same number of possessions in a game. My team has it, then your team has it, and back and forth.

Except ... not exactly.

At the end of quarters, things can get a tad uneven, because at the beginning of the next quarter, the possession goes to a team that is predetermined. (A team wins the jump ball at the beginning of the game, and thus earns the ball to begin the first and fourth quarters. The other team gets it to begin the second and third.) 

Which means that there are extra possessions up for grabs at the end of quarters. Whoever has it last in any quarter has gained a possession they might have never had. (Either team can end up with up to two more possessions per game, meaning there are four possessions up for grabs.) Most teams average somewhere around a point per possession, and most NBA games are decided by fewer than four points.

So ... if the other team has the ball with 23 seconds left to close a quarter, should you foul to get the ball back? You get a free possession out of the deal, which almost never happens.

The Spurs have done this from time to time, and I can see the point of it.

Of course, it's not really a free possession, though. That's the thing. You're sending somebody to the line to get that possession. So, you're giving up somewhere between zero and two points, and getting another foul on one of your guys. There's a lot of figuring to do there. Depends who you foul, how well they are shooting, and how likely you think you are, in that moment, to make a bucket.

Here's what I would do, if I were an NBA coach: I'd train my team to play a special brand of psycho defense. This is defense where you don't care if you get called for a foul. Bumping, screaming, slapping, banging, poking ... Five guys should bring it crazy hard (except when somebody is shooting -- which is nearly impossible to predict in the NBA and is the downfall of my plan) when the other team has the ball in the waning moments of a quarter. You get called for a foul, so what? That's your semi-intentional foul, and you get a possession for it. But if you don't get called for a foul? Against that defense, I don't like the other teams' chances. Besides, I bet it's great for your team to practice that kind of defense anyway. Good for everyone on the court, offense and defense, to get used to that brand of intensity.

The Crunch Time Hypothesis, in Running
Basketball watchers, myself included, are obsessed with the notion that good players perform well at the end of close games. I guess the thinking is that of course your team will be in close games that matter, so it's good to be ready for that.

But stat experts generally insist that it really doesn't make any difference when in the game you play well. If you play great in the first quarter, that same game that would have featured crunch time would quite probably be a comfortable lead for your team. So why obsess on players who close well? Just get the ones who play well, and you'll be fine.

It occurred to me that the same thing happens in all kinds of sports. I'll bet you anything that people who watch marathons, for instance, love those runners who finish fast, and pass people or separate from the pack in the final mile. That's the part of the race when everyone is watching, and that seems to matter. But of course, many marathons are probably, in the final analysis, won with a really fast 17th mile or some such. Many marathons are won by someone with a big lead, who put in their crunch time performance earlier, and has the luxury of cruising to victory.

I am wondering if anyone out there knows all about marathon split times, and has all kinds of data to analyze. I'd be interested to know: Do champion runners tend to be faster at the end than the rest of the field? Or are they more commonly faster in some other part of the race?

UPDATE: TrueHoop reader Karl forwards a link to a very interesting breakdown of the fastest marathon ever. Indeed, Haile Gebrselassie did finish fast. His last 5k was by far his fastest. It's a tiny sample, and marathons may not be the best measure (at that distance, runners are worried about glycogen stores, and so it's smart to be slower in the first half) but interesting nonetheless. 

• There's a column in Chicago today, by Rick Morrissey of the Tribune, ripping Joakim Noah for various things. One of the criticisms is that he is not productive: "Noah's supporters say he's a monument to hustle. No. He's the king of looking like he's hustling. When you're 6 feet 11 inches, wave your arms with exaggerated gestures and have a ponytail that bobs as you run up and down the court, you tend to look busy. He's averaging 4.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 18.2 minutes per game. The numbers say he's not worth the hassle." I think that's a case of old-school stats deceiving. Because more sophisticated numbers show Noah's one of the best rebounders in the NBA per minute. Noah is third in the whole NBA getting offensive boards, and his overall rebound rate is ahead of that of Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess, Kendrick Perkins, David Lee, Ben Wallace, Yao Ming and many other big names among big men. Noah looks like a bit of a spaz out there -- agreed -- but he is not unproductive.
• In 1986, when the Celtics won the title, they also had a rough patch like Boston is going through right now.
• The more I watch LeBron James' travel, the more I'm surprised by the call. Oh, make no mistake about it -- that's a travel. But it's certainly selective enforcement. Superstars on their way to the hoop, in the closing minutes ... they get to operate with impunity. We have seen it so many times. I have spent a ton of time in recent weeks watching plays in slow motion (it's amazing how much you can learn) and have developed the theory that regular rules of traveling totally apply in the NBA. Only in regular basketball, when on the run, you can take your step or two, and then you have to get rid of the ball. In the NBA, you can take your step or two, and then you have to get into the paint, when you can carry on making highlights at your leisure. (But three steps before the paint ... that's a travel in any league.) So, what James did ... his extra steps were in the paint. I can see why he's surprised. Even Vladimir Radmanovic gets away with that.
• 30 charts, showing how, through the years, teams tend to win or lose games by different margins. It's a ton of data -- and it makes clear that some coaches do better than other in close games. You can also see signs of teams aging -- good teams that are not winning games they used to win. Spend four hours looking at this.
• A while ago Kevin Arnovitz wrote a TrueHoop post with great line about Steve Nash, in Phoenix's new system, looking like a hummingbird trapped in a sandwich bag. I just noticed -- even though it happened a month ago -- that Nash's teammate Grant Hill picked up the exact same line.
• There probably won't be a better blog post connecting the Joker's theory of chaos, as expressed in the Dark Knight, and Mike D'Antoni.
• Mark Cuban has a plan whereby teams can pay beat writer's salaries. No point in being closed-minded. This whole media game is changing hard, and whatever the solution is, it will come from well outside the box. As things sit now, newspapers won't be covering teams very much, and for a lot of deep-pocketed but casual fans, the local paper is the only way they know what's going on. So it makes sense to me that teams want newspapers around.
• Some very nice Kobe Bryant highlights. Watching the Lakers recently, he has clearly been as good as ever ... but to me he seems to be picking his spots more. He's not a kid anymore. For the first time, I get the sense there are limits to Bryant's energy, and he knows that and can work around it, particularly now, when the games aren't as sexy as during the playoffs. For that reason, I think there are almost two different Laker teams. The Lakers with Bryant in killer mode, which is the favorite to win the NBA title, and then the other Lakers, which aren't all that scary. My guess is that Bryant will be 100% focused come playoff time, however, and they have the best record in the NBA right now. 

Happy New Year!

My, a lot has changed in the NBA since I took off just before Christmas. Now the Lakers -- who were all downcast a couple of weeks ago -- have the best record in the League. Superstars are apparently now eligible to be called for travelling with the game on the line (and LeBron James is attempting to legalize the three-step "crab dribble"). And now, just about anybody can beat the Celtics.

But most importantly ... a huge thanks to Kevin Arnovitz, for really killing it while I was gone. To  liveblogging for a dozen hours on Christmas Day, to chasing down a top college coach for insight into Thaddeus Young and players going overseas -- the man was not taking it easy. Thanks, Kevin.

• Barbara Barker of Newsday: "I can understand why the Celtics might find the idea of Stephon Marbury enticing. Rajon Rondo's game last night against the Knicks was limp at best, and Boston definitely could use more talent at guard. Still, as coach after coach can tell you, the idea of adding Marbury and the reality of doing so are two different things. This is why I have one piece of advice for Celtics coach Doc Rivers when the subject of Marbury comes up: Just say no. Phoenix was smart enough to say no. Orlando was smart enough to say no. Yet the Celtics, who still are the best team in the NBA, made it loud and clear last night that they are interested in the Knicks outcast. Why in the world would the world champions want Marbury? The answer has less to do with the fact that Marbury is cheap and available than it does with this macho NBA syndrome known as hubris. The Celtics are behaving the way many Wall Street traders I know used to behave a few years ago -- as if just about anything they touch can and will turn to gold."
• Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "Darius Miles' toothy grin was as flashy as the diamond-studded jewelry he wore. The Grizzlies veteran forward just laughed because he knows the score. Miles' appearance Sunday afternoon was his first in a Grizzly uniform, and nine more with any NBA team would mean Miles' $9 million salary will be reinstated to the Portland Trail Blazers' payroll. 'It just feels good on be on the bench with a team,' Miles said, chuckling at the notion that most observers are counting his games. 'I thought I might get more playing time. But it is what it is. I'm hoping it works out here. I really like Memphis.'"
• Michael Lee of The Washington Post: "Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson may have missed facing the Cavaliers with a sore back, but that didn't keep him from heckling LeBron James from the bench. Wearing a colorful velvet jacket and bow tie, Stevenson jawed with James -- whom Stevenson called 'overrated' last season -- for most of the night. Asked afterward about their exchanges, Stevenson said: 'I don't care. It's whatever. I don't like him. I don't like that dude.'"
• Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: "LeBron James unveiled a new word in the NBA vernacular on Sunday. It came to a head during the Cavs' 80-77 loss to Washington at the Verizon Center. James was called for traveling with 2.3 seconds remaining by official Bill Spooner. 'I took a 'crab' dribble, which is a hesitation dribble and then two steps,' James said. James believes he perfectly executed a jump stop on the play, but was still called for traveling. 'It's a play you don't see much in the NBA,' he said. 'You have your trademark plays, and that's one of mine. It looks like a travel because it's slow and there's kind of like a high step. But it's a one-two (step) that's just as fluent as any other one-two in this league.' The league has taken a close look at James' jump stop and even used it in training videos."
• Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times: "There's a West challenger out there looking for the Lakers, all right. This team is just as big as they are, just as talented and just as deep as it gathers itself for the duel of titans everyone knows is coming. Of course, it's not likely to be this season. No matter how bright the Portland Trail Blazers' future may be, they have to get to it. Sunday night, the Lakers, a grown-up powerhouse, showed them how far they have to go, rolling over them, 100-86."
• Chris McCosky of The Detroit News: "Allen Iverson just shook his head. 'Let me tell you something,' he said. 'You know you are having a bad shooting game when you hit the game-winning shot and that don't even go in.' Iverson's high-arcing runner was swatted away by Al Thornton, but referees correctly called goaltending and the Pistons were able to escape Staples Center with an 88-87 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. ... The victory ended the Pistons' winless Sunday streak at six games, and it kept three other streaks alive -- the Pistons' winning streak is now at seven, the Clippers' losing streak is also at seven and the Pistons have beaten the Clippers 12 straight times."
• Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune: "The one Bull who can least afford to be making waves was at it again last week, splashing around, rocking the boat and doing everything but cannonballs in the murky waters of the red, white and black sea. If I were GM John Paxson, I'd throw Joakim Noah overboard as soon as possible. Noah, Tyrus Thomas and Larry Hughes were fined after reacting poorly to coach Vinny Del Negro's reminder that Bulls players are not allowed to eat in the locker room before games. The fine, of course, had nothing to do with food and everything to do with who is running the show. Noah seems to have a problem with the concept. As a rookie last season, he got into a verbal altercation with an assistant coach. Earlier that season, he criticized his teammates for a lack of togetherness. Former coach Scott Skiles noted that had Noah actually played more than one NBA game at the time he spouted off, the criticism might have had some meaning."
• Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "While this isn't exactly a news bulletin, the Nets received a vivid reminder that refs don't really let you defend Dwyane Wade. 'They make it pretty hard,' said Jarvis Hayes. 'He's already a super-talented guy, but some of the calls that he gets, it's kind of hard to take. Those questionable ones, he gets 90 percent of those -- easily.'"
• Jay Greenberg of the New York Post: "Wilson Chandler has an explosive first step. With Danilo Gallinari's season and perhaps a lengthy career in jeopardy, Chandler has become the first step for the Knicks on the way back to contention, not just because he can score inside and outside but because he has no fear of hard work in addition to having no fear of Kevin Garnett."
• Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News: "When Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony recently played in his 400th game, it made him a career statistical qualifier. It also made him eligible for basketball-reference.com to calculate his probability of making the Hall of Fame. The computer has spewed out numbers. Using a formula that takes into account players who have gained entrance to the Hall, Anthony's chances to make it are rated 26.5 percent. Is that too low? 'I ain't thinking about that,' Anthony said. 'I have 10 more years left.'"
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: "Oklahoma City is filled with attractive pieces, from players with expiring contracts in Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox and Desmond Mason, to veterans like Nick Collison and Earl Watson who could be valuable additions to playoff teams. If we know anything about what kind of value general manager Sam Presti seeks, we know he covets players who fit his desired defensive philosophy, and we know he will not take on any high-priced contracts that will destroy the franchise's upcoming salary-cap space. Presti also has made it clear, through the recent signing of Nenad Krstic and the attempted signing of C.J. Miles last summer, that any acquisition must be a player capable of contributing now as well as in the future. A perimeter shooter, better interior defense and rebounding and improved scoring off the bench are obvious needs that could be addressed as well."
• James Davis of the Deseret News: "If you're looking for some NBA Developmental League action this week, look no further than Orem for all the games you can watch and more. The NBA D-League is kicking off its 2008 League Showcase today at 11 a.m. at the McKay Events Center on the Utah Valley University campus. The showcase runs today through Thursday with four games being played each day. Each of the league's 16 teams will be featured at the event, with each team playing two games apiece in front of more than 50 scouts and executives from every NBA team. The unique opportunity will give the league's more than 160 players a chance to catch someone's eye and perhaps move to the next level."

Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

• Kurt from Forum Blue & Gold will have his eye on Jazz rookie Kosta Koufos during tonight's Lakers-Jazz game.  Kurt cites David Thorpe's description of Koufos' arsenal: "Want to get an idea of how diversified Koufos' offensive game is? Here's how he scored his buckets in the Jazz's big win over Dallas: Offensive-rebound putback, layup off a dive in low-high action, step-through off a loose ball, race to the rim from the left-hand side, left-hand dribble and right-hand layup over Erick Dampier, rim-to-rim sprint and dunk, pick-and-roll left-hand finish, dive-to-the-rim dunk in low-high action, right-hand hook (and 1!) off a pick-and-roll."
• In response to Bill Simmons' claim that Steve Nash's numbers were inflated under Mike D'Antoni, Michael Schwartz from Valley of the Suns counters: "[W]hy is Nash averaging just 14.8 ppg and 8.3 apg this season after his stellar four-year run under D'Antoni? Simmons makes the point that those numbers are in line with what Nash averaged in his final season in Dallas. And although they're down from what he's done in Phoenix, who can complain about the 34-year-old Nash's numbers being in line with his 29-year-old self? Sure, I'd attribute some of the decrease to Nash getting up there in age and fighting injury issues such as the back spasms that have kept him out of most of the past two games. Bu