The Association

Do Lakers Fans Have the Right to Complain About the Dallas-DC Trade?

By Craig Kwasniewski

As Dallas continues to pile up victory after victory, my frustration grows and grows.  How the hell did they gain two starters and a decent guard off the bench for virtually nothing?  How did the league allow such a one-sided deal?  Is the Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld secretly on Mark Cuban's payroll?  Does he get a slice of the Mavs' playoff money?  Will DC drop a 2009-10 Southwest Division Champs banner in the Verizon Center?  And if, God forbid (Stern calls the refs off, unlike 2006 and), the Mavs actually win the championship, will they hold a parade in DC?   I went off on several twitter tirades openly bitching about the deal and got this response:

Ahh touché Brett... touché. Leave it to the guy who started this site with me back in 2005 to call me out with my first official "C'mon, SON" (BTW - one of my favorite isms of 2010, which I will wear with a badge of honor).

Do Lakers fans really have the right to complain about the Mavs-DC deal from a few weeks ago?  I mean didn't they get back-to-back NBA Finals appearances and the 2009 championship courtesy of an equally one-sided deal?  Wasn't it Gregg Popovich who joked (but not really joked) that the league needs some kind of fantasy-sports like trade review after the Pau Gasol deal?  Seriously, can I really complain after shipping Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, some random euro dude, a 2008 1st round draft pick and a 2010 1st round draft pick for three-time all star Pau Gasol?  Gasol with the right mix of offensive skill, basketball IQ and humility to blend in perfectly with Kobe Bryant and the Triangle Offense.  Gasol who took the Lakers from top-10 contender tight to the top of the list for the next few years. THAT Pau Gasol.

To answer your question... Y-E-S!

First let's look at the trade: Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson and cash considerations to Dallas for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, reserves Quinton Ross and James Singleton. (BTW - I just saw the cash considerations thing, so not only did Dallas rape Ernie Grunfeld in the deal, HE ACTUALLY PAID FOR THE RAPING!)

Anyway, for years Howard was on Dallas's do not trade list.  Deal after deal was offered and the response was always thanks but no thanks.  Howard had Scottie Pippen-like potential with the skills but not the durability or the mental toughness to ever become Pippen.  Oh and he's not that bright when put in front of a microphone.  So DC got a one-time all-star, who's injury prone (he missed an average of 15 games per season before his year), who's party lifestyle rivals Iverson's (minus the amazing next day bounce-back-ability) and has a public perception of always saying the wrong things.  Plus they got Drew Gooden and two decent ex-Clippers for Butler (a two-time All-Star), Haywood (a big with the exact same build as Andrew Bynum but who never developed beyond being a potential Bynum) and Stevenson (decent off the bench).  CLEARLY Grunfeld was dumping roster to clear cap space... not surprising for today's NBA but still brutal if you're a DC fan.

But here's the difference between both deals:  Memphis got 2 first round draft picks and the rights to Marc Gasol, that random euro dude that everyone at the time assumed was just a throw-in to make the salaries match-up.  Okay yeah, the two draft picks are more like early second round picks, but they could be packaged for a higher pick or if done right you can always find that diamond in the rough in the late first round (hello DeJuan Blair).  Oh and that Marc Gasol guy, he's only going to be their starting center for the next 5 years.  Ask any Grizz fan and they'll tell you about Gasol's basketball IQ, passing ability, soft hands and humility on offense (a Gasol trait, meaning he's willing to be that 4th or 5th option on offense).  He's the perfect fit with this Grizzlies team and really it's no surprise that they're on the brink of a playoff appearance.

Marc Gasol, the glue that holds Memphis together.

DC dumped salary and got an injury-prone 18 ppg. swingman who's out for the season with... wait for it... a torn ACL.  But they didn't get any future considerations.  No draft picks, no rights to a developing euro player not even cash.  Cap relief and nothing else... hey thank YOU Ernie Grunfeld!

Tough Juice is a perfect mix of athleticism and aggression that fits nicely with Jason Kidd running the break.  Reminds me of Richard Jefferson back in New Jersey, you know before he retired this year in San Antonio.  And Haywood is quicker and more athletic than Dampier and hit rejuvenation machine big time, flying all over the floor on D and adding just enough offense to be a threat.  And you can never have enough size if you hope to get past the Lakers in the playoffs.

So yeah, this trade is more one-sided than the Gasol deal in 2008.  At least Memphis was looking at the future in their deal while DC was just looking at their wallet.

The Only Real Solution to the Ilgauskas Mess is for Stern to go "Casino" on Ferry

By Craig Kwasniewski

"Look what they did to my hand man!"

"All right, I'm gonna give you a choice. You can either have the money and the hammer or you can walk out of here. You can't have both. What do you want?"

Message to Danny Ferry, you can have Zydrunas Ilgauskas in 30 days and the hammer or you can walk out of here... If only David Stern ran the NBA like Ace Rothstein in Casino (or maybe he does, we're just not privy to his "negotiation face.")

This whole 30-days buyout and return to the original team thing is one of the worst loopholes in the NBA.  Teams, players, GM's and media honks all flat out lie about the whole process like it's completely random that a player happens to return to his original team after a buy-out.  We all know what's going on, and it stinks something fierce. 

Just be honest and spare us all the lies.  Tell us that Z is coming back to Cleveland in 30 days. Tell us that Washington dumped salary for practically nothing in return.  Tell us hard paying customers the truth!  Stop leaking false reports that other teams are pursuing Ilgauskas and stop having your superstar lie to the media by saying, “I’m not OK with losing Z" when you know damn well he's returning in 30-days.

I think that's the most insulting thing of it all, that teams play the BS game and lead us to believe that there were no backdoor deals and that Ilgauskas happen to organically return to Cleveland.  We're not that stupid to see right through it all.

Rules are rules and the 30-day buyout and return is a loophole that while it ruins the integrity of the game, is not cheating.  And props to Cleveland for finding a sucker GM (who's willing to screw over his own fanbase) to go along with the whole process.  Just spare us the lies.

But in the end, I wish David Stern gave Danny Ferry the same "hammer" option or at least decided to close the loophole.  He's changed rules before in mid-season (remember the 2002-03 season where Stern lengthened the first round to 7 games?), so why not eliminate this one? 

(We all know why Stern won't change the buyout rule, just like when Delonte West went El Mariachi with loaded guns on a motorcycle and ZERO punishment in an offense waaaaaay worse and waaaaaaay more scary than Arenas... it's LeBron's world baby!)

Don't worry, you'll be back in 30-days.  1, 2, 3... FLOP!!! I mean CAVS!

Thoughts On a Crazy Day/Night of Trading

By Craig Kwasniewski 

Can we replace the dunk contest with a live feed into the board rooms of the 30 GM's at trading deadline? Seriously, how much more entertaining would it be to see a desparate Donnie Walsh nervously work his poker face with Daryl Morey, who holds all the Mac's I mean cards.

Anyway, trading deadline is still hours away yet the last 24-hours have been very crazy as several title contenders and not-even-pretenders hoped to improve their chances at dethroning the Lakers. Here are my thoughts on the recent trades (including the crazy T-Mac to Sacramento??? trade that happened in the early hours, which by the way interrupted my Olympic Curling viewing in HD.): 

The Cleveland Cavaliers acquire Antawn Jamison. In a three team deal Jamison and Sebastian Telfair go to Cleveland; Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Cavs 2010 first-round draft pick, the rights to Emir Preldzic and Al Thornton go to Washington; and Drew Gooden goes to the Clippers. 

First thoughts? Whew! The Cavs could have had a younger more athletic Amar'e Stoudemire filling the lane and reigning terror a-la Shawn Kemp from 1992 to 1997. They could have gotten bigger, younger and more athletic and completely whiffed because they didn't want to part with JJ Hickson?!?  Whew!  LeBron would have been hoisting a trophy for the next FIVE years.... WHEW!

Lemme get this straight, the Cavs have been rolling over every opponent (including the defending champs) with size and defense so they trade size and defense away for smaller and offense (who's also a little long in the tooth at 33 years old). I attended the Lakers-Cavs game on Xmas Day and the Lakers had no answer when Mike Brown put both Shaq and Ilgauskas on the floor at the same time. Gasol and Bynum never had to face a frontline bigger and stronger than them and they backed off as Cleveland blew out the Lakers.  Weeks later the same thing happened in Cleveland as the Cavs size especially threw Gasol off his game. 

How is a smaller mid-range guy with no defensive skills going to help? He's only made it out of the first round once in the playoffs, he struggled when on a contending team (2003-04 Dallas Mavericks) and he can't play a lick of defense. I can't stress this enough, Mike Brown made his bones as a defensive coach, he's quite possibly the least creative offensive coach in the history of the NBA yet he's still LeBron's coach because he calls a hell of a defensie game. How is a guy who played his entire career on offense-first ZERO-defense teams going to blend with the Cavs? Yeah maybe he'll be a 20 and 8 guy every night, but everyone who plays with LeBron is capable of that. Why? Because freakin' LeBron James is there and he'll create more easy baskets than you can imagine. But really, offensive stats aside the Cavs got worse in this deal on the most important end of their floor: defense and size. 

BTW - oh and what about Shaq? Is he capable of splitting Z's minutes with Varajao? Does he have the energy to play out the season with the extra minutes? He's no longer with the chemical brothers (Phoenix's training staff) to help squeeze every last bit of energy out of him. I'm real curious to see how the Cavs front line reacts on the floor now that Z is gone. 

The Clippers found a way to dump salary and are expected to buy out Gooden right away, leaving them a major player in the summer... well except that their owner hates black people, which may chase away like every single free agent.

The Wizards... I haven't seen a team blown up this fast since the Lakers in the summer of 2004 when they traded away Shaq, Rick Fox and Gary Payton and let Karl Malone, Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson go. I feel for ya D.C.!  I'm just curious how Ernie Grunfeld still has a job.  

The Rockets send Tracy McGrady to Sacramento for Kevin Martin.  The full deal has the Rockets sending McGrady, Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey to the Kings for Martin, Sergio Rodriguez, Hilton Armstrong and Kenny Thomas. 

Okay this trade went down late last night and completely took me by surprise.  All week we were hearing T-Mac to the Knicks is imminent, it's happening, the Knicks will be serious players this summer now that they can shed T-Mac's huge expiring contract.... (insert crashing car noise here)... BAM!

Daryl Morey got tired of negotiating over draft protections with Donnie Walsh and found a better deal in Sacto.  When healthy Kevin Martin is a very good shooting guard that knows how to get to the freethrow line.  (He once scored 20 points while going 1 of 8 from the field!)  It doesn't hurt to have a guy who can get to the freethow line anytime, especially in the postseason.

But what DOES hurt is that he's injury-prone (he missed 84 games the past three seasons) and of any team in the NBA, the Rockets are the last franchise that needs yet another injury-prone player.  But given a choice between the stink that the Knicks were offering and this deal, it's safe to say Morey came out ahead... and Donnie Walsh is left staring at his phone hoping someone, anyone will take Jared Jeffries contract.  I'm starting to understand why the blogosphere loves Morey.  

The Kings get a hockey player trapped in the body of an NBA player, Carl Landry.  I love pairing him up with Nocioni, a pair of balls-out grinders who don't give a damn about stats.  Good guys to have on your team. Oh and they get massive cap relief in T-Mac's expiring contract.  The downside is that they lose Martin, but he wasn't working out well with Tyreke so something had to be done and this deal ain't all that bad for Sacto.

Will they give T-Mac some minutes to prove that he's worthy of a contract this summer... who knows?

The biggest question of all: did Ainge acquire the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in the deal? 

Celtics trade Eddie House to the Knicks for Nate Robinson.  The Celtics need to throw in another player to complete the deal, possibly J.R. Giddens. As of last night this was a done deal.

Like Cleveland, the Celtics needed size and defense.  So they go out and grab 5'-9" Nate Robinson for instant offense off the bench.  Yeah I get it that the C's go though these excruciatingly long scoring droughts late in games and Robinson seems to be the right type of energy off the bench.  HOWEVER... does this deal make a difference against the Lakers, Magic or Cavs?  The C's need more big bodies to deal with those three teams.  But maybe the worry is more about getting a top three seed than actually competing for a title.

The Knicks... they're reeling bigtime after failing to get T-Mac.  D'Antoni supposedly wanted Eddie House, so there you go Mike.  Enjoy getting a decent three point shooter who talks serious smack while the Knicks lose 65 games and lose any chance of getting LeBron, Wade, Bosh or Joe Johnson because of the failed T-Mac deal. 

As a Lakers fan, the two deals by Cleveland and Boston don't worry me at all.  Both teams got smaller and worse on defense.  But most importantly of all, A'mare does not go to Cleveland where he would have been a monster for the next 5 to 6 years.  WHEW!

Monday Morning Point Guard

by Craig Kwasniewski

Time to roll out an old favorite of mine: Monday Morning Point Guard, which is five thoughts from the past weekend.

Z-Bo to the Clippers: Very rarely do I ever get a chance to write anything about the "other team" in LA so let's start it off with the Zac Randloph trade and how it affects the LA Clippers. First off, on paper the Clippers are loaded up front. Randolph, Kaman and Camby is a three-man rotation that could hang with the likes of the Lakers, Spurs (when healthy), Utah (also when healthy), Orlando, etc. And they got him on the very cheap as NY is selling off and clearing cap for LeBron (more on that later). The downside is by shipping off Cuttino Mobley they're every thin in the backcourt and are forced to give Ricky Davis a ton of minutes (who along with Andre Miller ranks as one of those great-on-bad-teams-but-awful-on-good-ones type of players).

And now the one BIG problem with the deal... Mike Dunleavy. Already clashing with Baron Davis over coaching styles how will Dunlevy's very hands-on approach on offense blend with Z-Bo and his reputation as a malcontent? With Rickey Davis, Baron Davis and Zac Randolph will there be an in-house revolt? Are there any deals in the near future for Chris Kaman (relegated to the bench because both he and Randolph are low-post ball-stoppers that won't mesh on the floor)? Will Camby and Boom Dizzle find the motivation to play the rest of the season now that the Clippers are playoff contenders (at least on paper)? If anything the Clippers are trying to bring in a winner "across the hall" in Staples Center... so big ups for the effort.

Crawford to the Warriors: Al Harrington for Jamal Crawford... The Warriors go from small to smaller. With Crawford the get a true three man (1 plus 2, meaning he'll call the play from the point and jack it up from everywhere) and the Warriors become the most exciting non-playoff team in the NBA. And that's just it... They're not big enough to hang with the Lakers, Utah, San Antonio, Phoenix, New Orleans and Portland and they're not deep enough to compete with Denver. So they're stuck competing for the eight seed with the Clippers and Dallas. But they'll have fun and the always boisterous Bay Area fans will enjoy this season... the regular season.

Knicks Dumping Salary: So Donnie Walsh did exactly what he came to NY to do, clear cap space and erase the Isiah Thomas regime. Done and done... and worthy of a standing ovation. A potential eight seed playoff appearance was scrapped (and rightly so) for a better shot and at THE free agent class of 2010. Here's the only problem, outside of Shaq in 1996 and T-Mac in 2001 no superstar has left his current franchise in his prime as a free agent. Read that again.

Outside of Shaq in 1996 and T-Mac in 2001 no superstar has left his current franchise in his prime as a free agent.

The Lakers tried to clear cap space in 2005 hoping to land Yao, Stat, Wade, LeBron or Melo and all of them re-signed for better $$ with their original teams. And the Lakers had a decent nucleus to build around with Kobe Bryant. Basically they all passed at a major market franchise and a title contention for extra $$ to line their pockets. What's to guarantee that LeBron, Wade or Bosh will pass up cash to play in MSG?

I would LOVE to see the Knicks back on the front pages of the tabloids for good reasons, but they better have a back-up plan in case those three take a pass. The worst case scenario is the 2001 Orlando Magic, where they dumped salary hoping to get Tim Duncan and T-Mac only to settle for Grant Hill, his injuries and an annual first round exit.

Eddie Jordan and PJ Carlesimo FIRED: One is a terrible defensive coach and the other had the worst talent in the NBA (along with the worst owner). With Jordan is was the case of it's about damn time. Wow he took a team with Gilbert Arenas, Carron Butler and Antawn Jamison to the postseason in the Eastern Conference... BIG... EFFIN'... DEAL!!!! Roll the ball out and get 45 wins from three NBA All Stars, anyone can do that! What he couldn't do was coach defense and the endless first round exits in the playoffs showed that.

Carlesimo got stuck in the middle of an owner dumping talent to move a once-proud franchise from the 13th largest TV market to the 36th market all to steal get a sweet stadium deal from a bunch of gullible rednecks politicians in OK City. The Sonics go from a division title and a second round playoff appearance in 2005 to dumping a very talented team for scraps just to lose fans in the Pacific Northwest. So how do they reward PJ for being a good soldier and coaching this crappy line-up the past two seasons... YOU'RE FIRED!!!!

Enjoy the NBA Oklahoma City!!!!

We're down 30 with 12 minutes to go. We're still in it... Sonics on three!!!!! I mean Thunder!!!

316 Report - Lakers vs. Sacramento: Not much to say from Section 316 at this game to merit an individual post so here are a few bullets:
-I'm digging the new goggles on Vlad Rad, the NBA needs more goggles!!!
-Spencer Hawes looks like The Machinist
-Lakers fans are more "talented" this year. Seriously, my head was on a swivel as hotties are once again showing up to Lakers games.
-Hoops-wise, the Lakers seem to be going to Kobe in the post more when the offense bogs down. Maybe we're seeing Kobe transition to a late-90's Jordan with more post moves and less hang time.

Free Agency Begins With Elton Brand and Baron Davis Opting Out

by Brett Edwards

As of midnight on July 1, the NBA's free agency (negotiating) period began, and did so with a couple of big names unexpectedly opting out of the final year of their deals. Elton Brand and Baron Davis both walked away from big money, a little over $16M and $17M respectively. Brand might very well remain a Clipper; he just wants to make sure the team signs some other pieces so they can compete for a playoff spot. Baron staying in the Bay area? That seems a lot less likely.

The other big name in question is Gilbert Arenas. He's expected to stay with the Wizards (for less than a max deal), but it seems his status may remain unresolved for a few weeks yet. Stay tuned.

Playoffs 2008: The List of Coaching Have-Nots

By Craig Kwasniewski

Is it me or have these playoffs established a wider divide between the coaching haves and have-nots? For every Gregg Popovich and Phil Jackson leading two well-oiled machines primed for a colossal showdown in mid-May you have Flip Saunders and Doc Rivers doing... well doing their best Doc Rivers and Flip Saunders impressions (read: not coaching). Since the haves are very obvious (Jackson, Popovich, Byron Scott, Jerry Sloan, the Hedgehog and Mo Cheeks) lets focus on the have-nots:

Mike D'Antoni: Honestly, Phoenix Suns fans should be even more pissed off at D'Antoni after Sunday's season-saving win over San Antonio. It only took all of three games for D'Antoni to finally make the key defensive adjustment by switching Boris Diaw on Tony Parker. THREE FREAKIN' GAMES!

When we finally look back at the 2006-07 Suns, people will point fingers squarely on Steve Kerr and blame downfall of the Suns on the Shaq deal. It was a huge gamble that, as Charles Barkley pointed out on TNT, the Suns needed to take a chance on. Sure, they probably needed more time to blend together as a cohesive unit and facing the second best team in the West in the first round obviously didn't help. But Mike D'Antoni cost the Suns this series. Let's even look at that epic Game One where Popovich ran circles around D'Antoni at three key moments:

1. D'Antoni had Leandro Barbosa guarding Michael Finley as he hit the first game-saving three at the end of regulation. Where was Grant Hill? He has same build and athleticism as Finley and is strong enough and has the basketball IQ to throw off Finley from the perimeter. Instead the Brazilian Blur, who's not know for his half-court defense, became the Brazilian Burned and the Spurs were given a second chance.

2. The second game-saving three was a pure miracle shot by Tim Duncan that never should have happened. The Suns should have fouled Ginobili when he was dribbling around the perimeter looking to create (or facilitate, the buzz word for 07-08) for one of the Spurs spot-up shooters. Instead, the Suns watched Ginobili dribble around and then the collapsed on him in the lane leaving Duncan wide open. Why collapse on a guy in the lane when you're up three? And isn't it a European thing to foul instead of playing defense? And didn't D'Antoni make his name as a hoops star in Italy?

3. But the game winner was pure Popovich! The Suns were out of time outs and Nash just hit a risickulous three in the corner to tie it up. Normally Pop would signal an immediate time out and diagram a play. He's notorious for saving all of his time outs for these situations, but the Spurs didn't stop the action. Why? Because the Suns took out all of their interior defenders for that last-second three and Popovich realized that Manu had a good chance at driving the lane for a game winner. Well... we all know how that ended and we all know that Pop CLEARLY dominated D'Antoni.

So the question remains, how many more postseason failures and late adjustments will the Suns' fans, front office and roster put up with? Or more importantly, how many more seasons do they have a relevant Steve Nash on the floor? Stay tunned!

George Karl: Rumors persist that the Nuggets are keeping Karl for next season.

(Time to play "Really" with Seth Meyers and Amy Pohler.)

Really? The Nuggets are keeping a head coach who's led the third highest payroll to a first-round sweep? Really? The Nuggets have a total of three playoffs wins in the last four years (BTW - such a low number that it's grammatically correct to write out the number) and you're keeping him? Really? Melo admits that the team quit in game three. Isn't it the job of a coach to motivate the players? Really? Really? The same George Karl famous for season-ending flameouts in Seattle and Milwaukee is being asked to return? Really? Karl will return to coach the team that "saved" Allen Iverson from 76ers. Isn't that the same 76ers that have at least two more playoff wins than Karl's Nuggets? Really? REALLY?

Avery Johnson: Before Sunday's loss to New Orleans, Johnson was on the 50-50 list along with Mike Woodson, Mike Brown (say what you want about his coaching, the guy pulls out W's), Sam Mitchell and Rick Adelman. But Avery Johnson made two mistakes that killed the momentum of the game and ultimately ended the series (Dallas just doesn't have the stones to rally from a 3-1 deficit.).

What the hell was JJ Barea doing in uniform instead of Tyronn Lue? I know he's injured with a back, but a broken Lue is eons better than Barea! And the Mavs paid dearly when Johnson put Barea in with a lead during the second period. Barea played like it was "win a spot on the Mavs night" and killed all of their momentum. That was the turning point of the most important game of the season and Dallas never really threatened the rest of the way. Why play the ball boy during the playoffs?????

Unlike Phoenix, people should point to the Kidd trade as the downfall of the Mavericks. It never should have happened and now the Mavs are way over the salary cap with Avery Johnson most likely fired this summer.

Doc Rivers: Until this guy actually wins a playoff series (which he hasn't in *NINE SEASONS* of coaching!) I can't ever consider him a good head coach. And the "best team in the NBA" just lost to the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks. Hey I understand... quality teams are allowed to stumble every now and then. As San Antonio showed us, good teams tend to lose focus. But what absolutely kills me is that this guy is actually in the conversation for his second coach of the year award. Really? (opps, I already did that!) So you're telling me that he's getting votes over nine-time NBA champ Phil Jackson or even Jerry Sloan (who deserves it more that anyone). The guy has never won a playoff series in *NINE SEASONS* of coaching!!!!!!!!!

Eddie Jordan: Two GLARING things with the Wizards: bad turnovers and worse emotions. A ton of HORRIBLE turnovers did the Wizards in on Sunday. But what's even worse is the lack of control that Eddie Jordan has on his players. Is it wise to piss of one of the best players in the NBA? Do you really need to motivate him even more?

Flip Saunders: Let's save the best story for last. On Sunday's telecast on TNT, Chris Webber confirmed what everyone in the NBA already knew but didn't know: that the Pistons tune out Flip Saunders. With Detroit losing to Philadelphia by 10 at the half, Ernie Johnson put a question out to the former Piston and new in-studio member:

Ernie: You've been in that locker room with Flip Sauders at halftime, what is the mood in there now.

C-Webb: Truthfully, no disrespect against Flip but it doesn't matter what Flip says because they take on the personality of Joe Dumars. So I'll tell you this: Rip, Chauncey, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed and McDyess are very mad right now, they're probably not even talking and they're probably just saying, "okay we're going to go win this ballgame."

Joe will come down to the locker room though and tell everybody, "I don't know what y'all think you're doing. I'll trade all y'all today." Joe will do that.

So who's doing the coaching anyway... Joe D or Flip? This totally explains why under Saunders the Pistons seem bored during the playoffs. But if they were tuning him out last year (as C-Webb learned first hand), then why is Saunders still coaching them? Again, like the Suns, how many playoff disappointments under Flip Saunders will the Pistons' fans, front office, and roster put up with? Sheed, Rip and Chauncey are getting up there in age. Do they really want to do this again next season?

You can't hide bad coaching in the playoffs.

Photos: The Return of Hibachi!

By Craig Kwasniewski

Gilbert Arenas is back!

And just in time to save the Eastern Conference from a stale ending to the regular season. This automatically makes the Wizards the wild card team in the first round. Will there be enough time for Agent Zero to regain the form of last season? Will he fit in with the new defensive-oriented Wizards? Will he be "the man" during crunch time or will he defer to Tough Juice? There are too many questions and not enough time, but the Wiz will be very scary in the first round.

So *OBVIOUSLY* Agent Zero returns against the Bucks sporting a pair of Benihana x Adidas Hibachi TS Lightswtich GIL II ZERO's (the shoes have "Hibachi" on the front of them for crissake!). The kicks are one of 20 versions of Adidas's brilliant and ill-timed signature shoes for Gilbert Arenas in 2008. I'll definitely buy these when they hit the outlets in a few months (it's hard to promote them when you're injured so obvously sales are a little slow).

Anyway, here are a few photos of his return to action against Milwaukee along with the kicks... the blogosphere just got a lot more interesting:

A Good Sign for Adidas and Wizard Fans but Not Necessarily the Wizards

By Craig Kwasniewski

Here's a photo of Gilbert Arenas practicing with the team on Thursday. This has to be a good sign, right? Well definitely for the people at Adidas, who have 20 versions of his new signature shoe the Gil II Zero coming out this year. And definitely for blog fans and others who were thoroughly entertained by Agent Zero all last season.

But the real question... are the Washington Wizards (who sit at 22-18 with two nice W's over Boston) ready for the return of Gilbert Arenas? Will they be ready for a shoot-first point guard, especially with Antonio Daniels doing a fine job filling in for Gilbert and leading the Wizards to an 11-3 record in 2008 while starting?

I hope he returns soon. The NBA needs more personalities like him especially during the long middle months of the season.

We shall see...

Cookin' with Gil

By Craig Kwasniewski

Honestly, I have no idea what the blogging world is going to do now that Gilbert Arenas is out for at least three months. What's even worse is that Adidas rolled out a very creative ad campaign for the new Gil II Zero's for the entire season. Basically they designed 20 different editions with each one scheduled to be unveiled on the same day Gilbert Arenas wore them on the court (insert 90's "...NOT" joke here). They even filmed a bunch of Laugh-In-esque type of promos for his new website gilTV.com.

Here's Cookin' with Gil:

Actually, the Hibachi Shoe ("cooked up by Gilbert Arenas, serving Detroit 3-23-08") looks pretty clean. Check it out:

Personally, I just hope that Arenas is not the equivalent of a one-hit wonder and that he recovers to the level of basketball/entertainment he brought to the NBA last season. The guy was *THE* storyline and helped carry us hoops fans through one of the most boring seasons in NBA history (culminating with that Spurs-Cavs abortion).

Agent Zero to Train with D.C. United

By Craig Kwasniewski

Evidently, Gilbert Arenas feels he needs to work on his flopping game.

Accoring to Soccer Insider, Gilbert Arenas has expressed interest in training with D.C. United of the MLS (that soccer league in the US that you'll hear more about once David Beckham joins the LA Galaxy in July).

Now prepare for Agent Zero, Gilbert Arenas, who has expressed interest in offseason workouts with United at RFK.

Here is United's official take on things from vice prez of communications Doug "Blacksburg Soccer Rules" Hicks:

"The Wizards strength and conditioning coach has visited to observe some of the work we do to increase foot speed and quickness, among other things. Gilbert is said to be interested in alternative training methods to help elevate his game. While no date is set, it is our understanding that he hopes to train with us in the near future on a day that we work extensively on fitness and mobility drills."

Actually, I always felt all the years of youth soccer helped my basketball footwork. Soccer does use a lot of change of pace change of direction moves that are needed in hoops. Plus, maybe the coach will share some new flopping techniques.

Also, given that both David Beckham and Gilbert Arenas are Adidas guys, how soon before we see a "Fútbol vs. Basketball" commercial, like the new Fútbol vs. Football ones?