Posts by Marcel Mutoni at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Yes.

Following an offseason from hell, the New York Knicks not only look like a real basketball team, but one that could make its Playoff dreams come true. I know, I know, we're only three games into the season, but hear me out on this.

Last night, in a rematch against the swingin' Nuggets (and one of the better teams in the Western Conference), New York put together a performance that should give Knicks fans reason to open the sports section in the morning other than to read about Isiah's latest gaffe.

Rallying from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit, the team carried itself with unmistakable swag; the guards scored and dished at will; the forwards banged down low and dominated the boards; and Nate Robinson didn't do anything cataclysmically stupid. A good night all around.

Over the last two seasons, the Dallas Mavericks and their fans have experienced two heart-wrenching Playoff flameouts: In the 2006 NBA Finals, Dwyane Wade(and the refs) were the executioners, and last season, the eight-seeded Warriors took down first place Dallas in a memorable first round matchup.

Both times, it was evident that the Mavs did not have that one grab-the-bulls-by-the-horn player, the kind of fearless leader who can win you a crucial Playoff game practically by his lonesome.

As it happens, such a player is available, but Mavs owner Mark Cuban isn't willing to part ways with his MVP-winning power foward, Dirk Nowitzki, in order to get him. From the Dallas Morning News:

"I still haven't talked to [Lakers owner] Jerry Buss," Cuban said. "So until that happens, nothing can happen.

"If and when I talk to Jerry, I'll make it clear that we're not going to trade Dirk. And we're not going to dismantle our team."

I understand the argument against dismantling the team; if the Mavs gut their squad just to obtain the Kobe, they automatically transform into today's Lakers and Bryant will be back in the exact same situation: A superstar talent without the help necessary to challenge for a championship.

Outright refusing to trade Dirk (and his spotty Playoff reputation) for Kobe (who lives for the postseason), however, makes little to no sense.

This is the question posed by Sam Smith today, notorious rumor monger, and longtime columnist for the Chicago Tribune. With Lakers team owner Jerry Buss having reopened the nasty can of worms last week with his his comments, the Kobe-to-the-Bulls trade talk has once again started up. Since this will probably not stop anytime soon, what do you say we join in the fun and play along?

Figure this is what it takes to get Kobe Bryant from the Lakers: Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, a first-round draft pick and either Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah.

That would leave the Bulls with a starting lineup of something like Bryant, Ben Gordon, Andres Nocioni, Ben Wallace and Noah/Thomas/Joe Smith.

Is this a title team? Let's take a closer look.

Yes, Bryant is a transcendent talent, and Ben Wallace is still arguably the best low-post defender in the Association, and sure, Scott Skiles can coach. That Bulls team, however, will not topple the NBA's giants: Phoenix, Dallas (be nice!), and San Antonio. And a trip to the Finals is no sure thing either; the East still has Detroit, Cleveland, and a suddenly-relevant Boston.

Continued after the jump...

Mark Cuban is a lot of things. A filthy rich dude; owner of a successful basketball team; possible owner of an historic baseball franchise; a not-too-shabby dancer. I've got one more to add to the list: Someone who is just bored.

That's the only way I can rationalize his latest venture. Cuban, always looking to make a buck and have fun while at it, has plans to introduce the world to Celebrity Mixed Martial Arts.

Cuban said he is studying the concept of staging a Fighting With the Stars.

"We actually have been working on it with Mario Lopez for late '08," Cuban said via e-mail, referring to the former Saved by the Bell actor. "Not a done deal, but Mario has a ton of great ideas and is working to put it together."

You know, this could actually turn out to be a pretty good idea. There are plenty of celebs out there that we'd all like to see get punched and kicked in the face. And if the producers of the show can somehow swing a deal where Cuban and Donald Trump settle their beef like real men, then you've just got yourselves one faithful viewer, gents.

Sometime last week Kevin Garnett told the LA Times that, despite being highly coveted by them, he never had any intention of joining the Los Angeles Lakers. Garnett basically said that he didn't want to deal with LA's comically mismanaged front office (KG is smart!); he'd had enough of that in Minnesota.

Phil Jackson, somewhat surprisingly, came to the Laker front office's defense and questioned Garnett's knowledge of the facts:

"Where did he get his information from?" Jackson said. "What does [his] statement mean? Does he even know our organization? ... I don't think anybody has a better winning record as an owner than Jerry Buss ... He doesn't want to win? I just kind of brush that off as not understanding the situation."

I was a tad surprised to see Jackson standing behind Buss and company so firmly; oftentimes one gets the feeling that he agrees wholeheartedly with KG's opinion of the Laker franchise (to say nothing of his own disgruntled super-duper star, Kobe Bryant).

To be fair, Jackson does find himself in a bit of a tight spot, and it wouldn't do him much good to criticize the boss: Jerry Buss is not only the man who signs his checks, but Phil is sleeping with his daughter.

Baron Davis, who's made it perfectly clear that he would like a contract extension as soon as possible, will have to wait at least until the end of the 2008 season for negotiations to begin. According ESPN.com, the Golden State Warriors are in no rush to extend their star point guard.

Sources told ESPN.com that Davis' agent, Todd Ramasar, was informed in a meeting with the Warriors this week that the club prefers to wait until after the coming season to sign Davis to an extension, even though that opens up Golden State to the possibility of losing its point guard and leader in the 2008 free-agency market.

But Golden State, sources say, is confident that it won't lose Davis even if he does opt out, believing that the former UCLA star won't want to leave his native California or the franchise that helped him resurrect his career.

Of course, this is just good business sense on the Warriors' end. They can afford to wait until the end of the season to lock up Baron. What's the rush in signing him, not knowing how his knees and back will hold up this upcoming season? Plus, this will give Davis plenty of motivation; another year like 2007 and his market value can only go up.

When the New York tabloids caught Tom Brady wearing a NY Yankees cap, people in Boston were not pleased. They were even less pleased when the jet-setting quarterback said that he's a fan of both the Yankees and the Red Sox, an absolute no-no on the Eastern seaboard.

Imagine how fans in Cleveland feel now that LeBron James, who regularly wears a Yankee hat, has come out and said that he'll be rooting for the Bronx Bombers in the Playoffs even if they go up against his hometown Indians.

LeBron was asked who he would root for if the Indians and Yankees met in the playoffs (which, it appears they will do in the American League Division Series). LeBron's response: "Yankees."

He then went on to say he'd been a Yankees fan his whole life and we all just need to "deal with it."

With many observers convinced that LeBron is not long for the city of Cleveland, especially if the front-office doesn't surround him with enough talent to win a title (and with the tremendous endorsement opportunities available to James in a media town like New York), this latest revelation certainly won't help insecure Cavs fans sleep any easier over the next few years.

You might be of the opinion that all NBA players are living the high life. This, for the most part, is true: Even your run-of-mill bench warmer is making good money (the average annual salary is over $4 million). Life isn't glamorous for all, however, especially not if the player in question is an unheralded rookie.

Take Bobby Jones for example, a rookie last season, who served as what the Rocky Mountain News terms "Allen Iverson's personal valet" in Philly last year. Jones was tasked with a number of chores, including acting as AI's bodyguard (he kept autograph seekers away while Iverson played cards), carrying his superstar teammate's bags, and my personal favorite, Jones was Iverson's personal alarm clock on practice days.

"Just normal stuff," Jones said. "Take his orders and bring him his food on game days. Carry his shoes after practice. Just little things. Nothing too extreme."

"I was assigned to wake him up for training camp and make sure he got to the bus," Jones said.

Now, I know that practice and Allen Iverson are no longer mortal enemies, but this story makes me feel extremely sorry for the poor rook who had to wake AI up on that fateful day.

When Allen Iverson retires, three things will stand out from his career: The style (braids, tats, and clothing which ultimately led to the NBA instituting a ridiculous dress code), the magical Playoff run in 2001 (which helped short-list Iverson as one of the toughest athletes of all time), and of course, his YouTube-tastic 'Practice, we talking 'bout practice?!' press conference following the 2002 season. According to Allen, however, he regrets talking about practice in such a manner. From the Philly Inquirer:

"It was just being young and definitely immature. I wish it wouldn't have ever happened," he says during an appearance on Fox SportNet's "Best Damn Sports Show Period."

"But you learn from experiences like that... I think it sent the wrong message, especially to kids. You can't be a scoring champion and an MVP and an All-Star and all of that without practice...I didn't want kids to get the message that you don't need to practice because when you're not practicing, someone else is out there practicing, getting better."

I don't care what Allen Iverson says, that press conference is one of the greatest things to ever happen. I mean, sure, it may have led to Iverson becoming even more polarizing that he already was (which is incredible if you really think about it), but it was hilarious, and expressed what many people felt but were afraid to say. Considering what was going on in Philly at the time (AI's daily battles with the media, the catfights with Larry Brown, etc.), it was never really about practice anyway.

In your old age, it appears as though you've gone soft on us, Allen. 'Tis a shame.

The future of the Utah Jazz, Deron Williams, in light of recent events, was asked about the man who many considered to be the future of that franchise only a few short years ago, (former?) teammate Andrei Kirilenko. In today's age of political correctness with few athletes willing to say what's really on their minds, Williams was surprisingly candid in the radio interview, and even took a shot at Kirilenko's work ethic (or lack thereof).

"You see guys, you see Booz (Carlos Boozer) after practice shooting for 25-30 minutes, you see Memo (Mehmet Okur) shooting for 20 minutes, you see all the rookies, the young guys, you see Hafa (Rafael Araujo) in there working, and you see Andrei being the first guy out the door," Williams said.

"He's coming off a screen on one side, and Matt Harpring's coming off a screen on one side, who do you think you're gonna pass to? You think you're gonna pass to the guy you see working every day in the gym? Or you gonna pass to the guy who never works on his shot but wants to shoot ... "

Though Williams went on to say that the Jazz need Kirilenko and consider him to be a special talent, you get the feeling that at this point, both sides are much better off apart.