FanHouse Chucky Atkins

The Oklahoma City Thunder aren't just getting a backup center in Etan Thomas, they are getting a much-needed bodyguard for rising star Kevin Durant. And that's a good thing.

According to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman, the Thunder are close to acquiring Thomas from Minnesota in a trade for reserve guards Damien Wilkins and Chucky Atkins, neither of whom were expected to help Durant very much. The Thunder also will be getting a second-round pick in 2010.

Thomas went to Minnesota earlier this summer from Washington, along with the No 5 pick in the draft, as part of the deal that sent Mike Miller and Randy Foye to the Wizards.

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

The Denver Nuggets are among the top teams in the West. Their success starts in the locker-room, where everyone gets along and chemistry is good. In this video, after the jump, the team's players share with us some of the nicknames they've given each other, including 730, Quack, Suite 200 and more.

Renaldo Balkman, who is known as "Kool," even shows us his one-of-a-kind tattoo.

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded NBA Correspondent, brings his exclusive NBA reporting to FanHouse. Check back here regularly for more videos.

In this video, Nuggets All Star Allen Iverson has some tips for reporters. Around 1:22 into the video Lakers Center Pau Gasol tells us what makes him happy.


AOL Video link. Youtube link.

The Los Angeles Clippers are not the Dallas Mavericks. While this may not be great news for their fans, it is great news for bloggers. Unlike a certain owner of a team in Dallas, the Clippers welcome my kind, and thanks to them I'm here courtside to report on tonight's game. I'll be bringing you updates at halftime and after the game, so stay tuned for all the action.

Pre-game: This is an important game for Denver, because as of right now they find themselves tied with the Warriors for the eighth and final playoff spot. After two unexpected losses, the team really can't afford to lose to a Clippers team that isn't playing at full strength. Especially with a monumental game against the Warriors looming on Thursday.

George Karl seemed as exasperated as any fan of the Nuggets during his pre-game comments. He put a positive spin on the pressure his team's facing by saying that "pressure is a privilege," and that a lot of teams would welcome the chance to be in their position. He also felt that his team didn't play all that badly, especially against Seattle where he mentioned that "they beat us with a couple of lucky shots."

On the Nuggets chalkboard, defense was what was being stressed, for obvious reasons. The goal Karl set for his team was to hold the opposition to 20-point quarters, and to be active and aggressive for 48 minutes.

Chucky Atkins, when asked why he wasn't getting in some shooting before the game, said that there was no need because "his [stuff] was hot" tonight. We'll see if he starts out that way. On the Clippers' side, Quinton Ross seemed a bit tired in the locker room, which might be bad news since he's likely to be matched up against Allen Iverson.

B-Ball, B-Fast runs weekdaily and covers last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.

Cup of Coffee
And by "high" I mean vertically towards the rim, of course. And when you can jump like Thaddeus Young and you start to get some playing time, there is certainly no reason to be sad. Young scored in double figures for the third time in four games last night, scoring 16 on seven of 11 shooting with four boards, two steals and a block against the Raptors in 28 minutes. He's got sick hops and gobs of potential for fantasy purposes, especially in the defensive categories. Deeper leagues should be pouncing and even 12 teamers want to offer some consideration.

Hot Cakes
Jason Williams did not start for the Heat, but he played 37 minutes. Chris Quinn saw only eight and J-Dub blew up (a relevant phrase for the Miami Heat this year) for 23 points. Again, he's playing for a contract, the Heat do not have many options (relevance again) in terms of offense so he's going to get shots -- if you need threes and dimes he is a very solid buy low coming off of injury.

After reading Brian Berger's Sports Business Radio Blog yesterday, I became a little bit upset. In the post Mr. Berger criticized current Memphis Grizzlies GM Jerry West for these comments following the draft lottery:

"It's like pitching pennies. It's grossly unfair to the team, but I've said it before, I don't think the lottery is fair. I never liked it. I don't think it's a good system at all, period.

"There have been a lot of picks in the lottery that have [failed]. There are two in the lottery this year that are not going to fail. There are two superstars in the draft. I think for the teams fortunate enough to get them, the fortunes of their franchises have changed forever."

Berger categorized the comments as "sour grapes", stating that Mr. West only made the comments because his team lost the lottery. However, being the media watch dog that I am, I know that Jerry West had been urging the league to change its current lottery system long before Tuesday's draft lottery. In fact, in a podcast with Chad Ford back in early April, Mr. West spent half of the interview talking about how terrible he thought the system was.