Doomed

If the Dwight Howard-Orlando Magic saga has a familiar ring to it, it's because we've seen this movie before. In fact, we were in this exact situation a year ago with a young superstar whose contract was up at the end of the season who had dreams of greener pastures elsewhere, but was held captive longer than need-be because his current team wasn't sure how to handle the situation. For the first half of the 2011 NBA season, the Denver Nuggets suffered through the "Melo-drama" of Carmelo Anthony's murky future in the Rockies.

It wasn't until February 21, 2011 that things finally found a resolution. That was the day Denver agreed to give 'Melo his wish and trade him to the New York Knicks in one of the rare panic trades that worked out for both sides. The Nuggets got a future star in Danilo Gallinari as well as some much-needed cap relief(which allowed them to retain Nene this past offseason), while the Knicks got the second coming of Bernard King as their new franchise poster child.

You would think, after years of being around the game, front office suits like Magic GM Otis Smith would understand that, when a player wants out, you get him out. The Hornets understood that concept prior to the start of this season, which is why they worked steadfast in moving an unhappy Chris Paul to the Clippers. Hell, the Hornets worked so hard on granting Paul his wish, they actually managed to work two trades out in the short time span between the end of the lockout and the opening tip on Christmas: a very good trade with the Lakers that was unjustifiably shut down by the league office and the equally good deal with the Clippers that David Stern inevitably signed off on. The Magic, however, either due to ignorance and incompetence or because the right deal hasn't presented itself haven't been as fortunate as New Orleans. The result, as with Denver prior to the Anthony trade, has been a predictable one so far. The Magic are 12-8, good for 6th in a weak Eastern conference, and are in the midst of a three-game losing streak that includes blowing a 27-point lead in a loss to Boston(who had beat Orlando by 31 points three nights prior, mind you), a 26-point loss to an Eric Gordon-less Hornets team and last night's 21-point drubbing at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.

Following the beatdown by the Hornets, Howard let his frustration out publicly, questioning the desire of his fellow teammates. As justified as Howard's anger was, what can you really expect from a team faced with constant question about it's biggest star's future. How can you expect your cohorts to give their all when you are making plans for your own departure behind closed doors? You can't denounce your supporting cast when you've spent the last two months telling the world you'd rather be somewhere else because these guys aren't doing it for me. I'll give Howard some credit for not going the LeBron route and duping fans into thinking he's staying while internally knowing he was leaving at the end of the season and it's not like Howard hasn't given Orlando everything it needs to make a deal. That's where the blame falls upon Otis Smith and company. You have Dwight's wish list of teams he wants to play for in your hands. What's the holdup? I get it. You don't want to deal Howard before the All-Star Game in Orlando and have him come back to town in another team's uniform. That's understandable....to an extent. For one, at the end of the day, you're still trading the best center in the league and a 26-year old franchise cornerstone that was supposed to make Magic fans forget about losing Shaq 16 years ago. Whether you deal him now or in three weeks, you'll still be remembered as "the front office that had to trade Superman because they couldn't build a team around him". It will be awhile before those wounds heal in Orlando and, while Howard coming to Orlando for the All-Star Game as a Net or Laker or Maverick certainly rubs salt in those wounds, the damage is done either way. Secondly, with Howard already pissed over his team's play, this situation is only going to get uglier and, as we've seen with front offices faced with ugly public situations(read: The Lakers and Lamar Odom a month ago), that only increases the chances of a trade being rushed together and the Magic getting less than fair value for the best defensive big man in the game.

According to ESPN's Ric Bucher, the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets are the frontrunners to land Howard once fellow young center Brook Lopez returns from a broken foot. If that's really true, then I shake my head. Don't get me wrong. If Howard's arrival to the Nets convinced Deron Williams to stay in NJ/Brooklyn, then it's worth the price. But look at things from Orlando's side. You're trading a 26-year old perennial MVP candidate for a guy coming off a broken foot whom the team clearly didn't think was going to develop that much because they are waiting for him to get healthy so they can deal him rather than build around him. Rookie guard Marshon Brooks, a dark horse for the Rookie of the Year this year and someone the Nets will almost certainly include in a deal for Doomsday, just broke his toe and will be sidelined as well. So, the Magic will be acquiring two broken parts as the centerpiece in a deal that would send a man who's never had a serious injury in his career out of town. Does the mind not rebel at any point when reading that last paragraph?

The other teams on Howard's wish list would seem to be better options for Orlando solely because they are all in another conference(except for Dwight's newest addition to the list, Chicago, whom the Magic can't compete with now even with Howard on the roster): Both Los Angeles teams(Lakers and Clippers, incase you're slow) and the Dallas Mavericks. A Chris Paul-Dwight Howard tag team would be fun to watch but it would almost certianly come at the expense of current Lob City partner Blake Griffin. The Clippers already shot all their ammo in the deal to bring CP3 to the Left Coast, the only other pieces they have to move are Griffin(quickly emerging into one of the game's best inside presences) and DeAndre Jordan(who can't be traded until March 1, assuming they get DeAndre's consent in the first place, per league rules). Jordan is 23 and Griffin is 22. Obviously, a haul like that trumps anything any of the other potential suitors can offer but how does that make sense for the Clippers? Jordan's becoming a rising star as a shotblocker and Griffin is already one of the three or four best power forwards in the game and an absolute double-double machine(currently averaging 21 and 11 midway into just his second season). On top of that, you're getting Griffin at a discount as he's still signed to his rookie deal. What does Howard bring to the table that Jordan and Griffin aren't already bringing combined at three and fours years younger, respectively?

How about Dallas? Who do the Mavericks have that the Magic could take back and build around? Roddy Beaubois? Dominique Jones? You're not getting Dirk. Hell, you probably won't get nothing beyond a Shawn Marion/Vince Carter/Brendan Haywood poo-poo platter. How enticing does that sound, Magic fans?

Now, the Bulls are very intriguing. The Bulls have a lot of young guys like Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler, Omar Asik, etc. The problem with that is, if Chicago was unwilling to agree to a trade centered around Noah a year ago for Anthony, why would they make that deal now for Howard? As with the Clippers and Griffin/Jordan, what can Howard do that the duo of Noah and Carlos Boozer can't? Is it an upgrade? Sure, but not a huge one and certainly not worth trading so many pieces of a good, young core.

That leaves only the Lakers left. I did some tinkering around and came up with a trade that makes sense for everyone(Disclaimer: I'm almost 100% sure the trade I'm about to propose has been pitched on another website by another writer in some variance. There's a million blogs out there. Eventually, we're going to write the same sentence. Though, the fact that this trade might have appeared in another place earlier in time makes it even more foolish on the Magic's part for it not getting done). The main concept behind a Lakers trade for Howard is pretty much rehashing the failed three-way trade the Lakers had in place with Houston and New Orleans for Chris Paul, except with Howard replacing Paul and Andrew Bynum replacing the now-departed Lamar Odom with a few spare parts I threw in just for one. Now, I'm sure some salary number-cruncher is going to look this over and say "That can't work". Fine. You want to pick nits, have at it.

The Trade: Lakers acquire center Dwight Howard as well as point guard Jonny Flynn from Houston, Houston sends forward Luis Scola to L.A. while also sending center Hasheem Thabeet and guard Kevin Martin to Orlando. The Magic also acquire Andrew Bynum from the Lakers, who would send Pau Gasol to Houston. The Magic would also send Hedo Turkoglu's disgustingly bad contract to Houston, along with guard J.J. Redick.

Again, you can mix and match however you like and change the spare parts if you feel the need but the biggest components of the deal(Howard, Bynum, Martin, Gasol, Scola) are what's important.

Why This Trade Works For The Lakers: You can make the same case for Bynum/Gasol that you could for Griffin/Jordan and Noah/Boozer with the exception of a couple key points. One, even the most jaded Lakers fan couldn't tell you with a straight face they aren't worried about Bynum's knees. He's a slightly more durable Greg Oden. Yes, Bynum's a couple years younger than Howard. Yes, going from Gasol to Scola is a bit of a downgrade but Scola and Howard bring to the table what Gasol and Bynum don't: durability, physicality and toughness(And, if you want to counter this argument with "Well, Bynum showed his toughness by getting physical with J.J. Barea in last year's playoffs", first you should punch yourself in the nuts and then I would counter with Bynum's clothesline on Barea is actually the antithesis of tough. It was a bitch move. It was an immature 7-footer unable to handle the piping hot plate of ass-whooping his team was being dealt and taking his frustrations out on someone half his size. My wife is taller than J.J. Barea. Tyson-Givens was more a fight than Bynum-Barea. Knock it off). Scola might not possess the rebounding numbers that Gasol has but Bynum doesn't possess the rebounding numbers that Howard has, so it draws even. Scola is also a banger inside, something Gasol(despite his gaudy rebounding numbers) is not.

The biggest plus for giving up on Bynum and Gasol here is that Howard puts asses in seats. Are you buying Lakers tickets to see Andrew Bynum? Would you call Pau Gasol "must see TV"? Of course not. Howard has the look, the smile, the personality and the resume to pick up right where Shaq left off when "The Diesel" left Hollywood and Howard's humble enough to not get into a pissing contest with Kobe over whose team it is. Furthermore, the Lakers would also get a young point man in Flynn, who might be a bust as a lottery pick but has to be an upgrade over Derek Fisher's rotting corpse and Steve Blake almost by default.

Why The Trade Works For Houston: Kevin Martin is no more capable of being a star than Turkoglu or Redick are. He's a fine shooter with an ugly form who knows how to put up numbers on bad teams. He's a guard version of Chris Bosh. Houston's success throughout its history has been predicated on having a good big man. It was the case during the Ralph Sampson era then when Hakeem Olajuwon came to town and most recently with the drafting of Yao Ming in 2002. The Rockets have made it no secret they have a hard-on for Pau and, while Gasol might not like it in Houston, going to the Rockets allows Gasol to get the respect and attention he's not getting playing second fiddle to Kobe in Laker Land. It seems like Houston is giving up a lot but keep in mind that the team probably wasn't going to keep Flynn and Thabeet(both horrendous draft busts with other teams) after this season and Martin has never and will never be the star that Gasol was or is. By moving Martin and replacing him with Redick, J.J. gets to finally crack a starting lineup and fulfill his calling as this generation's Mark Price(except slightly taller and a bit drunker). Redick has come along as the Magic's chief shooter off the bench but major minutes were always going to be tough sitting behind the Vince Carters and Jason Richardsons of the world. The Turkoglu contract is a bit steep but it's a fair price to pay when you consider what the other two teams are giving up.

Why It Works For The Magic: First and foremost, it finally ends the round-the-clock speculation and questioning over Howard's future. There's no perfect way to replace a franchise big man. It took Orlando a decade to replace Shaq. By bringing in Bynum(and even Thabeet) and putting them under the tutelage of assistant coach and future Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing, the Magic might end up doing alright here. With Howard now officially gone, the team can focus on re-signing forward Ryan Anderson, who's having a career season in his contract year(always a red flag, but whatever) and the Magic could still contend with a Bynum-Anderson-Richardson-Martin-Nelson, especially with the Howard headache out of the way. If Ewing can salvage Thabeet and turn him into even something slightly resembling the "next Dikembe Mutombo" billing he had coming out of college, then he's worth the risk. If not, he's a free agent at the end of the year anyway. Obviously, the hope for Orlando is that Bynum's knees stay in tact. If he continues to break down, then it's back to the drawing board. Still, at least you got something in return.

Look, it's not a perfect deal but it's an idea. Sure, there's going to be reluctance by the Magic to see their poster child center in the purple and gold yet again but that's the breaks. Much like the Cavs with LeBron, the team had years to build a winner around their young cornerstone and failed thanks to bad trades and foolish signings. Much like the Cavs and LeBron, the team thought that an NBA Finals appearance, albeit an unsuccessful one, would give their franchise player a sign of what might come and convince him to stick around. Much like the Cavs and LeBron, that theory was flawed and they'll watch said franchise player exit stage left. There are plenty of precedents here for the Magic to learn from and not follow suit. The Hornets went about this same issue the right way. The Nuggets did not but eventually recovered. The Cavs couldn't have handled it any worse(though, could you imagine the riots in Cleveland had the Cavs actually traded LeBron prior to "The Decision"). Basketball isn't rocket science, despite all the fancy numbers and the hiring of big brains like Rockets GM Daryl Morey. Sometimes, to build a winner, all you need is luck, timing and some common sense.

The writing is on the wall for the Orlando Magic. It's not written in invisible ink. Dwight Howard has to go. Dwight Howard wants to go.

No good comes from delaying the inevitable. Just ask Nuggets fans before February 21, 2011.

Garden State of Mind

Haste makes waste.

It's a cliche I've been hearing since I was a small child and it's one that seems to apply to the Denver Nuggets' steadfast efforts in getting at least something of note for outgoing All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony. I don't fault the Nuggets in being aggressive in trying to move 'Melo before the trade deadline in February, but common sense tells you that, if a man makes it public he wants to play for the Knicks, he's probably going to drag his feet in agreeing to go anywhere other than New York.





Now, you'll find no bigger fan of the state of New Jersey than yours truly. I was born and raised there. My two favorite TV shows of the last decade have been "The Sopranos" and "Jersey Shore". "Garden State" is one of my favorite movies. However, even I know playing in Newark(where I spent the first decade of my life), even on a short term basis, is nowhere close to as appealing as playing in Madison Square Garden. There are reports that 'Melo's reluctance to sign the 3-year, $65 million extension that the Nets(and before them, the Nuggets) are offering is the latest road block to getting a deal done. Well, no shit, Sherlock! The man wants to play for the Knicks! The Nuggets will say publicly that the reason they won't strike a deal with New York is because the Knicks don't have the draft picks to offer that New Jersey does(which is bullshit because the Knicks could easily pilfer a first from some team wanting to add the services of young forward Anthony Randolph). The real reason Denver won't deal with New York, to me, is because they blame the Knicks(more specifically Amare Stoudemire and well-known cheerleader Spike Lee) for wooing 'Melo into wanting to leave Denver.









Maybe they're right. Or maybe Denver wants to paint New York as the villians as reasoning for not taking what seems to be the better deal. The current deal on the table from New Jersey has 'Melo and Chauncey Billups going to the Nets in exchange for a couple first round picks, All-Star point guard Devin Harris, promising rookie big man Derrick Favors, sharp shooter Anthony Morrow and a couple of guys who will be selling foot-long Chicken Carbonara subs at Quizno's within a couple months(the Nets would also get a semi-fossilized version of Richard Hamilton in exchange for the overpaid Twin Towers, Johan Petro and Troy Murphy). Now, Harris is solid point man with the ability to fill it up, but where does he fit on a roster that already has speedy playmaker Ty Lawson at the point? Are the Nuggets going to play both of them at the same time and try to overwhelm teams with their speed? As for Favors, he's still a couple years away. If he can't beat out Kris Humphries for playing time in New Jersey, where is he going to find minutes behind K-Mart, "The Birdman" and Nene?


The Knicks, however, will be serving up highly-touted forward Danilo Gallinari(who suffers from the classic Big Apple media overhype but is still further along than Favors is and fills a bigger need as a solid shooting small forward), Wilson Chandler(who is putting together a solid season and would really help the Nuggets with his ability to play multiple positions), rookie Landry Fields(like Gallo, another guy who is nowhere near as good as his New York press clippings, but still a decent two-guard) and perhaps a first rounder the Knicks would squeeze out in a deal for Randolph. That's not a better deal than the Harris/Favors poo-poo platter? For one, the Knicks are a 6 seed in the East(I know, hardly a huge accomplishment since the 7 and 8 seeds are both drastically under .500), while the Nets are barely afloat at 10-28. How can you expect 'Melo to be attracted to the idea of being shipped to a team that is 18 games under .500 and is two years away from moving to Brooklyn. Would a foursome of 'Melo-Rip-Billups-Brook Lopez turn things around and perhaps have the Nets sneaking in as a 7 or 8 seed(and in turn, getting annihilated by Miami or Boston in Round 1)? Maybe. Is it more alluring than being "The Next Big Thing" in the country's biggest sports market and teaming with Amare to become a poor man's Shaq and Kobe? Hell no!


So, look, Denver, let me save you, the hard-working fellows at ESPN who cover the ESPN, and the fans chomping at the bit for a deal to get done some time and aggravation. 'Melo's not going to New Jersey. He wants what every kid who grew up in the Tri-State area with the scant hope of playing in the NBA wants: to play in the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden. You can try to sell him on the eventual move to Brooklyn. Jay-Z can try to hustle 'Melo with his silk tongue and allusions of grandeur, but even Jigga knows there's nothing like playing in the Garden. Do the right thing, Denver. Quit cutting off your nose to spite your face. Make the deal with the Knicks. Otherwise, you're just wasting everyone's time.

Winners and Losers of the 2010 NBA Draft Lottery

The city that already hosts The White House, The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial now gets to add "The Great Wall" to the list of D.C. landmarks. The Washington Wizards, after a season that saw their overpriced point guard get suspended and their two other cornerstone sent away for below market price, won the top overall pick in tonight's NBA Draft lottery. They highlight tonight's winners and losers.

WINNERS

1. Washington Wizards: It was probably a bittersweet moment for Wizards fans when the announcement came that their team will be picking first in next month's Draft. After all, this was a team that was thought to be a playoff contender before the season started. It was a team that featured a Big Three of Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. It was a team of promise. Now, it's a disaster zone. Jamison and Butler were sent away in one-sided give-away deals and you have to figure Arenas, suspended for foolishly bringing guns into an NBA locker room, is going to be the next one to go. Still, the Wizards get a new franchise face in likely #1 pick John Wall, the heralded point guard out of Kentucky. Also, with all the money jettisoned in the Butler/Jamison deals, the Wiz may be players(not exactly in the LeBron sweepstakes, but still) in one of the most star-studded free agent classes in years. The presence of Wall may entice somebody to take Washington's money. While it's a long shot to expect Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh or LeBron James to come to the nation's capital, maybe the Wiz get lucky and talk a Carlos Boozer or Amare Stoudemire into pairing with Wall. It may be improbable, but the odds are a little better than they were 24 hours ago.

2. Philadelphia 76ers: All the hype surrounding Wall has dwarfed the fact that Philly, sitting at #2, could end up with the better prospect in National Player of the Year Evan Turner. The distance between Turner and Wall is so minuscule, it's not even worth mentioning. In fact, there are many who believe Turner is the best prospect in this Draft. With the Sixers picking 2nd, they'll let Washington make their decision for him. The hope is that Wall goes first, and the versatile, rangy 6'7 Turner slips to 2. With the Sixers taking Jrue Holiday last year to be their point guard of the future, there might not be as much of a need for Wall as there is for Turner. If Washington somehow takes Turner, the Sixers could always auction off the pick and try to nab a king's ransom(although I'd call that unlikely). Adding Turner to a team that already has athletic forwards Andre Iguodala, Marreese Speights, Thaddeus Young and Elton Brand as well as young guards Holiday and Lou Williams transforms the Sixers from bottom of the barrel in the East to playoff contender.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: Sure, they dropped further than they were slotted to go but they saved themselves the embarrassment of taking home the top pick. Could you imagine the fiasco if Minnesota had to pass on John Wall because they foolishly drafted point guards Jonny Flynn and Ricky Rubio last year? The way the draft is shaping up, the T'Wolves could nab Syracuse small forward Wesley Johnson at #4. Johnson's an athletic forward in the Shawn Marion mold with a huge wingspan. He's the type of athletic wing player that would fit in nicely with Flynn(or Rubio, if he ever comes to Minnesota). The Timberwolves are talking about moving up to nab Wall or Turner and you wonder if they'll finally decide to dangle Rubio as trade bait, but I can't see Washington passing up a chance at Wall to roll the dice on a guy who may not even come to the States this year(Then again, these are the Wizards).


LOSERS

1. New Jersey Nets: I've always been a fan of the lottery because it keeps teams honest from tanking for elite college prospects. However, you have to feel bad for the Nets. There was no question this was the worst team in basketball last year, even with rising stars Devin Harris, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Brook Lopez. With the Nets under new ownership and eventually moving to the bright lights of Brooklyn, the team needed a fresh face to be its poster child. Instead, the team with the best shot at the top pick gets to pick third in a draft that has two franchise players. Georgia Tech freshman power forward Derrick Favors may be a solid prospect and the type of banger that will complement Lopez for years to come, but he isn't putting butts in seats and he isn't grabbing the interest of the man Nets fans were waiting years to come to the Meadowlands: LeBron James. Assuming Favors is the pick at 3, the Nets now have to hope that the potential move to New York and the presence of partial owner Jay-Z can lure a guy like King James or someone of elite status to come to the Nets. Wall might have gotten James' attention. Favors? Probably not. You had to expect the Nets weren't getting the top pick once they finished with the NBA's worst record. After all, the worst team hasn't gotten the top pick since the Magic took Dwight Howard in 2004. Still, a team that got no breaks their way all last year needed this one badly and, instead, watched their shot at a dynasty bounce off the rim.

2. Los Angeles Clippers: They weren't going to pick in the top two anyway unless they got Blazers in '07 or Rockets in '02 lucky, but the Clippers, much like the Nets, were hoping to get a bounce their way from the lottery gods in an attempt to lure LeBron James to the West Coast. Instead, they'll have to settle for a guy like Kentucky headcase DeMarcus Cousins or lone UNC bright spot Ed Davis to add to their stable of talented youngsters. LeBron was a long shot to join the Clippers anyway. After all, owner Donald Sterling is a racist cheapskate and an elite star of LeBron's magnitude is not going to want to share the same building with Kobe Bryant while playing for a team that seems to have the hardwood version of the Madden Curse. Still, it would have been fun to see what the Clippers would have done with a top-3/top-5 pick in a deep draft and see the kind of measures Sterling would go to to try to convince LeBron or Dwayne Wade or Chris Bosh to come to Hollywood. Instead, they'll have to welcome another uncertain prospect and hope that Blake Griffin's busted knee was just an aberration.

3. John Wall: As bad as the Nets were last year, at least they had a young nucleus around them. They also had the scant hope that LeBron James or another top level free agent would sign with them. There was also the allure of possibly playing in New York when the Nets go to Brooklyn. Instead, "The Great Wall" gets to be city mates with President Obama and be the face of a franchise that just sold off its best assets for half price. Wall will take over a team that features two of the NBA's biggest nutjobs in small forward Josh Howard and waiting-to-be-reinstated point guard Gilbert Arenas. You have to think the Wizards will do whatever it takes to keep a toxic knucklehead like Agent Zero from poisoning their new cornerstone, but Arenas' ridiculous contract is harder to move than JaMarcus Russell in a line at Golden Corral. Howard's the same deal, even if he does have an expiring contract. Even if the Wizards COULD move Arenas and Howard, that leaves Wall to carry a Wizards team with absolutely no talent around him(unless, of course, they make a few big signings or trades). If you're a Wizards fan, you have to wonder, as bad as last season was, was it worth giving away Jamison and Butler now that you know that the faint dream of John Wall coming to town has come to fruition?

Slip-ups, Blunders and Uh-Ohs

Eventhough it has only been three days since you've last heard from me, a lot has happened. I figured rather than hinder BoomRoasted Nation(all 12 of you) by splitting everything up into its own seperate piece(as well as rack my brain trying to come up with witty titles), I'll tackle everything at once. Consider this like one of Gabe's "Things I Learned" blogs.....but much, much longer.

1. Mike Greenberg: On the scale of "How Racist Is That?", ESPN personality Mike Greenberg's tongue slip on Monday(in which he inadvertently said what sounded like Martin Luther Coon instead of Martin Luther King...on the air, on the birthday of the most famous African American leader in this nation's history, no less) is probably four shades down the rung from the remarks by conservative blowhard Rush Limbaugh(to be more precise, since Limbaugh says a bunch of non-sensical things, the statement in question is Limbaugh's theory back when he worked at ESPN that the media is desirous for a black QB to succeed), eight steps down from Don Imus' "nappy headed hoes" comment and about twenty steps down from any joke D.L. Hughley's ever told.

So why am I bringing this up? Because even though our society has made great strides in blurring the lines between races(most notably, finally electing a black President not named Morgan Freeman), we have reached the peak of racial sensitivity. You can almost smell the shoe polish on Al Sharpton's gators as Big Al was getting ready to storm Bristol before Greeny could correct himself. Do I think Mike Greenberg is a racist? No. Do I think a slip-up like this can be blown out of proportion by a nation fueled by fake outrage? Absolutely. Watching the clip a couple of times, it seems Greenberg's brain fart was unintentional, but in 2010, that nor his apology afterwards. At the end of the day, it's a white man making what sounded like a racial slur about one of the most influential men(black or white) in this world's existance. You can't just supress that with an "I'm sorry, I was talking too fast." . Again, I don't think Greenberg was trying to be maliciously racist as Imus was with his crack against Rutgers' women's basketball or Limbaugh with his shot at McNabb(or any black figure, for that matter), but it only takes a spark to set off an explosion and the longer ESPN waits to nip this thing in the bud, the more steam it will pick up.

2. Coaching Mishaps: We had some re-signings and hirings in the football world this week(including the two men I thought should have been canned Sunday: Wade Phillips and Norv Turner). We'll get to them one at a time.

*Buffalo: Reports leading up to and following the Bills hiring of former Georgia Tech head coach Chan Gailey were that Buffalo's suits were looking for a offensive-minded coach with pro head coaching experience. Gailey fits that bill, I suppose, although keep in mind that Gailey was canned by the lowly Chiefs in this past preseason. When a team that only won two games the previous season and finished 24th in total offense says "We think we can handle this without you", how exactly is that a ringing endorsement for a head coaching job? Sure, Gailey is an offensive mind with head coaching experience.....so is Brian Billick(former coach of the SB champion '00 Ravens). So is Jim Fassel(Billick's opponent in said Super Bowl). Hell, so is Marty Morninweg(whom ESPN The Mag was touting as the next hot new coach, despite sucking out loud when given the job in Detroit).

The importance of head coaching experience is vastly overrated. Leslie Frazier doesn't have coaching experience and all he's done is turn the Vikings into one of the best defensive units in the league(just ask Dallas). Ron Rivera's never been a coach, but his teachings led the Bears to the Super Bowl a few years ago. You know who else didn't have coaching experience prior to getting their first head coaching job: Sean Payton, Jim Caldwell, Brad Childress and Rex Ryan. Otherwise known as the head coaches of the four teams vying for the Super Bowl on Sunday. What exactly have we seen out of Chan Gailey that makes us believe he's the right man for this job? And what more do guys like Frazier and Rivera have to do to prove to people they are worth being the top guys on the sidelines?

*Dallas: When reports were surfacing that Wade Phillips' contract option was being picked up next season prior to the Vikings' beatdown, I had a small hunch that even last Sunday's no-show wouldn't change Jerry Jones' mind(even as I was writing that night that Phillips had to go). Unless Jones got a green light from Bill Cowher, there was nobody that Jones would have felt comfortable enough replacing Phillips with....not even the man Jones put in place as the successor: Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Now come reports that Phillips has been given a three-year extension(which Phillips has denied). Granted, I've been a bit hard on Phillips over the years. He's done a fine job shepherding the defense and the Cowboys have been considered legit contenders every year despite Wade's presence on the sidelines.

The bigger problem I have, if this extension report is true, is what happens to Jason Garrett now? I agree that Garrett isn't the hot candidate he was last year, but you have to think his stock will rise is Phillips succeeds over the next couple years, don't you? Even if Garrett isn't as popular as he once was, he has to be better than Tom Cable in Oakland or Eric Mangini in Cleveland, right? If Garrett grows frustrated in the apprentice role(and, as of yet, there's been no indication that he has) and decides to bolt to any number of head coaching jobs that could open up, be it college or pro, and Phillips falls on his face next season, then what do the Cowboys do? You have to think if Cowher was even remotely interested in working under Jones, he'd be there as we speak, right? Jerry Jones is not the smartest of men, but he's not dumb enough to pick Wade Phillips over Bill Cowher, right? So if the earlier scenario occurs(Wade flops, Garrett bolts), aren't you looking at the same crop of candidates(Rivera, Frazier, etc.) you are right now?

*San Diego: In Wade's defense, at least he managed to notch the Cowboys' first playoff win in 13 years. What exactly has Norv Turner done lately to justify his CONFIRMED three-year extension? After leading one of the hottest teams into the postseason tournament, Turner's Chargers proceeded to get smacked in the mouth by a Jets team that came thisclose to missing the playoffs. Again, you can place most of the blame on kicker Nate Kaeding, but the fact remains that Turner(an offensive artist) couldn't muster enough points to force a run-oriented Jets offense to start slinging the pill. On a team with a Top 3 QB, a top 3 TE, a top 15 WR and a RB who was at one point the best back in the league, Turner has managed to lead this group to all of NO Super Bowl appearances. Mind you, this is the same organazation that bounced the surprisingly well-liked Marty Schottenheimer after a 14-2 season because he flunked in the playoffs(and, perhaps more importantly, didn't get along with his higher-ups).

If you're a Chargers fan, how do you feel about Turner getting a three-year extension less than a week after choking away a serious shot at the title to a Jets team that its own coach considered dead three weeks before the playoffs? Now, again, if Cowher isn't interested(and there hasn't been any sign that San Diego even flirted with that idea), then it's at least somewhat understandable to stick with Norv if they weren't enamored with a guy like Rivera or even Frazier(who would move the team from a 3-4 to a 4-3, if hired) just yet, but isn't worth at least sniffing around? Could there be less enthusiasm over the upcoming Chargers season now that we all know Turner's back and seemingly not going anywhere for a while?

3. NBA All-Star Game: Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen took some fire the last couple of days for suggesting that fans should only count for 50% of the All-Star vote and the other half should be divided between players and coaches. I don't like that idea....I LOVE that idea.

It's hard to give credence to an All-Star voting process where two of the highest vote getters are Tracy McGrady(who barely played to start the season and then was sent home a month ago while awaiting a trade) and Allen Iverson(who also didn't play in the first month and then retired, and then came back to Philly). It's not like Allen is trying to take the power out of the people's hands entirely, he's just wanting to defer the vote to people who are actually watching the games. How can a man who is not even wanted by his own team be wanted on a All-Star team? And how can a man who couldn't even get minutes on a lowly Grizzlies team be so worthy of votes? I like AI. I like T-Mac. They haven't been All-Star worthy since 2004. Tracy Morgan deserves to be more a part of All-Star Weekend than Tracy McGrady.

Here's where the fans should get an 100% vote: The Slam Dunk Contest. Fans got themselves all in a tizzy when LeBron James announced in the preseason that he would make a special guest appearance in this year's Dunk contest. Then, just as he will do to Cavs fans this summer, he ripped their heart out by changing his mind. What I propose the NBA does with a rather mundane Slam Dunk contest is this: 8 players, facing off one-on-one, tournament style, with all members voted in by the fans.

This way, the once-great Slam Dunk contest gets the biggest names and fans actually get a contest worth watching. And, by making it one on one, it makes the competition more personal as dunkers will be really trying to outdo their opponent as oppose to just trying to outscore a battle royal of contestants. Another hitch in the rules: If you opt out of the Slam Dunk contest, you don't play in the All-Star game. Maybe you aren't hitting big time stars hard by keeping them out of a meaningless exhibition game, but how good of a PR move will it be if Kobe Bryant decides to turn his back on the fans and selfishly sit out All-Star weekend just to avoid the dunk contest? How well do you think that will go over? The Dunk Contest has suffered from a lack of name recognition. As great as Nate Robinson has been the last few years, he doesn't put asses in seats like, say, a Josh Smith or even a Vince Carter does. If you're looking for a reason to watch TV on a Saturday night, are you more likely to tune in to see Shannon Brown vs. Eric Gordon or Carmelo Anthony vs. LeBron James?

Other tinkering I would do to All-Star Weekend:

*Have the same rules I just applied to the Dunk Contest apply for the 3-point shootout. Now, I can understand there being concern that some idiot decides to be funny and vote Kevin Garnett into the 3-point contest, which is why fans would only be able to vote on actual long-range specialists(Same thing goes for the Dunk Contest. As entertaining as Steve Nash vs. Jason Kidd would be, they won't be on the ballot).

*Get rid of all the other events. Nobody cares about how fast Deron Williams can dribble, shoot and pass and nobody really wants to see Lisa Leslie play HORSE with Chris Mullin. As for the Rookies-Sophomores game, isn't one meaningless exhibition enough? If you're going to have an event with celebrities and meaningless exhibition games, why not bring back the old Rock N Jock basketball games that MTV perfected during the 90's(only, this time, without Dan Cortese please)? If you're going to make me watch real ballers and athletes dribbling up and down the court half-assed, why not give me something halfway entertaining like Seth Rogen trying to post up Carlos Boozer? You go 8 players a team(3 athletes, 3 celebrities and a couple kids from the stands....no more than one athlete on the court per team at the same time) and 5 minutes a quarter. Shit, you can even bring back the 25 point bucket. Wouldn't that be more entertaining than DeMar DeRozen dunking on Anthony Randolph? I thought so, too.

4. New Jersey Nets: The question nowadays isn't whether the Nets are the worst team in recent memory. That's a given, considering they are on pace to go 6-76. The question now is whether Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, Chris Douglas-Roberts and the possible selection of John Wall (as well as the presence of minority owner Jay-Z) is enticing enough to bring LeBron James to the Garden State/Brooklyn.

My gut feeling is no. Even if the Nets snag Wall and he's every bit as good as his billing, it's hard to see him and King James co-existing with one rock(especially when you add in Harris, who likes to jack it up as well). If James doesn't sign with the Nets this summer(and I truly believe his best bet is with the Clippers, even with their string of bad luck and racist owner), how bad of a stretch are the Nets in for over the next couple years? For one, they don't even know where they'll be in the next couple years, as they still await the NBA's approval on a deal selling the team to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov(who will then finally move the team to Brooklyn, something Jay-Z and company have struggled to do). Even if they are able to draft Wall, is he a franchise changer like James was with Cleveland or Tim Duncan with San Antonio? More importantly, if they can't get Wall, what big-time free agents would come to a team that is one of the worst in the sport's history? You think Dwayne Wade, fresh off demanding the Heat to become a contender, would leave Miami for this motley crew? You think Chris Bosh is passing up going home to Texas to bang the boards for Wall's errant jumpers?

As a long-time resident in the state of New Jersey, I'm used to the infamous stench surrounding the Meadowlands, but this foul smell might be far worse than anything to ever touch the Jersey airs and its a scent that might continue to linger for years if this season's tank job blows up in their faces.