- Gregg Popovich holds his three best players out of an important game against the Nuggets. (And the Nuggets play so badly they almost lose to the JV team.) Now, look, I accept that Popovich's long-term plan is to win as much as possible. As in, he isn't tanking because he wants to lose. Instead, he wants to win, and this is part of some master plan. So I'm OK with it. Arguably the best coach in the NBA is the one who is least wedded to having top players kill themselves game in and game out. That could be the ultimate proof that the NBA season is too long for its own good. However, here Popovich has surely offended those who bought expensive tickets to see the mighty Spurs, as well as fans of teams who hoped Denver would lose for playoff positioning reasons.
- What does it mean to be a captain? ESPN's Ric Bucher says it's mostly ceremonial, unless you're Stephen Jackson or a New Yorker: "I've never heard of captaincy increasing a player's value, but I know of one instance where it had a huge impact: Stephen Jackson being named captain by the warriors a year after his problems Indy. It seemed like a crazy move by coach Don Nelson at the time, but it motivated Jackson to tone down his act and set a better example. He was truly flattered by the gesture and thus more focused and useful to the team. ... I get the sense that it's more of an honorary title with a lot of teams. But for some odd reason, the New York media makes a bigger deal about it than most. I've heard Dave D'Alessandro from the Newark Star-Ledger literally preface a question by saying, 'So, captain ...' I can't say I've ever heard that any place else."
- The Sixers are faster -- and for one game, at least, better -- without Elton Brand.
- ESPN's Chad Ford suggests various ways Orlando might solve its need for a point guard -- and keep its title drive alive. One idea: ship Hedo Turkoglu to Portland. Where do I sign? Also, baseless but interesting suggestion from Toronto of Jerryd Bayless and LaMarcus Aldridge for Chris Bosh.
- The Collective Bargaining Agreement is still here. But the other CBA, the Continental Basketball Association, may not be. It is older than the NBA, and could fall victim to rough economic times.
- A lot of people will blame the CBA's demise on Isiah Thomas, who ran the league for a while, to disastrous effect. But maybe it's not the time to be hard on Thomas, who will be confronting a new annoyance soon. His first name is five letters, right? But all over the web, you'll find talk of "Isaiah" Thomas who used to run the Knicks. NBA fans learned that six-letter version from Isaiah Rider, and they just want to apply it across the board. Well, now there's an NBA prospect -- he plays a little like Damon Stoudamire, they say -- whose name is ... Isaiah Thomas. If he makes the league, the elder Thomas might never have his name spelled properly again.
- When the NBA used to have H-O-R-S-E. These players need to wear microphones, though. The fun of H-O-R-S-E is the show.
- You have probably seen that various young healthy Suns are in the habit of carrying Shaquille O'Neal onto the court. Then he catches another teammate -- Alando Tucker -- in the air, and swings him around like an airplane. O'Neal tells Suns.com's Stefan Swiat about it: "'The guys holding me up are called 'The LPC,'' O'Neal declared. 'The Levitation Process Crew. It's because I levitate above all competition. And of course, because there is no such thing as levitation, I need a Levitation Process Crew.' I thought that last part went without saying. But 'The Diesel' explained further. 'This 'Gentleman in my Arms,'' he said pointing at Tucker, 'shows that we have trust in each other because he's just diving into my arms - and I just want to let him know that I got his back. It's a symbol of trust.'"
- Your team not playing well enough? Hypnotize them.
- Kevin Durant for Most Improved Player?
- This always makes me feel a little strange. Why does this matter, and to whom? But for what it's worth, a big listing of all the white American players in the NBA. Indiana, by the way, leads the league with five.
- Mark Cuban with another good idea to solve the credit crisis. Reward people for saving more, so long as that money is then loaned to others.
- Dwight Jaynes on car maintenance, curmudgeons, and why he happily spreads bad news even as things seem to be going very well in Portland: "Way, way back - like decades ago - I bought my first new car. It was a Honda Accord, and a very nice machine. I took meticulous care of it for a long while, at least until I had it paid off. However, after that, I kind of just forgot about regular maintenance. You know, the car was running so smoothly, I had other things to do and well, stuff happens. As you might imagine, if you go a long time without things like simple oil changes, you pay the price. And I did. The motor blew up and I had a very high tab to pay to get the thing running again. I learned a big lesson. You see, even if everything seems to be running smoothly, you need to look under the hood once in a while. You need periodic checkups. In sports, the occasional loss is your little warning light on the dashboard. The defeats remind you to check the oil or the battery. But if you somehow evade losses, pile up a nice stretch of wins, you can forget those regular checkups. You can get carried away with your good fortune. Before you know it, you've got real problems and it's too late to deal with them. So I like to be the guy - the idiot light on your dash, if you wish - reminding you of some of the things that need attention."
- ShamSports with an unbelievable update on former NBA player Jumaine Jones: "Jumaine Jones was suspended from European basketball for a year in September by FIBA, for the weird yet wonderful crime of signing contracts with two different teams at the same time; one with Alyssa
Milano, and one with Ural Great Perm in Russia. However, he's been playing for the greatly named Great Perm anyway, averaging 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in Russian league play. How that is possible, I don't know -- Russia is in kind of both Europe and Asia, depending on which you want to count it as at any given moment. However, Great Perm have played in both the Eurocup and EuroChallenge this season, and, as the names would suggest, those are European competitions. Yet Jumaine has been playing in them, averaging 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in the EuroChallenge. Any answers as to how this is possible?" - You know how players sign letters of intent, to attend a certain university? That document is not so great for players.
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