Stephon Marbury. He's strong. He's athletic. He can shoot. He knows veteran tricks. He can get to the line. He has not only hit game-winners ... he has hit game-winning shots in the All-Star game. He says he is in the best shape of his life.

Assuming things get sorted out quickly with the Knicks, he'll be affordable.

And having tasted his NBA mortality, he might also be more ready to listen than ever.

So, will somebody have a minimum contract available for a former superstar with a reputation for alienating coaches and teammates?

I sympathize with the sentiment that his NBA career may be over. The argument there, I guess, would be that he is not getting any younger, and he clearly has never had whatever it takes to turn skill into wins. 

But in the end, I can't believe it is true. Big-name players on the downward slope of their careers get NBA roster spots even when they're seriously hampered by injury. A healthy one? With NBA skills? With a name that might even sell some tickets?

He'll play. 

But where? No team makes perfect sense.

Without the slightest hint of insider information, and knowing that several teams have already shot down such suggestions, here's a big, speculative, alphabetical list of teams where Stephon Marbury might land:

• Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks have Mike Bibby and Acie Law. Speedy Claxton is still wrestling injury demons. And Atlanta was Marbury's home for a year of college at Georgia Tech.
• Boston Celtics: The Celtics have been mentioned for several very good reasons. One is that they have a strong culture, and with Kevin Garnett around and rings on everyone's fingers, there's really no chance that Marbury will rip apart the clubhouse. (Not to mention, Garnett and Marbury know each other.) The other reason they are on this list is that everyone is used to the Celtics taking fliers on bargain-basement veterans like Eddie House. Sam Cassell, and for a little while, Darius Miles. The unfortunate thing for Marbury, however, is that thanks to the presence of Rajon Rondo, Eddie House, Gabe Pruitt, and Sam Cassell, this team really does not need another ball-handler. 
• Dallas Mavericks: The Mavericks have Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and Jose Juan Barea who can play this position. But if you see Terry as a shooting guard, and Kidd as not getting any younger, you can squint a little and see this as a team that might take a flier. Also, there's a grand tradition among journalists of always including Mark Cuban's Mavericks on these kinds of lists -- and he is not timid about experimenting with players.
• Golden State Warriors: Don Nelson knows how to put shooters to work, has had some injuries, and took a flier on Chris Webber in a similar situation last year.
• Miami Heat: The Heat are starting a rookie at point guard, and have a team president who is not afraid of players with big egos.
• New Orleans Hornets: The Hornets already have an underused veteran bench scorer in Mike James. But on the other hand, a slow start might make them a little more willing to tinker, and last season they relied on Jannero Pargo to create scoring opportunities when Chris Paul was on the bench. The right bench scorer could make a difference for a team that is surprisingly on the playoff bubble in the West.
• Orlando Magic: The Magic are without Jameer Nelson for a few games. Mike Wilks is out all season. Keith Bogans is out as well. The result is talk of a rookie shooting guard getting time handling the ball. 
• Toronto Raptors: The Raptors could actually use a backcourt scorer, and a ball-handler to play behind Jose Calderon and Roko Ukic would not be the worst thing. It would be a chance for Marbury to try his hand in a more European-centric system, which he has said will be in his future. But I suspect the Raptors would only take him on if they can pair the signing with another move to keep them out of luxury tax territory.
• Philadelphia 76ers: This teams needs shooting, and might be feeling like they need to tinker with the formula a little bit. They committed to big expenditures with the signing of Elton Brand last summer, but at the moment they're 11th in the East.
• Phoenix Suns: The Suns have been trying out Goran Dragic and Sean Singletary as backups to Steve Nash, who is always coping with various injuries and would ideally not play long minutes. Perhaps a veteran presence would be welcome. On the flip side, the team's resurgence in recent years has long been tied to Marbury's January 2004 departure. 
• San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs have such a strong culture that they have the latitude to carry a knucklehead or two without worrying that it will impact the locker room. And they can always use athleticism and backcourt scoring punch off the bench. Gregg Popovich was an assistant on the 2004 Olympic team that featured Marbury, so for better or worse they have a history. The deal-breaker might be Marbury's reputation as a poor defender.
  

(Photograph by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: "Eight years ago, in the wee hours of Sept. 25, Tony Battie was driving at breakneck speed to a Boston hospital. Paul Pierce, his Celtics teammate, was lying in his car, drenched in blood. Battie was imploring him to hang on. Pierce, Battie and Battie's brother, Derrick, had been at a nightclub where Pierce was jumped by three men, stabbed 11 times, punched and kicked repeatedly and hit over the head with a champagne bottle. He was carried to Battie's car by security personnel after the fight. 'It was frantic,' recalled Tony. 'We didn't know how badly injured he was at the time. I guess it was probably better not knowing.' ... Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said, 'I was watching him hold that trophy, and I was thinking to myself, 'Paul Pierce was not just almost out the league. He was almost dead.' And now he is the Finals MVP. You tell me. Who else has had a turnaround like that?' For Battie, the brutal attack on Pierce made him prioritize his life while also opening his eyes. 'We're all people before we're players. This is what we do; this is not really who we are. Outside the bright lights and jerseys and screaming fans, we're fathers, we're brothers, we're sons. We're just regular people, but something like that does put things in perspective. For some reason, ... somebody wants to do you bodily harm, whether you're a celebrity or a regular Joe,' he said."
• Marc Berman of the New York Post: "On the eve of today's Westchester buyout summit with team president Donnie Walsh that is expected to put an end to his turbulent five-year New York Knicks career, suspended Stephon Marbury yesterday took parting shots at his teammates, particularly Quentin Richardson, for never supporting him during his season-long exile. ... 'I sat there for three weeks and didn't say one word. I didn't hear one of my teammates say, 'Why isn't Stephon Marbury playing? This is a good system for him, even to play with the second unit to bring more firepower.' When things got bad and then worse, guys like Quentin Richardson say, 'I don't consider him a teammate. He let his teammates out to dry.' He didn't care I was his teammate when I was banished. They left me out for dead. It's like we're in a foxhole and I'm facing the other way. If I got shot in the head, at least you want to get shot by the enemy. I got shot in the head by my own guys in my foxhole. And they didn't even give me an honorable death.'"
• Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: "Kobe Bryant could play five more years, 10 more years, 55 more years, and the topic of '81' would always come up whenever the Toronto Raptors came to town. Bryant scored 81 points against Toronto in January 2006, making 28 of 46 shots on the way to the second-highest point total in NBA history, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point effort in 1962. It's impossible to imagine it happening this season with such a deep Lakers team, and Coach Phil Jackson suggested it would be better if '81: The Sequel' never took place, going back to last season's NBA Finals to prove a point. 'We know that Boston literally said, 'We've got to take Kobe out, we just have to throw our defense at them,' ' Jackson said. 'We have to have more guys fit into our offense if we're going to be a team that can compete with those clubs.'"
• Al Iannazzone of The Record: "When the Nets left, I was thinking 1-3, maybe 2-2 if the Nets got a break. Late in Wednesday's game in Sacramento, I started seeing 0-4. But that's why they play the games. Anything can happen and you can't predict when a team is going to fall apart or someone is going to get hot like Devin Harris did, scoring 47 last night to lead the Nets to the 117-109 win in Phoenix. This trip proved all of that that. This 3-1 trip proved a lot of things. The Nets showed fight, heart, passion and no quit. Harris is playing like an All-Star and should be the East's Player of the Week. Vince Carter is quieting his critics with his leadership, clutch play and passion with which he's playing. And Lawrence Frank should get some recognition for Coach of the Month."
• Jerry Brown of the East Valley Tribune: "The Suns and the Spurs are the only two NBA teams that have won at least 30 homes games in each of the last four seasons. But at this rate, the Suns aren't going to get there this time. After back-to-back home losses to Eastern Conference teams they had dominated with regularity (Miami and New Jersey), the Suns are an unsightly 4-5 on their home floor -- a complete reversal from their 7-2 mark on the road. 'I think on the road, we've played with more energy and focus,' Terry Porter said. 'I don't know why that is. Granted, we've played some tougher teams at home. But from an energy standpoint, we have more of a 'me against the world' mentality on the road. We haven't come out well and let the crowd get into games, although tonight was an exception. But when we make mistakes, it leads to easy baskets and things really start rolling in the wrong direction.'"
• Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: "Allen Iverson is averaging 17.7 points per game for the Pistons, but the offense is still trying to get used to his game, as evidenced by the early 25-11 hole the Pistons dug for themselves against the Blazers. Also, Iverson isn't used to playing reduced minutes; he has typically been in the position of having to carry teams. 'My rhythm is not there,' Iverson said. 'It's kind of a different situation for me. I'm sitting more than I usually do, more than I have for my career.' But Iverson is keeping the faith. He believes the timing, the rhythm and, more important, the wins, are coming. 'All you can do is stay with it and realize it's early in the season and we got to get back,' Iverson said. 'I'm positive and I got a lot of confidence in my game and I know it will come back.'"
• Mike Fine for the MetroWest Daily News: "Somewhere along the way, every NBA team is going to make a defensive stand that stands out. The Celtics might be in one of those periods right now, having limited the Sixers to 78 points and the Bobcats to 84 over the last two games. The fact of the matter, though, is that the Celtics remain the best defensive team in the NBA, so this is just a heightened response to what's already been a superb performance."
• Martin Frank of The News Journal: "Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert were instrumental in leading the 76ers to the playoffs last season during their second-half surge. This season, both seem lost, when both were expected to prosper with the acquisition of Elton Brand during the summer. Iguodala is averaging 13.0 points per game this season, down from 19.9 last season. Incredibly, he hasn't reached his average from last season in any game this season. Iguodala, who signed a six-year, $80 million contract extension last summer, scored just eight points on 3-for-9 shooting Sunday in the Sixers' 103-92 loss to the Chicago Bulls. 'I'm trying to figure it out, just like you guys are,' Iguodala said. 'I'm going to continue to keep working. That's all I can do.' 'It's a lot of stuff,' Dalembert said, refusing to elaborate. 'Everything can be fixed.'"
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: "The Pacers are averaging 99.1 points a game this season, which is down five points from what they averaged last season. They've scored at least 100 points just seven times this season. You can point at Mike Dunleavy's absence being part of the issue. At the same time, though, Marquis Daniels has done a heck of a job filling in for Dunleavy at shooting guard. It's more than that. The biggest issue I have with the Pacers offense is the same one I had during the summer - they don't have anybody to score for them in the post. Starters Troy Murphy and Rasho Nesterovic are perimeter big men. The Pacers tend to settle for jump shots too often when the game gets tight."
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "While I still think the Heat has to find a way to make things work with Michael Beasley in the starting lineup, the growing pains clearly had made such an immediate role a bit too painful. As witnessed by Beasley's second-quarter, 17-point outburst Saturday against the Clippers, there is something to be said about having a scorer on the court when Dwyane Wade goes to the bench. In fact, one of the players indicated that the ball tends to stop too often when Beasley is on the court, something that does not seem to be as much of a concern when Wade is on the bench and points otherwise would be scarce. But that doesn't mean that this is the ultimate answer. Too much has been made about Beasley's defense. There are plenty of talented scorers in this league who have endured, even thrived, for years as one-way talents."
• Mike Jones of The Washington Times: "The broken record that is the Washington Wizards' season continued to play on Saturday night as the downtrodden team fell 102-98 to the visiting Atlanta Hawks after continuing every negative trend that has plagued it during a franchise record-tying 2-12 start. The Wizards, who last went 2-12 in 1966-67 as the Baltimore Bullets, continued their poor perimeter defense, again gave up easy drives to the basket, again struggled to move the ball on offense, again got little production from starters other than Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, and again couldn't close the game after a fourth-quarter rally. 'It's like a broken record, but we've got to keep positive,' said shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson, who missed two foul shots with less than 10 seconds left. 'It's tough losing games like we're doing. It's frustrating, man. We need to get a win.'"
• Janny Hu of the San Francisco Chronicle: "As bad as the Warriors looked at times during their winless five-game road trip, none of their veterans are about to concede the season. 'I think the worst is behind us,' said guard Jamal Crawford, who makes his home debut tonight against Miami. 'The more practice time, the more we get used to each other, the (better). We'll pull it together.' We'll be alright,' Andris Biedrins said. 'It's just a really tough stretch.' Optimism still exists in Golden State these days, though with a considerably darker edge. Ask players what's gone wrong during their six-game losing streak, and the answers are as erratic as their shooting. I don't know, it's really hard to say,' Biedrins said. 'I think we lost a little chemistry,' Corey Maggette added. 'I was out four games, and me battling my hamstring and not being able to perform at a high level like I need to kind of hurt, too. But we just also need to be better. And we need to understand each other's game.'"
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "Ron Artest is completely well-intentioned. He is willing to accept any role, including role player around Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady as planned. The problem with that is that McGrady has rarely been the McGrady that Artest planned, and McGrady has not played at all the past three games (the past four if you count his statue imitation in Miami.) With the Rockets short-handed and Artest so determined to solve their every need, he has apparently decided that the Rockets need him to play as he did for the Kings last season when Kevin Martin was out. Artest carried that offense and led the Kings to a surprisingly solid season. This season, however, he is playing more minutes and on a still-sore right ankle. Far too often, we get dribble, dribble, dribble, force a shot."
• Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun: "Jermaine O'Neal is serving as co-producer for a Los Angeles company that has two scary flicks in the works. ... O'Neal also has given some consideration to acting. 'He has received some offers, but I don't want to say from whom,' O'Neal's business manager Deddrick Faison said. 'All this past summer was spent getting into shape from his knee injury, so there wasn't a lot of time he could devote to other things. Once he gets into Toronto and gets settled, we might look again. But he has dabbled in the entertainment industry before.' O'Neal once financed a recording studio and served as its CEO in part to support some childhood friends' business venture. But he cut ties when his enthusiasm for the project began to wane."

Thanksgiving weekend has been fantastic. The eating, the family, all those things we all count on ... I'm loving it.

But also, as a fan of the Portland Trail Blazers, it has also been a little bit like Christmas.

Why? Yes they have won nicely at home. 

But more importantly ... Have you seen John Hollinger's power rankings?

(I have been aware of this for several days, but have not wanted to make a fuss out of it ... for fear it would later prove meaningless. But now it has been hanging around for a while, and I can't stay quiet.)

Not to oversimplify things. But more or less the current state of events -- from a supercomputer programmed by one of the savviest experts in the game today -- is that all of the many teams of the NBA are spread across a vast array of quality. The exceptionally crappy Thunder are off the deep end of the charts, but ignoring that, every single team in the NBA has a Hollinger Power Ranking that is arrayed somewhere between 90 and 103 on the Hollinger scale.

The ranking is built on strength of schedule, margin of victory, and various other factors that have proven, over time, to matter.

Ignore Hollinger at your peril.

In any case, what I haven't told you is that not all the teams are either OKC or between 90 and 103 on the scale. There are actually four super teams that co-exist in the ether above the spectrum of normalcy. They're all over 108.

And they matter. Between them, these four teams hog a 90.7% likelihood of winning this year's title in an extrapolation of the power rankings.

Who are the NBA's four elite teams, based on Hollinger's formulas and the early returns? With all the normal early season provisos, and in order, they are: the Los Angeles Lakers (36.8% chance of winning the title), the Cleveland Cavaliers (30%), the Boston Celtics (13%), and ... my Portland Trail Blazers (10.9%).

By any conventional measure, the Blazers are somewhere between so-so and pretty good. They're 11-6 just like Houston, Phoenix, and Denver. They're a half game ahead of Atlanta,  about which I'm sure you are lukewarm. But Hollinger's computer knows Portland has played all kinds of tough teams, and they have had some big-time blowouts (thank you Miami and Chicago!) as well as quality wins against the likes of New Orleans, San Antonio, and Houston.

Portland is loaded down with so many weapons that many nights they can make big mistakes and still win.

Look, I'm not getting ahead of myself here. I realize that Portland still has flaws, and will not be winning a title this year.

But I'm also starting to realize that Portland's much-anticipated entry into the NBA's elite may be arriving well ahead of schedule. It couldn't be more exciting. As a fan who has been on the outside looking in for a decade and a half, it's a real thrill to be part of the Big Boy NBA conversation. Especially with a roster that features heavy minutes from three rookies (Rookie of the Year candidates Greg Oden and Rudy Fernandez, as well as starter Nicolas Batum) and is built for three years from now.

Where does that leave us? With a lot to look forward to (if by "we" we mean "Portland fans"). Virtually every Blazer can be expected to get better over the course of the next two or three years. And yet, even now in its infancy this Portland roster is a profound threat to win every game it plays. It's a nice situation.

Unless, of course, you find yourself in the peculiar position of being both a national NBA blogger with a commitment to fairness and a dyed-in-the-wool Blazer fan. I have long feared the day when by Blazer fandom could cause profound and persisent objectivity problems for my NBA coverage. 

That time is coming. 

Please, bear with me.

UPDATE: After beating the Pistons in Detroit Sunday, the Blazers have moved ahead of the Boston Celtics, to take over third in Hollinger's power rankings. An interesting test of that formula will come on Friday, when the Blazers visit the Celtics.

(Photograph: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) 

It's time for me to get going. One thing I will not be called is late for dinner.

One thing I'm thankful for this year: TrueHoop readers.

Smart, funny, and on the ball, your comments and e-mails make me happy every day. Thanks.

Have a great Thanksgiving.

(Photo taken by Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images at Wednesday's Rip City Foundation event, in which Hamilton and others fed 150 people at Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac, Michigan.)

Brian Spaeth, the evil genius behind the basketball blog of yesteryear, YAYSports!, has a new blog. He also still has a profound lifelong affection for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I'm quite certain he does not speak for Cleveland fans in general. But he e-mails:

I don't care anymore if he goes.

You watch those two teams last night, and it's clear that if LeBron signs with the Knicks, then he doesn't care about winning, at least not as much as playing in New York. In my mind, that's the case, and he's gone anyway, unless he really, really, really just likes all this attention. (This is entirely possible, by the way. Just like his people circled 08/08/08 on the calendar as a climactic marketing target, they may have now circled 07/01/10, just for the attention it can draw. I did think it was odd how LeBron specifically used the date in his ending statement last night -- just seemed too scripted.)

In any case, I love watching "LeBron the Basketball Player" play for the Cavs, and I love how all the pieces have really fit together nicely this year. I'm even at peace with Mike Brown finally.

"LeBron the Marketing Maven," on the other hand, I'm tired of. He's annoying.

My sincere hope at this point is that Cleveland wins the title in 2010, and then LeBron doesn't help defend it, by signing with the Knicks that summer.

As a result, the basketball gods can lay the biggest curse of all-time on both of them. I'm sure the media will find plenty to say ad nauseum about that, as well. 

• Ronny Turiaf as quoted by Monte Poole of the Contra Costa Times: "I'm just happy people give thanks for what they have. And I would hope they do that on a daily basis. Don't wait for Thanksgiving just because something happened on a particular day or because it is a holiday." Turiaf, survivor of a major heart scare and operation, knows thanks.
• A simple rating system with a strong track record says the Lakers are an extraordinary team, and the clear favorites to win the title.
• ESPN the Magazine's Shaun Assael on Derrick Rose and the tough Chicago neighborhood where he grew up: "Some in Englewood are beyond saving. Rose knows this first-hand. 'They see me doing good but they think hanging onto the street hustling will get them a better job,' he says. 'I got a couple of friends back there still like that.' But there is still a chance to make the younger ones see their neighborhood through those Rose-colored glasses. 'They just need to believe in themselves like I believed.'"
• Most improved defense in the NBA so far this young season, based on points allowed per 100 possessions: The Milwaukee Bucks. Most deteriorated? The Detroit Pistons.
• Davidson's Stephen Curry was the darling of the NCAA tournament last year, and he has only gotten better. Last night, he played Loyola, and they double-teamed him. There are different kinds of doubles. Some start on the catch. Some start when the star puts the ball on the floor. This one started at the opening buzzer. Just two guys, all night long. Curry did an amazingly mature thing: He simply stood in the corner, scored zero points, and let his four-on-three teammates whoop it up, having a field day. Davidson won by a country mile, and Loyola's coach Jimmy Patsos is quoted by the Associated Press saying: "We had to play against an NBA player tonight. Anybody else ever hold him scoreless? I'm a history major. They're going to remember that we held him scoreless or we lost by 30?" I'm not a history major, but I'll remember that Coach Patsos stuck with a crazy scheme long after it was proven to have been a crazy scheme, assuring his team a loss.
• Geoff Petrie, assuring people he's not one foot out the door now that Jason Levien is on the scene.
• Barack Obama is praised for his selflessness on the court in pickup games. Perhaps, the thinking goes, that tells us something about how he'll govern. But then we also learn that David Axelrod, one of his closest advisers, likes to take turnaround, two-handed 3-pointers from NBA distance. What do we learn from that?
• ESPN's David Thorpe on Derrick Rose: "At Golden State on Friday night, Rose turned the ball over on a bad pass with 10:36 remaining in the third quarter. At that point he had hit just one field goal and looked out of sorts while playing cautiously. Twenty-one seconds later, he blew into the lane and made an "and 1" shot, plus the free throw. Suddenly, you could almost see the light come on as he realized that no one on the Warriors could defend him. On the next possession, he hit a 10-foot jumper in transition and dominated the action from there. He carried the Bulls on offense, making seven straight shots on his way to 25 points and a Bulls win. It's the same for all young players: Sometimes they allow their confidence to come from their current on-court success rather than their cumulative production. Rose will learn from that experience as he continues to find that few players can control him, even if he starts out cold from the field."
• The Painted Area has a photo that shows the fragility of a borderline NBA career: "That's a photo from three years ago, when I was in Rome during Thanksgiving week, and caught a ULEB Cup game (it's similar to Euroleague, but with the next-best teams across Europe, much like the UEFA Cup in soccer) between Lottomatica Roma and Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem. That is Roger Mason at the bottom of the photo, with a headband, standing behind the three-point line. He played for Jerusalem and had a nice game that evening, with 22 points on 6 threes in 37 minutes. The point guard in the photo is Horace Jenkins, and he caught my eye at the game, not just because he's a D3 legend, but also because just five months prior to this photo, he had been sitting behind the Pistons bench during the NBA Finals, on the roster but inactive. I was just struck by what a thin line it is for guys like this, who are on the border of NBA rosters, between the glamour of the NBA stage (the biggest stage, in Jenkins' case) and the complete lack of fanfare of playing before 2000 people in Europe."
• Another case of an American player getting violent on the court in Europe.
• Caron Butler on his new coach, Ed Tapscott, to the Washington Post: "He's light-skinned. He has a law degree. He stands for change, he uses big words, he's new in the district and he's in control now, so shout-out to Obama. We won tonight, so we have hope."
• Nate McMillan talks to Dwight Jaynes about Greg Oden: "I think he's further along offensively than we thought. His patience on offense is getting much better. He has the patience to pass out of the double-teams. He's learning the flow. He has trouble sometimes sensing the double-teams but that will come. Defensively, he needs to work on rotating and on playing big. He's still coming down (here, McMillan put his arms in the air and came down with them, as if trying to smother a shot attempt - which will get fouls called on you just about every time). He doesn't need to do that. Keep the arms straight and play big. But he's learning a lot from Joel (Przybilla)."
• The Oklahoma City Thunder's Damien Wilkins, as quoted by Darnell Mayberry on NewsOK.com: "It's been bad, real bad to know that you're the laughing stock of the league right now. No one's saying that, that I've heard publicly, but I mean we're just not relevant besides in Oklahoma City. That hurts." (Via Bend it Like Bennett)
• And inklings of progress towards a stadium in Seattle.
• Thin plotline, played out over way too long. But nevertheless, a fairly funny LeBron James porn-themed shoe commercial. The very best part is the sound when they're putting the shoe on. Hilarious.
  

ESPN's Chris Sheridan, quoting LeBron James in the Daily Dime:

"You have to stay open-minded if you're a Knicks fan," James said before delivering his parting words. "If you guys want to sleep right now and don't wake up until July 1, 2010, then go ahead. It's going to be a big day."  

The basic rule of PR in these situations is not to be fancy. You don't want to inspire reporters to dig deep into something where there are no real answers. You want to end the story, because the more of a media fire there is, the greater the chance that you could get burned. (Remember, this is the guy who shelved his convictions about genocide so as not to make a distraction for Team USA. He seems to have no such scruples with the Cavaliers.)

Even if you want to leave all your options open, all you have to say is that you love playing in Cleveland, you're from Ohio, and you'll worry about your next contract when this one is done.

That would be enough to get the amplifiers turned up. Teams would still clear cap space for you, just in case. But that's not enough for LeBron James. He's taking it to a whole different level. His amplifier goes to eleven.

The Yankees hat, the coy talk, calling New York his favorite city ... I hope Cleveland pharmacies are stocked up with Maalox this Thanksgiving, because Cavalier fans are feeling the indigestion.

In PR terms, I see that quote above, and the others we have seen like it, as LeBron James slapping Danny Ferry, owner Dan Gilbert, and Cleveland fans across the face.

Would it be so hard, I can imagine them asking LeBron, to squash the rumors?

(I mean, a while ago at a political rally in Ohio, he said what anyone would say at a political rally in Ohio: That he loves and is committed to Ohio. Later James clarified with a New York-based reporter -- just to be super double extra clear -- that he had not ruled out leaving in 2010.)

Special Big Apple red shoes for New York? At some point, it's too much. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images)

I just wonder if, perhaps, at some point, the Cavalier brass tires of it all.

It's like you're taking the prettiest lady to the big dance. That's fantastic.

But then all night long she's dropping hints that she's thinking of leaving with that guy over there. Yeah, the one in the blue and orange.

Bad night, huh?

The only difference is, in the middle of a dance, you can't make a trade.

But in the NBA, you can.

I hear you, I hear you. YOU DON'T TRADE LEBRON JAMES. YOU JUST DON'T. 

GM 101.

I know. I agree.

And I know that there are far more Dans -- Ferry, Gilbert, and the like -- in this world than there are LeBrons. The superstar ultimately holds the cards, and everyone else should act accordingly.

But that doesn't mean you stand idly by as they loot the store. If at any point the Cavaliers believe LeBron James is going to leave as a free agent in 2010, it's time to start preparing Cavalier fans for the fact that you might trade the guy.

At the very least, it might dim the lights a little on the LeBron James flirtation show.

Or it might end up being smart to actually trade him.

If he walks, top teams will have cap space in 2010, but it's a good bet that the premium markets will be the ones to attract the blue chip talent like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. In other words, Cleveland's plan B for cap space in 2010 is probably not as sexy as New York's. So better to trade for an asset that you can then pay more than anyone else to keep.

And let's not pretend this free agent negotiation is really going to come down to some team executives wowing LeBron James with a nice tour of the city two summers from now. The Knicks, Nets, and Pistons have made their moves. The cards are on the table. There's no good reason the decision makers in the LeBron James camp wouldn't already have a good idea how they'd rank the contenders at this point. The only information to come is who is going to win the championships in 2009 and 2010, and who else might gain cap space.

So my point is, if you're Danny Ferry, and you don't have strong private conviction that LeBron James is harmlessly flirting, don't you have to at least know what's out there? 

There is probably no limit to what you could get for LeBron James in trade. Three affordable young stars and some cap space doesn't seem like too much to ask. (UPDATE: David Thorpe's clever trade suggestion. Even looking at that trade machine screen kills me as a Blazer fan ... you don't trade those guys either ... but the market for James must just be sick. He's a one-man trip to the Finals. And another idea from Thorpe, involving Boston.)

I actually really feel for Danny Ferry. He's running one of the best teams in the NBA, with one of the best coaches, and the best player ... yet there are a ton of scenarios whereby the next couple of years could make him the latest in a long string of reviled Cleveland sports figures.

Keeping LeBron James is the only way out, and that could take some luck.

• Jim Ingraham of The News-Herald: "The Cavaliers played in New York on Tuesday night. That meant LeBron James was in New York on Tuesday night. That meant New York was obsessing about LeBron James on Tuesday night. Again. Here's what most amuses me about the New York state of mind. Whenever a sports superstar emerges in any other part of the country, New Yorkers immediately begin the countdown to when that player will eventually be acquired by a New York team. It's as if the rest of the country exists solely for the purpose of developing great players who can eventually be appropriated by the New York teams."
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman: "Mark it down. NBA basketball returned to the Ford Center not in July, with the Seattle settlement; not in September, when the team was named; not in October, when the Bucks came to town for the season opener. The NBA returned Tuesday night, when the Thunder started giving fans their money's worth. That's when the Ford Center finally became the Boomtown it was in the Hornet days. This was the first game all season that felt like OKC's first NBA experience, when the Ford Center rippled with energy and the sports world was full of possibility. And overwhelming circumstantial evidence has to credit Scott Brooks. Two games into his head-coaching career, he's got the same old players looking like a brand new team."
• Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: "P.J. Carlesimo: Fired by Oklahoma City after losing 10 straight. Eddie Jordan: Fired by Washington after starting 1-10. So with those two recent events in mind, let's look at tonight's game, in which Don Nelson's Warriors stumbled badly in Washington. Yes, DN's Warriors extended their losing streak to 3 games. So, what happens if DN's GSWs lose their next 6 or so in a row, to make it a 9-game skid, which isn't ridiculously impossible? ... Could Nelson be in trouble, the way Jordan and Carlesimo suddenly got in trouble? NO, OF COURSE NOT. Nelson can't get into trouble with the Warriors. Won't happen, no matter what the record is, since Robert Rowell has guaranteed Nelson's predominance. Nelson is the king of the Warriors these days, having seized control of all things in the last few weeks and inked a two-year, $12M extension through 2010-'11. I'm just throwing this DN-jeopardy headline out there as an exercise. As a thought-bubble. Gee, what if things weren't perceived the way they are in the Warriors' offices right now?"
• Chris Perkins of the Palm Beach Post: "Dwyane Wade, the Heat's acrobatic but injury-prone superstar, might have found a way to prolong his career. It's called a jump shot. 'It keeps you off the floor, and it keeps you from getting banged up as much,' said Wade, who is second in the league in scoring at 28.5 points per game. He is getting his usual complement of free throws while less frequently crashing to the hardwood on devil-may-care drives to the basket. 'Even though I'm still getting at least 10 free throws a game, it keeps you from having to work as hard,' said Wade, who is second in the league at free throws attempted per game (10.5)."
• Chris Lau of the Detroit Free Press: "Antonio McDyess likely will re-sign with the Pistons on Dec. 7 and could be in the lineup that night. But he won't start over Kwame Brown or Amir Johnson, because Michael Curry wants him to get his shots with the second unit. McDyess' return could create another adjustment period for Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, as McDyess and new Piston Allen Iverson have yet to get acquainted. 'There are going to be times where he (McDyess) is out there with A.I., and he's going to have to get adjusted with him,' Prince said. 'And there are going to be times he is with the guys he's comfortable with, and he'll be able to pick up where he left off.'"
• Bill Bradley of the Sacramento Bee: "After spending two of the past five nights watching the top centers of the 2007 NBA draft, I ask you to ponder this: Who would you pick now, Spencer Hawes or Greg Oden? I would take Hawes. You say I'm crazy? Stay with me. As much hoopla as there was over Oden as the No. 1 overall pick -- and yes, he was injured all of last season -- he seems to be a one-dimensional player. He is great inside, rebounding and blocking shots. Yet he doesn't have the offensive impact like the big men to whom he was compared, Shaquille O'Neal and Karl Malone. Hawes isn't in that league, either. But what makes him attractive is his other dimensions: passing and outside shooting. Plus, Hawes has bulked up enough to compete with the wide bodies and he isn't afraid to play inside this season."
• Jim Fenton for the MetroWest Daily News: "The 2008-09 Celtics, who have been whistled for a league-leading 19 technicals in 15 games, must be making constant-complainer Antoine Walker proud. Center Kendrick Perkins tops the NBA with eight, costing him $1,000 apiece. Walker was first in the league with 23 technicals during the 2002-03 season, his final full year with the Celtics. Paul Pierce is tied for fourth in the NBA with three techs, the same number called on coach Doc Rivers. Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe have two apiece while Eddie House has one. ... 'We initiate a lot of the noise talking,' said Perkins. 'That's just how we are. We've been like that since last year. That's how we play. Guys are trying to get at us, so we're going to try to get at them first.'"
• John Denton of Florida Today: "Dwight Howard, 22, is blocking shots this season like never before in his five-year NBA career, leading the league with 4.10 swats a game. And because he also ranks second in the NBA in rebounding (13.4 rpg. to Andris Biedrins' 13.5 rpg.) and is the heavy favorite to repeat as rebounding champ, Howard could be flirting with history. Since the NBA started keeping blocked shot statistics in 1973, only three players have ever led the league in rebounding and blocks in the same season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the first to do it in 1975-76 while averaging 16.9 rebounds and 4.2 blocks a game. Bill Walton repeated the feat a season later with 14.4 rebounds and 3.25 blocks a game, just edging Abdul-Jabbar in both categories. Ben Wallace was the only player since then to lead the league in both categories, doing it in 2001-02 with Detroit while averaging 13 rebounds and 3.48 blocks. Now, Howard could be poised to join that elite group of big men and do something that not even Magic assistant coach and Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing achieved."
• Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "Vince Carter recalls last season's Thanksgiving jaunt vividly, and even now he won't criticize his illustrious predecessor for using Turkey Week to kick off his Free Jason Kidd campaign with the Nets at 4-6. And as Carter spoke about it for the first time at Tuesday's shoot-around, he insisted it was tricky -- but manageable. 'I knew it was tough for him,' Carter said of Kidd. 'You play so many years, but when new situations arise -- not like he doesn't know how to handle it -- it's tough. It's a lot of stuff to handle, and it beats you up.' He added that the two of them never spoke of it at length, perhaps because Carter sensed that one of Kidd's primary complaints was that Carter was either too injured or too docile to turn the team around."
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: "First came the $60 million deal, next comes an All-Star appearance for Pacers forward Danny Granger, according to Rick Carlisle. Carlisle coached Granger, the Pacers' leading scorer, during his first two NBA seasons. 'The deal he just signed is a deal he deserves because he's stepped up his game every single year,' Carlisle said. 'He gained my confidence very early as a rookie. He's going to be an All-Star player. He may be an All-Star this year if he continues at this pace. Their team is going to be good in the East.'"
• Bryan Chu of the San Antonio Express-News: "Matt Bonner is a self-proclaimed 'boring guy' who likes staying at home and reading. He's into Indie Rock. Things he's revealed on his bio: He's never had a cavity and he has a bad habit of twisting his hair. He drives a 2006 white Pontiac Grand Prix; in college he had a hand-me-down 1999 Hyundai while playing at Florida, where he had a 3.96 GPA in business administration. 'They are jealous' of his ride, Bonner, 28, said of his teammates. 'They know I can take any one of them off the line.' Despite making $2.978 million this year and $3.256 next year, Bonner remains frugal. Former Spurs guard Brent Barry, who is now with the Houston Rockets, remembers a time in Sacramento when Bonner was getting a snack at his favorite spot: Subway. 'Matt had a coupon for half off a sandwich, which said: 'Valid at participating stores only,'' Barry said. 'The owner said we're not 'participating stores' and Matt was like 'Well aren't you a Subway? I walk outside and I see the name 'Subway.'' After 10 minutes, he talked his way to half off a turkey sandwich. He saved like $2.16.' Added Bowen: It's not about what you make, it's about what you keep. He understands that motto perfectly.'"
• Jeff Eisenberg of The Press-Enterprise: "Lamar Odom strode into the locker room about an hour before Tuesday's game, a bag of professional wrestling videogames, figurines and DVDs under his arm and a huge grin on his face. Asked about his interest in wrestling, Odom chronicled his love for 'Ric Flair,' a retired professional wrestler known for his platinum blonde locks, in-ring antics and use of the catchphrase, 'Woooooo!' Professional wrestling is a lifelong passion for Odom, who said he cried as a boy when he discovered the action wasn't real. One of his most cherished birthday gifts was one of Flair's trademark full-length robes, replete with rhinestones, sequins and colorful feathers along the neckline. So where does Flair rank among Odom's childhood heroes? 'Magic Johnson, No. 1. Then Flair,' Odom said with a straight face. 'No, really.'"
• Dick Jerardi of the Philadelphia Daily News: "Now in his fifth season with the Orlando Magic and first with a 5-year, $43 million (including reachable incentives) contract extension, Jameer Nelson has made a 'substantial' gift, which will ensure that the next generation of Hawks players have much better facilities than he and his teammates ever had. Nelson's gift will name the new men's basketball locker room, which is part of the ongoing $36.4 million Fieldhouse expansion and renovation project that is scheduled to be completed before next basketball season. A new practice gym is already in use. The modernized and expanded Fieldhouse will be named The Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena. A 20,000-square-foot basketball center, which will include that new locker room, is rising on the Overbrook Avenue side of the facility. 'I wanted to be a leader and I wanted to be a role model,' Nelson said in a statement released by St. Joe's. 'Saint Joseph's made those dreams come true. I wouldn't trade my 4 years at St. Joe's for anything, and I hope this gift helps others have the same kind of experience.'"

Bloomberg's Erik Matuszewski and Scott Soshnick:

Magic Johnson says he won't make the same mistake twice and recommend Isiah Thomas for front office or coaching jobs in the National Basketball Association.

Johnson five years ago told New York Knicks executives that they should hire Thomas, his good friend. Thomas, a Hall of Fame point guard, was fired as coach and president of the Knicks last year as the team suffered through its seventh straight losing season and was at the center of a sexual-harassment lawsuit won by a former team official.

"I couldn't recommend him again because he's failed a couple times now," Johnson, who won five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, said in an interview with Bloomberg Radio's "On the Ball" program airing Nov. 29. "So I would probably have to just pass on that one."

Remember they were famous for kissing each other on the court? My whole career is about people telling the truth. I love the truth!

But some little part of me would like the world better if Magic Johnson had stood by his friend.

Assuming they are still friends.

They're keeping all the interview sessions, the measuring, and the medical tests. And teams will still be able to organize private workouts with draft prospects.

What you won't see, however, is, you know, basketball.

You will be very disappointed in the news he has for you in his video blog.

At least in a couple of notable games, the presence of Greg Oden on the court has led to some very poor play by the team -- even though Oden has played fairly well and has a PER that is among the best for all rookies or centers.

What's going on?

I don't really know. But thanks to Brett Hainline from Queen City Hoops, I have a very hot piece of information that at least gives us a composite sketch of the culprit.

When Oden is on the floor, the Blazers are slightly better at offensive rebounding, and slightly worse at defensive rebounding. They turn the ball over quite a bit more (14.9% of the time, instead of about 11.6%). Opponents shoot slightly better against the Blazers when Oden is off the floor.

But here's the amazing thing: When he is on the floor, even though he makes 51% of his shots, the whole team makes just 37.7% of its shots. When he's on the bench, the team makes 47.1% of its shots.

When he is on the court, Oden's teammates make a measly 34.9% of their shots!

Some of that is Joel Przybilla's ridiculous 43-52 shooting -- that's 82.7% -- that moves to the bench when Oden is playing. But that's not enough shots to account for the whole difference.

Put your detective hats on. Let's figure out how and why the Blazers shoot so poorly when their prized rookie is on the floor. For the Portland brass, figuring that out could be worth a lot of wins.

UPDATE: Another hugely important number is Greg Oden's combined +/- for the season. Portland is a winning team, but in Oden's 129 minutes they have been outscored by a whopping 196 points. (CORRECTION: That number is wrong, and it's my fault (not Brett's -- he didn't even give me that number. I believe the correct number is -25. More on this later today.) That's well over a point a minute. As in, if he played 48 minutes against a mythical typical opponent, they could be expected to lose by 50+ points.

Again, none of this means much of anything with such small sample sizes. But it is stark enough that I think it's at least worth poking around a bit. Some theories that I will check out on video:

• Maybe Brandon Roy doesn't penetrate as much with big Oden under the hoop, and a lot of Portland's dunks, layups, and open jumpers emanate from his drives. 
• Maybe the Blazers have a hard time getting Oden the ball in the post, which just wastes a lot of time and increases the likelihood of a rushed shot.

• Many Portland fans were not happy with me for pointing out that last week's 22-point effort was hardly Greg Oden's "arrival." The Blazers were not good with Greg Oden on the floor in that game, despite his thunderous dunks. I'm not worried about it. He's brand new to this -- fresh off a major injury, and new to the NBA. He's on a path to really dominate. But even as he does breathtaking things, the arrival is yet to come. At the moment it's still more about working out the kinks than producing. Once again last night, Oden was the worst player on the floor, in terms of plus/minus, while his replacement, Joel Przybilla, was the best. An interesting point is that with tiny sample sizes (Oden has only played 176 minutes), Oden has a fantastic PER -- way better than Przybilla -- yet the Blazers are better in general when he's on the bench. That probably means nothing over such a small amount of time, but I would be compelled to examine Oden's defense -- which PER really does not assess -- for an explanation.
• Larry Hughes hits a game-winner for Chicago, against Utah. Blog-a-Bull: "Finally, all of those forced up leaning 22 foot jump-shots paid off. He's practiced that in any situation, with any group of teammates, and against any opponent. So he knew how to get it done as the clock (which he couldn't even see as the Jazz arena was a joke tonight) expired. May this get you traded after all, good work!"
• Check out the amazing photo at the bottom of this blog post. Wait, is that ... A.C. Green ... anointing Shaquille O'Neal with an abstinence bear? 
• The Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman: "How volatile is the Rockets' roster? At one point in the first quarter, Ron Artest was trying to talk sense into Rafer Alston."
• Another kind of analysis, same story: The Cavaliers are good.
• Cuttino Mobley's physical holds up the Zach Randolph trade. Of course, the Knicks can accept Mobley anyway, but if he's not healthy, that gives Donnie Walsh yet another piece that's hard to move.
• Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune: "Great quote from Mehmet Okur, who was asked if he celebrates Thanksgiving at the pregame shootaround. 'No we don't. I like turkey, though,' he said, before adding. 'Country first, then bird.'"
• Worrying about Mike Dunleavy's knee. His timetable for return has gotten awfully vague.
• On Tyson Chandler's site, there is video of Tyson talking about how great it would be if Barack Obama keeps a joking promise to sign a 10-day contract with the Hornets. Chandler points out that opponents would have to deal with Chris Paul, David West, Tyson Chandler, Barack Obama, and the secret service.
• Can somebody please tell me in 500 words or less what the story is with the people in the woods with the dungeons and dragons costumes on Channing Frye's blog? I need more context.
• Mike Conley thinks he is better than you at guitar hero.
• Do you follow the team, or the player? A lot of international fans, especially, are loyal just to a player from their country, which can make for a weird fan dynamic.
• Whispers of financial trouble at some Russian teams, including some teams that recently recruited away NBA players. And CSKA's women's team bows out of Euroleague competition. That's the organization that very recently seemed to have limitless cash.
• In a fluke of timing, Ettore Messina, who coaches the CSKA men's team, has a new blog post on Sports.ru about being friends with co-workers on a basketball team. "I think players should have their privacy, their chemistry, their way of joking and making fun of myself and other coaches. They need to have enough privacy to express their feelings, especially when they are unhappy about my decisions. I don't believe in being friends with somebody who could decide your playing time or your future in the team. This 'friendship' will work when everything goes fine, but once I sit you on the bench, you are not my friend any longer. So I don't want to provoke this kind of situations. I became friends with many players I coached. To name a few: Sasha Danilovic, Zoran Savic, Roberto Brunamonti, Antoine Rigaudeau. I consider them my true friends that I can give a call or ask for a support at any moment. But we became friends only after I finished being their coach. Our coaching staff is a team where I can do things that players do among themselves -- like joking, having a pizza after the game, sometimes arguing and blowing off the steam. I've been lucky to have great people around me."
• People in England are playing basketball, apparently, which is new. It's the fourth most played sport among young people. And Tony Blair plays too. Who knew?
• Mark Woods in Britain's Guardian: "... don't weep for PJ or Eddie. Don't fear for their future or lose sleep, worrying that they might not recover. They won't rest idle long. The next pay cheque will arrive, sooner rather than later. Because, inevitably, the NBA famiglia takes care of its own. In this club, once you're in, and have acquired some semblance of lustre, there'll be a welcome, some place. The basketball bench business is a nepotistic world where informal dynasties are spawned, mentors look out for their pupils, debts are accumulated and favours called in. Of the 28 (non-interim) head coaching incumbents, only 10 are enjoying their first crack at the top job. The same number are having their second shot at the gig and Larry Brown, somewhat greedily, is on his ninth. Plenty of discarded chiefs are awaiting the carousel's next spin. So Jordan could be reunited with former cohort Byron Scott in New Orleans once the terms of his separation are finalised. And even if Popovich cannot create a vacancy to bring Carlesimo back, Mike Brown -- another Pop disciple -- may find some room. If not in Cleveland, the door will open. It always does."
• Cleveland-based Waiting for Next Year on the return of Antonio McDyess to Detroit: "To be clear, nobody broke any rules here. Every team acted precisely in a manner that is well within their rights under the current CBA. The Nuggets had every right to buy out McDyess' contract. Why would the Nuggets, a team already slashing payroll to get under the luxury tax level, want to keep paying a high salary to a player who has no intention of showing up and playing there? So the Nuggets did what was best for them, and worked out a buyout for McDyess. If McDyess wants to wait 30 days to play and if he wants to give up even more money beyond what he left behind in his buyout with Denver, it's his right to do so and to sign with the Pistons. But maybe, just maybe, the NBA needs to clean up this rule. It makes it entirely too easy for teams to get around certain rules that are in place for a reason. The rule requiring the salaries in a deal to matchup is in place as a form of safeguarding against uneven trades. A trade of Billups and McDyess for Iverson sounds somewhat fair, but a trade of Billups for Iverson straight up is in no way a fair or even trade. Yeah, the Nuggets got what they wanted in the form of a salary dump, but this affects other teams. The Cavaliers, Celtics, and Bobcats were all teams expected to have a shot at McDyess ... if he wasn't already determined to go back to Detroit, of course." I know lots of people are just dying for more rules to stop someone like McDyess from being traded to another city, then bought out and returning home. But the libertarian in me can barely stomach trades, let alone whatever the fix would be. McDyess has a house and a life in Detroit, and an employer there who'd like to pay him to do what he's best at. What's more, he has total freedom to be lured elsewhere. But keeping him from the job in the city he wants -- that's not making the world a better place.
• BlazersEdge is doing a great thing here -- getting readers to buy 50 tickets to send kids in need to a game.
• UPDATE: David Falk says whatever is wrong with the Wizards starts in the owners' office.

Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail:

That Lopez guy is going to be a pretty good player for a No. 10 pick. Huge. Solid offensive game, smart defensively, he'll be a 10-year starter in the NBA, easy.

But know this: He has the biggest feet I've ever seen, I think. He's seven feet on the floor with a bunch of size 15s and 16s and his feet were like, twice as big as anyone else's. How big are your feet when they look too big for your body and you're a big seven footer? He's to feet what Zaza Pachulia is to heads. 

You can see his feet below. They look pretty big, although they are reported to be size 20, which is three sizes smaller than Shaquille O'Neal's reported shoe size. Either set of feet appears to be somewhat larger than this dude's skis. (photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images):

• Tom Knott of The Washington Times: "The firing of Eddie Jordan as coach of the Wizards was undeserved. The back-to-the-'90s move was implemented after the shell of a team stumbled to a 1-10 start. And this team is a shell. It is a patchwork of parts that no one -- not even the late Red Auerbach -- could make chicken salad out of chicken fertilizer with it."
• Michael Wilbon of The Washington Post: "I probably should admit here that I'm rooting for Ed Tapscott, whom I've been close friends with for 20 years, to find some way to trigger a turnaround. What keeps me from thinking 'Same old Bullets' right about now is that Ernie Grunfeld has a track record of being right about these things, and Tapscott can diagnose what ails a team as well as anyone. In tandem, they set up the Knicks to reach the NBA Finals twice. They were setting the table in Milwaukee before ownership got meddlesome. Eddie Jordan is unemployed now, though surely not for long, because Grunfeld's instincts tell him the Wizards ought to be better than their record and because he believes Tapscott can get out of them something Jordan couldn't. Few people can communicate the game's strategies and its nuances, to insiders or outsiders, as well as Ed Tapscott. Whether the coach, new or old, can get the players to do what he knows is necessary is always at the core of the season."
• Chris McCosky of The Detroit News: "There are countless reasons the Pistons are thrilled Antonio McDyess is coming back, but one stood out to coach Michael Curry. 'Everybody thought I was crazy bringing 'Dyess off the bench,' Curry said. 'Now you look at our second quarters, and we are like minus-60 and everybody realizes why I brought him off the bench.' In the five losses since McDyess was traded to Denver, Detroit has been outscored by 51 points in the second quarter, a time when the reserves are on the floor. McDyess can re-sign with the Pistons on Dec. 7 -- 30 days after he agreed to take a buyout from the Nuggets. He is expected to sign a two-year contract with a player option for the second year. He will make a full $1.9 million this year, and $2.06 million if he takes the second year."
• George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon-Journal: "The New York media will be out in force looking for any nugget of a quote that will show any intent on James' part. Never mind that any decision regarding his NBA future is two years away. LeBron James wasn't available for comment Monday, but Ilgauskas said that it's not an issue with the team. Mike Brown agreed. The media have 'a job to do so you've got to be able to write something, so ask the question. I don't care,' he said. Ilgauskas doesn't think the talk will bother James. 'No [it's not a distraction], not to us and not to him. It's not as bad as in China last year,' he said. 'They think he's God over there. L.B.'s handled it well so far. He always plays his best in the Garden, so we're not worried about it. We have to do our best.'"
• Frank Isola and Mark Lelinwalla of the New York Daily News: "It's too early for the Knicks to tell LeBron James directly how much they want him. But when his Cavaliers visit the Garden Tuesday, James will be the one showing love to New York. He will step onto the court wearing a special 'New York' version of his sneakers. Dark red, the Big Apple Zoom LeBron VI sneakers take inspiration from the city's nickname. Last season at the Garden, James wore his LeBron V sneakers, which featured pinstripes to honor the Yankees, his favorite baseball team. He scored 50 points that night."
• Janny Hu of the San Francisco Chronicle: "Jamal Crawford received his 2-inch thick copy of the Warriors' playbook Monday, and without committing a single set to memory, already felt in command. Eliminating the distractions of the soap-opera Knicks will have that effect. 'All the stuff that happened in New York, if you're still there, it's like, 'Oh, you're just part of that whole losing regime,' ' said Crawford, who debuts tonight against the Wizards. 'I think we had some good players, we just didn't gel and it just didn't work out. But that tag is always on you. So I want to shake that tag. It's a new start.' Crawford's initial shock at being traded has turned into delight over his new surroundings, and the chance to run Golden State's offense in particular."
• Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: "The first change of many to help jump-start Carmelo Anthony's offensive game was a subtle one Sunday against Chicago. It was a turn-and-face. When Anthony caught the ball on the block, or just off the block, he immediately turned to face the defender. It gave him clear vision of any impending double-teams and the ability to make a crisper play than he could with his back to the basket. The Nuggets sent cutters through the lane, and he hit them for layups and dunks. Other times, his face-up slowed or stopped the double-team, allowing him to get a clearer look at a shot. Details like this are what coach George Karl, Anthony and the team are addressing to help their best scorer lift himself from an early-season shooting slump."
• Eric Koreen of the National Post: "As this NBA season has progressed, the Toronto Raptors' season has become gloomier and gloomier. That pessimism reached a nadir Sunday when Boston spanked the Raptors by 15 points in Toronto. But look at the bright side: Andrea Bargnani has been decent at small forward. In the five games he has started at the position, Bargnani has averaged 17 points and 5.4 rebounds. 'We thought Andrea could play [small forward],' Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. 'I think Andrea, to everybody's surprise, is playing well at that position. He's guarding well. He's rebounding. He's aggressive. He's scoring.'"
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "It's easy for an NBA player to become selfish and self-absorbed. This is a league where statistics matter, particularly when your contract expires at the end of the season. And that's what makes me admire Raymond Felton so much these days. Everyone says they'll do what it takes to win, but Felton lives it. When Larry Brown moved rookie point guard D.J. Augustin into the starting lineup, Felton could have treated this like a threat. Had Felton frozen out Augustin, leaving him to figure out the NBA by himself, Felton would have been no more selfish than half this league. Instead, Felton took charge of the transition. He mentors Augustin so much, he should draw a coaching salary atop his player salary. With Augustin scoring and passing, Felton has channeled his energy toward defense and rebounding."
• Jerry Brown of the East Valley Tribune: "The losses haven't been pretty -- especially against the upper crust of the Western Conference -- but they haven't come as frequently as the Suns GM steeled himself for. And at 9-5, the Suns were tied for the second-best record in the conference Monday with a chance to end November strong with four games against losing teams, beginning with Tuesday's trip to Oklahoma to meet the 1-13 Thunder. 'I don't know if people understand what it takes to change styles and rotations and players' minutes, especially for us because we have been such a rhythm team,' Steve Kerr said. 'We've been dialed into what we were doing because it was just a continuation of the last season. Now, everything is different. Yeah, it's just basketball but at this level, any indecision or unfamiliarity is going to show up.' ... Kerr is most pleased with Phoenix's defense. The Suns beat Portland 102-92 on Saturday, marking the eighth time in 14 games they held an opponent to less than 100 points, winning seven times."
• Art Thompson III of The Orange County Register: "Line of the night uttered by a clearly disenchanted fan at the conclusion of yet another Clippers' loss, Monday night at Staples Center to the New Orleans Hornets. 'Dunleavy, fire yourself.' The fan of course was noting that Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy has added the official title of general manager this season, putting him in total charge of all basketball-related decisions. But would the GM consider firing the coach in light of the team's dismal 2-12 start? In all likelihood, no. Yet, Dunleavy was involved in a similar situation in Milwaukee. He held the dual roles of head coach and vice president of basketball operations but was relieved of his coaching duties after a