• More Ricky Rubio bounce passes

• More LOB CITY

• More KD game winners

• More Amir Johnson put back slams

• More Denver Nuggets dancing

• More Shaq and Charles, Inside the NBA

• More Bosh and the Big 3

• More supporters of #FreeSteveNash movement

• More Lamar and Kris on the basketball court

• More D Rose, More MVP

• More Rookie Goodness

• More WORLD PEACE

With 5 games on tap to kick off the season, I compiled a video to get you in the NBA Christmas spirit. Happy Holidays. Enjoy!

(Video credits to users on Youtube)

Atlanta Hawks: They dug up the grave and pulled out TMac, Stackhouse & Vlad Rad? Too bad they couldn’t bury JJ’s contract. First round exit seems realistic.

Boston Celtics: Shortened season helps the aging big 3, but with the loss of Green and Big Baby its going to be hard to go deep in the East.

Chicago Bulls: Rose has to be in full bloom all season with little backup. Solid front court should guarantee some good battles in the playoffs.

Charlotte Bobcats: They may not have much,  but what they do have going for them is a roster full of guys with hella cool names. Rebuild in effect.

Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron season ticket holders are gone. Expect to see a whole lot of empty seats (see: NJ Nets 09-10 season). Rebuild in effect.

Dallas Mavericks: Damn. They got real old, real quick. Not sure if they can repeat but that would have been a dream team 6 years ago.

Denver Nuggets: They got the tattoo title on lock and should remain players in the West by re-signing their guys in addition to adding Fernandez and Faried.

Detroit Pistons: If anyone is going to be worse than the Raptors it will be this years Detroit Pistons. Rebuild in effect.

Golden State Warriors: “Mama, There goes that man!”… Oops, it’s just Kwame jogging out the building after looting the Warriors. New Coach, young team, not ready.

Houston Rockets: Not a player with more than 8 years in the NBA and a coach that has seen it all. This is going to be an interesting experiment.

Indiana Pacers: They won the David West sweepstakes and if they can keep Granger healthy, this team may be the surprise of the East.

Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers now have a wait list for season tickets! ’nuff said. Oh, and Chris Paul. Slot them into your League Pass favorites.

Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe may be losing half his net worth but isn’t about to do the same on the court. Expect the Lake Show to remain the hottest ticket in town

Memphis Grizzlies: The best underdog story from last season took a blow with the loss of Darrell Arthur to a torn ACL. A healthy Gay should keep them in the mix.

Miami Heat: (Dream Team – Take #2) They chose Eddy Curry over Magloire… really?!? Well, maybe the second time’s the charm. /scene

Milwaukee Bucks: They need Bogut w/ 2 fully functioning arms ‘cuz Stephen Jackson is not the answer. Not sure where this team is going but it’s not the ECF.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Rubio has finally made it across the pond… only to throw passes up court to Bonzi Wells. Rooting hard for this team but let’s be realistic.

New York Knicks: What a difference a year can make… and the fact that every guy in the NBA wants to play in NY. Contenders as far as the PG’s can take them.

New Jersey Nets: No Dwight & still in Jersey, the Nets are headed for a season of uncertainty. The main question… How long does the Kardashian effect last?

New Orleans Hornets: CP3 was going to leave eventually. They managed to get great value back… now if they could just get a real owner. Caution: Rebuild ahead.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Have you seen Kendrick Perkins lately? A full season with this roster should put them as the team to beat in the West.

Orlando Magic: This team is headed in the wrong direction but I would still pay PPV $$ to have Stan Van Gundy mic’ed up for a game. Caution: Rebuild ahead.

Portland Trailblazers: They lost Brandon Roy, still have no answers about Oden and remain without a GM. Great way to kick off what looked like a promising season.

Philadelphia 76′ers: Still waiting for Evan Turner to blow up but this team has enough guys to squeak into the playoffs for a second straight season.

Phoenix Suns: “Hey Sarver, it’s time to let go.” Nash and Hill remain on this team that is a shell of its former self. Warning: Losing Season Ahead.

Sacramento Kings: JIMMMMER! Healthy Tyreke! Staying in SacTo! The win-loss record will be ugly but they should be fun to watch.

San Antonio Spurs: Duncan, Ginobli & Parker aren’t getting younger so Popovich needs his young guys to step up in order to avoid last season’s playoff outcome.

Toronto Raptors: Ever wonder how a 15 man roster of role players would fare in the NBA? Time to find out… Rebuild in effect.

Utah Jazz: Coach Corbin will have to settle for 66 games in his first full season after replacing Jerry Sloan. Roster looks like its time for a rebuild.

Washington Wizards: Digging the new look uniforms, not so much the team around John Wall. Like last season, this is a work in progress.

There are enough amazing columns about the whole ordeal from the leadup to the letdown (see below for a few selections). Everyone has an opinion and on this night in particular — they had jokes. One of the things that grabbed my attention was seeing how other athletes reacted to the news. I selected a few and formed a timeline as the events unfolded. Here goes…

THE HYPE…

Anthony Morrow – If LeBron leaves Cleveland they may as well go back to wearing those black unis wit the orange rim on them like back when bob sura played LOL

Sean May – Just got finished hoopn headed home to see what LBJ gone say! I say cleavland! Lol! This is kind of wild how everyone is waiting to see what 1 person does

Chris Bosh – Finally done with my physicals! I have to hurry so I can get in front of the TV and watch “The Decision”

Aaron Brooks – Lebron will start his own team in the state of Akron. Obama and Stern have approved the expansion of NBA and USA. Akron Kings

Larry Fitzgerald – Maybe Lebron should do like his commercial from last year & just announce that he’s gonna play WR for the Browns this season lol

Jordan Crawford – This is not about where bron gonna go… This is just a step for him to see if he can take over the world smh.. First step COMPLETE

Nate Robinson – Where is this dude LeBron going? He needs to hurry up B

Chris Bosh – I’m suited up and ready! Bout to watch ESPN. This is sports history we’re watching tonight!

TJ Ford – Who watch’n the decision.. Didn’t think I would be tune but I am.. This season will be off tha chain.

Anthony Morrow – “The Decision” LOLOLOL this sh*t is ridiculous!!!

Jordan Crawford – Bra it’s 9:03 we need the answer… What’s good

James Harden – HURRY UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jalen Rose – I’m glad Darko didn’t make us wait this long to get drafted or to sign this summer…HA!

DeJuan Blair – Lebron James is going to Chicago and Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are coming out of retirement. Steve Kerr will be coach!!!

Charlie Bell – The world is at a stand still. Lol

JaVale McGee – R we seriously waiting for Lebron to say 4 words… I’m going to Miami/Chicago/New York/Cleveland

DeMar DeRozan – I wonder what’s the ratings on this? Lol

Jonny Flynn – Every follower I have is talking about LeBron. The world is In a stand still! Lol

DeJuan Blair – I’m nervous like I’m makin the decision lol!!!!! Well everybody I’m goin 2 da spurs thanks everybody 4 watching lol!!! Hahahahhaha!!

Andy Roddick – lebron is working an awesome abe lincoln beard in this interview!!! tight!!!

DRUMROLL….

Jason Thompson – WOW

DeMar DeRozan – Knew it….

JaVale McGee – R u still a nail biter…r u serious?…and Miami wow

Sean May – Wow!!! Didn’t think he’d pull the trigger

DeJuan Blair – WOWWWwwwwwwwwww!!!!!! No REsPECT!!! SMGDH!!!!

Marcus Williams – Sucker move.

DeMar DeRozan – What’s next Melo and Dwight to the Lakers?

Andy Roddick – cue will smith “welcome to miami”

Jared Dudley – WOW Miami! I can’t believe it!! Who would of thought D-Wade Lebron and Bosh on the same time..I really believed it was goin to be the knicks

Chris Bosh – Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jared Dudley – Lebron at the end of the day makes his own decisions.. He could of had a change of heart.. I feel bad for Cleveland and the Knicks

Chad Ochocinco – I just purchased courtside tickets for the #HEAT games once football season ends, my judgement was wrong, but this finna be #awesome

Sean May – I don’t know how they goin do next year! But I know they goin be nice on NBA 2k11 ! Lol

Jalen Rose – I don’t want to see fans of the Knicks/Bulls/Nets/Cavs/Clips/Heat(esp celebs) RUNNING to the camera on the Heat bandwagon.

Kyle Lowry – Dont everybody jump on!!

Reggie Bush – I know one thing, Miami gonna be crazy now!!!! Lol!!!

Sean Singletary – He said Miami n every girl n south beach jus got thirsty…

Chris Douglas Roberts – Ok….so it’s obvious that the Bucks will win the Central Division. What else do you guys see going on in the East?

Kyle Lowry – The heat will have 82 national tv games!!!

Jalen Rose – Pat Riley is the GODFATHER of the league.. All he needs now is talk w/a cottonball in his mouth.

Terrence Williams – Kobe would have never done nothing like that, an he’s the best, now if they don’t get a ring how sick would they B. I def will be playing with the heat on 2k11 tho

TJ Ford – That’s crazy.. Shouldn’t burn his jersey but that’s why we luv our family & talk about our familys so much” ain’t no luv in tha city ” jay z

Dwight Howard – Cmon cavs fans don’t do that. That man went hard for y’all for 7 yrs. He doin what’s best for him burning his jersey is messed up. That’s bs. Burning his jersey. That man tried. Wow

Matt Barnes – They bought there self a DREAM TEAM over in MIA. This will be interesting!!

Kevin Durant – …bron dwade n bosh are gonna b tuff…we gon see them on campus at Thunder U. this season…shuld be a fun game!!! #thunderup

Chris Paul – Glad bron finally got that off his chest…NO ONE can possibly imagine how tough that decision was for him…wish him all the best!!!

DeSean Jackson – This shit crazy Lebron signed wit miami with d wade and c bosh.. They tryn do somethangs huh?? Tryn buy a championship.. LAKERS.. Kobe24

Donte Stallworth – The focus should be on how SELFLESS these 3 guys are in taking LESS $ to try to win a championship… The media is funny!

Dwyane Wade – MIAMI. Welcome my brothers @KingJames and @chrisbosh to YOUR city.

Martellus Bennett – I know who I’m picking on NBA 2K11 lol. Heaaaattttt.

Jonny Flynn – Does ppl really think he wanted to disappoint CLE? He made HIS decision. What made HIM happy. Ppl have to respect it

Nick Collison – DECISION 11′ has officially begun!!! 365 days until Nick Collison announces his free agent decision in a one hour special live on PBS!!!

JR Smith – And the games begin!! Don’t get me wrong they are going to be a good team but I think we going to be ready! #trust

Jalen Rose – LBJ might as well put his house in Ohio on the market…it will be the biggest celeb mansion on the market since 50 Cent in CT.

Charlie Villanueva – Miami just more brought more attention and hyped entertainment to the @NBA league. I think it doesn’t hurt the game, it helps majorly.

Manu Ginobli – Rumor: @LScola4 to Miami? They say they need at least one explosive athlete in the team…

Rod Benson – CODDAMN DAN GILBERT. Man that’s true anger right there. Today has been absolutely nuts.

Kyle Lowry – Cavs owner snap!!! That’s crazy how you see people real side when things dnt go their way!!!! Wow!!!!!!

Chris Bosh – It’s madness out here! I’m on cloud 9 right now! This is like a dream come true to play with @dwadeofficial and @kingjames!

CJ Watson – Dan Gilbert went in on bron bron lol he’s hot

Mario Chalmers – All I can say is this is gonna b a fun and exciting year. Can’t wait till oct 1st. Somebody tell Lebron to hills at me bout #6 lol

Jared Dudley – Wow!! U see what the owner of the Cavs said about Lebron.. Crazy!! I know he’s from there but DAMN!!! I never heard a owner talk like that

BEGIN: Mo Williams Meldown

- Well fuck, I gotta be honest. I’m sick ass a dog. I feel like my heart has been pulled out. But I’m happy for my friend. Shittttttttt
- I can’t believe this is really real. This is surreal. So many emotions on one man decision. I wonder what is our next move.
- The only thing, and I mean the only thing I disagree with is…. If he knew somewhere else was the destination. He should have spared cle on National TV
- But this was history so we might not understand the magnitude today. But when we look back on this, we might not see this again.
- I still can’t believe he gone y’all. 4real no bs. I think we all took it for granted and thought it was a no brainer and he was resigning
- The person that I feel most sorry for is mike brown. He is a really good coach.

END: Meltdown – The King has spoken… SIGH

LeBron James – What’s up yall. Just landed in my new home. Thanks to all the fans and Miami organization who greeted me. The Road to History starts now!

Other must read articles on Lebronapalooza

Henry Abbot @TrueHoop (ESPN): Name the crimes of LeBron James
Bruce Arthur @bruce_arthur (The National Post): James makes ruthless play for Miami
John Krolik @johnkrolik (Cavs: The Blog): We Are All Witnesses
Will Leitch @williamfleitch (NY Magazine): LeBron React: Never Has Being A Sports Fan Felt So Stupid
Joe Posnanski (Curiously Long Posts): The LeBron Decision

Fans in Toronto can be angry about how he handled free agency but there are two parties involved here. Colangelo an Raptors management as a whole tried to play hardball and that may eventually cost them. From the looks of it, Bosh has decided to take less money to play where he wants. If that’s the case — good on him. He has stressed for a long time that he wants to win (3 playoff games won in 7 years is hardly a resume to boast about) and going to Miami where Pat Riley has shown he knows how to put together a winning team confirms that. The fact that Miami has just 4 players under contract is a whole nother story and should be interesting to see the pieces placed around the two stars.

Along with the winning, Bosh had said in the past that he wants to be the man somewhere. I guess no one told him that Miami is Wade County. Nonetheless, he has a better chance of being in the spotlight with Wade than with King James. Bosh never got the National exposure playing north of the border, but the losing didn’t help his case. Maybe if they won a series or two things would have been different. That’s as much on the Raptors organization as on him, the captain of the Toronto Raptors.

Right now that is my concern — The Raptors organization. They had plenty of chances to surround Bosh with good players but always picked the wrong guy. Colangelo tried to bring in friends of Bosh (see: TJ Ford and J Jack) to keep him happy but he would have been better off getting real talent around the 5 time all-star. Bosh walking and leaving the $30million is a big time blow to the Raptors. Bosh can make up some of that lost money on piggy back endorsements with Wade maybe and the face that Florida has no state taxes. The Raptors meanwhile can be blamed for Miami having the room to sign him in the first place. Colangelo did the Marion trade which allowed for Miami to clear space with the expiring Jermaine O’neal contract. Major OUCH.

There is still time for the Raptors to work something out and for the teams sake I hope they do. As stated many times on this blog — I am a season seat holder and my dedication is to this team (not an individual player) but when things like this happen I feel like I am being robbed in plain daylight. I have no ill feelings towards Bosh. Rather, a lot of great memories in 7 years with the Toronto Raptors. I will be one of the fans rooting for him as he continues his NBA journey and apologize in advance for all the fans at the ACC who will boo him.

Picture Above is via @sportscenter

INKED

Joe Johnson – Atlanta Hawks*
6 years @ $119 Million (not fully confirmed)
One of the marquee free agents of the summer, the Hawks wasted no time handing out a max contract to a payer who hugely underperformed during this years playoffs. Johnson has helped the team become relevant but after two years of disappointing endings, it’s come as a bit of a surprise that the Hawks didn’t think twice about the massive contract. There is a moratorium period to go through but all signs point to Joe returning as a Hawk — this time under a new coach.

Rudy Gay – Memphis Grizzlies
5 years @ $81.6 Million
That’s a lot of cash for a guy who has yet to live up to the billing. A restricted free agent, Rudy Gay was scheduled to meet with other teams but the Grizzlies didn’t want to wait and see how things played out. On day 1 of free agency they jumped the gun and offered him a max deal and that grin on his face got just a little bigger. Every year we see teams overpaying to keep their own guys but its strange the Grizz didn’t wait to let the market determine his worth.

Drew Gooden – Milwauke Bucks
5 years @ $32 Million
This is the longest contract of his career — I kid you not! Gooden has been a journeyman but never really played like one. He seems to fit with whichever team he is playing for but they never seem to want him back when they get the chance. This will be his 8th team and he should be able to provide some scoring for the Bucks on the front line who were extremely light at that spot beyond Bogut who should be healed after a horrible injury.

John Salmons – Miwaukee Bucks
5 years @ $39 Million
Salmons opted out of the final year of his contract only to ink a longer one with the same team. Brought over in a trade late in the season, he produced for the Bucks offensively and provided a veteran presence for the young team during the playoffs. The Bucks have been feeling generous over the last month by adding Corey Maggette and Chris Douglas Roberts to the mix. It is yet to be seen if there is enough ball to go around.

Amir Johnson – Toronto Raptors
5 years @ $34 Million
A member of the youth movement — dubbed the Young Guns, Amir flourished in Toronto last season. He is getting paid starter money but its going to be a challenge to get him to stay on the floor for starter minutes. The foul prone forward showed a lot of promise and will have some big shoes to fill with the eminent departure of Chris Bosh. He played well with Jose Calderon at point and fits well with what the team is trying to do. (More in a separate post)

Channing Frye – Phoenix Suns
5 years @ $30 Million
He scoffed at the original 5 yrs, $25 million contract offered by the Suns but it didn’t take them long to up the ante and get him locked up long term. Frye fit well in the Suns uptempo, drive and kick system. He became one of the more efficient 3 point shooters in the league playing beside one of the best to dish it. His role will expand with the departure of Amare but this is a good signing for a young guy who has room to grow.

Hakim Warrick – Phoenix Suns
4 years @ $18 Million
Damn those Suns are quicker off the court than they are on. Just hours after talks broke down with Amare Stodemire, the Suns reached out to forward Hakim Warrick and inked him to a 4 year deal. This essentially confirms the end of the Amare era in Phoenix and a fresh start with some younger faces. Warrick, a winner at the college level, has yet to find the right team to build his game with but if history is any indicator — Nash can make anyone look great.

Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics
4 years @ $61Million
Richard Jefferson opted out of the final year of his contract — kinda crazy. Paul Pierce not so much. Pierce was due to earn $21million in the final year of his contract and this new deal allows the team to take a lesser hit next year. His loyalty to the Celtics was evident when he signed his previous deal. He has won the coveted ring and went to the finals again this year. The window is slowly closing on the aging Celtics but their Captain looks to want to finish his career here.

Darko Milicic – Minnesota Timberwolves
4 years @ $20 Million
One word — KAHHHHN. Seriously how is this man still earning an NBA paycheck. One of the biggest busts was just given some job security by one of the most bizzare GM’s in the biz (advised by none other than Rob Babcock). This signing further implies that the Wolves are looking to move Al Jefferson who has dealt with some injuries. Darko has yet to do anything in his NBA career and I would advise against holding your breath for such occurrence to take place.

Nikola Pekovic- Minnesota Timbewolves
3 years @ $13 Million
Nikola was the first player to be signed as free agency opened and another bizzare move by Davd Kahn. The Wolves signed the 6`11 center, who was the teams’ second round pick in 2008 to a 3 year, $13 million contract. Projected to go higher in 2008, his value dropped due to contract issues. Issues no more though as he was given the most lucrative deal ever signed by a 2nd round pick. Again — KAHHHHN!!

MOVED

Corey Maggette to Milwaukee <-> Charlie Bell & Dan Gadzuric to Golden State

Chris Douglas Roberts to Mulwaukee <-> 2012, 2nd round pick to New Jersey

Yi Jianlian to Washington <-> Quentin Ross to New Jersey

H/T: Ball Don’t Lie

This is not the first time he has gone on camera with one of his impersonations…

We have seen him do his best Stan Van Gundy

His best Shaq

All this got me thinking… Who else would I want to see Dwight impersonate? Here are my suggestions, feel free to leave yours in the comments

Here are some of the highlights along with some link love…

D Wade is the “Worst Rapper”?

Looks like Baron Davis has recruited Wade to start up a contest on I Beat You (a business venture of Baron’s) Previously we have seen the likes of Steve Nash and Chris Bosh take part in contests but this one has the potential of being great if they can get Shaq and Ron Ron to enter.

Check out the Flash show of his skills on the mic – Rap 1 Rap 2

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Shaq steps into the ring

Sir Charles in Charge: Shaquille O’Neal On Raw (…)
Talk Hoops: Shaq Fu Part 2
Waiting For Next Year: While We’re Waiting… Shaquille O’Neal on Raw

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Shaq gets “blocked”

D.C. Sports Bog: Shaq Denied Entrance to White House
True Hoop: Shaquille O’Neal vs. the Secret Service
Binary Basketball: Shaq’s White House Marketing 101

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Shaq steps into reality

BDL: Shaq to face Phelps, Pujols and De La Hoya in new reality show
Awful Announcing: Shaq To Take On Various Athletes In New Reality Show
King James Gospel: The Big Diesel vs. Big Ben?

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Dwight Howard – Hey Wooorrrrld!

Right now Dwight Howard has pretty much set himself up to take over the most loveable big man title. He is everywhere – Twitter, Facebook, uSTREAM. His blog is updated on the regular giving his fans access like never before.

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Stephon Marbury has escaped from the BOX

For your enjoyment – Here you can find an MP3 of one of the famous quotes from #marburython and RedsArmy has a t-shirt ready to go

J.A Adande (ESPN): Streaming Steph is a sad, sad show
NBA Musings: When eccentric stops being fun
Empty the Bench: What’s Your Favorite Quote from Steph’s Live Stream?
Hoops Manifesto: He Blew His Mind Out

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The Race to 50K – CB4 v/s CV31

I wrote on the subject earlier in the month on HoH

Bleacher Report: An interview with Charlie Villanueva
Raptors Republic: The #50k Fail
Red’s Army: Villanueva, Bosh race to 50K on Twitter

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Ron Artest pays tribute to Michael Jackson

World Star Hip Hop: click here for the full version (H/T RoShine)
NBA Fanhouse: Ron Artest’s Tribute to Michael Jackson
Lake Show Life:Ron Artest’s Michael Jackson Rap Crap

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Ron Artest – Live in Concert

Sharapova’s Thigh: Ron Artest Rapping in China
The Faster Times: Ron Artest Brings the Hood to China
That NBA Lottery Pick: Ron Artest Rap Tour hits China

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UPDATE: Ron Artest Reflects – THE BRAWL

Had to throw this in. Ron Artest who has been touring China hopped onto twitter and posted the video along with the tweet: @96TruwarierQB Shin Shin wanted to know so I told her

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If I’m missing any stories… put in ‘em in the comments

Firstly, I would like to thank Zack Cooper (@ZCooperstown) for having me as a guest on his show. He was a great host and led me into the questions with ease. We got a chance to cover everything from Summer League to Jarrett Jack and his impact on Bosh staying past next season.

The segment aired while most of Toronto was asleep so for those who missed it you can listen to it right here. Please excuse my rookie mistakes – This is my first time doing anything of the sort. Gotta admit, I was nervous going into it but had a blast and hope to get an opportunity to do more of these in the future.

These are the dog days of summer when it comes to the NBA. You are trying to get excited about next season and summer league ball just isn’t cutting it.

Enter twitter…

I joined twitter about a year ago (@Nat77) and used it primarily to connect with other sports bloggers and fans. It was different from facebook because it lends itself to discussions. Slowly it began replacing my RSS reader and before I knew it I was addicted. Twitter has become a primary platform for athletes to connect with their fans and several athletes on twitter have echoed my sentiment, admitting the addiction.

Sometime last week, Charlie V(@cv31) challenged Chris Bosh(@chrisbosh) to see who could amass 50 thousand followers first. It’s not uncommon to see athletes conversing over twitter and this was a chance for fans to take part. The wager was that the loser would have to star in the winners video on Youtube. CV wanted Bosh to do the Shane Mercado and Bosh left it up to his “twitter army” to decide CV’s fate if he came out on the losing end of this. Bosh started off the challenge behind Charlie by about 2k followers but with the help of some major twitter spam, live chats and a entire country backing him – he managed to take the lead. The two started pulling out all the stops. Bosh pulled out the free stuff card and CV raised using the charity card.

This was all meant to be in good fun but at some point along the way it started to annoy the diehards. These guys were straight up begging – Charlie V even offered up $3100 worth of diamonds if he won! At any given time my entire twitter feed was taken over by the two, lost in the mix were tweets from people that were actually offering up intelligent material to ponder over. It came to a point I just wanted one of them to win quickly so my twitter could return back to normal. I found it amusing at times to see these athletes showing how bad they wanted to win even though this duel wasn’t going to be settled on a basketball court. No one likes to lose, especially two guys who play a sport for a living – winning is everything.

Late Tuesday night,  Bosh was down about 500 followers with under 1000 to go. It was the 4th quarter, it was go time and for a change Bosh came through in the clutch. He thanked his fans, CV gave him a virtual pat on the back and the world was spinning again.

In other news…

Lets NBA! – Trading away Jawai and Humphries suddenly left the Raptors lacking depth at the 5 spot. It has been widely rumored that the team is interested in bringing back Rasho Nesterovic using their bi-annual exception ($1.9M) Rasho has openly stated that he has always loved the city and the feeling is the team would welcome him back with open arms. The reunion will happen, the only question remains is – when?

Jacked Up – We are at the halfway point regarding the waiting period to see if the Pacers are going to match the offer sheet signed by Jarrett Jack to join the Raptors next season. Multiple sources have mentioned they don’t believe that Indiana is in a position to match but as we have seen this summer (See: Marcin Gortat) it ain’t over till the clock strikes 12. For what its worth, Bosh did have Jack as a guest on one of his live chats where the two spoke about Jack coming up to Toronto soon to find a place to stay – that is if bosh doesn’t plan to set up the bunk beds in his home. The two were roommates in college and from listening in on the chat, they seem to have maintained a solid friendship. I wanted the team to draft this guy in place of Joey Graham in 2005 and getting him now with the experience under his belt would be so much sweeter.

D Squared – The heir apparent in Toronto coming through “As Advertised” at NBA summer league. In 4 games, he has averaged 16.3PPG and 4.5RB (DD stats) He has been aggressive in all the games, his jump shot has been falling and aside from the production at the FT line, DeMar DeRozan is already proving to be just what this team needs. He has not shied away from having the ball in his hands in late game situations and the coaching staff have trusted him to make the correct decisions on the floor. With just 1 game left to go, he knows what he has to work on for the rest of the summer. There has been nothing but praise about this guy from the day he got drafted – check out this interview by Holly MacKenzie from the score – and we are still a few months from seeing him take the court in Toronto, but I believe this rookie will be in ROY conversations by mid January.

Delfino – $5 million? Apparently that’s what its going to take to get the former Raptor to return to the ACC. News came out yesterday that he was offered $4million a season and he was none to thrilled by that number. Personally, $4 million is still too much for a guy who didn’t show us enough the first time around and I would be hesitant to bet the bank on him. Sure he fills in some of the leaky spots in the rotation but I would much rather have Jack split time at the 1 and 2 and sign a Matt Barnes or Linus Klieza to fill the holes at the backup 3 spot. Either way we probably wont see any movement on this issue until the Jarrett Jack deal is finalized.

Shoulders or Cantaloupes?

While most people were getting some shut eye last night, Dwight Howard decided he wanted to chat with the fans and fired up UStream. He had just arrived in LA, settled into his hotel room and turned on his computer (no Playboy mansion for the man). After some technical difficulties – which prompted him to call room service at 1:00AM PST – he let out a big “HEY WOOORRRRLLLDDD!!” Viewers were greeted with the infamous smile and surprisingly a fully clothed Howard. To sum up the hour long chat he did some impresonations, showed us his candy stash, ate fries while answering fan questions and even busted out some MC Hammer when he got a shout out from the rapper himself.

With the explosion of twitter and facebook, Dwight has completely embraced his fans. He spent an entire plane ride replying to people until twitter told him he has exceeded their post limit. This is a guy who is on the cover of NBA Live, has won an Olympic gold medal and was playing in the NBA finals last month. As a fan of the game, I can only appreciate that he is taking time to do this and I hope that other athletes look to him as an example. You may not be as funny but everything you can give back to the fans will keep them wanting more.

If you aren’t one of the 500,000+ already following Dwight on twitter you should do so @DwightHoward – You can follow me too while you are at it @Nat77

If you have an hour to kill you can watch the recorded video from last night UStream (Video) or click the screen caps below to get a glimpse of what you missed.

Marcin Gortat: The Orlando Magic lost Hedo and gained Vince. Over the weekend they added another front court player in Brandon Bass. When the Mavericks signed Marcin Gortat to an offer sheet, all signs pointed to Orlando letting him walk. Over the weekend, rumblings were that Otis Smith has changed his tune and the team is now expected to match the Dallas offer. They will essentially be paying $6M per year for a guy who will remain in the shadows of Dwight Howard. My stance? FREE THE POLISH HAMMER! Gortat has been a project for the Magic and has slowly been developing under the tutelage of Patrick Ewing. Bottom line though, he will never get much playing time on that team, where as in Dallas he had the chance to be their starting center sending Dampier to the bench or out of Texas. From this Fanhouse interview it seems Gortat is actually bummed at the idea that Orlando wants to keep him and Dallas may have to turn to plan B.

Paul Millsap: The Utah Jazz are in a serious bind. They need to find a trade partner for Carlos Boozer which will then make it possible for them to match the offer sheet and retain the services of Millsap. They gave Okur a contract extension, but with Boozer picking up the option of his his final year @ $12.7M, they would have to go over the luxury tax to sign Millsap. The Blazers already got burned once in the free agent frenzy (See: Hedo Turkoglu) and are not taking chances this time around. Their offer sheet is structure to pay a signing bonus of $5.6M and most of the first years salary upfront. This means if Utah or any team would want to partake in this, they would have to sign over a check of roughly $10M right off the bat. The likelihood of that happening is slim with the times the way they are and this being the first major decision being made by the Miller family (who now run the Jazz since the passing of owner Larry Miller). The total amount for the contract on the offer sheet is 4 years $32M and unless the Jazz can find some trading partners real soon, it looks like Portland may have one more piece to their puzzle. Only problem is they are still lacking that play maker to play alongside Brandon Roy.

Other notable moves:

Grant Hill (Phoenix Suns) – After being courted by New York and Boston, Hill opted for the desert heat of Arizona. Phoenix gave him a chance to revive his career and repaid them by sticking around. The deal is said to be for $6M over 2 years with the second year being a player option.

Brandon Bass (Orlando Magic) – The Orlando Magic were oh so close, making it to the NBA finals in 2009 and adding a player like Brandon Bass is a great move for a team lacking a true PF. With Bass joining the team, Rashard Lewis can move over to his natural SF position. The deal is for 4 years worth $18M.

Antonio McDyess (San Antonio Spurs) – The Spurs are giving the Celtics a run for their money when it comes to sporting the “over 30″ lineup. The addition of McDyess is a solid one for a team whose window is closing fast. The 3 year contract starts at the full MLE which should keep him in Black and silver for the remainder of his career barring a trade.

Channing Frye (Phoenix Suns) – The Suns seemed to be blowing this thing up but now with re-signing Hill and talks of a Nash contract extension, the plans may have been altered. Channing Frye was lost in the mix in Portland and will get more playing time here but he is not a game changer and neither is his new contract which is said to be for 2 years @ $2M /yr.

Anthony Parker (Cleveland Cavaliers) – One of the classiest guys in the NBA, as a Raptor fan I am saddened by his departure. The Cavaliers may have lost out in the Artest, Ariza sweepstakes but they landed a solid guy who may not partake in the pre-game antics with Lebron and co, but for 2 years @ $3M/yr,  he will bring it every night on both ends of the floor.

Dahntay Jones (Indiana Pacers) – He was playing for the Nuggets on the cheap, defended Kobe in the playoffs and now has landed himself a 4 yr $11M contract in Indiana. A tough loss, Jones had become the defensive go to guy for Denver and a fan favorite. He will get more playing time and an elevated role in Indy as he continues to develop his game.

Zaza Pachulia (Atlanta Hawks) – 4yrs $18M is what it took to keep ZaZa in the ATL. The Hawks signed him just a day after re-signing Bibby to a multi-year contact and it is widely rumored they will be doing the same for Marvin Williams in the upcoming days.

Anderson Varejao (Clevland Cavaliers) – It seems that everything that went wrong with their negotiations a couple years back is water under the bridge as the Cavaliers dished out big time to keep Andy in Cleveland. 6 year deal worth $50M – overpaying much?

Mehmet Okur (Utah Jazz) – With the possibilities of losing Millsap and trying to trade Boozer the Jazz wanted to take no chances with Okur it seems. The two parties agreed on a 2 yr contract extension worth approx. $21M.

INKED

Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) As speculated Jason Kidd will remain in Dallas for the next 3 years at a price of approx. $25 million. Ironically the player he was originally traded for and who is 10 years younger, Devin Harris will also be paid the same amount over the next 3 seasons. This move shows me that Cuban is still defending the original trade ignoring the reality that it has been a bust from the start. Kidd is running on fumes and Harris is just warming up. Its safe to say this is where Kidd will end his career and with the team the way it is, this may not be a marriage made in heaven- I don’t see any ring on the finger in the near future.

Mike Bibby (Atlanta Hawks) Smart move for the Hawks. With Acie Law gone in return for Crawford they were left extremely thin at the point guard position. This deal will keep Bibby in ATL for the next 3 years and cost them roughly $6 million per season. Drafting Jeff Teague indicated that he is their PG of the future and in the meantime Bibby can help the Hawks continue with their winning ways while mentoring the young fella out of Wake Forest. I knocked the Hawks from the Crawford deal purely because I don’t think he can take on the PG duties on a regular basis but this fixes that – a rather leaky fix – but it should keep them on the right track going forward.

Rasheed Wallace (Boston Celtics) Big time victory for the C’s nabbing Sheed. He may not be young but neither is the rest of the team and a 2 year contract at MLE is perfect as the window may not be open to long for the Celtics. Adding Wallace to the roster adds another dominant defensive presence on the front line making it one of the best in the East if not the NBA. With this signing they effectively replace Big Baby with Sheed and though his offensive game has dipped over the past few years you can count on Sheed to bring it. Between him and KG there will be a lot of barking on the floor and the C’s are probably hoping for some bite with that bark to help them get back to the promise land.

Hedo Turkoglu (Toronto Raptors) Last time we checked in Hedo was signing in Portland for 5 years $50 Million… Not so fast. Late Friday word came out that Hedo had changed his mind and wanted to be a Raptor. Say Wha? Its a rare thing for a player to want to go to a team with a losing record and even rarer for a player to chose that situation while playing in CANADA! The Raptors have reportedly offered Hedo a 5 yr $53 million contract which essentially is approx $600k more per year than the Portland offer. I have refrained from blogging about all this due to the mess it has created including the need to renounce current Raptor free agents and the thoughts of Quincy Dooby as the first man off the bench. The money involved in the Turkoglu deal essentially leaves the Raptors completely handcuffed. I will keep my speculation to myself until the cap numbers are out and Bryan Colangelo pulls off some Magic to make this work in the long run. More to come on this story….

UPDATES

Shannon Brown (Los Angeles Lakers) The parties have agreed to keep the union going for an additional two years. The deal is said to be for approx. $4.2 Million over this time. He was the spare part in the Adam Morrison deal but quickly became the guy Phil Jackson turned to often looking down the bench. He should continue to be a productive member of the team leaving just Lamar Odom as the remaining piece of this Laker puzzle.

Chris Anderson (Denver Nuggets) The Birdman quickly became a fan favorite in Denver and now its time he gets paid. Word is that the parties have agreed on a 5 year deal that would net Chris approx $25 million over that time. There have been too many big men in the past who have cashed in due to their level of play in may, but this number seems to be right for a guy who brings the energy every time off the bench.

Speculated:
Shawn Marion to Dallas – There is a possible S&T involved here with the Raptors trying to get something that will help them keep at least one of their free agents. Dallas is making some bold moves with re-signing Kidd, giving their MLE to Gortat and now trying to nab Marion. If this goes through does this mean the Josh Howard era in Dallas is coming to an end?
Glen Davis to San Antonio – There has been talk that the spurs have offered him the MLE. Due to mixed reports of tis signing I am holding off until I hear something more concrete from the either party.
Grant Hill to New York/Boston – The Knicks offered him a 1 year contract and its been speculated that Boston is seriously interested to round out their senior citizen lineup.

INKED

Ron Artest (Los Angeles Lakers) – Trying to picture Ron Ron playing alongside Kobe and its damn near impossible. Trying to picture Ron Ron executing the triangle offense and its damn near impossible. Trying to picture Ron Ron conversing with the Zen Master and its damn near impossible. Impossible is nothing though right? Thing is the Lakers got a steal here signing him for MLE. They essentially swapped out Ariza and replaced him with Artest. He may not be drinking from the fountain of youth but he has some years left in him and the Lakers window is NOW. The relationship between Artest and Kobe is often used as fodder on the blog circuit and one of the best bits came in the form of a video via The Basketball Jones

Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons) – Ben Gordon was going to get paid eventually and the Bulls probably would have given him the money he got from Detroit but it seems that relationship had soured to a point beyond repair. Gordon going to Detroit sounds like a good fit but as he did in Chicago it seems he will come off the bench behind Rip Hamilton. Things haven’t been moving in the right direction for Joe Dumars and the Pistons since the Chauncy Billups trade and the team didn’t waste any time in going after the guys they wanted. With a coach yet to be named detroit is still going for the win now approach and with dishing out these new contracts they will not be a player in next summer’s sweepstakes.

Charlie Villanueva (Detroit Pistons) – The Pistons were sure they were going to lose Rasheed Wallace this offseason and right off the bat, set their sights on unrestricted free agent Charlie V. Charlie is also a lot younger than Sheed and has the potential to keep growing. With the signings of Ben Gordon and now CV, it is apparent defense isn’t on the top of their list of requirements for the Pistons, but they now field a team of extremely streaky hot shooters. When the deal was completed Villanueva didn’t wait too long to speak to his fans on twitter and shed some light on this new pairing : Last time I teamed up with BG we won a championship in 2004, can it be possible?

Trevor Ariza (Houston Rockets) – The kid wanted respect?? He left an NBA championship team for a team in shambles. The Lakers were willing to give him the Full MLE and they could have offered higher yearly increases but he settled for the Rockets MLE offer. Sounds pretty bizarre for a young player to leave money on the table but I think this whole mess has his agents dirty hands all over it.

Marcin Gortat (Dallas Mavericks) – Eric Dampier obviously wasn’t the answer but neither is Marcin Gortat. He did a bang up job of playing behind Dwight in the playoffs this year and was bound to get some money thrown his way. I still stand behind the notion that he is a great backup center. The Mavericks obviously see more in him as they have a commitment from Gortat to join them next season with a contract worth the full mid-level exception. From a fans perspective, he will be an instant hit in Dallas and the NBA will live to see more of the Polish Hammer!

IN LIMBO : Hedo Turkoglu (Portland Trailblazers) – ESPN said that hedo has chosen to sign a contract in excess of $50 million over 5 years with the Blazers. As I type this word now is that the earlier reports were premature and he has not agreed. Though contracts cannot be signed until the 8th of July it seems very likely that this is the direction things will go. Hedo will end up in Portland whether his wife likes it or not.

Speculated : Jason Kidd will re-up with the Mavericks for 3 years at $24 Million (via HoopsHype), Shawn Marion has a 4 year $32-$34 million offer on the table from the Toronto Raptors (via Globe & Mail)

TRADES

Shaquille O’Neal – the man with a nickname for every day of the month – needs a new one! Traded to Cleveland, for Big Ben and Sasha Pavlovic, Shaq comes into Ohio as Lebron’s newest sidekick. Way past his prime, I am not sure how many more wins this pairing will bring but I do know it will make for some very interesting pre-game intro’s.

Vince Carter – Heading home and to a contender. The Magic didn’t want to take the risk of a long term commitment to Hedo and pulling this trade off effectively nixed the idea of having him back. For Vince this may be his best situation yet, but never underestimate the pressure of playing at home. On the plus side this does make visitation with his daughter a lot simpler.

Jamal Crawford -It took a little bit of paperwork (signing off that he would not opt out of his current contract) but Jamal has found a new home to play alongside Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. It seems the Hawks had made up their mind not to bring back Bibby but they are remain heavily stacked with scorer’s and still no one to dish the ball out.

Quentin Richardson, Zach Randolph, Darko Milicic Q went to the Grizz for Darko on draft night and within the week was flipped over to his old stomping grounds (Clippers) in exchange for Zach Randolph. This may not look like anything earth shattering but it filled the needs of the Grizz and Clips pretty well. As for the Knicks, I am still scratching my head as to why they would want to bring on Darko – New GM, Same whacky moves…

Mentioned this on Twitter last night. No joke, I think my heart skipped a few beats as the Magic crumbled in OT to the Lakers. These playoffs have been as good as it gets. When the Raptors blew the season I went ahead and picked two teams to ride with through the playoffs – The Blazers and The Magic – and what a ride it has been. Truthfully, I believed the Blazers had a better chance of doing anything this year but with no real vested interest in either team, I have surprised myself at how emotional these playoffs have gotten me. Night after night of upsets, overtimes and buzzer-beaters have proven costly to my health and my wallet. I have been trying to quit smoking (yes ugggh I know) but all this stress isn’t helping the cause. Last night as Fisher drained a 3 with 4.6 seconds left, I picked up my pack of smokes and the warning was staring me right in the face. Instead of taking a cigarette out of the pack I tweeted – This years playoffs should come with a surgeon generals warning

Looking back at last night, we saw both teams play come out with more of a defensive mindset. The odds that the Magic would repeat their shooting performance were slim and though it was looking good for them in the first half, they ended the night shooting at a 41% clip. They didn’t do themselves any favors by shooting only 59% from the charity stripe and coughing up the ball 17 times. When your star player has more turnovers(9) than the entire Laker team(7) you better hope for everything else to fall in place, but as the time ticked down they were still “One errand elbow” away from tying up the series.

Gotta give props where they are due. Last night, even though it came ugly, the Lakers did what they had to in order to win a tough game on the road. Early on in the game the refs went whistle happy and most of the calls went against the Lakers’s big men causing Phil Jackson to reach way down his bench and give minutes to Powell and Mbenga. The Zen master must have poured on some wisdom at halftime because everything changed from there on out. The soon to be a lot richer, Trevor Ariza took over in the 3rd Q and almost single handedly outscored the entire Magic team. When it came to closing out the game the ball was put in the hands of the seasoned vets on the team. Phil Jackson’s 9 rings are no fluke and earlier in the series when people were calling for Fisher to be benched he didn’t flinch and on this night that same guy who was being thrown under the bus turned out the hero.

This series could very well be 3-1 in favor of the Magic but as we know, a few seconds is a lifetime in an NBA game and there is a reason you have to play all 48 minutes. The Magic have a lot of maturing to do but I have no doubt they will come back with vengeance next game.

I will leave you with this….

Disneyland 2 – Disney World 0

Courtney Lee may have missed the game winning shot for the Magic to steal home court but the story of the game was written with all the shots the Magic didn’t get to take, courtesy of the 20 turnovers they accumulated in game 2. They improved statistically in every category from game 1 but my eyes kept going back to that number 20.

Post game, Coach Stan Van Gundy couldn’t look past that number either – “If the formula was 20 turnovers and 41 percent shooting, it’s not a very good formula.”

Coming off a crushing 25-point defeat, the Magic would have liked a better start to game 2. Luckily for them, the Lakers were in the same position to start this one as we witnessed a horrible display of basketball through the first 12 minutes of the game. With shooting percentages under 30% for both teams this situation favored the Magic. They came out in the second half with energy and their 3 headed monster got rolling. Some questionable coaching decisions (J.J. Redick with crunch time minutes in an NBA final?) still left them in a position to win the game. Going into the 4th with a lead and Dwight on the court with only 2 fouls, Orlando had done a pretty good job of making up for the turnovers but then there was Kobe. Staring them down, not as vocal as he had been in game 1, but everyone in that arena knows that the 4th quarter is his. Coming off a NBA finals personal scoring high (40pts) Kobe got in the drivers seat and went to work. A block and a missed opportunity took us to overtime. Going into the extra frame, momentum had clearly shifted. 7 points from Pau Gasol in OT essentially sealed the fate of the Magic.

The Magic may be heading home down 0-2 in the series but this is far from over. Home cooking has been good to them this post season but they are faced with a human obstacle – Kobe Bryant. He is a man on a mission right now and if Orlando wants to go back to Disneyland they are going to have to execute or else they may lose their season pass to the Magic Kingdom – Until next year.

In the last segment I covered players who had increased their value during the post season but the reality is every team is feeling the hurt of the economy. In Miami you could catch a game with a friend for $20. At the same time, that $20 would only manage to buy you parking in Toronto to see the Raptors play. If teams were willing to go over the luxury tax they may be thinking twice about that now. With the salary cap yet to be set, I don’t see too many teams handing out max deals and if they are in the position to they might wanna hold off  ’til 2010.

I chose to go with the big ticket players to put it into perspective even though some of them are nearing the end of the careers. Inflated contracts, bad knees, or simply age has put them on here but it is what is is and the players on the list are going to be affected the most.

Stephon Marbury – $18.6 million in 2008 – I truly believe that this guy got shafted – Bad timing, bad situation but some of its on him all leading him into being a casualty of the system. He is way past his prime and will be lucky if a team threw out MLE money at him but when you been raking in the millions sitting on your couch, it can’t be all that bad.

Jason Kidd – $21.37 million in 2008 – A Guaranteed Hall of Famer with some off the court blemishes, Kidd is running on fumes. Dallas took a gamble on him trying to win now and I would be shocked to see any team give him contract longer than 3 years and it would probably total the salary he made this past season.

Allen Iverson – $22 million in 2008 – A new team, a new look. Iverson had his most disappointing season, riddled with injuries and a situation where he wasn’t comfortable. Another future HoF’er who isn’t quite ready for his new role, nor is he ready to slow it down. Teams will want him but probably for 2 years, I would love to see him do a full circle and reunite with Larry Brown.

Wally Szczerbiak – $13 million in 2008 – Wally sure didn’t help his value in the playoffs. His contract was way too inflated and spent the last few years being used in trades for salary cap space. He has one thing going for him, he can shoot and every team needs one of those just not at $13 million a year. He will find a team or stick with the Cav’s but his bi-monthly paycheck will likely be half of what he is used to.

Mike Bibby – $15.2 million in 2008 – It worked out well for Atlanta making it to the playoffs for 2 straight years and I wouldn’t be surprised if they re-signed Bibby but he is not a $10+ million player anymore. He would be a good veteran for them and with most teams keeping their wallets shut this off season he may not have too many options going forward

Shawn Marion – $17.2 million in 2008 – He wanted to be the man and once he left Phoenix he was exposed for all his weaknesses. He cheats on D, tries too hard for the big plays and is pretty weak in the half court sets. He can still jump out the arena and is an above average rebounder for his position but I don’t see him getting more than $8 million a year from any team.. we are in a recession after all.

Rasheed Wallace – $13.7 million in 2008 – Talks about walking away from the game are premature. There will be the teams that wouldn’t touch him with a 10 foot pole but that has nothing to do with basketball. He may not see offers in the double digits but I think there are teams that could use his services at 7-8 million and he should command more than Marion just on defense alone.

Malik Rose – $7.65 million in 2008 – I had to look back at the history on this one. Career Averages of 6ppg to go along with 4rb’s earned him this fat contract? He has been in the league 12 years but I think we will see him back next year warming some bench and being the veteran voice the locker room, but there is no way he is making more than $2 million a year to do that.

Rasho Nesterovic- $8.4 million in 2008 – A serviceable backup center, that’s about all he is now and won’t command much attention in terms of sought after free agents. I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes a lot less to go play for a contender again – San Antonio anyone? There have been rumblings of him returning to the Raptors and I love the idea but only for the right price. Let’s NBA!

Andre Miller – $10 million in 2008 -It got ugly towards the end in Philly even though the team has enjoyed some level of success since he joined them. His averages are still good and he has stayed relatively healthy and will be high on the list of teams like Miami but they are worried about 2010 and may not have the $$ he wants to see on the offer sheet.

Players who missed the cut but will feel the pain nonetheless: Lamar Odom, Drew Gooden, Chris Wilcox, Jason Collins, Stromile Swift

We may have seen the last of them on the court: Juwan Howard, Antoine Walker, Steve Francis, Raef LaFrentz, Adonal Foyle

Over the past 3 days I have gone on a rampage with lists that covered blogs, tweeps, movies and books but as game time nears I am  going back to the hardwood. Today’s lists will look at two category of players – Those whose value is on the up and up and another that covers players who will be settling for pay cuts next season.

Player Options,  Free Agents, Role Players, All-Stars or just a guy vying for playing time. These 10 players have upped their value and let their game do the talking for them.

Trevor Ariza A 5 year career of being a 30% shooter from behind the arc, Ariza has added that weapon to his game since joining the Lakers. He is now a viable option on offense to complement his athletic and defensive abilities. After his playoff performance you can bet the Lakers will do everything to keep him in LA LA Land next year and beyond.

Hedo Turkoglu He has a player option for next year and its unlikely he will pick it up. He may pull the occasional disappearing act during the game and take some bone headed shots, but when the game is on the line he is the guy whose hands you want to have the ball in. He has bounced around the league but has finally been utilized well in Orlando giving him the chance to show off his range on the floor. Going into this off-season he will probably garner the most interest and nab the best contract going forward.

Ben Gordon He wanted more money… took a 1 year deal… recession hit… but he kept playing. Regarded as a streaky shooter, when he is on he is unstoppable. He is a SG but can’t defend others playing his position, yet averaging 24ppg against the mighty Celtics showed that he is still going to be one of the more sought after free agents this summer.

Rajon Rondo Averaging a near triple double in this years playoffs surely added an extra few million on his next contract. He took a lot of heat on the interwebs from fans of other teams, but this guy can flat out ball! He has to get more consistent with the jump shot, other than that he should be regarded as a top 10 PG in the league for years to come.

J.R Smith You may question his attitude but you can’t question his ability. He averaged nearly 15ppg and managed to play solid defense on Kobe in the Conf. finals. Rough around the edges, he surely has managed a MLE contract at the least from a team looking for an athletic shooter (I could name about 20 who need one of those!)

Marcin Gortat Polish Hammer has struck the NBA and he is only going to get better from here. Playing behind Dwight, Gortat has slowly developed into a very serviceable center , managing to hold his own when getting playing time due to Dwight’s penchant to foul out as of late. For $700 grand he is a steal and is sure to get a major pay raise this summer.

Mickael Pietrus Orlando got a deal and Golden State could have used him as he has developed into a solid 2/3 guy. He is athletic, can hit the 3 ball and slash to the rim making him versatile on the offensive end. There is room to grow on both ends but he can be relied on to play man defense on some of the best in the league. Above all else its about #frenchrevolution!

Jose Barea Playing behind Jason Kidd can’t be easy but Barea stepped up this post season and gave his team a different look. He was great in the first series and not so in the 2nd, overall he is showing signs of becoming a solid contributor to the team that is going to be figuring out their PG situation this off-season.

Luis Scola They were dropping like flies in Texas but Scola was the constant – He brings it every night. You wouldn’t call him athletic, or a force but he has high basketball IQ and does all the little things right. He upped his averages in almost every cat across the board this year and is a perfect role player for a team in need of a guy who does what he is told without having the spotlight on him to make him shine.

Glen Davis Big Baby with the Big Shot! He upped his averages in almost every category through the playoffs and came through for the C’s when they went into the post season sans Garnett. He is still a fouling machine but that will sort itself out as he matures and understands his limits within the game.

I went with the Poet – Etan Thomas and he went with Shane Battier. Soon after, I posed the question to my twitter followers and the answers came in a flurry. I put together a list of top 10 players and a reason why they made the list. Feel free to add to the list in the comments section.

Emeka Okafor: His major at UConn was Finance. He graduated with honors in 3 years and a 3.8 GPA. Okafor was named the Academic All-American of the Year in 2004 for his work on and off the court. (H/T @bothteamsplayed )

Chris Bosh: Bosh was a National Honors Society member and graduated with honors from Lincoln High School^. He is also a member of the National Society of Black Engineers but left Georgia Tech after only 1 year to join the NBA.

Grant Hill: He completed all 4 years at Duke University and put together a book to boot!

Tim Duncan: He majored in Psychology at Wake Forest where he lived out a promise to his mother to graduate with a college degree. He is most definitely known as the most stoic player in the NBA and just exudes that “wise beyond his years” vibe. (H/T @stackmack)

Shane Battier: He was the most popular answer and statements about his interest in politics just make him the guy you want leading your spelling bee team. As a side gig he is also the Tech Editor of HOOP magazine.

Adonal Foyle: Another budding poet, political activist and contributor to HOOP magazine – he holds the post of Literary Editor. Foyle may not be all that on the court but he did graduate Magna Cum Laude from Colgate Univesity, with a degree in History.

Steve Nash: A graduate of Santa Clara University, Nash is known more for his Humanitarian work and was given Canada’s highest civilian honor, the Order of Canada. (H/T @RapsFan)

Etan Thomas: A graduate of Syracuse University, Thomas has shown he is more than just an NBA player. He published a book of poetry and frequently blogs for the Huffington Post.

Mark Madsen: Stanford Graduate in Economics. Went to Spain as a missionary after High School and became fluent in Spanish. Plays Chess and loves to read and study Finance in his spare time.

Dikembe Mutumbo (Dikembe Mutumbo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jaques Wamutumbo): Intended to be a doctor, Speaks 9 languages and can spell his own name…. need I say more! In honor of his humanitarianism, Mutombo was invited to President Bush’s State of the Union Address in 2007.

Runners Up: Josh Childress (you gotta be smart to go to Stanford right?), Anthony Parker (chosen by @Scottph), OJ Mayo (He scored a 29 on the ACT, placing him in the 95th percentile nationally – chosen by @stackmack) Arron Afflalo (chosen by @isaiahk) , Kobe Bryant (Speaks 3 languages fluently and never went to college… HELLO!) Roger Mason Jr. (Graduated with a degree in Architecture – speaking from experience he has to be on the list!)

On the subject of spelling bee’s, the NBA has a fair amount of players who have names that could make the list in the final round of the National Spelling Bee. We hear announcers butchering these names on the regular and many of their own teammates would have a tough time spelling them with a 2 minute shot clock!

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Marreese Speights
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Didier Ilunga-Mbenga
Wally Szczerbiak
Kelenna Azubuike
Andrea Bargnani
DeSagana Diop
Sasha Vujacic
Oleksiy Pecherov

Give it a try….